What is Goedele's?
She started a Greek 1@class course in September with a clear goal in mind.
Who are you?
I am Goedele, soon to be 55, married to Jan, mum of Hannah, almost 30, and grandma of Oscar,2.5. I work as a nurse/educator in the diabetes clinic at UZ Jette.
How lang have you been learning Greek?
I started my first year of Greek in September. Before that, I had already begun a little bit on my own.
Why are you learning Greek?
We are cherishing plans to buy a cottage or something in Greece, where we can then spend large parts of the year, once we are retired. I can already see myself doing some volunteer work and so on there. Without some basic Greek, that will be difficult.
Do you do anything with it outside the classroom?
For the time being, I only exchange phrases at home with my husband, who already speaks quite a bit of Greek. In a Greek restaurant, I sometimes dare to order something in Greek. Soon we will leave for Crete. There, I will try to gather all my courage to start small conversations. Quite exciting.
What do you like about the classes?
Helena, our teacher, tries to include as much variety as possible in every lesson. There is stammering and stuttering during the speaking exercises, but that is the case for everyone, so no one feels embarrassed. There are also quite a lot of laughs in every class. An occasional Kahoot quiz always causes a bit of stress, but I like that.
I really look forward to class every Thursday, no matter how tired I sometimes feel after a working day. The first year has flown by. Next year, I will definitely continue.
Do you also have a reason to learn a language?