Women who studied English in school

[groovlstk]

Something that Andrew said in another thread (about most women studying English in school) struck a chord.

I've noticed something in several women I've met, as well as a woman I'm planning to meet at the end of this month in Moscow. If they studied English in school, their English abilities will improve exponentially if you phone them regularly prior to your trip. I realize this is an investment in time as well as money and that a good number of men here insist that it's a waste of time to send more than a handful of letters/phone calls prior to meeting. I disagree, but that's a separate argument.

A year ago, prior to a visit to Dnepropetrovsk, I spoke daily for about a month to a girl I was planning to meet and at first I thought her English was very limited. She had studied English in school, but hadn't had reason to use it for years. Our first few conversations were awkward and we both had to repeat ourselves often. However, each time we talked her abilities improved and by time we met there was absolutely no need for an interpreter. By the end of my trip, she could probably qualify as "fluent." I thought this was maybe a fluke or the girl was very smart, however I'm noticing the same phenomenon in the girl I'm planning to meet soon.

I'm kicking myself for not making the connection earlier since it's common knowledge that, with regular practice, someone can quickly regain skills in a language thought long forgotten.

[catzenmouse]

If  they studied English in school, [color="green"]their English abilities will[/color] [color="green"]improve exponentially [/color]if  you phone them regularly prior to your trip.

Grovlstk,

 This is right on the money! When I first met Elena she could  understand most of what I was talking about but had not used her  English in quite a few years so was not confident in her abilty to  express herself. We spent the next few months talking on the phone.  Several times I would have to rework a sentence to get it to a point  where she would understand my meaning and we used the dictionary a lot.  This combined with some lessons on her end and she arrived here with a  very good command of the language. She took a basic ESL class upon  arrival and was the star pupil then and is not in an advanced ESL class  where she is getting mid 90's on all her grades (not good enough for  her as she is dissappointed with less that 100%). Like you said,  practice is so key in this ability to speak and understand English.

Ken

[Oosik]

When they are in school, most of their english is written. They don't have much chance to speak to native english speakers, heck, their teacher may never have done so!

So they start with a great grasp of grammar, and a good reading/writing vocabulary. Spending time talking to you just fills the void.

[catzenmouse]

She took a basic ESL class upon arrival and was the star pupil then and is not in an advanced ESL class where she is getting mid 90's on all her grades (not good enough for her as she is dissappointed with less that 100%).

I meant to say she is "now" taking an advanced class. Fingers going faster than brain again....

[Captmonk1]

I've noticed something in several women I've met, as well as a woman I'm planning to meet at the end of this month in Moscow. If they studied English in school, their English abilities will improve exponentially if you phone them regularly prior to your trip.

 

I couldn't agree more. I spoke to my now wife every day for a month or so before my trip plus I talked to her every day for 5 months waiting on her Visa to come to America. She agrees that it helped a ton.

[rose]

she is getting mid 90's on all her grades (not good enough for  her as she is dissappointed with less that 100%).[/quote]
I suspect it's in our blood. It took me about 3 years to start going easier on myself and be satisfied with my 3.95 GPA in my computer science masters program. From the early childhood we are taught to study well, so, you probably can add it to out national feature.
I think if we (RW) were given good resources, time, and food we all could learn English maybe even better than some natural English speakers. That's why andrew's statement that we are lazy looked like an absurd for me.

[catzenmouse]

 That's why andrew's statement that we are lazy looked like an absurd for me.

It was.

Ken

[2tallbill]

Something that Andrew said in another thread (about most women studying English in school) struck a chord.

I've noticed something in several women I've met, as well as a woman I'm planning to meet at the end of this month in Moscow. If they studied English in school, their English abilities will improve exponentially if you phone them regularly prior to your trip. I realize this is an investment in time as well as money and that a good number of men here insist that it's a waste of time to send more than a handful of letters/phone calls prior to meeting. I disagree, but that's a separate argument.

A year ago, prior to a visit to Dnepropetrovsk, I spoke daily for about a month to a girl I was planning to meet and at first I thought her English was very limited. She had studied English in school, but hadn't had reason to use it for years. Our first few conversations were awkward and we both had to repeat ourselves often. However, each time we talked her abilities improved and by time we met there was absolutely no need for an interpreter. By the end of my trip, she could probably qualify as "fluent." I thought this was maybe a fluke or the girl was very smart, however I'm noticing the same phenomenon in the girl I'm planning to meet soon.

I'm kicking myself for not making the connection earlier since it's common knowledge that, with regular practice, someone can quickly regain skills in a language thought long forgotten.

This is true, Angel Eyes English improved dramatically from our first meeting to my second trip
and it's still improving today. She wants me to correct here when she says something wrong.
My Russian wife really wants to improve and is rarely makes the same mistakes twice.

If you insist on only 100% fluent woman then you really shrink the potential dating pool.

[krimster2]

you can also "reverse roles"
no, I don't mean "her on top"
I mean you, try livin with her in Russia
and havin a language barrier to deal with
did the experience make ya less of a person, or more of one?

much, much more important is havin a real human bond
that let's you deal with problems TOGETHER in a mutually sympathetic way
otherwise every problem, becomes the nucleas of an argument
instead of you pulling each other out of the quicksand

[ML]

Current UW wife studied English in both secondary school and university . . . but not intensively and she rarely had a chance to practice.

Before we met, she had been studying English using some tapes for a couple of years.

Near the end of our first meeting of about a week she told me that she only understood about half of what I said.

I was a little irritated to hear that because she hadn't told me as our visit progressed.

Between our other visits before she came to USA, she continued to study on-line courses and courses on tapes . . . and she reported to me that she understood most all of what I said during our meetings.  And I understood most all of what she said.

When she came to USA, she enrolled in a year long course of English as a second language at the University.  The classes met for 6 hours every weekday with a lot of homework. 
Near end of the second semester she took TOEFL along with all other students and received award for attaining highest score.

And the teachers gave her a second award as the most Outstanding Student in the year long program.

Interestingly, during the ceremony when the coordinator started saying  the words about the achivements and work the award winner put into it . . .  I knew it would be my wife and I whispered it to her.  She said:  "No way."

I said: "Way!"

The tuition for this program was at half the rate for regular tuition.  Not sure why this discount was given.  Two possible reasons:
1) a way to attract students who would later enroll in BS, Masters, or PhD programs.
2) the classes were all taught by grad students majoring in teaching English as a second language . . . hence their salaries were much smaller than paid to Assistant, Associate, and Full Professors.

Before she could teach in the classroom as a graduate assistant in Masters/PhD program, she had to pass another English exam covering reading, writing and speaking.

Now after attaining Masters and PhD in Theoretical Mathematics, she has full time job teaching at the university.

On her student evaluations . . . every semester 1 or 2 student mention she has a strong accent that you have to get used to.  As for me . . . I hear zero accent when she talks.  This is unfortunate for me, as other men I know say her accent is very sexy.

[krimster2]

if the linguistic barrier is a hard one for you to breech
this is not a negative attribute of "yur woman"
instead it's one of yur own...

it means you ain't very flexible or adaptable
very bad qualities to go into a relationship with ANY WOMAN
let alone a Russian one

I know you guys are hornier that a "goat with 3 peckers"
but ya need to "get a grip" on that reality, and not the BeeFarmer way
why all the dysfunction out there?

no matter the distance...you can always get there by taking one step after another

so why ya'll frozen and stayin in one place?
start walkin


PS
it is well known that thinking with "yur genitals" ain't the best way to go about things
but ya'll WANT that gratification, now doncha?
cuz you can't get no satisfaction

remember when you were the new kid in skool and you didn't know a single person?
and how you climbed the social ladder
if you could go back and guide yurself through it...what would ya tell 'yursel from yur all grownup perspective?
how'd you make friends and influence devooskie to look at ya NOW?

you 40 somethin year olds, can target the mid 30 yr olds in Ukraine
even if yur just a poor version of Forrest Gump

in the Ukrainian market, take yur income mulitply it by 30
take 10 years off yur age
and on the looks scaale, give yurself two extra points
you speak English, yur part of the "intelligencia" even if yur IQ is 80

BUT...
you have to be a kind, sweet empathetic person, and not a complete asshewl like most of ya actually are, and that's the freakin reason yur single in the first place
and ya'll gonna hate on me just for tellin ya the truth....