I did the interview after all.
When my teacher asked if I'd do it, I didn't have the heart or the will to say no. That's one of the paradoxes of shyness; you'll sometimes do brave things only to avoid having to say ei.
Overall, it went quite well. I was able to communicate all of my thoughts using Finnish, resorting to English for only a few words. I did, however, ask the journalist to repeat several of her questions in English to be sure that I understood them. I find that, when I'm nervous, listening comprehension is the first thing to go.
As a result of my performing days, something odd and alien kicks in when I'm especially nervous. When my brain is near to shutting down from nerves, some persona (who is most certainly not me) takes the reins. I think that may have been what happened in this case. Once I got going, though, it was easy. The journalist and photographer were very kind, and they said some very nice things about my Finnish abilities (though I think they were more or less obligated to be encouraging).
I suppose the real test will be if the things I intended to say end up on the printed page.
When my teacher asked if I'd do it, I didn't have the heart or the will to say no. That's one of the paradoxes of shyness; you'll sometimes do brave things only to avoid having to say ei.
Overall, it went quite well. I was able to communicate all of my thoughts using Finnish, resorting to English for only a few words. I did, however, ask the journalist to repeat several of her questions in English to be sure that I understood them. I find that, when I'm nervous, listening comprehension is the first thing to go.
As a result of my performing days, something odd and alien kicks in when I'm especially nervous. When my brain is near to shutting down from nerves, some persona (who is most certainly not me) takes the reins. I think that may have been what happened in this case. Once I got going, though, it was easy. The journalist and photographer were very kind, and they said some very nice things about my Finnish abilities (though I think they were more or less obligated to be encouraging).
I suppose the real test will be if the things I intended to say end up on the printed page.
Stellar effort, Elena! I'm so impressed. You should be really proud of yourself and your Finnish language ability. As for that confident "persona" you mentioned... of course it's you, and you should take full credit for this "persona's" ability to perform with grace and confidence under pressure.
ReplyDeleteHehe, thanks so much for always being so encouraging. I have no doubt that you would have done as well or better in my situation. :)
DeleteHey, girl, don't sell yourself short. After what I've read, you've done VERY WELL in learning Finnish, so I think the journalist and the photographer really meant what they said. WELL DONE indeed!!! :-)))
ReplyDeleteForgot to say that I LOVE your new profile pic. SO CUTE! :-D
DeleteThank you on all counts! Hey, is your article online or anything? It'd be neat to read it if it's available...
DeleteI don't think so. It's only in our local newspaper (called Sompio - the newspaper is only about 14 pages long or something and it doesn't appear every day). Oh, but I did scan it and write about it once ha ha...And of course hubby corrected my mistakes before I sent it to the newspaper. So don't wonder if it's flawless ha ha...
DeleteHere goes:
My Personal Project
Thanks! I couldn't see it all that well, but from what I could make out it seemed very similar to the themes that I and my 2 other classmates were asked about. Lovely picture of you, too. :)
DeleteOh, clicking it up still doesn't make it clear enough, eh? Anyway, I wanted to write a different subject, but they wouldn't let me, so it was just same old basic stuff ha ha...can't wait to read your article, though! :-D
DeleteWow! Paljon respect to you Elena! I certainly could not do an interview in Finnish, unless they asked me what I ate today, what I ate yesterday and what I will eat tomorrow! Please do share the article when it's published!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Olli. Ha, my best subject is food, too. The article might show up online, so I'll link to it if that's the case. :)
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