Hello everyone, my name is Fama Thiaw and I’m currently 17 years old, living in Germany. When people ask me where I'm from I always say Mauritania 🇲🇷, but I have quite an international background. You might be asking yourself, where in the world is that? Well, it is a West African country neighboring Morocco, Algeria, Mali, and Senegal. I could tell you so much more about it but let’s stop there for now.
I spent most of my childhood in Kenya (East Africa) and lived in other countries like France, Switzerland, Burkina Faso, and Senegal. I grew up learning three languages: French, English, and my mother tongue Fulani (widely spoken in West and Central Africa). Right now, I am finishing grade 12 in an International (IB) school. Before that though, most of my education was in a French school system.
Now that you know a bit more about me, let’s talk about languages!
🇸🇦 After mastering three languages fluently, my parents got me an Arabic tutor. My whole family is Muslim, so obviously while learning about Islam and the Quran, Arabic came along too. While the various dialects make it difficult to speak Arabic, I can read and write it easily!
🇪🇸 Then, I started learning Spanish at my French school for around 3 years. When I traveled to Spain I realized how useful it is to learn so many languages because I could communicate with the locals AND understand panels and words in the country! It truly feels amazing!
🇰🇪 After I left Kenya, I have to admit the little Swahili I picked up just flew out of my mind because I didn’t practice it. I learned that to preserve a language we need to practice it!
🇸🇳 I then ended up in Senegal, and picked up one of the national languages: Wolof. I can communicate with other people, and although I may not be a fluent speaker or writer in Wolof, speaking with others is the BEST way to learn a language from my experience.
A lot to take in huh? Told you I was exposed to many cultures, but now – onto the last language, I promise.
🇩🇪 Moving onto my experience with German! It’s my fourth year in Germany and during my first two years at school, I learned the language. I realized it was a bit challenging compared to Spanish (which I also learned at school). The grammar was difficult: there are three types of the “the” (“Der, die, das”). But then again, I had to learn it because most people speak it and it was everywhere from road signs to the supermarket. I can say that I am not bad at it; I have a basic level of communication to have conversations when I purchase a good or when being at the doctor, in a restaurant, when someone asks for help etc…
Overall, given my extensive background in languages, I am positive that the Language Project is a great opportunity to learn a language in one of the most effective ways: speaking. You can just read how many languages I learned or improved my skills in by just speaking or traveling into the country that it originates from! You can practice weekly to not forget it online, even if you live on the other side of the world, for free. How amazing is that?
Tell me what you think below in the comments! Did you also have similar experiences or languages? Was this the first time you heard of Mauritania? Tell or ask me anything, I would be more than happy to answer!
Have a great day ;))
Fama
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