On May 12th, 2015 I gave a talk titled “Can you learn the hardest language in the world?” about the challenges of learning Finnish, and how they affect Finns & foreigners alike.
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My Tedx Talk: Can you learn the hardest language in the world?
September 1st, 2015 Posted by irina Language, News | Announcements | Updates Who is your Finnish expert?
August 18th, 2015 Posted by irina Language, Life
This might sounds like an odd question but have you ever wondered, who is the expert on Finnish? I don’t actually mean a person employed as a Finnish expert but rather, in the context of your life, who do you consider to be the expert on the Finnish? And when it comes to learning Finnish, is it an expert you should be turning to?
Read more...How not to learn Finnish
August 12th, 2015 Posted by irina Language, My Story
One of the questions I often get asked after ‘how long have you lived in Finland?’ is the hard-to-answer-question: how did you learn Finnish?
It’s ironic because every time this question is asked, I know the person asking it is expecting some kind of magical answer:
“I had this amazing book – you have to read it!”
One reason Finns switch to English when you’re around
August 8th, 2015 Posted by irina Life, My Story
A funny thing happened to me at work the other day. I walked over to a coworker’s desk and straight into a 4-person conversation that was going on in Finnish. I watched the conversation switch from Finnish to English to accommodate my arrival, and guess what I did next?
Read more...Are These The 3 Reasons Why You Don’t Speak Finnish Yet? Here’s What To Do Next!
August 2nd, 2015 Posted by irina News | Announcements | Updates
Next Sunday, August 9th at 12pm, I’ll be doing my very first webinar! In it, I’ll walk you through the 3 most likely reasons you probably won’t learn Finnish in the way you’d expect.
We’ll then talk about the seldom-mentioned solution to those reasons so you’ll know what to do next!
How to answer the question ‘Puhutko suomea?’ (Do you speak Finnish?)
May 19th, 2015 Posted by irina Language
In this video, I’ll share:
- why you want to avoid uttering the phrase ‘en puhu suomea’ at all costs
- a few more phrases you need to learn if you’ll be answering ‘KYLLÄ, PUHUN SUOMEA’
- the #1 mistake you want to avoid when answering ‘KYLLÄ PUHUN SUOMEA’
Real reason many don’t Learn Finnish (& not what you think)
April 13th, 2015 Posted by irina Language, Life
Awhile back, I was talking with one of my students from the Finnish Language Group Program about how English in Finland gets to be so comfortable, that it’s easy to get stuck just speaking English.
Read more...Let things be easy.
March 4th, 2015 Posted by irina Life, My Story
This morning, I woke up with a plan: I was going to get up, get dressed and head out for a walk first thing. It was snowing – the kind of snow that tends to get us a little wet and only sprinkle the ground with white. The air was so fresh though, it felt like coming alive first thing in the morning.
Read more...How words take on lives of their own
February 12th, 2015 Posted by irina Language, My Story
I don’t remember when kaunis became beautiful; all I know is that it didn’t start out that way.
“How do you say beautiful in Finnish?”
“Kaunis”
“Cow-ou-nis? Seriously? It sounds like cow.”
And there it was. My first reaction to the word beautiful in Finnish: it sounds like cow.
Read more...Profile: How a Chinese Acupuncturist Does Inspiring Work in Romania
January 23rd, 2015 Posted by irina Inspiration, Life, People & Profiles
A doctor, a grandfather and language coach walk into an acupuncture clinic…
Just kidding – well kind of. This is the beginning of the awe-inspiring story I am super excited to share with you today.
Hi! I’m Irina.
I’m a multibelonger to Finland, Canada and Romania, without ONE language or culture to call my own – I have several. My intention is to be present where I am and find inner peace and harmony where ever life takes me. I’m embracing the gems of the ongoing cultural and linguistic transition which is my life and hope to inspire others interested in doing the same. Click here to find out more!