Language Proficiency Interview (LPI)

Last Saturday we had our first of two LPIs.  It was fifteen minutes of answering questions in Azerbaijani.  Of course the questions were in Azerbaijani too.  First you had to understand what the person was asking you and then figuring out an answer.  Since we have only had a total of 16 language classes, can only talk in the present tense and only string up to five words, at most, together, you can imagine how proficient I am. 

The Azerbaijani language has a totally different sentence structure.  The subject is first and the verb last.  Words have vowel harmony, which means that the nine, count them, nine vowels have up to four different forms of endings and there can be multiple endings on a word.  Since my knowledge of English grammar terms is limited, which I blame on my middle school changing the methods they taught English three years in a row, you might be able to imagine how I doing trying to figure out what the teacher(s) mean when they grammar terms are used.

Conceptually, I understand what I’m supposed to do but when I try to speak it comes out all garbled.  Adding in my poor pronunciation, it’s a miracle that anyone understands me.

I am getting tutoring on top of my language classes, but I will probably need to up that from 1 day a week to at least 2.  I have joined a Conversation Club that meets on Sundays.  Today was the first day I attended and it is going to help a lot.

Tomorrow, I will find out how my interview went.  The good news is that the Peace Corps doesn’t send you home for not passing the LPI, even the one at the end of the training period.  Instead, they provide tutoring to help you gain the necessary language proficiency to be able to complete do your job.

I got my score - novice mid. I was told that I have the ability to learn.  Already a week later I see progress.

This blog does not represent the views of the Peace Corps.