erik

Yes, I tend to get further and further behind if I don't use the language that I am learning. The problem is that it is so easy to forget the proper pronunciation of things or what phrases have what meaning. As an example, I was forgetting the phrases for "Who are you" and "How are you". They are simple enough to learn and use but if I don't practice them, I forget them. I wasn't happy either because then I had to go back and refresh myself and I felt that I had wasted time that should have been used to learn something new!

Although I am no longer paying for lessons on learning the Visayan language, I was paying 200 pesos per hour. Negros Oriental has places to go to learn Visayan but you need to search for them and they are not cheap. Paying 200 pesos per hour is actually a lot when you consider the amount of hours that you need to spend if you are going to learn any language well. If you are just getting an introduction to it then maybe it is OK, but how much can you really learn in an introduction class. Not much I think. The reason I feel that the 200 or more per hour was a lot is that you need to consider the cost of living in the Philippines along with the actual amount of money the average person makes. Added to this is the fact that you are probably a foreigner who is residing here or visiting and then the exchange rates. In the end it does amount to a lot of money spent to attend these classes. I finally started to just do internet surfing and bookmarking the websites I found, only most of the sites are actually Tagalog! I prefer to attend a class or have lessons taught to me because I feel that I learn better in these situations but I stopped as I can't justify paying so much in the long term. As of now I have met someone who wants to teach Visayan to people willing to learn it and we are working together make it easier for foreigners to learn this language and I can learn it better myself!