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What I Learned in 100 Days of Duolingo
In 2021 I visited Ukraine for the first time, and there I met my current boyfriend. I took affection for the Ukrainian language relatively quickly since it sounds very soothing — and not much like Russian, which I initially expected. Plus, the city that I stayed in (Lviv) quickly became a favorite, due to all the culture, good food, and friends I discovered there.
Fast forward to 2022, and my boyfriend still doesn’t speak my language — and I still don’t speak his. You see, contrary to popular belief, you don’t really learn languages through osmosis (unfair, I know). So, in August of this year, I decided I would give Ukrainian a serious try.
It’s now November and today, as per usual, I completed my daily Duolingo lesson (which usually takes me around 2.5–3 minutes). Once I finished it, the app happily informs me it was my 100th consecutive day of learning Ukrainian!
While I think it’s a cool-looking badge of honor, I also know that the number of days in itself doesn’t mean much - But that didn’t stop me from showing it to my boyfriend with a proud grin and making a little victory dance.
