This is hard to do
Learning Vietnamese has been one of the most humbling experiences in my life. And I mean humbling, not humiliating. I've been humiliated a time or two, but in general tasks, hobbies, educational efforts and athletic pursuits have come easily to me. Outside of getting my ass kicked by semiprofessional modern dancers in the 80s when I moved to Seattle to dance, I can't think of any other huge challenge like this. The difference is that then I quit dancing post haste (because it was hard) and took up soccer (which was relatively easy).
Specifically, I struggle so with Vietnamese because it comes so SLOWLY and I'm used to picking things up quickly. It takes me forever to learn all the vowels and to type and to look up the words and forever and ever and ever to translate the assignments that Master Kim gives me. I haven't given up yet on the Vietnamese. Yet.
I continue the effort
The reason I stick with it is the whole point of the VuiLong blog (http://vuilong.blogspot.com/): the learning of Viet is a metaphor that helps me to understand myself and my life.
For some reason, drilling the alcoholism and PTSD down to these really complicated and subtle Vietnamese pronouns and verbs has been profound for me.
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