27 Comments

Beautiful writing - truly exhilarating and inspiring! I loved this!

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I really enjoyed this! I had heard about 'the nuns" and my husband and I have been thinking about taking this course. I now know more about what to expect and that there aren't any actual nuns there anymore! You are a talented, engaging and humorous writer. Thank you!

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Oct 13, 2023Liked by Jo Usmar

Just got an email from my boss suggesting "a week with the nuns in Vught." You were the 2nd search engine result. Thank you for explaining so nicely what the hell she is talking about. I'm gonna do it.

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Sep 14, 2023·edited Sep 14, 2023Liked by Jo Usmar

very motivating writing, thank you Jo. Looks like you were in a same boat as I am now - angry for unable to learn the language on my own. I see coincidentally you are also a freelancer ( as I am too ), and until recently I have put this option aside as my bookie told me I cannot expense it back. Have you had any trouble with? I might just follow your path too.. :)

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May 31, 2023Liked by Jo Usmar

Having read your article (sorry, I'm only just working back through your musings) I should check out the Nuns. I'm resident in Portugal (I spend about half the year here in the Algarve). I've been trying to learn to speak Portuguese for several years. I've reached a plateau where I can speak basic present-tense Portuguese in common situations, but it's so easy just to speak English. Most of the Portuguese here are so good at English that they can't be arsed waiting for me to form Portuguese sentences. So I'm not progressing any further. I'm also not helped by the local Algarvian accent - in the Algarve they tend to miss off the endings of all the words, but because Portuguese doesn't use personal pronouns in normal usage, the only way you know what's the subject and object of a sentence is from the endings. So here in the Algarve you're either fluent, or you're lost... there's no in-between!

However, if I can pass a Portuguese language test I will soon be able to apply for citizenship and a Portuguese passport - which given Brexit and the now relative uselessness of a UK passport would be very useful. A week in the Netherlands being immersed in Portuguese sounds like a feasible option to me...

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Mar 20, 2023Liked by Jo Usmar

My sister just got sent to the nuns by her job to learn Dutch. Your wonderful blog exactly described her experience. I snort laughed my way through! Thank you!

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Feb 18, 2023Liked by Jo Usmar

I can say yes to A, B and C.

Went to the nuns twice to learn Italian and everything you say is true. I am by no means “finished” but hold a quite proficient level now. Which I can directly relate to my two weeks at the nuns AND all the hours I worked on it at home and plainly throwing myself at it working in Italy. It wouldn’t have been possible without either. I also emigrated from Brazil to The Netherlands almost 15 years ago. You will get the hang of it :-)

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I have been there in Vught to learn two different languages German and lately for Italian. I must say it is the best language school you can attend. I say this because I also attended other langiage schools abroad and in the Netherlands and Regina Coeli is my favorite language school.

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Jan 29, 2023Liked by Jo Usmar

Bravo for your courage! I know what it takes since I am one of the teachers of Dutch ;-) You described the whole experience so well (and it was also a funny read!). I recognize what you wrote about being exhilirated: I took a one-week beginners course Spanish. I was a beginner for speaking, for the reading/understanding I had the avantage of being a teacher of French too, I could deduct a lot. Yet the speaking was very basic and still... on the Thursday I started talking Spanish and more than the usual 'My name is ... and I live in....' And that was a special feeling after only 4 days! Keep up the good work!

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Jan 24, 2023Liked by Jo Usmar

geen dank :-)

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Jan 24, 2023Liked by Jo Usmar

love this - thank you, Jo

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Jan 24, 2023Liked by Jo Usmar

What a life experience and what a tale to tell! The whole story is brilliant, and I particularly enjoyed ‘Nun the wiser’. Nice work / goed gedaan!

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author

What a lovely comment! Thank you so much, Justine. I really appreciate it. Good luck if you go! I'm just starting up individual lessons and am relying on much I learned at the nuns. However, I would HIGHLY recommend having a baseline of knowledge before you go, if you go. I knew NOTHING before going and would have gotten a lot more out of it if I at least had a gist.

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