Bogdana Huma is from Romania and started at VU Amsterdam as an assistant professor in January 2021. She has taken Basic Dutch @ VU, the language course for international VU staff, and shares her experience.
"My ultimate goal is to learn Dutch so well that I can teach my classes in Dutch. But for now I would like to be able to talk in Dutch with colleagues and friends, read the news, listen to the radio, watch TV, etc. That's why I chose to take this course.
Basic Dutch @ VU is an introductory course but I have learned so much already! I can now understand both simple conversations and texts better and I can also talk to people in Dutch about some basic topics. I found the cultural knowledge included in the course valuable, it makes me feel like I understand the people around me a little better now.
The course has made my job easier because some of the communication at VU is in Dutch. Now I can understand the essence of most emails and messages.
I really enjoyed the course. It was well timed and well organized. Even though my schedule was incredibly full this semester, I didn't feel like the course was a burden. In fact, I looked forward to the Dutch class most of the time because I enjoyed it so much.
My advice for future participants is: do the course together with friends or colleagues, or try to become friends with other students, that makes the course even more fun!"
