Another gathering of Russian speakers

I recently attended another gathering of Russian speakers (native and learners). This time I found myself in a group of more advanced learners (3 others) and was part of a conversation that lasted somewhere between an hour and an hour and 30 minutes. 

The conversation touched on why we are learning Russian, the Russian higher education system, central Asian restaurants in our city and several other topics.

I was definitely the least skilled speaker in the group and spent a lot more time listening than speaking. But I had a great time. It's very interesting how a real life conversation provides so much more context compared to a podcast or even a lesson with a teacher. 

My understanding of the conversation ebbed and flowed. Sometimes I understood everything, sometimes only the general topic. I didn't want to interrupt the flow of the conversation between the other three too often but occasionally I would ask about a specific word or would ask for a quick run down in English.

The others were very patient and helpful when I did this. I didn't stop to ask about everything I didn't understand, being comfortable with ambiguity is said to be one of the most important aspects of learning a language. So picked my moments just to check if I understood what was being said, or the meaning of a particular word that I felt would unlock more meaning.

It's definitely the case that I understand a lot more than what I can immediately recall and say, and often I'd think to myself that I definitely know a particular word or phrase, but couldn't remember in in the moment. I think that's completely natural of course. 

Gatherings like this make me think that being immersed in the language for an extended period would be extremely useful for me. I'm excited to seek out these kinds of opportunities as often as I can.