First Video Blog Entirely in Uzbek! (Birinchi Faqat O'zbek Tilida Gapirgan Video Blog!)

Assalomu alaykum!

We're almost to the end of the program! I know I've been not so consistent with posts so I wanted to share a video blog I made last night as a little culmination/documentation of what I've learned here at CLI Uzbek this year and last. With our final and closing ceremony tomorrow, I'll be saying goodbye to Arizona but definitely not to my language learning journey.

Check out the video below (or at this link), it's my first video entirely spoken in Uzbek for the site. Subtitles included for English speakers, don't worry! Let me know what you think in the comments below and I look forward to posting a final reflection before being on my way on Saturday. Thanks for following along this summer and for the nice emails readers have sent!

Xayr, Brian

Intermediate Uzbek Week 3 Quick Review Guide: Uzbek City Transportation & Local Sights

Assalomu alaykum!

Here is my week #3 quick review guide for Intermediate Uzbek at CLI. This week's topics included describing city life, transportation methods, getting around a new location, seeing important sights in a city (e.g. Tashkent), and more having to do with anything city-related. Take a look below or feel free to view and print at this link. Enjoy!



Xayr,
Brian

Key Free Links for Current, Past, or Future Uzbek Students

Assalomu alaykum!

Brian here with a quick reference post for any past, current, or future Uzbek students stopping by the blog. Throughout my time at CLI I have either created or collected various documents, resources, study tools, and more that have proven extremely helpful for my learning of Uzbek, and I wanted to consolidate the most useful of them here for you today.

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to email me.

KEY FREE LINKS FOR UZBEK STUDENTS

For viewing, downloading, or printing:

Elementary Uzbek Midterm Review (PDF)
Review of language concepts from Elementary Uzbek Semester 1.

Elementary Uzbek Final Review (PDF)
Review of language concepts from Elementary Uzbek Semester 2.

Uzbek Brian Quizlet Page (All Vocab!)
Dozens of free Uzbek vocabulary flashcard sets for easy practice.

Free Online Uzbek Resource Collection
Tons of free links all around the web for Uzbek students.

Brian’s Uzbek Reference Document Collection
A huge compendium of free PDF files including textbooks and research.

Brian’s Uzbek Homework Practice Collection
All of my shared homework practice pieces in PDF form for viewing.

And especially for any students from CLI Elementary Uzbek 2012:

Elementary Uzbek Flipchart Practice (PDF)

CLI Uzbek Students Group Photo (PNG)

Please enjoy!

Xayr,
Brian

Day 49: Elementary Uzbek Final Review: Flashcards & Study Guide

Assalomu alaykum!

Final tomorrow! Last official test here at CLI Elementary Uzbek and doing massive review work. Cumulative test on all the topics we've covered. Here is our collective grammar example review for Semester 2 topics. Not entirely finished but still useful for reference:



Note: My Semester 1 grammar review packet is available here as well as that section's vocab.

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Study these flash cards

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Study these flash cards

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Study these flash cards

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Study these flash cards

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And last but not least:

A picture of me and my grandma. She and my mom came down to see me off, program ends Friday! Thank you for your support and for reading my blog :)

Xayr,
Brian

Day 43: Uzbek Test Review! Quick Vocab Link Pass-on

Was already for bed and realized I didn't post tonight! Can't miss a day. Go check out the new vocab at Quizlet.com/UzbekBrian for now, and I'll be back with more tomorrow!

Brian

Day 38: Common Fruit Names in Uzbek (Plus: Awesome Email From Uzbek Brian Reader)

Assalomu alaykum!

Happy Saturday! Had a much needed sleep and relaxed in the morning, working on some articles for other sites, catching up on my YouTube subscriptions, and chatting with friends. Then got some laundry and cleaning done for the week and by that point was already ready for my 4pm yoga class at Yoga Nirvana which I've really been enjoying. So sad to leave, will miss it! Afterwards stopped at Safeway for a snack and some food for tomorrow (gonna do a Sunflower run hopefully) and went back to the dorm and to the pool at the SRC with friends. Great day!

Didn't do much as far as Uzbek project work today (will include in tomorrow's posts) but I wanted to toss in a fun list to get myself going for my weekend homework, which is a menu in Uzbek. Though I think learning about cuisine is interesting, as a fruitarian I don't actually eat any of the food we learn about, except for the fruit obviously, so my menu will have a little bit of a twist. Check it out tomorrow. :)

Here are some common fruits in Uzbekistan and their names in Uzbek:

• apricot = o'rik
• peach = shaftoli
• plum = olxo'ri
• grape = uzum
• watermelon = tarvuz
• strawberry = qulupnay
• pear = nashvati
• apple = olma
• fig = anjir
• persimmon = xurmo*
• orange = apelisin
• quince = behi
• pomegranate = anor
• cherry = gilos

*Also apparently the word for date (the fruit). Cool!

Sadly there's not much in the way of tropicals like mangos or durian which would be grown in Central Asia, but there's a lot of Turkic/Mediterranean fruits, my favorites probably being peaches, nectarines, figs, and really really good sweet grapes. Oh and apricots too. And cherries... And... You can check out  mouthwatering pictures of Uzbek fruit at my post here: Fruit in Uzbekistan: Photo Collection from A Fruitarian's Perspective

Also found this cool resource about cuisine, including fruit, from Indiana University: Uzbek Cuisine.

One more thing for today: Shout out to Amy for the lovely email she sent me today as a new reader of UzbekBrian. It means a lot to me to hear positive feedback from anyone enjoying the site, so feel free to shoot me a hello at UzbekBrian at Gmail dot Com. I'd love to know what brings you, if you're studying Uzbek or another language, or anything really. Talk soon!

Xayr,
Brian

Day 36: Uzbek Chapter 9 Review (Talking About Age & Past Events)

Assalomu alaykum!

Test tomorrow! Short week this week with the no-class-on-Wednesday aspect, but we're getting ready for a quiz tomorrow nonetheless. Just on Chapter 9 tomorrow, so I've focused work time tonight on preparing a big review guide for this chapter, as well as vocabulary cards, both of which are included below. Otherwise, regular day today, moving along well!

Here is the Chapter 9 review guide (or view here externally):



And of course, Chapter 9 Quizlet Vocab (check out more here):

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And a couple quick photos:

Pic of our Uzbek textbook. Working on Chapter 10 today

Learning Uzbek food names today in class!

Just bought the "new" Madonna album (took me this long to end up getting it!) Loving it

Xayr,
Brian

Day 26: Massive Uzbek Vocabulary and Grammar Review for Midterm

Assalomu alaykum!

REVIEW TIME! Tomorrow is our midterm for Elementary Uzbek. Technically we will have completed 1 semester's worth of material. Wow, this program has gone fast! Very productive day in class today getting all kinds of vocab and grammar review fresh in our minds again and onto online written resources. Today's post is a collection of those resources, whether for my classmates or anyone following interested in learning Uzbek.

Let me tell ya, Uzbek learners out there, Uzbek Brian's your place to come! For many other languages etc you'd have to pay for this stuff. Thinking of selling a companion guide actually to my textbook, no kidding. We shall see!

Let's start with the major Uzbek grammar and language points, all summarized into a printable PDF below or available here if you are having trouble viewing it.



Next, here's a ton of Uzbek flashcard sets on various topics useful for review:

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Study these flash cards | Study adjectives flash cards

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Study these flash cards | Study verbs flash cards

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Study these flash cards | Study adverbs flash cards

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Study these flash cards | Study countries flash cards

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Study these flash cards | Study social flash cards

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That's it for tonight, quite a lot to take in, but hopefully you find these useful or interesting! Please leave a comment below if you are reading or participating in review here on my site, it helps me to know that this time is spent to good use. Much love!

Xayr,
Brian

Day 22: Uzbek Chapter 5 and 6 Review: Flashcards and Study Guide

Assalomu alaykum!

Test tomorrow! Week 3 has just about come to a close already, going really quickly here when I look at it that way. Tomorrow we have our usual end-of-week quiz on Chapters 5 and 6 which covered directions and more conversational work and then daily routines and describing key activities. Busy studying tonight but I wanted to pass on these resources:

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Study these flash cards

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And also, my Chapter 5 study guide. Gonna do Chapter 6 tomorrow:



See you tomorrow!

Xayr,
Brian

Day 21: Talking about Holidays in Uzbek, Uzbek Chapter 5 Vocab

Assalomu alaykum!

Hey guys! Pretty normal day today. Classwork on Daily Routines and continuing to develop competency with speaking and using verbs as well. Here's a quick post with some vocab and homework practice. Let me know what you think!

Practice on holidays:



Practice on Chapter 5 vocab (thank yous to Zach, will be posting mine tomorrow)

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Xayr,
Brian

Day 12: Just Some Vocab, Music, and Uzbek Practice for Today

Assalomu alaykum!

Today was a bit more of a chill day with ups and downs as the week is getting started. Class was good and I was able to attend a presentation with the Armenian Consul General at 1pm today which was something you don't usually get to see. Also, got a fun letter from one of my good friends Denise Minger, which was such an awesome surprise. I love letters, I will be your best friend if you send me even a quick note!  By the way, you can write to me at:

The Critical Languages Institute
c/o Brian Greco
Coor Hall 4450,
P.O. Box 874202
975 S. Myrtle Ave.
Tempe, AZ 85287-4202

Other than that it was sort of a more introspective day. Missing home a bit and sort of collecting on my emotions and thoughts from the past few weeks and months even. It's all good though, a learning process that never stops and that's what keeps things interesting. So today is just a quick post with some vocab practice and some links to music videos and then a quick link to a PowerPoint presentation for homework in Uzbek class.

Here is the vocab for chapter 3, and chapter 4 is on its way:

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For homework due today we had to prepare a presentation with 5 famous people of our choice and describe them. Here is my presentation in Uzbek, sort of fun:



Here are links for music videos we watched today in class:

• Setora, Sen Borsan - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCqJx1jWfHc
• Setrora, Sen Borsan 2 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zv3VVKmx-3M
• Ravshan Sobirov, Askar - http://video.mail.ru/mail/mansur_ahmedov_83/1126/1130.html
• DJ Piligrim, Tanhoman - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otXXuZPuKiM
• Manzura, Alamlarimsan - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59Nhr0siSOQ 

And finally, just a few photos:

Denise drew me a this fab picture of a durian in her letter. Her handwriting is just like mine it's scary, lol

Grigor Hovhannissian, Consul General of the Republic of Armenia

Learning numbers today in class

Tomorrow I actually don't have any class so I will have more time to work on vocab and homework. I have a couple assignments to do and will be doing a bit of shopping if time allows. No class tomorrow as people from ROTC (Reserve Officer's Training Corps, military language program/scholarships/etc) are going on a trip and most people in my class will be gone, so actually we are postponed for Saturday, which doesn't thrill me, but it will work out. Until tomorrow!

Xayr,
Brian

Day 8: Review of Uzbek Vocab for Test, Photos, Quick Video & Other Miscellania

Assalomu alaykum!

Day 4 of class today, wow, this program is speeding by. Time flies when you're having fun! Been enjoying myself here whether learning Uzbek or in breaks studying and chatting with friends. It's been great to get a taste of living on my own and sort of just "going with it" when it comes to plans or activities throughout the day.

Today's post is sort of a mashup of review material and just a couple photos, as I'm preparing for the first test of the course tomorrow and my current state of time/energy isn't really permitting for a big post. Lots of stuff coming this weekend with free time, including supermarket reviews, basic phrases, and more creative vocabulary and grammar practice.

To begin, here is the PDF to Chapter 2's run-through from yesterday for key points.

Continuing on, embedded below is vocab for Chapters 1 and 2 for the test tomorrow.

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Next, here are some photos from today:

15 lb of white nectarines ripe and ready to go, gotta eat up! Bananas on their way

Board full of Uzbek sentence practice from our group work

At the Tempe Farmers Market right down the road for some quick items

Looking over sentences in class

Saw this written on the wall here at ASU, kinda cool, relates to my post at Brian on Health

I love ASU! Outside the library

Current location for my afternoon music walks :)

Last but not least, here is a quick clip from around class the other day:



That's it for today! Wish me success for tomorrow! See you soon.

Xayr,
Brian

Day 6: Uzbek Class Continues! New Vocab, Resources & Ideas

Assalomu alaykum!

Continuing on with a second great day of classes and getting to know people/places around here. Been enjoying talking to new friends who are also into languages and many other cool things and are excited about being here and moving forward with a new way of thinking. Had some nice chats and saw a presentation on language learning in addition to regular Uzbek class activities and new learnings.

Lots of multimedia to share today, so I'll let that speak for itself:

Notes on the board this morning: adjectives and personal ending constructions for inherent Turkic "to be" verbs

Snapshot of a classroom phrase sheet (super helpful) and my textbook this morning

Going over small stories/paragraphs of sentences using out vocab words with our teacher

Some of the students from our Elementary Uzbek class, looking over the sentences

More shots of our work today in groups on the big presentation paper

Reviewing personal endings to hang up along the wall for easy reference

Exploring the campus with a nice walk and music in the afternoon :)

On the way back from work at the library (see below) and taking in the beautiful nighttime views of my current location

Vocab words are a huge goal for me to work on mastering during this program. Without vocab, you can know all the grammar you want, but making sentences is choppy, unnatural, and disappointing. To make use of the tools of the day and have an easy place to document my learning and review to retain, I have set up an account for UzbekBrian at Quizlet, which is a free flashcard application online. Here is my profile: https://quizlet.com/UzbekBrian

Here are the sections I created tonight while working in the library:

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Study these flash cards

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Study these flash cards

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Last but not least, here is a quick talky blog I recorded on the way back to my dorm tonight. Just sharing my gratefulness & inspired/inspiring-ations and thoughts on being here thus far.

Some things to look out for in future posts: * Run throughs of Uzbek textbook lessons * More vocab review pieces and class resources * More photos of everyday life here in AZ * Reviews of local supermarkets and markets * How I found and joined this program * Fun and random story-based posts Until next time! Thank you for reading, please like/share/comment/subscribe at your right. :) Xayr, Brian