English RUWeT

The word “ruwet” is very popular in Indonesian or even Javanese. It is an adjective that describes something are being very difficult or complicated. I don’t want to say that learning English is very difficult or complicated, but here in the Netherlands, during my classes at the Centre for European Studies in Maastricht, I have started attributing a different meaning to this word. I would like tell you why. It might even help you who are interested in learning English or other languages.

Monday, 9th May 2011. I arrived at Bonnefantenstraat 2, Maastricht. My class started at 11 am. In the General English Class, Rebecca, my lovely tutor, assigned us IFP fellows from Indonesia, India and Guatemala a simple task. She asked us to read an article from magazines or newspapers and then tell the class about the article.

I read an article from Time Magazine titled ‘Pregnancy Spacing May Play a Role in Autism’. This is when in popped into my mind that learning English is really challenging instead of ruwet. While I was reading, I was also trying to understand the author’s idea and the main point. The article explains that recently researchers have found another potential contributor for autism, which is a mother’s womb. They have recorded a threefold increase in autism among those born less than a year after a brother or sister.

While I was reading and understanding, I was also to write down the important point of the article. Researchers argue that pregnancy reduces necessary nutrients for proper fetal development. The study found that the risk of autism decreased as the length of time between pregnancies increased. They also explained that a replenished womb may be important in avoiding the developmental abnormalities of autism.

After several minutes, each of us was asked to speak about the main points of the article. Rebecca explained that talking about what you read is important so that you remember both the language and topics that you come across during these reading activities. It’s part of the language learning activities. Sometimes I only read the article and try to understand the important points. I neither write nor talk about the article afterwards and then I forget all the wonderful language in the article used. What about you?

So, now I am writing and to tell you about the new meaning of ruwet: is not complicated or difficult. “RUWeT” is an abbreviation that stands for Reading, Understanding, Writing and Talking. Try it and you’ll see .