I was turned down by a Meetup group here in Vancouver that advertized itself as a Russian Speaking Conversation and Adventure Group. To be fair I thought I would be turned down since the group was clear on the kind of members they wanted (see below with my comments), but I tried anyway. Maybe I should create my own Meetup group for LingQ, where people can get together and exchange languages.
Welcome, Russian Speaking Vancouverites! (OK, that’s me, no question)
This group is for former citizens of former USSR who would like make new friends at our various meetings – from sport activities and casual outings to business networking – in a relaxed friendly atmosphere. ( I am not a former citizen of a former state, I admit, but you can’t have all the necessary qualities)
– Raised in USSR (I confess, no) (meaning you are over 25 years old and have emotional connections with Russian language and culture (yes!))
• Fluently speak Russian (not learning or practicing the language) (well I can try ). You can bring an English speaking friend if you want but we won’t speak English here. (can I come as a friend and speak Russian?)
• You are a mature intelligent individual – easy going, active, have a positive attitude (yes, I like that description), able to listen and maintain discussion without suppressing others’ opinions. (depends on what kind of crack-pot crazy opinions they have)
Being an optimist, I still thought I had a chance, but the following line was the clincher, but I still don’t know how they knew.
* People with unhealthy habits like heavy drinking, complaining or obsessing with something will be asked to leave the group
3 comments on “Rejection is a part of language learning”
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Hmmm…yeah…expat Meetups are typically very…exclusive, but in my 5+ years on meetup, I’ve never seen anything that strict.I organize a Chinese Meetup here in Florida that’s very open, but it’s a combination of both Chinese culture events (held in Mandarin) and a discussion group for those learning Chinese. I do get why they’re being so selective though. Some people show up at events that aren’t even interested in your theme and can burn up time and drive away other members. It’s a difficult line to walk.I think LingQ Meetups would be a great idea.
Wow, I’m so surprised. I guess I’m really lucky that the Hindi speaking Meetup.com group in my area was completely welcoming even though it was created for Indians to connect and keep up their language skills and I’m not Indian and a beginner in Hindi!
Boo hoo. Seriously: you knew the rules and probably knew you’d be rejected. The best thing to have done would have been to contact the organizer (preferably in Russian) and see if you could get some kind of dispensation. You never know what will happen.