Language to learn - City of Amsterdam
Language to learn
Nadiya Manets
She was looking for a husband for her friend, but Ukrainian Nadiya Manets ended up meeting a Dutch man herself. Jacob and she have now been married for eleven years and speak Dutch with each other, thanks to the lessons at TopTaal.
Nadiya says: 'I took three courses at TopTaal because I wanted to be able to communicate better with Dutch people. If you live in another country, I think you should speak the language well.' The first course Nadiya took was Language for Beginners. After that, she participated in Advanced Language, followed by Language and Personal Financial Administration. Language and Personal Financial Administration gave her more insight into how to manage your own administration. What to do when you receive an official letter from the tax authorities, for example. And how to send an email. The lessons were very practically oriented.
My compliments to your teachers
She was taught by several different teachers. 'Every teacher was unique. They all responded well to questions and had a lot of patience. They also explained things well and had a sense of humor. So my compliments to your teachers! The atmosphere was very good. I really enjoyed it.'
Nadiya would like to take more courses, if possible. But participation would have to be free again, as she cannot afford the study costs. She received the courses through the municipality. In the meantime, to keep her language skills up to par, she goes to the Language Café every Friday—a meeting place for non-native speakers and Dutch people who want to help them with their language skills, a collaboration between TopTaal and the Stichting Leren Helpt! 'I enjoy studying, and that is also because you have such good teachers. So TopTaal should definitely continue offering courses.'
The atmosphere was also very good. I enjoyed it!
Although Nadiya starts to beam when she talks about her country of birth, which she last visited five years ago, she is also fond of Amsterdam. 'The mountains in Ukraine are beautiful. Odessa is a port city on the Black Sea. That is gorgeous. But I also love Amsterdam. I love Dutch people. They are so friendly and they communicate so easily. It's nice to walk through the city. I walk everywhere. That's how I stay young.' Although Nadiya is not required to take an integration course, she will soon be taking her integration exam. 'Just because I enjoy it.' What will she do after that? 'Then I'm going to thank TopTaal. I don't know how yet, but I'm definitely going to do something in return.'