Yesterday, was my 28th day of learning Welsh consistently every day on Duolingo. This time it feels like it’s really sticking, the units are getting harder and I am pushing beyond what I know via osmosis from Being In Wales and Living With A Welsh-Speaker. I just finished a unit on work — I learnt the word ‘ysgrifennydd’ (secretary), very useful, thanks Duo — and now I’m on a unit about discussing clothing. But —
Yesterday, I almost lost my streak. Well, I did. My phone was tucked away under a notepad somewhere and I just missed the notifications. Duolingo’s panicked messages about my streak went unnoticed.
On my way to bed, I looked for my phone, and that is when I realised I had missed Duo that day.
I felt a stone drop in my stomach. Oh.. no! My streak!
It wasn’t the streak specifically that worried me. It was the motivation that streak gave me. Without my streak keeping me accountable, would I lose the motivation to continue? That special little fire emoji was the pride of my Duo profile. Keeping it alight with my daily lessons like Hestia’s sacred flame.
Thankfully, when I opened the app to grovel to Duo, he spared me with the offer to buy a streak freeze with gems. I gratefully accepted the trade.
So my streak is still going. There is a blot on my record, a frozen blue flame that only I can see. But most importantly the fire is still lit.
🔥 28