Dzmitry Naskavets
Founder of the BASTA.NYC initiative
Bay Ridge, Brooklyn
We met in Bay Ridge, the neighbourhood where most BASTA.NYC conversation walks take place. Below is a short exchange about how it works.
Why a walk and not a lesson?
Because in a lesson you prepare, and in life you do not. On the street you have to speak straight away: ask for directions, answer a shop assistant, explain your situation. One hour of that shows exactly where the language breaks down.
What should people do about the fear of making mistakes?
Accept that you will make them. This is not an exam, nobody is grading you. We walk beside you and prompt, we do not test.
After two or three walks the fear goes away on its own — simply because nothing bad happened.
Where should someone start if they arrived a month ago?
With everyday situations: the bank, the lease, documents, the doctor. That is the English you need tomorrow morning. Everything else comes later, once you have ground under your feet.
How long before people feel a difference?
Usually a few weeks of regular practice. Not because the vocabulary grew, but because a person stops translating in their head and simply speaks.
