Hello, SergeMak! I have no false illusions about the difficulties that lay ahead, but the journey is what makes it worthwhile. I've tried learning German some years ago, but I lost interest. With Russian, there is much to experience...especially, the Cyrillic Alphabet. It is something very different, and that's what makes it so attractive. There is much literature I'd like to read in its original text. I realize that there is much to learn, but the goal is something I'm willing to work for. Starting anything at the beginning is hard, and many people quit. Yet, if I can persevere the first hardships, then I can enjoy the fruits of my labor. English is my native language, and as a writer, I still learn something new all the time. I'm sure my learning of Russian will last just as long. My hope is to communicate with a vast number of people who know the Russian language, maybe write a book in Russian. I greatly respect people who learn English. There seems so many exceptions to our grammar rules, there's the antonyms, synonyms, and so on...and so on. If others can learn English, then I'm determined to learn Russian.