learning experience

[red-kitti.livejournal.com]

Do Russians have an equivalent to the American-English phrase: learning experience ?

("Learning experience" is a very good way to put a positive spin on something that was really dreadful...)

Could one say, for example:

Getting thrown off the train in the middle of the night with no money in a country where I didn't speak the language was a great learning experience.

Comments

[red-kitti.livejournal.com]

I should really try to learn more Russian proverbs!

But honestly - how common are they in Russian speech? Will anyone laugh at me if I try to use them? Or is it just good to know these for the sake of knowing them?

[oryx_and_crake]

The first one you can definitely use (it is similar to English "to err is human", so use it in appropriate situations). The second one, to my mind, is quite unpleasant, as everyone can make a mistake (see above), and anyone who uses this proverb essentially calls all other people fools...