No room to be shy when learning a new language
December 30, 2013
Post written by Anandeep Sandhu. As I said in my previous blog, something that really caught my attention when I arrived here in the southern Spanish city of Granada was the Andalusian accent. During my first few weeks it was quite challenging at times to understand what was being said when speaking to locals (even …
Obviously you can never learn all the words…
December 29, 2013
Post written by Matt Watts. So I’ve now moved on from the sunny climes of Spain and Madrid and have moved to Bressuire, France. Bressuire is a small town near the city of Poitiers in the east of France and I’m working here from October to April as an English Language Assistant through the British …
I spend a good majority of my free time in the local patisserie
Post written by Katherine Hughes. It’s hard to believe that I’ve already spent three months in France. If I’m honest, it’s gone by much more quickly than my time spent in Germany but I think everybody’s experience abroad is influenced, however marginally, by the presence of other people. I can’t stress how much being surrounded …
Living in an apartment full of sticky labels
Living alone in an apartment in a very small town in France has undoubtedly left me with a lot of time on my hands! Although at times I feel very lonely, this has allowed me to use my time and the resources around me efficiently. I quickly came to realise how hard it would be …
Noticing the confidence and fluidity of my spanish
Post written by Hannah Sheehan. Language acquisition could never be gained from simply holidays abroad and lessons in class. It requires dedication, a love of the language and to be truly immersed in the country and its culture. I know now that my year abroad will enable this to be possible. From the time I …
A bientôt, Paris
It has been strange adapting to hearing another language on the train on the way into work every day, but seeing as I have been working in English during my first internship in Paris, the metro has so far proved invaluable. After a time I’ve been able to understand snatches of people’s conversations, and also, …
Background noise and unconscious language learning
December 28, 2013
Post written by Sophie Gorvett. Being situated in the Algarve, an area of Portugal typically perceived to be very ‘English’ I was determined not to fall into the trap of simply talking English every day and waste this opportunity to learn and improve my Portuguese. Of course, my colleagues and manager spoke Portuguese but as …
It doesn’t help that the Spanish talk at 1000mph anyway
December 27, 2013
Having been learning Spanish a rather long time, all the way through school and up until now, where it is half of my degree, many people ask whether I am fluent yet. I am still unsure with what to respond as I can definitely get by and hold a proper conversation, however complete fluency is …
Singing in a choir helps my French pronunciation
December 26, 2013
Over the last 3 months I would l like to think that living in France has improved my level of language in many ways. Initially the integration process into the small town that I am based in meant that I needed to research lots of new vocabulary in order to successfully find accommodation, furnish and …
French grammar – My new year’s resolution
December 22, 2013
Post written by Bethan Roberts Bonjour and bonnes fêtes de fin d’année! The last three months really have flown by, and the Christmas holidays came as a surprise! I have been working hard at school and have managed to establish a bit of a routine. I have also been skiing most weekends, visited lots of …
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