Teach English in WangdingdiJiedao - Tianjin

Foreign Language ExperienceThe advantages of learning foreign languages are unlimited and cover a broad range of areas. They give people the keys to other forms of communication to which they would otherwise be denied access and they contribute to global understanding, in that they allow one to venture into the mind and context of other cultures. Also, entering the scientific realm, studies have shown that learning languages augments a person´s comprehension of languages in general ?by building stronger vocabulary and language skills? and enhances memory. My personal experiences have been particularly enlightening as I´ve always been fascinated with learning foreign languages. My first memory of a mutual one-on-one lesson dates back to my childhood. I had a spanish-speaking babysitter who wanted to learn simple english vocabulary while I wanted to learn simple spanish vocabulary. Our ?methodology? consisted of wandering through the house and garden pointing at diverse objects and saying their names in our native tongues. This simple exercise would be a stepping stone for my desire to continue learning spanish, as well as other foreign languages. I continued learning spanish thanks to my family background that is, in part, linked to the language and to my high school studies, although the majority of our classes were spent exclusively on ?engage phase activities?, mainly playing ?Lotería?, a mexican game of chance. However, the knowledge I had of the language at that point did allow me to travel in Mexico and communicate freely with its inhabitants. It wasn´t until university that I started to take seriously my spanish studies. I signed up for a study abroad program in Barcelona with a host family and this decision to continue with my language studies in another country would become a major turning point in my life. Aside from meeting my future husband, I perfected my spanish (albeit with a different accent) and, thanks to total immersion, learned Catalan, the language I use 99% of the time. Once these languages were mastered, my need for another challenge kicked in. After many extended travels to France, the language started to rub off on me and I eventually started to study on my own and hired a french professor with whom I am still very good friends with today. Although my french isn´t parfait, I can read (and understand!) newspapers and magazines and french movie subtitles, follow conversations, and speak in simple situations (at restaurants and hotels, asking for directions, at shops and markets, etc.). My latest incursion in foreign languages has been with italian. As with french, I started to learn the language via many travels through the country ?including three-month sojourns in Florence and Rome? and started to study on my own, hiring an italian native-speaking teacher for conversation classes. All the hard work paid off, as I am now fluent in italian. I know a lot of people who wait to have a large amount of grammar before they try speaking a foreign language in public. But I am of the opinion that when one starts to learn a new language, one of the best methods is trial and error, taking a plunge and just starting to speak with whatever grammar one has acquired, even if it means making mistakes and saying something absolutely embarrassing (and mortifying) but that you have a good laugh at afterwards. A great example of this was the time I walked into a store in Italy wanting to ask for a ?big pot?, when what I really asked for was a ?big??, well, let´s just say it was scatological and the look on the salesperson´s face was priceless! Thanks to my foreign language studies I have a job that permits me to work for newspapers, universities, private companies, governments, the film industry, etc. My language studies have also ignited in me a true passion for travel, one of my reason´s for taking the tesol certification course. I only hope that I can help others in discovering another language that, as in my case, has enriched my life by opening my eyes to other cultures.