Top 10 tips for learning a language
We originally published this infographic back at the start of last year as ‘top 10 tips for learning a language in 2014‘. But if there’s one thing we know, it’s that learning a language is something you can do anytime, anywhere.
So here are our top 10 tips for learning a language – whenever you want!
If anyone has any more top tips that work really well for you, please share them in the comments. Thank you đ
A trip to Riga
At the risk of sounding like a Eurovision host⌠greetings from Latvia!
I donât have the sparkly outfit or the slightly dodgy English accent (although some may disagree with that), nor am I looking for my five minutes of fame. So perhaps less Eurovision host, more lazy wanderer.
I find myself in the beautiful city of Riga for a few weeks, and after only a few days, I can say it is a good choice with lots to explore.
Riga has become a âmust seeâ for many a traveller, a mid-point on the popular route between Tallinn and Vilnius.
The time difference is +2 GMT and itâs a little surprising to find the sun rising at 3 in the morning when the evenings draw in much the same time as they do in the UK.
The temperature is actually like the best bits of the UK summer and sometimes hotter, but that can be significantly reduced by the wind.
The currency is the euro, the prices are relatively cheap, the local supermarket is Rimi.
Everything is pretty central and the airport is accessible by little more than half an hour by bus for around 2 euros.
So, thatâs the stats and stuff.
So whatâs Riga really like?
Well, if youâve been to Budapest, itâs quite similar. A lot of the cities over this way are like that: where communism still flavours the architecture yet the need for growth and change is evident in the modern buildings that have sprung up amongst them.
The main thing youâll realise about Riga on arrival is the parks. Everywhere you look there are beautiful parks, with statues, floral sculptures, sailing boats, cafes, and sometimes a âsummer stageâ where Iâm told there are free performances. If youâre a park-bencher – book, beer, cake, coffee – this place is beyond perfect. You could probably do a full tour of all the benches and be here for months!
Itâs a âshoes offâ culture so be prepared to bare feet the moment you arrive in a hostel or home. Also be prepared for the supermarkets to stop selling alcohol around 7:30. Stock up, early!
The traffic lights can be very quick changing so do not dawdle. Youâll be alerted by a series of beeps. When the beeper beeps, get going!
There is a great central market and if you go inside there are a lot of stalls selling local fare. Prepare to put on weight. It is pastry-central here. I havenât tried savoury Latvian food yet, but that day will come.
Whilst English is not spoken everywhere, the locals are used to the poorly multi-tongued English speaker, and are patient and on the whole very kind.
Itâs too soon to tell but I imagine a week would be an adequate length of time to see everything there is to see of Riga. But, since Iâll be here for a while yet, perhaps I can provide a little more detail on that in the near future.
But until then, and until I sample the local beer⌠PriekÄ! (cheers)
Kelly
The ups and downs of coming home
When you work abroad as an English as a foreign language teacher, coming home for the occasional visit and obligatory Christmas festivities means there are a number of things to look forward to. Personally custard, gravy and drinkable tap water are pretty high up on my list, but thatâs just me. Friends, family, Wetherspoons breakfast⌠there are all sorts of things that beckon you and make home, home.
But there are also pitfalls, things you forget about and either take for granted or that have become so instilled, you donât realise you are doing them.
Hereâs a few of mine. Play snap?
Roads
No matter how many times I come back, I always get flummoxed by the roads. Left hand lane, right hand lane… I look both ways to prevent becoming a bug stain on a car bonnet every single time. And once I tried to get on the driverâs side of a National Express coach. The driver patted his knee and asked me if Iâd like to drive. Possibly not…
Language
Yes, I should know better. But when I want to know the price of something I always find myself speaking in the language of the country from where I have just come – currently ÂżCuĂĄnto es? to check a price and perdona when I bump into someone. Which I do. A lot. ClumsyâŚ
Customs
My first cafe visit on arriving back to England involved me trying to kiss a stranger. Not because Iâm a floozy, but because Iâve just come from Spain, and the double kiss thing is part of my everyday greeting. Honest.
Manners
Someone sneezes, I say everything apart from bless you as a result of a number of different colds in a number of different cities. Thank you. Pardon. Would you mind� Sorry. Sorry to inanimate objects like doors and trolleys. All the time. No wonder people outside of the UK have the mistaken impression that we are very, very polite.
Price checking
When you first go abroad you convert everything back into pounds, but when you come back here after an extended stay away, everything is automatically put back into euros (or whatever currency you know). Which makes every shopping trip an accounting adventure.
How much?!
Somewhat in the category of price checking I know, but hear me out. If youâve gone from having a jarra of beer that is 1,50⏠and youâre presented with a pint that is around ÂŁ3-4, an outraged and indignant yell is likely to escape your lips without even a thought.
Lack of privacy
Families. They mean well. Of course they do. In theory. But it doesnât matter your age or circumstances, when you return home to the âfamily nestâ, you will be bombarded with questions (âwhen are you settling down?â), misplaced praise (âoh, youâre so brave to go off travellingâ) or enforced schedules (âweâll have breakfast at 7, lunch at 1, and dinner at 7:30. And this is your itinerary for your stay.â) When youâve been used to your own space and doing as you please when you feel like it, coming home can sometimes be a stifling experience.
Envy
Yes. People who hate their jobs and their lives will envy you. They will covet your lifestyle of devil-may-care and say things like âI donât know how you do itâ whilst plucking one child from their knee while another is attached round their neck, telling you about their plans for decorating the living room and showing off their latest car. We donât judge you for your lifestyle, settlers (well, we do, just… quietly), so why judge ours? And if you hate your job so much, leave. Thatâs what we did. Nothing magical.
Catching up on gossip
Even about people you donât know. Especially about them. See, while weâve been off living our lives, running between classrooms or students’ apartments, jumping from train to metro to bus and wondering if the GPS on our phones will ever kick in and be helpful, life has continued at home too. And somehow, even though weâve not been told about events, we are automatically assumed to know about them. I personally blame Facebook for that.
Travel, demystified
For some people, planning a new work route is daunting, whether using a satnav, Google Maps, or an A-Z. And if you have to travel to another city for business, well. Brave new world. But when you travel a lot because of work, train stations, airports and maps no longer phase you, and neither does the prospect of getting lost. Living in another country makes you realise that getting lost is actually no bad thing, merely an unexpected adventure. After all. If Bilbo had taken the âcorrectâ path he was âsupposedâ to, weâd never have even known of Hobbitty adventures, elven legends and secret kings. Life is in the adventure, is it not?
A moment of doubt
There is sometimes a moment. When you look around at all the people who were once a part of your daily lives, getting on and doing their thing, living a different existence, and you think⌠why canât I do that? Why canât I just stay in one place for an extended period and do the settling thing? And then the moment passes. Because settling isnât for everyone. Mortgages, the 2.4 kids, and the family saloon in the driveway is really not for everyone. There is nothing wrong with either way of living. And after a week or two, or sometimes a day or two, the call of leaving comes screaming and you start looking longingly at planes overhead or twitching every time you pass a train station. Off you go, traveller. Time to depart again. Home (and gravy) will still be here when you get back.
Has anyone else had similar experiences when coming home from travelling? Or do you have any stories to add? We’d love to hear from you đ
Kelly
10 reasons to visit… Dubai
Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, is known for being a global business hub and home to some of the world’s most incredible buildings. Amy visited the city over the Easter holiday and loved it; here are her top ten reasons to visit…
1. Burj Khalifa
The tallest building in the world – at least for another few months, anyway – is a sight you definitely won’t be able to miss. Designed to look like the Hymenocallis flower, it is beautiful from the outside and surprisingly not out of place or invasive to its surroundings. If you’re able to go up to the viewing platforms, I would recommend going at sunset because the view is spectacular, and to be able to view Dubai from such a height is really special. However, if you arenât able to go up the Khalifa, you have to go to the fountains at the bottom, where you can see them dancing to different types of music.
2. The Dubai Mall
The Dubai Mall is the worldâs largest shopping, leisure and entertainment destination. Anything and everything you can think of is there; it’s where the locals go to shop and even people from Abu Dhabi come at the weekend. They have a waterfall with bronze statues diving from the waterfall – this is where I found it rather peaceful and zoned out of the crowds behind me. It is definitely somewhere to go and have a look around, especially as it is attached to the Khalifa, but be prepared for the crowds.
3. The architecture
Dubai has grown considerably in the last 25 years. You can find pictures of Dubai in 1991, when there were only a handful of tall buildings, compared to now where it has become an architectural paradise. My personal favourite was the Cayan Tower, as it seemed to constantly glisten in the sun from every angle. I have also never seen a twisted building before.
4. Atlantis
This hotel on the man-made island Palm Jumeirah is simply incredible; it’s huge, and there are so many things that you can do. There is the aquarium, water park, swimming with dolphins and now swimming with sea lions. We had a lovely day here; firstly swimming with dolphins, and the look on my little brothers’ and sister’s face when they got to stroke the dolphins was magical. Then we went to the water park where they have awesome rides. It is definitely worth spending a day here.
5. The beaches
The beaches on the Palm felt a little too fake to me. However, the beaches off the Palm were beautiful. The sea was crystal clear, so you could see where you were walking, and rock-free so you didnât have to worry about stubbing your toe. We got to see the sea when it was perfectly still, which was lovely for swimming in. Then we got to see it when the waves were huge; this was great fun to jump the waves. You felt safe the whole time, as there were lifeguards in kayaks out at sea as well as several on the beach.
6. The weather
We were in Dubai for eight days and the weather was glorious the whole time; if anything it became too hot on one day, when it reached 42°C. There arenât many places where you can escape to at Easter for a week and be guaranteed good weather the whole time you are there, but Dubai is definitely a safe bet.
7. Sky Dive Dubai
I think it is on quite a lot of peopleâs bucket list to do a sky dive, and I finally gained the courage to sign up to do one. The experience is one that is tricky to put into words, as you going through several different stages. In the plane there are nerves, but they’re very good at keeping you talking so you donât notice how high you are. Next, walking up to the door I felt complete terror and it finally sunk in that I was about to jump out of a plane!!! Then just pure adrenaline throughout the free fall; this was definitely my favourite stage. Once the parachute releases, there’s relief at first and then you get to enjoy Dubai from the sky, admiring the view from different angles. Once the landing is over, there is the ‘thank goodness I made it down safely’ feeling, followed by ‘I want to do it all over again’!
8. Hotel Al Qasr
We had a little disaster with our first hotel; however when we moved to our second hotel the Al Qasr, I have never seen anything like it. It’s an oasis in paradise. You have to get boats to different parts of the hotel, which is a great experience and a good way to see different parts of the hotel. There’s even a traditional souk, where you can go and practise your haggling skills.
9. The unexpected
Wherever you go in Dubai you never really know what you are going to get, which makes it all the more exciting. You never know if you are going to find something modern or something more traditional; around each corner lies something different. That is one of the things I love about Dubai, the architecture and landscape varies so dramatically. I can’t wait to go back and explore even more.
10. Desert Adventures
This is a great excursion to do; I admit it’s a little cheesy but it’s great fun, and definitely an experience you won’t forget. You get picked up in a big 4×4 and before long you have left the concrete jungle and are into the desert. You skid down sand dunes and attempt to get back up them; I have full respect for the drivers as I have no idea how we didn’t end up rolling down the dunes. Next you get to watch the sunset over the desert, which is stunning, followed by dinner in the desert at a makeshift fort. You are serenaded by belly dancers and can enjoy a camel ride.
Have you ever been to Dubai? What are you favourites bits about this diverse city?
Amy
