Steve's sandbox

Author: Steve Evans

  • Gus Freeman – May in Lisbon! – May 2024

    Olá. Boa tarde. Estou em Lisboa Portugal, há três semanas!!! Foram três semanas muito ocupadas. Eu gosto muito meu trabalho na câmara de comércio Luso-Britânica. Os meus colegas de trabalho são muito simpáticos e eu aprendo muito todos os dias. O meu português está a melhorar muito.

    Durante as tardes e os fins de semana tenho a oportunidade de passear pela cidade e explorar. Lisboa é a cidade mais bonita que já visitei!! Eu visitei Barrio Alto, LX factory, Torre de Belém, Mosteiro dos Jerónimos e apanhar o elétrico 28. Também tenho experimentado algumas das comidas locais, tais como as sardinhas, a alheira, o caldo verde e o meu favorito pastel de nata. Esta última semana foi ainda mais emocionante com a vitória do Sporting FC na liga portuguesa de futebol, houve festas na rua e muitas celebrações.

    Felizmente para mim, há outra estagiária no meu trabalho que é de Portugal, se chama Beatriz e tem sido muito simpática com ajudar-me nas últimas semanas. Ela convidou-me para ir a bares com ela e com os seus amigos, tem sido ótimo. Eu conheci muitos portugueses com quem falar português.

    Esta semana encontrei um clube de Rugby perto de onde estou morado, entrei em contacto com eles e espero poder jogar em breve.

    Tem sido um começo ocupado, mas fantástico para a minha estadia em Portugal, e mal posso esperar pelo que ainda está para vir!!! No fim de semana próximo, vou para uma cidade de praia perto de Lisboa chamada Cascais.

    Torre de Belem

    Hello, good afternoon. I have been in Lisbon Portugal now for 3 weeks!! It has been a busy 3 weeks. I am really enjoying my work at the British and Portuguese chambers of commerce. My work colleagues are very kind, and I am learning a lot every day. My Portuguese is improving a lot.

    In the afternoons and the weekends, I have the chance to get around the city and explore. Lisbon is the most beautiful city I have visited!! I have visited Barrio Alto, LX factory, Torre de Belém, Mosteiro dos Jerónimos and taken the tram 28. I have also been trying some of the local foods, such as the Sardines, Alheira, Caldo Verde and my favourite the Pastel de Nata. This last week has been even more exciting with Sporting FC winning the Portuguese football league, there have been street parties and lots of celebrations.

    Luckily for me there is another intern at my work who is from Portugal, her name is Beatriz, and she has been very kind with helping me over the past few weeks. She has invited me to go to bars with her and her friends which has been nice. I have met a lot of Portuguese people to speak Portuguese with.

    This week I have found myself a Rugby Club close to where I am living, I have contacted them, and hopefully very soon will be out playing.

    It has been a busy but amazing start to my time here in Portugal, and I cannot wait for what is yet to come!! This weekend coming up, I am of to the beach town just outside of Lisbon called Cascais.

  • Case study: Lucas Surgeon, Brussels 2023/24

    In October 2023, I embarked on an exciting six-month journey to Brussels with support from the John Speak Languages Trust.

    Thanks to funding and continual encouragement from the Trust, this experience not only broadened my professional horizons but also deepened my understanding of the French language and Belgian culture.

    Upon my arrival, the challenge began immediately with a housing mix-up (where the landlord attempted to sneakily rent out my room to another tenant whilst I had to undergo surgery for a room that I had already signed the contract of and was already paying for!), meaning that I was faced with a battle against the complexities of the Belgian renting market and a pretty awful and dishonest person to deal with. This unexpected hurdle was the first real test of my language abilities, having to read up on complex laws, reporting to the local commune, and ultimately arguing my case all in a foreign language (something that would’ve been hard enough in English!). With help from French friends, I thankfully managed to navigate local bureaucracy to get my money back and secure a place to live.

    My internship, situated in the heart of European politics, gave me a great insight into how the UK operates and conducts policy with our largest trading partner, something I got real first-hand experience with in the Economic Affairs team. From debating economic policies to crafting international agreements, each day was filled with engaging tasks that utilised and enhanced my language skills. Attending meetings and discussions inside the European Commission was particularly insightful. I even had the opportunity to get a feel for the atmosphere at various EU institutions, including a visit to the European Council, which was documented in my November report.

    The cultural aspect of my stay was equally enriching. I lived with Erasmus students from France, which allowed me to experience an immersion of the French language both at home and at work. Through the British embassy I managed to have a lot of contact with Belgians, working at the mission, who were always keen to share aspects about Belgian culture and history (teach-ins, excursions, etc.). Seeing Brussels change through its seasons was also great, from the snow-covered streets in January and the break of Spring just as I was leaving, the six months there really gave me a full impression of Belgium. By the end I had found that my French skills had been considerably honed, finding it easy to switch between French and English, something that will be really important continuing on this path of international affairs. Finally, funnily enough the departure from Brussels was almost as disastrous as the arrival. The chaotic yet humorous ordeal with every taxi refusing to take me, leading to me inevitably missing my train by 6 minutes made my final moments just as memorable as my first.

    I’d like to recommend two things for anyone looking to also go for the John Speaks Languages Trust before closing:

    1. For immersion, really insist that you want to only speak the language.

    Although our reputation as a country is very poor for language learning, this very instance of insisting is really hard from a British perspective. I think it feels rude for us because many people would like to practise their English with a native speaker. You just need to persevere and be clear about why you are abroad. I said very openly and honestly that I am abroad to learn about their culture and to learn their language, something that is usually well received.

    1. Don’t be discouraged by mistakes. Perfectionism with language learning will only hold you back.

    I have made many funny double entendres in French. Just persevere and learn to laugh at yourself when saying things that aren’t 100% correct.

    Overall, my time in Brussels was a transformative period that equipped me with invaluable skills and experiences. The support from the John Speak Languages Trust was instrumental in making this journey possible, and I am deeply grateful for the opportunity. I’m looking forward to applying the knowledge gained here to my future endeavours and encourage others to embrace such enriching experiences that undoubtedly shape personal and professional paths.

  • Case Study: Louis Bazalgette, France – 2024

    First and foremost, I would like to thank the John Speak partnership for supporting me on my journey to Paris.

    Every interaction I had with your members was supportive and nurturing and made me feel confident about the life I was pursuing abroad.

    Living in Paris was wonderful. The total immersion into the language that John Speak promotes is undoubtedly the best way to learn – it challenges you as a learner and forces you to uncover parts of your personality you perhaps would never be aware of otherwise.

    Full language immersion really takes you out of your comfort zone.

    My life in Paris was enhanced by my flatmates. Not only did I improve my French with them, but they also acted as a window into Parisian, and French life.

    On weekends we often went swimming together. I sampled many different Parisian pools, some 25m and some 50m. My favourite was the Piscine Roger Le Gall, 50m with a removable roof.

    Another key factor in my settling in was the mobility I achieved with my bicycle. I rented one from Swapfiets, where you pay a monthly fee for a bike. I cannot emphasise enough how much having a bike aided my familiarisation with the city. Paris is incredibly cyclable – there are bike lanes throughout large parts of the city. The North Bank of the Seine was converted from a busy road into a pedestrian and bike lane, too, which makes a wonderful journey.

    As for my French, I was able to improve it greatly. Apart from speaking in French as much as possible, I switched my reading into French too. Bookshops and libraries are special to me. I became somewhat obsessed with the Édouard Louis and, after having read his first book a few years ago, I’ve now read his entire bibliography (apart from the book he published in April this year, though it’s next on my list). His style is very accessible for a non-native speaker since it is so fluid and more similar to spoken than written French – he doesn’t waste time with the simple past and such haughty nonsense. I endeavoured to read as many newspapers and magazines as possible, too. I found myself frequently trying to read Le Monde diplomatique, though admittedly the finer details did seem to gracefully swanning over, instead of installing themselves into, my head.

    So I had reading, listening (apart from listening to everything my flatmates had to offer – ranging from engaging, political debates to garbled, repetitive commentary on the mediocre performance levels of various Ligue 1 football teams, I tried to listen to French radio and podcasts as often as possible), and speaking covered. The final pillar of language learning was writing. Nowadays, the opportunities to write with a pen and paper are almost inexistent. I believe this is, however, a valuable way to learn. So I diligently wrote a diary in French every day as part of my morning routine. My incessant scribblings are very, very far from scratching the surface of interesting for any prospective reader and are undoubtedly coloured by persistent errors, but the practice of getting words onto paper every single day was wonderful. It boosted my confidence and got my brain going.

    I adored France, and Paris, and I’m so grateful to John Speak for helping make it happen. My French has improved massively over the past half-year and I intend to take a C1 exam in the near future to cement that learning.

  • Cosmo de Bono: Earthquakes in Taiwan – May 2024

    Visiting the Presidential palace with my classmate and language partner

    台灣地震
    現在是五月份，我來台灣已經 9 個月了。我大部分時間都在學習，但是也進行了一些旅行。不過，在這次報告中，我想跟大家分享我在台灣的地震經驗。
    花蓮（台灣東南部）最近發生了許多地震，但是大多數地震在台北還能感受到，而且有些地震規模相當大。跟日本一樣，台灣也有地震的歷史，但是大多數地震規模較小，幾乎感覺不到。我在台灣的頭幾個月，有時會感覺到非常輕微的搖晃，持續時間約 20 秒，但我意識到地面在搖晃的時侯，地震已經停止了。這類地震在台灣最常見，大家習以為常。
    4 月 3 日上午，台灣到處都發生了 7.4 級地震。里氏震級是對數。這意味著每個數字都是前一個數字的 10 倍。比如說，2.5 級地震的威力是 1.5 級地震的 10 倍。因此，7.4 級地震的威力是平常 4-5 級地震的 從100 到 1000 倍。
    這麼大的地震相當可怕。搖晃開始的時候很小，然後越來越大。你可以感覺到周圍的一切都在前後搖晃，周圍的物體開始倒下。最好的方法就是躲在床下或桌子下，遠離窗戶。
    幸運的是，台北的建築物大多具有抗震性能，因此建築物受到重大損壞的風險很小。不過，我的一些朋友的牆壁還是出現了裂縫，家具也被震壞了。我附上了一些朋友公寓的照片。幸運的是，我的公寓沒有受到任何損壞！
    在接下來的兩到三週裡，餘震不斷，大部分都發生在晚上。這些餘震大多在 5 級和 6 級之間。不過現在我已經習慣了，也知道如果發生更大的地震該怎麼辦。
    必須強調的是，我在台北是絕對安全的，但我認為解釋這些地震的經歷會很有趣，因為它們為我在台灣的經歷增添了意外的驚喜。
    陳白宇

    Language centre after the large earthquake

    Earthquakes in Taiwan
    It’s now May and I’ve been in Taiwan for 9 months now. I’ve been mostly studying but have done some travelling as well. However, for this report, I’d like to share my experience of earthquakes in Taiwan.
    There have been a lot of earthquakes recently in Hualien (southeast Taiwan) but most of them can still be felt from Taipei, and some have been quite large. Like Japan, Taiwan has a history of earthquakes, but most are small and can be hardly felt. In my first few months in Taiwan, I would sometimes feel very minor shaking for about 20 seconds, but by the time I realised the ground was shaking it had already stopped. These types of earthquakes are the most common in Taiwan and everyone is used to them.
    On the 3rd of April in the morning there was an earthquake in across Taiwan that measured magnitude 7.4. The Richter scale is logarithmic. This means that each number is 10 times greater than the previous number. For example, a magnitude 2.5 earthquake is 10 times more powerful than a 1.5 magnitude one. So the 7.4 earthquake was 100 to 1000 times more powerful than the usual earthquakes which are between 4 -5 on the Richter scale.

    My friend’s kitchen after the earthquake

    Earthquakes this large are quite scary. The shaking starts small and keeps getting bigger and bigger. You can feel everything surrounding you shaking back and forth, and objects around you start to fall over. The best thing to do is to hide under your bed or a table and stay away from windows.

    Luckily, the buildings in Taipei are mostly all earthquake-resistant, so there is little risk of major damage to a building. However some of my friends ended up with cracks in their walls and broken pieces of furniture. I’ve attached some photos of my friends’ appartments. Luckily mine wasn’t damaged at all!

    For the next two to three weeks there were many aftershocks, most of which happened at night. These were mostly between magnitude 5 and 6. By now though I’m pretty used to these and know what to do if there is a larger earthquake.

    It’s important to emphasise that I’m completely safe in Taipei, but I thought it would interesting to explain the experience of these earthquakes as they have been an unexpected addition to my experience in Taiwan.

    Cosmo

  • Louis Bazalgette: More than just a games – April 2024

    On the 16th of April the Olympic torch was lit in Southern Greece. 10,000 athletes will carry the flame 3,100 miles to reach the French capital where, on the 26th of July, the games will begin.

    Paris, however, has been gearing itself up for much longer. Hundreds of thousands of construction workers have been revamping the city to prepare it for the massive influx of professional sportspeople, punters, and the press. During my research, the only tickets available for the opening ceremony on the official website start at 1,600€. Tickets for the events can cost up to 2,700€. The Parisian mood regarding the games sceptical. “The only affordable tickets are for the first round of some obscure sport that nobody wants to watch,” I was told by a friend. He, like many Parisians, intends to be out of the capital when the games begin.

    Just outside the capital is the Seine-Saint-Denis region, which hugs the north and east of the Paris city limits. It has received investment on a gargantuan scale; €42 billion has been put into building new metro tunnels, 200km of them, through which driverless trains are to whisk passengers both in and out of Paris, within the banlieues, and to the city’s two airports. Seine-Saint-Denis houses just shy of two million people, mostly living in tower blocks built in the 60s and 70s to house industrial workers from North Africa. The poverty rate is 28%, almost double that of the French capital. Investment of such a scale will no doubt benefit the region, making a commute into Paris possible and boosting employment and the local economy. In 2020, 72% of residents were renters in Saint-Denis. Investment will improve the local area, but the question is, for whom? Will this cash-injection allow families who’ve been living in Saint-Denis for generations to reach new levels of prosperity, or will it encourage an influx of commuters from elsewhere who now see the suburb as a route into Paris, thus expunging the families whose rent will undoubtedly rise because of the new transport links?

    The games themselves and the investment surrounding them are clearly, from the point of view of many Parisians, not meant for them.

    La flamme olympique se fait allumé le 16 avril dans le sud de la Grèce. 10 000 athlètes vont l’apporter 3 100 miles pour arriver à la capitale française où, le 26 juillet, les jeux vont commencer.

    Paris, cependant, se prépare depuis beaucoup plus longtemps. Plusieurs centaines de milliers d’ouvriers de construction ont travaillé dans la ville pour la préparer pour l’afflux énorme des athlètes, fans, et la gens de la presse. Pendant ma recherche, j’ai pu que trouver billets pour la cérémonie d’ouverture pour 1 600 € au minimum. Les billets pour les évènements peuvent couter jusqu’à 2 700 €. Les parisiens sont plutôt sceptiques par rapport aux jeux. « Les billets qu’on puisse avoir sont pour les premières ronds des sports plutôt inconnus que personne veut voir ». Il, comme beaucoup des parisiennes, ne va pas être à Paris pendant les jeux.

    Juste dehors de Paris il y a Seine-Saint-Denis, qui serre les côtés nord et est de la ville. L’investissement à Saint-Denis est énorme. 42 € milliards s’est fait affecté pour construire des tunnels de métro, qui vont avoir des trains sans chauffeur dedans. Il y aura 200 km de tunnels qui apportent les gens de les banlieues à Paris. Il y a deux millions de gens qui habitent à Seine-Saint-Denis, la plupart d’eux habitent dans les tours d’habitation construits dans les années 60 et 70 pour héberger les ouvriers industrieux du nord de l’Afrique. Le taux de pauvreté est à 28%, presque la double de la capitale française. Investissement de cette grandeur va sûrement bénéficier la région, rendant un trajet à Paris possible et augmentant l’emploi et l’économie locale. En 2020, 72% des résidents étaient locataires à Saint-Denis. L’investissement va améliorer la région, mais la question est, pour qui ? Est-ce que l’injection d’argent permettra aux familles qui ont habité Saint-Denis depuis des générations d’atteindre de nouveaux niveaux de prospérité, ou encouragera-t-elle un afflux de navetteurs d’ailleurs qui voient maintenant la banlieue comme une route vers Paris, expulsant les familles dont le loyer augmentera certainement à cause des nouveaux liens de transport ? Les jeux eux-mêmes et l’investissement qui les entoure sont, du point de vue de beaucoup de Parisiens, pas faits pour eux.

  • Maisie Palmer: L’architecture moderne: une visite à la Fondation le Corbusier, April 2024

    Depuis le début du semestre, j’ai pris un cours appelé Histoire de l’architecture, de 1850s à nos jours. Pendant les semaines récentes, j’ai appris beaucoup de choses de la construction de l’Europe contemporaine après la Seconde Guerre mondiale et les figures architecturales notables à l’époque. Particulièrement l’œuvre de Charles-Édouard Jeanneret-Gris, connu plus souvent comme Le Corbusier. Il est un architecte suisse qui est déplacé à Paris en 1917 pour développer sa doctrine et les principes d’une architecture moderniste. Cela dit, ses cinq principes fondamentaux sont: plan libre, pilotis, toit-terrasse, façade libre, et fenêtre en longueur. 

     

    Le week-end dernier, j’ai eu la chance de rendre une visite à la Fondation le Corbusier avec un groupe d’autres étudiantes et mon professeur qui est étudié à l’École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts. En essence, la fondation est le site de la Villa de la Roche qui est créée par le Corbusier lui-même. Elle est située au sein du 16ème arrondissement (à l’ouest de Paris) et elle est ouverte au public seulement si vous avez un rendez-vous d’avance. Vous pouvez voir l’endroit où le Corbusier a transformé ses idées de l’architecture moderne en réalité pour le première fois.

    Le Corbusier a voulu créer une maison inspirée par la connexion entre le monde intérieur et le monde naturel. Comme vous pouvez voir dans les images, le plan est très basique mais il a établi une relation entre la maison et la nature autour de l’extérieur. Les couleurs sont aussi proche à ceux de la terre: primairement le bleu, le marron et le blanc. Aujourd’hui,  La Villa de la Roche est une célèbre icône de l’architecture. Je vous recommande de vous rendre visite si vous avez de la chance dans l’avenir !

    Since the start of the semester, I have been taking a course called “the history of architecture, from the 1850s until now.” During recent weeks, I have learnt lots of things about the construction of contemporary Europe following the Second World War and the notable architectural figures of the time. More particularly, the work of Charles-Édouard Jeanneret-Gris, known more commonly as Le Corbusier. He was a Swiss architect who moved to Paris in 1917 to hone his craft and the principles of modernist architecture. That said, his five fundamental principles were: a free plan, pillars, a roof terrace, a free facade and long windows.

    Last weekend, I had the chance to visit Le Corbusier foundation with a group of other students and my professor who studied at l’École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts. In essence, the foundation is the site of the Villa Roche which was created by Le Corbusier himself. It is situated within the 16th arrondissement (to the west of Paris) and is open to the public only when making an advance appointment. You can see the place where le Corbusier transformed his ideas of modern architecture into reality for the first time. 

    Le Corbusier wanted to create a house inspired by the connection between the inner world (of our daily lives) and the natural world. Like you can see in the images, the plan is very basic but he establishes a relation between the house and the nature surrounding it. The colours are also close to those of the earth, primarily blue, brown and white. Today, the Villa Roche is a celebrated icon of architecture, I recommend you visit if you have the chance in the future.



  • Lucas Surgeon: La fin, April 2024

    Mon séjour à Bruxelles est maintenant terminé. Je peux dire que je l’ai beaucoup apprécié et que je suis très heureux que le John Speak Languages Trust m’ait aidé à financer mon séjour ici. Je me suis fait de grands amis à Bruxelles et j’ai fait des adieux émouvants, mais avec la promesse de nous revoir bientôt.
    Le départ a été presque aussi chaotique que l’arrivée ! J’ai paniqué quand aucun des chauffeurs de taxi de Bolt n’a voulu venir me chercher pour m’emmener à la gare. Je me suis retrouvé dans la rue, paniqué et vérifiant constamment l’heure de mon train qui m’échappait.


    Mon colocataire, qui est resté avec moi, s’est montré très compréhensif tout au long de cette épreuve.
    « Tu peux rien faire, c’est pas grave »
    Avec huit minutes de retard sur le train, j’ai été obligé de prendre un FlixBus obstinément long pour rentrer. J’ai ressenti une certaine frustration après avoir dépensé tant d’argent pour réserver l’Eurostar, mais bon, « c’est pas grave ».
    En réfléchissant à ces six derniers mois et après avoir passé une bonne partie de mon temps dans le monde francophone, je suis encore plus enthousiaste à l’idée de déménager bientôt en France. J’espère y étudier, afin d’améliorer mes compétences en français et d’avoir une vision complète de la langue, qu’elle soit professionnelle, familière ou académique. J’ai hâte d’utiliser mes compétences linguistiques à l’avenir, car en septembre 2025, je prévois de déménager à Paris !

    Well, my time in Brussels has now come to an end. I can say that I have thoroughly enjoyed it and am very glad that the John Speak Languages Trust has helped finance my stay here. I’ve made some great friends in Bruxelles and gave emotional goodbyes, but with the promise of seeing each other again soon.
    The departure was nearly as chaotic as the arrival! I went into a full panic when none of the taxi drivers from Bolt would come and pick me up to take me to the train station. I was stood on the street, panicked and constantly checking my train time that was slipping away from me.

    My housemate, who stayed with me, was very sympathetic throughout the ordeal.
    “Tu peux rien faire, c’est pas grave” (eng. you can’t do anything, it doesn’t matter)
    8 minutes late for the train, I was forced to take a stubbornly long FlixBus journey back. It felt quite bitter after having spent so much money booking the Eurostar, but, oh well, “c’est pas grave”.
    Reflecting on the last six months and having spent a decent amount of time in the francophone world, I’m even more excited about the idea of moving to France soon. I’m hoping to study there, to really enhance my French ability and have a really complete scope of the language, from professional, to familiar, to academic.

    I can’t wait to use my language skills in the future, where in September 2025 I am planning on moving to Paris!

  • Joshua Winfield: L’Éclipse 2024! Avril 2024

    Ce mois, j’ai eu la chance de vivre une éclipse totale au Québec. La première depuis 50 ans, la région se préparait pour l’évènement qui est la seule jusqu’à 2106 ! L’éclipse était une grosse affaire ici, avec plus de 100 000 personnes qui la regardaient d’un parc à Montréal où il y avait des activités organisées. Toutes les écoles étaient fermées pour que les enfants pussent faire partie de l’expérience. Mes amis et moi sommes allé.e.s à l’Oratoire Saint-Joseph, une énorme église catholique (la plus grande au Canada) pour avoir une vue sans obstruction par les bâtiments de la ville. Avec les lunettes que l’université nous avait données gratuitement, on regardait le spectacle avec hâte ! C’était chouette d’avoir l’occasion d’avoir une telle expérience, ainsi que faire partie de l’ambiance de la ville. Il y avait des gens partout, avec certains qui sont venus de l’ouest du Canada et même les États-Unis !

    Mes ami.e.s et moi à l’Oratoire prêt.e.s pour l’éclipse

    Pendant le mois je suis aussi allé à une Cabane à Sucre avec des ami.e.s. Une Cabane à Sucre est un petit bâtiment où le sirop d’érable est fabriqué. Normalement situées dans une forêt et entourées par des érables, elles sont idylliques, on dirait une carte de Noël. Dans les cabanes, il y a un buffet et tout est recouvert avec le sirop d’érable. Par exemple, ce que j’aimais mieux était le pudding chômeur. Dans le fond, il s’agit d’un gâteau éponge qui est cuit dans le sirop d’érable. On mangeait aussi des œufs, du bacon et des crêpes (tout ça avec du sirop d’érable bien sûr !). C’était une expérience vraiment précieuse et typiquement québécoise. Après avoir dîné, le gérant nous faisait une visite guidée de l’érablière qui était super intéressante.

    Le pudding chômeur!

    Le mois d’avril est mon dernier mois ici au Québec, donc j’essaie d’en profiter, mais il me reste encore 5 examens pour la fin de session !

    This month, I was lucky enough to experience a total eclipse in Quebec. The first in 50 years, the region was getting ready for the event, which is the only one until 2106! The eclipse was a big deal here, with over 100,000 people watching from a park in Montreal where there were organised activities. All the schools were closed so that the school children could be part of the experience. Me and my friends went to Saint Joseph’s Oratory, a huge Catholic church (the largest in Canada) to get a view that wasn’t blocked by the city’s buildings. With the glasses that the university had given us, we couldn’t wait to watch it! It was great to have the opportunity to have such an experience, as well as being part of the city’s atmosphere. There were people everywhere, with some coming from Western Canada and even the United States!

    L’éclipse totale

    Also, in March I went to a Cabane à Sucre with some friends. A Cabane à Sucre is a small building where maple syrup is made. Normally located in a forest and surrounded by maple trees, it’s idyllic, it made me think of a Christmas card. In the cabins, there’s a buffet and everything is covered in maple syrup. For example, what I liked best was the pudding chômeur. It’s basicially a sponge cake baked in maple syrup. We also had eggs, bacon, and pancakes (all with maple syrup of course!). It was a truly precious and typically Québécois experience. After dinner, the manager gave us a guided tour of the érablière, which was really interesting.

    L’érablière avec tous les tuyaux qui attrapent la sève des arbres.

    April is my last month here in Quebec, so I’m trying to make the most of it, but I’ve still got 5 exams left for the end of term!

  • Case study: Khalida Choudhury, Oman 2024

    Prior to leaving for Oman, I panicked about leaving my life in the UK for three months. There’s something very disconcerting about the unknown. On reflection, I have learnt that the unknown is what makes something an adventure, and more often than not good things lie on the other side of fear.

    Once I arrived in Oman, the fear subsided.  I had a few connections from the UK in Oman, such as a colleague’s parents who were very welcoming and let me stay with them for a few days in Muscat. I also met my classmates, forty-one students from sixteen different nationalities that I would spend the next three months with. I was excited to learn more about them and to explore all that Oman has to offer.

    Arabic is like learning two languages in one, there is Modern Standard Arabic and dialect. During lessons I spoke in Modern Standard Arabic, and tried to develop all four skills in the language. Modern Standard Arabic is used in formal settings, such as newspapers, books, speeches. Outside of lessons, I spoke with my classmates in dialect, in the dining hall, during break times and on visits. I also haggled with taxi drivers in dialect, even when they tried switching to English. I spoke with locals at the souk and residents of Manah whenever I met them. I made every effort to speak Arabic even when I wasn’t sure that others fully understood my point. And I enjoyed every moment of it.

    Omanis, like many Arabs, are very impressed when foreigners can hold a conversation with them in their native language. The great thing about a language is that it allows you to access spaces that wouldn’t be possible if you didn’t have that ability. For example, I was able to speak to a local Omani lady who invited me to her house and see her way of life.

    Language learning isn’t a linear journey. During the three months, I had a few sets back but also some breakthrough moments. The setbacks were around grammar rules that seemed onerous and difficult to remember, which dented my confidence. The breakthroughs were being able to understand Arabic tour guides during our visits and coming away with new information. Or the times when I unconsciously started thinking in Arabic without even realising.

    I also learnt a lot from my classmates about how they learnt Arabic and tips and tricks they used to master the language. I’ve never met such a diverse range of people all with the same interest in Arabic as me. It reminded me, even as we celebrated our different cultures and traditions, that we had more in common than our differences.

    Finally, I’d like to say a massive thank you to the John Speak Foundation. Thank you for the words of encouragement during my interview and for funding my language course in Oman. Without it, I wouldn’t have been able to spend three months learning Arabic in Oman, something that I’ve spent six years dreaming about.

     

     

     

  • Cosmo de Bono: A Trip to the Alishan Mountains – March 2024

    阿里山之旅:

     
    我來台灣已經七個月了，雖然感覺沒那麼長。現在是國語中心的春季學期，我的語言學習進步順利。
    現在是三月，我決定去台灣南部的阿里山玩玩兒幾天。阿里山是台灣有名的自然風景區，茶葉和櫻花。
    不過，從台北到阿里山並不簡單。我需要從台北坐高鐵到嘉義市一個在與南部的城市。從嘉義出發以後，我又坐了阿里山森林鐵路，但是這個鐵路不到阿里山。坐完火車以後，還要坐一個小時的車才能到阿里山。雖然旅程非常長，但是火車上的景色太好了，而且還能穿越森林。
    阿里山有幾個道步。第一天，我散步上了阿里山的最高點-大塔山頂（海拔 2,666 公尺）。道步旅行很美，但是有很多台階…
    在阿里山的隔天，我早上 5 點起床，坐日出小火車了。這輛火車會到高山上的一個觀景點，然後你就可以觀賞日出了。然而，我去的時候是陰天，但日出的景色依然很美。然後散步下山，大約 90 分鐘。
    一般來說，每年的 3 月和 4 月是遊覽阿里山的最佳時節，因為這時候可以看到櫻花。我去的時候其實是櫻花盛開的季節，所以大部分樹都開了花，但花還沒完全綻放。
    阿里山最吸引我的地方是它的環境。我過去不認為台北是一個繁忙或緊張的城市，事實上，我還認為跟歐洲城市比，台北真的很平靜，但台灣南部更平靜。我現在明白為什麼台灣南部的人會開玩笑說台北人總是「匆匆忙忙」的了！
    我計劃不久以後去高雄旅行，我非常期待這次旅行。
    感謝您們閱讀我的報告，希望您們喜歡這些照片！

     

     

     

    A Trip to Alishan:
    I’ve been in Taiwan for seven months now, although it doesn’t feel that long. It’s now the spring term at the language centre and I’m making good progress with language learning.
    As it’s March I decided to go to Alishan in the south of Taiwan for a few days. Alishan is a famous area in Taiwan for its natural scenery, tea and cherry blossoms.
    It’s not easy to get from Taipei to Alishan though. I had to take the High-Speed Rail from Taipei to Chiayi – a city in the south. From Chiayi I then took the Alishan Forest Railway, but this doesn’t arrive in Alishan. After the train journey you still have to take a 1 hour bus journey to get to Alishan. Although the journey was really long, the train ride was amazing as there were amazing views and you travelled through the forest.


    In Alishan there are several hiking trails. On my first day I hiked to the top of Datashan, which is the highest point in Alishan (2,666m). The hike was beautiful but there were a lot of stairs…
    On my second day in Alishan I got up at 5am and took the sunrise train. This train arrives at a viewpoint high up on a mountain and you can then watch the sunrise. Unfortunately, it was quite cloudy when I was there but the views were still incredible. You then walk back down the mountain which takes about 90 minutes.
    March and April are generally considered the best time of year to visit Alishan as this is when you can see the cherry blossoms. I went early in cherry blossom season, so most of the trees had blossoms but the flowers hadn’t fully blossomed yet.
    My favourite part about Alishan was the quiet atmosphere. I never used to consider Taipei as a busy or stressful city, in fact, I still think that compared to European cities Taipei is really calm, but the south of Taiwan is even calmer. I now understand why people in the South of Taiwan joke that people from Taipei are always in a rush!
    I’m planning a trip to Kaohsiung soon which I’m really looking forward to.
    Thanks for reading my report and I hope you enjoy the photos!