Steve's sandbox

Author: Steve Evans

  • Jed Martin: Warnemünde – Der breiteste Strand Deutschlands – July 2023

    Moin an alle Leser,

    da die Sommerzeit nun begonnen hat nutze ich die Gelegenheit, um euch ein bisschen über einen der schönsten und beliebtesten Strände Deutschlands zu erzählen. Der Strand in Warnemünde ist der breiteste an der gesamten deutschen Ostseeküste mit eine Breite von 150m und eine Länge von über 3km.

    Seit 1323 gehört das Ostseebad Warnemünde zu dem Stadtkreis Rostock um den Zugang der Stadt zur Ostsee zu sichern. Für Jahrhunderte war Warnemünde vor allem ein kleiner Hafen- und Fischerort bis 1821 der touristische Badebetrieb begann. Seitdem zieht der weiche Sand jedes Jahr tausende von Touristen zu sich. Obwohl Warnemünde offiziell nur etwa 8.000 Einwohner hat ist es sicherlich einer der Gründe, warum täglich rund 38.000 Touristen Rostock besuchen. Mit einer schnellen S-Bahn Verbindung kann man von Rostocks Innenstadt aus Warnemünde innerhalb von 20 Minuten erreichen.

    Ein wichtiger Teil der Geschichte von Warnemünde ist der Leuchturm, der seit 1897 in Betrieb ist. Der kanpp 37 Meter hohe Turm ermöglicht den Besuchern im Sommer einen beeindruckenden Ausblick über die Ostsee und die nördlichen Stadtteile Rostocks. Warnemündes anderes berühmtes Wahrzeichen ist der nahe am Leuchtturm gelegene Teepott mit der geschwungenen Hyparschale (gekrümtes Dach). Die Architektur dieses Restaurantes ist ein gutes Beispiel für ostdeutsche Baukunst.

    Als Student in Rostock bietet Warnemünde die Möglichkeit sich zu entspannen, was auf jeden Fall wichtig und gut für die mentale Gesundheit eines Studenten ist. Da die Vorlesungszeit für mich langsam zu Ende geht werde ich die Zeit haben öfter an die Ostsee zu fahren und das gute Sommerwetter und die frische Meeresluft in vollen Zügen auszukosten.

    Danke, dass ihr die Zeit genommen habt um meinen monatlichen Bericht zu lesen und bis zum nächsten Mal!

    Jed

     

    Hello to all readers,

    Now that the summer season has started, I thought I would take the opportunity to tell you a little bit about one of Germany’s most beautiful and popular beaches. Warnemünde beach is the widest beach on the whole German Baltic coast with a width of 150m and a length of over 3km.

    Since 1323, the Baltic seaside resort of Warnemünde has belonged to the Rostock district in order to secure the town’s access to the Baltic Sea. For centuries, Warnemünde was primarily a small harbour and fishing village until around 1821 when the tourist bathing business began. Since then, the beach has managed to attract tourists to the its soft sands every year. Although Warnemünde officially has only about 8,000 inhabitants, it is certainly one of the reasons why around 38,000 tourists visit Rostock every day. With a fast S-Bahn connection, you can travel between Rostock city centre and the Warnemünde beach within 20 minutes.

    Another important part of Warnemünde’s history is the lighthouse, which has been in operation since 1897. The tower, which is about 37 metres high, gives visitors the opportunity during the summer to enjoy an impressive view over the Baltic Sea and Rostock’s northern districts. Warnemünde’s other famous landmark, is the nearby Teepott with its curved hyparschale (curved roof). The architecture of this restaurant is a good example of East German design.

    As a student in Rostock, Warnemünde offers the opportunity to relax, which is definitely important and good for the mental health of a student. As the lecture period is slowly coming to an end for me, I will have the time to go to the Baltic Sea more often and enjoy the great weather and the beautiful salty air.

    Thanks for taking the time to read my monthly report and see you next time!

    Jed

  • Abbie Yallop: Songpagu Baekje Moonlight Trip – July 2023

    이번주에 성파구에서 열리는 문화축제에 초대를 받아 참여하게 되었습니다. 전 세계사람들이 모인 축제에서 새로운 국제 친구들을 사귈수 있었습니다. 축제에서는 여러 활동을 분담 하였는데, 다문화 활동과 뜨개질, 등 같은 만들기도 있었습니다. 그리고 전통 의상을 입어 보는 체험도 하였고, 춤과 아크로바틱 공연들도 보았습니다. 축제가 시작할때는 성파구 의원님이 오셔서 사진도 다 같이 찍었습니다.
    축제를 통해 새로운 서울의 지역을 여행하고 한국 전통 문화를 같이 즐길수 있어서 좋았습니다.
    저는 미래에 서울뿐만 아니라 다양한 지역에 있을 한국 축제들도 참여하고 싶습니다. 공연을 본 후에, 저는 춤, 공연이나 만들기 같은 새로운 기술을 배우고 싶어졌고 또한 새로운 기술들을 다른 언어를 배운다는 것이 가치있는 경험이라고 생각합니다.

    This week, I was invited by a tourism organisation in Seoul to take part and join in on a cultural festival in the region of Seongpagu called the ‘Songpagu Baekje Moonlight Trip’. I was able to meet many new friends who are also foreigners residing/studying in South Korea and we were able to enjoy a unique experience together. We took part in many traditional activities such as arts and crafts, hand knitting, lantern making and we also even tried on some traditional clothing. I was so surprised to see that there were such talented acrobatic performers and dancers showing their skills, you could really see how hard they must have practiced! In addition, when the festival was in full swing, the mayor of Seongpagu approached us to talk about our experiences in Korea so far and whether we were enjoying the traditions of the country. It was a really fun and great experience to immerse into the the culture and take part in something that I wouldn’t have previously had the opportunity to do. I am glad to be using my language skills to communicate with the local and really see my language skill progression. Apart from myself and the rest of my small group of friends, the whole audience consisted only of the local residents, so I felt really lucky to be able to see something so special and not so known to tourists. Hopefully I can take part in more future events and experiences like this and perhaps visit other cities far away from Seoul to get a broad sense of the lifestyle here, rather than just stay in one region.

  • Abbie Yallop – 25th June – Birthday celebrations!

                          

    나의 생일이 있는 6월을 한국에서 보낼 수 있게 되었습니다. 저는 6월 25일에 24살이 되었습니다. 나의 생일에 나는 한국어 학당 친구들과 같이 한국인들이 일반적으로 하는 재미있는 것들을 하기로 결정했습니다. 예를 들면, 우리는 한국 길거리에서 흔히 보이는 노래방을 갔는데, 노래도 부를 수 있고 저렴한 음식과 음료를 친구들과 즐길 수 있는 곳이었습니다.  영국에 있었을 때도 팥은 항상 내가 제일 좋아하는 맛이여서 팥빙수를 기대했습니다. 한국에서 생일을 보내는 것은 처음이하 걱정도 되고 불안하였지만 영국에서 온 고향 친구들과 대학 친구들이 있어서 새로운 생일 경험을 재미있게 보낼 수 있었고 가장 기억에 남을 것 입니다. 저는 새로운 음식을 시도해 보고싶어서, 우리는 저녁으로 닭갈비를 먹으로 갔습니다.  닭갈비는 떡, 닭, 라면 사리 그리고 다양한 종류의 야채들이 매운 양념에 섞여있는 음식이었고 매우 맛있었지만 몇몇 친구들한테는 매우 매웠다고 했습니다. 마지막 디저트로는, 우리는 한국의 일반적인 디저트로 빙수라는 것을 먹으러 갔는데 잘 갈린 얼린 우유와 다양한 과일, 팥 그리고 초콜렛이 얹어진 빙수를 시켰다.우리는 한국 길에 자주 보이는 포토 부스에서 재미있고 웃긴 사진도 찍을 수 있었습니다. 심지어 악세서리와 장식품도 빌릴 수 있었습니다.

    During the month of June, I was able to celebrate my birthday in Korea for the second time. I first celebrated back when I was 19 years old. However, this year I turned 24 years old on June 25th. For my birthday, I decided it would be great to make some plans with my Korean language classmates that would involve many typical fun and common things that Koreans do often. For example, I went to ‘Noraebang’, which is a place you can find on almost every street in Korea. You can play Karaoke, eat great cheap food and also play games with your friends. We also went to a photobooth store, these are also on almost every street in Seoul, where you can take fun and silly photos with friends. They even have props you can use and wear! For dinner plans, I really wanted to try something new, so I planned to go eat ‘Ddakgalbi’ for dinner. This dish is a mix of Korean rice cakes, chicken, ramen noodles and an array of vegetables mixed in a spicy but sweet sauce. Typically after finishing these style of dishes, there is then option to order extra rice where the employee will fry the it with the remaining sauces on the grill, for an extra treat after your meal. This is what is considered as dessert in most situations. It was really delicious but some of my friends found it too spicy for them! Finally, for dessert we went to go eat ‘Bingsu’, which is a classic Korean dessert that consists of shaved frozen milk and various toppings. Some of the toppings we ordered were mango, chocolate and also a red bean flavour. Red bean has always been my favourite, even back at home in UK, so I was so excited to have this combination. Overall, initially I was quite anxious and worried about spending my birthday in Korea again, as previously I was with friends from my hometown and university, but I really enjoyed taking on this new situation and can easily say this was one of the most enjoyable birthdays I’ve had.

     

  • Rosalind Lane: Exam Season and Deciding to Stay in Germany, July 2023

    Prüfungszeit und die Entscheidung, in Deutschland zu bleiben
    Ich kann gar nicht glauben, wie schnell dieses Jahr vergeht! Es ist bereits Juli, was bedeutet, dass ich mich mitten in der Prüfungszeit befinde. Da mein Masterstudiengang ungewöhnlicherweise nur ein Jahr dauert (in Deutschland sind die meisten Masterstudiengänge zwei Jahre lang), bedeutet dies, dass ich nun auch (erschreckenderweise) fast meinen Master abgeschlossen habe.
    Die Prüfungszeit bedeutet, dass ich viel Zeit in der Bibliothek verbringe, Kaffee mit ebenso gestressten Kommilitonen trinke und früh ins Bett gehe – ich freue mich also auf die freie Zeit nach den Prüfungen! Meine Prüfungen sind auch insofern ungewöhnlich, dass sie mündlich sind, etwas, das ich noch nie erlebt habe, bevor ich nach Deutschland kam. Das bedeutet, dass ich in einer Kleingruppe von drei Personen im Büro des Professors sitze und er uns Fragen zum Thema stellt. Obwohl das definitiv eine nervenaufreibende Erfahrung sein kann, ziehe ich es eigentlich vor, da man seine Ergebnisse sofort bekommt!


    In einer großen persönlichen Entscheidung habe ich mich entschieden, in Hamburg zu bleiben und habe mich hier auf Jobs beworben. Wie ich in meinem letzten Monatsbericht geschrieben habe, blüht Hamburg im Sommer auf, und ich hatte das Gefühl, dass ich die Stadt sowohl als Studentin als auch bei der Arbeit erleben muss, um wirklich das Gefühl zu haben, das Beste aus ihr gemacht zu haben.
    Ich habe ein Jobangebot von einer Anwaltskanzlei erhalten, wo ich als Studentin in Teilzeit und nach Abschluss meines Masters in Vollzeit arbeiten werde. Ich denke, dass die Arbeit auf Deutsch eine ganz neue Herausforderung sein wird, denn obwohl ich auf Deutsch studiere, besteht sie hauptsächlich aus viel Lesen und Schreiben. Mein gesprochenes Deutsch wird daher viel geübt werden, aber es gibt keinen besseren Weg, sich zu verbessern, als ins kalte Wasser geworfen zu werden!
    Das bedeutet auch, dass ich ein Arbeitsvisum beantragen muss, was viele Herausforderungen mit sich bringt. Aber ich bin optimistisch, dass alles klappen wird und ich arbeiten kann – es stehen spannende Zeiten bevor!

     

    Exam Season and Deciding to Stay in Germany
    I cannot believe how quickly this year is flying by! It’s already July which means I’m in the middle of exam season. As my Masters is unusually only a year long (in Germany most Masters degrees are two years), this now means that I’ve also (terrifyingly) almost finished my Masters.
    Being in exam season means lots of time spent in the library, squeezing in coffees with equally-stressed-classmates and lots of early nights – so I’m looking forward to some free time once they’re done! My exams are also quite unusual in that they’re oral, something I’d never experienced before coming to Germany. This basically means I sit in the professor’s office in a group of three and they just ask you questions on the topic. Although this can definitely be nerve-wracking, I actually prefer it as it means you get your results straight away!

    In a big life decision, I’ve decided to stay in Hamburg and have applied for jobs out here.

    I felt like I hadn’t experienced everything Hamburg had to offer yet, and it means I would have to move out in August which I’m definitely not ready to do! As I wrote in my previous monthly report, Hamburg thrives in summer, and I felt like I needed to experience the city both as a student and whilst working to truly feel like I’d made the most of it.
    I’ve actually received a job offer from a law firm, where I’ll be working part time as a student and full time when my Masters finishes. I think working in German is going to be a completely new challenge, as although I study in German, this is primarily lots of reading and writing. My spoken German is therefore going to be getting a lot of practice, but there’s no better way to improve than being thrown in the deep end!


    This also means I’m having to apply for a work visa, which presents as many challenges as you would imagine. However, I am optimistic that everything will sort itself out in time and I can get to work – exciting times are ahead!

  • Case Study: Nathaniel Jones, France 2023

    These past 10 months in France have changed my life, I’m so grateful that I had the opportunity to experience this. All the people I’ve met, the places I’ve been, the moments I connected with is something I wouldn’t have been able to feel back home, and learning this foreign language has been such a process, despite its challenges I loved learning it and growing from it

    Being immersed in the culture, people music it allowed me to have a first-hand perspective on what it meant to be French and live among them something that felt fabricated when I studied at home but here it felt like I was fully apart of it. I can say in terms of studying the language and a new course at university I have progressed a lot more, understanding tones more than what I had understood before thankfully and I’m motivated to continue my studying even when I return to my home country

    I came to realize many things about not only the country but also within myself, firstly I understood that every moment in itself is a lesson, whether it’s the interactions with people with different stories and backgrounds, or whether its knowing that music, art and culture can transcend the depths of language and its barriers, there were many experiences and times I learnt from which I would’ve paid no mind to before in my life.

    Furthermore, I realized that safety nets prohibit progress by this I mean to say that staying in one’s comfort zone or not embarking on adventures or taking risks we can’t elevate or progress to the next level, when learning a new language or anything honestly, we must be open to make mistakes, not ashamed of looking silly, if there is confusion, uncertainty etc that is fine, its natural but preserving and not stopping is the main thing to do.

    And I would say another lesson I took in was consistency, similar to the previous point I suppose but have a consistent mindset or always taking time out of your day to practice the language, research where you can or find out new things about what you’re interested in helped me a lot when learning or inquiring about the history of France, or when I wanted to hone my skills elsewhere. These skills are definitely something I will be taking back home with me, and I’ll use for the rest of my life.

    Speaking on when I return to the UK. I want to not only continue my studies in French but I would love to start a social group amongst those aiming to learn or are learning French so we could help each other progress, and furthermore I aim to keep in touch with all the amazing people I have met here. Then in the future I plan to travel to other French speaking counties and see how their cultures or way of life may differ from the one I experienced in France. I am completely and utterly grateful for the time I had here and moreover I am grateful to the john speak trust who aided me along the way, it will surely have a long-lasting effect on my life.

  • Case Study – Marianne McCready, France 2023

    Admiring the view of Lyon

    I would first and foremost like to thank the John Speak Language Trust for supporting me during my experience in France.

    Thanks to your support not only have I been able to cover living costs, but I have also been able to explore more of the country and live new cultural experiences.

    Visiting a really cool Ancient Egyptian Exhibit!
    On a day trip to some islands off the coast of Cannes

    The opportunity to study abroad has opened my eyes to lots of new experiences such as education in France, French way of life and all the rich cultural experiences France has to offer. It has also been a fairly international experience as I have made friends with French people and with people from all over the world. Furthermore, with Paris being such an international city, I have got to try lots of new cuisines and inventive food such as an 100% vegetarian restaurant where they prepared your food for you on the table! I also visited many museums such as the Louvre, l’Orangerie and the Musée D’Orsay. I also had the chance to visit a once in a lifetime display of Ancient Egyptian artefacts, most of which had never left Egypt before, and learn about the connection Rameses II and how a Frenchman used his name to crack Hieroglyphs in the 1820s.

    When I embarked upon my study abroad adventure in Paris, I had no idea what challenges it would bring. Learning how the French university system works, making some mistakes (and getting lost!) and learning how to live in a big international city such as Paris. In recent months, there has also been many strikes in the French capital and, at times things have been very chaotic, but through speaking with locals I have come to see it as a quintessential cultural experience! Given all the French history that I have learned while here I really feel that I have a deep understanding of why strikes and workers’ rights are so important to the French People.

    While in France and with the support of the John Speak Language Trust, I was able to travel to lots of different places for the first time.

    Trying French Cuisine!
    In the beautiful village of Eze!

    I was able to visit a friend who was studying abroad in Lyon twice and she showed me round the beautiful city and let me practice my French with her Host Family which was very interesting as they spoke with a different accent to those from the Parisian region. I also visited Dijon and Versailles. At the end of my time in France I organised a trip to the south of France which was amazing! It was lovely to escape the city for a while and see where French people go on holiday. As I felt quite comfortable navigating the French rail system at this point, my friend and I travelled by train almost everywhere and took some buses in order to get to more hard-to-reach places, such as the medieval village of Èze which I absolutely loved.

    All of these experiences which have shaped me, and my knowledge of French and French culture would not have been possible if not for the John Speak Language Trust.

    France, particularly Paris, has a higher cost of living than that in the UK and with the help of the Trust I felt a weight off my shoulders which allowed me to make the absolute most of my time abroad.

  • Nathaniel Jones: May 2023 monthly report

    As my exchange comes to a conclusion, this month consisted of so much, firstly it was my 22nd birthday and I had the best time celebrating it in France with all the friends I had made which I was extremely grateful for, it made me reflect and realize all the great experiences I’ve had with those around me, and I was so thankful I could spend the time with them. Furthermore, hosted by the university I attend, there was an incredible fashion show in the city center the outfits and the venue was sophisticated, diverse but overall incredible, I enjoyed and managed to gain an insight into the fashion world which I hadn’t been able to receive.

    Moreover, I’ve began to read more philosophical works amongst other pieces of literature, recently I have been reading the essays by Montaigne who was born in Saint-Michel-de-Montaigne, a town near Bordeaux where I have been living, his works are influential and thought provoking it’s nice to know that I reside close to where he lived and where he was in fact the mayor of Bordeaux in 1500s. But also, there was a garage sale in the town which provided lots of items and antiquities, and I managed to buy two old school gaming systems which that I wasn’t expecting to find but will treasure regardless.

    Finally, there were mayday protests in Paris regarding pension reforms, what I admire in France is their will to exercise the right of freedom of speech, especially in the face of injustice, I learnt that the political phrases the right and the left had originated from France, one thing I would love to see more in the U.K is the French’s activism or their fight for justice, as the pension reform is almost a violation of ones right to retire at the age of 62 I agree and support the marches and rebellion in response to this violation of human rights and democracy. https://www.france24.com/en/video/20230501-may-day-march-against-pension-reform-protesters-determined-to-give-it-our-all

    Alors, c’est presque le fin de mon échange en France, ce mois a été riche en événements. Tout d’abord, c’était mon 22e anniversaire et jai passé un excellemment moment a le fêter en Bordeaux avec tous mes amis que je me suis faits pendant mon échange, franchement ce dont je suis extrêmement reconnaissante, cela m’a fait réfléchir et realiser toutes les experiences formidables que j’ai vécues avec ceux qui m’entourent, et j’étais si reconnaissante d’avoir pu passer du temps avec eux.

    En outre, mon université a organisé un incroyable défilé de mode dans le centre-ville. Les tenues et le lieu étaient sophistiqués, diversifiés mais globalement incroyables, j’ai apprécié et j’ai réussi a avoir un aperçu du monde de la mode que je n’avais pas pu avoir. En plus j’ai commencé à lire des oeuvres philosophiques parmi d’autres roman/morceaux de outre, récemment j’ai lu les essais de Montaigne qui est né à Saint-Michel-delMontaigne, une ville près de Bordeaux où je vis, ses oeuvres sont influentes et provoquent la réflexion, c’est agréable de savoir que j’habite près de l’endroit où il a vécu et où il était en fait le maire de Bordeaux dans les années 1500.

    Mais aussi, il y avait un vide-greniers dans la centre-ville qui a fourni beaucoup d’objets et d’antiquités, et j’ai réussi a acheter deux systèmes de jeux vieux que je ne m’attendais pas à trouver, mais que he chérirai quand même. Enfin il y a eu les manifestations de mai a paris concernant la reforme des retraites, ce que j’admire en France c’est leur volonté d’exercer le droit a la liberté d’expression, surtout face a l’injustice, jai appris que les expressions politiques droite et gauche venaient de France en fait, une chose que j’aimerais voir plus souvent au Royaume-Uni c’est l’activisme des français ou leur combat pour la justice, comme la reforme des retraites est presque une violation du droit a la retraite a 62 ans je suis d’accord et je soutiennes les marches/manifestations en response a cette violation des droites de l’homme et de la démocratie

  • Nicholas Aien: April in Bologna, Italy (2023)

    Italiano:

    Ad aprile, ho trascorso tanto tempo esplorando Bologna e altri luoghi circostanti. Ho fatto un po’ di trekking nelle colline a sud di Bologna, a Marzabotto, scalando il Monte Sole e alcune altre colline. Mi sono messo in viaggio un po’ d’improvviso e senza molti piani e ho incontrato molte sorprese lungo il cammino. La prima delle quali è stata la ripida salita che ha messo alla prova i miei polpacci fin dall’inizio. Gradualmente il sentiero si è appianato e sono stato ricompensato con bellissime viste sulle colline attorno a Monzuno. Questa zona ha visto significativi combattimenti durante la seconda guerra mondiale e ci sono commemorati le stragi commesse dai nazisti in quei giorni bui.

    Durante l’occupazione nazista, l’area era pesantemente minata e si dice che alcune rimangano ancora nella zona circostante. Un ottimo incentivo per rimanere sul sentiero ed evitare scorciatoie!

    Per quanto riguarda il mio progresso in italiano, sto diventando più consapevole delle capacità linguistiche aggiuntive che possono essere apprese solo attraverso la pratica. Fino ad ora sono stato abbastanza concentrato sull’apprendimento e la comprensione del vocabolario. Ha senso dato che le parole sono essenzialmente i mattoni della lingua. Ma questo può metterti in una posizione in cui cerchi una comprensione letterale di ciò che è stato detto piuttosto che una comprensione generale del significato del parlante. Essere in grado di intuire il significato è un’abilità che usiamo anche nelle nostre madrelingua. Ad esempio, raramente dobbiamo chiedere una spiegazione del significato di una parola che non conosciamo perché di solito possiamo fare affidamento sul contesto per ampliare la nostra comprensione. Quindi ora quando incontro una parola che non conosco, invece di interrompere il flusso della conversazione per chiedere “cosa vuol dire?”, continuo ad ascoltare e il contesto mi aiuta a capire. Ho la sensazione che questa sia una delle distinzioni tra essere uno studente della lingua e un parlante della lingua. Essere consapevole di queste sottigliezze mi sta aiutando a diventare un parlante più fluente di italiano.

    La vista dal Monte Sole

    English:

    I spend a lot of April exploring Bologna and other places nearby. I did some hiking in the hills to the south of Bologna, in Marzabotto, climbing Monte Sole and some of the surrounding hills. I set off on a bit of a whim and without much planning and met a lot of surprises along the way. The first of which was the drastic incline which pushed my calves to their limits from the get-go. Gradually the trail levelled out and I was rewarded with great views the hills around Monzuno. This area seen significant fighting during the war and there was commemorated atrocities committed during those dark days. While under nazi occupation the area was heavily land-mined and some are said to remain in the surrounding area. As good an inducement as any for one to stay on the trail and avoid any short cuts!

    As far as my Italian progress goes, I’m becoming more aware of the additional language abilities that can only be learnt through practice. Up until now I’ve been pretty prefixed on learning and understanding vocabulary. It makes sense given that words are essentially the building blocks of the language. But that can put you in a place where you seek a literal understanding of what was said rather than a general understanding of the meaning of the speaker. Being able to intuit meaning is a skill we use in our mother tongues too. For example, we seldom have to ask an explanation of the meaning of a word we are unfamiliar with because we can usually rely on the context to expand our understanding. So now when I encounter a word I’m unfamiliar with and rather than stopping the flow of conversation to ask “cosa vuol dire? (what does it mean)” I keep listening and the context helps me understand. I feel like this is one of the distinctions between being a learner of the language and a speaker of the language. Being aware of these subtleties is helping me become a more fluent speaker of the language.

  • Nicholas Aien: May in Bologna, Italy

    Italiano:

    Il cielo è in fiamme / The sky is on fire

    Maggio è stato caotico in molti modi diversi. L’Emilia-Romagna è stata devastata da inondazioni senza precedenti che hanno causato stragi nella zona e purtroppo anche la perdita di vite umane. Fortunatamente, la città di Bologna non è stata colpita gravemente come le aree circostanti. Sono rimasto colpito dalla vista di coloro che tornavano dalle aree colpite, con stivali di gomma ai piedi e vanghe in mano, coperti di fango da capo a piedi nei loro tentativi di rimuovere i detriti e rendere quelle aree di nuovo abitabili.

    La vista dal Monte Sole

    Continuo ad essere messo alla prova quotidianamente dai miei studi in italiano. Sono ancora convinto che sia una delle migliori cose per il mio livello di italiano. Data la quantità di input che sto ricevendo e la quantità di opportunità di usare la lingua, lo considero più efficace che se avessi frequentato un corso sulla lingua italiana. Un altro aspetto buono di questa esperienza è che il vocabolario che sto imparando è direttamente focalizzato sul mio campo di lavoro, il Marketing. Quindi sto imparando un sacco di nuovo vocabolario che sarà utile in futuro in un contesto aziendale. Anche se vale la pena menzionare che molte delle parole inglesi non sono tradotte, ma ho scoperto che generalmente devono essere pronunciate con un accento italiano per essere comprese. Mi fa sempre sorridere un po’ quando “italianizzo” la parola “Marketing” mettendo un forte accento

    La vista dal Monte Sole

    sul “ing” alla fine della parola.

    Inoltre, questo corso ha davvero migliorato la mia capacità di estrarre il significato da testi scritti in italiano. Questo è qualcosa che non devo mai fare quando leggo italiano per piacere – quindi ho scoperto che leggendo questi materiali la mia comprensione diventa meno superficiale e più profonda. Ed è anche un’ottima opportunità per imparare un vocabolario più formale e accademico. Questo mi aiuta ad accedere a più materiali e mi aiuterà con il linguaggio più accademico che è caratteristico dei test di lingua ufficiali come il CILS. Dato che ho studiato italiano da autodidatta, mi piacerebbe sostenere uno di questi esami in futuro per capire meglio e certificare il mio livello.

    Piazza Maggiore, Bologna
    Basilica di San Petronio

    English:

    May has been chaotic on many different fronts. Emiglia-Romagna has been ravaged by unprecedented flooding which has wreaked havoc on the area and unfortunately even led to the loss of lives. Fortunately Bologna city was not

    Piazza Verdi, di notte

    affected as seriously as the surrounding area. I was struck by the sight of those returning from the affected areas, wellies on feet and spades in hand, covered from head to toe in mud in their attempts to clear the debris and make those areas habitable again.

    I continue to be challenged daily by my studies in Italian. I am still convinced that it is one of the best things for my level of Italian. Given the amount of input that I am receiving and the amount of opportunities to use the language I consider it more effective than if I had actually attended a course on the Italian language. Another defining aspect of this experience is that the vocabulary that I’m learning is directly focused on my line of work, Marketing. So I am learning a lot of new vocabulary that will prove useful in the future in a business context. Although it’s worth

    River Reno, Marzabotto

    mentioning that a lot of the English words are not translated but I’ve found they generally need to be said with an Italian accent to be understood. It always makes me smile somewhat when I “Italianise” the word “Marketing” by putting a heavy emphasis on the “ing”.

    Additionally this course has really improved my ability to extract the meaning from texts written in Italian. That’s something that I never really have to do when I read Italian for pleasure – so I’ve found that in reading these materials my comprehension becomes less superficial and more profound. And it’s also a great opportunity to learn more formal, academic vocabulary. This helps me to access more materials and will help me with the more academic language that is characteristic of official language tests such as CILS. Given that I self-studied Italian I would like to take one of those exams in the future to help understand and to certificate my level.

  • Marianne McCready – France May 2023: Voilà!

    Sunset view of Sacre-Coeur from my kitchen window

    Voilà ! C’est mon dernier mois en France ! J’ai maintenant fini mes examens et je prends du temps pour voyager autour de la France et réfléchir sur mon temps ici ! Premièrement, c’était génial même si de temps en temps difficile d’assister à l’université française pendant ces derniers quelques mois ! Beaucoup du monde m’a dit que j’ai eu « une expérience française authentique » en surmonter toutes ces grèves, fermetures et chaos général à Paris. Mon progrès en français me fait plaisir et maintenant je connais beaucoup de vocabulaire très spécifique à propos des sujets comme des techniques filmiques, des concepts philosophales et amplement des termes très spécifiques d’analyse littéraire que je n’ai jamais rencontré avant. J’ai maintenant lu plusieurs grands œuvres de la littérature française et vu quelques des plus grands films du cinéma français, particulièrement de la Nouvelle Vague. Si vous êtes intéressés, personnellement, je vous recommanderais de regarder « Les Quatre Cents Coups » que j’ai bien aimé et il est tellement emblématique du genre. Deuxièmement, j’ai fait plusieurs relations avec des Français et j’ai appris beaucoup d’eux, à propos de la culture, la langue et l’argot française ! J’ai fait nombreuses erreurs en français quand j’ai parlé avec eux mais ils me corrigés doucement et m’ont donné des mieux façons de dire des phrases ou des questions afin de sembler plus naturelle. Finalement, j’ai aussi passé du temps en réfléchir à mon temps à Paris. J’estime que j’ai vu beaucoup que

    Gabi and I at the Arc de Triomphe

    je n’ai pas vu avant, et je connais certains quartiers assez bien et je ne consulte plus Google Maps constamment pour me déplacer ! J’ai aussi eu la chance de voyager un peu pendant que j’habite à Paris. J’ai passé ce weekend dans le beau sud de la France avec une amie et je voyage à Lyon cette semaine pour rendre visite à ma bonne amie avant que nous deux partons de la France à la fin de ce mois !

    Ta Dah! It’s my final month in France! I have now finished my exams and I am taking some time to travel around France and reflect on my time here! Firstly, it has been a great if sometimes difficult experience attending French university for the last few months! As many people have told me I have had “an authentic French experience” while coping with all of these strikes, closures and general chaos in Paris. I am pleased with my progress in French, and I now know lots of very specific vocabulary about topics like filming techniques, philosophical concepts and very specific literary analysis terms that I had never encountered before. I have now read many great works of French literature and seen some of the greatest films from French Cinema, particularly from La Nouvelle Vague. If you are interested, I personally would recommend watching “Les Quatre Cents Coups” I really liked that one and it is very much emblematic of the genre. Secondly, I have made many connections with French people, and I have learned so much from them, about French culture, language and slang! I have made many mistakes in my French when talking with them, but they do gently correct me and give me better ways to say sentences or questions in order to sound more natural. Finally, I have also been reflecting on my time in Paris. I feel that I have seen lots of parts of Paris that I had not seen before, and I know certain areas quite well and I am not constantly checking Google Maps to get around! I have also been very fortunate to travel a little while I have been living in Paris. I spent this weekend in the beautiful south of France with a friend and I am travelling to Lyon this week again to visit my good friend before we both leave France at the end of the month!