(Photo taken in Rome, Italy)
Nationality: Jamaican
Country in which you worked as a Language Assistant/Teacher (Please note city as well):- Lyon, France How The Program Helped Your Language Development:
Moving to France made a huge difference in how I saw the French language. Sitting in classes learning grammar for years made me feel like I'd never fully "get it" and I lost confidence as the semesters went by.
Being in the country and knowing that I had to step up and communicate was a bit scary at first, but then it got better over time. I can definitely say that my listening skills improved tremendously and once that happened, it felt like the the other elements would come together too. With that said, I found that during my travels to other countries that speak other languages, I was able to pick up on certain words that were similar to French (or sometimes English) which made it easier to understand the directions I needed to get around.
Also, it was interesting to learn how native speakers actually communicate on a daily basis. Being able to drop those little words and sayings that they used in my own sentences felt amazing! All in all a great experience for me.
Any other comments?:
I would recommend that anyone trying to learn a language make the effort to visit a country where that language is spoken, even for a short time. I went to France two years in a row and made some really great friends and had some really great experiences. No regrets at all. Current Country of Residence:
Jamaica
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