My Experience with Learning Languages
I have had the privilege of living overseas for almost half of my life in Sydney, Australia, Shanghai, China, and Singapore. I have not only been able to become immersed in numerous different cultures, but also experience many different languages. I am so thankful that I have seen the vast differences in cultures there are in our world.
From my personal experiences I can attest to the fact that every language, even if its origins seem similar to another, is very unique. Each language has its own rules, etiquette and culture behind it. Therefore, this means for those trying to become familiar with these languages, that each one is different to learn and master. No matter the language, however, it is important to keep in mind that without constant practice and immersion, there is no hope to truly learn a language completely.
I believe this statement holds much truth. I can say this from my personal experiences living overseas. An example for the statement I made above takes place in Shanghai, China. From the time I was in 7th grade to a freshman in high school, my family and I lived in this very unique country and experienced it's culture. I had never spoken or learned Chinese before living there and my exposure to the culture in general was very limited. I had previously lived in Sydney, Australia where the first language spoken is obviously English, so this was another first for us in living in a country where the first language spoken was not English. I remember my family all being very nervous about being about to communicate on a daily basis to get around the city. Thankfully for my sisters and I we were attending a International British school, so we did not have to worry so much about our inability to speak Chinese in the classroom. However, we were all taking a Chinese class and learning to speak Mandarin. In particular, I struggled in my Chinese class. My sisters found the language a lot easier than I did and caught on very quickly. I remembered my dad telling me at the time that younger children often have an easier time learning foreign languages. This proved to be true for me in the classroom, however, I noticed very quickly that although my sisters were learning faster in their Chinese classes I was out more in the real world in China and was using my spoken Chinese a lot more on a daily basis. I began to understand and speak Chinese (enough to get around and communicate) with more ease. I realized that the practice I was getting communicating with cab drivers, shopkeepers and restaurant staff were helping me with my Chinese much more than I could learn from my Chinese class. I also noticed however that my sister's reading and written Chinese was way ahead of mine, this was not a forte of mine.
Another experience I have with learning a foreign language is from Cambodia and Khmer, as the Cambodian language is called. Since living overseas, my family has traveled to Cambodia more times than I can count, I would estimate around 25-30 times at least. We were involved in a nonprofit organization called Caring for Cambodia and my parents are even on the board. This organization's mission is to further the education of the children of Cambodia and is based in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Caring for Cambodia has numerous schools that were built by volunteers. These volunteers, like me, also devoted their time to help teaching the students English. I would sit in the library with young students reading aloud to them and teaching them new words. Not only did the students learn new words, but as I taught them, they would teach me. I would point to a picture and say it in English and have them repeat it, then the students would teach it to me in Khmer. I cannot fully explain the importance this holds for me. Not only is this a place where my family made a difference for others, but it is also where we adopted my little sister Solita from. I also learned Khmer from her as well as we taught her English. This partnership of learning and teaching worked so well and she is now 8 years later 100% fluent in English (and knows many more English words than she probably should). She was completely fluent in English in less than a year after we adopted her at 2 and a half years old.
I am so thankful for all my experiences with other languages and cultures. I hope to only expand these experiences in the future and go teach overseas!
From my personal experiences I can attest to the fact that every language, even if its origins seem similar to another, is very unique. Each language has its own rules, etiquette and culture behind it. Therefore, this means for those trying to become familiar with these languages, that each one is different to learn and master. No matter the language, however, it is important to keep in mind that without constant practice and immersion, there is no hope to truly learn a language completely.
I believe this statement holds much truth. I can say this from my personal experiences living overseas. An example for the statement I made above takes place in Shanghai, China. From the time I was in 7th grade to a freshman in high school, my family and I lived in this very unique country and experienced it's culture. I had never spoken or learned Chinese before living there and my exposure to the culture in general was very limited. I had previously lived in Sydney, Australia where the first language spoken is obviously English, so this was another first for us in living in a country where the first language spoken was not English. I remember my family all being very nervous about being about to communicate on a daily basis to get around the city. Thankfully for my sisters and I we were attending a International British school, so we did not have to worry so much about our inability to speak Chinese in the classroom. However, we were all taking a Chinese class and learning to speak Mandarin. In particular, I struggled in my Chinese class. My sisters found the language a lot easier than I did and caught on very quickly. I remembered my dad telling me at the time that younger children often have an easier time learning foreign languages. This proved to be true for me in the classroom, however, I noticed very quickly that although my sisters were learning faster in their Chinese classes I was out more in the real world in China and was using my spoken Chinese a lot more on a daily basis. I began to understand and speak Chinese (enough to get around and communicate) with more ease. I realized that the practice I was getting communicating with cab drivers, shopkeepers and restaurant staff were helping me with my Chinese much more than I could learn from my Chinese class. I also noticed however that my sister's reading and written Chinese was way ahead of mine, this was not a forte of mine.
Another experience I have with learning a foreign language is from Cambodia and Khmer, as the Cambodian language is called. Since living overseas, my family has traveled to Cambodia more times than I can count, I would estimate around 25-30 times at least. We were involved in a nonprofit organization called Caring for Cambodia and my parents are even on the board. This organization's mission is to further the education of the children of Cambodia and is based in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Caring for Cambodia has numerous schools that were built by volunteers. These volunteers, like me, also devoted their time to help teaching the students English. I would sit in the library with young students reading aloud to them and teaching them new words. Not only did the students learn new words, but as I taught them, they would teach me. I would point to a picture and say it in English and have them repeat it, then the students would teach it to me in Khmer. I cannot fully explain the importance this holds for me. Not only is this a place where my family made a difference for others, but it is also where we adopted my little sister Solita from. I also learned Khmer from her as well as we taught her English. This partnership of learning and teaching worked so well and she is now 8 years later 100% fluent in English (and knows many more English words than she probably should). She was completely fluent in English in less than a year after we adopted her at 2 and a half years old.
I am so thankful for all my experiences with other languages and cultures. I hope to only expand these experiences in the future and go teach overseas!