One of the most exciting yet daunting tasks of moving to a new country is learning a new language. Madrid is no different as an expat destination. When I landed in the Spanish capital more than 5 years ago, I knew nothing more than the basic greetings.You cannot blame me, I’m South African and was still learning the rest of the 11 official languages when I moved to Spain?. My initial experiences with the language and culture were cushioned by the fact that my social circles were made of my expat work circle. There were also Spanish colleagues in the group who became our designated translators in restaurants, banks, pharmacies, metro stations and so on. This was of course, a temporary solution, because one needs their autonomy and independence. I recall an awkward situation involving a Greek colleague who had needed the help of a Spanish colleague to translate a message she received from a Spaniard she met at a local club the night before. How awkward, but the girl needed to know!

I took Spanish lessons a month after my arrival at a languages school in Sol. The classes occurred in the evenings, after work some days were tougher than others as I had to return tired from work and then psyche myself up for some Spanish language learning. However, the ambiance was really nice and encouraging. My class consisted of various nationalities from Austrians, to Finnish to Chinese. Our teacher didn’t speak English and that facilitated our learning without any language to fall back on, not that the Chinese students would have minded.There are various Spanish teaching schools to choose from in Madrid.There are schools for the corporate crowd, others for the Erasmus student crowd and of course the rest for just about anyone. Other factors in choosing a school from where to learn Spanish in Madrid include fees, class sizes, school facilities and resources as well as location of the school. Most schools provide a free Spanish level test and a visit of the facilities. Other Spanish learning options include language exchanges or taking individual classes. In the 4 month duration of my introductory Spanish lessons, I learnt enough to communicate in a basic way in in my daily routines. That really helped me a lot combined with the fact that Madrileños (Colloquial term for people, mainly Spanish, who live in Madrid) are really friendly and always willing to help. My nervousness at speaking quickly melted away, because I had pleasant experiences like the one time when I asked a señor (senior man) in the street for directions and having him cross the street with me to leave me at the corner of the street, I was looking for. My relocation experience has indeed been positive. That being said, in general, Spaniards who speak English, are far and wide in between therefore learning Spanish can be the difference between really enjoying Madrid by socialising with natives and expats indiscriminately to only mixing with English speaking expats.

At the end of the day, learning Spanish formally is a good way to start and then its necessary to venture out and integrate into the Spanish society. For that reason, though after 4 months I stopped taking formal lessons, I looked for ways to immerse myself in the Spanish culture and to practise my newly acquired Spanish.I spent more time with my Spanish friends and asked them to correct me, I searched for a sharing flat with Spanish flatmates, I ¨listened to spanish songs¨, I attended traditional fiestas (festivities) like San Isidro (Patron Saint of Madrid) or La Cabalgata (Procession of the Three Wise Men in January), and even learnt to prepare some typical Spanish dishes like tortilla and paella. It is possible to continue with one´s hobbies and interests while still feeling integrated in Spanish culture in Madrid, think of doing sports at the various public sports facilities, joining clubs and groups of interest like the Toastmasters Group (The club also exists in Spanish), Reading Circles, Baseball Clubs, Liverpool Fans Club etc.
Fortunately, its easier to make contact with people and make friends nowadays through social media networks. Look out for language exchange (intercambios de idiomas) and social activities groups for a jumpstart to making friends. However, it necessary to be wary of the comfort zone of living and moving in exclusively expat circles. I know expats who have been in Madrid for decades and still speak Spanish poorly. At the end of the day it all depends on the objectives of every individual. Bienvenido a Madrid!

About the Author:
Sarah is a South African who has made Madrid home since 5 years. She writes a blog about social and cultural activities to do freely or very cheaply in Madrid. When she is not writing on the blog, she plays basketball, runs in Madrid short distance races, attends many of the free art and photographic expositions she and the blog contributors publish as well as learns French. If you are coming to Madrid and need some travel tips, comment on her blog and she will get back to you.

I’ve asked today’s guest blogger, Lisa Stiefel, to help shed some light for those who want to get started learning a language. Lisa does Language Services like Language Training, Copywriting, Proofing, Editing, and Translation. You can check out her blog here.

So you’ve decided to embark on the great adventure that is language learning. You’ve bought flashcards for your vocabulary words, a bilingual dictionary, and you’ve sharpened your pencils.

You’re about to go in to your first class and/or your first language exchange session. It’s really exciting stuff to meet new people and learn new things!

Now might also be a good time to consider your motivation for learning. Having a good grasp on why you want to climb a Mount Everest of words and culture might give you a better idea of what your learning goals are. And once you’ve clearly outlined your learning goals, you can start your journey towards accomplishment on the right foot!

Ask yourself:

• Why do I want to learn this language? Why this one rather than another one? (For example, why study French rather than Portuguese? Or whatever the case may be.)
• How will knowing this language benefit me in the future? Will it help me pass an exam? Will it improve my chances of getting a better job? Will it make travelling easier?

Reflect on these questions and take some time to write out your answers:
Mastering a language is a long process, and it could be easy to get frustrated or discouraged along the way. This way, you can always refer back to your original motivation and expectations You might surprise yourself when you realize that you’ve accomplished far more than you thought you ever could- very encouraging! You might also find that as you go, your motivation changes, your expectations are different, and your goals take another turn than you had initially thought. That’s ok! It’s a sure sign of growth!

Get your teacher’s or language exchange partner’s advice:
An experienced teacher can give you feedback as to whether or not your expectations and timeframe are realistic. This can save you from putting yourself under an unnecessary amount of pressure so that you can have more fun learning.

Research done on different types of motivation for language learning indicates that learners can accomplish the learning task equally successfully whether they are simply trying to pass an exam or integrate into the society where the language is spoken. That’s good news for learners, because it means you can do it no matter what! (I, personally, contend that the learner whose motivation is simply the joy of learning will not only accomplish the task at hand, but also be much happier in doing so! We would need further empirical data to confirm
this though.:) )

Thanks so much for the article Lisa! Be sure to check out our Free Language Exchange Community if you are new to the site.

I haven’t met with my in-person language partner for a few weeks now and I haven’t chatted with my friend and language partner, Maria on Skype for probably a month! These were my two main ways to practice. But life gets busy at times and it’s not always easy to practice. Even though practicing Spanish is important to me and fun, sometimes other things take priority.

Having a regular time to meet helps keep you on track. Maria and I would try to meet the same time every week on Skype which worked well for a little while, until the time no longer worked for me.

I wouldn’t say I’m exactly ‘slacking’, since most of my time is dedicated to improving an Online Language Exchange Community; so others can practice.:)But if slacking is the case for you, set up a regular time with your language partner and tell them a goal you have to learn and be able to practice by the next meeting. This will keep you on track with your practice and it will help show more improvement in your language skills.

At the end of the day, you have to want to practice and most importantly- have fun doing it. I love practicing Spanish to communicate with my Spanish speaking friends and to learn new things about their cultures. Even though I feel my language skills aren’t as polished as they were when I left Guatemala 2 months ago. I am confident that I can get it back very quickly.

How do you find time to practice with a language partner or friend? (leave your comments below!)

Kristin Nicole Ritchie — Dallas, TX,

Native Language: English
Practicing Language: Dutch

Michael DiGiacomo – New York, NY

Native Language: English
Practicing Language: Japanese

Lisa Stiefel – Dublin, Ireland

Native Language: English
Practicing Language: Danish

Dennis Henry — Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Native Language: Kiswahili

Practicing Languages: Spanish, French, German, Italian & Croatian

If you are interested in being a “Rockstar” and giving input to creating the best language exchange community out there, leave a comment or send a message to info@exhangealanguage.com.

I look forward to hearing from you!

Beginners: Describing Game (estimated time 30 minutes)

Who is it for? This one is for 2 language partners practicing at a (very) beginner level.

What you need:Your Language partner, Flashcards(or paper), and understanding of how to use the verb ‘to be’ in your practicing language.

1. First write 10 adjectives on flash cards
2. Then write 10 nouns(people, places or things) on more flashcards in another pile
3. Now take a one noun and a adjective and form a sentence.
4. Take 15 minutes to go through your cards.
5. Now take 15 minutes to do the same for your partners practicing language.

Extra time?  (20-30  more minutes)

What you need? More flashcards and the understanding of how to form a question with the verb ‘to be’.

1. Now use the noun and adjective in a form of a question. Example: Is your brother happy?
2. Add more adjective and nouns if you feel comfortable with practicing more.
3. Let your partner take a turn doing the same.

Bonus! Practicing using more verbs than ‘to be’.

Does it feel good to speak your new language out loud to a native speaker? I hope so!

Tips:

• Let your partner speak, but correct them if you aren’t able to understand
• Have your partner correct your pronunciation.
• As always make sure to divide the time evenly in each language.
• Have fun!

If you don’t have a partner yet, join our Free Language Exchange Community now.

Teaching English is a great option – but it’s not the only option! Here are some other good options for you to explore through traveling or living abroad.

Without the thought of dollar signs… WHAT IS YOUR DREAM JOB? Really, if you could do anything in the world, what would it be?

Here are some resources to get you hungry for your adventure.

Volunteer

Peace Corps

Concern America

Mercy Ships : Short term volunteer positions as crew members on a fleet of hospital ships that stop in over 75 ports around the world.

Work

Here are some great places to start when looking for a jobs overseas. Expand your horizons. Search for a job you’ve always wanted to do instead of something you have experience in.

Global Art Jobs

Club Med – Tourism/Resort jobs

Easy Au pair – Au pair positions listed all over the world.

WWOOF – Farm work in every corner of the world.

Escape Artists - Website includes working and volunteer positions worldwide.

Working Overseas – Guide to working in other countries.

International Jobs – Subscription charge reasonable.

Expat Life

Expat Reunite

Expats Community

Expat Exchange

Expat Forum - Community of Expats

Travel

Check out these for a great cultural experience while staying with a local for free. (Don’t just use these communities for free lodging, do it for the experience.)

Global Freeloaders

Couchsurfing (My personal favorite)

Homestays For Peace

Experience culture, learn a language, live your life! Don’t forget to keep the ExchangeALanguage Community in mind while abroad for meeting locals and practicing languages.

Please share your experience or dreams below!

One thing I did know my senior year of college is that I wanted to travel or live abroad. I asked everyone I knew graduating if they wanted to go anywhere… no one was willing to take the leap with me. I craved something different, but I lacked confidence to do something by myself at the time.

2 jobs and 1 1/2 after graduating, I had now gained confidence to do something different. I was extremely dissappointed with my ‘real world’ experience. I was told by many people(even books) that once I was making good money in a career path I would never want to leave. How wrong that was for me. After getting a taste for the corporate life, I couldn’t wait to start running in the other direction. Money doesn’t seem that great when you don’t enjoy your life.

So 1 1/2 after I graduated, I quit my job and moved to Spain. People always asked me ‘Why Spain? I replied, ‘Why not?’

I didn’t know anyone in Spain nor did I speak the language, but I signed myself up for a TEFL course in Seville, Spain and planned to take each day as it came.

It took longer than I thought to release all the attachments to working and making money than I had thought, but as time passed my pace of life slowed down. Not by Spanish standards of course, but my view on the world had completely changed. I had lived away from everything I had ever known without any study abroad support. My time abroad and traveling was not all fun and games like many people think, but I’ve never learned so much about the world and myself before that point. I can’t imagine my life without the experience.

I think traveling or being an expatriate is a great experience; Going alone can be even better. For the first time you don’t have to fit into anyone else’s box.

I recommend any new graduate to take the leap and have an amazing adventure in another culture. I promise you won’t be dissapointed.

Want to go abroad? I taught English while in Spain and found out I really loved it. Teaching can be a fun and easy way for a native English speaker to be an expatriate.

Here are some useful websites in looking for English positions all over the world:

• Dave’s ESL Cafe
• Teach Abroad
• ESL Databank and Spoken Languages
• ESL Teachers Board
• ESL/EFL Job Seekers
• ESL Dirctory

With so many options, what do you choose? You really can’t make a bad choice. Any new cultural experience will teach you about others, the world and most importantly yourself. Don’t be afraid to go off the beaten path.

Of course teaching English is just one of the options. Look for future posts to find resources for more options no matter where you are in your career.

And if you are looking for a cultural experience check out our Language Exchange Community to connect with someone in your city or on the other side of the world.

Take the Quiz

Leave a comment with your results and/or thoughts.

Enjoy!

Janelle

Let’s learn Chinese Mandarin!

Difficulty level? — Some say that Chinese isn’t as difficult as say French. To an English speaker all those new sounds and tones may seem like a scary task.

Here are some tips to help get over the fears that may come with starting this language.

• Confidence - You are completely capable of learning the language.
• Practice- practice daily, especially if you are around or with native speakers. Find a language partner to speak Mandarin.

What’s with these tones? Get familiar with the tones in Mandarin. It’s an important part of learning. English speakers often want to speak other languages with English speaking rules. This mistake can hold you back from progressing with the language. Let yourself go!

What’s the most common tone combination?

Need more explanation about tones?

How do I learn these characters? Understand that learning takes time so learn the characters little by little. Get a good reference book or workbook and have a teacher, friend or language partner correct them.

How am I going to learn the Mandarin Grammar? Find out what works best for you – attending a class, online program, private tutor, language partner, software program or self learning with a book. We all learn different. Find out what works best for you and do it your best!

Chinese Tools – Great resource for learning which includes a dictionary, forums, tips and lessons.

Chinese Mandarin Learning Podcasts:

• Chinese Learn Online
• Chinese Lessons with Serge Melnyk
• Chinesepod.com
• iMandarinPod.com
• Mandarin Chinese Conversation
• Mandarin Chinese
• World Learner Chinese

Please help grow this list and information of resources. Comment below! Thanks!

I’m happy to announce the first language exchange activity. From now on, I will post one new activity every week.

This is an activity to do to improve pronunciation for Mandarin and English practicers. Practicing with tongue twisters can be a fun way to practice pronunciation and gain confidence speaking!

Lí hé ní

Shù shàng y?u lí,
dì shàng y?u ní.
F?ng gu? lí,
lì luò dì.
L? g?n ní,
ní zh?n lí.

Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.
A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked.
If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,
Where’s the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?

X? Sh? s?shí sìshísì.

The thirty-three thieves thought that they thrilled the throne throughout Thursday.

L?osh? shìbúshi sìshísìsuìde?

Green glass globes glow greenly.

niúláng liàn liúniáng
liúniáng niàn niúláng
niúláng niánnián liàn liúniáng
liúniáng liánlián niàn niúláng.

If you understand, say “understand”.
If you don’t understand, say “don’t understand”.
But if you understand and say “don’t understand”.
how do I understand that you understand. Understand!?