Over this past winter break I decided to take a vacation with one of my friends and visit a few European countries. On this trip, I was in many different locations, two of which had languages other then English as their primary languages. I was challenged while staying in France and Italy because I did not speak a word of the native language. While in France, I was staying with a friend who lived in central Paris. He did his best to help us learn the language and teach us key terms that we were able to use in restaurants and subway stations. By the end of the week we were finally able to grasps the basics, however it was then time for us to move. Our next stop was Italy, where we had no local friend and no knowledge of the language. Luckily, we were staying in Rome, where most people were able to speak English. This trip gave me a tiny bit of insight as to what people deal with everyday living in a country and not speaking the language. By teaching English to speakers of other languages we are able to help make someones life easier. We are able to help them adjust to life in their new home.
Vocabulary word:
Primary - this word is another way of saying "main" or another way to describe something very popular in an area. When we say "primary language" we mean the main language used in any area or by a group of people.
Vacation - another word for "holiday". When we talk about going on vacation we mean taking a break from our usual routine and doing something nice. This usually involves traveling away from home.
Insight- when we say we have insight on something it means we were able to get a better understanding of something. To have insight on how ESL students feel it means that we understand what they are going through.
Adjust - to adjust to something means to get used to it. By adjusting to the life in another country, you are getting to know the ways of the people living there and what is considered normal.
