Favourite home cooked and foreign cuisines.

Which TV series do you love learning languages with? I have recently watched the first two series of Narcos on Netflix. Narcos is a TV series which follows a DEA agent from the USA, along with his partner, track down and catch/kill the notorious Colombian drug lord, Pablo Escobar. As the show is set in Colombia, 50% of the dialogue is in Spanish, and the other, in English. I've never watched a TV series like this before, where it was in two different languages, and I must say that I learned so many new phrases and vocabulary! What about yourselves? Which TV series do you recommend to learn a language?

Is English that important? Should the English language be considered the most important skill for non-native speakers? Perhaps the person is very skilled in other areas, but their English level is lacking and they find it difficult to improve their ability. They're very intelligent in their specific field, have a great work ethic, and are very friendly and easy to work with, but just because they don't know some phrasal verbs, or get some pronunciation incorrect, they are seen as less desirable than someone who has passed an English exam. Is English that important?

Bonfire Night

Guy Fawkes Night, also known as Bonfire Night, is an annual commemoration observed on the 5th of November, mainly in the United Kingdom. Its history begins with the events of the 5th of November 1605, when Guy Fawkes, a member of the Gunpowder Plot, was arrested while guarding explosives the plotters had placed beneath the House of Lords. Celebrating the fact that King James I had survived the attempt on his life, people lit bonfires around London; and months later, the introduction of the Observance of the 5th of November Act enforced an annual public day of celebration for the plot's failure.

Do you have any strange, weird or wonderful public holidays in your country?

Meditation fro language learning? I've read some articles about how meditation can help people to learn a language. Some research suggests that it can help improve our memory, helps us to focus, and increases our ability to work under stress. So coming home after a long day at work and having to take a language class can seem counter-productive, but if we practice meditating before we begin our language session, it could improve the likelihood of us keeping that new information in our minds. Do you meditate, or do yoga, and does it help you during your day or during any activities?

Intermediate Struggles As an intermediate student of Spanish myself, I'm wondering what do you struggle with as intermediate students yourselves? Is it more difficult grammar, more advanced vocabulary, having conversations, listening to native speakers, or a bit of everything? 

Are you a vegetarian? Why? Why not? More and more people these days are choosing the vegetarian lifestyle, and some go even further and become vegan. Are you a vegetarian/vegan? Why did you choose to cut out meat from your diet? Have you ever thought about trying to stop eating meat, or why do you think eating meat is good for you?

Day trip to Ronda

Last Friday I took a day trip to Ronda with a friend from Bulgaria. Ronda is a delightful little town about 60 miles (or a 2 hour train ride) from Malaga in the south of Spain, and its main attraction is a bridge which was built in the 1700s. The views down into the canyon and of the countryside outside Ronda are spectacular! We also tried Gazpacho, a traditional Andalusian dish, which is a cold tomato and vegetable soup; perfect for a boiling hot day in this part of Spain. 

Where have you been lately? Have you taken any day trips or holidays recently? Go on and practice your descriptive writing skills below :)

A Different Way Of Life