Cactus Language Blog

Learning English & German in Brighton…as a Spaniard!

Posted by Sarah under Cactus Languages Abroad, English, German, Language Courses UK, Learning a language

Cactus intern Fátima Rego tells us how she juggles English & German during her stay in Brighton

Hello to all. Thanks for your warm welcome! I am called Fátima, Spanish (from the north-north), and I’ve been living in Brighton for three months. I work in a wonderful company, Cactus, that has offered me the possibility of doing a foreign language course of my choice and…Voilà! No, I haven’t chosen French, but a 10-week German evening course in Brighton (for beginners); a course that leaves me exhausted every Wednesday after two hours of an interminable battle between my intellect and my desire to learn it.

Did Obama get it right or not?

Posted by augusta under Cactus Languages Abroad, English, In the Press, Learning a language

It’s not only Obama’s comment about learning languages that has been interesting over the past week here in New York - “we should have every child speaking more than one language” - but also the responses from a range of groups who agree and disagree with him to varying extents.

Why Study English in New York?

Posted by Sarah under Cactus Languages Abroad, Cactus Staff Opinion, English, Language Courses New York, Learning a language

In my case, although there are a lot of Koreans in New York, I chose to come here to learn English. I was studying English in Florida and Hawaii because I was worried that I would not have as many opportunities to practise my English in New York, due to the number of Koreans studying here. However, my opinion has changed since I moved to New York.  The number of Koreans did not make a difference for me and in my opinion, it is better to learn English in New York than any other city in the U.S.A.

How to Make Language Part of Your Everyday Life

Posted by Sarah under Cactus Languages Abroad, Language Courses New York, Language Courses UK, Learning a language

Sarah Gooding, Editor at Cactus, looks at how we can inject some foreign language fun into our lifestyles

It’s a common, and proven, fact that learning a language in the country where it’s spoken is the best way to truly immerse yourself in a language. Surrounded by the sights and sounds of the language and culture, you can’t help but soak it up – whether that’s through chatting to the waiter, asking for directions or buying fresh produce at the local market.

What happens, though, when you’re back at home? No longer in exotic surroundings, watching the rain running down the window pane, a million miles from the stimulus of your language learning effort, it’s easy to put away your dictionary and forget about your holiday altogether.

Cactus vs. The Zutons at Glastonbury?

Posted by Sarah under Cactus Languages Abroad, Language Courses UK, Learning a language

Germaine Broadbent, Director of Sales, ponders whether we could take Cactus to Glastonbury

Just back from Glastonbury, feet aching, 4 nights of mayhem, feeling a bit floaty generally and getting back into the world of language learning at Cactus.

Online Diary: TEFL in Seville from our Scholarship winner! (4)

Posted by Sarah under Cactus Languages Abroad, Cactus TEFL, Learning a language, Spanish

Anna Prime, winner of the Suzanne Furstner Scholarship 07, reports back from Week 4 of her TEFL & Spanish course in Seville (Week 4 of 6)

Over the last week the pressure of work subsided somewhat because I only had one lesson to teach and I got it out the way at the beginning of the week, which thankfully left a lot of time for going out and enjoying myself.

I think Seville is the friendliest place I have ever been. I have never seen even one word of hostility or aggression anywhere (maybe it’s too hot to get angry) and it is so easy to make friends with lovely Spanish people that I would quite happily go to a bar alone and just strike up a conversation with someone.

London Gets Ready for 2012 with Linguistic Skills Training

Posted by Sarah under Cactus Tailormade, Learning a language

Sarah Gooding, Editor at Cactus, asks how people will communicate in the 2012 Summer Olympics

With the Beijing Games a matter of weeks away, Olympic fever is in the air. And excitement for the events this summer can only increase enthusiasm in the UK for our turn at hosting this most monumental of events in just four years’ time.

It’s hard to believe that it’s three years already since Sebastian Coe won the London bid to host the 2012 Summer Olympics – and what a coup that was, beating Paris and making London the first city to host the Games three times.

Online Diary: TEFL in Seville from our Scholarship winner! (3)

Posted by Sarah under Cactus Languages Abroad, Cactus TEFL, Learning a language, Spanish

Anna Prime, winner of the Suzanne Furstner Scholarship 07, reports back from Week 3 of her TEFL & Spanish course in Seville (Week 3 of 6)

The insanity has not subsided, but the stress levels have. Luckily, the receptionist said that everybody who does this course tends to lose it a little bit, so we’re normal at least. The 12 of us in the group have spent so much time together it feels like a little family in a way; as in we irritate each other a lot and make fun of each other but help each other out a lot.

Online Diary: TEFL in Seville from our Scholarship winner! (2)

Posted by Sarah under Cactus Languages Abroad, Cactus TEFL, Learning a language, Spanish

Anna Prime, winner of the Suzanne Furstner Scholarship 07, reports back from week 2 of her TEFL & Spanish course in Seville (Week 2 of 6)

Teaching English is definitely a job I can see myself enjoying for as long as I wish. It’s the perfect balance of logic, creativity and practicality that remains challenging and stimulating because every day is different. I think it’s going to be a very suitable job for me before I decide what I want to do with the rest of my life, and will fund my less lucrative short-term ambitions such as travel, writing, volunteering and studying. I love working with the students because you’re really helping them and they are usually very grateful for the attention. Basically, I’m really glad I’m doing this and I don’t even mind how much work it is. It’s going to fund my wandering youth.

Online Diary: TEFL in Seville from our Scholarship winner! (1)

Posted by Sarah under Cactus Languages Abroad, Cactus TEFL, Learning a language, Spanish

Anna Prime, winner of the Suzanne Furstner Scholarship 2007, reports back from her TEFL & Spanish course in Seville (Week 1 of 6)

Seville is absolutely stunning. If someone asked me to design what I thought an idyllic Spanish city would be like, it would be close to this. The historic centre is filled with winding cobbled streets, some too narrow to let cars pass. There are gorgeous cathedrals and squares lined with palm trees and orange trees. The school itself is a beautiful building and a very pleasant environment to work in. It all makes a very refreshing change after Russia, where my expectations for luxury and cleanliness were severely lowered. Now I feel like I’m living in a dream happy magic land.