Learn a language in the New Year
Sunday, 3rd January 2010
Of all resolutions, one of the most satisfying and rewarding is surely the act of learning something new...
Clichéd though it may sound, the close of one year and the dawn of the next is a time when many of us think about how we can change something in our lives. Of all resolutions, one of the most satisfying and rewarding is surely the act of learning something new, bringing with it the challenge of unfamiliar territory and the thrill of developing a new skill.
Like many new skills, learning a language does not need to be the monumental task that it may at first seem. You don’t need to reach fluency to make it worthwhile; plenty of doors will be opened to you by simply learning the basics. Taken word by word, you will slowly discover not just a language but a whole new world of culture, beliefs and tastes, to say nothing of a good many more people you can talk to – to whatever extent that is.
A great way to take your first step into the linguistic unknown is to try an evening language course. Usually consisting of one 2-hour lesson each week, over the course of 10 weeks / a term, an evening course is the perfect introduction to your chosen language. Not only will you learn the invaluable essentials, to take away on holiday or to impress foreign friends and work colleagues, you will meet other like-minded people who will in turn inspire and motivate. It’s also a non-committal and low-cost solution to ‘bettering’ yourself: with prices starting from just £149 in the UK and $299 in North America, it is cheap self-improvement in times of credit crunch and there is little to lose if you don’t feel it’s the thing for you.
Having said that, it’s rare to find a student who doesn’t complete the course or continue with their language learning in some way. Learning a language is addictive in so many ways – despite any initial fears or doubts, you’ll find yourself wanting to construct that sentence, master that tense, order that meal without help, or just make someone smile. You’ll crave that feeling of satisfaction when you make yourself understood, you’ll savour the independence that come from speaking the language abroad, and you’ll want to go back next time and make it even better. And if you do? Well, there’s always the next course – take yourself to the next level and make it a resolution you’ll actually keep.
Cactus runs evening language courses on various start dates throughout the year, beginning January 2010, in the UK and in the US and Canada.
Tags: resolution, part-time evening course, new year, italian, german, french, spanish, english
Posted by Sarah Watkins 2010-01 under
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