Hello! This is my first publication, I am really happy I can do this and look forward to many more. I love being an English teacher, because I adore teaching but mainly because I adore the English language and culture. For some reason the British have a bit of a bad reputation, and most regard them as cold, snobbish and distant. Having lived there for over 11 years I had the oportunity to get to know them well, and have to disagree with this widely spread opinion. I have come to appreciate their wicked witty ironic and self-deprecating sense of humor, I like their polite ways, their queues, the way they are so flexible and open minded and would never critizice your dress sense (probably because theirs is much worse;) ) In short, I have grown really fond of them, their particualr traits and habits, their -greatly open to improvement- cooking and even their relaxed sense of hygiene... Yes, I love England and the English, for many many reasons, but above all, because after 11 years living there I always felt that I belonged, I was given the same oportunities as any other person, offered good jobs, friendship, college courses to learn their language and culture, and oportunities, loads of oportunities that I am sad to say my own country didn't offer me. And the Brits accepted me just as I am, something that not everyone did in my own country either. So just as I feel really saddened by this Brexit that apparently will go ahead, I feel saddened when I listen to people who don't really know them say things that I don't think are true, at all. I am Spanish, and love it, but I also consider myself English too, at least partly, and so I think I would like to pass on to my students this love for their culture and character as well as the vocabulary, expressions and grammar rules and ...yes!...even their phrasal verbs. One of the first things I learned in probably just a couple of days in England was to say please and thank you more than ever before in my whole life, smile all the time as half of it I didn't understand what people tried to tell me but mainly had to learn how to stop pronouncing the spanish "r". Just for survival. No one could understand me saying my address, as I, unfortunately lived in a street called Robertson Road, in a "interesting" area of Bristol called Easton, interesting... or... a little dangerous... Every day I had to "make something up"* to get home by bus or taxi from my hotel work without saying Robertson, until I was able to soften the t, making it a british t, and more importantly, not to roll my "r" so strongly and place my tongue up and as close to the back of my mouth as possible to make it a soft and sometimes almost inexistant British "r"...sounds difficult or strange?? It's not, really, and it's just effective ;) It took me a while though, as I didn't have much time for theachers or studying at first, just worked a lot in a not very good 4 star hotel! I could have done with* some tips* then!!!
Maybe I am a little naive, but I would really like to help more people understand and love the English as I do, and I would also love to help change somethings that I think in Spain need changing, for example the way we have always tried to learn English which cannot be more horrible and thankfully is already improving, or, why not? change our rigid, stiff approach to academic qualifications, job interviews, life and other people in general to the, in my opinion more flexible, british way. But what I really hope I can give you are more tips, stories, interesting articles and links and vocabulary in further posts. Thanks for reading, keep calm, happy and learn the British Way!
maria
*come up with - idear
*could do with- (benefit from) podria ser/encontrar util/ me vendria bien eg.I could do with some help
*do without - no poder pasar sin eg I cannot do without my coffe in the morning
*tips - trucos, consejos