{"id":12242,"date":"2020-12-18T16:34:05","date_gmt":"2020-12-18T16:34:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.cervantes.es\/londres\/?p=12242"},"modified":"2021-01-07T14:25:43","modified_gmt":"2021-01-07T14:25:43","slug":"william-frost-instituto-cervantes-has-been-brilliant-in-helping-me-improve-my-spanish","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cervantes.es\/londres\/2020\/12\/18\/william-frost-instituto-cervantes-has-been-brilliant-in-helping-me-improve-my-spanish\/","title":{"rendered":"William Frost: \u00abI think Spanish is a wonderful language and I feel like it is the most useful language to be learning right now\u00bb"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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William Frost is originally from Shrewsbury, but now he lives in Canterbury. He has moved around a lot as he teaches English as a foreign language; he spent two years teaching in Cologne, Germany. He also taught in London for some time where he came into contact with a lot of Spanish and Spanish speaking students. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He has done some independent journalism and video making mainly on the topic of Latin America and Iberia. Now he is training to become a secondary school teacher at Canterbury Christ Church University specialising in Spanish and French (Modern Foreign Languages). He is really enjoying this new challenge as it requires a lot of different skills. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

– How did you become interested in learning Spanish? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Good\nquestion! I have always been interested in languages, but for a long\ntime I knew almost no Spanish as I did not learn it at school or\nuniversity. It soon became clear to me that if I wanted to have a\ncareer in languages then knowing at least some Spanish would be\nessential as it is such a widely spoken language in the world. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\nwas actually mainly through friends and ex-students that I had taught\nthat got me into learning Spanish. I have found that if you make an\neffort to learn the language then native speakers will always\nencourage you, to help you progress. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– What do you like the most about Instituto Cervantes London? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I did used to go there to use the library which is fantastic; there is an brilliant selection of resources such as books, magazines, newspapers and films. The variety of books is great as you can find grammar and text books but also literature, history and art books. It caters to all tastes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\nalso attend the conversation clubs. When I lived in London I used to\ngo to the institute in person, but now I access them online. These\nare great sessions where we discuss a different topic each time,\nsubjects like urbanism, global warming and climate change. The best\nthing about the sessions is that they are spaces where you can\npractice your speaking and listening skills in an unpressured\nenvironment. There are always native speakers conducting the\nsessions so if you are struggling with something they will help you\nout. Speaking is the skill I find most challenging so this benefits\nme a lot. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\nhave also attended some online cultural events such as a tribute to\nMario Benedetti which as great as there were some live poetry\nreadings in Spanish and English. I have a special interest in Uruguay\nso that one really caught my eye. The accent in that part of that\nworld is a bit different so it was good to be able to listen to it.\nUruguay is an amazing country and I hope to go back there when my\nSpanish is better! \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– What do you like the most about learning the language? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\nI like about learning Spanish is that you know that what you are\nlearning is highly useful as so many countries in the world speak it\nas their mother tongue. This means that you have an insight into\nother parts of the world, especially Latin America. Also the sheer\nvariety of different resources available means that whatever you are\ninterested in you will be able to find something in Spanish. I have\nbeen watching some documentaries about South America on Netflix in\nSpanish recently which has helped a lot. I am also a fan of Pedro\nAlmod\u00f3var\u2019s films so I enjoy watching them. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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– Do you use Spanish in your daily life or do you plan to use it for your work?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\ndo use Spanish as part of my teacher training and I intend on using\nit a lot more when I qualify. Spanish is growing steadily in\npopularity at schools and this is reflected in the rise in pupils\nchoosing to take it at both GCSE and A levels. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I also use it to read Spanish language newspapers online such as El Pa\u00eds, which helps me keep up to date with what is going on. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

– Why did you become interested in getting a certificate for Spanish language? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\nbecame interested in doing the DELE certificate really because I\nwanted to know what my level was and what I needed to improve on. In\nthat respect it was really useful. I also think it is really\npractical to have a clear goal in mind to focus your studies. That\nextra bit of pressure helps to structure what you are learning. It is\nalso something more concrete to put on your CV or to talk about at\ninterview. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\nwas lucky enough to visit the Cervantes Institute headquarters in\nMadrid last year were I saw some interesting exhibitions about\nSpanish in the world. It was there that I found out about the DELE\nexams. It is a fantastic place; if you get the chance to visit, I\nhighly recommend it. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– How did you find the exam? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nexam was like all exams, a bit nerve wracking but completely worth\nit. You get a good sense of satisfaction once you find out you have\npassed! I had my speaking at the institute in central London and the\nother parts at the Ca\u00f1ada Blanch School in Kensington. Everything\nwas seamlessly organised and ran smoothly. All of the staff at the\nCervantes were very friendly and professional. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\ncertificate you get is the most elegant document I have ever seen. It\nwas addressed to \u201cDon William\u201d which made it seem very official\nbut I also it found hilarious! \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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– Do you plan to continue studying Spanish? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\ndefinitely plan to continue studying Spanish, I think it is a\nwonderful language and I feel like it is the most useful language to\nbe learning right now. Learning in a language is a marathon not a\nsprint so I am in it for the long haul. It took me ages to remember\nthat pirag\u00fcismo means canoeing and I recently learned that pencil\nsharpener is sacapuntas. And I still get a bit confused between\nustedes and vosotros, but I\u2019m getting there! You have to keep\ntopping up and refreshing your knowledge as it\u2019s so easy to forget\nvocabulary! I am also considering taking the DELE B2 or C1 exam next\nyear. \u00a1Adelante!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Cervantes Institute has been brilliant in helping me improve my Spanish. But I have also learned about Spanish culture and how the language is used all over the world. At the moment, as travelling is so challenging with the pandemic, all of the online events and resources have been fantastic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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