Hello! This week I thought I would let you in on a little trip my family and I are taking. We are going on a short cruise to Ensenada, Mexico! This post will be about the upcoming trip and the next one will be an update on the trip; how things went, a review of the activities, and some stories.
We are flying into LAX in Los Angeles on Thursday (yep, on Thanksgiving) and getting on our cruise ship the same day. We are taking a Carnival cruise down to Ensenada, which is located in Baja California and is about 67 miles South from the US border. We have ridden Carnival before, and my Aunt, Uncle, and Cousin recently took an 8 day Carnival cruise. They are a nice, affordable cruise line, however, the largest complaint is that there is very little variety in the menu onboard. On a short trip (4-5 days or less) this is not a big deal, but for longer trips this lack of variety can become monotonous and unappetizing. For my extended family they became very unimpressed with the menu after their 8 day trip. Our favorite cruise line we have ever taken is Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), they are casual, fun, affordable, have a good menu, shows, and are an all around great time. We enjoyed NCL even more than Royal Caribbean! However, Carnival was the only line offering a trip that left from LA and was for 4 days (so we could all return in time for work on Monday). We will spend 2 days out to sea, one day in port, and 1 day to return to Long Beach Port. While in Ensenada we are taking a Segway tour of the city, then we will have free reign to go shopping, explore, and generally peruse the city. Once we return to Long Beach Port we are taking the Catalina Express out to Catalina Island and spending the day there before we catch our flight back to DIA and home. That's a wrap on the introduction to this trip, be sure to check back in next week for an update and review of the trip!
0 Comments
I felt it might be good to touch on the topic of languages, since we speak over 6,000 languages on this planet! I am monolingual, meaning I can only speak one language, as are most Americans. It takes years of training and practice to become fluent in a second (or third) language, and while there is a plethora of diversity in the spoken tongue, there are a few more predominant languages that can be used to communicate in more than one country or geographic area.
Let's lay down a few definitions, a language is defined as a set of words, their pronunciation and organization, that are used to communicate within a group of people. A Dialect is a minor variation within a language. Pidgin is a shorthand form of communication used by people who do not have a common language with which to communicate. Creole is Pidgin that over time has developed into a mother tongue. Finally, a Lingua Franca is a second language used to communicate with a larger group. So, while we may have over 6,000 languages on Earth, there are ways to get by without learning more than a few in various levels of understanding. Being able to speak a language versus read or write it are also different skills and levels of understanding. The longer one remains in an area the easier it will become to potentially learn Pidgin of that language, just enough to get by on a daily basis. In High School I took 2 years of Spanish using Rosetta Stone, and I enjoyed it, but like any language learning or skill in general, without practice it disappears. I have since forgotten everything I learned, however, I have started working on my Spanish again. It may seem logical that I should try to learn Chinese, Korean, Thai, or something from Asia, but hold on. Languages are also broken down into different families, There are 11 major global linguistic families, and the similarities between languages can be attributed to this. See, like the evolution of the animal kingdom, languages also evolve. Like the tree of life, where the trunk is oldest and the branches represent newer growth and newer growth, language has done the same. As groups of people moved and became isolated things changed, the environment in which they lived, their culture, their religions and values, and more changed. That's why you can look at geographic areas and often see similarities in language and the movement of language from one place and people to another. English and Spanish share the same family, Indo-European, while they are on different branches of the tree, English is Germanic while Spanish is Latin, they have similarities enough to belong to the same family and share a similar alphabet. For now, I am working on Spanish for these reasons. They are, obviously, different, but share some similarities that may make learning a second language easier. Whereas Mandarin and Thai are in different families, thus learning them is like flying blind, you cannot recognize the written form in a way that is familiar same with spoken words. I started learning Chinese on Duolingo and it would take me 20-30 minutes to get through a single lesson of a 10 or so questions, and most of the time I was guessing. When I know where I am going I will dedicate more time to learning that language, since Chinese, Thai, Korean, Japanese, etc. are not related or interchangeable, each one requires it's own study. Plus, I have heard that learning a language after a second one is easier because you have trained your mind to see things differently. There are many options for learning languages, many free apps, some apps or programs you can pay for, formal classes or online classes, it all depends on what you are looking for and what will motivate you. So far I have really enjoyed using Duolingo as it is free and really has been helping me learn some Spanish. When I spend the time I really can make some headway on Chinese using Duolingo. Hope this was interesting, if you have any questions or comments, leave them below! Much Love, Jess Resources Geography 100 @ CSU class notes (2016) and Britannica.com This post will be a little more informative, covering topics like what it takes to teach English abroad, the types of schools, classes, and certifications, and how I chose the route I am taking. ITA stands for the International TEFL Academy, and that is the name of the school that I will be getting my TEFL certification from in 2019. There are dozens of options for schools and the types of certifications that can be attained to teach English around the world, but I chose ITA for a few reasons.
ITA, as per its name, is an internationally recognized school as it follows and exceeds the standards required to become a certified English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher. The school needs to be an accredited school and must meet the following guidelines. As a student the course is required to have 100 hours of instruction by an instructor with a Masters degree and a background in ESL, and 6 hours of practicum (live teaching experience) in order to be certified. ITA's online course is 150 hours of instruction from a qualified teacher with training on how to teach, how to create a lesson plan, how to work with students, etc. as well as a 20 hour practicum (170 hours total). Their online course is part time and will take 11 weeks to complete. They have a few 4-week courses that are full time in a few different states and countries, but they are more costly and intensive. I, personally, would rather learn at a slower pace here in the States, while I can still work and generate an income and save a few thousand dollars. Once I graduate with my certification I plan to start teaching English online on the side. Doing this I can gain some experience to make myself more marketable, while also becoming familiar in a new role. That way I will at least be comfortable teaching when I get to a new country, there will be enough stressors of trying to acclimate to a new country, culture, language, and more. If I am at least comfortable in my job I know I will do well. There are 3 main ESL certifications, TESOL, TEFL, and CELTA. Respectively, Teaching English as a Second Language, Teaching English as a Foreign Language, and the Cambridge University ESL Program. From what I understand, CELTA is one of the original programs, and most widely recognized, however, the others are becoming just as recognized and accepted. I liken it to an Ivy league degree versus a degree from any other university, just as good, just not Ivy League. Certain countries may have a preference for which certification you have, but overall, having any of these is going to be good enough to get hired as an ESL teacher. The certification along with a Bachelors degree is all that is required in most countries, however, some schools or countries may be more selective. They may require a higher degree of education, a specific certification, a certain number of years of teaching experience, a degree in Education, etc., but these extra requirements are the exception, not the norm. I was also drawn to ITA because of their continuous support of their students. From the first request for information about their certification program to post-graduation life-long Job Search Assistance, they care about their students and want to see them succeed. Since I don't have much experience traveling abroad I would appreciate some guidance from those who have been there, done that. I am happy they have advisors that are willing to show me the ropes of how to build a resume, which schools to contact, how to navigate a contract, and more. My advisor Chelsea Hendrickx ([email protected]) lived in Japan for 2 years, so she is able to encourage me with personal experience. All of ITA's teachers and advisors have experience living and/or teaching abroad, and they are available to help with questions every step of the way. They have contacts and students in 80 countries and provided a lot of assistance to me before I even enrolled as a student. While there are many cheaper online schools that are accredited, not all of them provide as much assistance or firsthand knowledge. So, that's a summary of ITA, how I chose them, and what my next steps are. If you have any questions about ITA or ESL in general leave them in the comments and I would be happy to help! Thank you for reading! Much love, Jess |
AuthorJessica Marie Cunningham - Intentional lifestyle blogger, aspiring author, and podcast host. All things Slow Living, Books, Writing, Art, creativity, Christianity, and personal stories. Archives
March 2022
Categories
All
|