I have been sorting through some old files and I came across this poem that one of our past students wrote about her experience with VLLC. This was before VLLC online was available and students came to the centre to do their lessons. I thought I would share it... Michele
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We are excited to see VLLC French student, Andrew, off on his new adventure! Andrew has a one way ticket to France, where he plans to spend 3-5 years studying at a prestigious academy – he will perfect his trade, learning from stone-carving masters from all over France! He first heard about the opportunity 2 years ago, and it has been on his mind ever since! “I don’t want to regret not having an attempt,” he says, “it will be new experiences everyday while learning from the masters themselves!” Andrew looks forward to being able to converse with the locals using his French language skills, and encourages others to do the same - “Anyone can do anything if they put their mind to it. The first obstacle was realising that learning a new language isn't as hard as first thought… new things are added to the brain every day that you tend to recall on a later date [and] learning a new language is more or less the same. All that is done while learning a new language is reinforcing what you already know..... and the teachers are pretty good at their job too ;)” Andrew is excited to start a new chapter of his life in France, and says the only thing keeping him from jumping on a plane straight away is the sale of his car… anyone in the market? I have been with VLLC since the middle of 2016 and chose to learn Italian because my daughter's paternal grandparents are Italian and in January 2016 we went to Italy to visit them as my daughter hadn’t seen them in 8 years. This was my first time to meet them! None of us could speak each other’s language but this didn’t get in the way of having a great time together. We used any means possible to communicate and Google translate came in pretty handy. I came away from our visit feeling that if we only had known how to speak Italian, our experience would have been so much richer and this is what motivates me to learn Italian. I keep myself motivated by imagining talking with our Italian family without using a translation app! I have visited Italy only the once in 2016, but learning Italian has inspired me to return again, and soon. When I was in Italy, my favourite thing to do was sitting in a café and listening to the conversations around me. I also love going to the local supermarket and exploring the food and products that are used every day. I found it was a really great way to quickly learn the names of things. As well as speaking to the Tutors at VLLC, I am going to practice Italian with the Nonni and talk to them over the phone. My advice to anyone wanting to learn a language is "Don't let your memories of high school language lessons (French in my case), put you off learning a new language".
My name is Aun and I am the Thai tutor in Melbourne. I have been with VLLC for a couple of months now and I love it more every day. When I teach, my student is not the only one who learns something. I learn as well and that is my motivation. We learn with each other about each other and our different cultures. When I see my students make progress and blossom in the language I feel a lot of joy.
I was born in Thailand and moved to Melbourne in 2008. Being born and raised in my home country, I received the gift of my people. Respect and kindness rule our every day (and don’t forget our cuisine!) My personal favourite is anything my mom cooks at home of course, but apart from that, I love Pad Thai and Tom Yum noodles. In April we celebrate the New Year in Thailand. We call it “Songkran”. Everyone is equipped with water pistols and buckets full of water. That’s how we wash away the sorrows from the old year and get to start the New Year squeaky clean. That time of the year is my favourite, but there are always parties and festivals in Thailand. I actually feel like every day is a festival in Thailand. Sometimes I miss my parents and all of my family, because we always come together and enjoy warm meals and have beautiful conversations. But, I am glad I get to pass along some of my heritage to my students, and everyone who is interested. That makes me feel like my parents aren’t actually that far away. Bonjour! My name is Nidhi and I just completed Certificate II in Foreign Language Studies for French at VLLC. I was always fascinated by the French accent and to me it always sounded very sweet and unique. I took up French when I was still back in India at school and then continued learning at uni as a personal interest.
When I came to Australia, I got married, and started to work, and forgot all about French. Then while I was studying here, I had some time off between my semesters and decided that it would be a great time to take up something I love again. And hence it started again. I have been to Paris a long time ago and then all I could mutter was how to say my name, but now I can surely sit in a smart Paris café and order some amazing coffee and food. I will be going to South France in July 2017, that would then definitely test my skill. My tutor was Isabelle. She was amazing, very expressive and a great teacher. All the ladies at VLLC are warm and welcoming. Thanks to everyone at VLLC who made my learning journey a smooth and animated one. Merci Beaucoup! Nidhi Why am I teaching Japanese? Because I am a Japanese person live in Australia? The question reflects how I love teaching Japanese to adults. Adults have a long history of work and lifestyle which often affects how they learn a language. My job teaching Japanese is also an opportunity for me to learn about Australia and its culture. Teaching and learning, parenting, and Australian education and tertiary training experiences consolidate my teaching. When I see my student’s outcomes, that is most satisfactory from a job perspective, the feeling is not so different from when I see my child's outcomes. When my students say “arigato gozaimashita” after each lesson, that gives me my next lesson's motivation. Since I started teaching Japanese at VLLC I have met so many people who are interested in Japanese culture and language. This setting is my privilege and I have learned many different things through Japanese teaching. Firstly, I have learnt how students learn Japanese language, particularly in a western fashion, it is not only translation between two languages, it relates to situations and culture and I have found all students love learning with joy. So how to make learning joyful for adult learners? Imagination creates our fun role plays, acting on each other, including kinaesthetic learning, word games with pictures and Japanese characters can be quickly impressed on the brain. During my 10 years teaching Japanese at VLLC, I have learnt relations between a person's satisfactory and achieved language goals constantly drive student learning motivation. VLLC's program divides the different Japanese writing scripts to learn – starting with romaji (romanized phonetic reading) then hiragana, katakana and kanji and this setting and level division makes it easy to start and logically understand for all students. Most of my students continue to learn because they can feel step by step and those learning steps are finalized in individual language achievements. I appreciate the Japanese language curriculum in Australia. Some of my adult Japanese students have learnt Japanese language in their primary and secondary education. And a majority of those students still remember what they learnt and found that coming back to them, and those fun learning experiences stimulate their adult brains once again. The grammar never changes and it is such boring practice to learn patterns yet for adult students we need to find our individual learning style and pace, find one's short and long term achievements oneself and to look forward to improvement through language learning. Australia has been ranked in the top three Japanese learning countries in the world over 20 years – China, Korea and Australia!! That high language demand is one of the motivations for me to teach Japanese for adult students and I love to hear their language journey goals in many different ways. I conclude that my Japanese teaching experience in Australia identifies student's individual life goals, as a fun hobby or lifelong learning. I personally take this opportunity to teach Japanese for adults and it is an honor to have such a career. We know that learning a different language gives the brain stimulation which can prevent dementia. The practice can start at any age. Moreover, my current Japanese students are looking forward to opportunities with their future work relating to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Why don't you start and make such big opportunities for yourself and learn Japanese with VLLC!
My name is Bryan and I have been learning Mandarin Chinese with VLLC over the last 3 years. My wife is Chinese and I want to be able to speak the language to communicate with the family. The biggest motivator for me with learning Chinese is the regular tutorials I have with VLLC. We seem to visit China every 12 to 18 months. Our favourite thing to do in China is eat the food! My wife is from Lanzhou so beef noodle soup and cumin mutton skewers are the first and last thing we eat. Hola amigos! Me llamo Tara and I am studying Spanish at VLLC in Adelaide. At the beginning of the year I spent 2 months travelling around México. Upon returning to Australia I knew I wanted to work towards becoming fluent in Spanish which lead me to VLLC. I am currently half way through my Certificate ll in Foreign Language Studies and in a month I'll be heading back to México for a second time... I have always been fascinated by Latin American culture and in the future I'd like to work in environmental science and conservation in a Spanish speaking country. I'm looking forward to continuing the journey in México and beyond!
I am so grateful for my amazing tutor Tamara (she is muy chevere) and all the ladies at VLLC who offer such a supportive and encouraging environment to learn in. ¡Muchas gracias chicas! Nos vemos jueves! Guy loves both the Spanish language, and the connected cultures! On trips to Spain and Latin America, he enjoys simply sitting in a bar and watching life go by! A VLLC Melbourne student for 6 months now, Guy says “I find the 1 to 1 intensive tuition method helpful, as I was finding it difficult getting a class at my level.” He now enjoys being able to practice Spanish with friends, family… and “the occasional backpacker on the No 96 tram!” I have been learning Russian with VLLC for some time. I decided to study Russian when I was travelling to Ukraine for an athletics competition and wanted to be able to at least read cyrillic letters. I found I really enjoyed the challenge of learning Russian and have continued. I have visited Russia 3 times and intend to travel there again in 2017. I enjoy exploring the museums, historical sights and shops. I love the summer gardens in St Petersburg. I enjoy trying to engage local people with my knowledge of Russian language. This motivates to continue my language journey as I love the challenge of being able to speak Russian with some depth. I practice my Russian in a couple of ways. I have 2 athletes who speak Russian and I practice a little with them. Otherwise I simply study the texts and practice with reading out loud. I also continue with a conversation class once per fortnight. If you are considering studying a language other than your own native language I would recommend the VLLC method. The staff and tutors are very supportive and whilst learning Russian is very difficult I have been able to achieve some fluency.
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Our StoriesHere are some stories about VLLC' students and why they are learning a language Archives
March 2024
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