A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of interviewing our lovely facilitator Liliana. She has been helping our members practice Spanish for five or six years now. Liliana herself was also a student at TLC, learning English. Here is what Liliana Mejia Gomez has to say about her experience in TLC.
Liliana is originally from Colombia and has lived in the UAE since 2006. She spent the first 7 years in Dubai and then moved to Abu-Dhabi where she joined TLC. She has always been interested in improving her English, which is important for the globalized world we live in, but was also always interested in learning about different cultures, and Abu-Dhabi, as a multicultural hub, was the perfect place.
1- When and how did you find out about TLC?
“Six years ago, when I first moved to Abu Dhabi and a friend introduced me to Marisol Vasquez, the founder of TLC, and I got to know her language club project, TLC. The first meeting we had was in Andiamo cafe in a small community compound, al-Zeina, right outside Abu-Dhabi island.
2- How was your experience at TLC?
“It was really an amazing experience! I met some people from all around the world and I made very good friends through TLC. On the learning side, my English improved significantly, especially my speaking skills, as we attended lots of sessions and I really practiced speaking with friends. On the teaching side, I realized how much I enjoyed teaching Spanish, and the great experience I had doing this with students from all over.”
3 -What is the biggest difficulty for English language learners?
“As an English speaker, my biggest challenge was correctly using propositions, I found it extremely difficult to become acquainted with them. The pronunciation part was also quite hard, as I am a native Spanish speaker.”
4- What was the best way to help them?
“Practicing the daily routines and different scenarios are my favorite of the classes. I think the workshops were especially helpful and pushed me to improve a lot.”
5- Did you see any progress?
“Yes! I have no doubt that there’s been developed. I personally saw how the students progressed and maintained the enthusiasm to improve each class and challenge themselves to get better”
6- What are your best memories about TLC?
“I have so many great memories from TLC! But for me, the game week was very special and might have been my absolute favorite activity and memory from the club. Everyone was talking freely and loudly, we were all laughing constantly, and time went by very fast, which is a sign that we all enjoyed it.”
7-How do you balance yourself as a student of English, and a teacher of Spanish?
“I actually blended the two, and way learning English while teaching Spanish. It was extremely helpful to teach and learn simultaneously, as you are able to see both sides and perspectives of the teacher and student.”
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