Student of the Semester: Spring 2024
As the Spring Semester is drawing to a close it’s time to reveal our Student of the Semester… Fiona!
Fiona has been learning Spanish with Lingo Flamingo for the past 7 semesters, and she is currently enjoying taking our Post-Chick Spanish classes with Rafa!
We asked Fiona a few questions about her experience learning with us and her top tips for a successful language journey!
What made you start the classes at Lingo Flamingo?
I was furloughed during the pandemic and decided it was a fantastic opportunity to start learning Spanish! My daughter, Emma is a photographer with Zara and lives in A Coruna in Galicia (where the Zara headquarters are located) with her partner and my two grandsons, Elio and Xan. Elio was a baby when I started to learn and he was the best incentive to learn Spanish as I knew that although he is bi-lingual that Spanish will always be his first language. Unlike many tourist areas, English is not much spoken in Galicia, so I wanted to be able to make myself understood and also the parents of my daughter’s partner don’t speak English. I plan to be in Galicia more when I retire and I feel it’s respectful to learn the language.
Where did your language journey take you?
I mostly travel to Spain on holiday now. Learning the language is another incentive to go, although I absolutely love the country. I visit my daughter around 3 times a year and last summer I also spent a week in Madrid; the year before, Seville, and I’ve been to Barcelona more than a few times, and of course the Balearics. I’m keen to visit Cadiz…that’s next on the list.
Do you have any tips for continued learning?
At first it was all about the grammar and vocabulary for me: then I hit the subjunctive. Despair set in…
Now I feel that conversation and listening are more important because that gives you a feel for the language and learning becomes more instinctive. I still look at grammar but I’m finding more enjoyment from my classes at Lingo Flamingo and listening to news items (Spotify, News in Slow Spanish). I think one of the keys is not to overthink. I do a lot of that and listening is great for combating that urge. My daughter keeps saying that I need to get more confident and just speak…just fire out with it and stop running through conjugations in my head prior to speaking.
How do you find the Lingo Flamingo classes?
I love my Lingo Flamingo classes. Rafa makes learning so fun and it’s lovely to mix with people of all ages who are all learning Spanish for different reasons. I don’t use the e-flock as much as I should, but I have used the Chatbot a bit and really like it. The classes also include a bit of culture, current events, and games involving memory. The classes have a structure but it’s fun, relaxed and fluid which I think makes it easier to learn. I live on my own, and it’s so much better to be learning in a group situation rather than plugging away on my own.
When you’re not at Lingo Flamingo, what do you get up to?
I’m Head of Partnerships at the Hydro so am kept super busy at work. I love to practise yoga both at home and at David Lloyd and am also partial to a little outdoor swim (not wild swimming, just at the outdoor pool). I love music, so listen to Spotify a lot, and I also love going to the movies (Everyman is my cinema of choice). I’ll be retiring at the end of September this year and plan to visit my daughter in Galicia for longer periods of time and I’m also looking forward to getting outdoors more often.
Thanks for speaking to us Fiona and good luck as you continue your language journey!