EnglishVictoria Tutor Interview

Q. Hi Victoria! According to your profile, you’ve lived in Sweden for more than three years. How’s life there?: A. It’s great. I love living abroad and experiencing life as a foreigner; especially having the chance to use another language every day. Every time I go back to England I find myself feeling glad that I left. I particularly like some things about Swedish society, for example the efficient public services, the high quality of living, and the abundance of nature. The summers are great, but it can get pretty cold and dark in the winter. I’ve been here for a while now and it feels like home, but I’m planning to move on and live somewhere else as soon as I have saved up enough money. Luckily I will still be able to teach with Cafetalk, wherever I am in the world.
Q. Have you noticed any differences or similarities between England, your home country, and Sweden?: A. There are some similarities in terms of culture. Both Swedish and British people are quite reserved and polite, and there is a similar sense of humour. British comedy shows are very popular here. However, Swedes have more of a stay-at-home culture. You would be more likely to invite friends over to your home here, which is a big contrast to the pub-culture in Britain where everybody goes out in order to meet their friend in a pub or bar. Alcohol is quite restricted here. You can only buy it in a special government-run shop. I get a shock every time I go to another country and see alcohol on sale in normal shops. Another big contrast is the population density. Britain is so crowded that it’s almost impossible to find a deserted area. Here in Sweden you could walk for miles in the country without meeting anyone.
Q. What do you do in your free time?: A. Just in case I didn’t spend enough time on Skype with my Cafetalk students, I also spend a lot of my free time online, talking to my family and friends in other countries. Sometimes I worry about being so dependent on an internet connection. It broke down recently and I felt scarily cut off from everything. I also read a lot, mainly novels, and listen to music. I go dancing at least once a week. The combination of music, movement and good company when you dance is one of life’s great joys. I’m involved with a Swedish folk-dance group who dance traditional dances during the big celebrations, such as at midsummer. I am a big tea-drinker and can often be found with a tea-cup in my hand.
Q. Do you have a philosophy on life?: A. My Dad always told me that the most important thing in life is to have as much fun as you can ALL the time. Unfortunately, he passed away last year, but I still try my best to live up to his rule. Life is too short to spend time doing things that you don’t enjoy. I’m so happy to have discovered the joy of teaching, which doesn’t feel like work at all. Thank you to all my students for making the lessons so much fun!
Q. You have a lot of interesting lessons! Which lesson would you recommended for new students?: A. When I meet a new student for the first time, I’m keen to get to know everything about them. Therefore I recommend that new students book my “Talk About Yourself” lesson, where we spend almost an hour getting to know each other. I have special sets of questions that really allow me to get to know the person, so I can plan future lessons around their interests and passions. Language learning is much more fun if you’re talking about something that interests you.
Q. As I know, you have a lesson for children, too. What do you do in this lesson with kids?: A. I remember being a kid and I definitely wasn’t interested in language lessons. That’s why I try to make the children’s lessons as fun as possible. This lesson is a mixture of stories, games and other activities that encourage the child to use English without being aware that they are in a language lesson. For example, in one of my activities, the child has to guide a character around a maze, so they are focused on solving the problem while using English to give clear directions.
Q. Before we finish, would you like to leave our students with an inspiring message.: A. Congratulations for being here on cafetalk! Learning a language can be one of the most rewarding things you ever do. It’s never too late to start learning, and never too late to pick up a language that you haven’t studied for a while. Speaking is the hardest – but also the most rewarding part of language learning, so I recommend you find a good conversation lesson and start talking. Who knows where your language skills could take you…