Have you ever climbed a high altitude mountain? Language Learning is similar in a number of ways.
I recently got back from climbing Vinicunca, or as the tourist and Instagramers like to call it: Rainbow Mountain. It is located in the high altitude Andes Mountains of Peru near Cusco, the ancient Inca Capital. The altitude of the mountain was 5,200 m (17060 ft above sea level)!
We felt the effects of the altitude as we arrived at the trailhead (where trails start). The climb was EPIC, but very challenging. At high altitudes, oxygen thins out (gets less) and your body struggles to get enough oxygen to your brain and lungs. This can cause Altitude sickness to varying degrees.
Thankfully my husband and I didn’t have severe effects but as we started to climb, we realized we needed to slow down and pace ourselves. Along the path up the mountain every 100 meters there were stands selling coca tea and agua de florida. These two substances help with the effects in some form and have been used by Peruvians for centuries.
Along our route we made tons of friends from all over the world! It was amazing! We met amazing Spaniards, Israelis, Ukrainians, french, Brazilians and spoke a mix of English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese.
You may be thinking, “This is great Camille, but why are you telling you about your hike up the mountain?”
Language learning is similar to climbing a high altitude mountain.
Have you ever been nervous to speak English (or other languages) like you couldn’t breath? This is Language altitude sickness 😉 You are testing the limits of your language learning in these moments. These moments are amazing at stretching you and seeing where you need to exercise, i.e. study and practicing the language!
Just as you need to stop and rest on the mountain, you need to stop and rest as you scale your English Summit (top of a mountain). If you don’t, you will burn out and never reach the top! Take breaks, celebrate progress, enjoy the language learning journey! Practice with other language learners as you move up the mountain and you will make great friends.
Along the way, I had coca tea and Agua de Florida to give me a little boost when I needed it. Sometimes a English language course is the boost you need. That is why I created my English courses and workshops, to give you a boost up your English language mountain. Let’s scale this English mountain together!
JOIN MY COURSE TODAY & SCALE YOUR ENGLISH MOUNTAIN
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