The article gives a background of a few polyglots and demonstrates how their lives have been fulfilled and even shaped by their thirst for language learning.

Says one of the interviewees:

"Etymology is a sport for me. I enjoy looking up the origin of words and seeing which particular invasion was responsible for bringing that word into our vocabulary. I am immersed in it for my work and it will continue to intrigue me for every day of my life."

It is suggested that polyglots share a certain common neurological thread that allows them to process so many languages, but one thing is for sure – putting in the work to learn them can pay off.

Read the full BBC article

Discover Russia study abroad

AmeriSpan's Spanish school in Sosua is close to the beach, dancing, nightlife, and more!  The communities along Sosua's coast take work and play very seriously, and you'll find that Sosua is a sunny and unforgettable place for Spanish immersion!

Sosua Spanish School

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When I arrived at mi familias casa in Playa del Carmen I was very nervous.  When I walked in the entrance, the entire family was sitting around the table, and then I was overwhelmed!  After introducing myself, my papa showed me to my room and explained how everything in the house worked, and what time breakfast and dinner were at.  He also asked if there was any foods I didn't like to eat. After getting unpacked, I took a deep breath, and I went downstairs.  All of the extended family were gone and it was only my new parents and two sisters. I also met my fellow peers that are visiting Playa del Carmen and staying with the same host familia. 

I learned a lot during my first day of escuela, but I also realized just how much there is to learn. I spent my first afternoon on the beach just watching the locals play futbol and sunbathing. I was also fortunate because I was able to talk with some of the locals who are very friendly in Playa.  From what I can see, the city is only super toursity from the beach up to 10^th avenue. After that, the town seems pretty local, which I think that I will be thankful for, so that I can see what it is actually like to live in Mexico. Overall, I am very excited about the time I am going to spend here. I feel like it is going to be an excellent experience.

From this experience, I first and foremost hope to improve my Spanish substantially.  I will be attending school 5 hours per day, 5 days per week. I know next to no Spanish at the present moment, so I realize that it will be a lot of hard work. Secondly, I hope to gain some insight into the lives of families and the people of Mexico. I have many Mexican friends in Texas that have told me what it's like to live in Mexico, and what Mexican families are like. However, I would like to find out for myself. Thirdly, I hope to make some new friends, and maybe even a few that will be come close friends! I also hope to go back home with a wonderful tan if at all possible! 

Find out more about AmeriSpan's Spanish school in Playa del Carmen

See all Mexico Spanish schools

Read all of Alisa's blogs from Playa del Carmen

I’ve been taking Spanish classes for like six years, and I barely know how to say anything. I’ve been taking French for about four weeks, and I know how to say nearly everything I want to say. The difference? Spanish is harder than French. Just kidding! I?m picking up French much faster because I?m always, always using it. I?m in class everyday, and my instructors will not let me forget the words that we used the day before. I can?t forget the present tense, because I?ll use it again and again and again throughout the week. The present tense, the past tense, and the future tense are always in my head and I can?t imagine going home and forgetting them now. When I took Spanish, I had class (where we mostly spoke English, by the way) for about an hour and then, when I left, I didn’t speak Spanish or think about Spanish until the next class, or when I did my homework while watching the tube, and I?m still terrible at Spanish because of it. You have to use the language you want to learn; you have to work and work and work at it, and make sure you don?t forget it. You really, really need to immerse yourself in the culture, and that?s what these immersion classes are all about!

I think the immersion class for French is especially good, because French pronunciation is just terribly hard. When I took a French class in San Francisco, I wasn’t able to practice my pronunciation because my American professor couldn’t pronounce the words very well either. It?s a really special thing to be around people, born and raised in France, who want to teach you French. Though my pronunciation is still pretty terrible after a month here, it?s getting better and it?s much better than when I came. Spanish pronunciation is much easier for me, most likely because I’ve lived in California my whole life (there are many Spanish speakers in California), but to learn French, I really had to come all the way to France to do it.

Click for more information on AmeriSpan's French school in Lyon, France.

Click to see all of AmeriSpan's French schools in France.

Read all of Ashley's blogs from Lyon France.

How do AmeriSpan's study abroad locations stack up?

Overall
#2 Switzerland: Overall, if you would like to experience the country that ranks #2 on Newsweek's list, study abroad in Switzerland. With a 99% literacy rate, Switzerland ranks 6th in the world in education, and they rank 2nd in health with an average lifespan of 75 years. Switzerland has low unemployment, excellent environmental health, and is fairly gender-equal, all of which help it to rank 2nd in quality of life. Switzerland also ranks 7th in economic dynamism, and 11th politically.

 
 
In Switzerland, AmeriSpan offers French in Montreux, Italian in Lugano, and even a teenager summer camp in Leysin (French).  

#7 Canada: If you would like to study French in a top-ranked country yet stay closer to home, look into study abroad in Canada. Ranking 7th overall, Canada came in 2nd in education, 7th in health, 10th in quality of life, 11th in economic dynamism, and 10th politically. AmeriSpan offers French in Montreal and French in Quebec City in Canada, along with Junior Immersion in Montreal.

Now we will review how many of AmeriSpan's other locations fared, broken down by region.

Latin America & Carribbean

#1 Chile (30^th overall): Chile is a popular study abroad destination and also ranks #1 in Latin America. AmeriSpan offers the opportunity to study Spanish in Santiago, as well as College Study Abroad in Vina del Mar, Volunteer & Internship programs, SALUD Medical Spanish, Spanish & Skiing, and more. See all Chile Spanish programs.

#2 Costa Rica (35^th overall): Costa Rica is known as the Switzerland of Central America, and is a peaceful, beautiful, and extremely diverse country. Newsweek's study agreed, as they ranked Costa Rica #2 in Latin America. AmeriSpan offers a wealth of Spanish programs in Costa Rica, including Spanish language immersion in ten location across the country. Also offered are Volunteer & Internships, College Study Abroad, Teenager Summer programs, SALUD Medical Spanish, and lots of Professional and Fun programs as well. Click to see all Costa Rica Spanish programs.

#3 Panama (41^st overall): Made famous by the Panama Canal, this country offers so much more. AmeriSpan offers Spanish programs in Panama City and also the tropical paradise of Bocas del Toro. A variety of Volunteer placements can be found in this beautiful country as well. See all Panama Spanish programs.

European Union 

#6 Germany (12^th overall): Hearty food, great beer, fabulous cities and tons of culture await in Germany, ranked 6th in the European Union by Newsweek. With German schools in Bamberg, Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg, and Munich, AmeriSpan has a German language program to suit your needs. Also available are Internships, Teenager programs, exam prep courses, and  Business & Professional programs specializing in banking, marketing, business, law, tourism, and much more. Also offered are German & Skiing and German and Beer. So much to do! See all German in Germany programs.  

#8 France (16^th overall): Ranking consistently in education, health, quality of life, economy, and politics, France came in 8th in the EU in Newsweek's study. Take the opportunity to study French at one of AmeriSpan's eight French schools across the country. Also offered are the popular French & Cooking and French & Wine courses. See all French in France programs.

#12 Spain (21^st overall): If you've read AmeriSpan's blog previously, you know we are already crazy for Spain. There is something for everybody in this magical country, from architecture to beaches to nightlife. With 15 Spanish schools across Spain, and a variety of language, teen, fun, professional, educator, and internship programs, be sure to check out this country, which came in #12 in the EU on Newsweek's study and 21st overall in the world. See all of AmeriSpan's Spain programs. 

East Asia & Pacific

#2 Japan (9^th overall): Want to study abroad in the country with the #1 health in the world? Check out Japan! With a life expectancy of 76 years, this country has the best health. Japan ranked 2nd in East Asia and 9th overall, scoring 5th in education, 13th in quality of life, 10th economically, and 25th politically. Get healthy while learning a new language in Japan! AmeriSpan's Japanese schools in Japan are located in Kanazawa and Tokyo, and we also offers a Teenager Summer program in Kanazawa. See all Japanese in Japan programs. 

#4 South Korea (15^th overall): Spend some time in the economic dynamo of South Korea, which came in #3 in economic dynamism in the world. Ranking #4 in East Asia, and #15 overall, learning Korean is sure to be a useful tool for the future. Go to AmeriSpan's Korean school in Seoul.

#7 Thailand (58^th overall): Beating out China by one spot, Thailand ranks #7 in East Asia. AmeriSpan offers Thai language courses in Bangkok and Chiang Mai, as well as volunteer opportunities around the country. See AmeriSpan's Thai schools in Thailand. 

To see all the results from Newsweek's study go to their interactive website.

See all AmeriSpan programs. 

Ok, so everything here in Uruguay is still great. We didn't advance much further in the world cup but these Uruguayos are more than happy to be in 4th place. They held a huge parade, like a caravan to welcome the players back into the country. They came into town in a big bus, it took them 4 hours to get through the whole city, it was amazing!! there were people/fans with flags and gifts with their faces painted, they were crying and cheering and everyone was just so happy and excited!! The caravan ended in a part of town and they were greeted by the president, who gave them all a gift and congratuated them on their success. The whole thing was shown on a big screen for everybody to enjoy, the love here is just undescribable!

Now that the World Cup is over this town is going to be a lot different! Every day after class, there is a planned activity with the school, the most fun are the ones that are with one of the teachers named Juan. He took us this week a museum called the museum of the gaucho, which is their version of our Indian/cowboy in the United States. It was really interesting and he makes it even more because he knows a lot about the history of this country. 

This weekend on Friday we went to a great bar with some friends that we made, one from Brasil and one from France.  We enjoyed some drinks together and went dancing. Sunday I went to the city of Colonia with a friend from Brasil. It is very antique and beautiful.  Everyone talks about it, so we gad to go. The only bad thing is that we picked the wrong day because it rained the whole day so a lot of things were closed, but we got to enter a few musuems and we ate a lot of good food!!

Click for more information on AmeriSpan's Spanish school in Uruguay.

Click for more information on how to become an AmeriSpan Delegate.

Read all of Angela's blogs from Uruguay.

While riding the Metro during my first few days in Lyon (it?s a wonderful Metro, by the way), I sat across from a couple who were speaking in sign language. Here I was, just a little ways away from them, feeling very isolated from the general public due to a language barrier, and then I saw this couple that must feel that way all the time (or, at least, struggle to communicate with others). It struck me that learning a new language is a good experience not just because you can put another language level on your resume, but also because 1) you get to learn so much about what so many people go through when they immigrate to another country 2) and, therefore, you can relate to so many more people. 3) Third, learning a new language is also very humbling. I?m a Ph.D. student in English in America; I?m paid to read and write for a living. I read Eliot and Proust, and I write complicated critics. In French, however, I?m reading baby books about the colors and the alphabet and the names of different types of fruits. I think I can relate much better to the ESL (English Second Language) students that I tutor back home. Language is hard, and my professors are patient with me; this makes me want to be more patient to those I meet in the states who don?t speak English very well. In short, I think learning French is making me a better person.

That said, learning French is manageable. When I first arrived in Lyon (four weeks ago), I could barely put a sentence together. I?m pretty proud to say that I can now say just about anything I want in very broken, terrible French. Still, I can communicate nearly anything I want to! That?s pretty magical. Learning French is hard, but learning French is something anyone can do. The wonderful thing about having classes everyday is that (if you?re like me) you can?t really forget all the words you learned the day previous; you?ll have to deal with them everyday after too. So, even if I forget what the word “gravir” means, it?ll probably be in my worksheets tomorrow and the next day, and I will know the word “gravir” like the back of my hand by the end of the week (“gravir,” by the way, means “to climb up”).

Click for more information on AmeriSpan’s French school in Lyon, France.

Click to see all of AmeriSpan’s French schools in France.

Read all of Ashley’s blogs from Lyon France.

After spending a week in your Korean class the weekend is the perfect opportunity to unwind and explore the city.  There are so many options but my favorite weekend evening has go to be going to a theatrical show.

The first show that I went to, which I highly recommend, is “Nanta.” This is the longest running show in Seoul and perfect for any age.  It is a show that is best explained as a mix between “Stomp” and “Top Chef”.  There is plenty of audience participation and the best thing is you don’t have to know Korean to understand the show.

Before the performance begins a projection screen comes down and displays the plot as well as some instructions (such as no photos during the performance) in several different languages including English, Chinese, Japanese and of course Korean.  The show itself is mostly a percussion performance where the performers use knives, fresh vegetables, and other kitchen supplies.  There are 4 different theaters in the area that show “Nanta” and they all range in price from 30,000 – 60,000 won.  

In contrast with “Nanta” the other show I went to see is a musical called “Miso”  This show is the classic Korean love story told mostly through traditional dance.  There was only one actress that sang which is why “Miso” is advertised as a musical.  Even though I did not understand the singer (because it was in Korean) I was still able to understand the plot not only through dance but through a brief synopsis they provide before the show begins.  This was done through a screen coming down on the stage just like at the “Nanta” performance.  However, because it went through 3 languages rather quickly, I could not follow it all.  Luckily, one of my housemates explained the plot to me before the show.  Also, in the lobby before the theatre doors opened there was a monitor that explained the story in English.

Once we entered the theater cameras had to be turned off. However, after the show the performers came out and took pictures with the audience.  Below is a photo of myself and my housemate after the show.  While we are both very busy with our course work from the AmeriSpan Korean school we were also able to enjoy our weekend at the theatre!

Read all of Josephine’s blogs from Seoul Korea.