Use English on your ‘staycation’

You may remember last month’s buzzword ‘staycation’ – a vacation spent at home or very near home. Why not use your staycation as an opportunity to keep your English in shape? But wait, you say, I’m living in Spain and Portugal … how can I possibly practise my English when at home, and why would I want to study English on my holidays?

Who said anything about studying? (In fact, we won’t even mention learning.) Time off is for enjoying oneself and having fun, so why not try doing it in English?

Here are 3 simple ideas for keeping your English in shape while on holidays:

Be a guiri in you own country! That’s right, guiri, the term used in Spain for typical tourists types (especially British, American and Northern European) who come to Spain and never bother to learn a word of Spanish.

If you decide to go to a museum or exhibition, why not take the tour in English? This could come in the form of a handheld audio guide, or a person giving the explanations. A little practice now and then makes it easier when you get back to work and have to start using the language again.

What about getting a lunch menu in English? Don’t worry! It doesn’t mean you have to eat English food! Just try ordering in English, as many restaurants have staff ready and waiting to help guiris order their meal in English. This will help you get ready for the next time you go for a meal with foreign colleagues, not just when you are abroad, but also when they come here to visit and you need to help them order.

By the way, web sites catering to tourists offer a tonne of things to do that you may not have known about.

You could also pick up a local guide or magazine that caters to English-speaking ex-pats, and find out what activities are going on. Wherever there are guiris, there will definitely be cultural and social events and get-togethers. This could be a great way to have fun and speak with English natives.

Turn on the tube … in English. Have access to satellite TV? While you’re getting dressed in the morning, why not turn on the news in English? Even if you’re not fully paying attention, your brain will stay connected to the language; passive listening can have a positive effect. Staying in contact with the language will help keep it familiar to your ear, and your brain.

Follow your hobby … in English. Are you and avid birdwatcher? Do you love the adrenaline rush you get from skydiving? Deep-sea fishing? Tennis? Stamp collecting? Start following your hobby in English; read about it and find others who share your passion, and if you can, go and do it in English. When you are enjoying yourself, soon you’ll forget you’re even learning.

If you don’t have an aversion to computers on your holidays, why not follow some of your interests online in English? With a familiar subject, you will be surprised how much you are able to understand just from the context. Try googling something you are interested in, and check out a few sites.

Here are some links to check out if you have some time and feel like it:

Watching
Videojug is basically an online ‘encyclopaedia of life’. Put your feet up, relax, and watch something inspiring.
TED. Videos with ideas worth spreading….

Playing
Akoha is the world’s first social reality game where you can earn points by playing real-world missions with your friends. Missions might include giving someone your favourite book, inviting a friend for drinks, or buying a friend some chocolate. It is still in a beta stage, but it sounds like fun and worth taking a look.
Lumosity. Try this brain training site free for 7 days. The games are actually quite addictive!

Reading
Wowio. Yes, some things in life are free!!! This site has a nice library of e-books. You can red them online for free, or pay a small fee to download the book as a pdf.
Fark. A classic site for information junkies, people who like odd news, and those who just like to have a laugh at the headlines written by submitters.

The most important thing is to keep in contact with the language this summer, even if it is passive contact. Do yourself a favour; do something to avoid losing everything you’ve gained this year. Just remember, keeping your English in shape is a lot like working out: if you don’t use it, you lose it!