Travel & Culture   

Class Overview

Are you an au pair wanting to improve your US English skills? Improve your language skills while getting to know other au pairs and building a sense of community among au pairs in the Seattle region.

This class is led by a trained English as a second language (ESL) instructor who will help you improve your speaking, listening, vocabulary, and grammar skills. Through group conversations, student-centered grammar practice, informal presentations, field trips, and lots of vocabulary and listening activities, you'll gain more fluency and confidence. Mistakes are encouraged!

Learn American slang and cultural traditions, as well as Seattle customs and lifestyle. Topics include Seattle neighborhoods, American culture, cheap travel, and events around the Seattle area. Enjoy educational, social, and cultural experiences with other au pairs who are living and working in the Seattle area. 

Learning Objectives

• Feel more confident in using and understanding U.S. English
• Practice conversation skills for both work and social situations in the U.S.
• Improve listening and comprehension skills.
• Learn grammar structures that improve communication with others in speaking and writing
• Use English to share ideas and collaborate with other au pairs in the Seattle area

Who Might Enjoy This Class

• Au pairs, nannies, or anyone interested in improving their U.S. English language skills

Prerequisite

• Intermediate English or above; you should be able to participate in group conversations about everyday topics.

Class Overview

Are you interested in the German speaking world? Enjoy this interactive class guaranteed to enhance your knowledge of the German language and culture, as well as travel experiences. 

The focus of this class is on acquiring basic German language skills in combination with essential information about the culture and everyday life. Learn about typical travel situations like meeting people, shopping, reserving a hotel room, eating out, and traveling around, etc. You will have plenty of opportunities to practice speaking and understanding German as well as to inquire about the aspects that matter to you. Depending on your interests, the class will focus on specific regions of the German-speaking world. 

Learn how to communicate at an elementary level in German, and enjoy a cultural experience, whether you are planning to travel or not. 

Learning Objectives

• Simple German grammar to communicate at an elementary level
• Vocabulary to enable basic conversations in everyday situations
• The basics of German pronunciation to insure being understood 
• Familiarity with culture and everyday life in German-speaking countries
• Understanding of German-speaking regions that you are interested in 

Who Might Enjoy This Class?

• Beginners of German 
• Anyone who is planning on traveling to a German-speaking country
• Everybody who is interested in the German-speaking countries and cultures
• People who are interested in learning a second language 
• No experience needed!

Class Overview

Are you planning to travel to a Spanish-speaking country in the near future? If so, join us for this introductory class, which covers pronunciation, conversation and helpful expressions to use while traveling. We'll also listen to Latin American music and discuss different cultures. Students will learn basic greetings, asking for directions and ordering food.

Learning Objectives

Learn common phrases that are useful while traveling
Practice pronunciation
Learn basic grammar
Practice speaking in a public setting under the guidance of the instructor

Who Might Enjoy This Class?

Students with little to no knowledge of Spanish
Those interested in traveling to a Spanish-speaking country

Class Overview

Advance your real-life conversational Spanish skills using today’s news as your textbook! Intermediate-advanced level Spanish speakers, work on building vocabulary, understanding, and comprehension of both written and spoken language, as well as improving listening and speaking skills. While increasing vocabulary and fluency, review intermediate-advanced grammar concepts. Build real-life communication skills using current news and topics from newspapers, magazines, books, TV/radio shows, etc. This practice will help you communicate with native speakers more smoothly and naturally, in addition to learning about news and culture. Increase your Spanish conversational expressions and fluency as well as improve pronunciation Increase your confidence and conversational skills in exchanging information and ideas on a wide range of real-life stories and news. Develop more advanced and complex sentence structures. In addition to learning to understand the more formal language used in printed materials, enjoy learning common phrases, expressions, and Idioms used by native speakers in daily life. Join this class to increase your Spanish language ability, cultural understanding, and connection to other Spanish students. 

Learning Objectives

• Improve real-life communication skills using current news and topics from newspapers, magazines, books, TV/radio shows, etc.
• Increase your Spanish conversational expressions and fluency as well as improve pronunciation
• Develop more advanced and complex sentence structure
• Be able to use native-like phrases, expressions and Idioms used by native speakers in daily life

Who Might Enjoy This Class?

Prerequisite: minimum of 4 quarters of Spanish or equivalent.

This class is for intermediate-advanced Spanish language students who want to improve their conversational skills.