How languages changed our lives:
Best friends and former pupils of St Mary’s High School in Newcastle, Gianna and Dzesika, tell us about their lives and experiences and where languages have taken them.
Gianna’s story
I’m Gianna, a twenty year old girl from Newcastle in the North East of England. From a very young age, learning languages has always been my main passion. In school, languages were my favourite subject and I studied French and Spanish up to A Level standard, and Russian to GCSE.
One of my ambitions has always been to go on to study languages at University, and I am very grateful now to be in my third year studying French and Spanish at Exeter College at the University of Oxford, which I really enjoy.
Languages have enriched my life in so many ways. Firstly, they have given me the chance to meet new people from other countries, walks of life, and to discover new cultures different from my own. This began when I took part on a school exchange to Paris, where even at a fairly young age we were able to begin to converse with French students the same age as us and learn about the French culture.
I am now on my year abroad, where I am currently spending six months in Annecy in France, teaching English in a primary school. I then plan to go to Paraná in Argentina in March for six months to teach English in a University. So far on my year abroad, I have met so many interesting people and acquired not only new French vocabulary, but also more knowledge of French culture and customs. This is, of course, all thanks to the power of language which has allowed me to talk to the interesting people I meet.
Teaching English as a foreign language has also been interesting in a number of ways, as it has allowed me to see which ways we find easiest, most useful, or most engaging when we learn languages. I hope my experience in Argentina will be as enriching for my Spanish.
Languages have also been great in that they have given me access to a whole new world of literature, which is now 50% of my degree. Thanks to languages, I am able to read works by French and Spanish authors who, again, do not necessarily have the same views on the world as English writers.
I will sit my final exams next year, back in the UK, but I do hope to be travelling again and using my languages as much as possible the following year and for the rest of my life.
Gianna Foster
Student, University of Oxford and former pupil of St Mary’s Catholic School, Newcastle
Dzesika’s story
My name is Dzesika, I am twenty one years old and I was born in Riga, Latvia. Coming from a family which is from many different countries, Kazakhstan, Russia and Germany, languages have always been a vital and special part of my life.
I was raised primarily in a Russian-speaking environment, with a small amount of Latvian however, at the age of seven, my family moved to the North East. My parents, who spoke only basic English at the time, as well as my three siblings and I found it quite challenging in our first years in Newcastle.
My Dad had to navigate an English-speaking job whilst my Mum had to help her four children adjust to English speaking school. However, as young children we picked up the language very quickly and soon began making friends, attending clubs and becoming part of the community.
I have been able to do so many fantastic things thanks to languages, during my gap year I was lucky enough to travel to four different countries teaching foreign children English.
As a child who had to learn English herself, being able to pass on this skill is extremely special. During this time, I felt like a big sister to these children and seeing them feel more confident in speaking English was so rewarding.
Furthermore, I gained some unforgettable experiences as well as formed amazing friendships with people from other countries all thanks to languages.
As a child living in Latvia, I could have never imagined being able to travel to Italy, Belgium, Spain and America as an au pair teaching English.
Two years later, I’m currently in my second year of University in London studying media and communications.
I consider myself extremely fortunate to be fluent in both Russian and English, and I will always value that ability.
In the future, I hope to be able to continue learning the Spanish I was able to pick up whilst living in Madrid as I believe you can never know too many languages.
Dzesika Olenberga
Student, University of London and former pupil of St Mary’s Catholic School , Newcastle
