ABC Language Exchange students are an interesting and varied group. People come to ABC to learn a foreign language for many different reasons. Some students have business needs motivating them; others are married to foreign nationals, while many come to learn simply for the joy of being able to speak another language. Students choose to learn their language of choice in a group or individually, whether they are learning a foreign language for the first time or improving their second or third language skills. ABC students get to know each other in class and in the social atmosphere of the school. Different language classes also have a chance to meet and interact at the happy hours, school parties or other events ABC Language Exchange holds.

As you may guess, Mandarin is not exactly the easiest language to pick up. Having a general understanding of how the language works is far from actually being able to use it to communicate. “I had no pretensions about being good when I started,” Tony says “I just wanted to know enough so when Zoe (his daughter) grew up I at least knew something about the language of the country she came from.” Tony’s language classes led him to start taking trips into Chinatown with his daughter. “I trotted out some terms and phrases (in Chinese) and there was this huge response,” Tony recounts. “They really appreciate even your being able to say ‘hello’ in Chinese.”

After finishing his ten-week program, Tony suddenly had a medical issue that lead him to the hospital. “Being in a hospital for a few days makes one introspective,” Tony noted. He thought about the cultural insights and language skills he had learned. He realized it had “sparked an interest” in him and decided when he left the hospital to pursue his Chinese studies seriously. He decided to dedicate himself fours days a week with intensive private lessons. He also began communicating with a store owner near where he adopted his daughter in China and even took to helping her correct the English on her company’s website. “I was up one night when Zoe was unable to sleep and decided to go online and look at places near where we adopted Zoe,” he said. “One site, www.sherrymama.com, had English that was almost unintelligible. I realized that phrases like ‘we want to do something wonderful and private to you’ really meant ‘customer service’.” He printed out the pages and decided to help them correct it.

Taking the pages home and spending a few hours sorting out what was really trying to be said, Tony did not realize he was embarking on the beginning of a friendship with the store owner, Sherry. At first they communicated in English; then, after Tony’s Chinese had improved, they used Chinese. Tony asked his wife “Do you think Sherry thinks I’m strange striking up a friendship with her?” To which she responded “No, but she is probably happy you are half way around the world.” Tony then decided to import some of Sherry’s products to sell locally and give the proceeds to the orphanage from where Zoe was adopted. Months later after realizing the popularity of the imports he started to pursue the business more seriously. Now he continues to import products from Sherry and sell them online at his website www.greatchinawalls.com.

Tony stands out as one of ABC’s fastest learners of Chinese. He used his own creative system of flashcards and notes that he memorized while with his daughter in the park or after she went to bed at night. Much of his studying he also accomplishes at his favorite Irish haunt, Molly’s located on 3rd Avenue and 22nd Street in Manhattan. “Studying at home can be depressing,” Tony remarks “the characters just go down better with a pint.”

Following is recent feedback from ABC Language Exchange's students:

Hi,
ABC Language is great! You guys have the best teachers. With my 10 or so classes, I learned more than I did with two years of german in school. You have extremely kind and dedicated teachers, which is imperative in a learning environment. I would highly recommend this school to anyone aching to learn a language!
Thanks,
Alex

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Dear Sir:
I am happy to report that the teacher you have teamed me with, Deborah Pelligrino is excellent! She is very patient, explains things well, and through hard work, and humor, is providing me with enough language that I fell confident that I will be able to converse when I visit Italy in July of this year. I was only able to afford a 12 hour course, but I definitely feel that Debotrah's skills as a teacher, has helped me tremendously in learning the language.

I would not hesitate to recommend your school, and especially Ms. Pelligrino if one wished to lean the Italian language.

Gratefully,
Gerry

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The Spanish classes are going quite well, much better than I had first anticipated. I imagined a rigid structure where students would have to learn much on their own. I find my experience with ABC Language to be quite the contrary. Our teacher, Dorothy, is quite entertaining and interactive. She makes learning Spanish fun! Also, the other women in my group make the overall learning experience a positive one.

I am glad to have researched your company and look forward to continuing my studies with you.

Christine G.

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I've been taking language classes for the last 5-6 years, and I've never had a teacher as wonderful as Nicolette....
I'd recommend the program to anyone I know wanting to study languages.

Jennifer

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Dear Marcos,
I'm enjoying my class with Rime. She's a terrific teacher: enthusiastic, patient, and willing to give 110%. She's better than most of the foreign language teachers I had in college.

Sincerely,
Renee

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It has been a great pleasure to be a student of ABC Language school - I had an objective to learn Mandarin in a short period of time with a practical approach that I could translate into a business setting. I am happy to say that is exactly what I accomplished with your school - Once I explained my objectives, I was matched with a wonderful young lady Jean Chen - who understood my objective and was able to teach me the basics which I now can go forward with - If it were not for my move to Singapore I certainly would have continued my lessons with Jean -

Thank you again for a nice experience after so many years of not being in school! You can certainly teach old dogs new skills!

Regards,
Cheryl

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I've really enjoyed the class and I think the teacher is great!! I especially like her teaching method-it's REAL. Not just out of a textbook. What I mean is that we use the book, but not soley.

Hope my input helps,
Natalie

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The class is going very well. I am definitely enjoying it. I am learning a lot and am enjoying very much the "out of book" work especially. Rehab is a great teacher.

Thanks,
Stacey

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The classes are going great thanks. Dorothy is an excellent teacher. To be honest I thought the classes would be boring but useful, but as it turns out myself and Aaron are really enjoying them. She has a great energy to keep us all awake and focused at night, after a days work is not easy.

Thanks for the enquiry,
Trish

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My portuguese instructor is awful. He is always late, is always smoking and eating during class, and I think he's teaching us spanish instead of portuguese! In fact, I'm pretty sure his brasilien "accent" is fake and that he's really from Ohio...

Just kidding! You're a great instructor Marcos, and I hope you are feeling better.

ate manha,
Lauren

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Dear ABC Language Exchange,

I have absolutely no complaints or concerns about my experience at ABC. Milagros, the instructor, is extraordinaire, just what I needed to help build my confidence. She is patient, professional, and knows how to put one at ease with their ability. How lucky I am to be under her tutelage.

Thank you for putting me in her hands.

Lorraine

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Im very happy with our teacher Smyrna, who is very patient and a good teacher. We are only 2 students in the class at the moment, which allows for a lot of one on one attention. I like the fact the school is small, its a very slow pace. Smyrna is very creative and uses a lot of other props, than
the book, to make class more interesting. Very keen on homework, which helps us all study and understand better. Looking forward to many more weeks with Smyrna. Thanks for your interest in how the classes are going. Again, this is why I like Language Exchange, you really care!
Any other questions, please feel free to contact me.

Sincerely,
Karina

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I am enjoying my italian class very much, and feel that I have improved a lot in a relatively short period of time. I have recommended the school to many friends who are interested in earning a language. I really like flexibility and intimacy (small classes) at the ABC Language Exchange. It's great that you poll students before hand to get consensus on the best time for classes. Also, the small classes allow for more exchange among students and the teacher. Stefania has been great. I would recommend her to anyone!!

Heidi

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I just wanted you to know that I absolutely loved our Chinese language teacher, Lao shi Wang. She is an excellent teacher and her enthusiam for her language is contagious. I enjoyed my 8 weeks in her class ( please let her know) and will recommend your institute to others.

Thank you,
Carol

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The Spanish Level 1 class I am currently taking with Veronica is possibly the best language class I have ever taken and I have studied a foreign language at one time or another as far back as private elementary school.

The one/one tutoring is the best way I feel to learn a language. And because Veronica is from Spain and also young I get a very modern outlook on the culture and the current vernacular of Spain in 2005. The textbook and exercises are perfect because they stress practicality at the same time allowing one to form complex sentences and phrases after learning some vocabulary. I have looked at all other ways of learning a language from books, cds, and even private instruction through evening education at NYU and this definitely has been the best experience all around. Also another terrific part of the program is the flexibility in scheduling classes for working people. I cannot stress enough how helpful and convenient it is to be able to reschedule at a moment's notice. All in all, the ABC Language exchange is a great institution and I would highly recommend it to others needing to learn a foreign language.

Best Regards,
Aashish

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Thanks very much for inquiring on my Italian classes.  I must say that so far it has been a truly positive experience.  Tania is very patient and is proving to have excellent academic skills.  She is a wonderful professor. But what makes my learning experience even more enjoyable is that she also has a great personality.

Thanks again for the follow-up.
Sincerely,
Ida