Resources: Notes on Life and Language in the United States

What can the Buddha, a man who lived 2,600 years ago in India, teach us about learning English? Quite a bit, actually.

Are you terrified about relocating to the US as an expatriate? How will you communicate in English? How will you meet new people and how will you succeed in your new workplace? There are probably many questions like these swirling around in your mind as you pack up your life in your home country and prepare for your assignment in the US. Whether you are relocating abroad by yourself or with your family, it can be a really scary experience! But it can also be a unique and potentially transformative experience! As an expatriate in the US, you have a choice. You can choose to find a community of other international professionals from your country and hide away with them, speak your native language and never really learn anything about the US or about yourself. Or, you can stretch your boundaries, challenge yourself and create a messy but satisyfing life abroad that allows you to grow in ways that you could never grow in your home country. So which path will you choose? If you choose the messy and "inconvenient" path of growth and challenge, you will need to take some risks! That is where today's post can help you. How can you take more risks in your life abroad? Try "going to zero"!

Are you living in New York as an expat or planning to relocate there sometime soon? Are you struggling to improve your English so that you can communicate with the local people? Put your grammar textbook away! The real question is, do you speak New York City English? Every city has its own "insider" language. If you know the insider phrases, expressions and nicknames like other New Yorkers, you will have an easier time meeting people and connecting with them. So, today's post is your opportunity to find out if you really can speak New York City English. Check out today's video quiz below to learn ten key points that you must know to live like a local in New York.

Today we are excited to bring you an interview with Andrea Giordano. Andrea is an ESL teacher, traveler and speaker. She is the creator of ESL Basics and is the assistant director of ESL programs at Campbellsville University. Andrea has some fantastic ideas about how English language learners can improve by engaging in what interests them and by connecting with people, not by memorizing grammar rules from a textbook. To get some great advice and tips from Andrea on how you can improve your English, check out today's interview!

What risks have you taken in the last three months as an expatriate? How could your life in the United States be different if you took more risks? Would you learn more? Meet more people? Would you get closer to your goals of speaking English fluently? Would you have new career opportunities? I bet you would! I am not an expert on risk-taking and I won't pretend to be an expert. However, I know a few things about crossing cultures and lately I have been thinking more and more about how important risk-taking is for our success while we are living in a new country. So, I teamed up with Norman at Everyday Expat Support Center to bring you a webinar on how to take more risks as an expat! The webinar was held on Wednesday May 16th but you can still get a recorded version! Keep reading for more details.

What makes an English language lesson truly outstanding? Perhaps you have recently arrived in the United States and you are struggling with your English communication skills. Maybe you are in a large city like Boston and you rarely have a chance to practice your English and get feedback. Perhaps you have found an English class or private tutor to work with but you aren't sure about the quality of the lesson. How do you know if your English tutor is really giving you the highest quality instruction? In today's article, you will learn about 9 things to look for in your English lesson to find out if it is the right class for you.

Would you like to learn a few tips from one of our ESL teachers in New York about learning English and adjusting to life in the big city? Jane has been helping international professionals and students improve their English for five years. During that time, she has motivated many students to reach their goals and to feel comfortable learning English. Jane's students love her classes! She knows how to make students feel comfortable with conversation-based activities. In today's interview, I asked Jane to share some of her creative teaching methods. Keep reading to learn more!

I had an interesting conversation with a student yesterday and she gave me an important clue into a common source of stress for a lot of adult English language learners.

Have you been studying English for a long time with mediocre results?  Are you still looking for a way to succeed at learning English?

Can cultural awareness training be implemented online? In terms of logistics, of course it can. Many organizations are already doing it. The question is, can it be conducted online and deliver the results needed to help international professionals be more effective while working across cultures? In recent years, there has been an explosion of services in the online ESL industry to help professionals develop communication skills in English. English classes are often effective online but learning to communicate in English is not the same as learning to communicate in American culture. So, can international professionals develop cultural awareness online in the same way that they can develop verbal communication skills?