thecoursebook is blogging

Learning doesn't stop after senior-year!

Here is another example of somebody who, like us at Thecoursebook, think that "Learning doesn't stop after senior-year." Anna is a typical lifelong-learner, who uses learning for both her personal and professional development. She's one of the people who inspired the creation of this website.

Can you tell me about yourself in a few sentences?

My name is Anna and I am a Russian-Israeli-American. A few months ago, I moved to Singapore from California where I used to live and I started a new job at brand and design consultancy. I love to learn and I am very good at keeping myself busy with new experiences. I like to think of myself as a researcher of life... 

It seems you took many classes since you graduated from college. What motivated you for each of them?

I just have too many interests. I keep thinking back to all the classes I never got to take in college, and ones that were never offered like many of the design courses I've taken. I take classes for all the reasons in the world - to develop a hobby (like creative writing), to gain a new practical skill (like sewing), to buff up my resume (like intro to adobe creative suite), and to have fun (like street dance).

What’s the role of learning in your adult life?

The role of learning in my adult life is much better than the role of learning in my adolescent life because I get to choose what I want to learn. Just because you are an adult doesn't mean you should stop learning, or that you are only allowed to learn on the job. Taking courses is a great way to figure out your direction, advance your career, add meaning to your life and meet like-minded people.

Do you also learn outside of the classroom? If yes, how?

Yes, I read books and use online resources. For instance, about a year ago, I was wondering whether I should prepare a career change and become a psychologist. I started listening to great podcasts that I found on iTunes U... I now went through the Berkeley Psychology 101 course by myself!

Are there specific courses you're thinking about taking next?

I would love to take up photography.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

I have been waiting for a site like thecoursebook for the last 5 years!

Anna_belak

Learning French in San Francisco

For the first blog post on this blog, we wanted to put one of Thecoursebook's very early users forward. Please meet Eunice, a lifelong-learner that will inspire many! Eunice is currently learning French in San Francisco and it seems she found one of the best French class in town.

Can you tell me about yourself in a few sentences?

My name is Eunice Moyle and I'm the co-owner of Hello!Lucky, a stationery studio that I founded with my sister Sabrina.  I'm a graphic designer and spend most of my days designing fabulous (tootin' my own horn, indeed! ;) wedding invitations and brainstorming hilarious new ideas for our stationery line with our super talented team.  I live in San Francisco with my 13 month old son, named Jude, who is my in house comedian and muse, my husband Daniel, who is also an entrepreneur (he founded Three Rings, an awesome company that makes online games) so he understands my somewhat insane lifestyle, and our two dogs, Indy & Simon.

When did you start learning French? What motivated you?

I've  been learning French off and on since I was about 5 (at the Alliance Française in Malaysia!), but didn't start to study it seriously until about 2 years ago when I started taking classes at the Alliance Française in San Francisco.  I love France, French culture and the language, and as my husband is British and we go back to London at least once a year, I try to go to France whenever we get over there. That being said, I was really driven to take it seriously when I became pregnant with Jude.  I really want him to be raised bilingually - I think it's such a benefit to have a developed ear for language - and would love for him to go to an international school, as I did when I was young - so ideally, the Lycée La Pérouse or something along those lines.  Plus, it's really fun to have something to teach him that is also a challenge for me (and it's so much easier to speak French to a baby haha, it really helps build your confidence!)

How do you learn and practice French? What do you like about these different ways to learn?

I have a "cross-training"/"cramming it in the crevices" technique.  I take classes - 3 hours at Alliance Française in their Avancé classe with Stephan (heart him! I really credit him with my huge improvement in the last year) and 1 hour with Yvette in the Parents and Toddler class where I get to learn useful phrases like "pot de colle" (pot of glue - for a little kid who's being clingy!  Hilarious).  I also take Jude to a Parent et Bébe class at Jardin Enchanté, a immersion preschool.  On top of that, Jude has a French nanny 3 days a week, and we speak only in French (for the most part!) and I basically speak French to Jude almost exclusively  (I also have a lot of French children's books which I get from the European Bookstore on Larkin and Amazon.fr or pick up whenever I'm in France - my husband loves to roll his eyes at me as I attempt to stuff 20 lbs of Calvin and Hobbes in French into my suitcase!).  I've also meet some really great Francophone mums through a French speaking mum's group I found through Golden Gate Mother's group and we have a lot of play dates and dinners (I find my French is infinitely better when accompanied by wine!).  Other than that, I'm always reading, writing, watching French films, listening to French radio, doing crossword puzzles and playing iPhone apps and using websites such as About.com French and Yabla to get a little lesson in here and there.

Basically, I'm really busy and don't actually have a ton of time to spare, so my tactic is to weave learning French into my everyday activities as much as possible...I even try to think in French if I'm really short on time... (!)

What’s the role of learning in your adult life?

I'm a big learning junkie.  I love mastering new skills - everything from knitting, to French, surfing (terrible at it, but love it anyway!) to a new design trick, I love it all.  I am not the kind of person who does well with nothing to do, so I find it very fulfilling to be constantly learning and doing. I got this tendency from my parents and hope I'll be able to pass this enthusiasm for learning to my son.  I really believe that constantly learning is key to maintaining a certain joie de vivre ;)

What other topics do you like to learn about? Are there specific courses you're thinking about taking next?

I'd like to get back to guitar - I was learning to play the guitar at Blue Bear School of Music until about 6 months ago when it became impossible to play the guitar without tiny grabbing fingers getting in the way.  So, someday, I'd love to get back into that.  That, and I'd love to get a piano - I played the piano for about 10 years growing up, and it's something I'd like to get back to.

Eunice