Paola Deluigi from Switzerland has studied Cambridge ESOL in London for the past nine weeks and she is currently doing an internship at EC London. Let’s find out what she says about herself and her future plans!
Name: Paola
Age: 25 years old
Nationality: Swiss
Mother tongue: Italian
Studies: Master degree of Arts (French and English Literature + Linguistics)
Future: I will probably follow in my parents’ footsteps and become a teacher. However, unlike them, I’d sooner teach high school students than small kids. Teaching is a field I’ve always been interested in and with any luck, in two years’ time I’ll be working as an English/French teacher.
Job: I’m neither studying nor working at the moment, as I’ve just graduated from university and applied for a teaching school in Switzerland, which starts in September. If all goes according to plan, by this time in two years, I’ll have obtained my teaching certificate.
Favourite movie: Patch Adams (I’m a big fan of Robin Williams!).
Favourite food: Living just a few miles away from the border with Italy, we are greatly influenced by the Italian cuisine. There are several dishes which I definitely consider moreish, but if I had to pick only one, I would probably opt for pizza!
Hobbies:
Walking. I haven’t got a spare minute recently, but whenever I find some free time I enjoy going for a stroll on the lakeshore in Lausanne (where I currently live).
Running. Although sometimes I’m more like a couch potato than a proactive person, I’m an amateur runner, since there is nothing I like more than feeling the fresh and cold air of the morning on my face.
Traveling. I’ve certainly got the traveling bug because when I was younger, I used to travel around Europe with my parents, who owned a camping car. There are different destinations that without any doubt are breathtaking, but the first place which springs to my mind is the Portuguese capital, which blew me away completely. When traveling, I definitely consider myself a culture vulture, as I have always had a curiosity for civilizations that are different than mine, especially when it comes to traditions.
Languages. Living in a multilingual country has several advantages, such as the opportunity to learn the three official languages of the Confederation at school. Because I have always had a knack for languages, besides Italian (which is my mother tongue), I can also speak French and German. However, my favourite foreign language is English. Much as it may seem absurd, what I really like about English is learning its grammar because on the one hand, I can easily call myself a grammar geek, while on the other hand, grammar comes quite easily to me. Besides, having spent several months in an English-speaking country gave me the chance to get a deeper insight of its culture.
Plans after your experience at EC: After having taken the Cambridge exam preparation course for nine weeks, I’m going to stay at EC London for two more months, doing an internship. Afterwards, I’m going back to Switzerland, where I will either start a teaching school or join a volunteering programme in Africa. Once back in Switzerland, I will probably look for a replacement teaching position in order to acquire experience.