Hi there!
I’m Christine, your eco-passionate English trainer.
And It’s my honor to help YOU TO Practice SKILLS THAT OPEN DOORS and let both nature and sustainability play BIgger roles in your life!
Do you dream of being able to express yourself clearly and precisely in a second language? Imagine you could effortlessly articulate your thoughts and feelings about every under the sun! Wouldn’t that feel amazing?
I can tell you, it feels incredibly empowering being able to express myself clearly in a second language, especially about the issues that care about most! Over time and through lots of trial and error, I’ve learned how to do this easily! And that’s what I’m here to share with you!
It didn’t start out that way!
I have been living in Germany since 2004, and, at the beginning, my German skills were very basic. I’d already taken five courses, and was still far from my goal. It felt hopeless–even after living here for two months, I could hardly speak an intelligent sentence. I wanted to talk to people about the things that mattered most to me, but I couldn’t even manage half-interesting small talk. It was very frustrating, and exhausting!
Beginning in 2005, I started doing what lots of other English native speakers do while living abroad: I started teaching English.
Although I grew up outdoors, I didn’t always pay attention to nature, especially while teaching. I’ve spent years of my language teaching time inside classrooms with four walls. After a while, however, I felt such a strong need to get back outside and to nature and environmental education. In other words, I wanted to get back to being myself! Finally, in 2014, I found a way to combine and integrate these things!
While it’s important to live sustainably and keep pushing for social, environmental and climate justice, it’s no less important to have down-time outdoors, where we can focus our attention on nothing but the nature around us.
What I’ve discovered, is that getting the things we want and need in life is a matter of finding the right balance.
That’s how I created the concept of English in Nature!
I’ve come a long way since then!
Since then I’ve worked hard to find the best ways to practice English in Nature. Yes, you’re right, it’s not as easy as just going outside and then suddenly you can speak English (or another language) perfectly.
I assure you, I REALLY know what it’s like to struggle to master a second language! It can be exhausting and feel overwhelming. You also need to take breaks and give yourself time and space to recharge.
Why not do more of what gives you strength and restores your energy?
If you’re like me, the things that enrich our lives and give us strength are not our school classrooms, offices or workplaces. It’s in nature, away from the concrete, asphalt, power lines and computer screens.
What really lets us fully recharge is taking time away from all that, being in touch with the earth, focusing our attention on the plants, animals, waterways, soil or rocks, clouds or wind. I love to do this alone sometimes, but I also love sharing these experiences with other people. As a bonus, being able to do THIS while using a language that isn’t my first language has been such an amazing feeling! (For me, of course, it’s doing this in German or Spanish. For you, it may be the other way around.)
To me, both nature and language learning are a lot more than hobbies.
My aim is to give you all the benefits of what I have learned, both as a language trainer and as a nature- and environmental educator.
A lot of my insight has come from my own personal struggle to master the German language, which was certainly NOT easy! But it also comes from teaching English for so many years. Over that time, I have led classes in schools, in camps, privately at home and also at adult learning centers (such as Volkshochschulen). From all that, I think I have a pretty good sense now for what really works and what makes learning fun.
I’ve also had extra training.
Before I moved to Germany in 2004, I studied biology and psychology with a special focus on linguistics and language development. I have always been fascinated by languages and cultures. But, to me, language and culture are not separate from nature. Our geography, or the PLACES where we live, play an hugely important role in how we live and interact! And that is what I love to explore and weave into my understanding of nature and cultures. It’s how I see the world!
That might sound all academic and high-minded, but, to me, language learning is one of the most natural things we do! It’s also a fantastic opportunity to be creative and have lots of fun.
In fact, when it comes to learning and practicing skills, especially languages, I have two rules…
My two rules for learning and practing skills are this simple:
There are no limits to what nature relates to. Having fun is all about attitude! And being creative and playful often leads to finding great solutions to serious problems! Everything we do has an impact on our natural world. Living more naturally and spending more time outdoors help us to remember that we are very much part of and dependent upon the natural world!
And that’s what English in Nature is all about!
If you’re anything like me, after you’ve tried English in Nature, you will not want to practice your English any other way!
I look forward to seeing you around and to welcoming you!
P.S. Feel free to join my newsletter to get lots of free tips and resources for practicing English in Nature. I also offer free live courses a few times a year at different locations. A few online courses wil be available soon, too!
Stay in touch and you’ll be first to know what’s coming up next!
