Travelling Abroad

I recently went to Costa Rica where people speak Spanish. I studied Spanish on my own for a couple of months before I went but I was quite nervous about going alone to a country where the language was one that I had barely scratched the surface of. Each day before I set off on my various activities, I looked up the language I would need for those activities. It was very challenging and frustrating. Now I know exactly what my students are saying: No amount of "book learning" can really prepare you for functioning in another language. you have to get out and speak and listen.
Watch this space for some tips on how to speed up your attainment of fluency in a second language.