In this post I am going to write about my language learning experience at Regina Coeli. Regina Coeli in Vught, the Netherlands is a language institution known for the nuns who used to run it in the past. There are no nuns nowadays but their method of teaching is still more or less used, I assume with some modifications. The courses in this institution are intensive; they are usually either 5 day or weekend courses. The lessons are individual and tailored to each learner's needs. Every learner has an individual program with two teachers who teach them different skills. The materials also vary according to the individual level and learning goals.
I went there for a 5 day intensive Dutch course. I am motivated to learn Dutch for several reasons. I live in the Netherlands and I think learning the language helps me understand Dutch culture better. I work at a faculty where we have monthly meetings in Ducth and I would like to be able to follow the meetings and the emails I occasionally receive in Dutch without G Translate. Besides, I like learning languages and I do not find Dutch a very difficult language compared to Finnish. So I decided to give it a try and I am going to continue practicing what I have learned.
The week at RC was great! I had two teachers; one of them taught me grammar and the other one vocabulary and speaking. I would meet them two times each, and after each lesson with them I would go for an hour of self study which was usually in the language lab and doing online exercises and then I would meet the teachers. The materials used by teachers also depended on your level and learning goals; for me it was mainly handouts. In my schedule, grammar was done in the morning and speaking in the afternoon. There were short breaks in between and an hour of lunch break each day. Two of the lunches were planned together with learners of the same language at about the same level, and a new teacher; we had discussions and the teacher helped us continue talking in Dutch, which was great.
The food was served in the restaurant and the quality and service was great. The food was served at certain times which made it possible for us to meet other language learners and socialize with them at the table. There were people learning Dutch, French, Spanish, English and so on. The rooms were small but clean, modern and suitable for a comfortable sleep. Everything was perfect for starting to learn and practice a language!
I stayed there for 5 nights and studied for 5 days, from 8:20 in the morning to 17:40 in the afternoon. The program was pretty intensive and I had little time to do anything else. Even the coffee breaks were short and barely enough to have a coffee! I liked that.
It is also possible not to stay there at nights, and some who live nearby might choose to go home and sleep but I think language learning like this is mainly useful because you are involved with learning and the learning environment and do not worry or think about anything else. The intensive program gets you focused on your goal and this is what you need when learning a language.
I found the course pretty useful and I think they key for me at this stage is to continue learning and taking some other courses to keep the level if not going higher. I now dare to read the emails I receive in Ducth and sometimes even respond in Dutch. Isn't this awesome?
I wonder if there are such language institutions around in the NL or other countries. I think this is a great idea for starters to give them a good push and motivate them, as well as for intermediate learners, to help level up their language skills. I think the course could possibly be more affordable if the food and service was not swanky and high level, and more people could afford those courses. Perhaps this could be an idea for establishing another institution as Regina Coeli seems to be fully booked during the year, despite high prices.
I am happy I took this course and I am motivated and determined to continue learning. If you have any questions about this institute and the course, feel free to ask me.
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