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Importance of Language LearningWhen Miguel first arrived at Toronto from Colombia, he was just seven years old and, as he recollects, was constantly told by his father, a chemical engineer, of the importance of a Second Language Learning to succeed in life. His family, of two sisters and his parents, only spoke their native tongue Spanish. His father new just enough English to communicate and he and his sisters took some English classes back in Colombia. But they fled their homeland due to political turmoil that was affecting his country in the 1980's.
Miguel and his siblings soon after arriving, immediately following his parent's wishes, started learning English, not only as a commodity, but as a necessity. Eventually he, and his sisters were communicating on their parents behalf, relying on them to go to the super market, and such activities. When his father passed away, he dedicated himself to help provide for his family and take care of his mother and sisters. Miguel acknowledges that he wasn't a very applied student in school, but he soon realized the importance of learning another language, on more than simple every day communication, it also opened up a vast deal of opportunities in life he would have never expected. He eventually went on to learn Portuguese and french.
Now, an accomplished teacher, Miguel reflects of the importance of language learning, as diversifying oneself and expanding your horizons. Since it does wonder for one's outlook in life and it changes your perspective about the world. Not to mention the wide variety of options it opens up for you. Miguel himself says that it helped him become a citizen of the world.
As for today, he is currently a teacher in Toronto, teaching Portuguese and Spanish, he takes care of his elderly mother and helps her read the pharmacy reviews whenever she needs to buy medication, he jokes saying that after all these years he still is the way his mother uses to communicate when she goes shopping.
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