If you want to learn spanish then this is the place for you. Instituto Cervantes is the cultural…read morearm of the spanish government and they offer language lessons for those who wants to learn spanish. The lessons are not free but they are way more affordable than language lessons being offered elsewhere. Now why would a filipino want to learn spanish? Well, we were under spanish rule for more than 300 years so whether we like it or not, we have spanish influence all around us. Most of us even have a teeny bit of spanish blood. There are also a lot of employment opportunities for bilinguals. And they get paid a ton of money for knowing that while "derecha" means straight ahead in filipino, in spanish "derecha" means the right. Or you can study spanish so you can watch Marimar in its original form. No more weird sounding voice talents who sound as if they perpetually have sore throats. Majority of the profesors are native speakers so they have amazing grasp of the language. As a bonus, they also teach their students the nuances of spanish culture. You get to learn that they write the names of languages and nationalities in small letters so the ones that you read earlier are not typos. It's also quite fun to hear your tisay profesora suddenly blurt to the maintenance staff "kuya, andyan na ba si Nestor?" without a hint of an accent. Or hear your profesora gush about how handsome Jericho Rosales is. They have a library where you can borrow books and music CDs and movies so you can practice your spanish skills at home. And the library is also open to non-students for a nominal annual fee. They also hold cultural activities like film showings, book fairs or poetry and music nights. Whatever your motivations are for wanting to learn the spanish language, Instituto Cervantes can give you the help you need. ¡Vamos a instituto!

I took up Spanish years ago, but only recently did I decide to take it seriously. And where else…read moreshould one do that than in the foremost Spanish language and culture center in the Philippines, Instituto Cervantes? It's been absolutely wonderful so far. I signed up for their Intensive course, which guarantees you 30 hours of top-notch language education in 3 weeks. Of course, this is according to your level of knowledge, but moving up the ranks shouldn't be so difficult, with how focused they are on teaching you.

My first memory of sign language was seeing the deaf actress Linda on Sesame Street, reading a…read moredictionary of it back in grade school, and watching TLC's Left Eye sign "Unpretty." Since then I've always had a vested interest in it and when I found out that CSB held Filiipino Sign Language lessons, I quickly signed myself up. I wouldn't know much about other sign language learning programs, but CSB's School of Deaf Education and Applied Studies has a unique philosophy in promoting an all-encompassing Filipino Sign Language that focuses on Deaf-centric understanding and culture, rather than a language that centers on benefiting the hearing populace. It's with this ideology that Deaf teachers themselves handle the extension program, which accommodates both Deaf and hearing people alike. Much in the same way a Spanish teacher would only talk to you in Spanish, communicating with your Deaf instructor forces you to learn how to pick up the language better. The program immerses you completely in their culture, as you're encouraged to attend Deaf events, activities, and converse with Deaf people, which isn't hard considering they comprise CSB's student body. I'm sorely out of practice now, even after finishing the entire program, but I still remember quite a bit of what I learned and enjoy getting to use it to communicate with Deaf people when I get the chance. I'd love to further extend a hand to our fellow Deaf, and if you would too, CSB's the best place to do it.

"I wanted to learn how to recite poetry in sign language", was one of my primary motivations for…read moreundergoing training under Benilde's School of Deaf Education and Applied Studies (you may call it SDEAS, pronounced es-de-yas, as this is quite a mouthful). The school offers Filipino Sign Language (FSL), which, contrary to popular belief, does NOT entail the translation to sign language of Filipino words/phrases/sentences. I have to clarify this as I've encountered friends whose reason for hesitating to take this course is that they're not very adept at Filipino. Instead, FSL is called such because it is sign language that is rooted in Filipino Deaf culture. The language takes into consideration how and what we communicate, some of our local expressions, and how we process information, among others. There are three levels of FSL training, FSL 1, 2, and 3. Each level takes around three and a half months to complete, following Benilde's trimestral calendar. You will undergo three hours of classes weekly, and can choose from weekday schedules (which usually start at 6PM), or Saturday schedules (which usually start at 9AM and 1PM). Apart from learning the language, you will get to interact with the Deaf community in Benilde, or at the very least, Deaf teachers who are so enthusiastic about teaching their language and raising awareness on their culture. They're super friendly and patient, too! If you're looking to learn new ways of communicating (I heard learning a new language is a great way to fight aging as it keeps the mind engaged and active), want to learn more about Deaf culture, or have a Deaf family member or friend that you want to better connect with, this is a great way to start! P.S. By the way, "Deaf" is spelled with a capital letter D in Benilde, because its Deaf community wants to be identified beyond disability and instead, recognized as a group with its own unique culture.

One might dream of going to Europe whether for work or for fun. Whatever the reason, the…read moreGerman-speaking countries - known for cleanliness, efficiency, and unique culture (and if I may add some more... beer and sausage) - should be on anyone's list. I know, I know. You may be discouraged because German is commonly thought of as a difficult language to learn. Fear not. There are institutions that can help you. Also known as the German Cultural Center, the Goethe-Institut Philippinen (formerly Goethe-Institut Manila) is the authority in the German language. Goethe-Institut caters to its core mission as the agent of promoting the German culture and language in the Philippines. Recently, they branched out into integration projects for Filipino migrants who wish to work in German-speaking countries. Though their language classes cost a certain fee, they offer many free cultural programs, including movie nights every Wednesday evening at the Goethe-Institut library, which feature German films with English subtitles at no charge, open to the general public. Cool, isn't it? Their facilities are up-to date and feature the latest in learning technologies as well as what is possibly the widest assortment of German literature in the country. If learning the German language and culture is one of your passions in life, this is the place to be.

Ni hao! Wo hen piaoliang. ("Hello! I am beautiful." in English; "Hellur! Dyosa ako. in my language)…read moreLearning a new language is challenging at nakakaloka at the same time! Pero nakakaganda rin yan sa resume mo girl "Fluent in speaking beki language." BEKI PALA PINAGMALAKI KO PA HAHAHA Unlike my dad who speaks Chinese fluently, pagkain ng siomai lang ata ebidensya na may Chinese blood sa sexy kong katawan. Choz. Pero favorite ko ang Chinese food and my family has been following some of the traditions at culture since forever. Syempre wala ka raw pake sa buhay ko pero shinare ko lang! Hahaha! May part sa akin na gusto kong mas makilala pa where I came from (diba nga ang hindi lumingon sa pinanggalingan, may stiff neck. CHAR) kaya naghanap ako ng magtuturo sa akin ng Mandarin somewhere, over the rainbow. I enrolled sa Confucius Institute at the Ateneo de Manila University in Katipunan (nasa Makati yung isang branch). Pwede mong maaral yung Chinese language and culture dito girl. Ito yung offer nila: Mandarin Classes, Business Chinese, Mandarin for Kids, Corporate Training, Mandarin One-on-One, Chinese Painting, Chinese Calligraphy, Chinese History, Guzheng Lessons, Erhu Lessons, Taichi, and Qigong. Syempre yung Mandarin for Kids yung kinuha ko! Ambisosya! Hahaha! Tse, sige yung Mandarin Classes period. They have different schedules sa Katipunan and sa Makati branch kaya you have to check kung saan mas convenient at mas okay na time for you (syempre common sense yang sinabi ko. Maka-marunong lang si ate!) In my case, pwedeng TTH (at night) or Saturdays 9AM-12NN at syempre doon ako nag-avail sa Saturdays para diretso date na pagkatapos diba! Choz. Around 3 months yung tagal nung classes ko, 3 hours/ week. P 5,000 yung Registration Fee for the Beginner and Intermediate Chinese, tapos P 5,500 na yung Advanced Chinese. Plus yung gastos for your Course Materials like your textbook, CDs, and dictionary. Hindi lang sulit yung amount na yan kasi feeling ko mura pa siya para sa quality ng turo na makukuha mo girl! The advantage pa ng nasa AdMU ka? Feeling mo isa ka na rin talaga sa students doon kaya you can stay sa area tapos mag-feeling Atenista ka at mag-sight ng batang papabols. Choz lang! I enrolled for 3 Chinese Classes lahat: yung first 2 ko Basic Chinese siya then Chinese Character naman yung last. TARAY MO DIYAN ATE. If you need the language for travel purposes, Basic Chinese 1 is enough na for you. Magagaling din yung instructors at very approachable if you have concerns kaya mabilis mong magegets yung Mandarin language. Tip: Mag-review ka talaga girl. Usually, isa-isa talaga kayong pagsasalitain kaya mahirap kumuha ng kodigo kasi random siya pero mabilis kang matututo naman talaga. KODIGO TALAGA CONCERN KO. You can finish one class na kaya mo nang magsalita in Chinese (basic) pero syempre kailangan mapractice mo pa rin siya habang nakikipag-chikahan sa ibang marunong ng language. Kaya highly-recommended ko yung Confucius Institute at the Ateneo de Manila University! Sobrang galing!!!

Second time taking intensive French program in AF Manila. I have taken lessons in Paris, Taipei,…read moreHong Kong and Shanghai. I found the teacher here are most enthusiastic. The curriculum is structured and easy to follow. But bear in mind that if you are taking intensive, try not to miss the class otherwise you might stay behind the agenda. However, as frequent traveler, I do hope AFM can provide more flexible options to make-up classes. I would like to mention there is a cafe in the ground floor behind the reception area. Their croissant, pain au chocolat and quiche are delicious with faite price, rare to find in Manila for French food. Love it! One more important thing, the library in AFM is awesome, the library manager is extremely friendly and helpful. Do come to take a visit!

I love learning French and glad there's Alliance in Makati. I went there for a free French movie on…read morea Wednesday night. They have multiple events and a restaurant as well. They also have a library.

Korea is amazing on different levels but what I can say for certain is that Korea knows good…read moremarketing. They actually have cultural centers all over the world to well -- promote their culture and to keep it alive. When KCCI opened, I was awed by how well-designed it was. You can see they put a lot of work and effort on it. It's a multipurpose hall, a classroom for Korean language classes, a studio for Kpop Dance Classes and they even have this hall where all the pictures of their Hallyu stars are on display. The pictures were all uniformed and they had a theme so it magnified the wow effect. I was fortunate enough to be able to sign up for a Kpop dance class for FREE. I didn't even believe it was free at first. It was indescribably cool. Not many are fans of Kpop or Korean boys (too skinny, too pretty, too much plastic surgery), but you have to admit when they dance, they are smoooooth. The teacher was a cool Korean girl and she taught us all the latest hits. I was also really challenged and that made me even like it more. Check out their website and they might have something for you.