While most of our members are young people using lingoo.com to embark on the lifelong journey that is language, we notice an increasing number of those in the 40+ bracket seeking hosting/exchanging/homestay opportunities. Scratching the surface to discover why, our findings prove to be quite insightful.
Many have an age-old language qualification under their belt (O/A levels, even degrees), had ‘parked’ the language (despite good intentions, the ‘at some points’ have a habit of never reaching the top of the list) and then happily come across lingoo.com as a route to rekindling skills. Unfortunately, for every rekindler out there, there are at least 10 who think it’s too late to revisit language. It’s the old if-we-had-a-pound scenario every time we hear a pessimistic “if you don’t use it, you lose it”, a defeatist “the old brain cells aren’t up to it” or the most common of all, the self-doubting “I’m just too rusty”.
Research suggests otherwise. If you once had some second-language skills – and that’s anything from a very basic grasp to a degree of fluency - those skills are not lost if neglected but just dormant, requiring a simple nudge to awaken them. Revisiting language unlocks memories and associations and proves, in the case of one lingoo.com member Laura – who has a 25 year old A Level in Spanish – both refreshing and enriching.
“Up to my eyes in work, family commitments and mortgage feeding, I was pretty sure that I didn’t have the headspace, finances or ‘me-time’ to commit to my Spanish again. Suspecting that I was making excuses, I registered on lingoo.com and before I knew it, was staying at the home of the most likeminded Spanish host I could have hoped for. We both dusted off our old language skills, I visited places that have been on my wish-list for years and I paid a fraction of the cost of a regular holiday for the privilege.”
A little more digging showed that many in ‘mid-life’ find themselves – with a hint of envy of course - sandwiched between the millennials, with their seemingly infinite travel opportunities, and the ‘Woofs’ (Well Off Older Folks) on some kind of frantic bucket-list mission. 40-something Paul, owner of a French degree, two kids and a former wanderlust firmly on the backburner was no exception. “What actually prompted me to register on lingoo.com was my eight year old asking why I was a French speaker who never speaks French. How were the kids ever going to take language seriously if I didn’t lead by example?” As a result of this wake-up call, Paul and family have already hosted a French family (earning a small income in the process) and now, incentivized by the minimal costs involved, are in the throes of arranging a lingoo.com language homestay, a half-term holiday with a difference.
With none of the pressures of the traditional classroom approach of their youth (nobody to crack the ruler on the table if they can’t conjugate their verbs!), members find that immersing themselves in an authentic experience is by far the most fun, empowering and rejuvenating way to give the old grey matter a prod. It’s never too late..! Read more about language exchanges and homestays for adults.
