DECEMBER is the most joyous celebration of the year everywhere in the world where peoples are monotheists. But during this period, a visit to India, China and Japan will not hurt either. If you are a Spaniard in search of exotic places around the world where people believe in other divine forms, you may check out the places that I have mentioned earlier. But if you go to India, you need to have a visa if you come from Spain or any other European country or continent. Only people from Central Asia do not need a visa when going to India. Even though India is generally a Third World country, there are certain parts of it which are awe-inspiring. Be that as it may, let me say that poverty must not be shunned upon. If you are that affluent, you can even pour in some of your wealth this Christmas season to a reputable charity organization in India such as the Red Cross and achieve spiritual fulfillment and peace of mind in return.

The most immemorial tourist attraction in India is the Taj Mahal in Agra. But Agra – just like New Delhi and other congested places in India – is a very poor city. This is where you must concentrate your charities on. The Taj Mahal has long been there since the 1600s although it is already repainted in its current state. However, its magnificent domes are really original. It has impressed the world’s body in tourism and cultural preservation so much that UNESCO has declared it a World Heritage Site in 1983.

Also take note that India is one of the places in the world with the most vehicles so definitely, it is not a practical and safe ground for pedestrians. If you’re in India, you must take a taxicab or a car rental with you wherever you go. Another attractive city in India is Bangalore. Bangalore is one of the most prosperous places in India because lots of people here have some technical knowhow. That’s why the biggest tech companies in the world such as Dell and HP have established technical support centers here. But the most relaxing place to study Hindi in India this winter is in Goa. Goa is a city that has the elements of a paradise such as sandy beaches. If you want to learn a little Hindi in two weeks or so this winter in India, then there are lots of private tutors who are willing to teach you a little Hindi or so.

But if you want to go to Brazil, then learn Portuguese there. Although Portuguese can closely be learned in Portugal which is located just north of Spain at the same Iberian Peninsula, Portugal’s Mediterranean coast closely resembles that of Spain in places such as Praia da Luz. But if you really want to help the poor this Christmas season and at the same time learn Portuguese, then go to Brazil. It is across the Atlantic so brace yourself with some jet lag when going there.

But why not stick to Europe? Destinations such as Andalucia have a great climate all year round and so you could take a road trip (say using an option such as Malaga car hire) and enjoy many beautiful cities, picking up some Spanish as you go! A great option for students who may be of a limited budget! Just like portuguese, though, Spanish can be learnt outside of Spain, especially in locations throuought Latin America, you can stay in some Buenos Aires apartments and learn Spanish from the locals, for example!

LEARNING another language will make you have money in the near future. Teaching English alone as a second language is one way to become rich. It’s so easy to become a tutor of the English language. All you need to do is attend three academic semesters in learning English as a second language. The first phase is the beginner’s stage, the next one is the intermediate stage and the last one is the advanced stage.

Once you have accomplished all these, you can now become a mentor of the English language to your countrymen. You can even tour to other countries and be an English teacher. The Philippines is a country where Tagalog is the main tongue. But English is used here as a second language. That’s why there is a Filipino teacher right now who is known in China as an English teacher. That entails a lot of profits.

Yet, English is just one language that people are fascinated learning. In the Philippines, lots of Americans, Canadians, English, Irish, Australians, French, Germans, Israelis and Middle Easterners want to learn Tagalog in preparation to wed their Filipino wives here. But since the Philippines are an archipelago with very diverse dialects such as Cebuano and Maranao, there are ultimately language schools here which cater to the different dialects.

These language schools do not just offer language programs; they also serve as hospitality schools-cum-travel agencies. They organize study tours to the various places around the locales of whatever countries they are located. Take for instance, the Philippines. The language school will offer excursion programs towards Boracay and Baguio City. The trend in Indonesian language schools is to organize trips toward Bali. In Israel, the trend in language schools there is to organize trips to Haifa. Language schools are such a profitable business that bankruptcy is never heard of in this industry.

If you’re not interested to form your own language school, there are other alternatives that you can pursue. If you’re an English language teacher, you can go to Hollywood and become an English dialogue coach for other actors and actresses who do not know English that much. You are Hollywood-based but many of these productions occur in non-English speaking countries such as Morocco. In these instances, the students will be the extras in the production. Some are even the actors and actresses themselves who are all in Moroccan descent. Or maybe there is another Hollywood production that is held in Germany or China and the actors and actresses involved are all non-English speakers. So there needs to be a Hollywood dialogue coach to direct them.

There are other ingenious ways in capitalizing learning a foreign language. For instance, you are a businessman from Japan and you have interests in France. So you need to study and enroll yourself in a French language school. Just like other language courses, the French language program also involves several stages such as the beginner, the intermediate and the advanced stage. So what are you waiting for?

Think about how learning a language can give you contacts (you can get to know at least twice the number of people you could before!) and so incorporate this whilst learning the language itself - social activities which give you the chance to practise your speaking/listening/writing which you can also enjoy, it won’t seem like you’re learning! Say you organise a poker night with friends, you can speak in the target language all the way through whilst speaking in Spanish, say, playing the juegos de casino…you might see yourself becoming rich before you’ve even taken advantage of the language! It’s a fun game and certainly not a laborious way of learning and practising a language - none of the reading piles of grammar books for sure!

Learn another language today and be rich.

WHERE can you find the best language schools in the world? That may be a dilemma. And it really is since the answer to that question is relative. It really depends on the money that you have. If you have lots and lots of money, then you can splurge on the best language schools in Paris and Geneva. But if you’re the average middle class type, then you can enroll in an online school so there is minimal tuition involved.

However, there are some persons who embark language study tours abroad with a fashion. Take for instance my sister. My sister and I live in the Philippines. Last year, she left for college in Quebec. Since Quebec is a French-speaking province, their medium of instruction there is also French. My sister is taking up biology there. And she is slowly coping up because she takes intensive French studies on weekends.

Her story is similar to that one experienced by Anna. Anna speaks English as a first language. Both her parents are New Englanders so they never knew French. Anna is taking up French studies in New Canaan, Connecticut and she soon became the president of her school’s French Club. As such, she was successful in raking in sponsors for her summer sojourn in Paris last August. That experience even strengthened her knowledge of the French language and boosted her self-confidence in speaking French to the real French guys like actor Gerard Depardieu whom he happened to meet while on an educational trip at the Eiffel Tower.

In Spain, language studies here can be divided into three stages – the basic, the intermediate and the advanced. During the first day of class, the instructor will ask each one of the students to recite in front of the class something in Spanish. The student will likewise be asked to write down a one-page essay. And that’s just for the first day of class. Imagine what an entire six-month session can accomplish.

Derived from the antique Roman language, Spanish has spawned half a dozen dialects of its own. This you will also encounter in a typical Spanish language class. It has a distant similarity to Portuguese and the German and French languages. Why? Simply because German and French languages also come from the Roman language.

And it’s not just in mainland Spain where you can find the most complete Spanish language schools. You can also find them in the Canaries and the Balearic archipelago. You can even find them in Florida, Texas and Puerto Rico. Most of the Spanish language schools in Florida are run by Cuban refugees. On the other hand, the ones in El Paso or Laredo, Texas are manned for Caucasians who want to do business in nearby Mexico. When researching the place you want to study in, assure yourself that you’re going to be happy there - speak to assistants in agencia de viajes, speak to people you already know living abroad and use sites like this - you can then guarantee you’ll be happy!

Now let’s go to studying English. First of all, English has two distinct accents - rhotic or non-rhotic. The non-rhotic accent is practiced in the United States while the rhotic ones are used in England and Australia. Now which language do you want to study?