Bonjour! My name is Bill Savage. I am a language teacher, a travel addict, and a history enthusiast. Welcome to my world!
A passion since childhood
I was only 6 years old when I first fell in love. German was my first love (simply because it was the language offered at my school). I was immediately captivated, and virtually obsessed with it. Even though other kids didn’t seem to share my opinion, learning a foreign language felt like such a cool thing to do. To me it was an endlessly fun game and a challenging puzzle to figure out. The more I learned, the more I wanted to learn, and it became a (healthy!) addiction. Along with languages, I became fascinated by world history, realizing that there is so much more to the world we live in than what we see and experience living here in America. This led to extensive travel in Western Europe where my passion for languages, culture, and history only deepened.
about me
French and Italian, so much to love
In my opinion, French and Italian are the most beautiful languages in the world, period. They are gorgeous. I find them endlessly fascinating because there are so many dimensions, so much more than simply grammar and vocabulary. It is also the way the languages sound, like musical notes strung together in new ways. The melody, harmony, rhythms, and interplay of the words are like wrapping yourself up in the world’s best chocolate. It is no coincidence that Italian is literally the language of music throughout the world, and French was once the “lingua franca” (the common language) of the civilized world. Along with its history, beauty, and richness, learning a foreign language goes far beyond simply acquiring new words: it informs and influences how we express ideas and notions. It allows us to discover a new part of ourselves!
An enriched travelling experience
Language study and mastery makes travelling an entirely different experience. The contrast between speaking the local language versus not is like admiring the scenery from the flat surface of a window and being able to step right through it. We are not only taking it in with our eyes, we become part of the local scene, part of the experience. Communication being the foundation of all of our interactions, it allows us to participate and shape our adventure, creating meaningful and impactful memories that we would not have had otherwise. It also gives us a much broader world view and a more nuanced perspective allowing us to look at the world with a different set of lenses. It really enriches our whole life!
Physical side effects
An unexpected byproduct that came with learning languages is that I could feel inside my head that I was physically rewiring and restructuring my brain in very positive ways. It was like flexing a muscle that became stronger and better with each repetition, like having a great daily physical fitness workout, only in my mind. I feel that learning languages has made me smarter, faster, and more creative, and research does support my experience. Researchers say that learning a foreign language benefits cognitive abilities while lowering risks for brain aging conditions. So, it doesn’t only allow you to bathe in its beauty and enhance your travelling experience, it also allows you to boost your brain’s capacities and to age gracefully!
Sharing my passion
I am not kidding when I tell students that I cannot wait to get to work when I wake up in the morning. I am just as excited about these languages as I was when I was a kid. I consider myself privileged to have the opportunity to share my lifelong passion with my students every day. It brings me deep joy to speak, practice and teach these languages to other people. Learning French or Italian might represent to you the desire to connect with a biological heritage, the aspiration to travel more and communicate with the locals, the dream to establish yourself in Italy or France, or a passion for the beauty, history, and musicality of the language. Learning a new language as well as teaching it is a very rewarding experience. I would be honored to be your guide on this learning journey!
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Interested in learning Italian too?
I teach private Italian lessons as well! You can always check out my other website at https://www.BillSavageItalian.com