geoffyd

Absolutely! I've started learning a new language a couple of times (Dutch most recently) and given up. I think it is just a matter of realizing that it won't ever be very useful to me, and that my time would be better spent maintaining the useful skills I already have in other languages.

I spent some time abroad studying French and Arabic. Now that I'm in the US, not taking language classes, I don't want to lose all of the skills I learned. What do you guys do to keep your foreign language skills sharp when you're not in an academic setting?

Like other people here have said, I find repetition to be the best way to memorize things. Try flash cards for the words and definitions. I'd also recommend writing out sentences using the new words to see them in a different way.

I taught an ESL class in Morocco and had a fabulous time with it. I think a lot of people use teaching English as a sort of adult study abroad, and so you don't meet many people in it for a career. My best advice is to really research the certification programs available, and have fun!

I taught an ESL class for a few months abroad, and currently tutor an ESL student weekly. The biggest piece of advice I can give you is to try to be realistic with your expectations. It takes a long time to learn a language, and you're setting yourself up for frustration if you expect to make huge strides. Focus more on specific things (learning this one vocabulary list, or reading this certain book). And realize you can't fix everything in just a weekly tutoring session.