Community Profile: Patricia D.
Patricia is the newest member of our MOSAIC Engage team! We are excited to welcome Patricia to the team and are grateful for the contributions she has been making to support our various MOSAIC Engage programs!
Please tell us about yourself and what you do at MOSAIC.
My name is Patrícia and I’m from Brazil, São Paulo. I came to Canada for my master’s degree in Adult Education and I’m now a Program Support Worker for MOSAIC engage. I’m part of the admin team responsible for MOSAIC engage’s English classes and I’ll be closely working with CLBPT and CELPIP tests by supporting clients and invigilating exams.
What are some of your favourite places to visit in and around Vancouver?
Vancouver is beautiful all year-round, but I’ve learned quickly that there are better places to visit than others depending on the season. I really enjoyed Whistler in the winter and English Bay in the summer. But what I like to do more often is to explore new neighborhoods. Simply getting off the bus one or two stops sooner and walking instead. It’s always fun to find hidden shops, restaurants and parks.
Tell us about one of the best places you’ve travelled to and where would you like to go next.
At the risk of sounding obvious, I really enjoy going to Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). I only spent a couple of days there and didn’t have time to visit all the tourist attractions, but loved everything I saw and would love to go back one day. Next, I would like to visit more places in Canada; Niagara Falls, to mention one.
What advice do you have for students who are new to learning English?
As a forever English student myself, I would say one of the main things is to expose yourself to the language as much as possible. The “after hours” are just as important as the time we spend in the classroom. A good strategy is finding something you already enjoy doing and practice the language indirectly. Personally, I love watching movies and TV shows, so I started to watch my favorite ones in English and later added English subtitles. Apart from that, it’s very important to understand that learning a language is a process and it doesn’t happen overnight. Enjoy the journey!
