June 2016 - Teresa Bulman

With a sharp sense of humor and extraordinary passion for learning, Teresa’s great enthusiasm easily rubs off on her classmates and instructors. Having started as a beginning student, she’s worked towards building her Spanish skills through both group classes and private lessons, sometimes simultaneously. A professor of geography, the subjects that most whet her interest include nature, climate, architecture, art, cuisine, and opera, and she’s taken advantage of her burgeoning skills to discuss all these and more in Spanish! A savvy world traveler, Teresa’s deep appreciation of the diversity of our planet and it’s cultures informs her nuanced approach to language learning. We’re honored to count Teresa as part of our community at Tierra and look forward to seeing her Spanish ability continue to blossom!

Name: Teresa Bulman
Occupation: Professor of Geography, Portland State
Time Studying at Tierra: About two years

1) Why are you studying Spanish?

"Purely for language acquisition.  I’ve wanted to learn Spanish for years, but kept putting it off with flimsy excuses!  I ran out of excuses when I found Tierra – the classes fit my schedule and the learning environment is very supportive.  As a senior, I knew picking up a new language would be a challenge but it has turned out to be an enjoyable challenge."

2) What is your favorite part about your experience here at Tierra?

"I love that each class approaches language learning in a variety of ways.  Each week we have a mixture of exercises, discussion, story reading, and listening comprehension.  You learn in different ways, and each way supports prior learning."

3) Can you tell us of a time you have been able to use what you have learned studying here?

"Last autumn I went to Spain for three weeks.  While I was only a beginning intermediate, I was able to establish an easy communication, entirely in Spanish, with the local baker, fruit vendor, and coffee barista!  They tolerated all of my grammatical errors with patience and humor."

¡Felicidades Teresa!