Doug Siegel
My blogs
| Occupation | French Teacher |
|---|---|
| Location | Bend, Oregon |
| Introduction | Bonjour! My name is Doug Siegel and I have been interested in foreign languages and cultures since I started studying them in middle school. I have been studying French since the age of 12 and Spanish since the age of 16. I have lived in the cities of Nancy, Nice, and Toulon in France and I have traveled to Spain on numerous occasions. I received my BA in Foreign Languages from Lewis and Clark College and later my MEd from Portland State University. I grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico and moved to Portland, Oregon in 2002. I am new to Bend and very excited to take advantage of the sunshine, and easy access to the great outdoors and Smith Rock. |
| Interests | I am a huge proponent of Foreign Language education. Bilingualism is not only useful and practical, but many studies have pointed out mental health benefits to studying/speaking a second language. There are several reasons to pursue French in particular: French is spoken on five continents and is an official language of 29 countries. There are approximately 270 million French speakers in the world. French is one of two official languages of the UN and the Olympics, the other being English. Knowledge of French facilitates the study of other romance languages (Spanish, Italian, Portuguese). The English language has incorporated many thousands of French words and phrases (especially in the art worlds--music, dance, cuisine, etc) and knowing French helps us understand our own language! |