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transcript
Annemie (00:18.632)
How are you? Hola Anime, muy bien y tu? I’m fine. Thank you for asking. What about you? But I’m very happy that we are speaking today because in anticipation of this podcast, I was thinking, my goodness, we met all those years ago during the dreadful COVID, right? Yeah, we started lessons in 2020, right? Yeah. So long ago, and since then.
I mean I guess there is COVID was bad, but it led to technology evolving. And there you go. You helped me with not only discovering you know, Spanish, but really I learnt a lot about Colombia and you are an amazing language teacher. And you’ve done something very, very beautiful, which we’ll talk about in a second. But before we get on to that topic, all of those topics and AI and everything.
Why don’t you introduce yourself to everyone? sure. Well, I am a linguistic and a language teacher from Colombia with a master’s degree in applied linguistics. specialize in teaching Spanish as a foreign language. And well, I’ve been teaching English and Spanish for several years. I love something that is like a passion for me, is that language has a power.
And it is not only a tool of communication, it is also understanding ourselves, our cultures, and that’s more than just grammar or anything. So I love languages and I also love literature and poetry because I love words in general terms. And I think to your point, language is so much more, right? So if it wasn’t for language, I would never have met you. Exactly, for sure. Yeah.
Without COVID and language. Exactly. Without yeah, exactly. So we’ve been learning Spanish. You are and I think you described yourself there as a language teacher, a linguist, and a writer, and you love poetry. Tell me a little bit more about that. Well, about poetry, well And what have you done? We have to get it out there. Sure. Well I have done plenty of things, but
Annemie (02:38.2)
Well, I started writing poetry probably since I was a teenager, but I had a personal process in my life that it was really emotional and I needed to overcome some situations. And I discovered that the language has given me everything, you know, like as you mentioned, my profession, my friends, a lot of things. So I decided to overcome.
This situation with poetry, and I created a book writing some of my thoughts regarding the process I was living, and it was related to a relationship, but not only like a romantic relationship. And I decided to create a book in order to give people like a way to feel joined, because sometimes we have
plenty books nowadays that say like okay five steps to forget your ex-boyfriend and it’s like sometimes you don’t need to forget sometimes you just need to to leave your emotions like they are do you want to fire everything not literally but we have words and we can do things in words so I decided to do it like that like a process with different elements like well
the four elements. So water, we started with fire because I wanted to to get in fire everything. That’s it. So the idea is that the person who reads it just feels joined but also understood. And you know like you don’t have to just forgive quickly. You don’t have to get into a new couple now. You don’t have to live your life just like nothing happened.
And you did what what tell us what your book is called? well the name is in Spanish that is called Alchimia de Mensajes en Botella. So basically it’s like like a bottle of messages, but it is alchemy. because because of the process with the elements and you know, like I I also consider that language is magical, like alchemy. So you can well you can transmutate this.
Annemie (05:02.638)
feelings and these words that probably are not the best feelings ever, but you can well I I I found gold that it was my book and it was at the end of the process I I felt that I didn’t have more words to mention. So for me that was gold. Yeah and I think what’s interesting it is that language we can s come from we don’t need to be in the same
Place, but we can all share if you a word can make you feel a feeling. And this is where it becomes really interesting, right? Because you and I were also talking about I mean, I’m doing my language lessons now also with the help of some AI and so on, which I must say is for me not the same, but you know it’s become popular as a tool for language learning. So what do you think AI does really well and what can it not replace? Well,
I love AI for my students because sometimes my students, especially my English students, they they are afraid of making mistakes, they are afraid to feel embarrassed. And AI has helped them to just check and to get approach to the language and to practice. And it is, you know, like it is a robot. It doesn’t have feelings.
It doesn’t have criteria. So relax. You can practice there, and that’s okay. also, when you are writing, maybe well, maybe not, it is going to give you immediate feedback if you write the correct instructions. Because if not, sometimes it gives you tons of corrections that are not necessary. but it is amazing. I love AI, however.
I would say that yes, as we were talking related to poetry and to culture, the this these apps know a lot of things. They well, they have plenty knowledge, but they don’t have feelings. So when a teacher is with you, a teacher can recognize when you feel afraid. A teacher can recognize you sometimes well pronunciation issues regarding
Annemie (07:25.014)
the way you move your mouth. also, well, important things is recognizing how humanity is connected to language. And you know, like for example, there are things that you cannot explain in Spanish without the context. There are some structures in Spanish that are really connected to our historical processes.
for example, we try to avoid responsibility in our sentences. And that’s something that probably the AI understands in the theory, but what about the practice? How about probably mentioning how you feel or how your country feels about these historical processes? So I think I think you’re bringing up some really interesting points there because
you know, you’re all the way in Colombia. I’m in the UK. We could speak with each other, we could still I think those nuances of emotion, culture, context are all really important. Because when I sit on my iPad, I also told you I get really frustrated with the AI because it’s almost of it’s as if it’s going through a list of things that it was programmed to do with you, but it’s not
that there is any empathy or it’s not really working with you. Maybe in time it will get better. But I do think what you miss is that human connection, right? And I’m assuming that’s why you believe it’s, you know, language is just is more than just grammar. It’s also those connections. And learning a language is just more about it’s is about more than just grammar. Sure. And also as you mentioned, this is designed for you.
And ha it has everything ready for you, so it is not going to be something annoying, or you’re not going to have like a cultural shock or something, and that’s something that you really need. Okay, you are learning English, you are learning Spanish. Why? Maybe because you want to interact with other people, and this interaction helps you with fluency grammar.
Annemie (09:45.26)
But it doesn’t help you with the human interaction itself. You don’t know how the other person is going to react to your accent, to whatever. For example, if you sound a little rude, but it was not rude for you, but it was rude for the other person, how are you going to deal with that? Mm-hmm. That’s really interesting, those nuances. Now, one other question I have for you is.
and then I also want to draw some parallels to the world of work. But you work as a teacher and as a poet. So both have you know, are related to language and you’re working with language every day. And so how are they connected? And why did I mean I think maybe you’ve already given some of the answer why you chose to to work in this field. But how are they connected for you? Well, I don’t know. Today I would say that I
I cannot see my life without words, without language. But it was not like that all the time. Maybe because of my background in my country. I I didn’t have like a clear answer of what to study. And I wanted to study astronomy, which is something that I love also, the universe. And then I was good for English. And then I discovered that I really love languages, I love literature.
So I read every single day. I don’t write every day, but I try, but I I do read and I I speak in different languages every day. So I would say that now Laura cannot be like divided or separated from language. Is it’s a question that I don’t I well they are connected in all senses. I have tried also to write
poetry in English, which I confess that is a little more difficult. Maybe because I was born in Spanish and your personal processes probably are in your mother tongue. Mother tongue. Yeah. So I would say they are totally connected. I I and I actually can can mix them because in my job I can
Annemie (12:07.818)
also teach my my students with literature, with poetry, and in the institution I work for, they also have contests about poetry. They have well, I create content in social media also about grammar and everything. And sometimes it is connected to the library. So yeah, I would say that it that’s in my daily life.
And just i again, as I’m sitting and listening to you here, there’s obviously so much everywhere about AI and business and changing the world of work and so on and so forth. But I think what I take from our conversation again is the importance of the human will need to be in the middle, the human in the loop, the human presence will need to be there, whether you are you know, for a long time and
Because what humans bring are contexts. They bring the nuances. And we all know this stuff. And I think AI is very good if we want to be very expedient and very quick. And it’s super helpful for all those things that you mentioned, right? Whether you’re learning a language, whether you are, you know, composing an email, whether you’re doing research and so on and so forth. But it’s like like what I found with AI, particularly the language learning AI, they sometimes
Just lack that magical something that you get from a human interaction. So, what do you last question from my side? So, what do you hope your readers now? Actually, I have two. I want you to tell us a little bit about Colombia and what I learned from you. It’s been so fascinating, especially the culture and the different people who live there. you know, the different
types of I mean it’s it’s this they were things that I didn’t even know. So maybe what would you say if I said Colombia in a couple of sentences, if that was possible? Oof, what a difficult question, anyway. Mm-hmm. well probably a lot of people say and were wild, they say that Colombian people are happy. That’s which is well, yes, of course true. We have a lot of natural resources.
Annemie (14:23.926)
We have plenty food in general terms. Of course, we have tons of inequality problems, educational problems. However, something that I would like to mention about Colombia, and it’s connected to Spanish and my classes, is that for example, we have a structure that is very Colombian and it is not really used in other countries, and it’s one that is
Well, I’m going to mention it in Spanish. That is like se me cayó el niño or el niño no me comió. That’s a structure that uses se. Yeah. That is that it could be reflexive that you use it, for example, when you say me levanté, se levantó. But in this case, the sentences that I mentioned before are using the se just because you want to express that.
person’s action affects you so much. So the child the child didn’t eat in it in English is like, okay, the baby didn’t eat. That’s it. But in Spanish is like, no me comio. So it means that the action of not eating affects me, even though if it’s he or she that doesn’t eat. And that’s really common and it’s something that is particular because here we have a very familiar culture.
And we are so, so connected. We know our neighbors. We have celebrations with our neighbors that it’s something that sometimes doesn’t happen in other countries. Yeah. That’s so that’s absolutely fascinating. I didn’t even really know. That’s something new I learned even today from you, right? And again, it’s an example of the the power of language, right? To give you that nuance which you probably
Yeah, you you wouldn’t just pick it up from a book or I don’t know, but I it’s fascinating. So speaking of that, let’s go back to your book. So maybe tell you one again the title and then so what do you want people to take away from that? I’m I think you’ve told us what it was about, what it meant for you. You’ve said you know, there’s a lot out there, but maybe what are what do you want readers to take a book away from your poetry?
Annemie (16:44.874)
All right, well my my book is called Alchemia de mensages and botella. alchemy from bottle messages. Yeah. And something that I want well first, it is not published yet. We are looking for any editorial to to take it. but something that I just want from people when they read it is just feel your feelings.
That’s it. It is it is fine. If you well, you don’t have to be okay tomorrow. That’s something that I see today in social media in books, like, okay, you can do it. Yes. Three steps. Three steps. The three steps. Or yeah, of course. Don’t text your ex boyfriend or something like that. And it’s like maybe you have to text, but maybe you don’t have to send it. And that’s why
The the title is messages in a bottle because you need to write, you need to express yourself, but maybe the other person doesn’t need to know it, and that’s okay. And are you angry? Express it. Do you feel sad? Express it, leave it when you feel it until your bones, it is easier to overcome emotions. And I feel that society in this moment needs a lot of.
This like just feel because we don’t have time. We we need actually to schedule everything. Okay, I have time to cry today. Yes, I do. And that’s not the idea. My idea is like, okay, I express it in my in my personal life, but I want people to also feel not like that, not sad. Yeah, yeah. We we lose people, that’s normal.
you know like in in our lives friends couples coworkers and that’s okay to feel that maybe you are not happy there or you are not happy in the moment because of the loss and just feel it feel it and when it is a way of dealing with it right exactly when you feel it a lot it is easier to be happy later but
Annemie (19:10.612)
If you just make this feeling invisible, I don’t know, it is going to explode later. Right. I like that. Or or it it it you’ll just keep pushing it down and then and then who knows what happens. It will it act it will manifest itself in some form, some strange form, maybe health or something else, right? Mm-hmm. Yeah. So I just want people to to allow themselves to feel.
And if I can join join them in the process until these feelings stop being fire itself and they become like more like wind, like wind, sorry. It it is better just flow, flow because probably the loss is is going to last forever, but it is the way that you feel it and the way that it affects your life what really means something.
if you just let it flow or if it keeps like a if you keep it like a luggage that you have to carry. Carry. Thank you so much, Laura. And what we’ll do is we will add in the body of the LinkedIn post some details. I can highly recommend you as an amazing teacher and friend. So I will yeah anybody who’s interested whether it is in
contacting you about Spanish lessons or your book or anything like that. yeah, we’ll provide your details in the LinkedIn post. So with that, I wish you Thank you. This is an amazing opportunity and I love you so much and I miss our conversation. I know, I know. But hopefully we’ll get to see each other again because that’s one of the things that we also manage to do, right?
Yeah. and let let’s hope. Never say never is what I say. We never say never because we don’t know. So with that, thank you very much, Lara. And yeah, we’ll speak soon and everybody will know where to get in touch with you. Sure, thank you so much. Ciao. Take care, bye. Bye bye.
