I've spent most of my life learning and using languages, earning a degree in Classics and a Master's in Translation from National Taiwan Normal University. I know Latin, Classical Greek, Chinese, and Spanish, as well as a little French and Japanese. Chinese is the foreign language I know best, having studied, used, and taught it for almost twenty years. I use Chinese every day to communicate with my Taiwanese girlfriend, and I love helping others gain mastery in a language with an unjust reputation for difficulty. I like the tension between "playing by the rules" and "thinking outside the box" that comes with language use. I like the small joys of grammar and syntax, as well as the bigger joys of personal connections and deeper, richer life experiences that come with languages. I love teaching because I get to help other people experience for themselves these same joys. For me, language is fun, not frustrating, and it's this excitement along with a strong grasp of fundamentals, that I love to share with students.