Passion for languages and learning them nonstop started early in school in native Vilnius with lessons in foreign Russian, English, German and Latin, later followed by the studies of English philology comprised of deeper study of other Germanic languages including Swedish and overall linguistics, then later after having moved to Norway, learning its native Norwegian, graduating from the University with a degree in Russian language and literature, working as a foreign language teacher, joining a Sunday Chinese school to learn Mandarin Chinese, picking up some Dutch for personal and family reasons, and for the same reasons moving and currently living in Denmark and learning Danish, while at the same time having had a need to understand some Portuguese for professional purposes and not ceasing learning it due to the annual vacation in the southwestern beauty on the Iberian Peninsula, and finally, for years nurturing my absolute love and passion for French. And I cannot help it. At present, I am studying at the University of Copenhagen for a degree in Classical Philology with a major in Ancient Greek.

I specialize in tutoring English, Norwegian, and Russian with a focus on 

  • gaining and honing language skills
  • preparation for tests and exams (TOEFL, morphological and syntactic analysis, translation techniques)
  • overall language understanding and cultural knowledge
  • individual tips and tools for further independent language learning 

About Ventral Striatum

Humans are innately curious beings who enjoy the process of learning new things. Apparently, the central brain areas called the ventral striatum purportedly get stimulated when learning new words and trying to decipher the grammar of a language so that reward processing occurs and works the same way when, for example, we win the lottery. This part of the brain is often referred to as the brain’s pleasure center.

The Happiness Museum in Copenhagen

Once I heard this theory, I instantly fell in love with it and believed it. I find learning languages pleasant and rewarding. Mostly, I see how it affects my life on a day-to-day basis and in a broader sense, and how, in some ways, has helped me personally to get through some rough patches in life.

So, the interest in languages and learning them can be fun, rewarding, innocently addictive, extremely useful, and something that makes one feel content. I also somewhat compare it to eating chocolate, which, by the way, I am quite addicted to as well.

By learning and teaching languages, and writing the Ventral Striatum blog, I mean to share my passion, almost turned into a slight obsession, for languages, learning and teaching experiences, and more – everything related to the subject of language. And, hopefully, learning along with me will be for you an enjoyable, positive, and maybe even inspirational experience.

Yours,

Asta Važgauskaitė, language learner and teacher