English and Surf Course 2013: An Interview with Gavin Morris
Go Inspired is excited to sit down to chat with Gavin Morris, Instructor of Go Inspired’s English and Surf Course in England this summer.
Gavin leads the English instruction part of the English and Surf Course. He is a qualified English instructor as well as a Surf enthusiast.
Tell us when or how you started to surf?
I first started bodyboarding when I was about 8 and then started surfing when I was about 13 and I have continued to do both since then.
You grew up in Cornwall which is an English county bordered by the Celtic Sea. What did you enjoy about growing up there?
For me, growing up in Cornwall was all about the beach and the sea. I don’t really remember a time when I didn’t go in the sea and so starting to surf when I was older was a very natural progression of that enjoyment of being in the water.
We are impressed that you speak a variety of languages. How did you get interested in learning languages?
The first time I really enjoyed learning languages was when I trained as a linguist in the R.A.F. The language course at the beginning was very intense, with about 30 hours tuition a week. Doing an intensive course really showed me the value of learning that way and so when I went to South America I went straight to a language school to do an intensive course of Spanish. After travelling around South America I decided to do a joint honours degree in Linguistics & Spanish, which involved a year living in Madrid, during which time I studied Spanish intensively. On completion of my degree I spent some time in Spain before embarking on my next linguistic sojourn to Poland.
What are some amazing places you have travelled to?
I’ve been lucky enough to travel to close to 40 countries and so it’s impossible to pick a favourite and I love many things about different countries: the beaches in Thailand, the surfing and general craziness of Indonesia, the sheer diversity of New Zealand and pretty much everything in Spain. However, my most amazing trip was to South America. I travelled around the whole of the Southern Cone, saw some of the most amazing places on earth and met people who amazed me with their warmth and openness. The words “trip of a lifetime” are overused, but my trip through South America, for me, really was exactly that.
What do you enjoy about teaching?
One of the main things I enjoy, is the fact that teaching is very involving. There are a lot of things to think about when you’ve got a group of learners, usually of variable ability, who all have differing strengths and weakness and who need to have information presented to them in different ways. I also enjoy the amount of interaction with people and the fact that you’re not static for 8 hours a day, as you are in some jobs.
Is there a country you wish you travel to?
I’d like to go to Antarctica.
Well thanks Gavin for taking the time to chat with us. We look forward to seeing you again in England this summer to kick off the English and Surf Course.
Go Inspired is offering a promotion this month. Sign up for the English and Surf course and your friend gets 50% off. It is a chance to explore the beauty of Cornwall, immerse yourself in the English language and meet people from different countries. Join us for 1 or 2 weeks for an amazing experience!
