this is a pen

There was once a man named Richard Vaughan, hailing from Doesn´t Matter, USA, who came sailing to the wonderful country of Spain for whatever reason a long, long time ago (more or less 20 years, is what I have gathered). He then went on to find himself a Spanish wife, thus enabling him to start his own business in the country, one that would eventually lead to nation-wide stardom.

This business would be called Vaughan Systems (pronounced by Spaniards, incorrectly, as Bogan Systems), an extensive English learning progam that is best known for its very own TV channel that has been up and running for about two years now. It is ever-so-creatively coined "Aprende Ingles TV".

It´s all the craze in Spain right now to learn English. The problem is, it´s also "in-style" to have very few Euros to one´s name. What better way to improve your English skills than for FREE (you don´t even need cable!) while sitting on the couch watching TV? There is also a radio program, if you can´t afford a television set.

There are three levels to the Vaughan system (beginner, intermediate, and advanced, in case you were wondering...) which are broadcasted on a 24 hour rotating cycle. Yes, that´s right. Insomniacs, too, can improve their English. You simply tune in to your appropiate level and listen as Richard Vaughan sits at a desk and fills your mind with paltry information while also pointing out English grammar tips. He speaks very slowly, clearly, and repeats A LOT. In fact, I would say his program revolves around repitition. Not a bad method...

And they say it works. He wouldn´t be one of the most famous men in Spain if it didn´t. Many people devote hours a day to his television and radio shows, and some even go as far as buying the extremely over-priced books (they come with cds and dvds).

When Richard isn´t sitting at his desk in front of the camera, he has one of his many employees seated in an arm chair across from an English language-learner (doesn´t have to be Spanish...the last I saw was a 60 year old Russian woman) and viewers are subject to an awkward discourse, once again revolving around incredibly trivial matters. I call it awkward because what they are aiming for is a casual conversation, but what actually comes out of this effort is an extremely staged one, not to mention conversation is nearly impossible when the teacher is stopping to repeat every other expression utilized between the two.

In addition to the television channel, radio station, and books, there is also a Play Station game as well as a summer camp for adults. HA!

Check out the craze...

Oh, and in relation to this post´s title, the very first thing Richard teaches new learners is "This is a pen".