The freeze is not your English failing. It's your brain asking: "Is this hard because it matters? Or because it's not for people like me?" Most people pick the wrong answer. They hear struggle and think: "See? I'm not really fluent." But the research says you can choose the other story. Same difficulty. Different meaning. Different you.

Hola soy Natalia Ortiz Solano soy profesora de español Soy colombiana vivo en Medellín.

English tutor Alice here: Question for ESL students: What is your goal with improving your spoken English skills? What will you do with that knowledge that you gain? Is it for work? For travel? For something else?

Hey! Hi! What's up? My name is Alice. I was born in the United States. I've never been outside of North America before. I started tutoring American English speaking skills on Italki in 2018. A bit about me... I love knitting, photography and writing. I love Disney parks. I love thrift stores and book stores. I love music. In the past I've worked on Theater. I've taken piano lessons, Ballet lessons and Tap lessons. I graduated college in 2009 with a degree in English. Tell me about you! What are your hobbies? What country do you live in? What made you smile today?

Hello! English tutor Alice here. Here's some information about me. I'd love to know more about you. I have lived in the US my entire life and I've never been overseas. What country do you live in? Have you ever been over seas? I have been to Canada but not since the mid 1990's. I have been to multiple states here in the US. Here's a few of them that I have visited. Michigan, Florida, Georgia, Indiana and California. Some may wonder... Alice... Why have you not traveled overseas before? Well the answer is simple. Actually I have a few answers for this. First of all... the United States is massive. Depending on where you live in a state, it could take anywhere from a few moments to a few hours to just get to the state next to yours. And traveling across country can for some Americans feel worlds different. Cost of traveling. The cost to travel overseas is quite expensive. And the flights last many hours, much longer than a domestic US flight. Many of those flights are what we call 'Red Eye' flights....where the flight is during our over night hours. Which maybe stressful to some. The fastest flight from my hometown airport in Kentucky to London's Heathrow airport is 7 hours and 40 minutes. The fastest flight from my hometown airport in Kentucky to Los Angeles LAX airport is around 5 hours. Some people, like myself do not like flying. I find it incredibly stressful. I have flown a few times before within the US but it's something I get a lot of anxiety about. Plus also factor in the cost of lodging and food when traveling. Cost of transportation when landing. I think for some international students the massive size of the US and the distance between major cities that one would visit is something that is hard to realize. Did you know...even with living in the US my entire life... I have never been to Seattle, Washington DC, New York City, Chicago, Dallas or New Orleans. That's just some major cities that I've never been to.

English tutor Alice here. I love Fall. It is Fall here in the United States. Fall is my favorite season because of the leaves changing color. Drinking apple cider. Carving pumpkins. Going to pumpkin farms. 🎃 What is your favorite season and why?

Hello! English tutor Alice here. I love knitting, writing, photography and playing video games. I am from the United States and live in the United States. Tell me about you.

Choose the correct answer.

English tutor Alice here this post is for for English language learners: Fun facts about the state that I live in. Kentucky is the 15th U.S. state, known officially as the Commonwealth of Kentucky and nicknamed the "Bluegrass State" for its pastures of bluegrass. Kentucky has the Mammoth Cave which is home to the world's longest known cave system. Horse Racing: Host to the annual Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, the oldest continuously held horse race in the United States. Fast Food: The birthplace of Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), started by Colonel Harland Sanders in Corbin.