My name is Erik and I am a professional English instructor focused on business English and English for specific purposes living in Foshan, China. My clients are CEOs and directors of small companies, talented staff of larger companies, and the family members of these individuals. What makes me feel the most warmth as a teacher is the human connection that occurs in the classroom. My philosophy is that education should not just be about skills but about becoming a stronger person with better moral character. It is my dream that all people in the world will be able to use education to become their best selves, empower their communities, and achieve their dreams. I tend to begin studying a language because of cultural interest. In the past I studied Chinese to talk to Chinese people and better understand their way of thinking. After that, I studied Russian due to an interest in Russian literary culture (my Russian reading is actually much much better than my speaking), and I studied Indonesian based on a research interest in karawitan. In November 2014, I took a vacation to Japan and was immediately impressed by the organization of the society. While I had previously understood Japan to be a collectivist society, during my travels there I noticed that this collectivism was aimed at empowering individuals, considering the needs of small children and elderly people as well as the expressive goals of artists and serious hobbyists. This philosophy is very much in tune with my own, and so I began learning Japanese language to better understand it, as well. In my view, human face-to-face verbal communication is the best medium to trade ideas, to increase intelligence, and to promote global peace and understanding. To that end, striving to speak each others' languages is one of the noblest goals we can undertake. I hope that you persist in your goal of being able to speak to other people without barriers and do not give up; it is worth the struggle!