Monday, December 01, 2008

With degree in linguistics, Modestan feeds her passions for languages and travel

By DONNA BIRCH
dbirch@modbee.com

last updated: February 29, 2008 03:00:24 PM

When she was 17, Cynthia Cox took her first trip out of the United States, to spend some time in Germany.

That trip sparked Cox's passion for travel, which persists to this day. Now 27, the Modesto native has visited more than a dozen European countries, three African nations, Canada and Mexico.

The Modesto High School graduate earned a bachelor's degree in German from California State University, Chico, and a master's degree in linguistics from State University of New York at Buffalo.

"It had a good linguistics program," Cox said. "I always wanted to go to school on the East Coast. I had lived in cold places before, so I figured I could handle it. But it was a shock. And I didn't have a car, so I had to walk in the snow."

The past several years have been busy for Cox. She's taught German to students in Kenya and to high school students in Chico. She's taught English to students in France. She now works as a substitute teacher and is an intern for the International Student Program at Modesto Junior College.

The position, she said, allows her to work as a student adviser of sorts, helping international students manage their paperwork and get into the classes they need, something she wants to continue as a career.

Her stint in Kenya led her to develop an affinity for the country's hip-hop music. "It's a blend of their traditional African music and American hip-hop, but with a lot more drums," she said, adding that many of the songs' lyrics are a mixture of Swahili and English.

"Linguistically, I love that play on words."

Besides traveling, reading is another of Cox's hobbies. She grew up without a television and became a fan of books, from Jane Austen novels to the Harry Potter series. Thanks to the Internet and DVDs, she's become a fan of some televisions shows, including cult classics "Doctor Who" and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."

Question: In high school, you were in the dance and drama clubs. Did you initially want a career in performing arts?

Answer: I certainly considered it. I wanted to dance on cruise ships because it would have given me an opportunity to travel and perform. But ultimately, traveling won out.

Q: How did you get interested in foreign language and travel?

A: My mother speaks German. She encouraged me to take German in high school through (Modesto High School's) International Baccalaureate program. It had an exchange program. I went to Germany and fell in love with the country and the people. Right after high school, I went back and lived there with a host family for one year.

Q: What prompted you to study linguistics?

A: I became fascinated with learning foreign languages and communicating with people in other languages. As I kid, I liked making up secret languages with my sister. When I became fluent in German, it opened up a whole other dimension. I just wanted to learn the next language. So (studying) linguistics seemed to be a way to tie them all together.

Q: How many languages do you speak?

A: French and German fluidly. I sort of speak some Swahili that I learned in Kenya. Right now, I'm taking Spanish. I've had one year of it. I hope to become fluent in it.

Q: Because of your background in linguistics, is learning a new language easier now?

A: It helps ... you know the techniques of learning a language. And I know what to look for and how to memorize words.

Q: Do you have a dream destination?

A: I would love to see Japan. That's my next big idea. I'm going to Costa Rica next month for a week. I'm going to a friend's wedding.

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