Describe a skill that you learned from another person

A skill I'm really grateful to have learned is cooking, and the person who taught me was my grandmother. She lived with us when I was a teenager, and she was the kind of cook who never used a recipe book but always produced something delicious.

I learned mostly by watching her at first. During school holidays I'd sit in the kitchen while she prepared dinner, and gradually she let me help, starting with simple jobs like peeling potatoes and chopping onions. After a while she began to give me whole dishes to try, and she'd stand next to me with her arms folded, correcting my mistakes. She was very patient, even the time I burned the rice completely. Her main advice was always to taste as you go and trust your senses rather than measurements. Over about two years, I picked up a dozen traditional dishes, including plov and a few kinds of soup.

This skill has come in handy in many ways. First, I live away from home now, and being able to cook means I eat healthily and save a lot of money compared with ordering takeaway. Second, it gives me a way to connect with my family, because when I make her recipes, the smell takes me straight back to her kitchen. And lastly, cooking for friends has become one of my favourite ways to spend time with them. I only wish I'd asked her to teach me even more before she passed on her best secrets.