Travel With A New Language in Mind
In a way, the learning of a new language is a love story. The discovery of something so rich and complex—something that contained and created a vast history before you even thought to seek it out—always elicits the feeling of infatuation.
There is something so humbling about those toddler-like first steps we make when learning a new language. We arrive in a new country and stare out at this new world and, with it, this vast expanse of words, phrases and sounds that insist on taking shape slowly, arbitrarily and only for the patient of mind.
The thrilling achievements and frustrating plateaus of navigating a linguistic landscape, constantly remind us that there are near-endless worlds beyond our own to be explored. At first we may stutter and mix up words, but there is always that love, that thrill that comes with collecting little spoonfuls of knowledge about this expansive new tapestry of communication.
When traveling, you may have a proclivity for the culture that the language envelops, perhaps you lean towards the literature, you may simply relish in the sounds that roll from the foreign tongues of your neighbors. Regardless, an appreciation and understanding of a cultures language amplifies the experience tenfold.
You understand that they have simplified two sentences you would say back home into just one word, because of the frequency it is said. You hear how beautiful it sounds to hear French people speak French words, and you want to imitate them. Because of your knowledge, you can eavesdrop on locals so to find a place where you can really marinate yourself in the culture. Rather than having the nationals of your foreign destination learn English to accommodate you, step up to the plate and culture yourself.
Let every word become a gift, let every conversation reveal a new way of thinking that was nonexistent in your maternal language. Dive in to this new culture headfirst, don’t linger in the shallow end. Learn a new language and revel in it.
*Carson Lane
