I had an idea this morning that it would be interesting to share my journey of learning a new language. Many of my followers are probably already bilingual, but I come from a country that rarely is fluent in more than one language. Traveling Europe has definitely opened my eyes to this idea.
So why learn a new language?
1. The more langauges you speak, the larger your communication circle can grow. It isn’t necessary to be fluent to have a conversation, but it can be helpful.
2. Learning a language is healthy for your brain. Areas of your brain increase in size when you challenge it with learning a new language. Improve your cognitive ability and memory by learning something new.
3. Become more worldly. Many languages have phrases that cannot be translated. Expand your vocabulary by feeling something in a different language.
4. Open more doors in your life. Speaking more than one language increases your chance at employment and the number of relationships you can build. Make your world bigger.
5. Learning is fun! Well, I am a teacher, so I may be a bit biased, but experiencing something new is always such a thrill for me.
My idea is that I will share snippets of what I am learning on here. It may be a word I come across that I want to share, or a general rule that is worth knowing. For anyone else wanting to learn a language out there, this is a place to share your experiences and learn a little yourself.
Today I am going to start with a word: vidorra. I picked this word for a couple reasons: 1) it forces me to work on rolling my r’s (which I cannot do), and 2) it means to live the life you were meant to live, a worry-free life. This word is my dream.
What do you think? Are language posts worthwhile? Would you follow? I am learning Spanish, but other languages will creep in. Next weekend I’m taking a tiramisu cooking class while learning some Italian. I’d love to hear if you think this is a good use of my blog, or if you think it would just be filler. The other content won’t change, this would just be in addition to what I already do.
Liberated Traveler 
Learning a 2nd language teaches you so much more than the language. It also exercises your brain. I am still try to become fluent in French. Something I just recently figured out is that many DVD’s have multiple language choices for the subtitles. You could choose French, Spanish, even Chinese for some of these, even though they are American-made movies. It is a good way to keep up-to-date on vocabulary, and even learn some “colorful expressions” that you did not learn in your foreign language class.
Love “vidorra” reminds me of the “No Worries” attitude of the Aussies. I think you should post what you like – it is YOUR blog, and travel = language wherever you are in the world. I like the mix you provide of trips and food and travel tips, if you want to add language to the mix, why not? You could write a blog about the 20 most useful phrases or words to know when in France etc. I know when I was in Italy it would have been useful to know certain key words 😉
Jude xx
I think it’s a fabulous idea!! I’m also a teacher… a French teacher… so I may be a little bit biased. If you write about languages, I’ll read whatever you post 🙂 It’s so true what you say about expanding your world. The more languages you speak, the more people you can communicate with. It’s wonderful if you can speak a language well, but the main point is communication and not being afraid to make mistakes. I’m sharing your post on my FB page (Love Learning French). It’s awesome!