Learning a foreign language, quite frankly, a big project. It’s a little like starting a business. If you have ever tried to start a business, you know that in the beginning, you start with a blank slate, your hopes and dreams, and then it is all up to you to get it done. And by [...]
Fresh off that massive post covering my recent trip to Brazil, I want to tell you how I stayed in the city of São Paulo for free. I was there a total of 4 days including a weekend, and stayed in my own private room for free. I did this in one of the most [...]
Why hello there, you’ve just come across a massive post covering my recent trip to Brazil. Instead of creating 3 posts for each city like a good travel blogger, I’ve written my longest post ever, more than 6500 words. It’s all just for you, my dear reader… and you don’t have to bear a single [...]
The more I learn about learning, the more I realize how much of a role psychological factors play in whether or not you learn something. As such, if you are trying to learn a new language, it may be a better approach to think of ways you can “hack” your psychology for bigger gains. Here [...]
A lot of people wonder if they are ready to go abroad, ready to travel, ready to jump into the unknown of a foreign place. Let me just answer this question for you… GO. REGARDLESS. Seriously, do not sit around waiting until tomorrow. Tomorrow never comes. Your life is now. You should even go abroad [...]
It’s amazing that for the, oh, 10 people that read this blog, I’ve been getting a good amount of email. Below are some of the most frequent questions I get asked about Colombia: 1. I am thinking about going to Colombia or to country X, what do you think? Well, you shouldn’t come to Colombia [...]
So, you perhaps you’ve read I’m headed to Brazil soon. Very soon. In fact, when you read this I will already be there. I need to learn Portuguese fast. I don’t have time for dilly-dally, clicking pictures, or time-consuming, low-yield efforts at learning the language. I need a plan to hack it, and hack it [...]
I’ve written on a few language learning resources I’ve found helpful in the process of learning Spanish, including Pimsleur and Livemocha. In addition, I haven’t written about the piles of resources I’ve found unhelpful, but rather why certain methodologies in general don’t seem to work for me. Today, I want to share why SpanishPod101.com is [...]
If you read this blog, you probably know I have been learning Spanish. It has been my first attempt to learn a foreign language in a functional, life-enhancing way, which would enable me to play, live, and do business comfortably in Latin America (among other things). I’ve discovered some things that work, and some things [...]
I recently wrote a little intro to Livemocha, an online community which I think is great for learning a new language. Not all aspects of the site are great, though. This is especially true when it comes the courses. Basically, here’s how the courses work…. You hear and read a bunch of words and phrases [...]
