When Did the World Get So Big?
One of the most incredible things you will find when you start to learn a foreign language is that the world seems both bigger and smaller than it was before.
That might sound like the start of a riddle but there is a perfectly logical explanation for it. As you start to discover music, films, books and other cultural elements which you never even knew existed the world can seem to open up in front of you.
However, while you are still taking this in you will be hit by the realization that everything is now closer to you than before. If you are learning the French language then you suddenly have a connection will hundreds of millions of people all over the world. Anyone studying Spanish can now relate far more easily to people from Madrid to Lima to Montevideo. Russian learners in the US can now feel a special bond with people from a country which they may have no other connection with.
These changes often come together with the desire to explore this new world and try out the recently learned language skills. This is one of the best ways to enhance what has already been learned as well as have some great fun.
If we go back to the Spanish example, take a look at a map and you will probably be shocked to see how big a percentage of the world’s land mass you can travel to and communicate easily. You could go to see the famous beaches of Spain, the mysterious Lake Titicaca in the Andes and the Caribbean coast of Mexico and make yourself understood in all of them. That should be enough to keep your spirits high as you take the Spanish classes Calgary, New York, Chicago and other North American cities offer.
What about those students taking their Russian lessons in Houston every week? While they study they can dream of making a trip to one of the biggest and most exciting countries in the world. Moscow is a dynamic city where centuries of tradition and a recent economic boom have produced a fascinating blend of styles and attitudes.
Finally, those people studying French across the US and Canada don’t just have France to visit. Switzerland, Belgium, North Africa, parts of Canada and many other places throughout the world speak the tongue they are learning. They will soon be able to find out for themselves how the world has become both big and small simultaneously.