Month: February 2010


One simple step to improve chances of success in any mission

written by Benny Lewis

When you take on any major project like learn a language, get out of debt, lose weight etc., out of all the things that can hold you back from reaching your goal, there is one that stands out above all the rest: Motivation You clearly want it; it could even be one of the major […]


Language:

Reading time: 10 minutes

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Is it better to travel to villages for language/cultural immersion?

written by Benny Lewis

When considering where to move to in a country, there seems to be this general consensus that you’ll have a greater feeling of immersion, both cultural and linguistic, if you choose a small town / village over a major city. I disagree. If you happen to like villages for their serenity, pace of life etc., […]


Language:

Reading time: 9 minutes

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Ironic post: Why English is all you need to travel the world

written by Benny Lewis

Over the last month, I’ve changed my ways of trying to communicate in the local language, and I’ve been living the life of a typical English-speaking tourist. This is the first time in a long time that I’ve tried this, as I almost always work on linguistic immersion as a means of getting to know […]

Why learning a language is like learning a musical instrument

written by Benny Lewis

Here I am, at the starting stages of speaking a language once again, and I’m reminded of how it felt taking a similar first step into playing the piano and other instruments I’ve learned. Since my feelings would likely be shared by others, I asked my friends on twitter how learning a language is like […]


Language:

Reading time: 3 minutes

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Reading Thai and its tones isn’t as hard as you think

written by Benny Lewis

My first month in Thailand has come to an end; the purpose of this month for me was to discover a little of the south, be a tourist and be able to grasp the rules on reading Thai. It was way easier than people warned me it would be, and I’ve only put a total […]