It was June of 2019 and I was in the midst of a solo trip throughout Western Europe. In the weeks prior, I downloaded Duolingo and attempted to learn some French. Why French? Well, because I would be spending about 5 days in Paris and wanted to try to communicate using the local language, even just minimally. In the end, I used my super elementary French with horrendous pronunciation to order food, ask for the check, and ask where the bathroom was. Pretty cool. However, it wasn’t until I was in Amsterdam a few days later that the magical moment occurred…
I had met a distressed Italian in the elevator who did not speak English. Searching my brain for the remains of what I learned in school, I was able to communicate very minimally and somewhat help this person. However, being able to communicate with this random person sent an indescribable feeling throughout my body and ignited a passion inside of me.
This experience in the elevator of The Bulldog Hotel in Amsterdam with some random Italian I’d never see again was the emotional catalyst for my language learning journey. Though there are a couple of other reasons why I decided to begin my language journey…
English Put Me Out Of Place
If you’ve ever spent time in a hostel, international hotel, or in other places where international travelers meet to socialize, you’ll know that there is a lot of English being spoken. It’s arguably the only way for different cultures to communicate. It’s pretty neat if you think about it: the group of French girls mingle amongst themselves in their language, but then switch over to English to socialize with the group of Australians and the group of Brazilians.
It feels nice to be a native speaker in situations like this- can talk to everyone, and no one will speak at a level too advanced for you. Life’s good. However, being in these situations made me feel out of place. I didn’t like being the guy who only could speak English with an American accent. Sure, most people think the American accent is cool (many foreigners have told me this), but, I just felt out of place. I wanted to belong to the multilingual “club”.
I Wanted To Connect, Not Just Communicate
The English language is fantastic and is an incredible communication tool. Personally, I’m very thankful that my native language is the world’s language. No matter where I go in the world, I know I’ll always find English and be able to understand what’s going on around me. I can usually get answers to my questions fairly quickly. However, the language stops there. For native speakers, English is a communication tool with other cultures, not a connection tool.
Knowing I had many more travels ahead of me in life, and having an interest in other cultures, I knew that I would need to speak more than just English to make meaningful connections and have interesting and unique experiences. I know that without a doubt, my experience in Italy would have been much different, had I only spoken English while I was there.
Making The Brain Feel Good
I’m not a neurologist, but, did you know being able to speak 2 languages has many cognitive benefits? The brain likes when you give it the power to speak more than one language. Bilingualism leads to improvements in cognitive functions and sensory processes. Not only that, but bilingualism also improves neuronal activation, and has an effect on brain structure! But wait, there’s more! Being bilingual also helps to keep the brain and memory sharp into the older stages of life! Read more in-depth about the cognitive benefits here.
Being Bi-Lingual Is Cool, Yo
Let’s be honest, being bilingual is simply cool. Especially as an American, where only 20% of the population speaks more than English (compared to the EU’s 56%). The thought of being bilingual was attractive, and I also thought it’d make me seem more interesting (I think this is true). I had always admired those who were bi- or multilingual and wanted to join the cool club that is multilingualism. I’m now a proud member of this club and plan to join the trilingual club in due time.
