Taking advantage of being in-country
Posted: Fri Apr 13, 2018 7:25 am
For many who are learning languages this is the ultimate dream: getting to be immersed in the country or region where the language is actually spoken: for a short or a more extended vacation, spending a year or so with a study abroad or working holiday program, or even moving there permanently or semi-permanently. Yet being there doesn't magically improve your language skills through osmosis a la Bart Simpson. I know in my own experiences I worried at times that I could be doing more and that I was wasting a golden opportunity. I thought it'd be nice to have a thread compiling ideas and techniques as inspiration for those currently immersed or planning to be for making the most of time spent to improve language, enhance understanding of the culture, make interpersonal connections, and grow personally. This last point is especially important, I think. Articles have been floating around the internet that you can almost gain a new personality by learning a new language. Learning a new language while also immersed in a new culture is a good opportunity to start pushing yourself out of your own comfort zones and trying out completely new things you may have never thought to do at home. It's part of what I like living outside of my home country for: you take the little mundane things for granted a lot less since everything is new and different.
I've plugged this before and I'll do it again here: one of my favorite sources of inspiration for making the most of immersion is In the Name of the Fada with comedian Des Bishop who went to the Gaeltacht to learn Irish through a mixture of classes, homestay, and special projects. I feel that what made the experience so successful for him was the projects and goals he came up with along the way such as performing a stand-up routine in Irish, translating and performing "Jump Around" by House of Pain, getting an appearance on long-running Irish soap Ros na Rún, and auditioning to be a voice over actor for the Irish dub of South Park. He also enhanced his experience along the way with homestays, visits with Irish speakers, joined an Irish-speaking rugby league, went to immersion camps and interacted with people in Irish, etc. He later did a similar series in China which I haven't yet seen.
Some other experiences I or people I've met have had or have thought about:
Live with local roommates, use Couchsurfing, rideshare platforms (as in actual sharing, not Uber), AirBnb where you stay in a room in the home of the host, hostels, etc for lodging: A great way to meet other people even if you can afford to not share a living space.
Do a homestay or get invited to someone's home for a dinner or party: Family/home life is a whole other area to explore. And if you're alone in the country it can get really lonely, especially around major holidays (I remember getting off a train in the countryside and seeing all the grandmothers waiting for their kids/grandkids on the train platform wishing I had a French grandmother to greet me). Sometimes if people hear you're alone for the holidays and whatnot they go out of their way to invite you to dinner. If not, there may be techniques for nudging people or coming across the types who will (any suggestions?).
Volunteering: I've volunteered at cultural festivals allowing me to have tons of interactions with festival staff, fellow volunteers, and the public with perks such as getting to attend lectures/panels, films, concerts, etc. You can also volunteer with various other kinds of charities and non-profits which at the very least should allow you to meet people. In addition to regular volunteer opportunities, if any kind of minor or major disaster happens in your area, there may be a sudden call for volunteers to help with relief. I've also had someone suggest volunteering for political campaigns. There are also various community organizations and coops that allow you to get involved locally. If you ever attend an event that you like, you can contact the organizers and see if they're ever looking for help.
WWOOFing: I met someone at an Irish workshop weekend who learned conversational Irish to an advanced level by WWOOfing in the Gaeltacht and staying with a family who insisted on only speaking Irish.
Check out travel sites and books geared towards locals: Many people who go on vacation travel within the country and locals might have different destination preferences than international travelers. See where they like to go and even go on organized tours with them or on walking tours in the local language.
Teaching or taking classes: One person in my Paris study abroad group was a dancer and fitness buff. Soon after our arrival in Paris she approached a dance studio and proposed teaching a Hula class and was accepted. I think to this day she still teaches dance and fitness classes and has met a lot of people that way. You can also take those kinds of classes on a regular or as a one-time basis. Attending as a regular will allow you to potentially make friends, though. I've learned a lot about not only music and French musical terms but also Quebec French by taking private music classes.
Interviewing for jobs and working in the target language: You'll feel like a million bucks the first time you manage to make your way through a job interview in your target language regardless if you actually end up getting hired. For lots of quick practice, attend a job fair or networking event. I've attended some networking events geared towards immigrants and what was really neat was being in a big room with a bunch of people from all over the world with all different kinds of backgrounds with one thing in common: the French language. For me it was really powerful realizing the world that was opened up to me just because I decided to learn and become fluent in French. Also, try seeing if you can do various odd jobs and side jobs even if you have a regular career job. It can be hard to meet people as an adult otherwise and sometimes work can be your best option for making friends. In the States I knew immigrants who had side jobs in restaurants and bars not only to make extra money but also to meet more people. You'll have lots of interesting stories and experiences as well.
Taking care of administrative stuff, going to the doctor, setting up services, visiting apartments, etc: Not necessarily the most fun part but necessary and you'll feel good when you're using language for something highly practical (though sometimes the person you're dealing with is an asshole and they'll make you feel bad unfortunately). Depending on your issue you may need to look up some vocabulary (I realized my injury/illness symptoms vocabulary wasn't very large and had to look up some words before going to the pharmacy). Afterwards you'll be able to commiserate with locals about dealing with administration and bureaucracy.
Get a haircut or other salon-type treatment: You can pay someone to interact with you!
Meetup and other platforms for meeting strangers: Depending on where you are and the type of people who are in your area, there may be online platforms that bring strangers together for activities and outings. Meetup is a common one though various Facebook groups seem to be replacing it and other countries might favor different platforms (in France the most popular among actual French people was On Va Sortir). Try to find really unique activities and events that you wouldn't necessarily associate with the local culture. Going to Celtic music/dance nights in Paris, for example, allowed me to meet all kinds of different people who don't conform at all to the stereotypes of French people and Parisians. In the physical world some places may be good for introducing strangers to each other: board game cafes, hobby groups, and sports leagues for example.
Using the internet to interact with locals: This is different than Meetup et al in that you can use social networks and forums on the internet to interact with locals whom you can later meet in real life. Check out locals on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook groups, LinkedIn, Reddit, Tumblr, blogs, etc. You can also use the conversation app HelloTalk to find locals (and I assume iTalki as well).
Dating: One of the frustrations with the above is that it can be challenging to form new deep, meaningful, platonic relationships in adulthood. People just get really busy so it's common to not see friends all that often. That makes dating in many ways an easier way to meet and see people on a regular basis. Comes with obvious downsides, of course, but it makes life interesting.
Go to bars: Not everyone likes bars but they can be great for meeting people (cafes might be okay but I find it's more rare to find strangers interacting with each other at cafes). Usually you can talk to the bartender at least and you can often have conversations with the bar regulars. I find the best time to go if you're alone is earlier, before and during happy hour, on weekdays. During peak times people tend to be out in groups and less likely to talk to you so you may feel more out of place (it all depends of course). Bars also often have activities and events such as trivia nights (though if you didn't grow up in the area there are certain categories of questions you'll be useless on - for me here that's hockey trivia). Try to establish a bar (or cafe) as your regular spot, even (or especially) if you're just on vacation. Once people start to recognize you they'll be more likely to want to talk to you and it's nice to have conversations where you don't have to start at the beginning each time ("Where are you from?" "What are you here for?" "What do you do?" etc).
Take up smoking: This suggestion is pretty tongue in cheek and I'll never do it. But I envy how smokers have more opportunities for socializing and bonding. It also seems like *everyone* smokes in France and here in Quebec. If you don't want to harm yourself for the sake of chatting with more people, it seems that having a dog and/or a baby invites a lot of interactions with strangers and socializing possibilities (maybe you can borrow one?).
Watch regular television: Not just films and episodes of TV series but just have the TV on and discover their commercials, their local news, their game shows and variety/talk shows, reality shows, all the trash TV, etc.
Attending TV tapings, radio broadcasts w/audiences, live theatre, live standup, improv: Standup shows in bars can be a really scary experience in case the comedian like to pick on members of their audience (I hate it when comedians resort to that unless they're responding directly to a heckler) and being a foreigner with an accent and/or less than perfect language skills might make you an easy target. If you're brave, though, go for it! Otherwise there are more formal shows where comedians perform a more pre-rehearsed routine on stage. Improv is great to watch as well but if you want a great linguistic workout you can try doing it yourself! I've also explored ways to sign up to be an extra for film/TV tapings but I've never actually done it. It's possible though!
Give talks, presentations, etc: It's not always easy to do, especially in a foreign language, but if you know quite a bit about something or have something to share, people might be interested in what you have to say and will want to talk to you. It's also a good way to overcome some social anxiety.
Whew! I think that's all I can think of for now. I feel like even after being here for a while I still need to think of ways to shake things up and try new things and find new ways to interact with the culture so I keep making new contacts and broadening my horizons. What are your suggestions and strategies? Anecdotes? Successes and failures?
I've plugged this before and I'll do it again here: one of my favorite sources of inspiration for making the most of immersion is In the Name of the Fada with comedian Des Bishop who went to the Gaeltacht to learn Irish through a mixture of classes, homestay, and special projects. I feel that what made the experience so successful for him was the projects and goals he came up with along the way such as performing a stand-up routine in Irish, translating and performing "Jump Around" by House of Pain, getting an appearance on long-running Irish soap Ros na Rún, and auditioning to be a voice over actor for the Irish dub of South Park. He also enhanced his experience along the way with homestays, visits with Irish speakers, joined an Irish-speaking rugby league, went to immersion camps and interacted with people in Irish, etc. He later did a similar series in China which I haven't yet seen.
Some other experiences I or people I've met have had or have thought about:
Live with local roommates, use Couchsurfing, rideshare platforms (as in actual sharing, not Uber), AirBnb where you stay in a room in the home of the host, hostels, etc for lodging: A great way to meet other people even if you can afford to not share a living space.
Do a homestay or get invited to someone's home for a dinner or party: Family/home life is a whole other area to explore. And if you're alone in the country it can get really lonely, especially around major holidays (I remember getting off a train in the countryside and seeing all the grandmothers waiting for their kids/grandkids on the train platform wishing I had a French grandmother to greet me). Sometimes if people hear you're alone for the holidays and whatnot they go out of their way to invite you to dinner. If not, there may be techniques for nudging people or coming across the types who will (any suggestions?).
Volunteering: I've volunteered at cultural festivals allowing me to have tons of interactions with festival staff, fellow volunteers, and the public with perks such as getting to attend lectures/panels, films, concerts, etc. You can also volunteer with various other kinds of charities and non-profits which at the very least should allow you to meet people. In addition to regular volunteer opportunities, if any kind of minor or major disaster happens in your area, there may be a sudden call for volunteers to help with relief. I've also had someone suggest volunteering for political campaigns. There are also various community organizations and coops that allow you to get involved locally. If you ever attend an event that you like, you can contact the organizers and see if they're ever looking for help.
WWOOFing: I met someone at an Irish workshop weekend who learned conversational Irish to an advanced level by WWOOfing in the Gaeltacht and staying with a family who insisted on only speaking Irish.
Check out travel sites and books geared towards locals: Many people who go on vacation travel within the country and locals might have different destination preferences than international travelers. See where they like to go and even go on organized tours with them or on walking tours in the local language.
Teaching or taking classes: One person in my Paris study abroad group was a dancer and fitness buff. Soon after our arrival in Paris she approached a dance studio and proposed teaching a Hula class and was accepted. I think to this day she still teaches dance and fitness classes and has met a lot of people that way. You can also take those kinds of classes on a regular or as a one-time basis. Attending as a regular will allow you to potentially make friends, though. I've learned a lot about not only music and French musical terms but also Quebec French by taking private music classes.
Interviewing for jobs and working in the target language: You'll feel like a million bucks the first time you manage to make your way through a job interview in your target language regardless if you actually end up getting hired. For lots of quick practice, attend a job fair or networking event. I've attended some networking events geared towards immigrants and what was really neat was being in a big room with a bunch of people from all over the world with all different kinds of backgrounds with one thing in common: the French language. For me it was really powerful realizing the world that was opened up to me just because I decided to learn and become fluent in French. Also, try seeing if you can do various odd jobs and side jobs even if you have a regular career job. It can be hard to meet people as an adult otherwise and sometimes work can be your best option for making friends. In the States I knew immigrants who had side jobs in restaurants and bars not only to make extra money but also to meet more people. You'll have lots of interesting stories and experiences as well.
Taking care of administrative stuff, going to the doctor, setting up services, visiting apartments, etc: Not necessarily the most fun part but necessary and you'll feel good when you're using language for something highly practical (though sometimes the person you're dealing with is an asshole and they'll make you feel bad unfortunately). Depending on your issue you may need to look up some vocabulary (I realized my injury/illness symptoms vocabulary wasn't very large and had to look up some words before going to the pharmacy). Afterwards you'll be able to commiserate with locals about dealing with administration and bureaucracy.
Get a haircut or other salon-type treatment: You can pay someone to interact with you!
Meetup and other platforms for meeting strangers: Depending on where you are and the type of people who are in your area, there may be online platforms that bring strangers together for activities and outings. Meetup is a common one though various Facebook groups seem to be replacing it and other countries might favor different platforms (in France the most popular among actual French people was On Va Sortir). Try to find really unique activities and events that you wouldn't necessarily associate with the local culture. Going to Celtic music/dance nights in Paris, for example, allowed me to meet all kinds of different people who don't conform at all to the stereotypes of French people and Parisians. In the physical world some places may be good for introducing strangers to each other: board game cafes, hobby groups, and sports leagues for example.
Using the internet to interact with locals: This is different than Meetup et al in that you can use social networks and forums on the internet to interact with locals whom you can later meet in real life. Check out locals on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook groups, LinkedIn, Reddit, Tumblr, blogs, etc. You can also use the conversation app HelloTalk to find locals (and I assume iTalki as well).
Dating: One of the frustrations with the above is that it can be challenging to form new deep, meaningful, platonic relationships in adulthood. People just get really busy so it's common to not see friends all that often. That makes dating in many ways an easier way to meet and see people on a regular basis. Comes with obvious downsides, of course, but it makes life interesting.
Go to bars: Not everyone likes bars but they can be great for meeting people (cafes might be okay but I find it's more rare to find strangers interacting with each other at cafes). Usually you can talk to the bartender at least and you can often have conversations with the bar regulars. I find the best time to go if you're alone is earlier, before and during happy hour, on weekdays. During peak times people tend to be out in groups and less likely to talk to you so you may feel more out of place (it all depends of course). Bars also often have activities and events such as trivia nights (though if you didn't grow up in the area there are certain categories of questions you'll be useless on - for me here that's hockey trivia). Try to establish a bar (or cafe) as your regular spot, even (or especially) if you're just on vacation. Once people start to recognize you they'll be more likely to want to talk to you and it's nice to have conversations where you don't have to start at the beginning each time ("Where are you from?" "What are you here for?" "What do you do?" etc).
Take up smoking: This suggestion is pretty tongue in cheek and I'll never do it. But I envy how smokers have more opportunities for socializing and bonding. It also seems like *everyone* smokes in France and here in Quebec. If you don't want to harm yourself for the sake of chatting with more people, it seems that having a dog and/or a baby invites a lot of interactions with strangers and socializing possibilities (maybe you can borrow one?).
Watch regular television: Not just films and episodes of TV series but just have the TV on and discover their commercials, their local news, their game shows and variety/talk shows, reality shows, all the trash TV, etc.
Attending TV tapings, radio broadcasts w/audiences, live theatre, live standup, improv: Standup shows in bars can be a really scary experience in case the comedian like to pick on members of their audience (I hate it when comedians resort to that unless they're responding directly to a heckler) and being a foreigner with an accent and/or less than perfect language skills might make you an easy target. If you're brave, though, go for it! Otherwise there are more formal shows where comedians perform a more pre-rehearsed routine on stage. Improv is great to watch as well but if you want a great linguistic workout you can try doing it yourself! I've also explored ways to sign up to be an extra for film/TV tapings but I've never actually done it. It's possible though!
Give talks, presentations, etc: It's not always easy to do, especially in a foreign language, but if you know quite a bit about something or have something to share, people might be interested in what you have to say and will want to talk to you. It's also a good way to overcome some social anxiety.
Whew! I think that's all I can think of for now. I feel like even after being here for a while I still need to think of ways to shake things up and try new things and find new ways to interact with the culture so I keep making new contacts and broadening my horizons. What are your suggestions and strategies? Anecdotes? Successes and failures?