Learning a new language

Learning a new language or, in fact, learning anything requires that a few but important set of circumstances combine to create a perfect environment. First and foremost, you need a very good motivation. If you are not motivated to learn anything, then your chances of actually succeeding are slim to none. You also need the correct environment. This, just like the previous, varies from person to person. Perhaps you are a problem solver and believe that full immersion with no type of lifeguard is ideal. For me, I like a challenge without feeling like an idiot. I enjoy knowing the answer or how to do something, but I also enjoy "getting it right." Another important aspect for my learning environment is a pleasant looking place. Perhaps this seems a bit snob, but I don't necessarily need luxury. I want to be at a place where I like to go. I like walking and looking forward to a class or a discussion. I like to walk around the streets and not only feel safe but feel like myself. And last but not least, you need the correct resources to make this happen. Whether these resources are money for tuition, books for further study, time in your day to devote to this and a place where you can study, resources are important. The stories of people learning math with no pen or pencil and wonderful and inspiring, but are really one in a million.

Perhaps this post is a bit nerdy, but this week I continued a journey into learning something that I truly enjoyed. Nederlands (or dutch) is the fifth language I learn, but this time, it has a different feel to it. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would and more than I had in a long time. Five months ago, I began taking classes to learn Nederlands. I started in a school in Mexico that did not promise to be much but quickly turned into a pleasant learning environment. After a rocky start at another school in Belgium, this week I began classes at Maastricht University. When I visited Maastricht last April, I knew I loved the place the moment I walked out of the parking lot. It is a small but cozy city that has as much of a college feel as it does luxury and comfort. The restaurants are cozy and I love the shops. My favorite is a bookstore that is in a building that used to be a church. It is absolutely stunning. You drink coffee where many years ago, a priest offered mass. The university, I've been told, is known for its rigor and competes among the best. Yet, even with all the pomposity, everyone is laid back. It is a school where you see all types of students and faculty walking around. You see a language teacher wearing converse and a young student with a mini-dress; young teachers and older students; people walking and riding bikes; those that seem forgot to shower and others very clean. 

It is in these posts that I completely show my nerdy side. Yes, I am excited about learning and going to class. I am so excited that I chose my clothes the night before after studying for a couple of hours, I was nervous the night before and couldn't sleep, I arrived to class early to get a good seat, I felt motivated when I walked out after being challenged, went to the bookstore (the church one I mentioned) to buy more books to study and now I am writing a blog about learning. Today I feel like myself because I did the one thing I love to do: I went to school!

Happy learning :)

Raindrops

Did these raindrops ever fall on you? Did they wash away the saltiness of your sweat, the sweetness of your smile, the sadness of a gloomy day?

Have these raindrops ever seen you walk running away from their sudden fall? Have they heard you laugh as you jumped in puddles soaking your shoes and your socks and your feet with innocent fun?

Will these same drops ever cover us as we kiss under the rain? Will they hear us talk as you drive us home after a romantic evening together? Will they visit our window as we lay by the fireplace sneaking up on a private kiss?

Will these same drops let you know how I miss you so on this somber rainy night?

Towns of Immigrants

I read somewhere that by the year 2050, half of the world's population will be living in a country different than their own. This means that half the world will be an immigrant, will be dealing with the adaptation to a new language and culture, and, from the current perspective on immigration, will be subject to society's disapproval or scrutiny.

But for many people, the concept of immigration is not a prediction but a reality. This reality exists for a small town in Belgium that perhaps not many have heard of. Maasmechelen is a town of hard working immigrants. After World War II, this town received Italian inmigrants to work on the coal mine. When the children of these immigrants refused, for obvious reasons, to work on the mines, Turkish immigrants arrived to do the job. Like this, many years passed and the town grew and melted to form a unique mix of languages, flavors and people. Acquaintances became friends and friends became family.

The town has preserved its herritage of a mining town. The entrance to the mines are still there, the bar where the miners used to drink and the church where they received sunday mass. There is even a small monument built for those that lost their lives working on the mine.

So what does this mean for the rest of the world? In my opinion, this story is simply an example of how easy it is to adapt to immigration and immigrants. There is nothing scary, cultures will not be lost but rather enhanced. People can cross borders and both integrate and preserve. Borders are merely immaginary lines for we all come from nomads. Who knows where your children's children will be!