fluent in spanish today

Hey friend, 

When I began my language journey with Spanish earlier this year, for some reason I forgot about my previous experiences with traditional education and naively approached language earning with the common knowledge of what works.

I got a teacher, I went to a school, I focused on grammar etc.

Essentially I took the common path to language learning.

The path that fails for 99% of people. 

We all know people who have a year long streak on duolingo but wouldn’t get past ordering a coffee in a city that speaks their target language.

Or a friend that did 3 years of Japanese at school but couldn’t make specific changes to their order at a sushi restaurent.

Or people that cry its impossible or so much harder once you reach a certain age.

Because like everything in life- the common knowledge is deeply floored.

It may be incompetence by authorities or it could be a system perfectly designed to keep you small. Its not important. 

So over the last 3 months of going deep in language learning (aka having girlfriend that doesn’t speak english) I’ve learnt a lot of Spanish - but what has fascinated me more, is what I have learnt about language learning in general.

My biggest discovery is this….

Language learning is an autonomic process.

It is what the brain is wired to do.

Its a problem solving machine. It has developed to learn and speak languages for thousands & thousands of years. Before text books, before language learning apps. Before some idiot made comprehension, spelling and grammar tests.

All it needs exposure to the language. 

And exposure at the right level of complexity. (Just above what you currently know)

And for you to enjoy the content.

You don’t need flash cards.

You don’t need text books.

You don’t need to memorise.

You need time with the language and to surrender to what the brain already knows how to do.

The greatest resource I’ve found on this process is Dreaming Spanish. 

Check out this page here that explains the system.

It was a big part of what helped me reach fluency in 3 months or so. (Being able to have a arguments with Valentina)

Now this was all a revelation to me, but it goes deeper.

Because this isn’t just about language learning, but there are key principles here that I will take as a foundation for my own philosophy of education.

1. Learning (aka growth) is an autonomic process. A native function of life itself. It doesn’t need to be forced- it just needs to be understood and aligned to. To get what you want out of life, you don’t need to push harder, study harder, listen to the current authority on the subject harder. You need to understand life and the way works at a deeper level. Once you understand the native principles of how the very nature of life works- you’ll be equipped to solve any problem with ease.

2. The common method on everything is wrong. If you want to escape the tyranny of mediocrity, you’ll need to find a better way. The systems in place want you stupid, stressed, broke & depressed.

Nos vemos pronto, parce.

- Jay

PS. An Education In The World is a new space of integration which utilises travel & online business as vehicles for further education. More to come shortly.

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