Nighttime New York

This past May, when I went to NYC, I wasn’t really allowed to experience much (okay, any) of the city at night, being all of fifteen years old at the time.  But from what I did see, the only thing better than New York City during the day, is New York City at night.  They don’t call it “the city that never sleeps” for nothing.

Night skyline over the water

I’ve always had this idea that as much as any city is always alive, at night is when it wakes up.  I don’t know what it is about it, but the noise gets louder, the lights get brighter, the dark gets darker, and everything is that much more vivid.  I guess when the sun sets, everything else rises.

What do you think?  Do you think this is true, that nighttime is the best time?  Or do you think cities are most alive under light of day?  When does the metropolis come to life for you?

Fighting the Language Barrier

A frequent objection to travel I hear is “oh, well I could only go somewhere that speaks English.  I’m no good at foreign languages.”  Well that’s just silly, I say.  Here’s why:

I maintain that no one is bad at language.  They simply haven’t learned right.  Language is thought to be the only human instinct we still have.  Most people don’t know how they learn most effectively.  There are four main ways of learning: verbally (written word, taking notes, etc.), visually (images, patterns, etc.), aurally (hearing and reading), and tactile (motion, sense of touch).  One of the first steps is learning how you learn.

Language incorporates a little bit of all of these.  All of my teachers have said that there are four parts of fluency in any language: reading, writing, speaking, and listening, which all add up to immersion.  So in many cases, some people are stronger in some parts of language than others.  I know some who, after hearing a few sentences begin to pick it up, but are helpless when they see it written out and vice versa.  But as you gain skill on some areas, others follow naturally.

Maybe you’ve done this.  And maybe you’re still just not learning as fast as you would like to.  This is a bone I would like to pick with the educational system.  In many places, language education doesn’t begin until around age 12 0r 13.  I have always insisted that this is idiotic, because the language centers of your brain are most elastic (and therefore make it easier to learn) around age 5, and they harden up as we get older, making it more and more difficult as time goes on.  That’s not to say learning a new language later in life is impossible – far from it. It’s just a bit harder for you (I’ve always said that I’ll be raising my kids bi- or trilingual from birth – it’s such a massive advantage that it would be stupid to go without in this globalizing world; it’s smart of you to want to learn that second language).

Now, if I can make a few suggestions for learning any language:

• Find a friend who also wants to learn – it’s much easier if you have someone to practice your speaking and listening skills with.
• Practice every day, no matter what – set aside a half hour each day.  You can’t expect to become fluent with no practice.
• Every time you learn a new word or phrase, think about how many times in a day you might use it in English.  Every time you do use it in English, repeat it in the other language a couple times.
• Don’t focus on making complex sentences or getting every word translated exactly.  Focus on getting your main idea across until you become more advanced.
• When you travel, even if you only know a couple of phrases, use them!  In many cases, the effort will be appreciated and reciprocated.

CouchSurfing

Hi everyone!  Sorry for the lack of content as of late; I’ve been slammed with schoolwork.  Here’s a brief post for today and the regular posting schedule should be back soon.

In my blogroll, there is a link to a site called CouchSurfing.  Allow me to explain:

Travel can be very pricey.  I think we can all agree on that.  This alone is enough to turn some people away from traveling.  Well, if money is your main obstacle, I think this can help.  From their website:

“CouchSurfing members share hospitality with one another. These exchanges are a uniquely rich form of cultural interaction. Hosts have the opportunity to meet people from all over the world without leaving home. ‘Surfers,’ or travelers, are able to participate in the local life of the places they visit. We also give more people the chance to become travelers, because ‘surfing’ lowers the financial cost of exploration.”

You see, when you host people, you offer a bed (couch, futon, what-have-you) to travelers from around the world for free.  And then when you travel, you stay with others, greatly reducing the cost of your trip.  You also get the added benefit of making great friends, and getting an insiders view of wherever you may be.

I know what you’re thinking.  “This sounds a little skeevy, doesn’t it?”  And it did to me too, at first.  But they have an extensive means of verifying people as safe people to stay with.  If someone isn’t verified?  You don’t have to stay with them.  You can choose to stay with anyone with a verification level that makes you feel safe.

Happy CouchSurfing!

Ahoy, me maties

This morning, my parents set off on a cruise to the Caribbean.  Now, if you’ve ever taken a cruise, you know that it’s a great experience.

You see, cruise ships are basically floating cities.  There’s shops, restaurants, nightclubs, theaters, pools, sports centers etc.  Anything you might want to do is available.  Cruises hold anywhere between 1,000 to 4,000 people, which means there’s tons of opportunities to meet people.  Or not, if you so prefer.  That’s the thing.  You can do as much or as little as you want.  There’s always something going on, or you can just chill out.

Virtually all cruises have multiple stops.  It’s a great way to sample cities and ports for a day each.  No, you don’t get to get in-depth into the city/port.  But remember, the thing with cruises is: you’re not looking for a long term affair with the places you visit.  You’re looking for the quickie, the fling.

It’s also more affordable than other modes of travel, considering all you get to do.  When you start getting into the add-ons and the extras, yeah, it drives the price up.  Isn’t that the way with everything though?

One of the more common reasons not to go that I’ve heard is seasickness.  Except on such a massive ship, you don’t feel the motion at all.  On the rare few days when you can, they sell tons of products to fight the seasickness, or you can bring your own.  Another reason is that they have small children and it’s not safe for them or they would be bored.  This is just not true.  There are rails and watchful crew members everywhere, and there are day programs for kids of all ages, from 1 – 18.  Another reason, exactly the opposite, is that they don’t want to go alone.  Well that’s silly.  I’d prefer to go alone, myself.  For one thing, the small cabins are more comfortable for just one person.  For another, it’s so easy to meet people.  You’ll make friends, I guarantee.

So basically, I guess what I’m saying is, if you get the opportunity to go on a cruise, you should do it.

You know you want to...

Dog Sledding

I mentioned in my Quebec post that we’ll be going dog-sledding while we’re there.  We’ll each get a chance to drive the sled for a while, which I think will be incredibly exciting.  So here’s a bit on the history of dog sleds:

Dogs have been used for transport in arctic regions since the 10th century.  It’s believed that without such means, we never could have explored or inhabited such snowy climates.  They’ve been used to transport everything from people to mail and medicine, and other supplies.

The first recreational dog race was believed to have been held sometime in the mid-to-late 1800s.  In the 1920s, gold miners brought dog sledding back to New England, where it boomed with popularity.  By 1932, dog sledding was a demonstrational sport in the Winter Olympics of that year.  It was featured again in 1952 at the Oslo Olympics.

Since then, interest has seemingly waned, but every year, many dog sled races are held across the world.  The Iditarod, for example, is a grueling 1150 mile sled race across the wilderness of Alaska which draws worldwide attention.