A Challenge That Taught Me Something Valuable: Living Abroad

When I moved to Osaka for 10 months in 2025, it was the first time I had ever lived abroad. It was the first time I had ever been to Asia. Aside from one trip to London, Paris and Amsterdam in 2018, it was only the second time I was ever outside of North America. Before then, I had been to Mexico and Canada, I had been to Aruba and The Bahamas, and that was it.
Then in February 2025 I found myself living in a foreign country where I didn't speak the language and I didn't know my way around. Luckly, the signs in the train stations in Japan are written in English and of course I had my the map on my cell phone. But it was definitely a challenge.
What it taught me was the power of communication. I learned a fair bit of Japanese and most of the people I interacted with spoke some English. But I learned that it's possible to communicate in a foreign country even if there's a language barrier. And the longer I lived there, the more I learned the words that I needed to get by in certain situations. From the konbini to the dentist!
It didn't matter if my Japanese was perfect or if their English was perfect. We were able to communicated with our limited understanding of the other's language. Because we wanted to be understood. And that's what made the difference: the desire to understand and to be understood.
I invite you to take a class with me. Help me prove my point that communication is possible the desire is present!

English	Native
French	Daily conversation
Japanese	Daily conversation
Spanish	Just a few words
German	Just a few words

English

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Japanese

Daily conversation

Spanish

Just a few words

German

Just a few words

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A Challenge That Taught Me Something Valuable: Living Abroad

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