I lived/worked in Russia for four and a half years, and learning to speak Russian made it a much more enjoyable experience. I think it would be incredibly hard to do if you don’t have it around you all the time, but it’s certainly not a requirement. By the time I left I could speak well enough that people didn’t immediately know that I was an American. I can’t say that I’m fluent, unfortunately, and after 3 years removed from speaking it daily I’ve gotten pretty rusty. Learning any foreign language is a constant effort, so you’re always progressing when it isn’t your native tongue. But when you start thinking in another language, that’s when you know you’re getting somewhere.
Chris's Life List
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1. Get my Rescue Diver certification
1 entry . 2 cheers8 people -
2. run with the bulls in Pamplona
2 cheers292 people -
3. learn to fly a plane
2 cheers1,070 people -
4. Laugh. A lot. Genuinely.
1 entry . 4 cheers363 people -
5. live in New Zealand
1 entry . 4 cheers219 people -
6. have no regrets
2 entries . 11 cheers1,567 people -
7. take more pictures
1 entry . 2 cheers14,312 people -
8. never, EVER grow up
1 entry . 13 cheers787 people -
9. read herodotus
1 entry . 3 cheers6 people -
10. See the Aztec ruins in Mexico
2 cheers10 people -
11. Live life my own way
1 entry . 1 cheer6 people -
12. be goofy every chance I get
2 entries . 14 cheers20 people -
13. keep learning Russian
1 entry9 people -
14. Stay in touch with the people I care about
1 entry . 2 cheers2 people -
15. learn more than the basics of Adobe Photoshop
1 entry . 2 cheers19 people -
16. go to MacWorld Expo
1 entry . 2 cheers2 people -
17. Read everything in my "to read" pile before I buy any more books from Amazon.
2 cheers2 people -
18. enter, and complete, an expedition race
1 entry . 1 cheer3 people -
19. Cage dive with Great Whites in South Africa
2 cheers2 people
Recent entries
Immersion is the key to success....
11 months ago
Awesome!!
21 months ago
I did my first two night dives about two weeks ago, and they were awesome! I’d always thought that it would be a little freaky not being able to see beyond the limit of your light, but it wasn’t. Even diving a site that you’ve been to before during the day is like diving it for the first time.
Next Step
21 months ago
Now that I’m living in an area where I can dive whenever I want to, I’m not going to wait 14 years to progress to the next level. I’d love to make a living diving someday, so I’m going to keep progressing as aggressively as I can. My goal right now is to get as many dives as I can under my belt, and complete Rescue Diver by May 2008.
