jadehu

I interned in the Indian Himalayans at a social enterprise, working on improving the local environment, albeit it was only baby steps.

I applied through my university (keep an eye out for such opportunities) when there was a program looking to send students interested in entrepreneurship out to India to gain some working experience.

The wonderful experience of living in a Himalayan village for seven weeks, with my window framing a beautiful view of snow capped mountains and a summer stream trickling right next to my room, lulling me to sleep…

It was unnerving at first (thankfully I had 3 other interns with me), and learning to live outside my comfort zone was not easy. Yet, by the time I was set to leave, I couldn’t bear to leave the friendships I’ve made with the locals and the lovely fresh mountain air behind.

If you have a chance to work abroad, don’t hesitate. Just go! Because if you don’t throw caution to the wind, and explore your own limits, you might not get another chance. :-)

So far, I have:

1. Mandarin Chinese – Native
2. English – Fluent
3. Cantonese Chinese – Conversational
4. German – Basic (Took classes for 1.5 years)
5. French – Taking classes now
6. Japanese – Self-Learning

Planning to focus on French from now on; take some serious classes starting 2010 and work on writing as well. French seems to have less complex grammar rules than German.

Hoping to go to Japan after graduation to learn Japanese. This one is not entirely functional anywhere other than in Japan, but it’d be really cool to know how to speak and write Japanese.

I know it’s not 5, but some people consider Mandarin and Cantonese both Chinese. I’d also consider learning Hindi, Arabic and Spanish to conquer the whole world…almost, anyway. :)

Cheers to all who aspire to learn as many languages as their tongues can handle.

Deutsch macht viel spaβ!
I learnt this phrase during one of my first few lessons. And boy, is this phrase useful, because nowadays I keep using it!

There are tough times learning Deutsch, especially when it comes to memorising the articles and imperfect verbs, but it feels good to know that I am learning something that will open many doors for me in the future.

Do cheer me on if you are like me too! We can do this together. Prost!

Viele Liebe XXOO