What would your retirement language be?
Dec 16, 2024 3:10 am
It's winter, despite what the calendar says.
Welcome to this week's language vlog newsletter!
(Working on Apple Podcasts!)
Getting back to a bit of a regular schedule of language study, if only because my Cantonese language package on iTalki is about to expire. A few more and then they're all done.
How are your language studies going?
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A bit of a reminiscence week here in Canada, as many of our videos focused on the expat life. Although I speak as a Canadian and a native English speaker, I think many of these topics apply to expats of all sorts, not just English teachers.
- Short - Best Smelling Bookstore in Canada?
- Short - Have Expats Given Up On Their Hometown?
- Short - What would your retirement language be?
- Short - How do you appreciate the moment
- EXTRA: Upcoming projects
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Best Smelling Bookstore in Canada? If there's one thing I can say about Winnipeg, Canada, it's that it is home to THE best smelling bookstore in the world. McNally Robinson, a fixture at Grant Park Mall in the south central end of the city, is a bookstore that has been in operation for years. Home to not just a selection of books, it also has a kids section, a venue for live talks, and a restaurant that consistently wins awards and praise from locals and visitors alike.
Sales pitch aside, this is a place I've been going to for years, not just because it's nearby, but because it has a very welcoming atmosphere. Furthermore, upon entering the store the waft of coffee, food and books hits you and, at least for me, I can't help but think, "This is what a bookstore should be."
Do you still go to bookstores? Is there a local bookstore you visit often? And, more importantly, what was the last book you purchased from a bookstore?
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Thank you for your support!
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Have Expats Given Up On Their Hometown? Moving on to a little bit of self reflection in the time of winter, I can't help but wonder who is stronger: the people who endure the harsh Canadian prairies, or the people who've left for lands afar?
It's a bit of a grand argument to make regardless of your opinion. The fact of the matter is that there is a point in your life that you can CHOOSE where you want to live, albeit those times are brief and you do need to weigh a few different options.
Some things to think about include money, job availability, skill set, weather, cost of living, your family, accessibility, things to do, and food. And medical care, of course!
Sounds like a decent list to think about, but even by staying in your hometown, you are subconsciously thinking of those things and whether or not you'll be able to find something similar or better somewhere else.
What do you think: have the people who've left their home town given up on it?
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What would your retirement language be? Now, leaving the home town as a young person might be one thing, but what about once you hit retirement? Would you move away from your home of so many years in order to find a cheaper place to live?
Although this question seems a bit funny, that is, why would you think about what language you'll speak once you're "old and retired"?
Simply put, a lot of retirement books and resources ask the question: could you move somewhere else to reduce costs?
But the add-on to that question: how far away would you move? Would you move to a country that doesn't speak your language? Would you LEARN another language to move somewhere else (Spanish, French, Thai, Indonesian, Chinese?). Of course, this is all dependent on whether or not the place would have you retire there anyway!
So, which language would you start learning to day so that your retirement years could be cheaper?
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How do you appreciate the moment? And the final short of the week was all about living in the moment and appreciating it for what it is, despite the weather. Winnipeg's winters can test one's resolve much like Beijing's hot and humid summers can make you wonder why you're still there. But, it's exactly times like that I find I have to remember "Yes, it's bad, but it will change."
The truth of the matter is that we really only get once chance at this moment here and now. Each step is historical in its own right, and each second won't be repeated. This may be the wistfulness of an expat visiting his hometown, but even as an expat, wherever we do end up walking, it's amazing to think how many people had walked those foot steps before. Where are they now?
How do you take in these moments, especially when the seasons change and it gets really cold? And, finally, is it easier to think about this in hot weather or cold weather?!
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We've got a few upcoming projects:
-Chinese language course by email
-10 minutes a day is better than no minutes a day reminder email
-EBOOK - How to learn a language
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I hope you're keeping warm up here in the northern hemisphere. One thing that is different in Winnipeg in contrast to Beijing is the location of the sun. That is, in Winnipeg, the sun seems far lower along the horizon in the winter time than in Beijing... but that may also be because the tall buildings of Beijing cover up it's true location.
Comments? Questions? Concerns? Suggestions? Get in touch! We'd love to hear from you! You can email us here or follow us on YouTube and post a comment, we'll get back to you!
Thanks for reading and let us know if there's anything we can help you with!
-Steve
PS - Today's Chinese word is "移民" (yímín) which means "immigration". Why? Because I've seen quite a few signs on buildings that have this word written on it here in Canada!