The Language Learning Hack You've NEVER heard of

Mastering a new language while living in a new country

Welcome, budding polyglot! As everyone knows, there are many ways to learn a language, but total immersion is and always will be the best. That is why my recommendations and strategies are centered around simulating immersion. Rotary Youth Exchange, and Rotary Club International moreover, are two tools that are completely underrated.

I hope that by bringing light to this community many of you will find ways to participate and excel in your language acquisition moving forward. Rotary changed my life and, even if you don't end up being an exchange student or hosting a student, they have many avenues to get involved.

The Experience

Rotary Youth Exchange (RYE) is an experience that stands out even amongst exchange programs. There are several reasons for this, but the one that comes to mind first is the fact that everyone changes families. With most exchange programs, the student lives with a single family and that’s it. With Rotary, it is normal to stay with three families, though some people go between two. This does something that most people will never have the opportunity to experience in their lives. It gives people the opportunity to see three completely different ways to live all within a 10 mile radius.

I remember thinking years ago that if everyone could be an exchange student wars would end and we might actually have a chance at peace. It took a snarky comment from someone discussing how bad that many flights would be for the environment for me to realize something. When I said "exchange student" I wasn't necessarily talking about international. Seeing the drastically different ways people live, even within the same city, can challenge people to question the way they've always done things.

We all would have taken our parents advice as children and questioned the advice of someone else's parents. But how do we know our parents know best about every subject? Chances are, they don't. Experiencing different ways to do things, different schedules, different priorities, different faiths, and much more completely changes a person's worldview, usually for the better.

Not only that, but learning how to integrate into a community leaves you with a powerful tool that can be used for the rest of your life. Rotary works with over 100 countries in the world, the limits are only in the mind when it comes to what this organization can do for you and those you love.

Generally speaking, RYE is for young adults from age 14-18, though 18 is the tail end and if you are already 18 you may already be too old. That's okay! There is also a Rotary program that is spread throughout the university systems around the world.

The program, Rotaract, is a great way to meet likeminded people who likely are at the very least bilingual. If you are looking for people to practice with, but you are trying to avoid walking into a market and speaking to someone there, try out the local Rotaract Club!

Finding people to speak with is one of the most challenging aspects of learning a new language in a non-immersion environment. Even if there isn't someone who speaks your target language at these meetings, there is likely someone who has good resources for you.

My Experience Living in a New Country

When I graduated high school, I was put in a position where I could either go to college or take a gap year and be an exchange student living in Belgium. Having just gotten back from studying at the University of Costa Rica in San Jose, I felt all but obligated to take the leap and jump blindly into yet another new country, new culture, and new language.

For the second time in as many years my parents had seen fit to airdrop me into a country, alone, with little to no working knowledge of the local language. Oh, how I wish I could do the very same thing every single year, though I suppose there is still time to reach that goal.

I don't know how many people remember Duolingo from 2014, but it has come a very long way in terms of utility and relevance.

Back then I learned how to point and say "la pomme rouge" but nothing more. Luckily, my first host family spoke essentially fluent English and so they were able to help me greatly. My second host family spoke absolutely no English whatsoever, time to sink or swim.

My third host family, the mom was American and the dad Belgian. That is when I learned the switch. I didn’t realize until much later just how powerful the ability to switch seamlessly from one language to the next is. These are just some of the things that come from living with multiple families.

Maximize the second language acquisition

Many of the exchange students who were there at the same time as me did not have the same experience as I did. Most of them didn’t learn the language, most of them don’t have any local friends or resources, and most of them never integrated into their families. Integration, at the very least, into the family being generous enough with their time and money to house and feed and chauffeur you around should be mandatory. At least I always saw it that way.

Through some family things with my first host family, we were able to bond and I love them dearly to this day. I remember the first few weeks very vividly. My host dad's mom passed away the day I arrived in Belgium. That same night I broke a wine glass at dinner. Needless to say I was really crushing it.

Then, something I was not at all expecting happened. They asked me if I would play guitar at his mother's funeral.

Before I left I had a long conversation with my best friend, he became my best friend when he lived with my family as our exchange student. I lived with him in Germany for a couple weeks before moving to Belgium for the year and I asked him the last night what his best advice to an exchange student would be. These are the things he told me to do:

• Always say yes

This first idea is why I said yes to playing guitar at her funeral. It also led me to some of the most incredible and unforgettable moments of my life to this day. Saying yes to playing the guitar showed my host family that I didn't view them as hosts, I viewed them as family; and I did what I could to ensure I lived that way as well. I spent hours with my host sister practicing and she taught me some words as she read the poem she wrote aloud to my music. After the funeral, my host dad, who never really said much, hugged and thanked me. From this moment on I was no longer a student, I was a son.

Here are some things I said 'yes' to that I would never have thought of (or had the opportunity to do) had I not been an exchange student:

Archery lessons

Skiing in the alps

12 countries in 12 months

Sleeping in Sacre-Coeur in Paris

Service events

Media interviews/appearances and much more

***OBVIOUSLY THERE ARE LIMITS HERE, DON'T BE STUPID***

• Learn the language

There should be no room for misinterpretation here. It is your duty to learn the local language if you are an exchange student. Anything less is a disservice and a theft of someone more deserving's spot. Getting started can be tough, I recommend Pimsleur if you're getting ready for something like this as it will give you the opportunity to hear and speak almost immediately. To maximize the lessons, try writing down what you are hearing and saying as well. These "dictations" are a powerful tool in learning a second language.

• Integrate

An obvious reason why people struggle to learn a language in a new country is a refusal to integrate. If you don't want to make friends and join clubs and participate, why would anyone take the time to help you learn the language? Effort is highly rewarded, especially in situations like this. Anyone who has ever tried to learn a second language is going to give someone brave enough to learn it through total immersion some grace. To this day some of my dearest friends are from that period of my life when I was lost in a foreign country, unable to understand anyone or express myself. I give total credit to my willingness and ability to integrate and I hope that is something everyone will have the chance to experience one day.

• Make friends

  

In conjunction with the above, making friends is key. What is the point of learning a new language if not to make friends and share experiences with them? I know many, many exchange students who only spent time with other exchange students. None of them have any Belgian friends, most of them can't speak a word of French, and now the only people they can visit in Belgium are their hosts, if that.

When I go back, we have to block time so that I have a chance to see everyone before I leave. That is what I want for you, too.

Ways to get involved

The easiest way to get involved is to check for Rotary Clubs near you and see what events they have you might be able to join. If you are in university, ask your counselor about the local Rotaract club and see if there are any opportunities for you to get involved there. Doing these things will put you around like minded people who may have local resources on hand for you.

In my experience, Rotarians are by and large incredible people who want nothing more than to pass along the blessings they’ve been afforded in life. I've never been shut down or turned away and they really do work to serve those in need and those who want help.

If you have the opportunity, check it out and you may just find a new best way to tackle your language goals (or set your children up for success in theirs). If you have any questions about the program, I'd be happy to answer them (or point you in the right direction) in the comment section down below.

Conclusion

Immersion is the best way to learn a language and Rotary offers an affordable program that can set people up for success with languages and beyond with the amount of networking opportunities they provide. If we have the option, we will host and send our children abroad as well. Being a RYE student changed my life and set me on the course that I am on today. I wouldn’t be a polyglot without them, that is certainly true.

Becoming bilingual is difficult, but you can do difficult things and be great. So go do difficult things and become great. Here I’ve given you some of the tools, but in the end, there is no comprehensive guide, no tips or tricks to carry anyone across the finish line. Language acquisition requires time, effort, and consistency. That said, it is something that anyone of any age is more than capable of accomplishing. I’ll be here rooting for you and watching your progress.

For more content find me on Twitter or Instagram. I look forward to seeing everyone’s progress in the months and years to come.