9:04am

5/7/20

#9

Language is power. Language is king. The first time I traveled to Barcelona, I felt so weak, so inferior. I couldn’t say a thing! When you can’t communicate, you immediatly transform into an infant. It’s humiliating. Barcelona goes one-two with Paris for the most touristy place in the world. And it’s true! Everywhere you looked you saw mass tours, people wearing translation earpieces, and English being spoken. Yet I still felt so powerless.

When I lived in Lisbon, I would go to the grocery stores for food. The older generations aren’t that great at English so I couldn’t ask for anything. Where’s the milk? Where are the carrots? Tortillas? I’ve been lost in one too many grocery stores. The layouts always change. The language barrier is always there. So I had to learn Portuguese! Onde e o leite? Onde e os cenouras? Tortillas? The old lady’s in the Pingo Doce were always frustrated with me and that ate away at my heart.

Portugal is a tiny yet vast country that conquered much of the world at one point. Learning Portuguese can take you to Brasil, Angola, and even to Macao.

So go ahead and start learning a new language instead of binging that Netflix show.

Kiubon