Fundamentals

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Word of the Day:

English: Building

Spanish: Edificio

French: Bâtiment

Italian: Edificio

German: Gebäude

Dutch: Gebouw

Fundamentals

This week (1/20/13 - 1/27/13) has been about learning the basics and making phone calls. I've stopped riding my bike to school. Instead, I walk everywhere. I put an extra book in my backpack in the morning to get used to a heavier weight. Travelling to and from school, I use the paid version of the app 50 Languages for the Android. I start by repeating the English word or phrase, then say an alternate language's translation twice. The app is nice, as it has the same version of each lesson for each different languages. This allows for  an easy comparison between whichever language you're trying to learn.

In addition to the 50 Languages app, I am also using a website called Memrise. Again, it is useful because it reinforces the language with verbal commands as well as images, placing the vocabulary and phrases firmly in your memory.

To be honest, the process of learning languages is slightly more difficult than I anticipated. I was hoping to learn the core values of Spanish, French, Italian, German, and Dutch at the same time. However, I feel this isn't the best option anymore, as words become cluttered and phrases turn into strange, foggy clouds. It makes this a challenge now, and what is greater than overcoming a task that is challenging? Hopefully through consistent reinforcement and practice, the core values for each language can be obtained relatively quickly. It will just take practice, practice, and more practice.

Just checking in for the week.

Thanks for reading!

-Sam

Budgets and Beginnings

Word of the day:

English: Dream

Spanish: Sueño

French: Rêve

Italian: Sogno

German: Traum

Dutch: Droom

Budgets and Beginnings

Hello.

My name is Sam and I’m planning a wonderful adventure. Tentatively titled, the trip is called The Vagabond Project. It is an 84-day journey across and around Europe. I will start by flying into Madrid, Spain and finish by flying out of London, England.

The trip will have two focuses. The overall goal of the trip is to gain a personal understanding of homelessness on a world scale (focus #1). This will be accomplished by travelling across the continent using a single backpack and talking with members of the population and learning different cultures (focus #2).

There are a plethora of barriers and challenges that are already present. A couple days ago I applied for my passport and took a picture with a white background and a goofy grin across my face. This will be my first time travelling and going to another country. Also, the only language I know besides English is Spanish. I and barely know that at a conversational level. Because I plan to talk to many people on the streets of main and never-heard-of cities alike, I want to have a confident comprehension regarding the languages I may encounter. This means that I must reach a conversational level in Spanish, French, Italian, German, and Dutch.

With respect to languages, I’m currently using an application on my phone and repeating phrases as I walk the two miles to and from campus. I feel silly when I mispronounce the same French phrase three or four times in a row and then realize a man is walking his dog just behind me. At the same time, I think I sound awesome as I spit out a six or seven word sentence in German flawlessly on the fringes of the campus, especially if I'm near a crowd of people.

When it comes down to it, I’m currently in the learning stage of my trip. I can’t even begin to plan beyond basic outlines at this point because there is such a large amount of base knowledge that I require. Besides languages, I want to have a good understanding on the environment that surrounds each major city along my general route. This will help me get the lay of the land, so to speak.

The learning stage is fun and I can’t begin to complain. It challenges me intellectually and I relish the experience of diving into language, culture, and background environments. In addition to this, I am currently looking to obtain corporate sponsors as well as searching for foundations or schools that may be interested in providing assistance with the funding process.

As the trip progresses, I plan to keep a constant handwritten journal, take huge amounts of pictures, record a video diary, and post frequently on this blog- which will detail my experiences. At the end of the journey, I hope to find a website or journal to write an essay or article about my adventures as a first-time traveler as well as what I will have learned through my travels and conversations with the homeless of the world.

That is all for now. I look to continue to update my process of learning and preparing for this trip. I am doing my best to represent a strong example of what a kid can do if he/she really wants to travel and experience the world. I've wanted to travel my entire life, but I was always scared because of its immense monetary cost. I may be throwing caution to the wind, but I want this adventure. I want to witness and learn from culture and to obtain a critical understanding of the issue of homelessness.

Awesome Language:

“Week”, in German is “Woche” and “middle” in German is “Mitte.” What day is in the middle of the week? Wednesday. “Wednesday” in German is “Mittwoch.” So. Cool.

Basic Budget (estimates taken on the higher end):

Ticket: $1,200

Eurorail Pass: $1,100

Food: $500 ($150 per month, rounded up)

Incidentals: $500

Estimate Total: $3,300

Thanks for reading!

-Sam