About
Join me on my quest to learn languages and travel the world!
Native: 🇺🇸
Learning: 🇲🇽🇯🇵🇧🇷🇫🇷🇨🇳
Visited: 🇬🇷
In 2022 I was unemployed and depressed, and to stay busy I decided to start teaching myself Spanish online. At the time it was just something to do, but over the years it’s become one of the most important aspects of my life. I fell in love with learning languages, specifically learning languages through comprehensible input (CI). The strategy of using CI from the beginning instead of waiting until you’ve reached an advanced level makes the process much more interesting, and I get to learn a new language while doing things I love, like reading, listening to podcasts, and watching videos. (Check out this post for more info.)
Fast forward to the present, over a dozen books and an uncountable number of podcasts, TV shows, and YouTube videos later, I’m still on the grind, only along the way Spanish got joined by Japanese, Portuguese, French, and Chinese. Check out my 2025 wrap-up for more of those juicy stats.
A CI-heavy approach may not be the most efficient or ‘best’ way to learn a language, but it’s the best method for me because it keeps me motivated and excited, and I want to share my experience to help people who have a similar learning style. I’m determined to practice all my languages to a conversational level and document the steps I took along the way, so subscribe for language learning tips (try Tips for intermediate learners), progress updates (try 2025 wrap-up or Language learning using only CI?), and of course, recommendations for interesting content to sink your teeth into (try Spanish language favorites or Japanese CI resources for beginners)!Â
Psst, check out my monthly favorites page to get the scoop on what I’m enjoying right now.
Part of the reason I’ve gotten so interested in learning languages is the prospect of using them when I travel. I’m a beginner when it comes to international travel, with one country under my belt so far – Greece – and because I couldn’t speak or read Greek, I felt a divide between myself and the locals. In the future, I’d like to be able to speak to people in their own language. There are a lot of counties I’d like to visit, so I practice a lot. 😉
While I save up, plot out future itineraries (check out my itinerary for a week in Sydney), and practice conversations before my next trip, I’m spending my free time exploring the nooks and crannies of my own city – Dallas!
I love going car-free when possible, spending time in nature, and finding restaurants with good vegetarian options – all a little difficult to do in Dallas, but I do the research so you guys don’t have to!
If you have any questions, or just want to chat about the topics I discuss on here, leave me a comment, and don’t forget to subscribe if you’d like to be notified when new posts are published.
