We live and learn
“I can’t think of anything that creates a greater sense of childlike wonder,
than to be in a country where you are ignorant of almost everything”
– Bill Bryson
It’s Adult Learner’s Week, which runs from 1–8 September each year. It incorporates International Literacy Day, on September 8. The week is a UNESCO initiative that started in USA and is now worldwide. But learning is not just about literacy and numeracy. It can also be about developing new skills, not just for work but more importantly for our personal development.
We’ve both worked in Education for about 20 years. I’m trained to teach adults, in post compulsory education. With time we’ve realised that we both love learning ourselves. And it’s rarely about ‘hitting the books’.
I came across this quote a few days ago;
“I can’t think of anything that creates a greater sense of childlike wonder, than to be in a country where you are ignorant of almost everything”
…Is that part of the magic of living and travelling in other countries? The looking at things with fresh eyes, the novelty of so much, the discovery of it all?
People will say it’s a big part of why they travel; that first glimpse of your destination, feeling that buzz on arrival and visiting remarkable sites. But how do you maintain that?
How can you live with a sense of wonder in our world? How can we keep our curiosity alive?
With each and every move, we have looked at some aspect of a culture with awe, admiration or confusion. And you gain knowledge. Fresh flavours, customs, languages all present us with an opportunity to learn every day. It’s a chance to take time to experience what’s around you, develop an additional skill or create new things. And any creative endeavour is an occasion to be open to new experiences. That’s exciting.
We’re learning so much about Italy; its culture, its history and the language. I still get del, dello and della mixed up and that’s OK. We don’t have all the answers. And we’ve never needed them.
Some people like their comfort zones. They will explore the world via the words of someone like Bill Bryson from their armchair. We are more comfortable with the unfamiliar than the familiar. Does that makes sense? And we want to keep learning more about our world.
Where are you now and what are you learning today?
© Maggie M /Mother City Time
In Taiwan, I am surrounded by Chinese characters that I cannot begin to read. It’s fascinating and terrifying at the same time. I learn places by location, not by reading them. There is enough written in our alphabet that I can get around, but it is indeed humbling to rely on an app or a map and not on my own ability to make sense of what I’m seeing!
Hi Doug. Good luck In Taiwan. Those new language characters present an interesting challenge. You will surprise yourself, as you will begin to read them in time. I was always impressed at PKP’s ability to find his way in Japan, using the 漢字 Kanji signs all over Osaka. It’s a steep learning curve. But you have learned other languages and you will master this one too. Taiwan will certainly be presenting you with a very different culture, which you are bound to find fascinating. Enjoy the magic of setting up home in another new country. We look forward to hearing more about your experience there.
To me being out of my comfort zone is one of the biggest challenges and rewards at the same time. Loved reading you, felt like my own thoughts conveyed ‘on paper’:)
Hi. I wanted to respond to this last night but there had been too much wine and sunshine! (a good ‘problem’, right?) Yep, being out of one’s comfort zone can be challenging but as you say, also so rewarding. There are times when having to learn new customs or languages can drive you nuts. But we find that we often look back and laugh, as well as learn from those situations. And if we’d wanted ‘easy’, we would never have left our home towns. The thought of that is far more terrifying; so many experiences missed, so many people never met, so many places never seen. Keep enjoying Barcelona. You’ve got us thinking about a return trip.