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 Learn a foreign language on your commute. When people learn I’ve been studying Spanish for four years, so many tell me they wish they could do the same. When I ask them why they don’t learn the language of their choice, I get one (or more) of the following excuses. Today I will help you by blowing up all these excuses so you can cross this off your bucket list. 
1. I don’t have the money for classes - If you are trying to learn a rare language that isn’t spoken near you, it’s true, you may be out of luck. Immersion in a program or a visit foreign country may be best, but it’s not cheap.
But for most of us, we are trying to learn a tongue that’s spoken by millions around the world. For a major language like German or Mandarin Chinese, check your local library for CDs, dictionaries, and even children’s books. Radio Lingua has free podcasts in over 20 languages. My favorite resource, iTunesU, has free online classes in everything from Armenian to Urdu. Continue reading 5 Language Learning Excuses and How to Get Past Them
 First I saw Karen do a list like this on her blog, and I thought it was brave of her. Then Thu did a similar list for her birthday. When I told Adam I should write a post about myself too, he asked me why I hadn’t yet. I took this as a challenge, so here’s my attempt.
1. If you dare me, I will probably do it, as long as it’s safe and legal. That’s why I’m writing this post.
2. I’m not originally from Texas. I was born in New York but I can’t imagine living in a cold climate anymore.
3. I’m an excellent cook, and I can make everything from soup to stir fry. My favorite cuisine is Italian though.
4. I find it difficult to speak if I can’t use my hands. People think I must be Italian but I’m not even a little bit. No one knows how I picked this up, since my family doesn’t do it. Continue reading 19 Things You Probably Don’t Know About Me
After toying with learning  Spanish for a few years, I got serious about it in 2007. I was motivated by a scheduled trip to South America – really a late honeymoon. My husband and I hired a tutor to come to the house two hours a week. With consistency, practice, and a few trips to Latin America thrown in, I’m now quite proficient in Spanish, especially understanding speech.
As an American, it’s easy to be lazy about languages. You can travel almost anywhere in the world and find someone who knows a little English.
However, I think the world is changing rapidly. Language skills are more and more important. You may well lose out on a job or business opportunity to someone who is bilingual. I will probably live to see Mandarin Chinese supplant English as the most used language on the planet, so I plan to pick that up next. Continue reading 5 Surprising Benefits of Learning Spanish
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