Prague bars on a Friday night…
It’s not talking; it’s shouting.
But Repete cocktail bar in Prague 1 is an exception. In the back room, away from the TV and the drunken tourists, you can actually have a conversation.
I asked her where she had been this year.
“Georgia… Costa Rica… Norway… Lichtenstein…”
Wow.
And then she added, “But now I only have a week and a half of vacation time left. So I’ll just go to Croatia and Slovenia.”
Czechs like to travel.
Americans… not as much. (Did you know that 58% don’t even have a passport?!)
And on her list for next year:?
Columbia.
She also told me that her plan was to learn Spanish before the trip.
She thought it would be fun to speak with the locals. She likes the food and the music and the people.
She also thought it would be easy, since it’s similar to English, which she already speaks fluently.
And then she said in a slightly lower voice, “But it’s not easy. So I quit”
Hmmm, that didn’t sound right. Spanish is similar to English. And it is easier to learn a third language…
So I asked, “What was your method?”
“I took a class at a langauge school,” she said.
Ah ha!
The-kill-your-motivation-and-
I know this method very well.
In fact, I used to teach it.
And when I saw my students’ miserable progress, I started to search for something else.
What I found was research by linguists and routines by polyglots which were very different from the traditional approach we all know.
I then made them easy for busy students and soon was charging more than any other private teacher in Prague.
A few months ago you could have been my private student for 300 Euros a month.
But now I’m taking a break from privates.
You can, however, learn this method in my new online course, “Free Time Fluent.”
It will be available September 13.
