Member-only story
How to Choose Which Language to Learn
A comprehensive guide for the indecisive
In my architecture office in Sydney in 2016, my employers hired a Mandarin tutor for their son. They asked me if I was also interested in learning Mandarin. I was interested, especially since China and Australia have such strong cultural ties.
But I declined, because I thought I was too old to take on such a difficult language.
I was 25 years old!
Little did I know I was still a child. But from my perspective at the time, I thought I’d be settling down in life soon, buying a house, and maybe starting a family in Australia. If it took me 10 years to become fluent, I’d be a “burnt out” 35 year old by the time my Mandarin journey was over.
At least that’s what my 25 year old mind thought. None of that settling down in life stuff came to pass, and now I’m 34, having learned Finnish for nearly 3 years. My 32 year old self in 2021 who started taking Finnish speaking lessons did a very kind thing for my present day self.
At 34, I realize that age is all relative. A 60 year old will still see me as a child and a 22 year old will see me as a burnt out adult.
Your life is never over until it’s actually over. You’ll always be thanking yourself from 5 years ago for gifting…
