The Other Side Of The World
(Isn’t So Far After All)

by Felipe De La Guerra

Image: The sun rises over Tokyo's famed Tsukiji Market.

The dark sky exploded with color in a matter of minutes as dawn broke over the Land of the Rising Sun.

Nearing Tokyo, our destination, I stared at the gold-laced clouds from the jet's window. The cold, dark cabin of the red-eye flight was now brimming with warm sunlight that drove off my restlessness from a mix of jet lag, insomnia and nerves.

While disembarking, my senses were overtaken by both anxiety and excitement. I had traveled before, but Asia was by far the furthest from my comfort zone. And yet, those fears subsided as I skated through immigration using Japanese phrases I had been practicing for months.

I had been exposed to Japanese culture: I cooked Japanese cuisine regularly; I had watched the entire canon of Japanese animator and film director Hayao Miyazaki; I was a member of Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens in South Florida — in fact, I knew the place like the back of my hand, from the Zen gardens and tea house to the exhibits featuring a model of a Japanese classroom and interior of the Shinkansen bullet train.

This was all still new, however, and what really put me at ease was being able to communicate when needed.

Picture of Japanese gate in Sarah P. Duke Gardens, Durham, NC.
There are many Japanese-style gardens outside of Japan, like this one in Durham, N.C.

When learning a language, you don’t just learn the words or the grammar. You learn the cultural context in which that language was formed; you build a connection to that culture. This increases the likelihood of developing relationships with native speakers.

And research shows, there are many benefits of cross-cultural relations, which include an increase in creativity and open-mindedness. Studies show that speaking other languages can also facilitate learning, change attitudes and decision biases, and can even delay the onset of Alzheimer’s.

The University of Florida in Gainesville offers students 102 clubs and organizations that promote intercultural relations and language learning. Cultural groups put on public performances and holiday celebrations. There are theater groups and museums exhibits on display in the Cultural Plaza.

There are plenty of university resources to advance any language-learner’s pursuit of polyglotism. For example, students have access to the Language Studio in Turlington Hall, where on any given weekday, one might encounter groups of students practicing and speaking foreign languages in “Conversation Sessions” as part of extracurricular groups sponsored by language departments or student organizations like the French club.

Polyglotism:
The ability to communicate in several languages.
Definition courtesy of Wiktionary under CC BY-SA 3.0

There is also a hidden gem of a language-learning and relationship building group — the Foreign Language Organization, or FLO as it is known to participants. There are flyers posted around campus for this organization that pairs students interested in learning a language with a facilitator, or guide, who speaks the language.

It can be frustrating after learning a language in school — memorizing words and phrases — to meet fluent speakers who note your outdated vocabulary or overly formal grammar. This is where FLO comes into play. These informal weekly meet-ups offer real ways to learn languages the way they are spoken in the real world. Student and guide are paired for one semester. Language learners also have opportunities to talk with others participants to strengthen their conversational skills.

The Gainesville Language Exchange, or GLX as it has come to be known, offers another opportunity to strengthen these skillsets. Every Thursday night, a tightly knit community gathers at The Midnight, a bar in Downtown Gainesville.

Main Street, a term that is usually an allusion to the archetype of an American town, becomes one of the most diverse areas of the entire city when they come together. Participants convene with nothing but an ID and some flag stickers given at the door for the purpose of identifying people who speak the same languages.

UF students attending a culture fair during Diversity Week.
UF students attending a culture fair during Diversity Week.

It’s a different setting than most language learners are used to.

“You get to have more of the fun moments of the language,” said Hunter Yeago, a regular attendee at the GLX. “It’s connecting with people.”

And that’s the goal, according to current GLX owner and host Bill Carter.

“The whole point is to talk to somebody and know where they are from; to learn about the people and places and have this more human connection.”

With over 182 flags offered and about 320 distributed to its approximately 130 weekly attendees, there is a good chance you can find something in common with others.

“The flags create this little window,” Bill Carter said.

The large crowd can seem daunting at first, but people can easily find opportunities to connect in such a welcoming environment. For Carter, GLX should be a place for international students who aren’t from Gainesville to find other people like them and gradually become part of the community.

But GLX is also gives locals and American students a chance to learn about other languages and cultures. It provides an opportunity to become more worldly.

For Carter, it’s more than just a language exchange. “It’s a culture exchange.”

“ The whole point is to learn about the people and places and have this more human connection.

And at the end of the day, that’s what language is: a tool for communication. When you learn a new language, you find a way to connect to a new culture and connecting to other cultures can be some of the most memorable experiences.

I will never forget my farewell dinner in Lyon, France, with over a dozen locals that I now consider some of my closest friends. I will never forget the first time I made someone laugh at my brand of dad jokes in French.

And though I don’t speak much Japanese, I will never forget the moment I shared with a stranger on the train from Narita Airport to Tokyo’s city center. My broken Japanese did not stop me from offering my seat to her. It did not stop me from getting into what my friend referred to as “a bowing match” to see who could be more polite. And it didn’t stop the conversation we shared in a combination of Japanese and English as I brimmed with excitement on my first trip to Asia.

I will never forget everything I’ve learned from the many friends I’ve made, who now live in 10 different countries.

Connecting with people brings you closer to them, even if they live on the other side of the world.

So, as it turns out, the other side of the world isn’t so far after all.

Check out testimonials from other language learners