ALTE COCKER TRAVELS
  • Welcome to My Website
  • How To Do a Home Exchange
    • Doing the Logistics of a Back to Back Home Exchange Trip
    • Preparing for a Home Exchange >
      • Home Exchange Problems >
        • The Ticket Dance
        • Homeexchange.com: Too Much Hype, Poor Management
        • The Nasty Side of Home Exchanging
        • Why Home Exchangers Can Drive You Nuts
      • Going Crazy Before A Home Exchange--Tossing Stuff
      • Last Minute Departure on a Home Exchange
      • Shit Hits the Fan before Home Exchanges
    • Retirement the AlteCocker Way
    • Trip Drill for AlteCockers
    • When You Want to Home Exchange for a Long Time
    • Home Exchange vs. House Sitting
  • Australia-New Zealand 2018
    • Perth Australia June 15-July 27, 2018
    • Broome Australia Outback Tour
    • Darwin Australia August 2018
    • Great Barrier Reef Australia August 2018
    • Melbourne Australia August 2018
    • Wellington New Zealand September 2018
  • Asia
    • Taiwan October-November 2015
    • Southeast Asia 2015-2016 >
      • Chiang Mai Thailand January-February 2016
      • Surin Elephant Round Up, Surin, Thailand, November 2015
      • Bangkok February 2016
      • 12 Days in Malaysia January 2016 >
        • Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, January 2016
        • Borneo, Malaysia, January 2016
      • Singapore: December 12-17
  • AlteCocker in Southeast Asia November 2014-January 2015
    • Chiang Mai >
      • Loy Krathong in Chiang Mai
      • Farang Lantern Release Chiang Mai
      • Puppet Festival Chiang Mai
      • Day Trips Outside Chiang Mai >
        • Whitewater Rafting on the Mae Taeng with Siam River Adventures
        • Chiang Rai and Mekong Day Trip
        • Baan Chang Elephant Park
        • Lampang Elephant Conservation Center and FAE Elephant Hospital
        • Bhuphing Palace
        • Queen Sirikit Botanical Gardens
        • Royal Park Rajapruek
      • Living the Expat Life in Chiang Mai
    • January 1-6, 2015: Chiang Mai, Thailand
    • AlteCocker in Bangkok, Thailand
    • Photos from Thailand November 2014-January 2015 >
      • Bangkok >
        • Jim Thompson House Bangkok
        • Grand Palace Bangkok
        • Kanchanaburi/Bridge on the River Kwai Day Trip
        • Flower Market Bangkok
        • The Lowdown on Mobile Passport
        • Evening Chao Praya Cruise Bangkok
        • Other Bangkok Sightseeing
    • Kayak Trip to the Andaman Sea
    • AlteCocker in Siem Reap (Angkor Wat), Cambodia >
      • Photos from Cambodia December 2014 >
        • Angkor Wat
        • Ta Prohm
        • Banteay Srei
        • Beng Mealea
        • Floating Village Outside Siem Reap, Cambodia
        • Other Non Temple Sites Siem Riep, Cambodia
    • AlteCocker in Yangon, Burma >
      • How to Get a Myanmar (Burmese) Visa from Chiang Mai, Thailand
      • Photos from Myanmar (Burma) January 2015 >
        • Shewdagon Pagoda Yangon
        • Karaweik Evening Entertainment Yangon
    • Final Thoughts on Planning a Trip to Southeast Asia
    • AlteCocker in Phuket, Thailand (Kayak Trip)
  • You Are What? Going to Australia Again?
    • Fiji to Sleep? 3 days 2008 (with photos)
    • Sydney, Australia, 2008
    • Kawana Waters Queensland, Australia, 2008
    • Brisbane 2008
  • Europe
    • 2014 Grand European Haj: Poland, Belarus, Turkey, Sweden >
      • Part 1: Poland and Belarus >
        • Krakow Home Hospitality Returned 2014
        • Warsaw Home Exchange 2014
        • Belarus--Brest & Minsk--A Visit to the Ancestors 2014 >
          • Getting a Visa for Belarus
    • France >
      • Bordeaux France 2013 >
        • Photos from Bordeaux 2013 >
          • St. Emilion
          • La Bataille de Castillon
          • Sightseeing Bordeaux City
          • Touring Vineyards Outside Bordeaux
      • Martinique Home Exchange May-June 2015 >
        • May 25-27, 2015: Two Days in Dominica
      • Paris France >
        • How to Eat at the Pre Catalan in Paris
      • Paris for a Week July-August 2015 >
        • Paris 2015 Photos
        • Pere Lachaise Cemetery
      • Toulouse France 2013
      • Scandinavian Adventures >
        • Photos from Toulouse Home Exchange >
          • Cordes sur Ciel Medieval Festival
          • Albi
          • Grotte de Niaux
          • Carcassonne
          • Day Trip to Greenland July 31, 2016
          • D'Artagnan's Home Town: Auch >
            • Loire Valley France >
              • Amboise: Leonardo da Vinci & a Mass Beheading
              • Chenonceau: A Mistress, A Queen, A Transvestite Ball
              • No Baguettes Here: Eating Whole Grain Bread in Tours, France
          • Colomiers France Home Exchange July 2013
    • Germany >
      • Total Eclipse? Well, Not Exactly
      • A Day out from Hamburg: Wedel and the Blankenese
    • Great Britain >
      • Museum of London: Not for History Nuts Only
      • Leicester Square Ticket Booth London--Nah!
      • Westminster Abbey--Do Not Miss Evensong!
      • Bergen, Norway
      • From Bergen to Oslo by Boat and Train
      • The Palpable Presence of Death: Verdun
      • Fredrikstad, Norway, 2012
      • A Day out in Yorkshire: Rieveaulx Abbey
      • Edinburgh: Doin' The Fringe
      • Doin' The Tattoo in Edinburgh
    • Iceland and Italy Summer 2016 >
      • Iceland July 12,-August 2, 2016
      • Lake Como August 3-August 30, 2016 >
        • Verona Opera Festival August 8-10, 2016
        • Corsica
      • Venice August 30-September 2, 2016
      • Florence September 2-11, 2016
    • Spain >
      • Barcelona August 2015 >
        • Bella Italia >
          • The Shopping Tour to Italy: Oops!
          • When a Vacation Turns Into a Disaster
        • Photos from Barcelona August 2015 >
          • Sagrada Familia August 2015
          • Park Guell August 2015
          • Casa Batllo August 2015
          • Casa Pedrera (Casa Mila) August 2015
          • A Short Exchange in New Orleans
          • Girona and Dali Museum
      • Salamanca Spain 2013 >
        • Salamanca Sightseeing >
          • Salamanca Cathedral
          • Plaza Mayor Salamanca Spain
        • El Corazon de las arribes
        • Ciudad Rodriego and Siega Verde
        • Through Portugal to Santiago de Compostella
        • Pena de Francia
      • Madrid Spain 2013 >
        • Art Galleries Madrid
        • Ambling around Madrid
        • Madrid Bullfight Ventas
        • Escorial and Aranjuez
        • Segovia
      • Salou, Spain, Home Exchange August 2015 >
        • Cistercian Route, Catalonia, 2015
        • Photos from Salou, Spain, Home Exchange, August 2015 >
          • Tarragona, Spain 2015 >
            • Castels (Human Towers) in Tarragona
            • Sant Magi Heads
          • Valencia Day Trip
          • Montserrat Catalonia 2015
    • Part 3: A Second Home Exchange in Stockholm 2014 >
      • Sweden Photos 2014
      • Mariehamn, Åland Islands, Finland >
        • Photos Mariehamn, Aland Islands, 2014
  • Costa Rica November-December 2013
    • Costa Rica Begins. AlteCocker Makes New Friends
    • Capuchin Monkeys on Kayak Trip Quepos
    • Sloth Sanctuary Near Limon
    • Costa Rican Hummingbirds Savegre
    • A Vist to Famous Matt & Jen in Puerto Viejo
    • Tortuguero, Costa Rica
    • Costa Rican Flowers/Lankester Gardens (Cartago)
  • Turkey: The Best Home Exchange Ever!
    • Off the Coast of Istanbul in the Sea of Marmara: The Princes' Islands
    • To Eat in Istanbul Try "Istanbul Eats"
    • A Day at the Topkapi Palace with Photos
    • My Home Exchange Neighborhood in Istanbul, Cevezli
    • Cappadocia, Turkey, the Adventure Begins >
      • Alte Cocker in Cappadocia, July 2011 (Photo Gallery)
    • Why Edirne? >
      • Alte Cocker in Edirne, July 2011 (Photo Gallery)
    • Part 2: A Second Home Exchange in Istanbul 2014 >
      • Canakkale, Gallipoli and Troy
      • Three Days in Selcuk (Ephesus, Pamukkale) >
        • Istanbul Photos 2014
        • Photos from Selcuk Turkey 2014 >
          • Ephesus: Photos
          • Pamukkale and Hierapolis: Photos
          • Selcuk: Photos
      • Some Final Thoughts on Turkey
  • New Zealand North Island 2008
    • Auckland, New Zealand
    • Rotorura, Waitomo Caves, Lake Taupo, Tongariro Volcano
    • Cape Reinga
    • Bay of Islands
    • Kamo, NI, NZ Home Exchange
  • Miscellaneous Pearls of Wisdom from AlteCocker
    • So You Don't Speak the Language, Get Pimsleur!
    • Be Careful Whom You Travel With
    • Jewish Mormons? Only in America
    • Driving in Europe
  • Drumheller, Alberta: Land of the Dinosaurs
  • How to Get the Most out of Your European Trip Part 1
    • How to Get the Most out of Your European Trip, Part 2
    • A Modest Proposal to Solve Museum Overcrowding in Europe
    • Washington DC >
      • The 4th of July Fireworks in DC: NO!
      • How to Do the Smithsonian without Killing Yourself
      • How Not To Do a Tour of Washington DC >
        • A Short Exchange in New Orleans
    • How the Other Half Lives: The Hilton Waikaloa on the Big Island
    • Salzburg Marionette Theater: Not to Be Missed!
  • Theme Parks in Europe
  • United States
    • Sonora California March 17-April 2, 2017
    • Wolf Trap Farm Park: Theater under the Stars
    • Eclipse 2017
  • Kalispell, Montana, Home Exchange October-November 2017
    • Dog Sledding at Base Camp, Big Fork, MT

If You Don't Speak the Language Get Pimsleur

Picture
The covered market in Budapest.
People worry all the time about not speaking the language to interact with locals when they travel.  Don't.  Of course, I have the same problem.  I studied French in high school, college and during one summer at the Universite de Dijon.  So, that one is OK.  It isn't fluent, but after I spend a week or so in France, it all comes back.  I can even go to the theater there and get enough of it to be worthwhile but no modern slang, please!

I also studied Russian in high school but have succeeded in forgetting most of it.  I have only been to Russia once for 2 weeks (on a package tour).  Last summer when I went to Latvia overnight on a boat from Sweden, I did find out my Russian still worked enough to get around the market in Riga and understand that when the old ladies were trying to sell me schmatas (crummy clothing) and said "ni doroga", they meant "not expensive".

Of course, I am not likely to use Russian too often unless I break the bank at Monte Carlo and decide to take the Transiberian Express--one of my "dream trips" that is not very likely to happen due to cost.  What to do about the rest of the languages?

I regard foreign language study in advance of any trip as an integral part of the trip.  if you are going to an area where English is not widely spoken--such as Scandinavia--you had better prepare.  While many people are advocates of Rosetta Stone, I'm not.  I have Spanish I at which I have made indifferent stabs.  The problem is that you have to sit down at the computer and pound away at it.  I am not good at that sort of thing because, well, if I sit down at the computer, I can easily get diverted by things like facebook, twitter and weebly.  It just doesn't work for me.

I am a walking ad for Paul Pimseleur's program.  Please note: I have no financial relationship with Pimsleur other than being a satisfied customer.  I have 4 levels of Spanish, 2 levels of Italian, 3 levels of Russian, 1 level of Turkish and a short course of Swedish in the house.  I have done them all at different times.  I also have Mandarin but I never seem to get around to it because trips intervene and I have never planned a trip to China (virtually impossible to get a home exchange there; I'd have to take a tour).  Except for the Mandarin, I've done them all--and sometimes more than once.  The lessons come in different formats and you will need to check online for the cheapest deal on whatever format you want--and for prices.  I am not going to recommend a particular website.  If you google "Pimsleur", you will find all you need to know.  The system does work and, best of all, I do it in my car.  Whenever I am doing a language course (and I am currently reviewing Spanish in preparation for my sojourns in Spain and Costa Rica this year), I simply have the course in the car and play each CD over and over (generally 3-4 times the first time through) until it "locks in").  Then you move on to the next lesson.  Pimsleur study for all my trips where English is not going to be my principal language.

The official Pimsleur site can be found here, but search the web and you might find other sites that sell the language you want for less if you check around the internet. 

Now I end with a funny story.  In 2007 I home exchanged in Vienna.  No, I don't have German, but I probably should.  Due to hearing a lot of Yiddish growing up (remember I'm an "alte cocker"), I understand quite a bit.  I can't speak it at all so I probably should get Pimseleur German, but I digress.  During my home exchange in Vienna, a 3 day sojourn was planned in Budapest.  Hungarian is one of those languages tagged as "difficult".  My reaction to that kind of a statement is that plenty of 3 year olds speak it perfectly.  It can't be that difficult.  Pimsleur did not have Hungarian at the time, so I got a CD from someone else--just basic stuff.  The story that I will tell you took place in Budapest but not in that market.  I travel with clothes that I do not worry about losing and a cheap watch.  My watch for in Budapest kept falling off.  I finally lost it and had to find a replacement.  Into some cheap souvenir place I went because they had watches in the window.  I told a young in English what I was looking for (souvenir places always have a young person who speaks some English wherever you are).  He pulled out a cheap watch.  Then the young man began to have a discussion with his mother.  I understood it!  They were charging me something like $20 instead of $15--the foreigner price.  I had learned the numbers in Hungarian.  I was so stunned that I understood them, that I did nothing.  I simply did not want an argument about $5. 

A little bit of language study can go a long way.  If I ever get a home exchange in Hungary, I'll be buying Pimsleur Hungarian and telling off cheaters the next time.  For now, I just ordered Polish Comprehensive because I have an exchange in Poland for July 2014.

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