{"id":3474,"date":"2023-08-29T13:21:26","date_gmt":"2023-08-29T13:21:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.annika-zang.com\/?p=3474"},"modified":"2024-02-26T10:32:17","modified_gmt":"2024-02-26T10:32:17","slug":"how-spanish-enabled-me-to-live-in-different-stories","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.annika-zang.com\/en\/how-spanish-enabled-me-to-live-in-different-stories\/","title":{"rendered":"How Spanish Enabled Me To Live in Different Stories"},"content":{"rendered":"
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How Languages Enabled Me To live in Different Stories<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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S<\/em>ummary: Th<\/i>e circumstances you’re born into influence how you think and therefore determine a big part of your life decisions. In today’s world, however, it’s easier than ever before to move to another place and experience the possiblity of living in another story. Language learning is the first step to do so.<\/i><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Have you ever wondered what would happen if, for an entire year, you<\/p>\n

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  1. spent your days completely differently than you do now?<\/li>\n
  2. lived on the other side of the world?<\/li>\n
  3. spoke another language?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Admit it, you sometimes also daydream about leaving everything behind and starting all over again on some remote island where no one knows you, am I right? For me at least, learning and wondering about other realities and all the possibilities of life has always been the #1 most interesting thing in the world.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    What sparked my curiosity about other realities<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    I’m lucky that I was never pressured into a career I hate \u2013 actually, quite the opposite. In the environment I grew up, having a “normal” corporate job and a stable income seemed to be the dream life for a lot of people around me.<\/p>

    But I always wondered: That’s it? That’s what being an adult entails \u2013 spending a third of my time going to the same building every day and staring at a computer?<\/p>

    Luckily, I was so privileged that I my mother took my brother and me on a trip to a new country once a year. And that gave me a glimpse of how life can look like beyond my tiny circle.<\/p>

    I<\/em> wondered: What must it feel like to live on the other side of the world? What’s the story of those souls living on the 27th floor of that Hong Kong apartment? How much do people who live in a mountain village in India know about the rest of the world? Does the smell of the sea, petrol and fish evoke memories for someone in Brazil<\/i>?<\/strong><\/p>

    These journeys sparked my desire to dive deeper. I didn’t just want to see<\/em> other realities as a tourist – I wanted to experience<\/em> them.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    The Prism of the Self<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    Let’s take a brief moment and reflect on what shapes us as a person.
    I just finished reading the beautiful book “The Creative Act” by Rick Rubin. There’s one wonderful passage that stuck with me:<\/p>

    “Defining one’s self is not so simple. It may be impossible. We inhabit many different versions of a changing self. The suggestion to be yourself may be too general to be of much use. That’s being yourself as an artist, being yourself with your family, being yourself at work, being yourself with friends, being yourself in times of crisis or in times of peace, and being yourself for yourself, when by yourself.<\/em><\/p>

    In addition to these variations, we are also always changing within. Our moods, our energy level, the stories we tell ourselves, our prior experiences, how hungry or tired we are. All these variations create a new way of being in each moment. Depending on who we’re with, where we are, and how safe or challenged we feel, we are changing all the time. Moving between aspects of self.<\/em><\/p>

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    In a prism, a single beam of light enters and is broken into an array of colors. The self, too, is a prism. Neutral events enter, and are transformed into a spectrum of feelings, thoughts, and sensations. All this information is processed distinctively by each aspect of self, refracting life’s light in it’s own way, and emitting different shades of art.”<\/p>

    Th<\/strong>at being said, isn’t it exciting to explore who you are in another culture?<\/b><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    Ecuador<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    Right when I was old enough to go abroad alone, that’s what I did. After doing a job training as a language correspondent and learning Spanish for 2 years, I finally spent one year in Ecuador at the age of 18.<\/p>

    That allowed me to experience what I always craved: Seeing what happens if, for an entire year<\/p>