One of my favorite places in the world to visit is Japan. The people, the culture, the food are inspiring. Just being there, whether it be for a long layover, a few days, or a couple of weeks, always changes me.
Before my first trip there, I decided that I really needed to learn Japanese. While I had studied French for many years, I had no knowledge at all of the Japanese language.
What did I do? I bought a book. And then another. I read and read and tried my best to pronounce the words on the page, or at least the phonetic versions that the book presented.
WATER = MIZU
I knew I had no chance with learning the characters, but if I could learn some basic words, I might be able to converse a bit, or at least order in a restaurant.
How’d I do?
Well, I went to an izakaya restaurant, sat down, and promptly ordered a horse head.
Of course, I meant to order water, but I had no idea what I was doing.
By studying Japanese, from a book, from another country, I was trying to acquire Knowledge of Japanese.
The reality is, that I learned so many words and phrases by just being there. Surrounded by the sounds, the language, and the chance to practice constantly, I began to acquire the skill of speaking another language.
There’s a big difference between Knowledge and Skill.
Knowledge is acquired.
Skills are developed.
When developing a Skill, you usually build your knowledge around that skill. It’s a two-fer.
When you build Knowledge, you are less likely to develop the skill around the knowledge.
You actually have to do the thing in order to know how to do the thing.
It was a great lesson for me. One that I remind myself of when I’m trying new things.
Arigatō
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