I always believed that if I were rich, I’d spend all my time learning about the world. I did learn a few things, but I never did it consistently. First, it was through movies, then by reading about wars, and now using YouTube. My excuse has always been a lack of time in the last few years. While this was true earlier, it is not anymore.

If you do not know me, then let me tell you that I’m married to a Vietnamese and have been living in Vietnam on and off since 2017. I never spent any time or had any motivation to learn Vietnamese. Since day 1, I never liked how it sounded (Yes, I know more excuses).

If someone tries to teach me actively, I’m unable to learn for some reason. While I’m aware of my limitations in terms of learning ability & time, I lacked the motivation to learn. I’ve finally decided to do something about this as I have run out of excuses.

By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.

Confucius

So what’s next?

My motivation has something to do with cycling. I want to learn Vietnamese to communicate with people better and write my cycling-related blog in Vietnamese. My graphic (especially website) design skills have been stagnant for more than five years. So I’m hoping that by understanding Vietnamese culture through their art & music, I could also revive my design skills.

While I consider myself a Jack of all trades, I have one skill to observe things & people and learn from them deeply. I don’t plan to join a class. I’m going to try and learn it the same way I learned everything else. Which is to observe, mimic and then understand. I do not have a timeline or goal, but I want to create a habit of spending a minimum of 1 hour every day (5 days a week) to learn Vietnamese and improve my design skills.

Starting next week, I’ll be posting updates about my learning process & what I have learned so far. If you are a cyclist interested in visiting Vietnam, you can follow my cycling-related Instagram account called “Pedal Vietnam.”

Until next time, Tạm biệt.