Fluent Fools

"To study a language without learning its culture is a great way to make a fluent fool of yourself.”---Milton Bennett, cross-cultural researcher

Nowadays,it is so convenient to go abroad that it only takes couple hours to fly to another country.On the Contrary, it would take couple weeks to go to the same place in the past.
Considering of the competitive society,it is inevitable that people need to learn a second language in order to increase their own competitive advantage. For both reasons , whether you like it or not , you must know some other languages except your mother language,even just few words like "thank you" or" good morning".

It is never easy to be proficient at other languages.Let's take English for example.We spend a lot of time on vocabularies,grammar,and phrasal verbs.We know how to communicate with people in English,however,we still don't understand what people are talking about.There is no doubt that it always makes us feel disappointed and frustrated.The main reason for this is that we didn't touch the core of the language,culture. Language is based on the culture and keeps evolving. People create new words or give words new meanings which are related to the news or personal habits. We have no chance to learn this kind of slang or idioms in the formal way unless you experience the local culture by yourself.

By the technology,there is no problem to grab the information from other countries. We can learn the culture through the movies, music , news , and novels which all are the reflection of the society.The more we close to the culture,the more we'll learn.Learning language is a gradual procedure and we have be determined .As long as we keep learning in the correct way, we won't be "the fluent fools" .

Skipping Class

Speaking frankly, i had skipped classes so many times since i was a high school student. The most important reason why i skipped class is that i just couldn't get up so early in the morning. In my country, Taiwan, high school students,even elementary school students, have to be in school before 7:30 AM whereas the first class starts at 8:10. So i thought maybe i didn't have to get up so early. i just needed to be school at 8:00. However, things always went wrong .I usually woke up at 8:00 thus i couldn't be there on time. My parents had left to work so i decided to skip whole morning class and have a relax time . It's no doubt that i was always scolded by my teacher and parents. But as long as i could catch up the class and got good grades. Why couldn't i just sleep 30 more minutes or just skip some classes in the morning.
when i was in Unerversity , i got a motorcycle . I could go wherever i want to go. I found there were so many fascinating places in my city where i didn't have a chance to go before. I usually made up the plan,and had a trip with my friends. Without question, i skipped couple classes due to the trip.It didn't matter anyway. All I have to do was borrorw the notes form my classmates who were in class. I think everyone has this kind experince during their student time. Life is not just about studying. Try to do something carzy and exciting.
For those who have never skipped class, you did it well and i am sure that you all are excellent students. But when you need fresh air to breath or be sick and tired of studying. It won't hurt if you skipped couple class. you will enjoy your freedom and find many things to do except reading textbook.Just remember dont be hooked on it, you might get into trouble.