Subject to change.
Lima, Peru
Valparaíso, Chile
Seoul, Korea
Vienna, Austria
Bratislava, Slovakia-Polyglot Gathering 31 May- 4 Jun
Prague, Czech Republic
Dresden, Germany
Berlin, Germany
Copenhagen, Denmark. BJJ Globertrotter Jiu Jitsu Camp. 26 Jun- 1 Jul
Porto, Portugal
Lisbon, Portugal
UK
Scotland
Ireland
Reykjavik, Iceland- Polyglot Conference. 27 Oct-29 Oct
Bay Area, CA
Auckland, New Zealand
Wellington, New Zealand
Rio De Janiero, Brazil
Thats a year of travel in less than a hundred words. Just looking at the names seem daunting because of the size of the task. I’m excited for the challenge and the adventure. This is just a prospective itinerary. More than likely it will change.
What I originally planned to do was to hit up these countries with no plan, expectations or mission. I’m 32 years old. I know that I’m not an average traveler. I have specific interests and habits that I do. I go to the movies of the country I’m visiting, especially if I don’t understand the language. I eat the food and I try to learn a little bit of the language. I’m not much of club guy. Not really my scene. I can party if I feel like it but I rather enjoy a good conversation with friends around food and alcohol. Extreme sports. I can be peer pressured into that stuff but I don’t go out of my way to do it. Sightseeing. Yes but it’s not a deal breaker. Most importantly I do Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. I’ve been training in jiu jitsu for roughly seven years. I’m going to try to train in every country I visit. This type of journey has been done and documented by Christian Graugert in his book and blog, The BJJ GLOBETROTTER. I feel more active as traveler with this goal in mind.
What makes a place memorable when you visit? Is it the food? Sure. Is it the language? Maybe. Attractions? Meh. Weather? 75%. I think what makes a place memorable is the people. I’ve moved a lot in my twenties and in the Navy. The friends I’ve made where I’ve lived, whether they were locals or not, made those years unforgettable. What is the best way to bond with the locals. With a passion we both share, jiu jitsu. We don’t even need to speak the same language. I will blog about this subject extensively for the next year. So look out.
My former blog was a language blog. It was about my journey for a lingua franca, A bridge language. I am still learning Spanish. I think I can understand 60-70 percent of news and audiobooks I listen to, if slow. I can read fairly well in Spanish. I had Skype classes on italki weekly since I left the Navy. There’s still a lot more to learn. Rewind five years ago. I would not have thought I would be able to communicate or make friends in this language but I have. I hit that point in my language learning where I realized that I can communicate and I am able to use it. It’s an incredibly rewarding feeling, almost a drug-like high. I’m addicted too. I want to learn more! I plan to attend two polyglot events, Slovakia and Iceland. What better way to learn more languages than get advice from the world’s best.
That’s it.
markmagpusao.com 