Uploaded December 2019 | Updated September 2026, 3 days ago
I’ve been in Taipei for just over 24 hours.
And you know what?
I love it.
Reminds me of Tokyo, but with several important differences.
Language being one of them.
I’d forgotten how frustrating it is to be somewhere where you don’t understand the language (even the basics).
Everything becomes so difficult and frustrating.
When I first went to Japan, I at least knew some basics. Here, I know almost nothing other than “hello”, “thank you” and “goodbye” (I didn’t study the language at all in the end because I decided to prioritize my PhD thesis). But even as an intermediate I remember sitting in meetings where I worked feeling like a total idiot because I didn’t know what was being said. Or when I kinda understood and have ideas to share, but didn’t know how to express them so kept quiet.
The feeling here is the same, except on a more basic level.
For example today I walked into the fitting room of a clothes shop and just help up the thing I wanted to try on: I don’t even have close to enough language to even attempt saying, “can I try this on?”.
Throwing yourself into the deep-end of language learning is a bitter-sweet experience.
On the on hand, it's good fun.
On the other, it's frustrating as hell.
Not to worry though.
I’m here for just over two weeks: and there’s a LOT can be done in that time.
Of course, I’ll be following all my own advice.
Advice that'll be giving in our event on December 11th.
Info here:
doingenglish.com/dec11
Best,
Julian
.........................................................
I send daily tips to help you speak better English:
doingenglish.com
Written Version & Notes:
doingenglish.com/blog/on-the-bitter-sweetness-of-language-learning
Follow me on Quora:
quora.com/profile/Julian-Northbrook
.........................................................
Courses ......................
MEFA: doingenglish.com/MEFA
EES: doingenglish.com/EES
Books..........................
Master English FAST:
mybook.to/MasterEnglishFAST
More Books by me:
author.to/JulianNorthbrook
About Julian and Doing English ..................
I'm Julian Northbrook and welcome to Doing English.
Doing English, a place for frustrated non-native English speakers who want to speak extraordinary English Whether you're a doctor or an artist, an IT professional, a chef or anything else, Doing English will show you how to learn English, speak English well and use the language as a tool for success in your life.
A bit about Julian:
Creator of the infamous MEFA English course and leader of the League of Extraordinary English Speakers.
Went to Tokyo to be an Artist and failed. Lived there for 13 years anyway. Now I live on the beautiful coast of West Cork, Ireland.
Published author and researcher.
Oh, and I'm Autistic (a very good thing for you and your English).
Stuff by Julian:
I send daily tips to help you speak better English, straight to your inbox.
You can sign up for those here:
doingenglish.com
You can also follow me on Quora here:
quora.com/profile/Julian-Northbrook
(I answer most questions)
#DoingEnglish #JulianNorthbrook #learnEnglish
I’ve been in Taipei for just over 24 hours.
And you know what?
I love it.
Reminds me of Tokyo, but with several important differences.
Language being one of them.
I’d forgotten how frustrating it is to be somewhere where you don’t understand the language (even the basics).
Everything becomes so difficult and frustrating.
When I first went to Japan, I at least knew some basics. Here, I know almost nothing other than “hello”, “thank you” and “goodbye” (I didn’t study the language at all in the end because I decided to prioritize my PhD thesis). But even as an intermediate I remember sitting in meetings where I worked feeling like a total idiot because I didn’t know what was being said. Or when I kinda understood and have ideas to share, but didn’t know how to express them so kept quiet.
The feeling here is the same, except on a more basic level.
For example today I walked into the fitting room of a clothes shop and just help up the thing I wanted to try on: I don’t even have close to enough language to even attempt saying, “can I try this on?”.
Throwing yourself into the deep-end of language learning is a bitter-sweet experience.
On the on hand, it's good fun.
On the other, it's frustrating as hell.
Not to worry though.
I’m here for just over two weeks: and there’s a LOT can be done in that time.
Of course, I’ll be following all my own advice.
Advice that'll be giving in our event on December 11th.
Info here:
doingenglish.com/dec11
Best,
Julian
.........................................................
I send daily tips to help you speak better English:
doingenglish.com
Written Version & Notes:
doingenglish.com/blog/on-the-bitter-sweetness-of-language-learning
Follow me on Quora:
quora.com/profile/Julian-Northbrook
.........................................................
Courses ......................
MEFA: doingenglish.com/MEFA
EES: doingenglish.com/EES
Books..........................
Master English FAST:
mybook.to/MasterEnglishFAST
More Books by me:
author.to/JulianNorthbrook
About Julian and Doing English ..................
I'm Julian Northbrook and welcome to Doing English.
Doing English, a place for frustrated non-native English speakers who want to speak extraordinary English Whether you're a doctor or an artist, an IT professional, a chef or anything else, Doing English will show you how to learn English, speak English well and use the language as a tool for success in your life.
A bit about Julian:
Creator of the infamous MEFA English course and leader of the League of Extraordinary English Speakers.
Went to Tokyo to be an Artist and failed. Lived there for 13 years anyway. Now I live on the beautiful coast of West Cork, Ireland.
Published author and researcher.
Oh, and I'm Autistic (a very good thing for you and your English).
Stuff by Julian:
I send daily tips to help you speak better English, straight to your inbox.
You can sign up for those here:
doingenglish.com
You can also follow me on Quora here:
quora.com/profile/Julian-Northbrook
(I answer most questions)
#DoingEnglish #JulianNorthbrook #learnEnglish
