Advice you can taste. Adventure you can feel.

Bilingual on a Budget

Laid off? No worries, could be so much worse. Remember, we do live in one of the best places on earth. Weotta take advantage of our newfound time! Once you file for unemployment, it’s time to put those New Year’s resolutions into action, time to reinvent yourself! Weotta… …Learn a new language. Unless you’ve been living in a cave, you’ve probably realized the wave of the future is not America-centric. What better way to expand your mind, as well as your resume, than to learn another tongue.

Spanish opens up your job prospects to not only the USA but to 15+ other countries in Europe, Central, and South America… a big bonus is that most of them have gorgeous weather, and are within spitting distance to a gorgeous white sand beach. For the perizosas a.k.a. sloths among us, Spanish podcasts are free and abundant. By far, the best and mas rapido way to learn a new language is to be surrounded with native speakers. If you’re not bringing in a paycheck, chances are you’ll be eating lots of burritos, so what better way to practicar tu espanol than in the Mission or Excelsior districts. And if you don’t think you can swing the new direct AeroMexico route from SFO to Mexico City, take the Dublin/Pleasanton BART to the Fruitvale station and stroll along International Boulevard, where taco trucks abound. Government money not enough for you to live on? Join the ranks waiting tables. Most kitchens in America are filled with Spanish speakers… not only can you practice your new love of Spanish with the line cooks and dishwashers but you can earn a few pennies along the way.

Subsisting in San Francisco grants access to the best Asian cuisine in the USA as well as exposure to plentiful Mandarin speakers. Why wouldn’t you want to be able to communicate with the world’s next big superpower? City College of San Francisco holds cheap language class or try the well-recommended Chinese Cultural Center. Jonesing for an adventure? Take BART over to authentic (and way less touristy) Oakland Chinatown midday where you can sit elbow to elbow and drink cha at Legendary Palace, or the hole in the wall Yo-Ho’s, for a bona fide dim sum experience for around $5/person (possibly even less if you share with your other unemployed friends). Can’t move off the couch? Devote an hour a day to podcasts – ChinesePod is free and is a good place to start.

Eager to speak a different tongue and bored of the non-stop SF rain? If you have the smallest reserve of cash and a sublet for your room, the world is on sale – flights haven’t been this cheap since post-9/11. For the Spanish entrepreneur, Cancun, Cabo, even Costa Rica are hovering around $300 or under. For Chinese, head to Beijing, Shanghai, or Taipei for around $700. SFO has endless flights to Asia and plenty of demand – Chinese New Year just finished; it really is the time for a deal! And the exchange rate isn’t too shabby either.

On the flip side, there are billions of people on this planet who want to learn English. Astoundingly, many of them desire the “American” accent, because it’s totally way more hella cool than that proper British tongue yo. Teaching certification is often not necessary. Check out Dave’s ESL Café for hundreds of jobs. Often the organization will cover the cost of an overseas flight and work visa.

Weotta learn something new!

Weotta Get Away From It All

by- Divya

City feeling a bit small? Get perspective by jetting out of town.

After long periods of time at home, the walls can begin to feel like they are caving in. Not that we mind being close to our surroundings, but at times, we unintentionally lose appreciation for what is within reach. One way to get back that loving feeling is to walk away for awhile, change surroundings and essentially, get out of town.

Where to go? Well, we already covered local retreats on a budget… but what if local is too close, a budget is not a factor, and you are being offered volunteer vacation days from your boss during these hard economic times? Help stimulate the global economy by taking a trip abroad. Start the process by contacting friends/family living overseas, or consider going solo.

If you know your destination, check fares on Travelocity. If your plans are more flexible, try SmarterTravel to see specials on flights or vacation packages to locations around the world.

Traveling great distances,  for pleasure, is all about the journey… an encounter with a new person, a visit to a local gem or a taste of a signature dish is an opportunity to discover the world around you in a new way. These experiences help shed the stress, responsibilities and annoyances of home and transport you on a spiritual, historical and often times emotional voyage.

For a truly reflective experience, focus your eyes on Asia. Several friends, including myself, are venturing to the Far East and starting 2009 with a fresh perspective. Cambodia, Hong Kong and India are all dynamic and vibrant options to give you the distance and change you may be looking for. The sights, sounds and smells of these countries provide an opportunity to immerse yourself in the moment.

So, Weotta take the steps toward rejuvenation, get out of our comfort zone  and get a fresh perspective on life.  As for me, I am off to India… look forward to sharing my experiences with you when I return.