Where to go with Languages

Hello Andy,Your comments about language diffacultys brought back memorys of my little trip to China. I was incountry almost a week and felt (knew)I was over my head. I was in Yangsho a tourist spot. I went for lunch when approched by a young woman that says she wanted to practice her english and could she sit and visit with me. To say the least I was very leary of her but curieus to hear her story. Well she was having hard time of it lost her job blah blah and all that. Anyway in 15 minutes she had started crying and proposed to me. I told her no on her perposal but I was bored and lonely so I asked if she wanted to visit some more the next day. I hired her as a translator. She was a teacher of Polical scince. She realy was trying to improve her English. She carried 2 worn dictionarys around every where she went. We talked most of the day. I wrote out a contract stating I would not marry her. And asked her to read it too me. At the end of my trip I paid her what she made as a teacher for 6 months. $300 for 41 days of travel. plus her exspenses. That did double almost everything. She was worth every penny. I was worried about hepatites but wanted to try the local foods. She knew what it was and said she didn't want it either. She taught me how to check out food venders. She had 3 rules to look for. Clean hands, using hot water and not a dusty enviroment. Even the good street venders can have hot water. if she had any doughts she would walk back in the kitchen and have a look. Many time she would come out and say lets go no good. With the cook holloring who knows what at her.She saved my trip. Turned it into a fun learning experiance. She saved money on rooms and food. Kept me safe never got the travelers diearea . The best cleanest largest room we had was 7 dollors a night. we didnt like where we were staying. So walking around a city park she started talking to some old women and they told her about a place where the family had a 5 room hotel. Hot water, Clean sheets, cabule TV, aircon. I will admit she tried her best to show me how good of a wife she could be. I would have been tempted if she didnt have a 4yr old son. She was a good travel partner. She opened up to me about her life. She knew nothing about travel. That was good for me cause I chose where we went. The only problem I had with her and that was easy to live with. Like all women she liked to sleep longer than I do. So I just went to internet cafe or coffe thats befor I discoverd the joys of traveling with the heater coil from your tips. Gave me my needed alone time as well. What do you think? Could that be applied where you seek out some one as a travel partner? To help with language. Someone that is already in the busness would be too exspensive. She had a great time. I got to interact with many locals. Tried food I would have never tried on my own.Keep up the good work. Tom the Okie. Now in Cebu cause language is easy.

Yes, a great idea, I hired a translator by the name of Michael from Ghana to travel with me in Togo for a couple of weeks.I need to plan better for Korea and Japan, I am more or less just taking a taste of these two countries to see if I want to return and take a bite.The cost of learning English is very high here. I think maybe I could post a sign saying I will trade talk and help practice English.I did an exchange in Colombia, one hour of Spanish for one hour or English, then we both learned.There are many English school teachers, I could ask one if I could walk to their school and post a sign and ask around.I may go for the countryside if I get up the energy. I need an English - Korean dictionary and some good maps to move.