Once, I had a conversation with a globetrotter who spoke four languages and felt at home in four countries. At the time, I was deeply immersed in learning German, and our chat revolved around the wonders of knowing foreign languages. I mentioned the phrase, “Know one language, live one life; know two, live two lives.” His response changed my perspective forever:
“Knowing a language isn’t enough for a complete life. It’s crucial to deeply absorb the culture, traditions, daily life, and interpersonal relationships of the country where that language is spoken. This can only be achieved by living in the country for an extended period, making local friends, and seeing life through their eyes.
Only when you’re no longer surprised by things like:
- The cleanliness, punctuality, trash sorting, and glass entrance doors in Germany,
- The abundance of fruits everywhere, incredible respect for elders, water splashing during Songkran, dried bugs and worms as beer snacks in Thailand,
and when all of this becomes a part of you, your life, only then can you say you’re living another full life.”
This conversation transformed my approach to travel permanently. The number of countries I’ve visited doesn’t matter anymore. What I value is the time I’ve lived in a country and the genuine friendships with locals through which I discover a new world.
Typically, we choose one country to settle in for an extended period. In Europe, it was Germany; in Asia, Thailand. From these base countries, we can visit nearby nations, just as locals do. We settle away from tourist hotspots. When you live in one place for a long time among the local population, friendships develop naturally. All you need is to be kind, responsive, helpful, open to contact, and you’ll receive the same in return.
P.S. It’s been five months since we started living in Thailand. I’ve gathered a lot of material that I’m excited to start sharing. Stay tuned for updates; don’t miss out. There’s a lot of interesting content coming your way! 
