I started thinking that I could belong there perhaps? Could I live abroad and could I live with the Europeans? When I was 12-14 years old I was totally in love with Denmark and Sweden and I was sure my future would be connected with the Nordics.
I was actively attending the Latin American dancing all my life and I also listened to Spanish music - my soul spoke Spanish!
I planned that when I would finish my 5 Year Specialist Degree (Russian system back then) I would do the 2-3 months backpacking trip across Latin America. I was slowly reaching my goal: earning money, finishing studies, learning the language & working.
I earned enough money to travel 1 month to Italy and lived with an Italian family, where no one spoke any other language than Italian. I lived in Liguria in the North next to the sea. I started speaking in 1 week!!! It was an amazing experience.
I also did 2 volunteer projects 1 month each: Portugal (Evora, sports clubs & swimming pools promoting sports for children in rural areas) and Spain (Catalonian farm, Barcelona and I flew to Ibiza to have a look). What a cool experience!
I monitored the flights and bought the cheapest ones, earned money as much as I could and since volunteering organization gets your visa, I didn’t have to organize this. I met so many people from around the globe and practiced languages thanks to my volunteering trips!
I knew I would have to work with children and I wouldn’t allow myself to go to these countries without any language. I always made sure to make pen friends with the tandem app or website prior to my trips: this way I got a couch surfing host for Lisbon, got language practice and friends in that particular country before moving there.
When I managed small talk in each language I considered myself ready to go. The rest you can learn very quickly while being in the country with native speakers.