I've been taking Spanish lessons online on my lunch break. If you walk by my office while I'm taking a class, you'll hear me say things like, "¿él come una manzana?" into my computer's microphone. If you speak Spanish, it probably sounds completely ridiculous. I'm aware of it, but I'm enjoying the process.

So why am I trying to learn Spanish? Well, I plan on doing some traveling in the fall to a place in the world where English is not the primary spoken language. The culture will be different than what we have here in Alberta, and I know in advance that what makes sense at home may not make sense at all on the other side of the equator. Of course, I'll be able to apply some of my knowledge and experience to some technical challenges; but to get more out of my experience, I want to dig a bit deeper. If possible, I want to be more than a tourist. I want to be a traveler. What's the difference? In my mind, there is one major difference.

Tourists expect their hosts to accommodate them; a traveler adapts and changes themselves to gain more out of their journey.

In business terms, the tourist is a technical problem solver. They use what they have to change the circumstances around the problem. This approach works well when issues are not complex. An adaptive problem solver is someone that realizes that some challenges are involved, complicated, and sometimes unclear. A traveler changes themselves so that they can better navigate complexity. Learning a new language does just that. You instantly become a student when learning to speak a new alphabet.

As I learn new words in my course, I'm starting to see slight shifts in meaning and nuances that give me a new appreciation for words and the people that use them. The process is reminding me of how I learned to appreciate French years after I was required to speak it in school. I like some words better in French than in my native tongue. For example, the word "Flower" is great, but have you tried "Fleur"? It sounds way better in French! As you change, what was once strange can become something you love.

For the record, let me state that I know I will not impress anyone with my Spanish abilities when I travel this year; but I have to believe I'll be easier to deal with than the guy that shows up and throws up his hands saying, "Why don't these people speak English?!" Yes, I know my Spanish will probably cause more than a few chuckles; but I'd rather that than contempt behind my back. The effort is worth it. The world has something to teach me; I'm never bigger than my destination.

Friend, thank you for reading. May you learn to become a traveler with the challenges in front of you today.