Random Traveller #110 with Claire of Runaway Daydreamer

Welcome to round 110 of ‘Meet a Random Traveller’. The series dedicated to bringing attention to fantastic people all around the world doing their thing.

Random Traveller #110

Who are you?

I am a runaway daydreamer (hence the title of my blog!) who’s eager to explore the world and all its features. I am a native Italian speaker based in Rome, one of my favourite Italian cities. I am a college student, attending an Entertainment Industry faculty at “La Sapienza” university. Needless to say, I’m interested in various types of art and entertainment and I love discovering new artists coming from foreign countries.

Claire in Salerno

What’s the deal?

“When you learn a new language you acquire a new soul”. That’s one of my favourite quotes and I think it’s absolutely true.

Travel — or moving to another country— can be a way of discovering yourself or reinventing yourself. It can be a way of shrugging off an identity and getting a new one. Different cultures and languages enrich us. Challenge us. Broaden our horizons. They can literally change your life. I want everyone to experience the joy and the benefits of language learning and travelling.

I hope to inspire and empower others to find their own path and pursue their own dreams and adventures.

People take lots of different approaches to learning new languages, what works best for you? Books? Software? or good old fashioned human interaction?

I love to immerse myself completely in the language and its culture. As I always say, they are two sides of the same coin. Rather than expending all of my energy on one course, textbook, or software, I try to mix it up with authentic materials of my target language. I do my best to make the process fun and engaging, so I don’t end up getting bored and quitting. Music is probably my favourite tool . Listening to singers and songwriters is what really gets me going. Spending quality time with native speakers is also a must. Human interaction is second to no one. I always suggest to people to make foreign friends and talk regularly with them. After all, languages are about communication, right?

Piazza di Spagna – Rome

For you, what’s the toughest thing about learning a new language?

It’s easy to get discouraged while learning a language, especially when you’re not seeing any progress. That’s the toughest thing, I guess. Learning a language requires patience and time (lots of it!), so you have to find the strength to keep going even when you reach a plateau.

We know English, Spanish & French are the main languages you want to learn but are there any others that you might like to try afterwards?

Definitely! I’d like to tackle Japanese one day. I’m fascinated by Japanese culture: everything appeals to me, from the temples to the Geishas, from the people to their customs and traditions. The language itself seems so complex and mysterious. It would be my first Asian language so it could serve as a good opportunity to challenge myself!

Arco della Pace – Milan

What’s next?

I’m currently in Rome, but my travel plans this year includes going abroad for a couple of weeks. I can’t tell you where yet, because I want it to be a surprise for my readers. So, stay tuned on my blog to find out where I’ll be travelling to!
Apart from that, I’d love to come back to Switzerland and I’m seriously considering it. I’ve been to Zurich only once, but it was enough to make me fall in love completely with the city. It’s a must-see destination for every traveller.

A big thanks to Claire for taking part. Check her out here:
Blog: Runaway Daydreamer
Facebook: /RunawayDaydreamer
Twitter: @RunawayDaydream

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