Amy Saint-John speaks 5 languages and counting! Some would call her a Polygot, but I think that sounds more like a Pokémon name. We talk Gap Year stories and decide what the best language is for what activity. **a loaf of delicious bread was consumed during the recording of this episode, as we sat on a doorstep on the quietest available street in Cusco, Perú. Visit nomadtheory.net to read the show notes and see photos from my time spent with Amy in the Jungle of Perú.
I met her in the jungle of Perú during a 2019 GapQuest to write a story and improve my Spanish. Amy showed me pretty much the most impressive capacity to communicate linguistically I'd ever heard.
She would switch from French, to Swiss German, to English, then to Spanish all around the same breakfast table, and she was only 19 at the time!
We talk about her time volunteering at a school called Pukllasunchis with children with "habilidades differentes," or "different Skills," while living in Cusco. And also how she studied in Chile for a year while still in high school.
She mentions that just because she took a gap year, and was on a second during the time of our interview, this doesn't mean she won't ever go to college. On the contrary, it is preparing her for the day when she knows exactly what she does want to study.
Amy Started a travel blog a couple years ago where she shares stories and photos about places she has visited. It's mostly a hobby, but she says anybody is welcome to check it out. We talk briefly about her preferences in language for different activities and for different reasons. She prefers English for writing and reading, but finds math easier in German. Here's a link to her blog: http://unacaminanteinquieta.com/
Amy Saint-John is one of those people you feel like you will run into on the road again someday, I surely hope it happens. All the best to you Amy with your travels and language learning adventures!
And as per usual, thanks for listening to THE NOMAD THEORY!
Stay wild folks,
A.C.E. the Theorist