3 month hobby

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Randy
Posts: 36
Joined: Mon Mar 05, 2018 9:03 am

3 month hobby

Post by Randy »

If you had 3 months in a foreign country to learn/do something in your free time outside of work, what would you dedicate your time to?

Boundary conditions: access to the internet only at work, don't want to buy/hunt down supplies that would be difficult/costly to bring home after the time in the foreign country is ended.

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Bankai
Posts: 986
Joined: Fri Jul 25, 2014 5:28 am

Re: 3 month hobby

Post by Bankai »

1. Read a bunch of books on body language and practise what you learned by observing people as well as by modifying your own behaviour to see what reactions you get. This might be especially interesting if the country you're in has a different culture.

2. Learn how to cook very well the best/tastiest 5-20 local dishes.

Both will serve you well even after returning to your country.

Eureka
Posts: 340
Joined: Fri Jun 10, 2016 11:03 am

Re: 3 month hobby

Post by Eureka »

Ashtanga yoga. I do that wherever I go and if there is a local ashtanga school, which there is in crazy many places, I instantly have a local network.

If there is no ashtanga yoga in the area and I wanted something else to do with my time, I would still pick something that includes local people (why else go abroad?). So it could be swimming lessons, hiking club, dance or pantomime classes, martial arts or circus skills or anything else where language is not a major factor of being together.

Randy
Posts: 36
Joined: Mon Mar 05, 2018 9:03 am

Re: 3 month hobby

Post by Randy »

Cooking local foods - Once a week I get together with a group of international students/transplants to the area and we take turns cooking and teaching each other different recipes. Always a great time.

Yoga - I thought about this, but seeing as how easily I can get confused in classes in english, I'm not confident on my abilities to pick up on the instructions in German. My alternative has been rock climbing once a week and it's been great fun.

Reading books is always an option - it's what I started with and how I recently found ERE. I'm trying to read up on investment strategies since I would like to learn more about it... but there's only so long I can dedicate to it. I've been thinking about reading up on hobbies I'd like to start once I'm back on my home turf (i.e. gardening, textile crafts, home renovation/repair), but reading about these things doesn't seem very constructive/satisfying when I can't put it into practice until a few months later.

Sightseeing/traveling is also something that gets suggested for obvious reasons, but I just don't like it so much when I'm on my own. I've traveled around and met people in hostels, but it isn't really that fun for me in the end, plus I'd rather save the money. I'll save sightseeing for when I have visitors/company.

chenda
Posts: 3289
Joined: Wed Jun 29, 2011 1:17 pm
Location: Nether Wallop

Re: 3 month hobby

Post by chenda »

Tai chi.

FrugalPatat
Posts: 64
Joined: Sun Dec 03, 2017 6:22 am
Location: Europe

Re: 3 month hobby

Post by FrugalPatat »

Basic guitar playing

Eureka
Posts: 340
Joined: Fri Jun 10, 2016 11:03 am

Re: 3 month hobby

Post by Eureka »

Randy wrote:
Thu Mar 22, 2018 7:07 am
Yoga - I thought about this, but seeing as how easily I can get confused in classes in english, I'm not confident on my abilities to pick up on the instructions in German.
That is why I specified it is ashtanga yoga, which I do. Here there are no common instructions and each practitioner follows the sequence he/she has learned at his/her own pace. As the sequences are universal, any ashtanga teacher anywhere in the world will know them and will teach each student on an individual basis based on his/her level and mainly using hands on adjustments.

A class looks like this: https://youtu.be/5L5mvyTZz_4

Complete beginners are given short and easy sequences and as you progress more and harder postures are added. Such a brillant system.

But it seems you already manage fine with all your activities.

Randy
Posts: 36
Joined: Mon Mar 05, 2018 9:03 am

Re: 3 month hobby

Post by Randy »

@Eureka, ah sorry, I should have looked a little more closely before I replied. I didn't know that type of yoga class existed, it seems like a really good idea! I'll see if I can find any in the area. Despite the climbing and cooking, I still have quite a bit of free time that I'm itching to fill in a more productive way

Jason

Re: 3 month hobby

Post by Jason »

The actor Daniel Day Lewis once took a summer off to learn how to be a cobbler in Florence under the tutelage of a master. I would go for something like that. A task that is endemic to the country. Being that I am not a skill oriented person, my dream would be to go to Japan and in order to be a judge on one of their game shows. They are crazy. I was watching one where they turned a porta-pottie into an air craft by attaching it to a huge crane and they were literally shooting these construction workers into space while they were trying to take a dump. As I love both game shows and judging people, this would be kind of ideal.

Toska2
Posts: 420
Joined: Fri Nov 20, 2015 8:51 pm

Re: 3 month hobby

Post by Toska2 »

Peruvian rug making
Brazilian Jujitsu
Surfing
Sod house making/construction with third world technology
Salsa/Tango/Lindy Hop

Randy
Posts: 36
Joined: Mon Mar 05, 2018 9:03 am

Re: 3 month hobby

Post by Randy »

@Jason, I always wonder about the legality of those prank port-a-potty scenes. Do participants have to sign some sort of waiver, in which case they are expecting something outlandish to happen? Or are they completely oblivious and the producers just hope they don't sue? Using a port-a-potty is traumatic enough without being launched anywhere. I'll keep my fingers crossed that you can one day fulfill your judgmental dream

@Toska2 Why Peruvian rug making specifically? I'm interested in learning to weave in general and will probably try to make some sort of small weaving frame to get started. Or just go the kids crafting route and start with cardboard.

Stahlmann
Posts: 1121
Joined: Fri Sep 02, 2016 6:05 pm

Re: 3 month hobby

Post by Stahlmann »

simple dancing (even 3-4 moves...), learining from YT videos (we are on extreme forum), checking recording with simple smartphone held by empty roll of paper - dont buy shit from aliexpress - remember always be closing your loops):
-you will be ahead of masses of guys who don't do anything, are shy
- respect from guys (everybody wants gets laid too)
- better with women (check description on that in David Buss psych evo; guess why women ballet was designed, why they do that, pretty naturalistic) (I read not so much and I think I smart :lol: )
- improved coordination
- improved short memory (for me this is why I'm not ahead in my life)

maybe skewed to my projections.

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