The disadvantage of intensive language learning projects

In this episode, I open up about the biggest downside of my three-month language missions: how quickly I forget the language afterward. As I wrap up Indonesian, I can already feel some of it slipping. This isn’t new — I’ve seen it happen with Hungarian, Arabic, and Japanese. Without regular use, a lot fades within weeks or months. That’s the “half-life” of language learning in action.

Still, I fully stand by this approach. It’s ideal for nomads and travelers who want to go deep, fast. And if you’re not hopping between languages, you can absolutely build on that foundation long term. I also share how I’ve managed to keep some languages like Portuguese alive — and why I’ve made peace with forgetting and refreshing as part of the journey.

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