ArcaMax

Q. Are you good at learning new languages?

A. I try, but I'm not good. When I was a kid, I could speak fluent Okinawan since I was young and lived in Okinawa for 3-1/2 years. We had an Okinawan maid and gardener. Then we lived in Japan for about six months. The languages weren't that different, so it wasn't difficult for me to switch between both. I would love to re-learn Japanese again. We also have some property in Costa Rica. I took high school Spanish and if we're there for a while, I can remember enough to speak a little Spanish. When we went to Paris, I boned up on our French so we wouldn't come across as snobby Americans. In Czechoslovakia, it was more difficult. We went at the last minute. Most people in Prague speak English, but I didn't really understand any Czech at all.

Q. What was the first trip you took as a child?

A. In the summertime, we'd go to Orchard Beach near the Bronx in New York. We would vacation with relatives from both sides of the family. I remember those trips well.

Q. What's the most important thing you've learned from your travels?

A. That the common denominator is that people are people wherever you are in the world. It's wonderful to sit down and just talk and get to know one another over a good meal. It's kind of like what Anthony Bourdain does when he talks to people in his travels. What that ultimately does is it puts borders down.

Q. Have you had an Ugly American moment?

A. I hope not, but we have experienced one. I remember an embarrassing moment in Paris. We were in a wine store trying to speak French. The proprietor said, "Don't worry," and spoke to us in English. An American woman walked in and scolded us for speaking English in France. She had no idea that we had been speaking French prior to her arrival. But she just came across as very arrogant and parental. The proprietor just kind of looked at her and continued to speak English with us.

Q. What are your five favorite cities?

A. New York, Paris, London, Tokyo and Chicago.

Q. What would be your dream/fantasy trip?

A. I would love to spend as much time as possible in different African countries. I don't really know those countries, except for the things I've read. We vacationed before in South Africa and spent time on the Cape and it was just spectacular. It's a really beautiful country and we made lots of great friends there.

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(Jae-Ha Kim is a New York Times bestselling author and travel writer. You can respond to this column by visiting her website at www.jaehakim.com. You may also follow "Go Away With..." on Twitter at @GoAwayWithJae where Jae-Ha Kim welcomes your questions and comments.)

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