Learning a language as an ultimate goal... I often hear that people go to another country to learn another language and I would like to share what I have learnt from my experience in this regard. Nearly a decade ago, I have been to Japan and stayed there for 12 months. I consider that it was one of the most meaningful and deep experiences I ever had in my life. I did not speak Japanese at all before going there and I was really interested in cultural exchange, so I was very frustrated at the beginning, because during the first 3 months I could not understand Japanese people, neither their language nor their culture. After this "probation" period I started developing my observation skills and little by little absorbing the words and understanding some of the rituals present in Japanese culture. It was inevitable and it is incontestable the need to learn a language if one wants to understand more of another country's culture. Nevertheless, if my ultimate goal was to learn Japanese language I would probably close my eyes and mind to see what the words do not speak. In the end of the experience, keeping my mind opened and understanding the language a bit more, I think I took the most of this experience, which was to understand the values and principles present in society and how that is expressed in their daily life. I love culture exchange and I understand the value of learning a language to have access to the culture, however I also believe that many valuable things in culture can be accessed with our eyes and heart, and we should always pay attention to these aspects when in contact with a different culture.