✨ LME NAVI Meetup Recap | April 25, 2025

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Today, we once again witnessed how deeply alike we humans are fundamentally -- and how beautifully different we are in our personal experience.

Fundamentally -- We confirmed the famous Bouba/Kiki effect: 95% of people associate "bouba" with a round shape and "kiki" with something spiky. Science says so, and we proved it again today.

Personally -- Our “English sense” experiences by touch, smell, sight, hearing, and taste were so wildly different -- I honestly wanted to try on every single one... even

@Alex Understated

's dusty carpet.

Big thanks and special mentions to:

@Alex Understated

Best wishes to you and your wife on your son's birthday tomorrow! Even while driving, you found time to say hi -- appreciate it :)

@Evelyne Vincent

Your English feels sticky like honey, smells like an old book, looks like London, sounds like Tube announcements, and tastes like black tea with a cookie. Just don't tell Coach Shane about your secret crush on British English :)

@Eva Bosakova

Your forest path full of roots and rocks reminded me of what Coach Shane says: Don’t get lost in the details -- you can't see the forest for the trees.

@Yulong Deng

English as a door into a brand new world… such a deep and meaningful image.

@Ada Ada

Fresh bread, soft and warm, with curious little details. Keep that curiosity alive!

@Moxa Xie

English as a smooth river journey with Coach Shane guiding the boat… peaceful and natural way of learning -- no fear, no stress.

@Sia Zhang

Your version of English grew from scratch: a textbook, coffee, music, bread with butter, and a charming stranger with blue eyes. Brad Pitt… or Bread Pitt?

@Anton Krutov

Glad you made it! Thanks for the guitar tune recommendation -- I'll share the link below.

@Gulistan Asan

Your metaphors were poetic -- you captured the textures of English words so delicately.

@Wang Sherry

Hope your walk with the kids by the water and mountains fills you with energy. Share some pics in Skool if you can :)

@Barry Logen

You really get it -- hearing is key in language learning. If you can say it, you can hear it -- and vice versa.

@Wyatt Lee

Touch is sun and sand, smell is paper, taste is café Americano, sight is crowded cities, hearing is a familiar voice. Your English feels lived-in -- like a busy city you know by heart.

@Valerie Vasyuta

May your project wrap up successfully, and yes -- TGIF: "I'm on the Mexican radio..."

@Mia Mia

I didn't get a chance to catch up with you this time -- hope to next week :)

🧠 One surprising insight:

No matter how vivid your image of English is, it helps to connect it to a physical place -- especially one with a strong smell. Turns out, the smell of a space can help you remember new words.

So maybe...

If it stinks, you'll speak! 😄

See you all next time! ❤️

PS: Enjoy the beautiful guitar

@Anton Krutov

mentioned: https://youtu.be/VI57QHL6ge0?si=0ryG-f_hb8Rw7GgF

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