Can I Survive the US Navy’s Most Difficult Boot Camp?

I recently spent 24 hours with the US NAVY who put me through their toughest “brains vs. brawn” boot camp to see if I have what it takes to become an elite special warfare linguist. Can I survive a Chinese class at the world’s hardest language school (the Defense Language Institute) AND a grueling physical bootcamp to test my special warfare strength? Let’s find out! Make sure to check out @americasnavy to see me go head to head against two of the Navy’s finest CTI linguists in a language escape room challenge. And if you want to learn more about what it’s like to be a CTI (Cryptologic Technician Interpretive) make sure to visit www.navy.com/explore-the-navy...
0:00 Introduction
0:54 This Chinese class is REALLY HARD
2:17 Navy drill sergeant tests my pull-ups
4:14 I have to give a speech in Chinese in front of the class
6:14 Sailors discuss how difficult the language school is
7:35 Navy tests my strength (max deadlifts!)
9:27 Instructor individually tests my Chinese
11:07 Physical results
11:35 Chinese results
13:23 Conclusion
Thanks to @americasnavy for sponsoring this video!
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[@mazi1597]

I really didn't expect you to do 10+ pull ups like that, really impressed! Ari is in good shape!

[@Xenmas021]

Yeah that was pretty impressive!

[@wm6549]

He does crossfit. That's pretty much all they do. 😂

[@JD-mt1rt]

It's all that nutritious food his wife cooks

[@michaelhaggett8760]

All that NYC street food man something magical in there 👏

[@booooo-urns]

Wish I’d done this when I went in the navy 😢

[@daithi1966]

I'm not going to lie. I was expecting 0 pullups, but he got a solid 8 or 9 and very close on number 10. He's a LOT stronger than I'd expected. Nice job.

[@sammarithinang_pannarith]

As a veteran, I think you did amazing as a civilian testing yourself here. In all reality, most civilians can't hold anything close to what you did, especially pull-ups. Grats on your navy day 🥳

[@timmy4709]

For real. I'm a veteran also so for him to just come in and pass the test he did was outstanding for a civilian

[@josephcerasuolo3563]

Same here, Infantry veteran in fact, and even at my peak (which isn't much, I was always a better shooter than I was a PT stud) I could do max 3 pull-ups. I could ruck for days, but running and pull-ups were murder on me.

[@cupnoodlez1235]

It’s all easy lol

[@sammarithinang_pannarith]

@@timmy4709 Couldn't agree more 🙌

[@sammarithinang_pannarith]

@@josephcerasuolo3563 Hellsyeah! I'm a believer in kicking ass at your job before kicking ass in PT 😅

[@lasker31]

For anyone taking these physical tests do not stop after you meet the requirement. They see that as a big negative, they want to see you go until you cannot do more. Certainly makes the next test more difficult but they want to see you put everything into it.

[@co8539]

Doubt anyone watching is gonna be taking the tests but yah trying out for NSW and getting 10 might as well be considered getting 1 pull-up lol. To be “competitive” as he says you need like 25 plus and about 80 push-ups in 1 minute

[@ikickpuppies01]

Didn't think of that but it makes a lot of sense.

[@Tofu_Pilot]

No one watching this video is taking those tests, champ.

[@sammarithinang_pannarith]

It depends on your job as well. I do bare minimum on my physical and still made E-6 in 5 years as a nuke 😅 I just go all in on making sure I know my job front to back, and even further if I have time 🤓

[@Markus-fw4px]

A smart person would stop as soon as he gets tired to spare some juice for the next exercise.

[@DeusExHonda]

I'm a veteran and I love seeing civilians who want to challenge themselves to military testing like this. I'm very impressed with your drive.

[@ruthkowsky4535]

Not gonna lie, after seeing most of the content being recorded at restaurants I wasn't expecting such good performance in the video. Amazing job Xiaoma!

[@bryanskrantz]

You're deceptively in good shape Ari. good showing!

[@chemdah]

I'm amazed at how hard the students work. 7 hours of study and then 3 hours of homework. I simply couldn't do it. So much respect.

[@johnnyparsnips7641]

that's standard at most american high-schools lol

[@samuraix558]

Actually, that's not all they do. They wake up at 4 in the morning to do P.T, usually till 6, and then the have two hours to get to the dfac, get dressed, and get to class. Students can have 6 hours of classwork, 7 hours of classwork, or even 8 or nine, if you factor in zero hour and eighth hour. Then they make their way back to the barracks, and if they're smart, start on their homework immediately. Homework SHOULD me a max of 3 hours, but it has been known to last longer. They have to leave and go eat at some point, but not finishing the homework isn't an option. If they stay focused, they might be able to get to sleep by 8 or nine. Hopefully sooner rather than later, because the next day will be exactly the same.

[@mgntstr]

how do you manage to go to the bar and score some one night stands then if you have to slave away like a drone in the factory?@@samuraix558

[@luzhang2982]

Its not limited to language school either. A lot of the core "A" schools can be like this too, for electronics or medicine. Some people basically study non stop.

[@masterofnonetech]

Those language schools, sadly, have a high rate of suicide too... It's that intense

[@Whoozerdaddy]

As a Navy vet, I can attest to the intensity of study in military schools. I had to laugh because just a day or two ago, I was describing the the same thing and said that if you missed a day of class it was like missing at least a week of study in a civilian college. Good job, Ari!

[@StefanUrkel]

i wondered while watching this whether retention of all of that information crammed into a 1-2 year program would be good or not. seems pretty intense and a lot to do.. pretty much a full-time job on learning the language.. seems like a good chance for burnout too.

[@luzhang2982]

@@StefanUrkelIts not great for more technical stuff tbh, but it does establish a working knowledge.

[@user-cs1ft8fp5q]

@@StefanUrkelretention isnt great but they also focus a lot on continuing to train you in the language after you graduate here so you never lose the basics which is all the military wants you to have after the basic course

[@brightidea1]

I used to eat lunch with a linguist when I was in the Air Force overseas, and I can tell you they CONTINUE to learn more and more words after they leave language school. He always had flash cards with him.

[@realmicrobet]

Very impressed with the pull-ups and weightlifting.

[@sleepy_jinn]

The 13 reps of 225lbs was mind blowing Ari. I can only do 4-5 reps before I nearly pass out even after lifting for a half year. Tbf I weigh only 140lbs so Idk what that compares to you. You're actually hella strong.

[@StopFlaggingVideos]

i'm shocked, i thought he had no fitness background at all and they were throwing him into 2 plates deadlift which would be murder. and then he pounds out the reps...

[@ArtisticYogurtz]

keep eating protein and you'll be able to lift 225 lbs in no time!!! Or you can do mixed grip!!

[@christiandinero8083]

225 isn’t a heavy deadlift for his weight. at 140 that’s good. but someone who is probably 180+ that should be really easy

[@customsongmaker]

​@@christiandinero8083lol I thought they were saying he benched that

[@4evr3nvious]

Amazing! I served in the Navy for 5 years myself! Not as a linguist, but as an electronic technician! I'd say you did better than most do at the PT test! Astouding! Bravo Zulu.

[@JakkiPi]

How'd you do only 5? Did they reduce it from 6?

[@maxwellclark6756]

yes after 5 years you can choose to reenlist or go back to your civilian lifestyle @@JakkiPi

[@vanburnburn]

@@maxwellclark6756 used to be 6 years, can re-enlist at four, dropping 2 year extension. For both surface FCs and ETs

[@4evr3nvious]

@@JakkiPi let's just say it was cut short.

[@guzzijack9714]

@@4evr3nvious Know what you mean. 6 weeks at ET C school, 9 months at ET A school, 6 months qualifying in subs and then they "discovered" I'm partially colorblind (it's on my enlistment physical) when I went to nuke school. Made me an SK and cut my 6 years down to 4. I still should have stayed in but was to young and dumb and back in the day there was no counselling at all. Go Navy.

[@jasonbravooo]

As a US Navy Hospital Corpsman, awesome video Ari. Thanks for representing the best branch of the military. I know a few CTRs in the Navy and they are the smartest bunch of people I have ever met. There's one guy who's a Chinese born, Arabic speaking, French linguist. Amazing individuals.

[@rahhmennoodles338]

All the docs I met in the Marine Corps were homosexual but I'm sure that's just part of the standard of the best branch of the military so I don't judge. Oorah brother!

[@ecchymosis6432]

And all the Marines I ever took care of always got a box of crayons and a silver bullet - Simper Fi @@rahhmennoodles338

[@MajorAddiction]

@@rahhmennoodles338 hahah

[@ryanolsen294]

@@rahhmennoodles338😂

[@SkydivingSquid]

I've been in the Navy for 10+ years and went through NSW training (though did not complete).. it's hard. Bootcamp is a bit of a joke, but some schools are quite difficult.. second only to NSW (SEAL/SWCC), CTIs (linguists) have the highest drop out rate... DLI is a brutal course, especially for first time learners, aimed at teaching people immersive challenging languages to support the US Navy and Joint Forces with communicating to allied and adversary forces around the globe. The learning progresses well beyond what is shown here, and not everything can be shown or disclosed due to the classified nature of the program, but it is quite incredible. There is also an immersive portion, normally "in country" that really is a phenomenal experience.

[@catherinelogan6299]

That was great fun to watch. My brother was a Lieutenant Commander in the Navy and flew the Vigilante from aircraft carriers during Vietnam. The dedication to excellence of those in the Navy is rematkable.

[@JulietVorster]

It’s so cool to see you supporting the Navy Ari. As a former member of the British Royal Navy, I love seeing other services represented, and learning how much technology has improved things. Boot camp is still boot camp no matter what country we come from. 😊

[@itstheiceman11]

Hooyah! Former U.S Navy here. Much respect and appreciation to your troops across the ocean.

[@timlol4374]

I'm a 50 year old 3 time combat vet from the Navy. Ari, you are a warrior. I would go to war with you.

[@PolarBearActive0g9g904]

My Grandfather is a 2 time combat vet from the Canadian Navy. He and I both watch Ari because of his language skills, he was very surprised of this video as well! Thank you for your service.

[@timmy4709]

I did 2 deployments to Basra in the Navy with an Air Ambulance squadron and would have loved to have him along with us. He had great knowledge but also great potential to be really physically fit

[@timlol4374]

Ari proved himself in the jungle to me. I know he has a backbone. I know he is stronger than most.

[@timmy4709]

@@timlol4374 indeed he does. It's not the path he chose but he definitely would have been a great asset to any branch.

[@aidanbiton4105]

war with china is right around the corner, at least we have ari

[@janetceniza8091]

husband speaking age 80 - I went thru Air Force Basic in 1963 - nothing like this, ours was simple compared to the basic tng today. You did great considering the troops next to you were much younger. You don't start out lifting over 200 lbs. I could never have done that even at ate 20. Seeing these special troops gives me a little more faith in our military.

[@ruabadfish2oou]

Don't have too much faith bud, they don't even kick people out anymore for failing PFTs. Super easy to pass too. Also, there's a ton of DEI going on in recruiting and in the Navy itself. That's why retention sucks right now.

[@turkeyman631]

@@ruabadfish2oouYeah some of the stuff I see in the news or read is pretty jarring

[@wowitsruss]

Well we have went from being physical demanding job to more technical with some physical. Navy being able to put out fires on ship, assess threats, work long long hours, be experts in your field, weapon training, etc… in the navy you ain’t gonna be running or swimming in your job as you’ll be on computers, manning stations, and building and doing maintenance on things.

[@sonoftheredfox]

Bro I wasn't worried about your language skills compared to theirs, but I was sitting here rooting you on during the PT parts. Very cool insight into a little known aspect of our military.

[@jayf4612]

No words to describe this. Not knowing how much preparation was put in beforehand, this was an outstanding result, Mr Arieh. You showed great grit and skills.

[@youthought878]

Xioma you are insane with those pull ups. I weigh 170 and have lifted consistently for about 3 years and can barely get 8 pull ups in a row. Big respect to you, very strong all the way around my man

[@noway57]

Thank you DT

[@rottingcorpse6565]

The OPI is strange so I think her scoring him a 2 was accurate. They are looking for very specific criteria on the OPI and he was approaching it more as a fun conversation. If they had coached him up on it beforehand I think he could've scored a 3!

[@baki9191]

Yeah, it sounded arbitrary

[@dominicphillips9210]

100% a 2+ already, I think with some practice, he could achieve level 3 problem

[@nickgray123]

Yes there's clearly a layer of institutional thinking which of course he would not have - i.e. "the way we would answer this in the Navy" regarding description of people in a structured way, or landmarks as part of directions.

[@mgntstr]

yes, also a dead give away for any native speakers@@nickgray123

[@dahunlee_acousticguitar_covers]

@@baki9191 the military in a nutshell lol (I only did 5 years but still)

[@theone3428]

I was at DLI from '09 to '10 as an Arabic ling. At the time it was known that the attrition rates were the highest for Arabic and Chinese... something like 10% made it through. These are some of the smartest kids in the military, because not only do they have to score high on the ASVAB, but they have to also pass another language aptitude test to qualify for the linguist MOS. With that said, I found that most of them burnt themselves out studying like mentioned in the video. We already had 7 hour days speaking/listening/reading only in our primary language. I had 5 teachers from different countries speaking arabic dialects and teaching MSA. That was enough for me... I soaked it all in during class, got my HW done, and played Guitar Hero or CoD (when it was good)... 3/2+/2+ (L/R/S) :)

[@benjaminhoffman3848]

I was there from 11 to 12 for Farsi. I wanted to do Arabic or Russian.

[@CannabisRexxx]

I was there in '06!

[@shoeby9273]

CoD4 my man.

[@SourStrawberrys]

The test must have been much easier back then if you had time to play games and only getting everything you need from class alone and little outside study. Or maybe you're one of the lucky few that really didn't have to study and still end up being the best in the class because languages come easy for them. I know a couple if those at DLI.

[@SourStrawberrys]

​@@benjaminhoffman3848As a person who was also there for Farsi who wish the got chinese (which i did have at first but they changed it last minute). You did NO want arabic or russian. I was really upset they changed me from Chinese but after doing farsi I was glad they did. Arabic and Russian are definetly harder than farsi. Both Russian and farsi should he longer courses. They are too short.

[@Gaeilgeoir]

You continually find new ways to wow us, Ari! Bravo! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@randomcommenter6711]

This man has survived in the middle of the Amazon rainforest, Navy bootcamp is nothing for him!

[@MichaelYoutube360]

😂😂

[@foxlinks6656]

You can see you've been training a bit getting ready for this. You showed great mental fortitude, strong determination. I believe you impressed your instructors. GREAT JOB 👍

[@MisterBudBrown-]

This brings back memories, I went to DLI Monterrey, CA, 36 weeks of Vietnamese, care of the US, Navy. I really enjoyed it and still use my Vietnamese here in San Diego, 50 years later. Cheers

[@da20eclipse]

Wow Ari, so impressed. Your performance and that of our soldiers is inspiring. Keep it up, love the content.

[@willvr4]

US NAVY budget for this year is 256 BILLION dollars, I hope they didn't skimp out on your sponsorship like we do for our war Vets. Ari - You really shocked me with those pullups. Once I hit my early 30's I forgot how hard pullups are to do unless you're in good shape. You're getting strong my dude!

[@GomulDart]

a navy sponsorship of this caliber is probably very worthwhile. Ari simply wouldn't have done it if the pay/benefits weren't worth it + it's simply good content. A fresh and unique idea that I honestly don't think any language channel has done before, so the video itself is worth the view. Also; I'm also ashamed that VA and the government skimps veterans and fails to help them out, I absolutely think we could be doing more to help them. But citing the navy's budget doesn't have much to do with VA support. VA doesn't get its funds and benefits from the Navy's budget. AFAIK, there is a broader system set up on the interior of the militaries national budget, and it is further subsidized through civil welfare programs. The issue isn't actually the amount of money VA is getting, (although more would definitely help) the issue is primarily how these systems are structured, WHERE the money goes, the bureaucracy involved, federal redtape etc. Citing the navy's budget as a reason VA should be better organized is like blaming Taco Bell's marketing budget for people littering in their parking lot. It's a bit of a non-sequitur. Although I know what you mean and you still have a point.

[@Pianoloid]

This definitely came out of the recruitment budget, lol.

[@ikickpuppies01]

@@GomulDart So.... I don't know shit about it . I have a regular in my bar, he's a vet. I have seen him help a few people with benefits. So just going with what I have seen here, and another, similar, situation at another place. It seems like many people have trouble navigating the system . Does this sound correct to you? I'm really asking. I have no background at all. Thanks.

[@GomulDart]

@@ikickpuppies01 I'm not a vet either but I have vets in the family. But yeah what you describe is pretty much spot on. For one, there is a stigma. Seeking out the help is a big part of it, and many don't want to for various reasons. And no one is helping these people if they don't come look for help in the first place. 2, is the fact that even when people do decide to find help, the system is very messy with bureaucracy. Like filling out proper forms, digging up documents, waiting weeks for call backs because the system is over loaded with people, it can feel like doing taxes sometimes which doesn't help the process. And 3 as I mentioned is, most of these programs are overloaded. Theres too many vets and not enough people working in veterans affairs which slows the whole process down. It can be region dependent though, some places VA helps people fast and easy. Other places they might not even have a VA.

[@Jauphrey]

Your humility contrasted by your objectively impressive ability in strength, language, and interpersonal communication it constantly inspiring, Arieh. Just wanted to throw some appreciation at you for sharing these videos. It's so helpful and motivating.

[@breezeh1127]

This was one of my favorite videos so far!! This was so good and you really pushed yourself physically and I'm proud of you❤

[@casper7981]

I will have to say that of all the videos I’ve watched of yours… this one stamped a great impression of you. A veteran myself, I would implore you to seek out a career in the military. Your unique and strong attribute to learn and adapt may help you and may further the military’s role in a global environment. You did amazing! I believe you have what it takes. Believe in you!!

[@englishstories1587]

Genuinely surprised that he managed the pull ups, didn't know he had it in him.

[@cmehustle]

As a Navy vet myself I thought this was dope! I didn’t even know we had a language program, but I guess it makes sense. It seems way too intense for me lol! Bravo Zulu, awesome job Ari!

[@rudyurquizu7952]

Been watching your videos for awhile and I was surprised to see you featured in a Navy video on instagram. As a Navy Sailor myself, I was really happy to see you experience a day in the life of a CTI. Awesome content as always!

[@robertmungu6652]

3:56 bro said " like strength of character " I couldn't hold in my laugh 😂

[@Crossbuzzin420]

Hats off to you and all of the service members, very impressive!

[@sunnybey]

Great video! Very educational but fun, mad respect for those who serve

[@AR-eh7vj]

That deadlift shocked me, that was dope.

[@honeyyy8]

That was really intensive with the Chinese language part. I can only imagine how they feel after a while. Well done on hitting the points and not giving up! 🎉 I cannot wait to see more videos like this one.

[@karinvasu3005]

okay these new videos are absolutely fire

[@kittymervine6115]

wonderful! You are in shape!!

[@bazzer124]

As a Navy vet it was refreshing to see your commitment to the tasks at hand and I personally think you did very well. Cheers....

[@Out-to-Pastor]

This is actually pretty cool. I knew a few Navy linguists while I was active duty and they were hardcore fluent in Spanish, Arabic, and I knew 1 who spoke Korean. It was pretty cool.

[@boost_jay]

wow this was actually awesome to see, thanks ari

[@Mister_Matthew]

Man all my favourite youtubers have been doing collabs that at first are crazy but end up being legendary!

[@Vidnog]

I'm impressed by how well you performed in the physical tests

[@Jackjohnjay]

Thank you to our service members! We love you and we love America! ❤

[@Dragonflylane77]

I love how she talks. So soft spoken.. very calming. I could listen to her talk in any language all day..

[@jonblair7702]

Great video, Great to see the students studying hard to support/serve our country!

[@jimashton8520]

This was outstanding! I am glad the Navy brought you in and sponsored this episode. You reach more young people than any Navy advertisement and show that the Navy has more than its fair share of high level jobs that require the same degree of intelligence and drive as do our best 4 year universities. BUT, a smart trained sailor still must maintain a top level of fitness. You showcased both!! Bravo Zulu!!

[@MashtagBrady2x]

Love your videos! You're a genuine guy.

[@RonnieG]

Ari I am so proud of how you did, especially the physical. You surprised me. Great effort!

[@stardewdaisy4577]

omg you did amazing Ari!!!! GREAT JOB!!!!

[@donvedio]

Always enjoy your videos, this was especially interesting as I served in the Navy many years ago and did 3 combat tours in Viet Nam. I cannot believe you strength. Very impressive. Looking forward to viewing more of your adventures....

[@JaniceWithTheTarlovCyst]

Awesome video! You were quite impressive doing pull-ups and weightlifting, Ari. 👏🏼👏🏼

[@daocommand85]

Absolutely amazing to see you doing this video. I’m so happy to see my previous command and instructors still doing an amazing job, above and beyond. I definitively think those students are from semester 3 for sure. It’s great to see they will definitely graduate if they haven’t already. You definitely made the basics for Special Warfare though, they would train you further to pass SW training. You also would make level 3 in speaking for sure. Thank you so much for making this video with the Navy.

[@stevenm7146]

Amazing video! This is doing a great service for the US Navy, as it showcases their intense language programs. Cheers

[@alextinoco7544]

Amazing video love all the content. Keep up the hard work. Much love

[@AndyUpNorth67]

This is a great video, I had no idea the Navy needed such skills, to be honest. Thanks Xiaomanyc.

[@NavyDadProductions]

So glad the Navy let you do this. I think it is great that the Navy is reaching out like this

[@hendrikalla4567]

Wow, Xiaoma! You're way stronger than I thought, kudos! Man of many talents

[@screamingeagle11b]

I'm a veteran of the army and I'm very impressed by your physical fitness efforts, you did an outstanding job, this was probably one of my favorite videos from you, great job.

[@transactcredit]

It makes me appreciate the military training structure even more so. Good job, Ari!

[@MostlyVoid1312]

Went to DLI a few years back and it was def an experience- really cool to see you do this!

[@baquedeckous9476]

Air Force linguist here. Went through DLI for Arabic. That language training is no joke, kicks you square in the nuts lol. I went from not knowing any language other than English to conversing with native Arabic speakers fluently within 9 months. Again, no joke lol. Good on ya for the exposure to it 🤘🏽

[@Ninjanades]

That was INCREDIBLE! I can't believe they study 7-10 hours (including homework) EVERY single day!! That's crazy! That was some really impressive effort on the PT, too!

[@dahunlee_acousticguitar_covers]

it's kind of crazy that we also had exercise in the morning before class, then often training after class too, in addition to the homework lol (although I remember the weekends being more laid back, if there wasn't any training exercises/events. At least for the Army, idk about the Navy.). you can end up learning A LOT in that short amount of time, but the retention of it all is a bit up in the air I guess.

[@SourStrawberrys]

​@@dahunlee_acousticguitar_coversArmy does PT in the morning. The air force does it in the afternoon, but unlike the army if we make a certain score on the appraisals we can test out of doing PT. Which is a blessing and a curse. You will have more time to study but if you don't have discipline to workout on your own you can get fat and out of shape easily there.

[@dahunlee_acousticguitar_covers]

@@SourStrawberrys that's an interesting difference, thanks for the info. At DLI we all studied together but didn't really exercise together at all. Maybe a missed opportunity, idk. The marines would be awesome to exercise with

[@dahunlee_acousticguitar_covers]

@@SourStrawberrys we also always had a ton of extra training after classes, since we had ranger/special forces members also studying there and always made them run super long training sessions lol.

[@itsmrvance]

Given that most of Ari's videos involve him eating deserts from different cultures, I did not expect the 10 pull-ups!! Nicely done!

[@EYEQuestionEverything]

Love to see your page grow. Glad to see your time and effort paid off. Wish you all the success.

[@Crisheight]

This...was actually a really awesome video. Great job!

[@artpro5930]

I was literally scared for Xiaomanyc in the Chinese class based on the way he built it up as being so difficult. When they cut back to him crushing it, it was such a tremendous relief. Well played Xiamanyc. You got me. 🤣 Compared to their hours of study, my "intensive" Japanese course study was nothing. I took "Intensive" Japanese at a [highly rated] university, and we only did classes 5 days a week (1 hour) and 2-3 hours of lab study. Their hours are bonkers. I can't imagine not getting burned out. After watching so many Xiaomanyc videos, I almost think my Chinese is better than the examiners. I'm sure Xiamanyc would have hit level 3 if he knew what they were looking for.

[@rm-dc6tx]

Glad to see that you have obviously been taking your physical fitness more seriously lately. You certainly look much fitter than a year or two years ago.

[@MedicCasey]

Strong effort, love the channel!

[@DSGB-JC]

Surprisingly strong! Great vid, more content like this please!

[@_orangutan]

I think there's a difference between learning a language for everyday use and learning a language for information gathering for military purposes. The language school is designed so you can understand the high brass of Chinese society not the common folk. Edit: Thanks for your thurough explanations about how I am incorrect. Great analysis there.

[@Mike__B]

I guess that would be the same here, while languages (accents) alone vary greatly from where said person came from the words they use tend to be very specific for everything which differs quite a bit from the "common folk"

[@ayycardinal6802]

I disagree with that strongly. We learn all types

[@anguslazy]

the first thing i learn in any language is "i need to piss, and you look like a toilet" it's actually a really useful phrase as you can use it as a threat, an insult, a compliment, a joke and a way to be told where the bathroom is

[@ayycardinal6802]

The teachers aren't high brass. They don't know any language but the common one

[@JonathanKonkel]

@_orangutan - That's so ridiculously incorrect it's not even funny.

[@CozySophie]

You’ve lost a lot of weight! In good shape. Well done! 💪❤

[@DeeBee-en5gi]

Awesome! Absolutely loved this video!!!

[@sk8luv]

This is really cool, and I appreciate your humility as well!

[@Bereadyalways123]

Great video, and a BIG well done, I was teaching in China ESL/TEFL for 3 years mainly Shanghai, I have two master university degrees from the London university, I was born in London, but you are a great guy, once again well done, Xie Xie....

[@wowitsruss]

Crazy thing is for these linguistics students. If they fail an exam they will be dropped from program and have to cross rate into another job even after well over a year of training and learning that language. I knew people who could speak and write fluent arabic but failed the last exam and was dropped. You do get a lot of extra money monthly once you pass on top of your regular pay.

[@FLG8r]

very commendable. service members nowadays are very intelligent and adaptable; great effort on the physical strength tests! never expected to see that from you.

[@fatcammal]

this is easily your best video dude

[@run2fire]

Awesome video. I don't think I could make it through DLI. Too intense, high speed! I will stick with Duolingo lol Good on the US Navy for sponsoring this video.

[@CynicismForAll]

Those 10 chin ups were damn impressive! Go Ari! Edit: After watching further, you should be super proud of yourself with those deadlifts, too! And I knew you'd pass Chinese. That was a given. Awesome video!

[@matthagersr]

the level of commitment for our soldiers is second to none, because it is VOLUNTARY. Thanks to our service members and to Ari for the fortitude to put in the effort.

[@emilyflotilla931]

I'm so impressed Ari!

[@Mrzachh16]

So impressed with your pull ups! Great job!

[@jacobholland4853]

Alright young man. I am two-time graduate of The Defense Languange Institute and the former First Sergeant for all Asian language students for the Army at the DLI. You had a very small taste of the power that is DLI. I spent more than four years there. My daughter was born there. I spent 10 years as a nuclear weapons interpreter. What they do at DLI is super human.

[@cptbaker]

Not gonna lie, I was expecting one MAYBE two pullups out of you, not the 9 good reps and one semi-good rep you achieved. You're hiding some solid strength in those lats man, great effort!

[@Pula-sg8yj]

Great job Xioma, great video!! 💪

[@lukesatterwhite4907]

That was pretty awesome watching your experience with US Navy

[@thomaspaine2217]

Your physical strength is almost as impressive as your language skill. I have been working out quite consistently and look larger than you (no offense´, I weigh 210) but the amounts of pushups and deadlifts you did was incredible.

[@strollbaby]

This was cool. The language class reminded me of Japanese. I used to learn Japanese but as soon as I started getting into Kanji and breaking it down into the meaning of every little stroke, I was like wow, as I write a lot, I decided to just focus on getting better at English, my native language. The Chinese class reminded me of a language comprehension test, I did for Apllied Psychology, in which you are expected to convey large ideas with as few words a possible. This is known as chunking or data chunking - can chunk up, for intelligent people, or chunk down for laymen. The structure thing she was talking about is something you'd do in report writing or something similar - if you write or read enough, that way, you'll start talking like that, lol. Although thought patterns can be naturally jumbled by synaptic association, it's true, a lot of people do not order their thoughts, before they speak, lol. A lot of the Greek writings, on rhetoric, teach structure and just philosophy, in general, is highly structured - John Locke springs to mind. So, the language teacher talking about level 3 referencing classical Chinese philosophy is well known: that highly educated Chinese can reference classic literature in conversation and there's a whole breadth of knowledge for knowing what is appropriate to say, in a given situation. Very interesting that you are being recruited by the CIA, hahaha.

[@biscuitsmcgravy394]

Most awesome video I have seen this year.

[@BB-fx3cb]

Low key strong man! Good stuff

[@1crusty]

bruh really got sponsored by the whole ass US navy

[@AzuktheJungler]

Such a weird video to watch, being a DLI grad myself. Coyle was my LPO back when I was there

[@jimalvarez5042]

those deadlifts left me shocked bro! awesome work!

[@Rwtirish1]

Amazing as always and super impressive on the PT side. Not easy. Huge props