>>> The U.S. is a strange place when you think about such things. <<<
LOL! Yes indeed!
I do not understand people at all who go to a country to start a new life, yet refuse to learn the predominate language spoken there... For example, I like Japan, and may live there someday, but would not dream of doing so without being able to communicate in Japanese... I also have fond memories of my first wife who wanted to make English her first language, and refused to use Spanish when even writing to her own mother. My best friend way back then, a Puerto Rican kid, would get angry when his family wanted to talk to him in Spanish all the time. A guy on my block who came from Peru, was extremely proud to learn and speak English, and my Mexican friend Gilbert, even though he came to this country relatively late in life, loved to speak English with me as best as he could. These are people I admire highly and respect, not just because they were my friends, but because they respected the main language and culture of the country they wanted to live in. |
