Every summer I try and learn a new language. It’s quite the process, at first. I’ll spend from hours up to days scouring the internet looking for resources for whichever language has piqued my interested. From Duolingo to Quizlet vocab flashcards, there are actually a ton of different places online where you can learn new languages. I’ve even stopped by the library and gotten audiotapes to use while I drive around.

As you can imagine, this summer hobby of mine never gets too far. I’ve tried Russian, French (a few times) German, and I spent a few days on Japanese before I gave up. I’ve never walked away fluent in any of these languages. I know going in that I’ll never be able to learn an entire new language in less than 3 months. But that’s not why I do it.

First and foremost, I like trying to learn new languages because I think it’s fun. I can now say several different curse words in several different languages, because for some reason those just seem to stick with me. I can also say “I love you” in several different languages, although I’m not really sure how that would help me if I were to be in another country. I can tell my brothers to get out of my room in both Spanish and French. Not that they know what I’m saying, so this also doesn’t do me a lot of good.

Secondly, it helps me, in a very small way, to learn about whatever culture the language I’m studying belongs to. Language can take you all over the world, or even right around the corner of your own neighborhood. Language is such a huge part of culture because language itself is a living chronicler of whatever culture it belongs to. Language is pure history. There’s a reason English is as widespread as it is, and you if ask nicely, history will tell you.

And thirdly, knowing more than your native tongue is a huge skill. It can and will get you very far in life. I think learning a new language is something everyone should strive for, but it certainly isn’t easy. Unless you throw yourself into a language with no other way out, it can take a long time to pick up a different language. Especially if you’re a Western language speaker, like English or German, and you’re trying to pick up an Eastern language, like Chinese or Korean. This works the other way around as well.

So what kind of point am I trying to make here? My point is that people shouldn’t be so picky about picking up a new language. So your neighbors speak Spanish. You can’t understand them and every time you see them you think they’re talking about you (spoiler alert: they’re probably not). It’s upsetting to you they don’t speak a lot of English. My advice to you would be to pick up Spanish. You can learn a new language just as well as they can. I’m not saying they shouldn’t learn English, they should. Speaking a new language is just as beneficial to you as it is to them.

This is just an example, of course. Maybe your neighbors speak Russian, I don’t know your life. But it all counts. Get yourself out there a little bit. Immerse yourself in a foreign culture via language. You won’t regret it. Buena suerte!