Having learned Spanish in high school but not using it since I didn't know any Spanish speaking people in Hawaii in the 80's, I now struggle to communicate when visiting Andorra, Spain, and Costa Rica. It really could have come in handy when I was in Curacao and of course Mexico as well, but was surprised when I had trouble communicating when shopping in Miami.
I encourage my 18 year old daughter to get better at Spanish, but like a lot of Americans, especially in the South, it seems like it's beneath her although she won't admit it, which annoys me since she doesn't realize how many countries it would help her in, including the US.
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