Many years ago, my mind was instantly blown. It was my first time out of the country. I was in Brazil not three weeks. Struggling with the language. Technically a young man but mentally still a boy. The local in front of me had just expressed his lifelong frustration with the up and down valuation of his currency, the Brazilian real. It made life extremely difficult for him.
“Wait, you mean to tell me not everyone’s currency is as stable as the dollar?” I asked myself. “Much of what I take for granted is fought for elsewhere?”
For me, this was a watershed moment in international relations … one I’ll never forget and the first of many more while on foreign soil.
But the domestic benefits of going abroad encompass a lot more than just appreciation or detestation for the way things are done back home. More than just better global citizens, here’s how foreign travel makes us better natives, locals, and even patriots.
It Makes You a Better Native Speaker
Until I learned Portuguese, I had no idea how English worked. I knew how to construct sentences and remembered some bogus rule about “i before e except after c.” But I didn’t know why English worked until I learned a second language. This doesn’t apply to those who insist on only using their native tongue, which is a shame. But even a basic understanding of another language can force you to appreciate the one you’ve always taken for granted.
It Makes You a More Informed Patriot
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
