Barb speaks a fair amount of French, thanks to Ricky Baron’s weekly French lessons back home in Miller Beach, Indiana. And during our current two-month stay in Paris, her French has made our daily lives here not just easier, but wonderfully richer.

The other night, she struck up a conversation with our taxi driver in French. The driver was delighted. “An American who speaks French!” she exclaimed.

They exchanged phrases, asking each other how to say this and that in their respective languages. As we passed a flea market, the driver asked Barb what it was called in English.

“Flea market,” Barb replied.

The driver burst out laughing. Apparently, the translation was funnier than either of them expected. It was one of those lovely, spontaneous moments that make travel so rewarding.
 

Then there was our waiter at a neighborhood bistro. When Barb spoke to him in French, he announced, “You are my new best friend!”

Their arrangement was simple. Barb spoke French, and he answered in English. As he explained, “So we can both practice.”

Two people, two languages, a little laughter, and a connection that might never have happened otherwise.

That, to me, is the beauty of learning another language. It isn't just about words. It's about people.
 

The world speaks English. But there's more to the story.

As we have traveled, we've been amazed by how widely English is understood. In Istanbul, our dental hygienist spoke flawless, Midwestern-sounding English. Naturally, I asked where she'd learned it.

At school, she told me. And from watching Marvel movies!

I never realized how Iron Man and Captain America were doing their part for international communication.
 

But here's the thing: while English may get us through many situations, it doesn't always bring us closer to the people we meet.

For that, even a little effort in someone's native language can make a remarkable difference.
 

A little Spanish goes a long way.

Every year, Barb and I spend part of the Chicago winter in Cuenca, Ecuador. It's a wonderful city with a sizable community of North American retirees, many of whom speak Spanish or are working to learn it.

I should confess that my Spanish is what we've come to call “Taxi Cab Spanish.”

I can tell a driver to turn at the next corner. I can explain that we live near the cathedral. I can usually get us where we need to go.

But don't ask me to discuss international trade policy or explain why Scots wear kilts or why Americans wear cargo shorts.

I'm not there yet.
 

During our first stay in Ecuador three years ago, we met our friend Sharyn, who had recently retired there from Elgin, Illinois. Her Spanish was then at about my taxi-cab level.

On our most recent visit, she was speaking Spanish with remarkable confidence. Watching her progress was inspiring. She had kept at it, practiced, and gradually turned unfamiliar words into a useful part of her everyday life.
 

We also met Eric, a Californian turned Chicagoan, in our Survival Spanish class. (Thank you, Alejandra Herrera at IdiomArte in Cuenca!) Eric is preparing to retire to Ecuador and has been practicing by watching Spanish-language television.

His Spanish is pretty darn good.
 

These friends remind me that learning a language isn't something you must accomplish before you travel or retire abroad. It's something you can keep doing throughout your life.

You don't have to be perfect. You just have to begin.

Sometimes, a few words can change everything.
 

Years ago, when I worked for the 2020 Census, We had an administrative assistant named Hannah. She had completed an internship in Belarus. During her time there, she learned Russian.

One of our census takers was from Romania. Romanians of a certain generation had been taught Russian in school during the communist era.

When our assistant spoke to him in Russian, something wonderful happened. His eyes lit up. He responded with such warmth and enthusiasm that I couldn't help smiling.

Think about that for a moment.

A young woman from America and a middle aged man from Romania, brought together by a language neither needed to use to complete their work that day. Yet those few words created a moment of genuine human connection.

She had reached across a cultural divide, and he had welcomed her.

I'll never forget that.
 

Americans, let's learn another language.

I understand why many Americans never learn a second language. We grow up in a country where English is dominant, and we can travel to many parts of the world without needing much else. Learning another language takes time, patience, and a willingness to make mistakes in front of other people.

And believe me, I know how uncomfortable that can be.

But there is a difference between being able to get by and making an effort to understand the people around you.

You may remember a little high-school Spanish, French, or German. Perhaps you can recognize familiar words, understand a simple question, or follow a few sentences in a conversation.

That's a beginning.

You don't need to become fluent. You don't need a perfect accent. You don't even need to get every word right.

Learn how to greet someone. Learn how to say please and thank you. Learn how to order a meal, ask for directions, or tell someone where you're from. Then keep going.

You'll make mistakes. People may correct you. Sometimes you'll both laugh. And every now and then, someone will light up because you made the effort to speak their language.

Those moments are worth the trouble.

Because learning another language isn't simply learning how other people speak. It's learning a little about how other people live, think, and see the world.
 

Our world isn't everyone's world.

Barb and I are two retirees who have been fortunate enough to spend extended periods living in different countries. We've learned that people everywhere have families they love, worries that keep them awake, hopes for their children, and dreams for their futures.

Their food may be different. Their customs may surprise us. Their history may be unfamiliar. They may see the world through a very different lens.

But beneath those differences, we keep discovering the same humanity.

Speaking someone's language, even imperfectly, is one small way of acknowledging that their world matters as much as ours.

And perhaps that's what we need a little more of these days: curiosity about people we don't yet understand, patience with differences, and the humility to recognize that our own way of seeing things isn't the only way.
 

So, Americans, learn another language.
 

Do it for the adventure. Do it for the friendships. Do it because the world is bigger and more interesting than the part we already know.

And do it because the next time you sit in a Paris taxi, order lunch in Madrid or meet a foriegner in our own country,  a few simple words might turn an ordinary encounter into a memory you'll treasure.
 

We don't have to speak the same language to be friends. But making the effort to speak one another's language can help us discover just how much we have in common.
 

Our world is not everyone's world.

The more we learn about one another, the harder it becomes to see one another as strangers or enemies and the easier it becomes to recognize that we're all part of the same human family.

And if learning a little French means making a Parisian taxi driver laugh, well, that's not a bad place to start.

See you on the Journey,
Rock and Barb
.