Je ne sais que?

I thought it would be a propos to address the topic of learning a second language as a follow-up to the recent post titled  There's a World Outside, where I discuss how to introduce new foods and expand palates.  Both topics go hand-in-hand and can be used in combination to having a more well-rounded child. 

The question of how to avoid finding oneself in a "je ne sais quoi" situation comes to mind.  Learning a foreign language allows a bridge to be laid between your world and the world of another person.  Good bye to that feeling of cluelessness!  By the way, the mismatched post title was intentional. 

Unless you've decided to move to India where you may need to learn one of its more than 1600 dialects, give your choice of language some thought.  Mandarin is the most widely spoken language in terms of the number of native speakers with Spanish coming in as second.  However, if you live in the United States, it would be useful to learn Spanish.  According to the 2009 census, there are over 35.5 million speakers and the U.S. has the second largest (after Mexico) Spanish speaking community in the world. 

If the reason of camaraderie is not enough for such an undertaking, then read on to find out other beneficial gains.    

• higher test scores
• bigger native language vocabulary and advanced reading skills
• greater opportunities in college and careers (more "mula" in the workforce)

Now, if you are ahead of the game and I've just bored you to death with the above, how do you feel you've benefited?  Personally, I have more foreign friends than only-English speaking friends and find that I can relate to the foreigners better due to similar life experiences.