Much to my father's dismay, I refute learning the "mother tongue" and choose instead to try to pick up Arabic. It seems like it will be far more useful. I have ordered lesson 1 of Rosetta Stone, which is, from what I understand, the method the military uses. I am presently trying to teach myself the alphabet, but I wonder if my Broca's is broken, because it isn't going too well.
Regardless, it is a beautiful script, and I may be destroying it with my attempts. My apologies.
Why would I want to learn Arabic? Well, what language will most need translators employed by the U.S. Government? Its not Chinese anymore. Not Russian. Its Arabic. Being a translator is hardly my dream job, but being a spy would be fun. I'm not into danger so much anymore, and I just re-read The Mission Song by John LeCarre, so being a spy appeals to me. Its not going to kill me to try and do something with my free time besides write, and considering how much dinero I make writing, its probably a good idea to have a fall-back career. Not that being a respiratory therapist isn't a career, its just more of a job to me.
So Rosetta Stone. Has anyone used it? Why doesn't the library carry it?
The library doesn't have it because it's expensive and because, sad to say it, library patrons are much like children. If you have something new that you paid a lot of money for, they will destroy it. They will take it in the bathtub with them, pee on it, give it to the dog to use as a chewtoy, leave their ABC gum or a slice of cheese or used tissues or worse in it and return it as though none of that had happened. And when confronted they will blame Not Me.
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