Would you believe I found another Dutch speaker in Chattanooga? It only took me two years. We had a great conversation, and I finally had a use for speaking Dutch. Previously, it had been for fun only. I enjoy learning languages and studying their inner workings, but I admit I could have picked a more practical tongue. The fun lies in its uselessness. While the Spanish I speak comes in handy, I taught myself Dutch simply to prove to myself that I could do it. The people I've met through language study range from an Oslo-dwelling Swedish emigrée with a taste for Russian beer to a gay Marxist Texan with a passion for Deaf activism. These language learners and language learning itself have has inspired my aim to become a linguist and given me plenty of opportunity to bore people at parties. I plan to keep up the language study in university and beyond, but to be honest, I don't have a choice in the matter. Languages chose me, and they won't let go.