Check out this article (which I just noticed is 3 years old...why haven't I heard about this yet? Maybe because I don't work in public schools in the US?):
http://www.redorbit.com/news/oddities/489062/poll_shows_many_cant_find_la_on_map/
Some of what this article talks about I found in my research for the thesis I wrote last year (nobody can find Iraq on a map yet we've all been hearing/seeing/arguing about it and America's policies there for years now).
"...just 14 percent believe speaking another language is a necessary skill."
As an American abroad, who has interested herself in learning a foreign language (or two, sort of), I am the anomoly. I explain this to Frenchies all the time: a lot of Americans think we're the best country ever and don't want to travel or even learn about what's beyond our borders. This isn't all their fault, however: America is A. massively huge, and B. extremely (self)-important on the international scene. For those who don't plan on traveling/living/working abroad or at an international level, speaking another language wouldn't necessarily be necessary. But Americans should start learning second and third languages to higher levels of proficiency, and everyone should at least be able to read a map! These are fast-paced, interconnected times we're living in these days, so I totally support this move by National Geographic (but really, when wasn't the NG the epitome of cool?).
Living as I do right now in a real French family (I don't get out much), French is becoming commonplace...in a group of 13 or so, children and adults, I realized that I was the only anglophone in the group...and the shocking part was that it isn't so shocking anymore. Yes I've been in France for many moons now, but usually always with my 'safe' American posse just a text away. Being the 'American' (a.k.a. the odd one out) has become my accepted, kooky role (one of the many appealing things about the grad school in Geneva I want to go to is that only 6% of the student body are from North America. That's including Canada and Mexico too, presumedly). I don't know what I'll do with myself in September when I'm back in the homeland, and being American isn't necessarily special anymore...perhaps I'll be the snooty Francophile, baguette-toting, French literature-reading, fancy cheese-eating, high fashion wino in the crowd. Wait a minute, minus the high fashion, that's what I've always been, (and I did just pick up a nautical-themed pashmina afghan at a vide-grenier last weekend)!
Things I'm looking forward to:
1. There's this character in the French book I'm reading right now named Annette...we haven't exactly met her yet, but she's the fancy Parisian current-love-interest of Charles and is currently abroad in Scotland...I'm sure that when she enters the scene she'll stir things up and wake up the so far pretty ho-hum tale! I mean, she is an Annette after all!
2. Sailing on Wednesday (weather permitting)! It occured to me today that I'll learn French sailing terminology. Interesting.
3. Aunt Robin and Reid next weekend! I can't believe they're going to be here in a matter of days! Aunt Robin will be coming at the perfect time...mid-month, midway through this au-pair gig, and my summer wine consumption so far has not nearly been what it was last summer in Santa Cruz (yet I still managed to outdrink two recent high school graduates from Memphis while in Sète, like that says anything).
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