-^-for posterity-^-

i sat down for coffee with a very good friend who is trying to learn more english. he sat and complained and complained about how difficult it was to master the finer grammar points of english in order to get a very good grade on a test. he was not a student, this man was professional.

he said that it was not fair in any regard that almost everyone else in the world had to learn english and that people who were born with english can come to a foreign country and be 'experts.'

he sat there and stirred his iced coffee and i looked at my feet. he was right.

he looked back up at me and told me how lucky i was to have been born in a place where everyone spoke english and where, even though i have put great effort into learning foreign languages, i did not have to work hard in order to succeed.

what a hindrance on development. count your blessings and, if you're a professional in any field, remember that you probably didn't have to write your thesis or any paper of substance in a foreign language where both your ideas and your grammar were criticized by professionals.