language uses

Why do you learn your language. I first  used spanish for mexico. Then I used it for Machu Pichu in Peru.

I am learning Spanish for several reasons.
1. I envied multilingual people and wanted to be one.
2. I felt that to be a traveler instead of a tourist I needed to speak their language instead of expecting them to speak mine.
3. I think that learning a language is a good way to keep my brain flexible and working well as I age.
4. It has enlightened me to the cultures of Spanish speaking countries.
5. It has given me new insights into the colonial period of the Americas.
6. If I ever get to meet Sofia Vergara, I can talk with her in Spanish. OK, this one is a stretch, but a guy can dream, can't he?

Dan-H24,
I share everyone single of your reasons for learning Spanish!  I laughed at #6 because I would love to meet Sofia as well and can only dream of the day when my Spanish would be even half as good as her English.   

I am learning Chinese for a few reasons. 
1.)  I would like to talk with Chinese exchange students who come here.
2.)  English just drives me crazy, so I feel like I HAVE to learn a different language.
3.)  I would like to travel to China, and talk with people who barely know any English.
4.)  I would like to send a letter -- in Mandarin -- to a Chinese exchange student that my family hosted.
5.)  I tend to find the different myths of different countries interesting, so I would like to learn some Chinese ones.

I learned (and am still learning) Spanish to be a missionary in a Spanish speaking country.  Now that I'm married to a Peruvian, Spanish comes in even more handy.

I would like to become a missionary to China. There really needs it.

I am learning Japanese to try and keep the "family curse" away from me.  There is tons of dementia  on both sides of my family and I don't want it.  The experts say learning to play an instrument and learning a new language are the best ways to keep your brain sharp.  I tried music and it was hopeless.  So that means learn a new language, which I'm much better at.  I thought Japanese was as far from English as you can get, so that is why I chose it.  I am really loving it, and hopefully it will save my brain!

I am learning a language and a musical instrument so hopefully I will keep dementia at bay.
Sometimes I wonder if it is working though :)