I had a "go get em!" attitude when I first became part of the expat community over here in South East Asia and was also a much younger man. I took classes, I did homework, I went well above and beyond the call of duty back in 2004 / 05 but learning another language is the hardest thing I have ever done in my life and I went to college twice.

When in Thailand, the people are dazzled at how well I can speak their language and I don't think I am just being boastful when I say that I probably speak Thai better than 99% of the non-Thai people in the world. It definitely is a HUGE benefit and is a major part of my decision here.