If you asked me whether I’d rather know every language in the world or have any other skill, I’d choose languages every time. It’s not even close.

I have grown up with different languages all my life. My dad is Greek, and he always speaks Greek with his friends and family. I’ve tried to pick it up over the years, and it’s not been easy, but it’s something I want to keep working at until I’m fluent. My mom speaks French on the phone with friends as well as in person with both of my grandparents. My babysitter spoke fluent Spanish, and she used to speak it with her all through my childhood. Language was just always in the background growing up, and I think that shaped how I view the world.

I have studied French for three years, and I use it, in fact. I say it with my grandfather at home and now with my host family here in Rabat. Some connection that you can’t reproduce with an app. Google Translate can get you through a sentence or two, but it’s completely different when you say something from the heart in somebody else’s language. People see. They like that you took the time to do it. That gets into bargaining, because if you know even a little of the language, you are a better bargainer. You look more approachable, and the seller thanks you for the effort. I was offered 180 dirhams for a clay bowl in the medina today. I worked him down; he was at 110 and I was holding at 90, and we couldn’t agree. So we decided to settle it the only way that made sense. A coin toss. I won. That bowl is mine. Bargaining is a real kick. It’s like scoring a Black Friday deal when you save money right now. But it’s a skill that doesn’t really translate back home. There are not many places in the US where you can bargain for a price. This is culture, and once you get used to it, it is one of the most fun parts of the day. But the two skills are more intimately connected than they seem. Language opens the door; bargaining keeps the ball rolling. Together, they are how you really experience a place, not just pass through it.