PUBLIC MARKS from norequest with tags culture & "Arne Duncan"

Every time I'm at International Departures at Kennedy, I've got to laugh when I see the Rosetta Stone language learning kiosk. I can imagine the checklist of the international traveller who stops off there to pick up a language program. Let's see… socks, toothbrush, passport, and, right, pick up a language at the airport. Is the plan to learn the language on the flight over? Or is it just no plan at all? I've tried it, when I was selected by the University of New Mexico as an exchange student with my Japanese University (Kansai Gaidai). In typical UNM student fashion, I decided it would be easier to put off learning the language until departure. In a 14 hour flight, I mastered "yes" and "thank you," and was still working on "no" when we arrived in Narita. In retrospect, I think my study time would have been better spent had I concentrated on learning "where is the bathroom?"