Man, I'm in this country, trying to settle down here, and of course I'm expected to learn the local language. Makes sense. But unfortunately, after more than six months, my knowledge of the language is really scant.

This may sound ridiculous, but one of the big turn offs of this language is that the guy I get to spend most time with at the office speaks it in a totally uncool way. It's his voice. It's very high pitched. And there's a word he tends to repeat all too often, even when he speaks in English! "Ah-ha, na-ha-ha".

Try to imagine hearing somebody repeating all day long that thing with a high pitched voice, regardless of language and being asked to learn to speak like him? This is the kind of speak you'd least expect to find in a radio talk show host. It's ugly!

But I have overheard girls and other guys speaking the same language, and they do make it sound kind of posh. Gee, how I wish I had somebody with that voice to teach me!