You might think it’s so I can assimilate into the culture. Or perhaps have an easier time at the grocery store. Some could fairly assume it’s just for the sake of bettering my mind.
But that would be incorrect. I spend mornings going over grammar and countless hours humiliating myself in front of more advanced classmates so that I can confidently say to my friendly metro worker,
My phone has fallen onto the train tracks. Would you be able to retrieve it for me? Yes, it was stupid. No. I won’t drop it again. Thank you.
That’s the power of foreign language, people. Amazing!
Unlikely Diplomat 
Sounds like an excellent motivation. Plus we get to enjoy the vocab lessons 🙂 Hope you have some new books to read and review soon!