I enjoy being able to speak a second not native language so I can talk shit with my friends that also speak the same language and nobody else can understand (usually)
Bi-lingual here (English is my mother tongue, German my second) and quasi-conversational in French.
It has definitely altered my perception and way of thinking, I’ll notice that I problem solve differently in English – where I tend to be more flexible and risky, versus when my brain switches to German and I am more risk-averse and logical. I feel, rather than it being reflective of attitudinal stereotypes, that it is moreso a matter of comfort and longevity with one language over the other, or perhaps the situations wherein usage arises.
I also feel like it has made me a better world citizen, at least as a Westerner. Being able to understand issues in another country, in their language, has only helped increase empathy towards other peoples and politics. Also, having lived in several hot tourist locales, it’s always fun to chime in and help the wayward German, Austrian, Swiss and/or French(wo)man find their way around and the city 🙂
I’m a Romanian and I speak English fluently, and a little bit of French – enough to get around. Learning both languages had a big impact on me since I traveled every summer, and I got to meet great people of other religions, races etc. And it really opened my eyes. Also, without it I wouldn’t’ve been able to learn so much things, watch so many YouTube videos, read so many articles, because the Romanian information available online is only a fraction of the information available in the English language.
I’m Mexican who lives in Israel and works in English… I am able to change easily between English and Spanish and sometimes even Hebrew if it’s simple stuff.
I speak 90% of the time in a language ( English) that is neither my mother tongue (Spanish) or the language of the country (Hebrew).
English have opened more doors than the other two languages combined which is amazing imo.