ABSTRACT
I grew up in Glen Ridge, New Jersey, a town infamous for its sexism, racism, and xenophobia. I never heard anyone speak any language other than English until the day I walked into my French One class at age 14 and the teacher greeted us with a hearty, “Bonjour!” This seems implausible to me now. We were only 17 miles from New York City. Today, of course, the area has evolved, and I have become a world traveler.
