If there's one non-ski related thing I learned from my trip to Estonia it's why English is truly going to continue to be the universal language. I've recognized for awhile that English is the most useful language to know but I always thought it was kind of arrogant to actually acknowledge that. I felt that thinking everyone should speak English was supporting the whole attitude of colonization and conquest with which the English speaking world forced everyone else to learn English. In case the other colonizing nations are feeling ignored here I will say that Spain, France, and Portugal have done a good job of getting their language spread around the world mostly through soldiers and priests.

Now the soldiers and priests are out of fashion and the modern linguistic colonizers is the entertainment industry. About half of Estonian tv is in English with Estonian subtitles. If you grew up watching tv in English with Estonian subtitles you'd learn English AND you'd probably learn to read really early. Most of the music that's been playing here has been in English too. So much for America being a leader in business or technology, it's the entertainment industry that's making English the universal language. And as long as we pour as much money as we do into movies, tv, and music I cant imaging that changing.