difference in language

I used to feel awkward around people that i felt i didn't have language in common with. It is a protective trait almost to stay in a comfortable situation around people who talk like you do. But after making many friends in the army who were from the south, i learned how to understand the differences in the language, but that it didn't mean that we could never understand each other. we all learned a lot from each other, and i developed a deeper appriciation of other dialects, even if i never would speak it in my life. Diversity is what makes America unique and our language reflects that the most.