I don't know any LSF or BSL, but I do know a little bit of Italian Sign Language (LIS), which is another branch of the French sign language family. JUST a little bit, but I really like it. I keep getting tempted to learn some French and LSF, but I should probably try not to stretch myself too thin, so we'll see ^^;

It might not be the best study material, but Gallaudet published an article several years ago tracing the origins of some ASL signs back to VLSF.

For example, the ASL word for "stupid" (v-handshape) originally represented animal horns and meant "bête," French for "beast," which could mean either an animal or a stupid person (the sign doesn't mean animal, though).

"Sell" comes from merchants waving handkerchiefs outside of their shops to attract customers.

I thought the article was really fascinating. I can send it to you if you want ^^ Apparently they're working on a full etymological dictionary. I've been spoiled by how easy it is to look up word origins for spoken languages, I'd be really happy to have that for sign languages too.

Many people travel and expect the rest of the world to be just like their home country, and are disappointed by the differences they find. To answer your question, encourage people to learn about the places they are visiting, and maybe even some of the local language. Encourage them to be open to new experiences and different customs.

If I were to go to France, eat cheeseburgers, visit the Eiffel Tower, and go home, I wouldn't have learned much from the experience. My souvenirs would likely be stories about how rude French people are and how weird France is, even though I didn't even try to understand them.

This might be hard to change, but if someone goes on vacation with a closed mind they are more likely to return home with one.

You often 'worry' about someone because you 'care' about them! :) You might be worried about (or for) someone because they are sick or you think they are in trouble. You also might be worried about someone with a weapon, or your plane crashing, because they scare you. You "worry" that something bad will happen. You can worry about a test if you're nervous. You can also care about getting a good grade on the test, because you want a good grade-- getting a good grade is important to you, so you care about it.