Unexpected benefits from your chess.com adventures?

Out of nowhere I'm looking at foreign flags and know where they represent, and people from those places:)

Come on, nobody else?  Something you thought, hey! cool, wasn't really expecting that.

Gave me a non-paying job? :)

Allows me to be playing online and tell my wife I'm working.

I keep a list of all the countries that I've played people from, it's like a secondary hobby.

Haha, had a little bet with myself whether or not we'd here from any staff in here.  I lost.  No offense intended;)

Now wheres everybody else?

OK, I'll do another.  Been here for a few months I guess, all this time I thought that our one home page theme as free members had to be selected from those already created.  Well, when I found out different over the weekend I got straight to work.  Now, chess.com is not only one of my favorite chess spaces to hang, its also visual ecstasy (very visual person). 

Okay then,

Finding that I actually enjoyed the community feel that chess.com has created.

I learnt that Canada actually exists and is not a myth

I like the exposure to all the different styles of players, the blitzers, the puzzle creators, those that like to analyze games, etc.

I played a game with a gentleman from Myanmar.

Thanks for the response folks.

Here is one more of mine:  Ability to share a passion for other cultural interests on a chess site, Poets & writers of Chess.com etc. 

I got an excuse to stay on the computer! "But it's EDUCATIONAL, Mom!"

Yeah, hopefully she buys it;)