Hello @nathanmars.

1-Yes! We are living with Steemit a new world where we interact with people from different countries, with different cultures and languages ​​totally different from ours, in my case I use google translator, despite the distance thanks to technology and steemit we meet new people but with the same interest towards this platform.
2-Yes! The Steemit world gives us the opportunity to want and to continue being and sharing our knowledge, it gives us peace and it relaxes us every time we publish because we like it and for many it is an addiction.
Greetings and blessings !!