Originally posted by EL:
I could easily see Sam being in the military and having Lois born on a military base abroad. Then after leaving the service, deciding to stay abroad (maybe to help out with a charity like Doctors Without Boarders) and, therefore, Lois could easily be raised abroad and still be a US citizen who had never lived in the US by the time she was a teenager. She would be fluent in other languages from living abroad and not having "English" spoken around the home, especially if Ellen died shortly after Lois was born. I could see Lois wanting to explore that part of her life and doing an "abroad" program in the country she technically is a citizen.
Sam was in the military in the comics continuity, so it's plausible. However, no matter what military base she was living in at the time, english would still be her native language, since she'd be living on base and attending base schools. She'd definitely have exposure to other languages because of the different countries where her father was stationed.
Karen: Oh, fudgemonkey. I meant to quote and not edit, and I'm not sure how to undo. I'm so sorry!
