May5

“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head.  If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.” ‒Nelson Mandela

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after more than a decade spent in kindergarten, i now am proud to say i have developed and maintained a strong kinder-level mastery of the spanish language. thank you so much señora olga, for your infinite patience and humor as you try endlessly to teach me, along with my little friends, and as i do my dances, sing enthusiastically with phonetically sounded out words, pummel the piñata, cha-cha step on the colorful foot-shaped cut-outs, use a fly swatter to identify animals, and try out my spanglish on you. you have taught me well. i know there are times you would like nothing better than to say to me, the following phrase, (below), but you have not, as of yet. (at least as far as i know). and for this, i dedicate this cinco de mayo to you, and i look forward to the piñata frenzy later this morning. 

‘Pocas mujeres admiten su camisa de once’

You’ve put on a shirt made of eleven sticks;

meaning:

You’ve bitten off more than you can chew

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“A different language is a different vision of life.”
-Federico Fellini

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“Americans who travel abroad for the first time are often shocked to discover that, despite all the progress that has been made in the last 30 years, many foreign people still speak in foreign languages.”  ‒ Dave Barry

 

 

 

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47 responses »

  3. Love the Dave Barry quote – one of my favourites is something Churchill said (that I am probably misquoting) in reference to the US and GB: “two nations divided by a common language”. Fellini’s quote is a perfect description of what understanding other languages can offer you too.

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  4. I live in Barcelona and I started learning Spanish when I was 31 and I’m proud to say that I’m now pretty much fluent in Spanglish. I can say anything I want, as long as I don’t have to talk about the past, the future, theoretical situations…

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  9. All of our notes from school, doctors, everything here in Texas is written in both languages. It would behoove all of our kids to learn Spanish, as it is much easier to teach a new dog new tricks. Glad that you are making headway. When I read “after more than a decade spent in kindergarten,” I thought, wow, they held Beth back for TEN YEARS before she moved on to 1st grade? I know she’s smarter than that. LOL. Then I figured out, you meant TEACHING.

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  10. A story within a story? Your words about this priceless relationship with Senora Olga, are … priceless for lack of a better word. A resonating connection between you, Nelson Mandela, and Senora Olga. Did you do a “typo” ? You said ten years … working with kindergarten princes and princess’s … Ten years? Well, I guess you deserve a nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize.

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    • thanks, there’s always a story within a story isn’t there? 10 years + doing kinder time, no worries, they are my people and we understand each other. curious, excited, open and they actually believe some of what i tell them. who could ask for more? they are happy to participate in any parade or scheme or mayhem i may come up with and i am happy to be one of their crew. )

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  16. Esta muy bueno, mi amiga. Hablo espanol con los kinders tambien! Yes, even though my Spanish studies extended from high school to two semesters in college, I fear that in our Beddian year, Beth, I am now with you at Kinders level! Ah, that’s a fine place to be, pinata basher and fly swatter in hand, I’m sure.

    I am sure glad I made my way to this post one hour before Cinco de Mayo became Seis de Mayo.

    I do believe it is one of your finest, my friend. It sparkles.

    Hasta manana!

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  21. ha! That Dave Barry quote is awesome; I saw him at Arlington (read all his funn-EE books) theatre and he was great. That Spanish proverb/ translation is priceless, and shows you just what is lost in translation.

    I lived in Switzerland for a few years in my teens, and my Dad insisted we go to a school taught in the German language–something I count among my proud accomplishments today–speaking that tricky tongue fluently. By the time we came back to the States, I was learning new words in German I had yet to know in English, necessitating a double Dictionary look-up.

    Good times. Thanks for the walk down Nostalgia Strasse…:) Have a great day/week/time of your life. :)

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  23. Ah, yes. Nelson Mandela. Possibly one of the greatest people who lived at the same time as me.
    I saw Dave Barry at Texas A&M University back at the peak of his career. Third funniest person I’ve ever seen in person, behind Bob Hope and Bill Cosby. All three could be funny without resorting to foul language, pornography, and just plain grossness like too many of today’s so-called comedians.

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