Bilingual Aspirations


Flamboyant tree from Copan Ruinas,  Honduras- the site of my two-week immersion Spanish class.



I have been attempting to learn Spanish on and off for about twenty years.

I am terrible at anything related to grammar, and I seldom have people around I feel comfortable enough to practice with, which is why every attempt I make to learn results in failure.

Normally, my ego cannot handle repeated failure, and I give up on whatever it is I was attempting. This is why I'm not a mathematician, a chemist, a classical guitar player, a painter, a dancer or a soccer player.

I know, I know, quitting is bad. Yada yada yada.

But the only reason my quitting instincts haven't kicked in on Spanish is because I feel like it is something essential to my identity and if I can master the language, I can capture an illusive part of who I am.

And mainly because I want to have a conversation with my Abuela that doesn't leave me completely frustrated.



I am running out of time. She is getting older and frailer. I want to ask her about her wedding, and what is was like to raise her brothers and sisters, and what her favorite color is, and why she has so many sets of unopened dishes hiding under her bed.

My Abuela lives in Belize. I see her maybe once a year. All I can do when I see her is rub her back and tell her I love her and apologize that I can't express myself better.

Abuela must be like me when it comes to languages, because even though she has lived in an English speaking country (Belize is the only country in Central America that is English speaking), she has also never got it down.

Not being able to share my thoughts with her has been one of the greatest sadnesses of my life.

So in this section of my blog, I'm going to detail my attempts at learning Spanish, and teaching the little Spanish I know to my little girl.

Don't worry. I won't be as much of a downer in these posts, as I have been in the description of these posts.

Hola. Mi nombre es Jayme. Ven a leer mi blog divertido.

Spanish Lessons Through Skype
Practicing Spanish

31 days of Spanish
Catracha
Spanish Resolutions
Is there any hope for adults learning a new language?
Favorite Websites for Spanish Learning
Teresa
How to Learn Spanish In a Place with Few Spanish Speakers
Spanish Music for Kids Part 1
El Secreto de Sus Ojos
LoMas Tv?
Brain Benefits of Being Multilingual
I Love a Challenge

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