Lessons in Language (aka Lessons in Humility)

So, my language skills continue to fascinate me -- or should I say my lack of language skill continues to amaze me. Even though I have extremely low expectations at this point, I have managed to hit a new low. Being a former debate coach I have several points (ok - two points, but they are good ones) to document my argument.

#1. My Spanish teacher quit – it is one thing to admit that I am not great at learning languages – it is another to be so bad at it that my teacher quits. Not only did he quit, he quit to take on a client who is paying him less. I have reached a new low.

#2. The other day Amelia and I were riding in the car with a friend from Mendoza and a friend from the U.S. At one point the friend from Mendoza was trying to pronounce an English word and Mia piped in with the proper pronunciation. A few minutes later, our friend from the states was struggling with a word in Spanish. Mia immediately piped up with the proper pronunciation in Spanish (she has an amazing accent). I didn’t understand what either the friend from Mendoza or the friend from the U.S. was saying. My four-year old has a better grasp of both Spanish and English than I do.

I think that is about all the humility I can take tonight – where are those brownies that Mia cooked last night?