Repeat After Me

Repeat After Me

My host parents have family over all the time.  Of all the people who come in and out of the house, we are most frequently visited by their granddaughter Maria Gracia.  She is 4 years old and absolutely adorable. The first day I was at the house, she instantly accepted me as part of the family, and it wasn’t long before I found myself in the middle of a rousing tea party with a few Barbie’s and Winnie the Pooh. 

To get to know me, she asked me a variety of questions, from my favorite color to my Mom’s name (who knew the name JoAnne could be so hysterical)!  She was told by both her grandmother and her father that I don’t speak Spanish very well, so speak very clearly and a little slower than normal.  She obliged for the most part, but there were times where she sensed my confusion and asked me, “Me entiendas?” (Do you understand me?)  She then proceeded to ask me why I sometimes don’t understand Spanish.  When I told her I live in the United States and I speak English like she speaks Spanish, her face lit up in delight.  She started rambling off the array of English words she had learned in school.  I was astounded! She knew how to count to ten, the names of quite a few common nouns (dog, cat, parts of the body), and even a few phrases. 

One phrase eventually became somewhat of a joke between us.  Every time I see her, I ask her, “Maria Gracia, how are you?”  She smiles in response and politely answers, “I’m fine, thank you.”  Our conversation in English usually ends there and we resume in Spanish.  However, the other day when we were eating lunch, I asked Maria Gracia the usual “How are you?” and she cocked her head to the side.  I asked her why she was looking at me like that, and she told me I was saying it wrong!  She then patiently told me to watch her mouth as she asked the question and then repeat after her!  The rest of us instantly fell into a bout of laughter.

 I later had a conversation with her father, who told me that she has one hour of English class EVERY DAY!  My mouth dropped.  She’s only FOUR and is already learning another language!  I wish I had started learning Spanish when I was that young, then maybe I wouldn’t get so frustrated trying to converse with my host family (and I’ve technically been studying Spanish for over 5 years now)! 

English has become a universal language; global businesses use English to communicate with other countries, whether it’s between France and the United States or Japan and Ecuador.  Because of this, Americans have become lazy and don’t see the value in learning another language.  In fact, there is a xenophobic pride in being able to speak English in the United States.  I think about the people back home who are of the attitude, “They’re in my country; they need to speak my language.”  In contrast, if I walk into a little mom & pop store to buy a bag of chips here, the owners are so happy to use their English in front of me.  This concept amazes me!  I’m in YOUR country; I should be expected to speak your language!

The owner of that store saw that I was struggling with my Spanish and wanted to help me.  In the United States, those types of instances are rare, and I find that the people who are sympathetic to foreigners are the ones who have learned a second language.   I think the true value in being able to speak another language is that it makes you more sympathetic to others.  It makes you think beyond yourself.