Category Archives: #Spanish

Sólo en Español

Tonight we had our first Spanish conversation class at Mestizo Coffeehouse, a funky little multicultural gathering place just west of downtown Salt Lake City. At http://www.mestizocoffeehouse.com/ you’ll catch a glimpse of the vision for Mestizo, including the following statement:

Mestizo was created by artists, activists, community builders and private investors for the purpose of bringing a community center and gathering space to Salt Lake’s Westside. In addition to bringing great food and quality free-trade organic coffee and teas, we share space with our sister organization Mestizo Institute of Culture and Art (MICA), a non-profit arts and cultural institution. Together, we invest in community and youth. We believe in people! We believe in youth! We believe in community!

The conversation tonight was fabulous! Our teacher (“maestro”) is Carlos, a native of Guatemala who has been in the U.S. (I think) about 20 years. His wife and daughter are with him here in Salt Lake City, however his son’s family (including the grandchildren) still lives in Guatemala. I met Carlos through work, and after I told him that I was learning Spanish, he voluntarily worked with me every time he saw me to teach me a little more Spanish.

For this weekly meeting, I requested just one thing – force us to rely only on Spanish. Sólo en español. And Carlos is glad to oblige. For one hour he spoke only in Spanish (with the exception of 2-3 short statements to get us unstuck), and he required us to speak only in Spanish. Yes it was difficult, yes it was frustrating, but yes it is exactly what we novitiates need.

How many Latino immigrants show up in the United States every year not knowing a lick of English, and yet figure out a way to learn English and become assimilated in the culture? They are examples of fortitude, perseverance, and hard work to all us Gringos.

Carlos is an excellent teacher … he speaks slowly in simple Spanish, and patiently repeats himself over and over again if necessary. He’ll give you plenty of opportunities to participate, or leave you be if you just want to listen and observe for awhile. Though the focus in this gathering is on listening and speaking, he also brings handouts to help facilitate exercises and learning.

So if you are in Salt Lake City and want to stumble and bumble and fail over and over, and yet get back up over and over again in order to learn Spanish, come meet us at Café Mestizo (631 West N. Temple) at 6:30 PM on Tuesday nights.

Just remember, leave your English at the door because we are sólo en español.

Envy Can Be Your Friend

Do you consider envy a friend or foe? The choice is yours.

Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary defines envy as:

Painful or resentful awareness of an advantage enjoyed by another joined with a desire to possess the same advantage. (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/envy)

Envy is your foe when you let “painful or resentful awareness” paralyze you. Instead of making changes in your life, you decide to remain in the pain … sometimes for years, or even a lifetime.

Get clear on what you envy, on who you envy. What is it about others that you envy? Is it their appearance … finances … friends … job … connections … skills … health … attitude … family … privileges … freedoms, etc.

First get clear on who you envy, and on what it is about them that you envy … and then do what you can to change yourself to become the person you want to be.

Granted, there are some things you cannot change … and may God grant you the serenity to accept the things you cannot change. For example, I envy professional golfers. I just think it would be so cool to be able to hit a golf ball the way professional golfers do. But at age 48, I just don’t see that there is any way I will ever have enough time, money, or desire to make the sacrifices, and practice enough, to become a professional golfer. At this point in my life I would have to give up too much I enjoy to make it even worthwhile to seek that goal. Nonetheless, I still envy professional golfers.

However, there are some things about others that you envy which are within your reach, and if only you took action and changed your life you could put yourself on paths toward some of your innermost desires.

For example, I have always envied accomplished drummers. I held that envy for many years and did nothing about it. I would feel upset in my heart at my parents for never giving me drum lessons as a child, I would think to myself that if only they would have done that for me as a child it would have been so easy to learn the drums. Finally, at the age of 37 I decided to let that envy be my friend and motivate me to do something about it, and I asked the drummer in our church band if ever considered giving drum lessons. Well, as it turns out, that is how he made a living. Next thing I know I am buying drum sticks, and I started drumming lessons the next week. The end result is that I discovered that extensive drum practicing was causing an old injury “tennis elbow” to emerge, and that I could keep drumming if I also maintained regular physical therapy. Ultimately, though I enjoyed my time drumming, I decided not to continue so that I could give my elbow a rest and pursue other goals.

Another example from my life is that I have always envied people who are bilingual. For many, many years I have watched people move effortlessly between two languages, and regretted the fact that I did not stick with the language study I began in high school. And for many, many years I would tell myself that I am too old to learn another language now. I just assumed that I would hold this envy for the rest of my life.

Until a few months ago. It became clear to me that I could be envious of bilingual people for the rest of my life, or I can let that envy motivate me to make a change in my life. So at the age 48, I began Beginner Spanish Class through the local adult education system. I have bought at least 3 books on learning Spanish, I bought flash cards to learn Spanish vocabulary, I bought a computer program to help me learn (which I am faithfully using), and I am already committed to finding a private tutor as soon as I reach a certain level of competency.

I don’t care that I might not reach Spanish fluency until I am in my 50’s … Lord willing, I will be that same age in a few years if I don’t study Spanish.

I don’t want to spend the rest of my life being envious of the bilingual, and so I am going to do what I can now to overcome this envy and move down a path where I believe I will find a blessing.