Leaning In (or This Oughta Be Good)

For my foreign language requirement in high school, I took an important language.  Latin.  I chose it mainly because I liked the instructor.  When he would call on me to translate a sentence, he would say things like "this oughta be good".  Such was my ability for linguistics.

Fast forward about 30 years (yikes!), and I have decided that I need to learn to speak Spanish.  I downloaded Coffee Break Spanish and listen to it every day on my way to work.  It was free.  It is taught by a guy from Scotland.  This oughta be good.

Before now, I only knew one phrase in Spanish: uno mas cerveza, por favor.  It served me well.
Lots of factors could have contributed to my decision: the number for Spanish speaking residents in the United States have doubled over the last 20 years & I like to talk; I like to talk to everybody.  It's good to be more versatile.  Good business move, etc.  But none of that played a role in my decision.

It was a little boy.

On occasion, I have the honor of helping a group called Mission of Hope.  One that particular day, we were helping underprivileged children pick up school supplies.  Each adult would walk with a child and guide them.  When it was my turn to guide a child, his teacher said to me "he doesn't speak English".  I looked down at the Kindergartener with the big brown eyes and the lost look; I looked back at his teacher "none?"
"None."  Well, this oughta be good.

Uno mas cerveza wouldn't help me now.  He and I struggled through the exercise together.  He was a good little trooper, but I could tell that he was a little confused and maybe a little scared.  His hand felt weak in mine, his gait unsure.  It was the beginning of the school year--his 1st school year--and every morning his mother would tell him to go, it would be okay, but he wasn't convinced yet.  He didn't know what was happening.  Maybe his teacher spoke Spanish, but he couldn't be with her 100% of the time.  I tried to put myself in his shoes.

That little boy has haunted my heart, so when I hear people say "Learn to speak English!" my thoughts go immediately to him.  He will learn to speak English, but couldn't we make it a little easier on him along the way?  Wouldn't our time together have been much more enjoyable for him if I could have actually explained what was going on.  Instead of being wary of me, he could know me as a friend.  Wouldn't the whole world be better off if we leaned in, instead of leaning away?  

That's why I'm attempting to learn Spanish.  So far the only sentence I have down pat is "no soy de escocia; soy de los estados unidos."  But it's a start.  I'm leaning in.  This oughta be good.