more Thursday

[mynewplace]

You know what? I kinda forgot a good thing that happened last night. My kid sister Angie called me yesterday afternoon, so after I got home and ate dinner I called her back. We talked almost an hour, and got a lot of bitching off our chests about our parents-in-common. She's 33, and her son Jake is in 1/2 day kindergarten this year, so she started back to college this fall at Pitt Community College in North Carolina. She's taking some preliminary classes to complement the credits that she's transferring from ECU, in order to start in the respiratory therapy program next fall. She's very excited, because she's learned that #1 - the local county hospital will pay her $1000 a semester if she will agree to work for them for two years; #2 - she can work as a Spanish translator for up to $30 an hour while she's in school; #3 - if she continues to study Spanish and becomes fluent in her field of study she will automatically make more when she goes to work for the hospital. She's only got maybe three semesters worth of study to reach her degree and she's a fantastic student, always has been. She has a knack for Spanish, and there's a HUGE Hispanic population in all of the eastern part of NC. 

My older sister (the one Angie and I share) also has a knack for Spanish, and other languages. I do as well, but never studied it in school. Thinking about this talent we have, and how it developed in each of us, made me think more about how we were raised. My stepsister Sherry is four years older than me. She lived with my dad and her mother, studied French and Spanish in school, and actually majored at one point in languages at WVU. My younger sister Angie, who also lived with my dad and her mother, studied Spanish in school, and took it in college as well. Now she's finding that it will benefit her greatly as her career heats up. We all three have a natural ear for mimicry and a fascination for cultures that are different from our own. We tend to immerse ourselves when we find something we like. But I grew up with my own mother and stepdad, in a different town and a different home climate. I was never encouraged to pursue my natural proclivity for Spanish, and I wasn't really encouraged to pursue any other subjects where I excelled. As a result, I didn't, and now I wish I had. 

I see that same proclivity for languages and mimicry in Scarlett - in fact when she was in preschool and Kindergarten, she studied both French and Spanish, and had excelled in both. It broke my heart to put her in public school, where the children were struggling with English, and other languages weren't even an option. I wish she had a chance to study Spanish now, and when she hits Middle School I will probably press her to study at least one. 

It was SO good to talk to Angie last night. I really needed that. And with a little food in my belly, my brain seems to be clearing up a bit. That's nice.

Comments

[amian.livejournal.com]

I don't think I have any particular ear for languages, but I've wanted to learn to speak Spanish for the longest time. I have a whole shelf of self-teaching books (purchased before I realized that I'm more of a "take a class" kind of learner... I need to have a specific appointment to sit down and get busy, apparently.) We have a shitload of spanish radio stations and a couple of tv networks. I love to listen to the radio in my car and see how much I can follow along. Usually I'm getting enough to just barely get the gist, with the juicy details tantalizingly out of reach... "her husband did WHAT? Sibberish gibberish something about a mujer? And they have two.. no, three ninos! The bastard!"

Maybe you should think about taking a class just for fun, when time and money permits. :) Or maybe CD's in the car?

Anyway, sounds like your sis has got herself a sweet opportunity.

[sapphirescarlet.livejournal.com]

That's probably a good idea. We have language lesson cd's for the computer as well.