Tuesday, September 6, 2016

Language Lessons From Professor de Wit

I was cleaning with my family the other day in preparation for the first day of school and when we do that we listen to a Spanish-language ska album. (No, I don't really know why except that it makes me want to run away from home and join a band to become their dedicated sports whistle blower.)

Though I studied German in high school and college I have often wished (particularly since becoming Señora van Voorhees Dominguez) that I knew Spanish. My ability to sing along with the lyrics of this album is unparalleled however, so there's that.



"Cuando comienza a irse el sol
Y la cerveza ya se empieza a acabar
Yo me pregunto por qué
Por qué mi amor se fue
Tan solo me dejo, olvidado en el bar..."

I do wish I actually knew Spanish beyond the restaurant smattering one can't help but pick up and a phrase here and there. And, it got me thinking about Caroline of Caroline's Waterloo who bounces around on a horse for weeks to surprise her husband and so many of the other heroines learn Dutch verbs on the sly or even spring good dress sense on the unwitting men under the glow of a rose-shaded lamp. Even The Great Betty's husband must have been stunned when she told him that after all that time as a nurse, she was going to be a writer.

Is there something you wish you could learn that you haven't started yet? Anything your spouse or partner or friends would be particularly pleased by?

6 comments:

  1. I want to learn ballroom dancing - nothing fancy, just basic stuff. But I want to learn as a couple with Professor Shropshire and I can't see this ever happening. :)

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  2. Languages. I've got several lined up in my mind. :o)

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  3. I wish I could draw really well. As the daughter of a draftsman, I've always envied how my dad could bang out really good visuals but I don't have that gene.

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  4. Year's back, I used to listen to foreign language textbook tapes/CDs (and audio books in English) all the time when working in the kitchen, doing the dishes, doing the laundry...

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  5. I'd like to learn embroidery and knitting! ;o)
    Seriously, I'd like to be able to knit caps and scarves.

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