This is not a post about my recent vacation in Costa Rica. OK, it is. But just un poco.
While we were in the jungle/beach part of the Guanacoste Peninsula, I took the opportunity to speak Spanish with all the staff members. I'll be the first to admit that my second language skills are nowhere near my ranting skills, which get a regular workout on these pages almost daily.
And the guys (there were very few waitresses or bartenders on duty at the hotel restaurant or the hotel beach bar down the hill) were incredibly accommodating with my broken, stammering attempt to habla espanol con los trabajadores.
But they humored me, nonetheless. And some even complimented me on stringing together partially completed sentences. Along with many hand gestures.
I told them I had taken Spanish in high school. But my vocabulary expanded greatly when I set up shop in Los Angeles and worked at countless restaurants -- My Flailing Years.
There, I was taught many colorful phrases that are not quite fit for a family blog such as this.
And as much I enjoyed conversing with them it was also a matter of survival. Since in many cases I was El Jeffe Mas Gordo it helped to be able to understand Abel and Paco and Fernando, who would grumble at my barking orders at them. There was none of that "Yes, Chef" going on in the kitchens I worked at.
Turns out, I've been bit by the Spanish bug.
And as my friend G.L., will discover, now is a good time to do the things you've always wanted to do. Consequently, I've signed up with Babbel, one of the many at home language learning courses available through the magic of technology.
As you can see from the screen grab above, I'm doing quite well.
Before I leave you to get started on the next lesson about conjugating verbs that end in ir, I've dug up a piece I wrote for the Huffington post about 15 year ago. Some of the names --and Red Hats -- have changed but the love I share with mis amigos and amigas, has not.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/thanks-sarah-thanks_b_587578/amp
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