Fluent Spanish…

Despite Betty Meadows’, my high school Spanish teacher, best efforts, I DO NOT know Spanish.  And, if I’m being perfectly honest, most days, I’m not so sure that I even know English that well.  After all, I’m a professional photographer it’s NOT a requirement.

Knowing that, I was so blessed to even be in Ecuador last week, I was determined to not let the language barrier stand in my way.  Every time one of the children ran up to me saying “who knows what”, but declaring it with excitement and enthusiasm, I’d blow up my chest and give them a confident “hola” or “chow” and if I was feeling real strong in my fluent Spanish…I may even throw in a little head nod with that.  You know…just so they would think I was REAL smart.  Yes, it was beyond frustrating, and I will be the first to admit that without Rachel (our Spanish speaking photographer) I was NOTHING!!!

Okay…here’s a real life confession. This is a TRUE story…you can’t even make this kinda stuff up.  Kevin, another one of our gifted photographers, was spending some quality time one afternoon with this beautiful older women, at one of the orphanages, when I just happened to walk by.  He ran over to me and asked me what the Spanish word for “beautiful” was.  Let it be noted that THAT was his first mistake.  So, feeling all sure that I wasn’t going to let him down or let this moment slip away for him…I threw out the word “whompa”.  Yes, you heard me right “WHOMPA”!!!  Inside, I’m thinking that I was pretty sure that was the word that Rachel used yesterday and obviously, I felt confident enough to just go with it.  Kevin repeated it to me a couple of times and in his wisdom kept saying “are you sure”?!?!?  He took a couple of steps back toward the older lady all ready to declare that she was “WHOMPA”, and then wisely turned back around looking at me, trying not to hurt my feelings, but saying “THAT’S JUST NOT RIGHT”!!!  Inside, I’m thinking “are you kidding me…YES, that is right…I TOTALLY know Spanish or at least, I think that’s what I heard yesterday”.  SO, both of us now doubting my Spanish abilities, go running over to RACHEL and to my total surprise, come to find out the word for beautiful is NOT “whompa”, but it is “guapa” or “bonita”.  I was WRONG…and even if you throw in the southern drawl version of “guapa”…you still don’t get “whompa”.  Yes, I totally failed and flubbed that up and Yes, Kevin is smarter than me and YES, I am on a BIG TIME mission to learn Spanish.

Let it be known that, Rosetta Stone or not, I am going to learn fluent Spanish.  It has NOW become a personal goal this year, and I have every intention of taking the Spanish language by storm.  You know, because I’m just all professional like that!

ENJOY!!!