Compartir

-
When Randy and I visited Sonshine Hacienda in August of last year to finalize the plans for our move to San Felipe, one of the first words I realized I didn't know how to say in Spanish was "share."

Imagine working with children all day, and not being able to tell them to share? The lack of this one word in my vocabulary made me feel completely incompetent.


But this one was easy for me to memorize, because as soon as I learned it I started saying it every day, often multiple times a day:
COMPARTIR (pronounced: comb-par-tier): to share
Of course, I've added lots of other words to my vocabulary in the two months that we have been here. (Google translate and I have become fast friends.)


Other important words to know when spending time with children are:

  • puzzles - rompecabezas 
  • kick - golpear
  • fall down - cayó
  • trust - confianza
  • angry - enojado
  • itch - picar
  • stuffed animals - peluches
  • hair bows - moñas 
  • lice - piojos
  • Give it to me - darmelo

The list goes on and on! Will I ever know all the words I need to know??


Several weeks ago, a local professor sent her daughter to us for an evening so I could help her with her English homework. It ended up being a wonderful exercise for both of us, as she explained Spanish words to me and I explained English words to her. She knew quite a bit in English, but struggled with words like "our" and "with" and "about." But by the end of the night she had these three words down pat. And we celebrated! It made me realize that, while I feel like I can't learn fast enough, three or even one new word a day is worth celebrating.  


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

names

-
Image
Yesterday my sermon was about the importance of names. Matthew 1 begins with a list of names, the genealogy of Jesus. Mark 1 begins with baptism, when our name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life. Luke 1 begins with an angel telling Zechariah he would have a son, to be named John. And John 1 says "In the beginning...", reminding us of Genesis when God called things into creation, named them, and gave Adam his first assignment--to name all the animals. And because we are celebrating Jesus' birthday this week, we talked about His all important name. Jesus, which means "God saves." And Immanuel, "God is with us." Not "for" us. But "with" us. Dwelling among us. Walking the earth. Filling our hearts. I also shared that Katie means "pure". A name I've always been intimidated by. A name I never thought I could live up to. But through this year of self-exploration, of embracing fears and family and lessons ...
Read more

No Purpose in Pie Town

-
Image
Life is always changing. Sometimes it feels like a long process, sometimes it happens in an instant, and other times it just sneaks right up on you. A year ago, Randy and I were in the middle of nowhere ( Pie Town, New Mexico ), 100 percent sure that it was our next move. His mom was told she only had 6 months to live , so our plan was to care for her in her final days. During our visit, I envisioned putting my office in the loft. And already anticipated being irritated by the television and phone calls and visitors below. Randy made up the plans to convert the garage into a master suite for us. We even picked out our flooring. I researched getting certified to teach at the local elementary school and Randy had scoped out the local diner where he planned to "sling hash." We were excited about the hiking and bouldering opportunities in the area and even bought special shoes. But as the months passed by, mom seemed to be as stubborn and healthy as ever. An...
Read more

shortcomings

-
Image
I am a terrible housekeeper. I never remember to dust and I haven't seen my kitchen table in months. Yes I do eat at said table. And if you want to join me you are welcome to put your plate on a book or magazine of your choice. I have zero willpower. Every 3 months for 10 days I do a "cleanse" and only eat lean meat, fruits, and vegetables. I am yet to make it to day 5 without cheating. I am very wasteful. I waste everything. Everything. I had never heard of Saint Nicholas Day until yesterday (even though Wikipedia says it is popular in Cincinnati). And it sounds really scary. Kids getting butchered (on a similar note, did you hear they are going to make a movie out of the books Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark ?). Demons kidnapping naughty children. Giving presents to unmarried women who "need" to find a husband. (Maybe it's not such a shortcoming to have neglected to put my shoes outside Thursday night.) Typically when we talk about shortcomings ...
Read more