Last week I attended two dinners with other mom’s from Kate and Jake’s school. The first one, on Thursday night, was at a restaurant in Belgrano (starting time at 9 pm) and it included 23 mom’s from Kate’s class. The second one was on Friday night. It was at the home of a friend of mine, Natalia. Natalia has a daughter in Jake’s class and she invited 4 other mom’s from Jake’s class to join us.
I was thrilled that mom’s were reaching out to me and wanted to include me in their events. However, I was also somewhat scared too because my spanish isn’t great. The dinner on Thursday night was tough. Everyone was talking very quickly and I felt somewhat awkward that I couldn’t join the conversation. The women were very kind and a few reached out to me in english. However, I really wanted to join the larger conversation and felt that I should be speaking spanish. I ended up leaving around 11:30 feeling somewhat defeated.
I had to get my nerve up to go to the second dinner party on Friday night. My friend Natalia lived in the US for 15 years and speaks perfect english. However, when I arrived Natalia told me that it would be good for me to speak spanish and practice. She was right. Having a smaller group of women that understood my situation was perfect. They were all so kind, talked slowly and made sure I understood. I did much better. I had a wonderful time and made some new friends.
I think this experience showed me that there will be good days and bad days. When I am feeling frustrated or defeated, I need to keep trying and know that there will be a good experience right around the corner.
El Perro Negro 
My Dear Meesh,
You, of all people, should never feel defeated. You are a story of triumphs as a wife, a mother, a daughter, a daughter-in law, a sister and a friend. Your Spanish may not be perfect but all these ladies, I know, appreciate the effort and the courage you display by leaping into the fray. Bon Courage! Love, Sherry
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Thanks Sherry! You are very kind.
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These last two posts have me remembering our early Paris days – a long way from Buenos Aires, but so familiar. They say how quickly kids will pick up a language – but that’s only compared to us oldies. Although we had already lived there for a year, it was so hard for Fritz and Jake those first few months in the real French school. Just as I had convinced myself that I was to blame, something clicked. Fritz announced that he loved reading and Jake recited a poem in class. They were truly launched. Mickey and I just did our best. I know we made mistakes – some caught in time, some misunderstandings. And some some very funny but innocent errors that made others laugh – me too when I figured it out. The effort matters – and it gets easier the more you just jump in and take a chance. Keep it up – and lots of love to you all. Betsy M.
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Love your attitude! Big change, big growth, big rewards… 🙂
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