So I was sitting in class yesterday morning not having one of my best Spanish days. I was day dreaming a bit. Federico was going on about the pluscuamperfecto verb tense which I am pretty sure we can all live without. And it hit me.
Me trying to master Spanish is just like in 8th grade when I tried to master the back handspring.
I tried out for cheerleader at Grace at the end of 6th grade. I can still remember tryout clinic at Parkview. We did a dance to some song that says "Make the sun come up." I made it - I have mucho enthusiasm. Not the best jumps, but mucho enthusiasm.
I cheered all of 7th grade. Tried out again in 8th. Due to the departure of the other co-captain (so not my fault, due to some other mother's belief), I was the official captain. I'm sure I lead those 11 girls with much vigor as we cheered on the 3 grace CYO football players while they still permitted non-Catholics to cheer and the basketball team as we played our games at the Richardson Alternative School. Oh the good ole days...
My cheer future was bright. High school was approaching. Clearly I had to be a St. Fred's cheerleader. Duh. But to be a high school cheerleader you have to tumble.
Oh no.
I have many talents. Flipping and jumping and the splits just aren't part of them. But boy did I try. I spent hours and hours on group cheer lessons at Bayou/Riverside Gymnastics. Private lessons with ULM cheerleaders Ty and Robert. Probably more money than my St. Fred's tuition. All to be able to jump backwards, throw my hands down, and flip over. Why is that even an option? Seriously who has this idea?
After about 2 years, infinite money that I'm too embarrassed to calculate, and many tearful collapses on the spring floor after the coaches told me to just go do more sit jumps, I realized that I am never going to be able to do this. It's just not in the cards for me.
Well fast forward to about say um now. After 9 years of Spanish classes. A month in Costa Rica. 4 months in Spain. An entire college degree of Spanish.
I still can't do it.
Don't get me wrong - I have my good days. Sometimes I'm talking to cab driers with such success I hardly even notice it's a different language. Other times I just laugh and smile. But sometimes, the Spanish just goes away. I'm not sure where. Maybe to Brazil. I did take 3 semesters of Portuguese. (And all I recall is Bom Dia!)
Just like the dern back handspring, so goes Spanish. Mucho time, muchisimo money, and here I am. The only cheerleader who can't tumble.
At least I still have the enthusiasm.
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3 comments:
you had more enthusiasm than the entire school.. :)
and don't feel bad.. i took french for 4 years, went to france a few time.. i know nothing
i took spanish for six years.. couldn't speak it if my life depends on it.
oh and i majored in history and no work at a library in the shelving department.
yeah at least you are world traveling.. :)
you'll be fine and better off than most of us!
psbtw - i think i remember these male cheerleaders.. i recall good times or at least good stories.. haha
don't be so hard on yourself. at least you know more than una mas cervasa. which is all i know--thanks SFHS spanish dept!!
as for the back handspring. i cant do it either. never really could. i think i did it once by myself and then, nope never again. i stuck with the sit-jumps too.
you have enthusiasm like none other and you do know spanish, trust me, you do. don't worry about fredico he's in love with you anyway. he wont make you learn anything if you dont want to.
I tried out for cheerleading in 8th grade and got the big NEXT
I think you're fab at Spanish. And you've lived in really cool places and know really cool things and you just are cool in general.
You're pretty...thanks bye.
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