Sweet memories

It has struck me countless times this past week that many of the sensory experiences of life that have become mundane will be sweet memories in just a few day's time: the early morning crow of the roosters, the catchy jingle of the gas truck, the wind in the back of a camioneta, the aroma of roasting plantains, the stickiness of life in the tropics. 

It has also struck me that my children's Spanish may never be as voluble as it is in this moment -- they wake, live and dream in Spanish. They play card games and basketball in Spanish; they harvest oranges and yuca in Spanish; they observe the world around them almost entirely in Spanish. In fact, it is not uncommon for us to be alone on a walk and have Brynna speak to me only in Spanish.

I am a bit tender about lots of things this week, but at this very moment, I am sad to imagine that, as we transition back to an English-centric world, they will lose some of their skill and fluency. It is perhaps even sadder to think that they will lose some of their will. There is great motivation to breathe in Spanish here -- it is how everyone around them lives. But when the default is again English, I am guessing that Brynna's Spanish monologues will likely cede, their bickering with each other in Spanish too. I am glad to know that in the fall they will return to their dual language immersion program at CCLA.

I am no videographer, but I hoped to catch a moment in time, a sliver of our life: our deep enjoyment of the oranges that abound in the trees around us. And to capture each of my children speaking so capably and comfortably in a language that is not their own. So that someday, if they doubt their ability, they can be reminded. 

Enjoy these short clips. Please excuse the tween spitting seeds at me at the end. 







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