"A long lost goal"

I'm reminded of the goal occasionally, when I meet Latinos in restaurants or on bus stops. The goal was to become fluent in Spanish. Certainly getting a nanny job it Texas or California would increase my chances of reaching that goal.

I'm doing this posting for your hopeful amusement.

There was a Latino couple at the bus stop today and the wife was scratching off what looked like a lottery ticket.

I just HAD to practice my broken Spanish!

"SU ES RICO!"

(they don't seem to understand immediately!)

"TU ES RICO!?" I asked.

They both smile and laugh.

Then I say:

"USTEDES SON RICOS! " (you are rich!) (I proclaim proudly, certain that I have it right this time)

They know very little English, which is true for most of the Latinos I meet.

Three teen girls drive by with windows down, in a celebratory spirit. One looks at the handsome husband and says in a flirtatious tone:

"HI BABY!"

I wave. Then I tell them in slow deliberate English: "She is flirting with you!"

The wife asks what? (que or como, i can't remember which)

I do some "sign language" explaining in Spanish that I used to teach English to Latinos. I motion a flirty motion and then I say: "Eso is "flirting" en Ingles" (the word is flirting in English)

"Que es la palabra por "flirting" in Espanol?" I ask.

The wife says: "ME GUSTA!"

Oh, I reply, "I like you"

She asks me where I used to teach English and I can't remember the name of the center in Fells Point, so I just say "fells point." "No recuerdo la nombre de la edificio" (I can't remember the name of the building)

do you know "fells point?" I ask.



"No", she said.

"Es en calle Broadway" I explain. (It's on Broadway Street)

Oh si! ( she knows Broadway street)

We board the bus, and I get off for the Spring festival. "ADIOS!" I pronounce. "ADIOS" they reply. (I'm on my way to try out the Towson University Spring Festival, because it's not as grueling a bus ride as the ride to the Johns Hopkins Spring Fair)

I hope you enjoyed the above anecdote.

Habla espanol?