My tongue just doesn't want to seem to work that way!

I'm a Cali Girl, born in Inglewood, city of Champions (even though the champion Lakers have since moved uptown to the Staples Center).  Moving back to Hawthorne, the original Cougar Town (thank you very much), has been a sheer delight after spending many years in Massachusetts, Minnesota and North Dakota.  I know, how jealous are you of me right now?

Especially compared to Minnesota (where most of those many years were spent...hmmm...I love how my first inclination to describe living there is to refer to it as spent, as opposed to enjoyed or lived or any other number of describer-type words) where us white folks, many with "ski" at the end of their last name, appear to be the majority; California can be likened to the way I used to view some places in Canada.  You know the ones I used to think were weird because English and French competed for control in most spoken language in that area.

In other words, I never thought I would see the day when I felt that I was at a loss because I only spoke English in my native land.  You know, 'cuz I don't habla espanol.  (Don't cry for me Argentina, I'm doing just fine with English only.  This isn't meant to be a debate about the rightness of southern California's bilingual nature.)

I feel I was fortunate enough to almost immediately bond with my still best friend, Ericka, over our love for Prince's music.  Having lived for a while practically across the street from Prince's Paisley Park, I immediately was welcomed into Ericka's world.  She's a much more loyal fan than I.  Ericka is the youngest and only sibling in her Nicaraugan family to be born in the USA.  So, she's BI.  She speaks English and "hablas" fluently.

My being immersed and merging my world with Ericka's family's world for over five years, I thought I'd be a little farther along with the "habla" myself.  I even bought a "learn a new spanish word a day" calendar hoping I'd somehow become more fluent.  Let me put it to you this way.  I may not be Albert Einstein, but I am teachable.  I passed the CA Realtors Exam first try.  I passed the Series 7 test to sell securities first try.  So what's up?

Today, I think I figured it out.  One of Ericka's brothers, Tomas, sometimes purposely hablas espanol...bless his heart...with me.  I think he feels like he is doing me a favor to help me learn Spanish.  He will then wait for me either to respond to him en espanol or repeat what he is saying.

I'll listen.  And I want to repeat it.  I really do.  Yet as my brain is gearing up to command my tongue and lips and mouth and all to get into formation so I can say what he said, there just seems to be some sort of revolt that takes place.  And I tell you, part of me honestly believes, "My tongue just doesn't want to seem to work that way!" You know what?  I'm okay with it.