Good Reasons to Learn a Foreign Language

We really need to win that Rosetta Stone give-away.  There are many Spanish-speaking people in this area, and sometimes when we knock at a door, with Gospel tracts in hand, the person who answers will see what we are about and will say, "Uh, no hablo Inglés."  So we turn away and walk past their big American-made vehicle in the driveway, the one plastered with English bumper stickers, past a bunch of little brown kids who are speaking English to each other, past the rolled-up local newspaper on the sidewalk, and think, "Sure."  I would love to be able to respond in fluent Spanish, "Oh, that's okay, I speak Spanish.  Do you know where you are going to spend eternity?"

This Rosetta Stone stuff really would come in handy.  But we have a person living here who really NEEDS it.  It is my dear husband.  We could count him as a homeschool student, couldn't we? He is always making up "French" words in a ridiculous attempt to be romantic. This morning he approached me with soft, romantic eyes, with arms open wide, drew me near to him, kissed me soundly on both cheeks, locked eyes with me, and spoke in deep, sensuous, perfect French, "Ah, ma jambe!" which sounds remotely(?) like, "Ah, je t'aime," ("I like/love you") but means, "Ah, my leg!"  **The blogger rolls her eyes.**  Of course, I think he is very funny, but I am a little bit worried... what might he unwittingly say to a perfect stranger?

I will tell you.  It happened. Once upon a time my DH's brother, who happens to be fluent in Spanish, introduced my husband to his future wife, who is a petite, lovely, and proper lady from Mexico City. My DH was confident that his one year of college Spanish would carry him through this non-English social situation, so my BIL looked on in mild amusement while my DH showed off his knowledge of the lady's native tongue.  "Mucho gusto." "Bienvenidos." "Como se llama?"  And then, continuing the small talk and thinking he was asking her how old she is, he said, "¿Cuántos anos tiene?" Her look of shocked horror told him he had said the wrong thing. "YOU IDIOT!" his brother exclaimed, then under his breath he hissed, "IT'S AÑOS, AÑOS!! YOU JUST ASKED HER HOW MANY anuses SHE HAS!!" My DH apologized profusely (and in hysterics -- you know how it is when you do something really embarrassing and you don't know how to react, except to laugh your head off), but I am not sure she has gotten over it yet.  To this day there is a certain coolness between my husband and his brother's wife. LOL!

So you see, to save us potential future embarrassment, we really need this Rosetta Stone curriculum.  All of you, please, just withdraw your entries so that we can win the drawing, and I promise you I will add my DH as a Spanish student in our homeschool.  Thank you all for your cooperation.