Today I experienced something neat . . . I was visiting a church member at Commander Nursing Home when a little Latin American lady walked into the room. She looked confused and we didn’t quite know what to think. I stood up and turned around to face her and she started to speak Spanish to us. So, falling back on my solid college spanish class, I said: “No habla espanol.” She smile and kept talking, talking faster. I then said “Habla englais . . . No habla espanol.” She did not miss a beat: I could understand part of what she was telling me. She was telling me that she is very, very sick.
I smiled and for a few moments nodded my head. Then I remembered to say “No comprende . . No habla espanol.” She smiled back and kept talking. I tried to be polite, smiled, and shrugged my shoulders occasionally. I tried to tell her that I do not speak Spanish and that I did not understand. SHE did not understand, either. That might be a commentary on my Spanish speaking skills. Willard said he wondered if she could hear . . . Hmmm. Maybe so.
Either way, she spoke her peace and finally turned and left the room. She was not angry . . .She just had something to say. So, we just listened!
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