So...here's the story.

The Short Version:
I want to become fluent in Spanish by the time I turn 40. As of today, I have a little over two years to accomplish this. My 10 year old son wants to learn as well. Hopefully, he will learn before he turns 40. I am hoping that having a blog will keep me/us accountable and focused on this goal.

The Long Version:
I really should speak Spanish. I'm half Polish and half Puerto Rican. This makes me, well, a PoleRican. I realize that people of mixed ethnicity are no longer a big deal today but I definitely felt different when I was growing up. My late father spoke Spanish fluently and of course attempted to teach me when I was young, but I would just laugh and refuse to learn. In high school, I took Latin.

You know how you just cannot escape certain things sometimes? Well, this not-knowing-Spanish-thing has hung over me as long as I can remember. I have been in countless situations where people assumed I was bilingual, I even taught reading to ESOL students who were from all over Latin America. It just has followed me everywhere.

One other thing you should know about me: I am a complete nerd, and proud of it. I think the more appropriate term is "lifelong learner", but I am fine with nerd. I embrace it. I like to learn new things and I read voraciously. I was always a good student and totally focused on the "next" thing...college, grad school, job. I have been a stay at home mom with some teaching in between for a number of years. Over the past few years, I have found myself focusing more on topics that I wanted to learn, rather than what I had to learn. One of these is photography. I always enjoyed taking pictures, but did not own or learn how to use a DSLR camera. After getting one and taking a class, it is now something I really enjoy and I will probably post some of my favorites here and there.

A year ago, in yet another attempt to lose weight and get in shape, I tried a Zumba class. I was hooked immediately. Again, despite the Hispanic heritage, my knowledge of Latin dance moves was minimal, but I loved it anyway. I felt like an elephant those first few months, but as time went on, I got better and better, moving from the back of the class to squarely in the front. As the weight fell off and my confidence grew, I began toying with the idea of becoming an instructor myself, and when one of my best instructors suggested it to me one day, I took it seriously. I'm going to my certification class in a few weeks, and shall see what happens from there.

As silly as it may sound, I am kind of on a roll with this lifelong learning thing. Learning Spanish is my white whale, my Mount Everest. My 10 year old volunteering to learn with me is a bonus-he's a smart kid who likes to learn as much as I do. I want to model for him that you can learn anything at any age.

One of my favorite quotes from one of my favorite movies, "Back to the Future" is this one:
"If you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything."

I really believe that. I am excited to see where this learning journey take us.