That’s Just How I Roll

Actress Eva Mendes rolls her Rs.

In the American school system, students are usually given the choice of French or Spanish when it comes time to take a language. I know in the Denver area German is an option, but not in Boston. Seeing as I had been indoctrinated to French—my mom grew up in Switzerland and has a Bachelor’s in French—it was the obvious choice. Now I kind of regret it.

I’ve learned a little bit of Spanish, but I rarely get to use my French. If I had learned Spanish, I’d be able to throw it around left and right. Instead, most of the Spanish I learned was learned from working in a kitchen.

I learned how to swear, how to call someone’s mother names. I spent two months calling cabbage “repollo” because I had asked one of the Latino workers what that shredded red lettuce stuff was. I learned some of the basic things, like admitting my friends are crazy or asking for a bathroom, both invaluable expressions.

But I never learned to roll my Rs properly.

Read the rest of this entry »

Originally published at Worldwide Ace. You can comment here or there.