Living in Miami has enabled me to pick up a little Spanish. Ok, so I have been here over 8 years and "little" is a good description. I am not proud of this. I truly wish I was bilingual. However, I am getting better thanks to Lexi and her daycare. She spends all day with 2 teachers that only speak Spanish and then nights and weekend with us (English speakers). Because of that, she knows some words in Spanish, some in English, and some in both.
Bilingual Words:
Kiss (beso)
Nose (nariz)
Eye (ojo)
Hair (pelo)
Mouth (boca)
Ear (oreja)
Ball (bola)
Spanish Words:
Tirar (throw)
Agua (water)
Ven aca – ms? (come here)
Dado (dice)
Gato (cat)
The problem is that sometimes it takes me a while to figure out that her babbling is more than just baby talk, she is speaking a word in Spanish. For example, she has been saying dado (dice) for about 2 months. Finally, I asked someone at work what that meant. The daycare has some big play dice, so that makes sense.
At this stage, Lexi is bilingual. I don't know how long it will last. I know many people here whose parents are bilingual and they only speak a little Spanish. Her chances, of course, are less. Ideally, I would like her to be bilingual, but in the end I am hoping that she has an ear for languages and can roll her R's.
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