How A Crush Turned Into A Career

It's funny how things work out sometimes. You start down a road that intrigues you at which end you know not what you'll find. Some steps you take bring pleasure and some bring pain but at every step you learn something new. And when you finally reach your destination (that is, if you've actually realized you've arrived) your journey's end is much sweeter than you could ever have imagined!

More than 20 years ago now I discovered a Mexican singer named Luis Miguel. Everything about him captivated me and I fell! HARD!

Those of you who know of him and his music (and especially if you are female) will appreciate and understand that falling for Luis Miguel is not a difficult task at all.

Being Filipina and fluent in Tagalog I already knew some Spanish (Tagalog is 5% Spanish after all) but not enough to understand exactly what Luis Miguel was saying in his songs. And I was desperate to learn!

I vowed that by hook or by crook I would learn Spanish so that I could understand every Luis Miguel song, every Luis Miguel interview, every Luis Miguel EVERYTHING.

So I bought myself a Spanish dictionary and verb book and used them to meticulously look up every word, verb and conjugation on Luis Miguel's lyric sheet until at last the song's meaning became evident (like a rose softly unfurling it's petals to face the noonday's sun...)

I learned so much by doing this! More than any book or teacher could have imparted. By doing this exercise I not only taught myself Spanish but, more importantly, I learned how to teach myself Spanish, and, boy, has it paid off! 

Not only have I enjoyed being a Spanish teacher for kids (and sometimes adults) for more than 10 years now but I was also able to snag a great stable job with the federal government largely due to my ability to speak Spanish. Multi-linguals are a precious commodity in this day and age. Your value and worth increase with every language you know due to the great influx of immigrants from every corner of the universe, many of whom do not speak English.

To be able to talk to and help people in their own language is such a gift! One that I cherish and enjoy on a daily basis. And I especially love the privilege of inspiring a new generation of children wanting to become multi-lingual and multi-cultural in a predominantly mono-lingual and mono-cultural society.

I tip my hat to all the teachers out there who are doing the same! Keep up the great work and thank you for what you bring to this world! This ever-shrinking world we call HOME.

I've learned (among many things) not to underestimate the choices we make, the roads we choose to follow.

God can use the simplest things and situations to bring about something beautiful. Even something as insignificant as a crush...

Keep teaching. Keep sharing. Keep dreaming.

La Maestra