A Simple Smile in Spanish

What is it about this little girl's smile that makes your heart melt? 

What power does this smile have?

Do you walk away feeling a rush of confidence or a splash of happiness?

I do.

          

 Tonight, I experienced the magic behind a child's simple smile. I volunteered at a local citizenship workshop for the Latino community of Springfield. I am a Spanish student and speak fairly well, but if I am put on the spot, I often freeze and don't know what to say. Ask me to translate or even have a conversation with me and my six years of Spanish mean nothing to me. 

However, walk into a room full of Hispanic children with smiles like Adrienne and everything changes.

Something about a child's willingness to express themselves without holding back makes me  a fluent Spanish speaker. No fear of saying the wrong thing. No fear of sounding stupid. No fear of miscommunication.

The great thing about kids too is that they are the BEST teachers. Most adults, in hopes to save face, let you make as many mistakes as you want. If you say mispronounce a word to a child, you will know it because they can't control their laughter. Kids don't get frustrated at your mistakes either. Since they are amused, your interactions can be longer. 

A nursery is a great classroom as well. All you have to do is point to a toy and say "Como se dice en español?" (How do you say?) and they will gladly tell you.  

Moral of the story?

First, if you want to learn another language, hang out with children who speak that language.

Second, maybe, we should also have the attitude of a child when approaching language and culture: LAUGH AT OUR MISTAKES. Maybe, if we worry less about what others think and express ourselves more freely like children do, we could learn any language quicker.

It all starts with a simple smile.

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The Comfort of a Coffee Snob

This weekend, I went to visit my friend in St. Louis. I haven't seen her since November, so it was a joyous occasion. I basically got to live life with her for the weekend, which was grand.


Saturday morning, she had to work at the local coffeeshop. Around 7:30, I pulled myself out of bed for some breakfast and coffee. When I arrived, my friend's work was hopping. I stepped up to order my cappecino, met with a oh so familiar question: "Would you like a traditional cappecino?" I breathed out a thankful, "yes". Anyone, who works in the specialty coffee industry can relate with my feelings of relief when met with such a reassuring question that you are indeed in a legit coffee house.

As I sat sipping on my cappe and nibbling my mocha muffin, I just watched the craziness around me. It was incredible to see people frantically searching for seats. One couple sat so close to me, it was impossible not to eaves drop a little bit. 


But more impressive than the amount of people was the amount of diversity. A young almost hippie-like couple sat to my right. My left was an elderly man reading the paper. Ahead of me was an international student studying. Next to her, were two middle-aged ladies that looked like old friends. Next to them was a mother and a daughter. The little girl could not have been more than five and had the most enchanting red curls. 


It amazes me how one coffee shop can bring so many different people together, and the commitment that all of these people exhibit to this particular coffee shop at 8 am in the morning on SATURDAY!


Because one cup is never enough, I had breakfast and coffee with my cousins at Booster's Cafe. It was the most darling cafe. A significant portion of their profit goes to Africa. Hmmm...sound familiar? Most of the waitresses were international students, and again, the customers all came from diverse backgrounds. An interracial couple sat next to me and my cousins speaking in a language I did not recognize. What a breath of fresh air!


My coffee experience was not all wonderful in St. Louis, however. While we were walking in St. Louis, my friend and I passed a coffee shop that will remain nameless. Immediately, bad memories of horrible coffee and service flooded my mind. 


In high school, I had visited that shop with a fellow barista. That experience was so horrible that I wrote a paper on how horrible it truly was.


But that shop is special to me as well, because it was at that moment in high school that I realized I had truly become a "coffee snob".







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Crazy Combo Career

Today, in my Public Speaking II class, we were supposed to practice introducing speeches. Last week, we interviewed a classmate and then the classmate came up with a random topic for us to be speaking about. Well, who would have thought that my partner would have taken all my crazy different interests and rolled them into one.


I have to give credit it where it is due. Ashton May made me a Public Relations practitioner of a up and coming coffee roasting company that gave a portion of their profits to orphanages around the world. Wow, there it is. Coffee, culture, and community all rolled into one.


Now, I have to add on to Ashton's incredible idea. What if there was a company that did direct trade with the coffee farms of developing countries and money from selling their coffee was used to help the orphans in their community or other poverty in their community. What a beautiful relationship potential!


Okay, so I am just a college student right now, but this would be such a neat company to be apart of. Just like Public Relations combines all my random creative interests of writing, design, speaking, event planning, etc., this company would combine my love for coffee and passion for reaching out to the poverty in other countries, especially orphans.


If you are reading this blog and thinking, wow this is a GREAT idea, I think I am going to steal it from her and claim it as my own, AWESOME. Please just let me come do PR for you someday. We all need to think of creative ways to give back to the community: locally and globally.


Ideas can come in many forms so always pay attention...even in Speech class!


I hope you enjoy this journey with me exploring how coffee, culture, and community all relate to another. Pin It