American Girl

Saturday I was called an American girl. It was not said as a complement and it was not said in disdain. It was said in jest. It was said in reference to the fact that I only speak one language. Everyone else at the table, including the children, spoke at least two. One girl, a new friend of mine, spoke at least five. One man turned to me and said, "And how many languages do you speak American girl?" knowing full well what my answer would be, "one." Why do we only learn one language well in America? We study another language in high school but most of us can't speak it at the end of three or four years. I wish we would learn them when we are young as most other countries do. It is much harder as an adult, but it is something I want to work at because language is so important to people. My friend, Sarah, who speaks at least five languages, is from a part of Spain called Catalonia. There they speak Catalan as their main language and not Spanish. She said that if a tourist comes and says "Bon dia" "Good morning" in Catalan they are amazed and grateful for that little effort. Think what ties of friendship or opportunities to share the gospel may be built upon a simple phrase of greeting in ones own tongue.