Destin-ee continues...

More Destin-ee

After a bit of repartee with the security man on the elevator we made our way to our assigned room on the fourth floor of the Emerald Grande Resort. The room, rather suite, as we came to understand, was perfect with an incredible view of the bay, pool and the bridge to Destin canvassing the entire picture.

After a moment we realized that the man at the desk had given us an entire suite with three bedrooms, two baths, two balconies; one off of the living room with the plush furniture and flat screen TV and one of off the master suite which proved to be perfectly decorated and comfortable. The master bath was pure black- swirled marble with exquisite light fixtures and Jacuzzi tub with separate shower. It was far more than we had expected or needed; we quickly made a few phone calls to invite family and friends to fill up the extra bedrooms.

We ambled into kitchen which was divine; black and brown speckled granite countertops, perfectly formed cherry cabinets with stainless steel appliances graced a spacious area with sunken dimmer lights shining delicately onto our workspace where a pitcher of accurately-executed margaritas was emerging rapidly.

Out to the balcony we ushered ourselves, just in time to watch the beauty of nothingness but nature transforming itself ever so gently into the welcomed evening of an unexpected venue. We sipped the margaritas, carefully navigating the salt rimmed glasses and counted our blessings once again for the unexpected, unplanned, and truly welcomed surprises that a wrong turn onto the right highway of life can offer two very delighted souls of nature.

In minutes - or was it hours? - We made our way down to the promenade amongst the chatter and bustle of tourists and vacationers foraging for fine dining and entertainment. Shortly into our search an elderly couple approached us and asked about the boat that takes guests across the clear, green waters to the private beach that Emerald Grande hosts for its patrons.

Not more than three or four words into the conversation I realized that I was listening in Spanish and not in English; maybe it was the margaritas, maybe it was time of day and the sun was setting so beautifully over the peninsula, but for that moment it mattered not to me what language was being spoken or in which language I replied. And later I thought that this is the beauty of having the ability to speak in more than one language. It is the key to communication. No matter where you are, or what you are doing, your chances of interacting with others has increased simply by being versed in more than one language.

View more ideas at http://www.mavensnest.com/ and be sure to sign up for the free monthly newsletter that contains new food and drink recipes (not all are alcoholic) from different regions of the world. Look for a great margarita recipe and Thanksgiving menu ideas in Novembers issue of Maven's Nest Newsletter.

How many Languages in a lifetime?

In America, it seems that many people are plagued by a great bane. The thought that can be found dancing in the back of people’s minds is that, because they speak English fluently, there is no reason to learn a second language. Of course not everyone believes such a thing, though it can be seen more often than not. This can easily be considered a problem in a world where an estimated four-fifths of the planet does not speak English as a first, second, or even third language.
Now, obviously the ‘Average Joe’ can’t be caught up learning the world’s most spoken language (Mandarin Chinese), but what he can do is look closer to home before abstaining from the linguistic playground.
Spanish is the second-most spoken language in America, spanning across 34 million households and more than 40 million Hispanics, making the U.S the fifth-largest Spanish-speaking community in the world behind Mexico, Colombia, Spain, and Argentina.
I myself am an American citizen who was born in Mexico, spending nearly half of my life immersed in the culture and language through the most developmental years of my life. Naturally, I am a fluent Spanish speaker (as well as English, clearly), and I can attest to not only the vastness of the language in this country, even in the Northeast where I reside, but also the importance of embracing its art.
In a State like Florida, according to the 2006 American Community Survey from the United States Census Bureau, over 3 million people speak Spanish as the main language in their household. That is nearly 20% of the state’s population. In New Mexico, this percentage is more than doubled. In fact, in each of the fifty states, this percentage is never seen as less than 1% and growing.
Spanish, with its widening grasp on American culture, is blending its beauty and fluency in to our country naturally. It is the single most taught foreign language in secondary schools and those of higher education across the nation.
With all of this considered, is it still rational to think that a monolingual life is a productive life? As a bilingual college student alumni and as a future teacher wherever in the world I land, I cannot express enough the importance of bilingualism, or perhaps, multilingualism. It is for that reason that I offer you the option of Rocket Spanish,French, Italian as a quick, easy, and most importantly, effective cure to your Foreign-speaking ailments.
Please visit my website: http://www.mavensnest.com/ for more information and comments.