An interesting story published by Warren Hardy for International Living about Margie, an expat living in San Miguel that improved her language skills while knitting on her doorstep.
You never know what can happen when you move to another country, particularly one where the language is different to your own. And when you learn the language, it can help you to build relationships with the people in your new local community.
I often run into people I taught Spanish to 10 or 15 years ago and I always ask them how their Spanish is going. Mostly the response is the same: “My Spanish is horrible but I get along just fine. The Power Verbs take you a long way.” (With Power Verbs, students learn to say “I need… I want… I am going to… I can… and combine them with 100 verbs. This gives them to skill to express their needs and want.)
The other day I heard something a little different. Margie is in her mid-60s and a retired school teacher from California. She came to our Spanish school a few years ago and took one course, Power Verbs. When I bumped into her recently I asked how her Spanish was going. She replied: “My Spanish is horrible but I speak fluent knitting.”
Curious, I asked her to explain.
Margie is enjoying retirement in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. One day she was in front of her house knitting when two local neighborhood girls walked by. She was used to greeting them in passing but today was different. The girls, about 12 years old, walked over to Margie and watched her as she knitted.
Click here to read full article
Source: International Living