Last night my neighbors invited me over to their house for their 10-year-old son's birthday. I couldn't make it until after 8, but they insisted that I still stop by. It was mainly a family party, but they made me feel very welcomed. The parents mainly speak Spanish, but their kids are bilingual. I sat around the dinner table with the adults and we chatted about the day. Oscar, the dad, has the biggest heart and loves to tell stories. He told story after story about his week and funny things that happened. His stories were in Spanish, so I only got about half of it. The kids were laughing at me because they knew I didn't really understand it all, but they re-assured me that even though they speak Spanish... they only understood half of it, as well. They went on to give me a lesson in Spanish.
I use the language barrier between me and most of my neighbors as an excuse not to visit as much. Last night proved to me that being a little uncomfortable about my lack of Spanish skills is not a good enough excuse to miss out on building relationships.
As I was leaving, the mom hugged me and told me that I am welcome in their home any time.
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