The music of the Spanish language

by Dan
(Sutherlin, Oregon)

I grew up in Seattle, and I had an older brother who used to work driving trucks from the Yakima area to Seattle and back. He could speak Spanish fluently, because he worked with so many Spanish speaking workers. When I moved to southern California, I was exposed to Hispanics on a daily basis. I loved the culture immediately. The smells, the food, the colors and the sounds of the swap meets in the drive in theaters. Eventually, I ended up working in the flower fields and learned Spanish in order to communicate with my co-workers. It was easier for one person (me) to learn Spanish than for 10 to learn English. After that, whatever job I had, I always learned enough Spanish to communicate with my co-workers and customers. I have since moved to Oregon, and I miss the sounds of the fields and the markets. The language was like music in the air, a vibrant, lively music that expresses the culture so well.