By Margaret Wheeldon
Samara, Costa Rica - Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks? The Wheeldon family arrived in Samara, Costa Rica on January 8, hoping the small town would soon feel like home. That very evening, area dad Johannes Wheeldon commented enthusiastically that "our Spanish is going to become so good" to his partner, Liz Suiter, and their kids, Margaret and Trevor Wheeldon.
He couldn't have been more right. The very next day, the kids began Spanish immersion classes at a school not far from their rental, called Intercultura.
The kids soon excelled at their new school. Liz used her Spanish often when conversing with the locals, freshening up on phrases and adjusting to the Costa Rican lingo. However, Johannes soon surpassed them all with a deep, intuitive understanding of the language - mostly.
His approach involved learning a few key phrases and stringing them together with varying degrees of success. However, by generally bringing an optimistic attitude and unwarranted confidence to a variety of situations, he soon made many friends. In addition to "Gracias, amigo" when being assisted by a local, "Que lindo!" was common whenever he saw a pretty sight, and "mi amorcita" was in reference to Liz. He found a way to elongate "con gusto" (con guuuuusto), meaning with pleasure. He was quick to adopt the famous Costa Rican phrase: "Pura Vida!" His brave application of his learning showed as he began to use his rapidly expanding vocabulary in public, ordering food in Spanish much to his family's chagrin.
However, not every interaction was successful. Johannes said often: "Everything is an experience, and learning from your mistakes is the most important thing." At one restaurant, his kids reported their father using a variety of fractured Spanglish words to order nachos, chicken wings, and a drink. "Yeah, it was totally cringe, bro," said Johannes' nine-year-old son, Trevor Wheeldon.
"Um... nachos... con carne..." Johannes began shakily. When the patient waitress correctly interpreted the phrase, he continued: "Pollo and a Bloody Mary, por favor. Que lindo. Mucho gracias."
Later that night, he heard two people refer to each other as "caballero" which is a word that literally means "cowboy" but is often used as slang for "dude" or "bro." Trying it out, Johannes accidentally called someone "caballo" which is the word for "horse." Thankfully, the error was fixed and no feelings were hurt. "It's an honest mistake that anyone could've made," Johannes explained. "I mean, horses and cowboys? Basically the same thing."
By the end of the month, Johannes was confident enough to ask the kids if they needed any help with their Spanish homework. When asked what Margaret and Trevor's reactions were, Johannes was smug. "The kids were so jealous of my awesome Spanish skills that they couldn't possibly accept my generous offer," he reported.
The newly bilingual dad is now looking for property near Samara. "Que lindo!"
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