Loving the Rain

It was only a glance, a pause at a red light just before it changed. A flashing moment, that upon further consideration gave way to an elaborate style.  The girl was carrying her shoes and running in that trying-not-to-slip manner.  The rain was pouring down and soaked through all of her clothes upon impact.  Her hair was free and sticking to her neck and face and she still had so far to go.  The cars on the road beside the sidewalk on which she was traversing would occasionally splash a wave of water up as they shuffled through the traffic lights.  Upon first glance any on-looker would pity her, caught in the relentless rain and so far from anywhere with shelter.
In this moment she was laughing.  Not three steps behind her was a guy about her age; her partner in the empty world of the rain.  Rain has a way of isolating a person.  One is easily isolated from shelter of other people especially under the cover of an umbrella or rain jacket.  This couple had no protection and they were together alone in the rain.  He had no face and is less important because it is not his story, it is hers.
He was important to her though.  She was laughing and he was with her and she was not alone she was soaking wet and so far from anything and perfectly happy.  She was with him and they were alone in this world of rain running along this never-ending sidewalk.  The destination did not matter and the cars did not matter and the time did not matter.  Time was at a stand still and for a moment the girl was consumed with the warmth of happiness and love.
The light turned green.

Fluent

As I am learning to speak French, and as I attempted to learn Spanish in high school, I am increasingly amazed with the way people can become fluent in a foreign language, let along languages.  I imagine language comes more naturally to certain people such as math or athletics or music is more natural to others.  I also imagine some people learn the foreign language quickly through necessity and/or total immersion.  Then there are those devoted scholars with nothing to drive them beyond desire to learn a new language.  However the knowledge has been obtained I am completely in awe of the fluent speakers of foreign languages.  The more exotic the language is the more admiration I have for the individual.  One may argue that all foreign languages are exotic but I disagree.  For example, in Texas there are very many Spanish speakers, therefore a student of Spanish has probably heard, seen, or perhaps even utilized many Spanish words.  I am merely saying some languages a student has been exposed to while others are one may know exists but has never heard or seen written.  For example, before learning French in school I had only seen it written down a couple of times (if at all) and heard it perhaps a few times.  I have only heard Greek or Italian spoken in movie,s I have no idea how to begin to differentiate between Chinese and Japanese (so to me these are all more exotic languages), and Swahili and Polish are completely exotic.  Perhaps one with more worldly experience than I would learn a different foreign language faster than I could.  

Moreover, I crave to be able to say with confidence, "oh yes, I am fluent in French" and proceed to carry out a conversation with ease.  I would love to have thoughts or perhaps even dreams in French.  I sometimes become very excited when I make a mistake and write a word in French rather than in English, or when talking with a friend about my French class and my brain automatically begins to try to translate everything I wish to say into French. In these instances, I feel I am showing progress and perhaps learning more than I may realize.  On the other hand, whenever I fail French homework assignments repeatedly or have extreme difficulties with French tests I become somewhat discouraged and realize just how much more I have to learn. 

As for now I remain completely jealous of the bilingual and long for the day I may join this accomplished group of devoted scholars.  To be able to write prose and stories in two different languages would be sublime.  To be able to choose which language a given story would show more meaning in would expand my literary experience.  Similar ideas may be shared across languages but words are unique.  Words define our human experience and some languages may explain a phenomenon more vividly than others.  

Words and language are beautiful aspects of human culture and fundamental to human society and global interaction.  Fluency across languages is paramount.