"I'm going to ask a simple question and I want you guys to come up with the answer in your mind, and then we will revisit the definition we just spoke about, okay? Hopefully by the end of this your answer to this question will change"
There were a few mumbled words of agreement throughout the audience and a lot of silent nods. Whatever their choice of response was, it was no question Lauren had them all hypnotized.
"Okay" she said once she got her reply. "My question is, how many languages do you speak?" she asked.
"For a lot of you that answer is simple" she chuckled "Most of you are thinking one, maybe two" she continued "I thought the same thing when I asked myself this question"
"But when we revisit the definition of language it becomes apparent that we can amplify our idea about what a language is"
She turns around and the screen behind her pops up with the same definition she had spoken of previously
"A form of communication used by a specific group of people" she paraphrased, to make it simpler.
"Taking this definition into consideration, I asked myself the same question a second time around and landed on a different number, more along the lines if 79"
Certainly the audience was surprised and so was I.
I chuckled at the memory of trying to teach my fiancé Spanish and failing miserably, but it was cute to watch her try.
"Once I got close to the 80's I stopped counting, just because I got lazy" she admitted as a soft wave of chuckles filled the auditorium.
"But I got to this number because in analyzing this definition I realized that there are so many different types of languages that we all use on a daily basis and don't even realize"
I'd be lying if I said I wasn't just as entranced by her as the rest of the audience. It truly does not matter how much time we spend together, seeing her in her natural habitat always makes me feel like a student with a crush on her professor.
"And what I am referring to, to put it simply, is the language of experience" she says
"We all have life experiences that have developed our languages and a lot of us don't even know it" she stopped center stage and I saw her eyes land on me offering me a smile. This causes a swarm of butterflies to appear and I can feel the warmth gathering in my cheeks. I love and hate that she can make my body react so intensely with such a simple gesture.
"Now, I did mention that this was going to be interactive, so I am going to speak a few languages and if you can relate to it, I want you to please stand up"
She takes center stage once more and I can see the change in her eyes and she almost takes on a character to help get her point across.
A fearful look takes over her green orbs and she begins to nervously fumble with her fingers, a sight that is rare in the young professor considering her usual confidence.
"I was standing in the middle of the party, because I told myself I was going to make friends"
Immediately I hear a chuckle from a few seats down and I imagine the man is going to be standing up soon.
"I had spent High School in the shadows and I was determined to make my college experience different" she says this with desperation laced in her voice and I begin to wonder if she should have been an actress instead.
Surely, I'd wanna watch that face on a big screen.
"But now I'm standing in the middle of the party, and people are bumping into me without noticing and I feel just as invisible as I did then. The crowded room starts to feel like, it's getting smaller and I realize that this is a bad idea. Why did I think college would be any different?" she sighs. "So instead of socializing, like I had planned, I stand awkwardly and uncomfortably in the middle of the party, with my hands shaking, and my chest tightening. It's almost as if my body is allergic to these situations" she finishes with a shiver in her voice.
Ch 24- Languages
Start from the beginning
