Te amo, tutu! (I love you, grandma) I asked my grandson to call me “tutu” which is “grandma” in Hawaiian. These were his last words in yesterday’s telephone call.

Two and a half years ago, if I heard these words, I wouldn’t have had a clue what they meant. It was then that I decided to learn Spanish, the native language of my daughter-in-law who is completely bilingual. Her ability to switch back and forth between Spanish and English is totally seamless, and I’m told that she learned to speak English so well by watching American movies.

Besides, learning a foreign language, along with doing crossword and sudoku puzzles, or taking lessons on another musical instrument, are all recommended for fending off dementia—keeping the brain cells active. However, learning a new language, like learning to play a new instrument, when you’re at an advanced age (like I am) is not so easy.

In high school, I took four years of French, and a few days after graduation, I flew to Paris where I spent three months studying with the French virtuoso, Marcel Dupré. It meant I needed to find a place to live and a place to practice, all the while having to navigate everywhere in French. Somehow I managed (in those days, hardly anyone spoke English, not like today) and when I entered the University of Southern California, I passed an entrance exam which allowed me to skip the foreign language requirement altogether.

But Spanish? I used to tell people that the only words I knew in Spanish were taco and burrito, despite growing up in Southern California, where the clerks in nearly every store “se habla español.”

And as far as repertoire on the organ, I would have to say nada if I were asked about organ music from Spain. Maybe just a couple of pieces by Antonio Cabezón is all. My organ repertoire is mostly German and French, but music by Spanish composers is essentially zilch.

I researched some of the Spanish language apps, and for the first two years, worked with Fluencia, Synergy Spanish, and Duolingo. Pretty soon, I could brag that I know about 3000 Spanish words, and I’m in the top Diamond League with over 70,000 points in Duolingo. But easy conversation has eluded me, so for the last two weeks, I’ve joined #CadaDiaSpanish, an online community which meets daily for an hour. After the first ten minutes, no mas inglés (no more English), and through our teacher, Ignacio Medina, a native of Uruguay, we share stories, songs and games in a virtual immersion experience. We have participants from all over the United States, South America, Turkey, Africa, Bosnia, and even Russia. The community includes people learning Spanish and Spanish-speaking people learning English.

One of the assignments is to write an essay about your family, include pictures, and then share it with the rest of the class. Yesterday was my day to do just that, and I must admit that I was feeling a bit nerviosa, but I practiced my speech over and over until I could say it without stumbling.

Here’s an excerpt:

Mi familia es grande: tengo dos hermanas y dos hermanos y más de 50 primos. Mi propia familia es mas pequeña: mi hijo, Estéban, su esposa, Jessica, y mi nieto, Andrés que tiene 3 años. Mi esposo, un  director de musica, murió hace 6 años. Nosotros estuvimos casados por 37 años.

[My family is large: I have two sisters and two brothers and more than 50 cousins. My own family is smaller: my son, Stephen, his wife, Jessica, and my grandson, Andrés who is 3 years old. My husband, a music director, died 6 years ago. We were married for 37 years.]

Quiero aprender español porque mi nieto sera educado bilingüe y en este momento su lengua más fuerte es español. Su mamá es de La Ciudad de Mexíco. Cada noche sus padres le leen muchos libros en español y inglés.

[I want to learn Spanish because my grandson will be educated bilingual and in this moment, his strongest language is Spanish. His mom is from [was born in] Mexico City. Every night his parents read him many books in Spanish and English.]

Hoy es su cumpleaños … Habrá pastel de cumpleaños, helado y globos. Andrés ha practicado soplar las velas.

[Today is his birthday … We will have birthday cake, ice cream and balloons. Andrés has practiced blowing out the candles.]

Soy organista y maestra y tengo más de 50 años tocando el órgano… En esta foto, toqué un concierto en Cleveland, Ohio el pasado octubre.

[I am an organist and teacher and I have more than 50 years of playing the organ… In this photo, I played a concert in Cleveland, Ohio, last October.]

After I read my essay, my teacher asked me several questions about it, and I have to admit that it was not easy for me to respond, even though I knew what he was asking.

At one point, I even answered “Oui” (Yes in French) by mistake.

Yikes!