One Of Those Moments - Trace

Trace has been susceptible to ear infections since we arrived here.  Even more so in the last two years as he has become a bigger fan of the water whether it be in the pool or ocean.  We try to keep his ears clean each time he comes out of the water.  If we get lazy or forget for a little while then he usually develops something.  We go to the local clinic and get him checked out and get the proper meds to put him back on track scolding ourselves along the way.

Last week was one of those times where we(he) paid the price for not being diligent about his ears.  He came home from school Friday not feeling so well with a fever and ear pain.  Saturday am he felt a bit better but we were off to the clinic to get him looked at.

We filled out the paperwork and went into the same examination room where we had been several times before for various family ailments including Trace's ear issues.  We knew the routine.  Our doctor this time was someone we had not seen before.  She was a young woman who was bilingual and turned to me to ask some initial questions in Spanish from behind her desk.  I was about half way through my first sentence and she turned to speak to Trace.  She must have decided that my Spanish was dismal enough that speaking to Trace was a much more productive direction to begin getting some information.

Eggs on the head after losing a wager with his Dad.

She asked him if he spoke Spanish and he said yes.  After a few basic questions for him, off they went leaving Dad in the chair just sitting there watching the exchange.  After some additional discussion she examined him and then we came back to the doctor's desk.  They proceeded to discuss things further and she began preparing prescriptions giving him directions as I looked on.

They finally got to a point where she turned to me, a bit wide eyed and said to me how impressed she was with his Spanish.  How well he could understand Spanish, articulate his answers and sounded Mexican not an American.  She admitted that when we walked in she was not expecting this.  I was impressed too.  Not necessarily surprised but impressed.  I hear him speak to his friends, teachers and coaches all the time but when he has a discussion with a medical professional whom he does not know and that person turns to me and admits how very impressed they are with our son then it hits me that this is "one of those moments".

 This is just one of those moments, small but special moments, where our decision to come to Mexico almost 6 years ago makes total sense to me all over again.  The kids really have no idea how special they have become and what skills they have developed since they arrived.  Speaking a second language is just one of those skills.  It is totally normal for them.  My concern about things that they may not have been able to do up north doesn't really matter anymore when these moments happen.  Actually I should feel like this all the time but these little events keep me reminded just how far they have come and how proud we are of them.