| APARNA VIKRAM ESHAAN KRISH VASISHT 2008 |
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APARNA, VIKRAM, ESHAAN, and KRISH VASISHT November 2007 It was a strange way that I met Aparna and her husband, Vikram. But, I know it was supposed to be. Several months after David’s trauma, around June of 2005, I received a phone message. A woman’s voice asked to speak to me about tutoring her son in Spanish. I thought she must be trying to get help for her high school student who needed extra help, and I thought it must be a mistake.  I can handle 1st grade Spanish and even 2nd or 3rd, but I knew I was no match for high school level Spanish. Even though I had majored in the language in high school and college, and had recently returned from Puebla, Mexico where I studied all things Mexican for five weeks, I knew I couldn’t teach advanced Spanish. And then since I was so overwhelmed with David’s care, and preparing to go to Santa Cruz, California with him for more therapy for what turned into six weeks, I’m afraid I was rude and never returned Aparna’s call.
Aparna didn’t give up. There was a message on my machine when I returned home in late August and an email shortly after that. I was put to shame. When I finally contacted her she told me she learned of me through lesson plans I had written for
 my graduate studies course with the Oregon State University. Aparna explained that Eshaan, her four-year old son, really wanted to learn Spanish. I agreed to meet her and, Eshaan.
Over tea at Aparna’s house I picked up a blue block and said, “azul.” Eshaan repeated. I pointed to a yellow one and he mimicked my “amarillo” perfectly. I continued with verde, rojo, blanco, negro, and anaranjado. Then he ran off to play in the adjoining room. When Eshaan returned after fifteen minutes, I called out the colors to him in English. He told them to me in Spanish. He stole my heart. I fell in love.
After that Eshaan came to my house for about thirty minutes each week and we sat on the floor with flash cards spread between us. “Muestrame el perro,” I said. He pointed to the dog. (el gato/the cat; el cerdo/the pig; la luna/the moon) We counted how many cards he won (the ones he knew instantly) and the ones I won. (the ones he took more than a second to call out) We stood at the window talking about los arboles/the trees, el cielo/the sky. We sang to the songs on the computer—Los Pollitos Dicen. We practiced shapes and numbers and the days of the week. And no matter how tired
 I may have been after teaching school all day, I brightened when Eshaan came through my door. He made me smile.
Eshaan doesn’t study with me anymore. He’s learning Spanish in his first grade classroom. But we still see each other--either at his house or mine when we go there for a visit or he and his parents come to ours. Aparna and Vikram and Eshaan and his little brother, Krish, have become very dear to David and me. I’m so glad that Aparna persisted in contacting me and didn’t let my unintentional rudeness stop our budding friendship.
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