George Skokan

This is not a thing to accomplish, but is a life-long practice. Right now I sit in my rocking chair, Misty Cat jumps in my lap and gets comfortable, and then I start the meditation. Normally I fall asleep, which isn’t part of the process, but both of us are comfortable, and we enjoy it and usually I get up when Misty Cat decides to jump down.

I live in Miami, FL, which socially tends to be a bilingual city. Spending two and a half years in Mexico and Peru (approx 45 years ago) plus patient friends and in-laws got me going. A lot of us gringos have become fairly fluent in Spanish (el castellano), and there are a lot of Latin newcomers so there is ample opportunity to be in a situation where Spanish is necessary. I recently began listening a lot to the major Spanish Language radio station in Miami, WQBA, which is a major assist in internalizing the language.

I have learned the American Tango basic level well enough to claim success, and I have found that I don’t enjoy it as much as I thought I would. I have fallen in love with the Waltz, Foxtrot, Rumba, and Bolero.

As far as Polka is concerned, I was only able to take a couple of lessons, but on the few occasions a Polka is played at one of our parties, I just do what I can remember of what the Poles and Hungarians did back home in New Jersey. Another guy from Chicago has the same approach. “When those old Polish ladies grabbed you to dance back home, you learned real quick how to survive.”

Therefore I consider this “Case Closed!!!!!!”

BUT I’m still doing other things. We have a Salsa class where we are told that the Salsa is a sexy, flirtatious dance, and I had always seen it as a fast dance that is good to burn up calories. My education continues.