Me llamo Markus

My first encounter with a foreign language was really with Spanish. You learn English from a very young age in the land of Ikea, so I cannot really remember assimilating it. It was just there with the 1.0 version. 

However with the upgraded Markus 2.0 version, Spanish was included in the default setting alongside some kind of virus that made the system focus with a slight obsession around the female inhabitants of my home town. I remember perfectly having it installed. The language that is. The virus is hard to get rid of. 

We had to choose a third language in high school. And I would like to highlight 'had to'. Cause even though I don't mind the Mediterranean wind, sangria at the beach and a siesta before some flamenco dancing (everything is true in that sentence except one thing...), learning the language was nothing I looked forward to, and I spent most time in the back row trying to hide when the teachers reviewed the past tense of 'I will do it mañana'.

I happily promised myself not to take Spanish ever again after graduating high school. Of course I went on to take it again at the University, and then live in the country for eight years, and marrying a Spanish flamenco dancer (everything but one thing is true in that sentence. Hint - there is a pattern.) My point, beside that it was meant to be, is that learning a foreign language follows the 'ketchup effect' theory. First nothing, than nothing, than you get frustrated, than you imagine a life where the hamburger will have to live a lonely and depressing life with no ketchup at all, and than - all of a sudden - comes everything.  

The question I ask myself now is; how does Miss Cupcake relate to ketchup?

I wonder what goes through her mind, standing there with her blue eyes and curly hair in front of a sea of Chinese characters. I wonder if she understands anything of it. And I find it truly remarkable that she picks up a chark and starts writing it. 

If it is genetic, it comes from her mom. No doubt.