Mindfulness and Buzz: The Sexy Spanish Club Is Born
You see, less than a month ago, I had an idea.
It started simply enough. I wanted to improve my Spanish in the way I learn best--by writing. I wanted to make friends with an Argentine teacher and talk about fun things. I wanted to develop a weekly habit of gathering with another expat woman to talk about our lives here in Buenos Aires.
So, I told my friend Christine--an American writer living here--that we should find a teacher to help us learn Spanish through writing letters to our imaginary lovers. I mean, it would be a fun way to get those verb conjugations down and we'd be far more likely to do our homework.
She thought it was a fabulous idea.
In fact, I was so encouraged by her response that I thought it might be fun to see if there were other women expats in BA who might like to join what I decided to call the Sexy Spanish Club. We determined (since we are the ones making up the rules of this club) that we wanted our perfect Argentine teacher to be fun, sexy, creative, in his 30s, and gay. Oh, and extra points if he happens to have a writing background.
And that's when the buzz started.
I was flooded with emails from fun, sexy, creative, 30-something gay Argentine men who wanted to teach us. I was overwhelmed by emails from wonderful women who wanted to join us. I heard from people around the world who asked about starting something similar where they live.
I even received some unsolicited sexy stories, letters and videos.
Every day, I'm meeting someone new for coffee. A therapist who wrote her PhD dissertation on tango and the soul. A photojournalist who has spent the last 14 years living and teaching writing in Italy, Panama, France and Egypt. A painter/poet/fabric designer who is lovingly restoring a home here. A natural health practitioner who has started a nonprofit dedicated to teaching simple homeopathic remedies in villages in Mexico, Peru and Chile.
And the list goes on.
I interviewed amazing men and picked Christian, a respected writer with an almost-PhD from Rutgers. He writes one of the most popular (and sexy) blogs in Argentina and co-teaches a writer's workshop with another admired writer here.
And this particular admired writer took it upon herself to write a full-page article about my concept--on the coveted back page of the weekend edition of one of the most popular newspapers in Argentina.
Buzz buzz buzz.
Everyone knows that sex sells, but this isn't just about that. It's about getting together with others in order to talk about passion and get creative using words we're learning in another language.
The fact that most of us are over 40 means that we know the difference between what LOOKS sexy and what IS sexy. We're playing in a whole new league. After all, if we can face gray hair, wrinkles, stretch marks, varicose veins, and receding gums and STILL think of ourselves as sexy, then we've seriously got it going on.
As writers, we understand that language is a mighty powerful turn-on. We're not necessarily planning to seduce Argentine men--as tempting as that might be. Instead, we're encouraging our imaginations to run a little wild all in the name of learning.
People LOVE being given permission to play with passion. They ADORE the idea that learning a language can include playfulness, imagination, and a lot of laughter.
Am I seeing plenty of Possibilities? Oh, yeah. Started writing the book? Check. Pitching publishers? Check. Bought the URL? Check. Started the blog? Check. Commissioned a logo? Check. Developed a licensing plan? Check.
It appears that everyone wants to get in bed with the Sexy Spanish Club. Frank, who owns Sugar & Spice bakery, wants to come up with a signature Sexy Spanish Club cookie. Dan, who runs a restaurant out of his home, is creating a "Sexy" feast that he will unveil for our gang. There's a woman who wants to offer a Sexy Spanish Club spa package to her clients.
Imagination. Passion. Learning. Laughter. Buzz buzz buzz.
What does this have to do with mindfulness? Absolutely everything.
It's all about Paying Attention, baby:
1) looking at your challenge (in this case, learning a language),
2) finding the Wow, and
3) seeing the Possibilities.
What can YOU stir up in three weeks? I double-dare you to find out.
Related Tags: spanish, awareness, language, teaching, imagination, creativity, mindfulness, maya talisman frost
Maya Talisman Frost has taught thousands of people how to pay attention. Through her company, Real-World Mindfulness Training, she teaches playful, eyes-wide-open alternatives to meditation. An American from Oregon, she now lives in Argentina with her husband and three of their four daughters. To read the latest about her Sexy Spanish Club in Buenos Aires, visit http://www.SexySpanishClub.blogspot.com
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