English plis

Now that I live in Chile, I only want to speak English.  When I lived in the U.S. I spoke Spanish at work, with my husband and with many of friends so this change is actually quite drastic.  Being constantly surrounded by a culture that threatens to wipe away my American identity makes me hold onto English with a tight grip.  English allows me to read or sing onomonopias to my daughter, like wibble wobble, splish splash, or hee haw.  English is the language of Raffi, Dr. Seuss, and Maisy books.  English is the language of caroling door to door, of sledding outside with my sister, of wiffle ball in the backyard.

English is endangered because Elena may not know it.  At this point, all my daughter does with her mouth is make buzzing sounds or shove random objects inside, but she really hasn't made any sounds yet.  Although she hears mostly English now, I will not be her only source of language for long.  Her first word will probably be in English, her first sentences will most definitely be in Spanish.