Happy Duolingo Anniversary to me! Today is Palm Sunday and it’s also three years of Duolingo learning for me! Learning a foreign language is a great skill to have, especially if you’re in a line of work where you need to communicate bilingually or you travel overseas. I began my Duo journey by learning Spanish and have since branched out into different languages including French, Italian and German. Those four languages along with Math (yes you can do Math on Duolingo but it’s more elementary or light intermediate) make up most of my learning on the app since fully committing to it in 2022. Also on Duolingo are some family members and Toastmasters friends of mine.
12 years to the day today marked a major turning point in my life. I’ll get to that in a minute but, I was in Slippery Rock attending a memorial service for a friend of mine. He was a longtime member of Slippery Rock United Methodist Church and one of the people instrumental in helping me find a church home as I was beginning my studies at Slippery Rock. He passed a few weeks prior from cancer (it was in March of 2013). We all took that morning to remember Gary and what a special person he was as well as the impact he had on our lives. After the memorial service, a luncheon was held downstairs in the Fellowship Hall. It was nice to catch up with some of the former students who also attended church there, as well as the staff and other church members. If I remember correctly, they say that Methodists love to eat.
Duolingo is a Pittsburgh based corporation with their main headquarters in East Liberty, not far from Bakery Square. Every time I went to Children’s Hospital to visit Benny, I drove past the Duolingo offices. You can tell it’s them by the green owl. Next to Duolingo is a Mexican restaurant called Duo’s Taqueria. The menu is in Spanish, so be sure to brush up on your language skills.
After the luncheon at the church, I got in my car and walked over to the university. I walked around the campus not once but twice. I needed time to take everything in. I mentioned this was a turning point and it was on this brisk Spring day that I finally appreciated my time at Slippery Rock and accepted it as well. After so many years of feeling regret for not feeling like I did enough there, Inwas finally at peace. For a long time, I wanted to go back, even studying something completely different from what my original field was. I didn’t care about time, money, or debt, but just didn’t want to be stuck with what I felt at the time was a mediocre experience.
I wasn’t ready to graduate back in 2005. None of us are ever truly ready. That’s why we need to enjoy our time on campus and not take it for granted.
Thankfully, that mindset is long gone and I’m grateful for my time at both Johnstown schools (HGA and the Community College) and The Rock. I’ll be going up to Slippery Rock this Fall to attend homecoming. This time, I won’t have a chip on my shoulder and I won’t feel like recreating the past, but it’ll mark 20 years since I graduated college.
Today, I had a Cutie’s date and it couldn’t have gone any more perfect. Wall to wall sunshine, a tasty drink, and my new Emily Gilmore book to keep me company. Seriously, today would have been a great Ligonier day or the perfect opportunity to use my camera while in town. The seating at Cutie’s inside and outside was filled so I got my drink and took it up to the promenade next to the courthouse.
I have my drinks lined up through April. Today’s drink was the Cadbury Egg Latte and Thursday’s will be the Fluffy Bunny Peep Latte. Also on the Cutie radar is the Bananas Foster Latte, Blueberry Cheesecake Cold Brew, and Banana Bread Chai. The Oreo Dirt Frappe? I’m trying that in May!
Tonight begins my Gilmore Girls rewatch.
Stylish 🍒 