Life does not always provide opportunities to thank those who have made a difference in our lives, but when it does, the moment is one of grace. Last week I had the pleasure of welcoming into my home my high school Latin teacher who was in town for a class reunion.
The last time I had seen Louanna, she was called Sr. John Martha and wore the habit of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. More than love of Latin drew me back to visit Louanna during my first year of college. She had introduced me to the classics and through them to discussions of ageless themes that thread through human existence: friendship, suffering, faithfulness, old age, morality, common good, conflict, power, and the corruption that often attends it.
Despite disliking school for most of my undergraduate life, I found Latin class to be a bright spot as I trudged through high school years. We translated Virgils Aeneid, Ciceros essays, and had lively discussions, grappling with issues these great thinkers encountered. I remember one question brought up by the love affair of Aeneas and Dido: Can one love to a fault? Some classmates said yes. I thought of my mother, one of the most loving people I knew and pondered the matter: From a Christian perspective, one cannot love too much, I decided. Wisdom and prudence are necessary when choosing how to express great love, but the love itself? Jesus gave us the answer. That I remember the text and my personal reflection on it forty odd years later is testament to the quality of Louannas teaching.
Near the end of my senior year, when Louanna asked if we would like to sell our copies of the Aeneid to the incoming class, only two students did not: my best friend, Jolaine and me. We treasured the deep purple book with its thin paper foldout vocabulary page and wonderful footnotes. Well translate it again, we told each other. I am not sure about Jolaines book, but mine travelled with me to college where I did translate it occasionally as I worked through other texts in Latin class.
Knowledge of Latin provided unexpected help when I backpacked through Europe a few summers later and stopped quite by chance in the beautiful town of Zernez. The gateway to the Swiss National Park, it is nestled in the Alps in a small area of Switzerland where Romansh is spoken, even today. To my delight, I could read signs and understand a little conversation. Of course, I could also translate Latin inscriptions on monuments in Rome, but hearing a linguistic cousin of Latin spoken by the living? That was exciting.
Today I keep a Latin/English dictionary handy and am thankful for the understanding of English and grammar that comes as a bonus with Latin studies. I am most grateful to my teacher for the introduction to great thinkers, authors, and poets. Louanna was delighted to learn that one of my daughters graduated with a degree in Classical Languages. I was delighted with the opportunity to spend Sunday morning with the woman who provided not only an oasis in my high school years, but also a love of classics and language that continues to enrich my life.
© 2010 Mary van Balen
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