Latinae Linguae Memoriae

I was thinking about it but I can’t exactly remember when I knew I loved Latin.  I can't think of one of the "normal" things that make you like the subject.  "Normal" things being, you like the teacher, a family member or friend likes it, fun in the class, and the subject. 

I don’t think it was because of the teacher.

Foreign language, two years of it, a state requirement for getting out of high school and into a Florida college.  Spanish was out and so was French, neither held an interest for me.  So lets take the last one available, Latin.  Ms. Ratti became my Latin teacher for my two years. "Domina Ratti" ruled the class.

She probably stood 5'1" and was rather round. She was in her late forties I'm sure, but looked about sixty.  She had lively blue eyes and frizzy bleached yellow-orange hair, she didn't look like much and I'll put it this way, answer questions and be polite, stay on her good side. Strict rules enforced by her no nonsense nature.  I, fortunately, bore no brunt of any of her tirades.   Bobby, who sat behind me, was always feeling the lash of her tongue.  She wasn’t evil, just very strict. 

In my second year with her she seemed to calm down.  We, those of us who made it through the first year, found out that "Domina Ratti" only wanted those who were truly interested in learning and that she hated freshmen.  From there she made sure we all understood the material before moving on.

I don’t think it was the history and mythology. (They were the fun things in class, at least that first year.)

Gods, goddesses and mortals battling one another throughout eternity and the most beautiful woman in the world a pawn in the gods’ schemes, what fantastic stories, and in Latin I heard many like these every day.   The history of Rome wasn’t boring either.  Battles, conquered nations, and the famous lines of veni, vini, vici, also permeated the class every day.

None of my family have ever taken Latin and years later when I told my father that I wanted to teach it, he asked me, "When did you take Latin?"  So I know it wasn't my family.  I also don't think that the subject matter itself.  Latin is full of grammar and vocabulary.  Decline illa, conjugate do, find the ablative, what does this case stand for, create the Perfect passive participle and much, much more.  I'm confusing myself again, I'll stop.

Honestly I think Latin itself that made me love Latin.

I've noticed the benefits it has given me and I appreciate them but they are not the real reason I like Latin.  I honestly don't fully understand it myself.  My fiance thinks its because I have an infatuation with things that seem to have no more use.  He thinks I purposely go out and research, find people with that interest, and try to bring it back to life.  I kind if do, have any of you heard of "tatting?"  Probably not considering it has nothing to do with tattoos.

It's just an interest that has taken off.  It took many years and a book called The Lake of Dead Languages to make me go, “I want to teach Latin.”  Here I am and I am looking for things that I can use to show the use of this great language today.