(upbeat rock music) - I'ma try corn.

I'ma try corn.

(laughs) (Beatriz speaking Spanish) (upbeat rock music) Elote, "corn," okay.

(upbeat rock music) I'm nervous a little bit.

(people laughing) I did good in class, right?

I did good, I'm marking through... (people speaking Spanish) Okay, yeah, next episode, I'm gonna be the profe, you know, so that's... From student to teacher, right?

(Beatriz speaking Spanish) (Jerome laughing) I like to add a little pizzazz on my Spanish, rico!

(Beatriz speaking Spanish) (people laughing) (paper rustling) (upbeat rock music) (upbeat funk music) Welcome to "The Good In Us," I'm your host, Jerome Moore, and today, I'm gonna be meeting up with Beatriz and Becca from Voces de Nashville, where they use language to build community, so I'm gonna be taking some language classes, I'm gonna use those language skills on a field trip, and then, I'm gonna be talking to some students from the community who are using their newly-acquired language skills to build community themselves, so it's gonna be in both English and Spanish, so we're gonna have an adventure and let's see how good my Spanish is, okay?

Let's go.

(upbeat funk music) Beatriz, Becca, thank you for allowing me to be here with Voces de Nashville, how y'all doing?

(people speaking Spanish) I'm excited to just, one, use some of my Spanish skills that I think I still have, but also learn more about Voces de Nashville, so tell us a little bit about Voces de Nashville, Beatriz, and, like, kind of what you all doing.

(Beatriz speaking Spanish) Well, look, I'm excited to participate in Voces de Nashville, so Becca, tell me a little bit about, like, some of the things I'm gonna be participating in today.

- Yeah, so you're gonna go to class with maestra Karen and y'all are gonna go on a paseo, field trip, to Bee Ice Cream down the road on Nolansville, and then, you're gonna participate in la clase de la maestra Gabby, which is an intermediate class, since you can have a really nice conversation and really put to practice your Spanish skills there.

- Well, look, I'm excited, I'm ready to put to practice my Spanish skills, learn some... Get some skills, eat some ice cream, you know, and then, be able to talk to other community members that are students and being able to, like, bridge that community and language gap, and stuff, so show me the way, I'm excited.

(people speaking Spanish) (Jerome speaking Spanish) (upbeat funk music) Well, I'm back in Spanish class, and it's time to impress the world with my Español skills, so let's hope my vocabulary doesn't decide to take a siesta before going on this field trip.

(Karen speaking Spanish) (people speaking Spanish) (Karen speaking Spanish) (people speaking Spanish) (Jerome speaking Spanish) (Jerome laughing) So I just went through the class a little bit and learned some new words, now, we're about to use some of the words and go, like, on a field trip?

(Beatriz speaking Spanish) And so, you can help me buy my ice cream, right?

(Beatriz speaking Spanish) And so, if I don't get the right flavor that I'm supposed to get, it's her fault, it's not my fault.

(people laughing) All right, you ready?

(Beatriz speaking Spanish) (upbeat funk music) Going to get some ice cream on a cold day.

(laughs) (vehicle humming) Now, I gotta figure out which flavor I want, and we gotta use my new Spanish words.

I think it's gonna be real simple because I think I'm gonna just say, "Chocolate."

(laughs) Are you getting the pecans?

- [Person] Uh-huh.

- [Jerome] Okay, all right.

- [Person] I'm gonna try it.

- [Jerome] You gonna try it?

Okay, all right.

I'm usually a butter pecan person myself.

- I usually like chocolate.

- Chocolate, yeah, you can't go wrong with chocolate.

So how do I say, like, "I wanna try?"

(Beatriz speaking Spanish) (Jerome speaking Spanish) No?

(laughs) (upbeat funk music) (person speaking Spanish) Gracias.

(upbeat funk music) (Beatriz speaking Spanish) (person speaking Spanish) (people speaking Spanish) So I only get three tries.

(people speaking Spanish) (Jerome laughing) For free, for free.

(dramatic whooshing) (upbeat funk music) (people speaking Spanish) It's good, I like it.

(Beatriz speaking Spanish) I don't like passion fruit.

(people speaking Spanish) I'ma try corn.

(laughs) (upbeat funk music) This is good.

It's good, is it...?

What's inside of it?

Corn or...?

- It's corn.

(Jerome laughing) Corn, yeah.

We also... For the adults, we have tequila, mezcal, and rum.

- See, why you didn't...?

You should've said that at first.

So now, I think I want to buy, so... (people speaking Spanish) I'ma do vaso, with a cappuccino chiquito.

(people speaking Spanish) (upbeat funk music) - [Beatriz] Perfecto.

(Jerome speaking Spanish) - For sure, thank you.

(people speaking Spanish) - [Person] Good day.

(people speaking Spanish) (Jerome laughing) - So we have our ice cream now, I think I did a good job ordering in Spanish, right?

(Beatriz speaking Spanish) It was perfecto, right?

It was... No mistakes.

One of the things I was thinking about is when we talk about a second language and learning a second language, how does that maybe make somebody a better neighbor, a better community member, a better citizen?

(Beatriz speaking Spanish) I see, Becca?

- Yeah, yeah, I think it shows...

When you try to speak your neighbor's language, it just shows that you care about their culture, you're interested in learning more and connecting with them on a human level, and anytime you can make that effort, even if it feels uncomfortable, I think it means a lot to people.

(upbeat rock music) - Now that I've had my ice cream for the day, I'm excited to learn how Voces de Nashville's students are finding new ways to connect with the community through language.

(indistinct) (people laughing) - Just making sure, just making sure.

- I have neighbors who are Spanish, and from time to time, we've had a need to communicate with them and we've had to use their children.

- I have a lot of Hispanic people come and do work for a building, and they bring groceries and everything else, and they're kind of daunted by that, but then, they see me bumbling my way through, and all of a sudden, like, we're best friends and we're talking about so many things.

- Yeah, I just appreciate the confidence that this program has given me so far to at least try.

- Just trying, even if you mess it up, right?

That's why I like the whole phrase, "sin vergüenza," like, "without shame," because, like, that's what you gotta go in with.

(laughs) No shame at all, and then, like... 'Cause you gonna mess up as part of learning, right?

That's what I appreciate about it too, yeah, and so, y'all are all here, you know, messing up together.

(people laughing) As someone who lived in Paraguay doing my Peace Corps service, arriving with no Spanish skills, I know firsthand the challenges of learning a second language, but through that journey, I also discovered the power of community.

As Becca and Beatriz showed us today, even the smallest effort to connect with a neighbor who speaks a different language can go a long way.

By simply trying, we open the door for understanding, for connection, and for seeing the good, not just in ourselves, but in each other.

(Jerome laughing) (upbeat rock music)