Finish that Sentence Friday and this week’s I thought I was so cool when I….
I had to really go to the recesses of my mind for this prompt! If you read Kate’s post from yesterday you will understand why. I never really thought I was cool. Except this one time, in Spain. I was 16 and if my long-term memory is correct this is how it went:
Tia and I were sophomores in high school and had the for-real coolest Spanish teacher in the history of Spanish teachers. Her name was Ms. Bertucci (like the restaurant, not sure if she was related). After saving our babysitting money and working part-time we convinced our parents to let us go. Across the ocean to a foreign country where we barely spoke the language.
What could go wrong, right?
The first night in Madrid we were allowed to go to a discotheque. There we were in our Guess watches (well, I was wearing a knock off), Benetton shirts, white socks scrunched down over our white sneakers and mini-skirts. (Okay, now you know how long ago this was!)
We were in the discotheque having a great time dancing to music we couldn’t understand, rocking our mall bangs and thinking we were the coolest things in the world. These fine old Spanish gentlemen men were being so nice to us. Offering to buy us drinks (legal in a foreign country go us!) and laughing when we ordered soda instead. They started asking all about us, where we were staying, how long, did we know where our hotel was….
Sure, you know this is going no where nice…but we were 16 and idiots!
Thankfully, one of our classmates who understood Spanish a LOT better than either of us quickly figured it out and we learned….
In the 80’s if you were in Madrid and wearing a mini-skirt it meant you were a hooker!
That is probably that last time we, I mean, “I” felt cool!
And I should probably apologize publically for outting Tia’s experience with cool. But she is cool all the time so she will probably forgive me for a little embarrassment. After all, the tampon story was much worse!
Be sure you find out how everyone else felt cool by visiting the hosts of Finish that Sentence Friday
Kate (Twitter, Facebook)
Janine’s Confessions of a Mommyaholic (Twitter, Facebook)
Mommy, for Real (Twitter, Facebook)
Dawn’s Disaster (Twitter, Facebook)
And if you haven’t had a chance, would you take a moment to visit Babble and “like” my nomination for Best of the Blogs? It is super simple. Just visit the page and click: like on Facebook or Tweet or Google+ (G+ can be multiple times, Facebook just once per person dang it!)
(Un)Diagnosed and still okay 
I can kind of figure the time period this took place by your clothing description and think I owned an outfit similar. Got to remember never to find it and go to there, lol!! Seriously, thanks for linking up with as always!! 🙂
LikeLike
That's awesome! The choices we make when we're 16 and innocent–I would have had waaayy too many outfits that qualified for hooker status!
LikeLike
Yes. The cool things we did at that age! Wow! And some were so silly when we look back. But then, that's youth! Thanks for sharing, Keri! Sharing!
LikeLike
I love that you went to Spain and I love your hooker outfit even more!!!!
LikeLike
OMG! That had me just cracking up!!!
LikeLike
Hysterical! I can't believe he thoughts you two were hookers! Thanks for the laugh 🙂
LikeLike
OMG thank you for the hilarity! That is awesome. HAHAHAHHA. Seriously, huge smiles here and I needed them today. So thank you.
Oh. And I've always thought you were cool. And always will.
LikeLike
NO WAY! Ah, Bennetton and mini skirts…who knew? Hilarious.
LikeLike
I went to Cancun with my Spanish class in high school (which I would never let me daughter do), but sadly I was not cool enough to be mistaken for a hooker. Guess I left my miniskirts at home.
LikeLike
HA! Hopefully Tia will NOT find the photos for revenge!
LikeLike
Which we would NEVER let our daughters wear, right?
LikeLike
Thanks, Michelle!
LikeLike
My ONE Time in a foreign country and I dress to impress…
LikeLike
Says some one from Europe, who if we had know each other than could have warned me!!!
LikeLike
You are welcome!
LikeLike
If you needed smiles, don't read JUMP. But I am glad to bring you a little moment of hilarity even at my own expense.
LikeLike
Sad, but true story.
LikeLike
And this is why we NEVER told our mothers that we could have started a business at 16!!
LikeLike
Oh that's too funny — good thing you had a friend who knew the language better than you. And sounds like I dressed very similarly to you back in the day…who could forget Benneton and slouchy socks!? That WAS cool back then!
LikeLike
Whoa! Whoops. That's such a shame that your outfit got caught in cultural crossfire. Great post though.
LikeLike
I feel bad for the young, young people who must find their own, 'you-did-not-do-that' experiences in this somehow, too safe/too dangerous world we live in… I remember the first day of my second year of college meeting up with some friends and having a hitchhiking race down to the beach (and back) to the school. 3 guys versus 3 girls… we all met at the beach (about 20 miles on the south coast of the state) then got rides (from strangers) back to school.
lol talk about do not try this, demonstration purposes only.
fun Post
LikeLike
Ha! Was that in Maine? I had a friend who used to do that same run! He would have his parents drop him off somewhere between NYC and MA and then 'race' his friends to the dorm. The only rule was you could not take public transportation. And no way in HELL would I let Allie do that 🙂
LikeLike
I kind of miss the innocent days of slouchy socks. Now I wear no-see-ums!
LikeLike
Who knew that almost 30 years later I would out my BFF and myself 🙂
LikeLike
Wow..you really got lucky!!! I honestly can't imagine letting my teen child go across the STATE, much less to another country! But, times REALLY have changed… I remember when I was 7 and could walk down to the park, alone.. we slept with the front door unlocked (we did have a gate around the house, and a 'watch-dog' {read: dog who barked at everything that walked by, but if you came in the fence, would NOT attack you}) Now, I won't let my 7yr old go down the elevator in our building by himself!!! And it drives me NUTS that my neighbor let's her 6yr old walk all the way to the end of the block to catch the bus himself…
LikeLike
HAha Kerri, at least you learned your lesson after the first time! How embarrassing!
LikeLike
:-))
LikeLike
Funny. I can just imagine your mortification. I would have probably never gone back to a discotheque again.
LikeLike