My letters to you - Spencer Reid x OC

25

To Elizabeth,

It was wonderful to finally get to meet you in person. You were just as wonderful as I expected, if not more. It's been a surprisingly quiet week, mostly paperwork and a small case not to far from DC that we worked on.

   How has your week been now that you're back in Cannon Beach? I'm assuming it's been a lot quieter than DC. 

   I hope I'm not out of line when I say that it feel's significantly different without you around. I find myself thinking of you whenever I walk through the city, past all the places I would like to take you, should you come to DC again.

   There's once question I'd like to ask you, if you could learn any language, what would it be?

         I hope to hear from you soon,

                      Spencer

Dear Spencer,

   Cannon Beach has been quiet as usual. I spent some time settling back in and talking with some friends in town. I also spent some time with my neighbour, Mr Thomas. He's a sweet man, plays a lot of card games. 

   You're not out of line for thinking of me when in DC. I've actually been thinking a lot about the places I'd take you here. Granted, there isn't much to do, but we do have a small history center which I have no doubt you would like. I actually spent time there when I first moved in, learning as much as I could about it here as I could.

   If I could learn any language, it'd probably be Arabic. I know it's not most people's first pick, however I think the script is one of the most beautiful writings in the world, and a lot of the most influential texts in the modern world are written in Arabic and, although I've read the English translation, there's nothing like reading the original text.

   I have a question for you, if you could try one thing that you've never done before, what would it be?

   I hope to hear from you soon,

            Elizabeth

To Elizabeth,

   I'm glad to know you don't think it's to weird. Also the museum you're talking about seems great! Local history is something that should be seen as more important as we can learn a significant amount about why a town is built the way it is and where some local traditions come from!

   If I could learn any language it would likely be Thai. It has influences from not only other Asian languages, but also European and Semitic ones as well. The script is also highly unique, taking influences from Chinese, Arabic and Hebrew!

   As for the one thing I would like to do that I have never done yet, it would likely be to take an art class. Despite all the time I spent in college I never took a single art elective, so taking an art class would likely be something fun I could try. Did you ever take any art classes while you were in college?

   I've recently taken up guest lecturing at a few colleges in DC and Virginia, and so far I think it's going well, though a lot of the students are surprised when they see me lecturing. I can't blame them, though it does feel weird the way a lot of them stare at me. Have you ever had that feeling?

I hope to hear from you again soon,

           Spencer

Dear Spencer,

    I totally agree with you that local history is an important subject to know about! Informing yourself on local traditions and where they might come from is really important, especially from a linguistics point of view! Around 93% of communication is non-verbal which really re-enforces the need to understand local customs and mannerisms to ensure that a clear line of communication is able to happen, even if you're talking the same language! Ever since I moved North from Texas, I found that non-verbal cues are significantly different and I needed to adapt to figure out what people were doing. It was truly fascinating from a research point of view to find differences in local mannerisms to those I was used to.

   Thai seems like a great language to learn, the script is incredibly beautiful and complex and would likely be fascinating to study. You're question about what language I would learn actually got me to start studying Arabic, and although it is difficult, it is defiantly going to be worth it!

   I actually did take an art elective while doing my master, figuring it would be fun, though it only lasted one semester. I tried a watercolor class, and least to say it went horribly. I had no idea what I was doing, though I can defiantly admire the skill it takes to create beautiful works using the medium. If I were to try a different art class, it would likely be pottery. I feel I'd likely be better at that than painting.

   The guest lectures sound interesting, what are you teaching them? You seem to know a lot about a lot of different subjects, so I honestly have no idea what you could be teaching. As for the feeling of being stared at, I can defiantly empathise with. When I first moved to Cannon Beach, a teacher at the local high school asked me to come in and do a tutorial with their chess club, and I ended up giving them a small lecture on the pro's and con's of advanced pawn theory, only to find out that a majority of them had only stated playing in middle school. 

   The problem I told you I was dealing with has gotten a little worse recently, though I think I can handle it. I think if I leave it be for a while it should disappear on it's own.

    I hope to hear from you soon,

            Elizabeth