Well, I made it to class in plenty of time today. The morning was smooth... actually, we blew a circuit and dressed without lights or electricity because drying and straightening our hair is just as important as wearing a shirt. No, it is. Really. ;)
I walked to school by myself today and had no problem finding the building. It was a great walk. The temperature here could not be better. That cool breeze that always parades into south Mississippi to announce that heat is leaving is constant here. Parents all walk their children hand in hand to school and it is very precious. The peaceful walk (I mean, as long as you don't get hit by a car) is a great way to start one's day.
School was fun. We speak in Spanish the entire time; no English is allowed at all. So if we do not know what a certain word means, we have to explain it to each other in Spanish or the teacher has to tell us other words in Spanish that we can understand. It is difficult, but considering my fascination with words, it is very, very fun! For example: The teacher is using the spanish word "cortes" and you do not know that it means "courteous," you would rely on a classmate who could describe courteous behavior to you (in Spanish) and hope that you understand. It's a trip. I am in class from 9:30am to 1:30pm with a 20 minute break (and I am sure I will grab un cafe con leche cada dia durante de estes minutos). The class is tiny, only 9 students and I am SO thankful for that! I wish all foreign language classes could be that personal. We will learn much more efficiently.
We walked home from class and were super sleepy/grumpy/hungry but wanted to find our apartment to put our books away and then find lunch. Somehow I got the group really, really lost and we wandered in a circle for TWO HOURS. I have 3 canyons of blisters on my feet. Ouch.
After lunch and a little shopping, we rested. Then Jordan and I went to the amazing park (so far, the most incredible spot in Spain to me) and I had a good run. It is so lively and romantic! The sun was setting over the city and the park is at the highest point... I will take my camera another day and try to capture it. Exercising will be no problem. I do wish I could walk someone's dog while I am here. I think there are more dogs in the park than people and I feel left out.
Tomorrow we have a tour of Madrid after class. It will be a long day with a lot of walking and lots of pictures. Ah! So much excitement to embrace. This weekend is an 8 hour bus trip to Barcelona and I am really looking forward to it!
My brain hurts. Literally. Like, not a headache. No, a brainache from constantly switching from Spanish to English. I have no doubt that the quality of writing demonstrated on these blogs is steadily decreasing as I am struggling now for coherence in two languages. English is language difficult. (Kind of how I talk, ha.)
Mom, isn't there some kind of word bank in early childhood language development that indicates how many words a day a child can learn? Overload= mush.
I am safe, not spending very much money (it is only the third day), and learning Spanish. And I AM IN SPAIN! But most exciting of all tonight... I am going to sleep somewhat early. Que fantastico!
I love you all...
Buena noche.
I walked to school by myself today and had no problem finding the building. It was a great walk. The temperature here could not be better. That cool breeze that always parades into south Mississippi to announce that heat is leaving is constant here. Parents all walk their children hand in hand to school and it is very precious. The peaceful walk (I mean, as long as you don't get hit by a car) is a great way to start one's day.
School was fun. We speak in Spanish the entire time; no English is allowed at all. So if we do not know what a certain word means, we have to explain it to each other in Spanish or the teacher has to tell us other words in Spanish that we can understand. It is difficult, but considering my fascination with words, it is very, very fun! For example: The teacher is using the spanish word "cortes" and you do not know that it means "courteous," you would rely on a classmate who could describe courteous behavior to you (in Spanish) and hope that you understand. It's a trip. I am in class from 9:30am to 1:30pm with a 20 minute break (and I am sure I will grab un cafe con leche cada dia durante de estes minutos). The class is tiny, only 9 students and I am SO thankful for that! I wish all foreign language classes could be that personal. We will learn much more efficiently.
We walked home from class and were super sleepy/grumpy/hungry but wanted to find our apartment to put our books away and then find lunch. Somehow I got the group really, really lost and we wandered in a circle for TWO HOURS. I have 3 canyons of blisters on my feet. Ouch.
After lunch and a little shopping, we rested. Then Jordan and I went to the amazing park (so far, the most incredible spot in Spain to me) and I had a good run. It is so lively and romantic! The sun was setting over the city and the park is at the highest point... I will take my camera another day and try to capture it. Exercising will be no problem. I do wish I could walk someone's dog while I am here. I think there are more dogs in the park than people and I feel left out.
Tomorrow we have a tour of Madrid after class. It will be a long day with a lot of walking and lots of pictures. Ah! So much excitement to embrace. This weekend is an 8 hour bus trip to Barcelona and I am really looking forward to it!
My brain hurts. Literally. Like, not a headache. No, a brainache from constantly switching from Spanish to English. I have no doubt that the quality of writing demonstrated on these blogs is steadily decreasing as I am struggling now for coherence in two languages. English is language difficult. (Kind of how I talk, ha.)
Mom, isn't there some kind of word bank in early childhood language development that indicates how many words a day a child can learn? Overload= mush.
I am safe, not spending very much money (it is only the third day), and learning Spanish. And I AM IN SPAIN! But most exciting of all tonight... I am going to sleep somewhat early. Que fantastico!
I love you all...
Buena noche.
I love your stories. It's so good to hear that you are experiencing the fun and beauty of another culture. I can't wait to hear more!
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