Dia Diez y nueve - A Brilliant Language Idea! ...or maybe not.

4 de Junio del 2009

I’m coming up on veinte dias en Costa Rica ahora. Wow. It doesn’t feel like it has been that long. Tomorrow we are leaving right after school to travel to San José. And yes, for anyone who is about to say it, we are going to be careful, no we are not bringing our computeres, yes we are coming back before dark, no we aren’t bringing anything incredibly valuable. We are looking forward to the trip. Noah is researching and planning where he wants to go eat, Benjamin just wants to explore, and I just want to make sure I know where the bus stop to get home is. ;-) (And thus, the three stereotypes of our trip, the cultured tourist, the adventurer, and the worried expatriate just trying to get back to su casa.

I’ve been contemplating the advantages of mixing Spanish and English together to form a new language (not Spanglish...that name has already been taken). The idea would be to condense language to make it more economical. For example, I was trying to sing “Yes, we have no bananas” in Spanish and the literal translation turns out something like “Si, nosotros tenemos no bananas.” How cumbersome is it to say “nosotros tenemos” instead of “we have”? On the other hand, in Spanish if I want to say “something” I can just say “algo” and if I want to say “and” I can just say (or type) “y”. What if we combined the two languages by taking all the synonyms/direct translations and choosing whichever language had the shortest word for that particular idea? Instead of saying “We have something and it is big ” (7 words, 8 syllables) or “Nosotros tenemos algo y es grande” (6 words, 12 syllables) we could just say “We have algo y es big” (6 words, 7 syllables). Just as a note, yes, I realize that the Spanish version of this sentence is not entirely correct, I am using it for an example...even if it is a poor one.

The best thing about the combination would be that you don’t actually have to give up any long, beautiful words that you enjoy. It would not be removing anything from the vocabulary of either language but merely supplementing it. Writers could still use the grand words, but you would have the option of saving tons of time by using the shorter words.

...Or we could all learn Chinese which seems to be composed completely of monosyllables ;-) Just think, we could just be using monosyllabic grunts to communicate! Future generations may think of us as cavemen, but that’s okay because we think of past generations as cavemen anyway ;-)

Dia Diez y ocho – Soccer!

3 de Junio del 2009

Yo fué shopping este tardes. Yo compro un paraguas y shampoo (my travel size was running out). We also bought snacks for the big game between the US and Costa Rica this evening. We bought, in the words of mi padre, “snackerooy catchatooy.” We found some chips, honey roasted peanuts, and munchies. Chips are incredibly cheap here, by the way. You can get a mongo bag of chips for about a dollar.

The game was interesting. Noah, Benjamin, and I watched the game at la casa de mi familia tico. We formed the US contingent of the cheering section and they provided the Costa Rican delegation. While the pre-game announcements were still going, we saw a blurb (in Spanish) that said Costa Rica had seis victorias consecutivas against the United States. The US plays Costa Rica only once every four years so that means we haven’t won against Costa Rica for more than 28 años! I guess Americans just aren’t so good at futball.

As the players came out on the field, the Americans were noticably stronger and larger (in terms of muscle mass), but watching the game, the Costa Rican players moved a whole lot faster. It seems like where the Costa Rican players were always running, the American players were always walking or maybe in a light jog. The Costa Ricans scored against us in the first two minutes and followed up with another goal in the next ten minutes. A 0-2 trail in the first twenty minutes was a little depressing. The Costa Rican players’ passes and traps were so much more crisp and sharp. The Aemricans were always trying to dribble past ten people because they took so long to pass that their lanes were closed. The Costa Rican team was passing all the time and it always seemed like the number of Costa Ricans on the television screen (where the ball was) outnumbered the Americans. They were just running around a lot more. The American players seemed like they weren’t running unless they actually had the ball. Anyway...I don’t want to beat up on our fellow Americans too much, but it was a little disheartening. We live in a country of 300 million people who have access to the best training facilities and coaches in the world. Why do we get smothered by a country of 6 million that is “supposed” to be ranked below the US in FIFA rankings? It’s like all international sports...there is no money in it for our players to play for the USA rather than a private sports team so less professionals commit the time. In Costa Rica, it is an honor to be on the national team. In the US, nobody follows the national team and the players just don’t have the same incentive. I am sure they try hard, train hard, and play hard, but comparatively speaking, the inspiration and the drive is not there. I don’t know. This could all be speculation, but that is what it seemed.

Anyway, the US team improved dramatically about thirty minutes into the game and were able to keep Costa Rica at bay until the latter part of the second half where the Costa Rican team slipped past the defense and made it 0-3. My tico family and we were razzing each other and engaging in friendly banter. They were saying Costa Rica will make it 0-4 and we were denying their claim ;-) The US did get one point from a penalty kick in the last few minutes of the game and we were able to say we got at least one point. The game ended 1-3 in favor of Costa Rica. The snacks had been devoured and we had all enjoyed the experience. We went to bed a little late, but having enjoyed a fun evening.

Dia Diez y Siete - The News Hour with that guy in Costa Rica

June 2, 2009

I am still working on gathering the material for a photo blog. I just need to get in the habit of taking more pictures.

Today was a very tiring day. I don’t know porque, pero yo was muy cansado todas del dia. Yo voy a to try to get some more sleep tonight.

One thing I have gained a greater appreciation for here in Costa Rica is being blessed to have been taught to use computers. In my tico family, Mauricio is the oldest and the most tech saavy. But he asks for my help with simple things like importing pictures from Picasa simply because he isn’t used to it. No one in the family really utilizes the computer that they have. Computers are such helpful tools but they do take some getting used to. I usually think of people who don’t know how to use computers as being part of one of two groups. The first group says they aren’t tech saavy but actually know their way around well enough. They don’t know why things work, but they understand how a computer works so they can use the computer so long as nothing goes horribly wrong. The second group is those that really don’t know how to use the computer at all and cannot really use their computer without help. The second group has gradually been dissapearing in the US, almost everyone has or is learning basic computer skills now, even if they only know a few programs. But here in Costa Rica, even the kids don’t really know how to use their computers. :-/ Anyway, it made me realize just how bless I am in something I had never really thought about before.

Noah went to see the doctor today and was able to get some medicine to help his symptoms. Apparently, his body is having a reaction to a regional virus that just comes from eating the food and drinking the water. It is the kind of virus everyone who comes to Costa Rica is going to get simply by being here, but that only some people react to it. So the good news is that Noah is feeling better and that we don’t have to quarantine him because whatever he has we have too anyway. ;-)

We want to visit San José this week. Noah is leaving for Monte Verde at the end of the week so we want to do something together. We are all really craving eating at Subway too ;-) (I love the food here, but sometimes you just get that craving for something. It doesn’t mean you don’t want anything else.)

Anyway, I know it is not the best for my Spanish, but I have started reading a lot of news articles to try to catch up on what’s happening in the world. Big changes are happening. North Korea scares me.

In classes today, we went over more definite articles and their uses (el/la/los/las). We feel the lesson is getting a bit tedious so we will probably ask if it would be okay to move a little faster through the material. Our professora is really patient and helpful. So far I have really liked all the professors and professoras we have had. The overall learning atmosphere has been excellent.

Tomorrow is the big game between the US and Costa Rican soccer teams. You can probably watch it in the States too. My family is going to be rooting for Costa Rica while I will root for the US. It should be fun and hopefully I won’t get thrown out of the house if the US wins ;-) I have decided to get the membership at the movie rental place because there aren’t many edifying television shows you can watch in Spanish.

Sorry this post has been more of a bullet point news update than a cohesive idea or theme. If you have an idea for me or something you’d like me to write on, send me an email or leave a comment. Just don’t send me thirty questions at once (that means you mom ;-) ) because then I feel overwhelmed.

Hasta mañana!

Dia Diez y seis – Semana Tres Commences

June 1, 2009

Well, today is the official start of my third week of school. According the the syllabus that I got when I emailed earlier this spring, I should be out of “basic survivor Spanish” and into “Spanish I” proper. Our classmate Atsu left for Monteverde this week so Benjamin, Adonis, and I moved into the same class as Noah. :-) It’s fun being in the same class but I must admit is confuses me because Noah is a much more advanced Spanish speaker.

So far, our class has been mostly review. We went over pronunciation, nouns and adjectives. It is all very basic, but I am just glad to be adding some meat around all the verbs I know now. The first two weeks we had some random noun/adjective vocabulary, but nothing structured or comprehensive, the primary focus was on verbs. So now that we have all these verbs, it is nice to start adding some properly structured nouns into the mix. In starting from the beginning, however, we are going over what most Americans already know about Spanish like the “o” and “a” endings, the masculine/feminine nouns, and the different ways to say “the” (el/la/los/las). From a learning standpoint, it has so far been all review, but at least I am learning the “why” and being taught in a structured way what I knew before only by general knowledge.

The class is slow though, and for some reason I have been really tired this week. Noah is feeling a bit sick. :-( I feel fine but am just tired.

A whole bunch of new students began classes this week. It seems like the campus doubled in size. All these new people! From what we can gather, they are all mostly in the same group, we think they are traveling together as part of a high school program.

This weekend, when I made the rum cake, it turned out only so-so. I put too much glaze on too fast and so the cake got soggy rather than glazed. My family was polite and said it tasted fine but I am going to try again next week and make them a real rum cake. It’s not to expensive to buy ingredients here and the local “Megasuper” has all the supplies I need.

There are two supermarkets in town. The first, Pali, has the feel of a more local store. It’s “theme color” is orange so it kinda looks like a home depot for food. More local people shop there and it is closer to our house. The second supermarket, Megasuper, has a much more American feel. It’s feels like a Target or Wal-Mart in atmosphere and has a lot more selection. It’s a little more “yuppie” in the Costa Rican sense of the term (if there is such a sense of the term) but I actually like the Pali better. Pali is cheaper and just feels more authentic. Both are nice though. When I have day to day shopping needs, I go to Pali. If I have something special I need, I go to Megasuper. Megasuper is a little out of the way, but it is in a nicer part of town and there is also a Gym and a movie store nearby.

Well, that is all I have for today. I am working on taking more pictures and posting them. Maybe I’ll do a photo-blog post soon...I’ll work on that.

Until next time, adios!

Dia Catorce y Dia Quince

May 30-31, 2009

This weekend, Gregorio was interviewed by www.curious.mom

Here is a transcript of that interview:

Curious Mom: I'd love to hear more about your experience at church. It sounded absolutely wonderful. What is a CCI plant? And does your Tico family attend church?

Gregorio: The church has its own building that looks like the downstairs used to be a store of some kind. The service is upstairs and is pretty contemporary in terms of style. They use projectors, acoustic and electrical guitars, and drums. Worship is amazing because everyone sings. It seems like they do not have a children’s ministry so there are a bunch of little kids in the service. One little girl, probably no older than three, gets up and dances around in the aisles during worship.

The pastor is very energetic. He’s probably in his fifties and though he is calm and friendly, he is completely on fire in the pulpit. My Spanish is not good enough to completely understand what he is saying, but they have slides on the projector that I can make out so I get the general gist of the message. This week, we read from Isaiah about the gardener who did everything possible to make the vines grow well but they bore rotten fruit. He first looked at the passage in the sense that we are the fruit and talked about how God blessed Israel, but Israel rebelled and bore bad fruit. Then he looked at the passage as though we were the gardener and talked about no matter what we do, we can’t make the garden grow good fruit, only God can. Anyway, it was interesting, but hard to follow in a foreign language.

Centro Christiano International probably has a different name in the US just because of the way we do adjectives differently than they do in Spanish. You can visit their website at: www.cciheredia.org

My family does not attend church. Noah’s family (nosotros pensemos their madre es la hermana de mi mama tica) and the grandmother go to the Catholic church in town, but my family pretty much only goes on Easter/Christmas.

CM: Have you learned more about Mauricio and Karla? What they are studying in school?

G: A little bit, not much though. Unfortunately, it is still pretty hard to communicate with my family. I can ask the simple questions, but it is hard for me to have a back and forth conversation, understand, and be able to communicate. I have to flip all though my dictionary and it takes a long while to get through a few sentences. Because of that, I’ve been able to ask some things but it has been hard for me to understand the answers to ask followup questions.

Mauricio is actually the father of Sofia and Ricardo, but he is unmarried (or separated/divorced) so Sofia and Ricardo live with their mother during the week and come over on the weekends. I have no idea what Mauricio does during the day because I always see him at home watching TV. I’d like to come up with a polite and sensitive way to ask what he does with his life but my language skills aren’t quite good enough to ask the question delicately.

Karla is the only other person in the family (besides the father, Victor) who has/uses a car. She drives out late in the morning and gets back generally later in the evening. Because of this, I don’t actually see her much and haven’t had the chance to ask her what she studies.

CM: Is the abandoned building actually in front of your house (the one that looks like it was burnt out)? I promise I will not freak out. I am aware more than you know of conditions in other countries. It becomes common to those living amonst the ruins, but it is still a sad state of affairs.

G: Yes, that is an abandoned building across the street. The one next too it looks burnt out too but those are the only “abandoned” buildings on the street so I assume there was a fire of some sort. We live in a very good neighborhood, though.

CM: Do Noah/Benjamin's families have kids?

G: Noah’s family has three boys. One I believe is slightly older than Noah and the other two are a little younger than I. They go to school, like to bike, and are in Boy Scouts. Benjamin’s “family” is one person...the grandmother who is the mother of the madres of our two families. So even though we are in three separate “families” we really are in one large extended family.

CM: Does Noah or Benjamin have a blog they'd be willing to share?

G: No :-P Nag them a little and they might consider it.

CM: So, are you using anything I sent with you? Fess up - tell me the truth. What about the netting? The bug repellent lotion? The sunscreen?

G: Actually I haven’t used the netting at all. I haven’t even used the bug spray. I used the anti-itch once but generally the bugs are bugging me ;-) The sunscreen is pretty much the same way, I used it once because I could feel the back of my neck burning. But really, I haven’t gotten burnt at all and things have been pretty good. I used the ibprofen once because I had a headache but other than those things, the only thing I use from my first aid kid is the malaria pills.

CM: Are you eating okay? Are you learning to eat eggs w/o your stomach churning? Are you beginning to drink the water? The coffee?

G: I am eating great (see previous post). I mix eggs up with whatever else I have and it’s okay. I actually don’t get served eggs often. I’ve only had them three or four times in two weeks so I’ve been lucky enough to avoid them for the most part. I have coffee every morning because that is what they serve. They don’t have any creamer so I generally drink it black or with a little sugar. I have had no problems with the water here and have not been worrying about drinking the water. At restaurants, however, I generally ask for bottled water or soda.

CM: How about the shower shoes?

G: The shower shoes have been wonderful. Thank you madre.

CM: You know I sent you with one decent rain poncho (hopefully)- the small ones are throw aways. Did you eventually get a big umbrella? : D Were you able to return your nino umbrella, or did you just give it away?

G: I haven’t actually used the ponchos yet, just the umbrellas. I haven’t bought the big umbrella, but after getting soaked on Sunday, I am definitely putting it on my shopping list. I’ve been using my niño umbrella and it works pretty well for light rain. I just did not realize how important a bigger umbrella was going to be so I though the little one would be fine for the short time I will be here. Considering that I get soaked once or twice a week, though and would be soaked even more often if I didn’t wait out the rain for more than 40 minutes at time, I have decided that the little umbrella just one cut it.

CM: How is your messenger bag working out?

G: The messenger bag is working okay. I use it as a backpack as much as I can though. You really don’t need to worry about pickpocket-eske crime here. The town is too small and not crowded enough, so backpacks with all the openings behind you and out of sight are fine. The most important thing is not crime but being able to walk. The messenger bag is okay for that, but a backpack is slightly better for that so I just tighten the strap on the back and treat it like a backpack.

CM: Are your clothes working out for you? Are your shoes breaking in okay, or are they too tight? How are you doing your laundry?

G: Clothes are working out fine. Mi mama tica actually does all the laundry so I don’t even have to worry about it. She is extremely generous. My shoes are breaking in fine. I just need to wear them with socks or they rub against my ankles. When I weak socks, though, there is just enough of a reduction of friction that it doesn’t matter.

CM: Did you find all the ingredients for your rum cake? What was it like for you to by the rum- or did you have Olga or Victor buy it?

G: Yes. As long as the money supply holds out, I can make an unlimited number of rum cakes. All the needed ingredients are here. I was able to buy the rum and I didn’t even have to show ID. It was a little scary. Benjamin has been asking me about the leftover rum that I didn’t use for the cake all weekend. He wants to drink rum like Jack Sparrow, but I told him that cooking rum is a bit different from the generic name for spirits/grog/rum that was on ship. He is undaunted, however, and still wants to try some pirate rum.

CM: Are you playing games with Maria Jose?

G: No, not really. The weird thing is that most of the family spends a huge amount of time watching TV. When Maria José gets back from school she watches TV. The only time I have really been able to play games is when Sofia and Ricardo visit during the weekends.

CM: Did you/will you buy dress clothes for church?

G: I have not yet, and I am not sure if I am going to yet. I haven’t really given it a lot of thought lately.

CM: Have you played soccer yet?

G: No, not yet. :-/ That is on my to do list along with restart my exercise schedule. It is really hard because you really only have a two hour window after classes to get everything you want to do that day before going back to the house done. If you stay at the school longer than 2 hrs, you often get stuck in the rain and either get really wet or have to wait for a few hours. So anyway, I’m working on it, but I think it is going to have to be a weekend thing and this weekend I was busy making cake and shopping for ingredients.

CM: I check the weather every day and it seems like your days would be beautiful.

G: The weather here is gorgeous. I am not too hot and not too cold and the warm sun beating down on you is amazing. Mornings have absolutely gorgeous weather...afternoons it rains.

CM: The Nats prep people were here on Tues/Wed. You were blessed to participate in such a neat group of families. The gal who was doing the training was trying to convince McNair not to split the negative, and McNair did not agree.

G: Tell McNair that splitting the negative can work, but it shouldn’t be the default just because that is what he and James are most used to. Deep is better than shallow and the best way to develop deep arguments is to shell and extend. (But also tell him that as long as he is keeping an open mind, he knows best how his team works and tell him not to be pressured into something he isn’t comfortable doing.) ;-)

That’s all for now! God Bless.

Dia Trece – FOOD! :-)

29 de Mayo, 2009

Today is Viernes, and hoy I have decided to talk about comida porque comida es importante.

Cada dia, nosotros tenemos frutas por desayuno y arroz y frijoles (rice and beans) por cena. I love la comida. I was originally worried that I would get sick of eating the same comida por diez semanas, but I absolutely love this stuff. Maybe that will change later, but at least for these first dos semanas, I am really enjoying the food.

But for lunches, I need to eat out because my family is technically not supposed to have to feed me. Unless I am specifically invited for lunch, I try to eat out so they don’t feel obligated to feed me.

There are a whole bunch of restaurants around San Joaquin de Flores.

So without further ado, I present The Restaurants of San Joaquin:

1. Café Café

Across the street from the school is “Café Café.” It has a lot of local dishes and kinda Mexican food. On their menu, the also have some pastas and fish. Their food is average quality for average price. We like that convenience of it being right across the street. If we are hungry and it is raining a lot, we’ll go over to Café Café and eat while we wait out the rain.

About halfway between the school and home there are two resturants: “Super Snacks” and “Pollo sus Amigos.”

2. Super Snacks

When you hear the name “Super Snacks,” you probably think of a snack stand that sells hot dogs and burgers. Maybe you imagine a small little street vender in the city. Well, believe it or not, but Super Snacks is one of the establishments of fine dining of San Joaquin. The atmosphere and professionalism is like a well lit, cleaner, Applebee’s with good music...or like an Olive Garden without the Mediterranean theme. As such, the food is a little more expensive...and (at least I think) sub par. I’ve been there twice and both times their food has been so-so. For the price they charge, it just isn’t worth it. The environment is wonderful, but the food ain’t my cup of tea.

3. Pollo sus Amigos

Right next door to Super Snacks is “Pollo sus Amigos”. Fried chicken is comparatively inexpensive here in Costa Rica and you can get good fried chicken for very reasonable rates. Pollo sus Amigos sells fried chicken. It’s menu is small, and reminds you of a fast food restaurant, but it is actually a sit down restaurant with a “Chili’s”-eske atmosphere. The music and pictures on the wall are a little obnoxious, but overall, it is a good price for fried chicken. It takes a little bit for your meal to be ready, but that is because everything is fresh. No chicken that has been waiting on a warmer for three hours, your chicken is hot, fresh, and newly fried with grease still dripping off the skin. Mmmm. Even though it is a good value, it still is a little pricy. You can get tortillas, fruit, soda, and two pieces of chicken for about $4 US dollars.

4. Chinese Restaurant

I always forget the name of this restaurant but I never forget where it is located. It is right by the Palí supermarcado, but I don’t remember it’s location because the location is something special or unusual. I remember the location because the food is so good ;-) In terms of quality food, this Chinese place is the best in town. Amazing comida. Extremely delicious. Mmmm...

...The downside is that is is pricy. An entrée costs about $7. For one person, that is quite a bit, but they give you so much food that two people can easily split one entrée which makes it actually very affordable if you split the costs. Just bring your own water because they overcharge for drinks. (Or just order water).

5. Loncho’s Pizzeria

This place is absolutely the BEST place in town to eat. Great food. Great prices. Great value. Incredible. They sell pizza, chicken, and hamburgers. All at very good prices. I haven’t had anything but the pizza though and the pizza is SO good I am not sure I ever need to try anything else. I love this restaurant and wouldn’t mind eating there every day...but I know I should have some variety to my diet. (Fruit for breakfast, pizza for lunch, and rice and beans for dinner probably isn’t the best idea). Oh well. It’s the best place in town though.

There are some other restaurants that I haven’t explored yet, but those are the main ones. There is also a bakery that sells bread at good prices and the grocery store has some good deals.

Ahh *happy sigh*....My tummy is happy here :-)

(Oh, and just so you know, Mom, I am eating greens.)

P.S. My weekend report isn’t quite finished being written yet. I will post it tomorrow along with my Monday blog.

Until mañana! Adios!

Dia Doce – English, Spanish, Japanese, and Filipino

28 de Mayo, 2009

Tonight, we watched Apollo 13 in Spanish and I was struck by two things. First, a good movie is a good movie is a good movie. Sure, the tone and inflection of Tom Hanks voice adds more power to the performance, but even in Spanish, Ron Howard’s masterpiece comes through. I love space movies, and Apollo 13 is an amazingly well crafted film.

Second, Spanish is much simpler than English. I have always considered this a very positive thing. English breaks all its own rules, Spanish (and the other Romance languages) have clearly defined rules that are rarely broken. It is much easier to learn Spanish, it makes more sense in a uniform, structured grammar, and it is much more formulaic (hence, easier to understand and leaves less room for ambiguity). On the other side, though, the beauty of English is in its depth. We have no uniform grammar because we have taken words and grammar from languages all around the globe. English is based on a Germanic/French/Latin/Greek foundation that has been supplemented by languages in the Americas, Africa, Asia, and the Arab world. (I was going to say Middle East but I had the alliteration going ;-) ) English has a huge vocabulary that is rich with depth. It allows an easier use of wordplay like alliteration and other figures of speech. English words, because they are so many of them, all have slightly different connotations – a variety of which you don’t quite get in Spanish.

Spanish is a marvelous language, and I am glad I have the opportunity to learn it. But in studying Spanish, I appreciate the advantages of English a lot more. I am so grateful that I was raised an English speaker because it would have been a pain to learn otherwise, and I can’t imagine my life without the rich texture of the English language.

Okay, enough ranting about the language. Let me talk a moment about my classmates.

I am in a class of cuatro students: Benjamin, Adonis, Atsu, y yo. Benjamin, Noah, and I all came down together from PHC. Benjamin is the adventurous one of our group. He wants to hike big cities, climb tall mountains, and I am sure he would jump over building for the fun of it if he could. After classes he spends a lot of time on the internet chatting with friends and family. In the morning, he gets up early to go to school and get on the internet to chat with friends and family. I have no further comment on Benjamin at this time. (Benjamin and Noah are pretty awesome and deserve their own post ;-) I just am to lazy to write that post right now so you get the abbreviated version.)

Adonis is from Tennessee, but he is living in Costa Rica and plans to live here permanently because his wife’s family is here. Adonis works designing webpage templates, and was one of the first to get into the business. (The neat thing about new technology is that it is possible to be one of the founders of a whole new type of business.) Adonis is learning Spanish because his wife (who is Costa Rican) speaks it and since he will be living here, it is probably a good idea to know the language. Another random thing about Adonis, is that he is (at least in part) Filipino. How coincidental is that? :-)

Atsu is our resident spy from Japan (at least, that is what we jokingly call him). He works for the Japanese foreign ministry and is studying at Yale for two years. He already speaks Japanese and English fluently (he grew up in the US and in Japan) and now is adding Spanish to his repertoire. After he goes back home to Tokyo, he will be working with the Japanese diplomatic corp.

Adonis and Atsu are both great guys. Both really want to learn Spanish and work hard. Adonis actually can already understand Spanish extremely well, he is here simply to learn to speak it. Because of this, he is often able to help translate for us what the professor is saying when the professor is uncertain of the English translation. The rest of us work pretty well together in helping each other remember vocabulary words. Chances are, at least one of us recognizes the word or remembers how to communicate the idea. The class is very interactive and conversational. We do some worksheets but a lot of it is talking back and forth and using the grammar and vocabulary just learned. Class is a lot of fun and extremely productive. Spanish is hard, and I am lucky to be able to study it in such ideal circumstances.

Well, that is all for today. Hasta mañana!