Learning Spanish

Within the first week of arriving, I'd already had my share of language mix-ups. Instead of "Merpisa" (the local supermarket chain), I came out with "mariposa" (butterfly), and instead of "empleada"
(employee, i.e. Lucia), all I could pull up was "empanada" (meat bun). I'm also prone to resorting to French, which after four years of high school drilling, makes up most of my brain's foreign language compartment. This is especially for little words like "okay," "here," "there," "maybe," "nothing," or at the end of a Spanish phrase that has a French sounding word. Thus, "would you repeat" seems like it should end "podrias repetir, s'il vous plait!" Hmm, that's not right--how about "podrias repetir, por favor."

All to say, I have enjoyed Charlie's little mistakes--telling Lucia's husband that she should take the medicine every "ocho anos" instead of "ocho horas." Eight years instead of eight hours! Another day when we were looking for a place to buy light bulbs, we stopped to ask directions from some nice young jewelry vendors. Charlie asked them to speak more slowly and they bemusedly complied, directing him to turn at the "pared a Maria." "The wall to Mary? The wall to Mary??" Charlie looked at me confused. As if I would actually know anything, I replied without hesitation, "Sure, it's a Catholic country, the wall to Mary...we'll find it, let's go!" Wisely, Charlie asked them to repeat again and they did patiently, and in great amusement. Then Charlie heard his mistake. "Ah! Pared amarilla--yellow wall!" I guess sometimes more slowly can be too slowly.

I must say that at times it feels like my Spanish is getting worse, but I think it's partly because I'm attempting more. Sometimes, there just is so much I want to say and I feel like I almost know how! The first time I took a cab by myself, knowing everything I needed to get where I was going, I eagerly addressed the driver and ended my directions with a bunch of garbled words. He was so taken aback that he didn't even reply, but just waited for me to compose myself and attempt a repeat. I am a mumbler by nature which doesn't help. Indoors tends to be echo-ey with all the tile, cement and outdoor noises from the open windows, and outside is just, well, noisy. There are no monthly inspections or vehicle emissions tests, so riding in a taxi can be quite loud. Anyway, another time I tried to take a cab to the 1200 (doce ciento--twelve hundred) block for church. The driver took me to the 260 block (dos sesenta) and the whole way I was trying to figure out how to say I thought we were going the wrong way.

All to say, I was really glad to start official Spanish lessons last week. I am being tutored for one hour, four mornings a week with Noemi, the pastor's wife from the Arevalo church (more on the three parishes later). She is gentle, but precise, and somewhat formal during lessons. I feel like I would be very embarassed (not to be confused with embarazada--pregnant) to show up without my homework completed. Therefore, it's time to go do some conjugations!