8 August 4:15 PM
Ok, so my Spanish is certainly improving, however, I’m still super frustrated all the time. I think of myself as being a pretty well-spoken person – I’m no Jon Resh mind you, but I can hold my end of the conversation with some pretty smart folks. To give you an idea of my communication skills in Spanish, I offer you the following translated “essay” I wrote about my family in my Spanish class today:
My family is very crazy. My mother, called Linda, lives in Florida on a small boat with her boyfriend, called Mike. She does not have a job. She is very short and pretty. She is from New York and has a very strong accent. My father is called Kim. He lives in Annapolis, Maryland, near the capital of the United States. Like my mother, he doesn’t have a job. He travels a lot. He goes to the Virgin Islands where he likes to sail. I have one younger brother, called Tony. Tony is a special soldier. He teaches other soldiers how to escape and survive if they are prisoners. Tony has a wife called Sarah and a son called Skyler. And Sarah is pregnant. Skyler is one year and two months old. I love him a lot because he is very very cute.
When did I suddenly revert to being a third-grader???? It’s pretty frustrating. But I smile a lot, and I try to laugh off the little mistakes (e.g., mixing up the verbs for putting on make-up and getting drunk). I know I get a little bit better everyday and so maybe by the time I leave I’ll be more like a fifth grader.
Life with the host family is getting a bit less awkward. I finally convinced my host mother that I don’t need to be eating for two. She kept serving these HUGE plates of food, while she sat next to me eating portions half the size. So now the rule is whatever size portion she makes for herself, that’s what I get too.
Speaking of food, I’ll share my gastronomic exploits thus far. It’s all pretty basic. With my host family I have soup (chicken broth, quinoa, potato) and a plate of rice, veggies, and a meat of some kind. Last night it was canned tuna, but that was cool. Other than a couple sandwiches and the nice lunch we had on the way out here, I haven’t really eaten out. I do have four months to experiment, but for now I’m just easing in. I think it will be a little while before I try cuy. And for those of you who don’t know what the this typical dish is in Ecuador, it’s guinea pig. Yup, those cute and furry animals are served whole after being roasted on a spit. I promise to take a picture once I finally try it. Thought that may turn some of you vegetarian.
That’s it from me. Keep your fingers crossed for me as I’ve moved from bottled water to tap when brushing my teeth.
My family is very crazy. My mother, called Linda, lives in Florida on a small boat with her boyfriend, called Mike. She does not have a job. She is very short and pretty. She is from New York and has a very strong accent. My father is called Kim. He lives in Annapolis, Maryland, near the capital of the United States. Like my mother, he doesn’t have a job. He travels a lot. He goes to the Virgin Islands where he likes to sail. I have one younger brother, called Tony. Tony is a special soldier. He teaches other soldiers how to escape and survive if they are prisoners. Tony has a wife called Sarah and a son called Skyler. And Sarah is pregnant. Skyler is one year and two months old. I love him a lot because he is very very cute.
When did I suddenly revert to being a third-grader???? It’s pretty frustrating. But I smile a lot, and I try to laugh off the little mistakes (e.g., mixing up the verbs for putting on make-up and getting drunk). I know I get a little bit better everyday and so maybe by the time I leave I’ll be more like a fifth grader.
Life with the host family is getting a bit less awkward. I finally convinced my host mother that I don’t need to be eating for two. She kept serving these HUGE plates of food, while she sat next to me eating portions half the size. So now the rule is whatever size portion she makes for herself, that’s what I get too.
Speaking of food, I’ll share my gastronomic exploits thus far. It’s all pretty basic. With my host family I have soup (chicken broth, quinoa, potato) and a plate of rice, veggies, and a meat of some kind. Last night it was canned tuna, but that was cool. Other than a couple sandwiches and the nice lunch we had on the way out here, I haven’t really eaten out. I do have four months to experiment, but for now I’m just easing in. I think it will be a little while before I try cuy. And for those of you who don’t know what the this typical dish is in Ecuador, it’s guinea pig. Yup, those cute and furry animals are served whole after being roasted on a spit. I promise to take a picture once I finally try it. Thought that may turn some of you vegetarian.
That’s it from me. Keep your fingers crossed for me as I’ve moved from bottled water to tap when brushing my teeth.
posted by Melissa In Ecuador at 5:32 PM
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