Primero Post

Saludos!

I'm calling this blog "mas agua, por favor" (more water, please) because I've found myself in one of the dryest, hottest parts of Spain. I always have an incredible thirst here, no matter what time of day, but yet the Spanish serve their beverages in small glasses and bottles. I had to name it something, and in the heat of the afternoon, it seems fairly appropriate.

My purpose of this blog is not to brag and talk your ear off about my experiences in sunny Spain, but to regail some interesting stories, accounts of my encounters with the culture, and perhaps write a few quality travel essays, although I am sorry in advance if this does turn into a sort of travel journal.

The stories also might not be in chronological order, and there could be some grammatical innacuracies (even though I have a Bachelor in English and will be teaching English) and maybe even a few reminiscent accounts of my time in Scotland due to relation.

After learning my placement in the program, I started researching Cadiz (I'm also going to leave out letter accents) and found that the weather was pretty mild. A lovely, ancient port city. Little did I know that Sevilla, where I'm spending the first month taking language immersion courses, would be a desert.

During orientation on Saturday I decided to ride out the jet lag during break, so instead of taking an afternoon siesta, another girl, Sarah, and I decided to walk around the historic city. As soon as we walked through the airconditioned door of the hotel lobby that had been sheltering us the past 24 hours, we were enveloped in a blanket of heat. The streets are ancient and beautiful, winding around, but after an hour walking with litre sized water bottles tucked under our arms, we were ready to head back. There is a reason that the Spaniards take afternoon siestas, apparently. However, we were lost for another hour, and by the time we reached the straight row of palm trees leading back to our apartment, I felt like I was swimming in a pool of jello.

This is the heat in this city.

Over the week, I've gotten more use to it, or perhaps I've learned how to properly dress, or maybe its even a tad cooler, but it hasn't been bothering me as much. I have developed a deep tan without even trying, just from walking around and becoming lost.

After class, Sarah and I were talking about how we've been getting frustrated that communicating in Spanish hasn't become much easier, but then we remember that we've only been here for a week, although it feels like a month. Not very many people here speak English, so I am forced to learn the language.

I remember it being difficult in St. Andrews, where people speak English, trying to settle into the town and create a life for four months. It is of course much harder in a city where you barely speak the language.

My new cell phone wasn't working, so I returned to the store to explain my problem. My friend Jamee started laughing at me the whole time, and after leaving the store, I understood why. My conversation with the saleswoman probably went something like this. . .

(as translated from Spanish)

Me: MY SIM CARD IS SICK.

Saleswoman: Oh, your sim card isn't working? Can I see it?

Me: MY SIM CARD NOT WORK.

Saleswoman: Okay, well, I will call the help desk number and see what is going on with it.

Me: SIM CARD IS BROKEN. YESTERDAY, BUY PHONE. TODAY, PHONE NOT WORK.

Saleswoman: (smiles)

(a few moments pass by in which saleswoman does things to my phone)

Saleswoman: It will be working again in two hours.

Me: WHAT? REPEAT, PLEASE. WHAT YOU SAY?

Saleswoman: In two hours, it will work again.

Me: I LEAVE MY PHONE WITH YOU, AND RETURN IN TWO HOURS?

Saleswoman: No, you can take your phone, and it will work in two hours.

Me: OH! I BRING MY PHONE BACK IN TWO HOURS?

Saleswoman: No, you don't need to do that, it will probably be working in two hours. Leave it off for now, but you can turn it on in two hours.

Me: IN TWO HOURS, I CAN PUSH THE BUTTONS?

Saleswoman: Yes. . .

Me: IN TWO HOURS, I TURN ON THE PHONE AND I TALK.

Saleswoman: Yes.

Me: IN TWO HOURS, I TURN ON THE PHONE AND USE THE PHONE?

Saleswoman: Yes.

Me: I DO NOT RETURN? NO NEED?

Saleswoman: Yes, that is not necessary.

As you can see, communication is a tad difficult for me. . . But every day I'm learning more, even though it has only been a week. I've already made big steps, or well, relative steps for my ability.

I'm currently taking language classes in the center of Sevilla at a school called CLIC with students from around the world who also want to learn Spanish. The first day of class this past Monday, we were tested and placed into different levels. When I entered the classroom and started talking to the other students, I was proud of the level I had been placed in. On my left was a British girl who had three years of Spanish in university and across from me was a guy from my program who was able to keep up with Spanish speakers, albeit half in Italian. 'With only 20 weeks of formal training, perhaps I'm better than I thought,' I smiled to myself as I walked out of class that day. . .

However, the next day we were past introductions and breezed into "the most difficult part of Spanish grammar," according to my teacher. I quickly found myself in over my head and not able to keep up with the fast-talking Scandinavians in the class who seem to magically understand concepts they've never been taught. As soon as the teacher mentioned that perhaps I should switch down a level, I knew that this class would be a no go. I was the partner that no one wanted to have because I always asked "now, what were the directions," and spoke completely in the present tense. My teacher assured me that this is common with American students because we know a lot of grammar, but our system doesn't allow much speaking practice. I considered explaining to her that it wasn't really my school's fault, it is actually quite an immersive program (considering it is in the States) because all of my classes were taught in Spanish and I took class for 90 minutes a day, the problem was really me. . . but then I came to the conclusion that I didn't have enough Spanish to go into this explanation and went down to the bookstore to exchange texts. When I met with the headmaster and forgot the most simple of phrases "I don't know" out of nervousness, she raised her eyebrows said "Are you sure you don't need to go down two levels to review the present?" I reassured her that I just needed a little review of everything and claimed a position in level 2.

Level 2 has proven to be much more my pace. And I find the class entertaining. There are two other LCAs (Language and Culture Assistants) in my class who are about at my level, a German girl, two students from Asia, and a 60-something-year-old British couple who always keep things interesting.

One of the other LCAs and I have the same dictionary, only mine is pocket-size.

"Did you put that through the wash and it came out the other end shrunk?" Janet, the British woman said to me as she cooled herself with one of the Spanish fans you can buy around the cathedral.

"It is all lies!!!?!" Dave, her husband shouts out when he is boggled by the grammar points.

This in combination with the teacher theatrically miming the listening exercises, playing each role, and wearing shirts that say "I would do me" make for an interesting class.

More later.

Dos besos (the Spanish give each other two kisses when greeting and saying goodbye.)