Primer dia de clases

Waking up today, besides having blood speckle out my nose every time I blow it because it is so dried out from second hand cigarette smoke, I was excited about the school adventure that layed ahead. Of course I was anxious too, but I felt very confident in my abilities after hearing from so many people that I speak very well. I don’t feel the same, but I’ve been doing a decent job of coming out of my shell. I’ve learned that you don’t say, “Cómo está?” to a stranger that you are meeting because that implies that you really want to know, and that you know them. Instead, addressing them with “Buenas” is just fine J, which is contrary to what we do in the States when asking people how they are just to continue walking along and not expecting an answer. After a delicious breakfast with some cereal that I love paired with soy milk (yes!), I put on my walkin’ shoes and headed for the beach. The forty minute walk to school is along la Concha, lined with leafless trees, and una vista increíble. I felt so at peace with the walk because of the surroundings. There were joggers, viejos speed-walking, and many women pushing strollers with plastic wrapped around them because of the rain. I have seen many women with babies since being here, and their strollers are reminiscent of those I would imagine they use in England; buggy style. It was about 11 degrees C, which meant I was pretty warm when I got to school after layering up with a long sleeved shirt, a blazer, topped with a jacket, plus a scarf and gloves. But, better safe than sorry! My first experience with Euskara, or Basque, came this morning when I went to buy paper at the papelería. I greeted the man with “Buenos días” as I placed the paper on the counter. He replied in Basque and when I looked stumped, he asked me another question in Basque. He was then stumped because he thought I said something in Basque. When I finally unfroze, I told him I spoke Spanish. He got a great laugh out of it and said that it is so difficult because he doesn’t know which language to ever speak because some people speak Basque, others Spanish, and some even English. Those who do speak Basque prefer to speak it over Spanish, but those who are not Basque, don’t know a lick of it. And, only the younger generations speak English. Therefore, the confusion begins and the crossover between the cultures becomes evident.

After the brisk walk that I have been considering my “exercise” (sad, I know), I arrived at the campus just in time to feel the nerves a comin’ because I didn’t really know what to expect. After finding my first class, Contemporary Spanish Theatre of the Twentieth Century, I was relieved to meet my teacher, Mari Mar, and, well….no one else! I am the only student in this class. However, I am so happy that she is my profesora because she seems as though she is one of the nicest people I will ever meet in my life. She has a twenty four year old daughter, a husband, is blonde and fashionable, and expressed to me her desire to help me learn. As when meeting Adri and Ana, I felt an immediate connection and my affective filter was lowered just by her actions and sincerity. Because I was the only student, we talked about ourselves and then about the class for a little over an hour. Although demanding, I can’t imagine my Spanish not improving with this one-on-one teacher/student ratio. After this class, I attended three classes with the same profesora, Natalia, who I would guess is in her late twenties or early thirties. She is unmarried, and earned her doctorate from UNR but is Basque. She grew up speaking Basque at home, learned Spanish in school, and then learned English in the United States. The first class was the Basque Culture and Language that I will be taking simply out of interest in the Basque Culture, the second was Advanced Spanish I, and the third was Seminario. I am going to have an awfully difficult schedule, but that is my ultimate goal; to be challenged to learn the language. I felt the excitement brewing after Natalia told us that the Seminario class would take us to a near-native level because it is in preparation for a national examination. I am willing to work for the result!!!!!!

In an attempt to return to a normal type routine, my friend Lisa and I went to the cell phone store to try our luck at getting a “movil.” Fortunately, a former student who had used my bedroom left behind a phone, but all I needed to get was a sim card to charge to make it work! Sin embargo…I needed my passport and wasn’t about to walk home and back. It’s kind of nice at times to escape the cell phone epidemic, but would be useful for making plans to meet up with people from class.

My class schedule is as follows:

Mondays:

11:00-12:20 Spanish Theatre

12:30-1:50 Basque Language and Culture

2:10-3:40 Advanced Spanish I and II

Tuesdays:

2:10-3:40 Advanced Spanish I and II

Wednesdays:

11:20-12:20 Spanish Theatre

12:30-1:50 Basque Language and Cutlure

2:10-3:20 Advanced Spanish I and II

3:30-4:50 Spanish Seminary

Thursdays:

2:10-3:20 Advanced Spanish I and II

3:30-4:50 Spanish Seminary

Fridays:

NO CLASS!

A Basque Lesson:

Kaixo: Hello (the “x” is pronounced “sh”)

Ni Julie naiz: My name is Julie

Eta zu? And you?

Agur! Goodbye!

Oso ongi! Very good

Bai Yes

Ez No

Eskerrik asko! Thank you!