I haven't written a post in several weeks. Besides trying out recipes from Rick Bayless, my mexiphile energies have been directed toward Spanish class.
I signed up for a class through the community education branch of the school district. It was canceled, I assume because too few people enrolled. I found another class, and though I am paying five times more (!), I'm getting a very intensive course, 6 hours a week for 9 weeks through the University of Guadalajara's International Language Center at San Antonio, ILCSA.
My Spanish is somehow, at the same time, both better and worse than I thought. I can understand almost everything the instructor is saying, unless I allow my attention to lapse (thanks to all my hard work listening to Spanish pop music and watching mindless Spanish TV). I am re-learning my verb endings, and there are not so many to remaster as I feared. I understand a very broad range of vocabulary. But, boy do I feel dumb when I try to converse! Even in that department, it's a 50/50 mix: sometimes I'm brilliant. Okay, maybe even more than half the time. But la perfeccionista (me) is not happy with that. I feel driven to accomplish perfect Spanish skills. What I really want is to have the skills of a native speaker. Well, obviously that's not going to happen. Nevertheless, on the whole I am really enjoying the experience, and I am amazed to see how much more I am owning my learning than when I majored in Spanish at UTSA. I find it sad that the maturity to be an excellent learner doesn't arrive until one's life is crowded with many other responsibilites and demands. When I was 18, I had time on my hands, and I enjoyed learning, but what did I know of how to make the most of the opportunity before me? At 36, I long to be able to acquire knowledge and understanding, but that has to be a sideline in my life right now (academically speaking, anyway). Well, maybe it is that scarcity that makes it precious to me.
The class I'm currently taking is Level 3 of 6 offered at the language institute. I don't know how long I'll be able to commit time- and money-wise, but for now estoy muy contenta.
