I awoke at 6:40 a.m., knowing that I hadn't finished my Spanish homework for the class that would begin at 12:30. (Was it really me who said, just a few short weeks ago, that I love homework? I take it back.). Anyway, we're in the last week of this particular class, and I'm really struggling. And so I studied from 7 a.m. until 10:30 a.m., when our housekeeper Maria arrived.
I love having the opportunity to talk with María in Spanish, because she's kind and patient with my attempts. So I asked about her health (she was ill last week and had to go to the doctor to get medicine), then told her an abbreviated story of how we (actually Rick, but he insisted I go with him) took out the trash this morning when we heard the bell on the truck ring. (The system here is that when the garbage truck comes down the street, it clangs a loud bell that alerts folks to come outside with their bags of garbage and put them into the truck. Since we didn't want poor María to have to continue to haul our trash away to who-knows-where, we quickly grabbed the trash and ran out in our nightclothes, probably to the amusement of our neighbors, the trash men, and the people walking down the street). Anyway, these topics might sound like a pretty simple conversation to you. But having it with someone who speaks no English can be a real challenge, and I felt good about my success.
At 11:30 Rick and I left the house together to walk down to the ATM machine in El Centro to get some pesos (we don't tend to use either dollars or charge cards here - just pesos). Once we got the money, Rick went off for a well-deserved massage (lucky guy), and I headed towards school. But I needed something to eat before a long afternoon in class, so I went to the mercado near my school for a huarache, (an open faced flat bread sandwich filled with refried beans, mushrooms and salsa), a Mexican delight that I've grown to love.
I had a sweet conversation with María, the waitress/cook who doesn't speak English. We talked about the Spanish classes I'm taking, where I live, the weather in Michigan, how I like San MIguel, whether I'd ever move here, my granddaughters, her daughter, etc. I was pleased to find myself using the past and future tenses, in addition to the present tense. Now I must admit that I didn't understand everything that she said or asked. But that was o.k. I still felt like I had succeeded with my goal - yet another Spanish conversation with yet another non-English-speaking person. For me, that's the bottom line - being able to communicate with the people who live here - in their language.
María in her little lean-to,6-stool sandwich bar.
After my 3-1/2 hour study stint this morning, I felt fairly well-prepared in Spanish class, which is a good thing since last Friday I was thinking I was over my head and wondering if I should even return. The class was a good one, and my confidence returned enough to decide to enroll in "Storytelling", a grammar/conversational class that begins next week.
On my way home from class I stopped at the local Blockbuster and managed to find and secure a copy of "Salt", which I had researched via the internet, since I can't read the Spanish descriptions on the DVD jackets very well. Once again, I was pleased to conduct this entire transaction in Spanish. By this time, I felt like I was really smokin'!!!!!
When I arrived home, I was glad to see that Rick had picked up some nice cheeses at the corner cheese store, and had also walked down to our favorite panadería to pick up a loaf of multi-grain bread. Way to go, Ricardo!!! I chatted with him about his experience in trying to apply for Social Security benefits from Mexico (he's now postponing this project until we get home), looked at the nice leather belt he purchased in a shop near here, and heard about his great massage. After that I coasted for a while, checking my e-mail, talking with my brother Marty (who's recovering from rotator cuff surgery) and composing this blog.
And so now you have it - a detailed description of a fairly typical day in our lives in lovely San Miguel. Rick and I are preparing to walk to el Centro in a few minutes to observe the pre-Lenten "cascarones" celebration in El Jardín (which you'll probably hear about tomorrow). I'm going to take my handy dandy little video camera, and hopefully capture some of the excitement (if I can figure out how to use it). So maybe you'll even get to see a video clip.
Hasta luego, mis amigos. Yo escribiré más manaña. Judhit
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