I have been studying Spanish. Each time I eat a meal, I check in with Duolingo on my phone and do a lesson. My friend invited me to go to her sisters house where the family would be celebrating her sister’s birthday. Since I am studying Spanish, she felt it would be good for me to immerse myself in the family conversations, many of which would be in Spanish. She was absolutely right. I am thrilled each time the family speaks in Spanish. I catch maybe a quarter of what is said but the playful sing song exchanges are a thrill to listen too.
I met my friend at UCF where she was giving her finals presentation and then we hit the road. It was a long scenic drive on endless rural roadways. I loved driving through the wide open horse and cow country. She had pulled an all nighter to assemble a map using the paper we had created over the weekend. She was exhausted so she slept through most of the trip.
The original plan was for me to use a iPhone hot spot so I could teach a virtual student for most of the ride and I am glad that the class was canceled at the last minute. It would have been unfair to my friend to struggle to stay awake for that long drive.
She had a present for her niece. It was a curved long board. It is such a simple and sturdy toy that encourages balance. As soon as we arrived she and her niece played with it for the longest time in the living room. Stella lit up when she played with her niece. First she taught her how to straddle the board and treat it like a surf board rocking side to side. Then it was turned over like a bridge and her niece jumped off with glee. Then her niece sat on the board and rocked side to side. This was certainly the safest and most balanced way to play.
A box of small animal toys was brought out and the animals hid under the long board bridge like trolls. my friend played with the animals allowing them to chase a ball. All of the interactions were in Spanish and it was such a good learning experience for me. Elephante was one of the first words I learned in Spanish and sure enough there was a small stuffed elephant. She also read a book to her niece in Spanish and I was on the edge of my seat hanging on every word. Playtime and pre-school learning are such a thrill for me as I slowly pick up a new language.
On the trip down we stopped in a Spanish supermercado. I needed a bathroom and like a dope asked in English. Afterwards I realized I know how to ask for a bathroom. “Yo necesito uno baño.” I need to get more daring in using the language I am slowly learning. As in art, mistakes are inevitable. I will learn faster if I take more chances and use what I have learned. I now have 2 days of absolute Spanish immersion. Every playful exchange my friend has with her niece is a gold mine of fluent Spanish. She reads the children books that are printed in English and translates them for her niece in Spanish. She created several movies with those translations and I want to look at the movies which should be another gold mine.
During her all nighter creating a map with the grass paper she discovered an online channel that has an endless stream of Colombia soap operas. She described the over the top villainous and sexy leading lady. Sweet innocent couples were forced into turning to a life of evil due to circumstances. The plot twists were silly and unrealistic but that is what makes it sound so fun. If I were to watch this soap opera first with English subtitle and then without them, I should start picking up phrases and conversational Spanish. At least that is my hope.