I remember thinking that 2 hours of Spanish was a lot back in high school. At the Sociedad Hispano Mundial, I am enrolled in five hours of Spanish for five days a week. That’s hours of grammar, conjugating verbs, writing, reading, listening and most importantly speaking. And this is not a room full of 28 students, it's just me and Misae from Japan. That means no where to hide if you don't understand something...
I'm very lucky to live so close to school, and it's a nice 10 minute walk. The school take up one floor of a newer building on Riberia del Genil, and there are five classrooms with a common area for students with computers. Spanish children and adults also attend the school for English lessons.
I know how lucky I am to get such individualized attention. By the time Misae and I step out of school, our heads are swimming with new words, Spanish phrases and thoughts of homework. Usually, I have two or three worksheets a night, a written test-like writing a letter home, and three exercises out of the text. But I swear, nothing helps me as much as speaking-that’s what you really use.
We’ve agreed that it is much easier to read and write in Spanish than to speak. You trip over your words, wonder if you said the word for wasp or the word for bishop. "Avispa" is wasp, "obispo" is bishop. Yes they look different, but when saying them aloud, they sound terribly similar.…..or there’s "pecados" for sins and "pescados" for fish….so when the waiter is asking if you would like to see the catch of the day, he’s really not asking you to confess your naughty behavior…..
Speaking with the teachers is a joy. They annunciate, spell words out for you, listen patiently as you try to form an educated sentence about welfare in your country. And they don’t seem to mind explaining how you correctly order an ice cream cone over and over again. The word for cone is "cucaruccho" if you were wondering. But when you hit the streets, or try to recharge your cell phone, or open a bank account, obviously the world is not like your school.
Just like the folks from the northern United States who clip their words short, the Granadinos feel no need to make it to the last letter. Gracias becomes Gracia. Tres mas become tre ma. It’s all about speaking fast and pronunciation….I really had a hard time pronouncing the verb "afeitar," to shave. In German or English you would skip over the e and say the i. For this word you need to pronounce every vowel….just like the word "naipe" for or playing card….
But the teachers know what it’s like to learn another language. Most of them arrive an hour before the school day to take English classes. It’s a treat to teach them phrases, or compare and contrast pronunciation and origins of sayings. We learned that referring to someone as a "blue blood" has the same connotation in the US and Spain, but the origin of the phrase is Spanish, “sangre azul.” The aristocrats of Castille in Northern Spain were careful not to intermarry with the Moors or with other ethnicities and races of darker complexion. The Castellanos’ skin was so fair, it was said you could see their veins, or their blue blood…..
Students are also encouraged to take part in excursions. Tomorrow we are headed to the movie theatre, one weekend we went to Seville, and events revolving around flamenco, theatre and of course…the famous Iberian ham…are in our future.
Here's a pic from class last week. Notice all the paper on the desk-lots of work:)
I know how lucky I am to get such individualized attention. By the time Misae and I step out of school, our heads are swimming with new words, Spanish phrases and thoughts of homework. Usually, I have two or three worksheets a night, a written test-like writing a letter home, and three exercises out of the text. But I swear, nothing helps me as much as speaking-that’s what you really use.
We’ve agreed that it is much easier to read and write in Spanish than to speak. You trip over your words, wonder if you said the word for wasp or the word for bishop. "Avispa" is wasp, "obispo" is bishop. Yes they look different, but when saying them aloud, they sound terribly similar.…..or there’s "pecados" for sins and "pescados" for fish….so when the waiter is asking if you would like to see the catch of the day, he’s really not asking you to confess your naughty behavior…..
Speaking with the teachers is a joy. They annunciate, spell words out for you, listen patiently as you try to form an educated sentence about welfare in your country. And they don’t seem to mind explaining how you correctly order an ice cream cone over and over again. The word for cone is "cucaruccho" if you were wondering. But when you hit the streets, or try to recharge your cell phone, or open a bank account, obviously the world is not like your school.
Just like the folks from the northern United States who clip their words short, the Granadinos feel no need to make it to the last letter. Gracias becomes Gracia. Tres mas become tre ma. It’s all about speaking fast and pronunciation….I really had a hard time pronouncing the verb "afeitar," to shave. In German or English you would skip over the e and say the i. For this word you need to pronounce every vowel….just like the word "naipe" for or playing card….
But the teachers know what it’s like to learn another language. Most of them arrive an hour before the school day to take English classes. It’s a treat to teach them phrases, or compare and contrast pronunciation and origins of sayings. We learned that referring to someone as a "blue blood" has the same connotation in the US and Spain, but the origin of the phrase is Spanish, “sangre azul.” The aristocrats of Castille in Northern Spain were careful not to intermarry with the Moors or with other ethnicities and races of darker complexion. The Castellanos’ skin was so fair, it was said you could see their veins, or their blue blood…..
Students are also encouraged to take part in excursions. Tomorrow we are headed to the movie theatre, one weekend we went to Seville, and events revolving around flamenco, theatre and of course…the famous Iberian ham…are in our future.
Here's a pic from class last week. Notice all the paper on the desk-lots of work:)
1 comment:
I think I would enjoy your classes more than mine at the current moment.
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