I’m writing this laying in bed (on a piece of paper again, as I still haven’t had a chance to get to a computer) the night of Feb, 13. Things have gone pretty well since we got here last Saturday. My host family is very nice and has been very patient with my lack of Spanish. The first night we got in town there was a fiesta and my family and I sat up front to watch the entertainment. There was music, dancing, and then a beauty pagent for girls in the local high school. They did a dance routine in their normal clothes to I think a Britney Spears song and then a dance in Traditional Ecuadorian clothes. The last part was in formal wear and had them all answer a question ("What do you think the role of women is in today´s Ecuador" etc.). It was a lot like Miss America. As I mentioned, when we first got there I sat up front with my family. Quickly they asked me to sit at the very front table. I realized thet they wanted me TO JUDGE THE CONTEST! The queen from two years ago was supposed to judge with two other women, but she was late. They asked me to take her place. It was a real honor and very unexpected. I did the best I could with the Q&A part, but I really couldn´t understand what most of the answers were. The former Queen showed up right after the contest started and sat next to me, so I pretty much just cheated off her scoring sheet. The night ended with us all dancing ´till about 1:00AM. What a way to enter a community.
Since then I have been practicing my Spanish a lot and trying to hang with my host family.
My Spanish is pretty horrible and it is frustrating for all of us when we try to talk. I end up just saying "Gracias" and " Muy Bien" a lot. The five of us in my town (by the way, my town is pretty decient sized and has two churches, a couple schools, and stores for whatever we need) have been split up into two groups that meet every morning for about five hours for Spanish class. I´m paired with a girl from upstate New York. Her Spanish is a lot better than mine, so I´m just trying to keep up. Luckly she is pretty cool (like the rest of the PCT´s in my town) so it isn´t a problem.
Tomorrow we are going to the local school for Valentines Day activities with the kids. We got a bunch of stuff to make cards and I´m going to try to teach them how to play Dodgeball. It should be fun.
Jay
P.S. - I haven´t had the opportunity to eat guinea Pig yet, but I have had about 10 different types of Juice that I´ve never heard of that have all been awesome (Tomate de Arbol is my favorite).
P.P.S - No Montezuma´s Revenge either !!!!!!
Since then I have been practicing my Spanish a lot and trying to hang with my host family.
My Spanish is pretty horrible and it is frustrating for all of us when we try to talk. I end up just saying "Gracias" and " Muy Bien" a lot. The five of us in my town (by the way, my town is pretty decient sized and has two churches, a couple schools, and stores for whatever we need) have been split up into two groups that meet every morning for about five hours for Spanish class. I´m paired with a girl from upstate New York. Her Spanish is a lot better than mine, so I´m just trying to keep up. Luckly she is pretty cool (like the rest of the PCT´s in my town) so it isn´t a problem.Tomorrow we are going to the local school for Valentines Day activities with the kids. We got a bunch of stuff to make cards and I´m going to try to teach them how to play Dodgeball. It should be fun.
Jay
P.S. - I haven´t had the opportunity to eat guinea Pig yet, but I have had about 10 different types of Juice that I´ve never heard of that have all been awesome (Tomate de Arbol is my favorite).
P.P.S - No Montezuma´s Revenge either !!!!!!
4 comments:
Jay, sounds like a great start to your journey. Celebrity judge at a beauty contest where you couldn't understand anything they were saying? Classic.
Quick update on the Cardinals in case you didn't get a chance to read online. Izzy is complaining that he can't win with the STL fans already so we could be in for a long year. Also, Sir Albert made an appearance at my gym out on Dorsett avenue last week. He's looking fit and trim and showed no signs of plantar fasciitis.
We talked about the season and expectations for 2007, I think he's got his head in the game and should have a huge year. He was really there but no I didn't talk to him, just stared at him and tried to spot him which he didn't seem to appreciate.
Good luck with the espanol, I'm sure it will come back to you in no time.
BIL (brother in law) Matt
Hey babe! Been meaning to check out the blog and saw all these new postings. High school beauty queens, eh? So, the PCVs review certain laws, esp. those of involving statutory age reqs. right? ;-) Otherwise, hang in there with the Spanish. Two years from now, you'll look back and laugh (in spanish) at your initial apprehension. Apparently, you know you're in good shape when you start thinking and dreaming in the other language.
There's a new Ecuadorian restaurant here in Chicago. I'll try to check it out and will share my impressions. Not sure if they serve guinea pig but am curious as to your taste for it. Indeed, I never much cared for those critters. They eat their young.
Good luck with your daily adventures. xoxox, Charlotte
When in Ecuador...
Go on...
a little anchorman for ya jay.
hmm...let's see. the blues are probably not going to make the playoffs and they traded keith tkachuk. i am going to vegas this weekend, i'll let you know next week how much money i lost, and the departed won best picture in 07.
news you probably already heard but oh well.
tell me a story when you get a chance..
Peace brother
I have been told the best place to learn a foreign language is in bed. So get yourself a girlfriend and you'll be able to speak in no time. Try to speak as much as you can even if you know you sound horrible. People will love you for your effort and be entertained at the same time. People call me "great" or "a comedian" all the time.
I've been dreaming in french for a while now. I once had a dream in which I was speaking french to a salesperson at a store. Although I was angry and frustrated because I could only say about half of what I wanted. I don't know if that is a good sign or not.
Are you a good 2 feet taller than everyone else down there?
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