Spanish study

Tait: I didn´t think that studying Spanish could take so much out of me but it seems like every day I need a nap because my brain is fried from five hours of study. It could also be the fact that we are fed mammoth portions for lunch and much smaller portions for breakfast and dinner. It, the study not the lunch, has really given me some insight into what it is like to be a language learner, something I didn´t really have before when it came to teaching english. Kathleen has made incredible strides with her Spanish in only two weeks also and it has been amazing to watch her move from talking in Span-fran-italio to mostly just the occasional spanglish. The thing we both have going for us is that we have no fear of making mistakes. We´re pretty good at just laughing it off.

I have had some pretty funny mistakes like when I called my cuello my culo (my neck my asshole) or when I tried to say Popul vuh and it came out Popa wuj (mayan bible versus poop bible). I guess defecatory humor translates across the board. Not surprising considering the fact that streets in Xela are covered in dog shit, some of which Kath stepped in today and then spread all over her leg and hand as she tried to wipe it off. I think the soap is antibacterial in the bathroom?

Kath also had a pretty god mistake yesterday. She was talking to the 9 year old in the house we live in and want to ask her if she had any fear concerning her exams for school (of which she had three the following day). Instead of saying Tienes miedo, she came out with tienes mierda - translation - you are shit.