The Right Choice
If I had any doubts about my choice to abandon everything and come to South America, they have been obliterated. What a great day!
I arrived at ECELA this morning at 8 am in order to take a brief oral and written placement test. My score on the first test was good enough that they gave me a second written exam. I´m sure this one did not turn out very well because it was on the subjunctive, conditional, and a few other grammatical concepts I find difficult at this point. But this was to be expected and I was placed in a level that should be appropriate. I am in Intermediate level 2A. I believe the levels at Beginner 1 A&B, Intermediate 1 A&B, Intermediate 2A&B, and Advanced. Most levels last a month, but the advanced level can last 8-12 weeks. Come to think of it, maybe I was placed too high, but it seems to be a good fit.
Our teacher was a twenty-something name Lucas. He speaks at a very comfortable pace, uses exaggerated gestures, and really does a nice job of teaching. There are six people in the class. There is a man in his forties from California that has a good vocabulary base, but terrible pronunciation. He tries very hard and has traveled the world, but his pronunciation is the epitome of the ignorant American. The rest of us are in our twenties. Two guys from Switzerland, a girl from Germany, and a girl from Austria. The girl from Austria knows Italian and picks up Spanish very quickly because both are romantic languages. I can´t quite tell yet, but she might be a bit cocky and I may have to refrain from punching her. I´ll keep you posted…
After class, we took a trip to the San Telmo area in the southern part of BA. San Telmo is an older part of BA where the rich citizens lived before the spread of yellow fever in the late 1800s. It is known as the birthplace of Tango. On Sundays, one can wander the neighborhood and watch couples perform Tango in the streets. ¡Que romantico! Our group was comprised of mostly students from the beginning class. Thus, I appeared to be the “expert” at times. Very amusing. I had a great time practicing my Castellano with our leader Natasha. While I have a long, long ways to go, today reminded me that I´m not a beginner and given time, I will succeed. After only 3 days, my ability to comprehend and respond has improved. It will take a lot of practice and hard work, but things are starting to click!
There is an optional 4 day trip to Mendoza scheduled for this weekend. Mendoza is the heart of wine country in Argentina and lies between BA and Santiago, Chile. I haven´t decided if I´m going yet or not. The price is not bad–only $595 AR. I will have time to travel later, but it might be good to go now as well since this is a chance to travel with other people and make friends. I have about 10 hours to decide since the deadline in tomorrow.
¡Que buen dia!
Well, there has only been one woman I wanted to punch in my lifetime…shhh…
I take that back…Hillary also makes the list.
Kyle, I can picture you tangoing in the streets on a Sunday afternoon. I can just hear the people passing by – “Oh, the way that he moves is simply … breathtaking … yes, quite breathtaking”
I’m glad to hear that you are learning quickly… just don’t punch anyone!
I´d have to say Hillary is at the top of my list too. She should be proud because it´s a short list seeing as how I despise abusers.
Yes…I am Rico Suave. We´ll see if a few lessons can cure my White Man´s Disease.