First Day of School

I began my two weeks at the escuela with a test: written and oral. The director very quickly said she knew where to place me, and the other students do seem to be at about my level – some a little higher and some lower. The morning class is for conversation, and the afternoon class is for grammar. I met a few of the other students. Nicole is a single woman, a few years younger than me, who is staying in a house just a block away. We were driven to school together by Lupita, and then Nicole’s “father” (i.e., from her host family) picked us up. The other students in my classes are all older than me: a defense attorney from Oregon and a couple of retired people who come to the school every year. Everyone else seemed to know the ropes: the bells signal 10-minute breaks, there is water and coffee available at the little cafeteria, there is a longer break mid-day and most students bring their own lunch. I felt a little lost, not knowing what to expect. And everyone tries to speak Spanish all the time, even the students during the breaks. The staff wear little buttons that say “Espanol, por favor.” If we lapse into too much English in class, we get a little scolding.

I had breakfast and “comida” (the 3:00 main meal of the day) with my host, Lupita. We only speak in Spanish, so I am not totally sure of what is going on, but I think her granddaughter is staying with her all week because her daughter has to travel to Panama for her job. So she is taking care of me and a one-year-old. Our abilities to communicate in Spanish are probably not that different.

The Internet has not worked since the power outage last night, so who knows when I’ll be able to post this. In the meantime, I go in search of pens, notebooks, and a few other necessities. The weather is warm and the sky blue. Couldn’t ask for a better day to walk around the city.