It is very surprising how quickly a new language is required when I have to speak it 70% of the time. Every day I come home for lunch after my classes (in spain lunch is around 2:00 or 3:00 in the afternoon) and I try to apply what I learned in my conversation at lunch. Pepi asks me about my class and my plans for the afternoon and each day my limitations of communication are less and less. t is very gratifying to see improvements so soon.
Today Pepi's granddaughter came over for lunch and she is absolutely adorable. I think she was afraid of me because I am so tall and I probably sound funny to her. I gave her some skittles from home to try and win her over but she took them and ran off screaming and giggling. I t is easy to see thet she is such a delight to Pepi despite her mania and refusal to drink her juice with her lunch.
I went out with my new German and French friends tonight. My language class has three Germans, one Frenchman, and one girl from the Faroe Islands (between Iceland, Norway, and Great Britain). Tonight we all met for a drink at one of the many plazas of Sevilla. For the third night in a row we have gone to a very "touristy" bar to my displeasure; the restaurants had English on the menu after all. I have been wanting to find a real local bar deeper in the city but I don't think the girls are brave enough to venture this far yet.
I should tell you about my classmate Paul. Paul is the lone Frenchman in our class. The first day he said to the teacher, who was speaking lots of english, "I don't speak much English or Spanish. I only speak French and no one else is French." He seemed very sad and of course the girls in our group immediately took a liking to him. So tonight the entire class went out for a beer or wine for the first time. Paul was easily the most excited of our group. He was scheming about our weekend activities the entire time. He told everyone he would buy 3 shots for all of us if he found an apartment tomorrow (he still hasn't found a flat to stay in and his hostel kicks him out tomorrow!). I hope he finds a flat but not because I want 3 one euro shots.
The girl from the Faroe Islands is very good at spanish which is her seventh language I believe. She is going to begin Arabic this Spring...wow! I am struggling with 2 languages and here she is try to master her seventh before she begins her eighth! My language problems suddenly seem miniscule.
I am very excited for this weekend and I can't wait to see what it has in store for our small but diverse group of friends...
one last note:
It is really absurd how quickly one makes friends here, but today Paul told me he was very sad and wondering if he made a mistake by leaving his girlfriend, friends, and family behind in France. Then I surprised him because I looked at him and said, "Aqui y ahora somos nuestra amigos y familia" (now we are each other's friends and family) but then I told him there was no way I would be his girlfriend while he was here and he laughed and I think a little relieved to have made a few friends.
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