But on top of that, some things are just clicking. I was getting pretty frustrated for awhile that I couldn't understand my host family very well. But I think I've figured out why. They are very lazy with their words and don't enunciate very well. I bet I'd be really hard to understand in English if I didn't enunciate, but I try to when I'm talking to foreigners. I think Iris is starting to get it though 'cause she now pronounces the words a lot more clearly.
In fact, she just came in and said "Whit [Weet], voy a salir; llego a las siete" (Whit, I'm going out; I'll be back at seven) which was very easy to understand, compared to when she's talking very fast and not enunciating and it sounds like, "Whit [Weet], voaslee; llegoalasete." And a lot of people talk like that. Which I know is one thing that everyone learning a new language has a hard time with.
The great thing about Sandra, the secretary, is that she realllly enunciates every word. Probably has to do with the fact that she is also learning English. But I think it's just also the way she talks. So we talk a lot and it's fun and cool (and she compliments my Spanish a lot and I feel VERY cool)! It's awesome though because she will say things like, "Is the . . . band . . . today?" or something, unsure if she said it right, and if she did, I'll give her a thumbs up and say "yes!" and she'll be so happy and give a little cheer. And if she didn't say it totally right, I'll correct her. And the same goes the other way around. So we help each other and learn a lot.
Today I went to a fútbol game that the kids were playing (sorry, I can't let myself call it soccer here; it's offensive). It was a lot of fun. There were probably three or four games. But there was a lot of time just sitting on the side lines while a bunch of kids hit the balls around ("a bunch of kids hit the balls around" sounds like a really messed up adult film). There were some other schools there and they totally pwned our kids.
The soccer field was way up on a hill and all around were beautiful hills and stuff. We were at a high altitude. On a clear day, you can apparently see the Pacific from it but unfortunately, "estaba nublado."
There was a building to the side of the field and there were a bunch of people with snacks and cooking meals and stuff and it was great 'cause you could just go in there and buy food. But it was actually home made food for the most part, which is cool. And everything was CHEAP. I got so much stuff, including a few chocolate bars, a few caramel empanadas, a cheese empanada, some potato picodillo (just a bunch of mixed up stuff that was good), some Pepsi, some Coke (Coca) and some other stuff, and I only spent about the equivalent of $3.
I "played" a little bit, just on the sidelines with some of the kids, for about five minutes. We made a makeshift "goal" out of sticks and grass and I tried to be goalie. Trying to get a ball past me as goalie is like trying to hit a golf ball into the grand canyon. Oh MAN. Especially against these kids who have been playing all their lives. It was nothing to them. All the kids were so talented.
I took pictures all day. I took over 150 pictures of kids playing fútbol, trying to get a bunch of action shots, and a few of the environment and stuff. But it will be great and I can't wait to go through them all and pick out the good ones.
One of the best parts of the day, though, relates back to the title of this blog post. I talked for about 10-15 minutes with Edgar, the coach/gym teacher guy. He knows about .0023% English. Basically nothing. And we talked a lot and I understood probably 75% of what he said and I spoke pretty well. It just felt SO good and cool. Especially because Ashley (one of the West Virginia girls) was standing nearby and I could translate some of what he was saying to her. I felt bad that I kind of left her out of the conversation but it's tough when neither of them speak at ALL each other's language. And I really wanted to get some practice in. It just felt so good. We were talking about how he went to Cleveland with the students one year to do some tournament thing. And how this January, he had planned to go to Disney World with his family, but they couldn't get the visas because he's retired, or something like that. He was annoyed because he worked for more than 30 years! And he's STILL working, just not full time or something. But he'll figure it out and go eventually, maybe next year, he'll just have to start preparing more in advance.
I just love Edgar. He's so NICE and really doesn't mind helping me out if I don't understand something. And he also asks how to say things, which is always fun to help with.
I also had my band for the second time today. I've been focusing on teaching the kids the common clave rhythm in a lot of Latin American music (dotted eighth/dotted eighth/eighth/eighth rest/eighth/quarter). I thought that they might be naturally good at it since they're from Latin America . . . NO. They were just as bad at it as any American kid would be. Now don't get me wrong, it's a very tough rhythm, especially for kids. The biggest difficulty for them is always the eighth rest. They always speed right through it and don't give it its full value. So I made up this thing where they say "1, 2, 3-YA!-4-5". The "YA!" is where the eighth rest is and it gives the rest an actual length. The kids got really into it last week and I reviewed it this week. Actually, last week, it was awesome, 'cause after the class was over, I was in a different area, but I heard in the distance, "1, 2, 3-YA!-4-5", which made me feel good. Oh, and I also LOVE their accents. It sounds like "one, too, tree-YA!-for, fie". So cute and awesome.
But the kids were sounding better today overall. They have a tendency to smash the HELL out of their drums, but I've been making them tone it down constantly ("más suave" and "muy muy suave" . . . someday I should say "suave tigre"). Now they can play a clave rhythm 75%-80% correct in piano, mezzo-piano, mezzo-forte, and forte. That's pretty good for two rehearsals!
There are some kids who talk a lot and play when they're not supposed to. Today I took like three drum sticks from kids. It's always satisfying to do. I just walk over and pull it out of their hands (while the rest of the students laugh). The more they get on my nerves, the longer I'll keep the sticks for. And a few times I just walked right up to a kid and said, "STOP talking." Now, I'm not sure if he totally understands what I said, but I'm sure he got the essence. And either way, just to be sure, I said "No hable." Haha. So I think he knows to shut up. At least there are also a bunch of the kids in the class who go "shhhhh" and say "callase" (basically "shut up") when everyone else is talking. So I think the kids like it overall and they're having a good time.
Speaking of "shhhhh", a small interesting fact: the "shhhhh" sound here is a bit different than in the States. It's more of a "sssssss".
Man, didn't think I would write this much. But I'm glad I did! I always hate thinking of the daunting task before me when I sit down to write an entry, but I'm always happy after I do.
Hasta luego (or as most pronounce it, "haluego")
Weet
AHHHHH I love your posts! Right from the "eviscerated colon" you had me. I read them a loud to Mom, as we sit downstairs on the leather couches by the TV. We stop and laugh, read more, check the dilapidated hemoglobins, and then read some more. I like Edgar. I bet Dana was glad you kind of blew off the girl when talking to him. What's she doing there if she doesn't speak spanish?
ReplyDeleteYou must be so proud of yourself to be communicating through a thick cultural barrier like that. You probably don't realize how smart you are sometimes, but this is a sure sign. It may not be like the Portuguese in Phenomenon, but not far away. It’s been less than two weeks and you’re chatting up a storm in a language that you would have grasped about 5% of when you got off the plane.
I totally loved when you enjoyed pulling the drumsticks out of the hands. OMG. Dying. That whole section slayed me (if that’s a word – maybe it s/b “slew”). It seems to me that you didn’t used to be as confident about discipline when you first started. But I also love how the kids are learning. Funny how you figured they would know Latin beat. I suppose that’s like assuming a black guy from Brooklyn could just do hip hop naturally. I’m glad I’m not in your class though – I don’t even know where to start with all this “dotted eighth/dotted eighth/eighth/eighth rest/eighth/quarter” – Christ - I’d be the kid who you’d have to keep after class.
Some time consider doing a “venue” entry. Describe exactly where you are, what you can see, what it smells like, what animal and people sounds you can hear, what you’re sitting on. I’d like to hear one of these while you’re in your room at your house, and then maybe another when you’ve taking your laptop to some cool place – a city square, a hill in the woods, a cool old building. Whatever. Anyway, I like venue stuff.
See ya next Blog Weet, and keep the Tweets coming.
L, D
PS We see Stoddy at Brecken’s bridal shower in 2 days, the atomic weight of Helium. (read that last sentence again in a high pitch mickey mouse voice)
Why did my name on that comment above say GrenFlo? Do you see that?
ReplyDeleteYou probably changed your display name, Gren.
ReplyDelete"I thought that they might be naturally good at it since they're from Latin America . . . NO."
Oh lord... that's the first time I've actually laughed aloud while reading one of these. HAHA WHY would they be better at it! We're not any better at Jazz when we're kids cause we're -American-. But I know what you mean. Sooo funny.
Love reading your posts, Whit! I'm trying to keep up with my blog a bit more these days too. :)