End of Week 1

So the week is over. I've had three more days of classes and finally had a chance to settle and get used to my new routine. I have my Spanish classes every weekday from 9am to 1pm and then from 2pm to 4pm. The first class—the so-called group class—is just me and one other student from Florida. So we basically take turns at answering questions proposed by our professor whether it is from a workbook or anything else she might have on her mind. The second class is just a one-on-one with a different professor going beyond and/or reinforcing whatever I did earlier in the day.

My Spanish is progressing along quite nicely, I think, and according to my professors. I'm going from comprehending almost nothing to understanding and being able to respond to simple questions. I'm also getting quite good at Spanish pronunciation--being able to read short stories and news articles with only a few corrections. While I'm not in school I spend most of my time studying.

I've made a Venezuelan friend who works in the same office as the school and we speak Spanglish to each other--him knowing more English than I know Spanish, but not near fully proficient. He's been there to help me order stuff on the street for lunch. On Friday I had some very good mini pan de queso (cheese bread) in one of the pastry shops.

At home, my adoptive family has high speed Internet access via a DSL line. This is great and far more than I was expecting, but it's connected to only one computer in the central living room with no wireless. That makes my iPod nearly useless and makes it difficult to get internet access through my laptop. Leave it to a certified nerd like me to think of this situation beforehand and bring a wireless router with me on the trip. I was able to install the router by connecting a few wires and now I have English-Spanish translations on my iPod and laptop all from my room. Talk about convenient!

Late Thursday night I made my first Skype (a free voip application) call with my Dad. I had also been perceptive enough to buy my Dad a webcam before the trip so we would both have one (mine is integrated above the computer screen). It was the first time we'd used it from outside the home and the video worked great. We could both see each other talking with no real noticeable delay and it was all free.

There is plenty more I can cover and I want to post some pictures later when I have more time, but feel free to leave comments and ask me any questions.