It’s been an easy day today. One of my classes isn’t meeting this week so I only had my conversation class. I did my presentation and it seemed like everything went well. I also realized that we weren’t having a quiz on a list of 30 expressions. Instead, we were supposed to write sentences with the words. Ah, well. Somehow everyone in the class figured that out except me. I’m feeling a little better from this cold (which everyone calls “la gripe”, which literally means flu. It must be a general term for being sick here).
I haven’t yet talked to an Ecuadorian student for more than a few seconds here (who wasn’t giving a tour) which is annoying. Most of my classes are full of gringos so it’s really hard for me to make friends with other Ecuadorians. I’m not the most outgoing person when speaking English, and even less so when I’m speaking Spanish. I wish I had more confidence to try to use my Spanish and make friends, but it’s so difficult. I don’t want to be like the international students who go to U of I. Many stay in their comfortable bubble of other students from the same country, and I don’t want to be that way. I had lunch with Samantha again and she was talking about the Salsa club here. I should check it out. I want to learn how to Salsa because it seems like everyone here knows how and it would be a chance to meet some people. I also have some andinismo trips coming up as well.
Side note—I love the way people greet one another here. They give one kiss on the cheek to say hello. It’s way better than a handshake, and the kiss is common among friends, while the handshake isn’t. A handshake is only for meeting someone for the first time or for business relations in the U.S and for my generation, is considered fairly formal. The kiss, however, is shared amongst friends, co-workers, and family. It’s beautiful.
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Val,
ReplyDelete¿Les has propuesto a tus amigos la idea de sólo hablar en español? Una vez pasé una semana en México con maestros y nunca hablamos ni una palabra de inglés. O si es tan difícil puedes recomendar que sólo los sábados o algo se permita el inglés etc. He pensado mucho en ti. Me enojé tanto cuando leí lo que te pasó con la doctora. Ojalá que tal gente tuviera que sobrivivir aquí en inglés, ¿no crees? También me enojo cuando la gente aquí se queja de la gente que no habla inglés perfectamente bien. Ojalá que ellos tuvieran que sobrevivir en otro país sin inglés, ¿verdad? Poco a poco se aprende. Hablar otro idioma es un proceso. Ahora tú hablas mejor que la mayoría de gente. ¿A cuántas personas conoces aquí que habla bien el español? Muy poca gente, ¿verdad? ¡No te desanimes! Cuando regreses, tú me puedes enseñar mucho. Cuídate, querida.
Tía María Elena
P.D. ¿Qué tal la estudiante de la parada?