Spanish Schools

I know you are probably sick of me saying how hard Spanish is...but it is. Not just Spanish, but all, as long as you are an adult. A year ago I had some different thoughts on this and thought it would be a much smoother process. My experience as been very different. I realize that I am not alone the more I talk to others on this journey, including my husband. I think most of the people that told us it was not that hard were those that learned their second language as children or had not actually become bilingual themselves. Anyway, it does not really matter what other people's process has been. What matters to me is my process and my Spanish. Through this process I have learned a lot about myself and my learning style. I think I referred to this when I was in Costa Rica. I need a non pressure situation and a little nurturing. I went through a couple of teachers there and started taking more classes with my favorite teacher Alex. Some of the teachers were nice enough, but they did not teach me stuff. They just talked and talked. Alex was very good at teaching, explaining, listening and giving lots of encouragement. She became a friend through the process.

I was a little worried when we left that I was going to have to start all over and find other teachers. Jason began emailing four different schools and from those emails we picked two to set up appointments with and then go from there once we were in Peru. Once we got here we realized that one of the schools had changed their location and shared it with the other school we were communicating with and they seemed a little upset that we were communicating with both. They told us to go to the sons school (the parents owned the other one) and his wife. We agreed and set up classes. They showed us around a little and we met their four kids. After a couple of sessions with the wife I then had my first one with the husband. I was a little nervous b/c he seemed a little gruff. I made it forty minutes before running out of class crying. This is the first time that has happened and I was trying to keep it together for awhile before I finally could not. The wife came in and finished. He was a little more than gruff. There was a little bit too much demeaning, negativity and yelling. I have tried for forty years to not be so sensitive to no avail. I was not going to change. I tried to tell them that I really was trying and wanted to learn Spanish badly. I had dragged my family across the world for this goal of being able to be bilingual. If I was slow or forgot something it just was how I learned and not to make anyone mad. Jason said we could leave and try another school, but I decided he had something to offer my Spanish. After another six weeks of them taking us on personal errands during Spanish classes, dealing with crying children (theirs, not ours) and the final straw of the husband yelling and demeaning Jason and telling him he would not tell him what a word meant, he could figure it out later, we left. I had salmonella and Shera was here so I had taken the week off so Jason just told them we needed a break....a long break.

Jason emailed another school that was within walking distance to our house and was one of the original four that he was emailing. He took a class to check it out and he liked it. He said he was surprised at how relaxing it was. The owner, Maria, is really sweet and helpful. She is encouraging and positive. I have had her and Pablo as my teachers and really like them. I know we will change teachers while we are there to get different styles and learn to listen to different people speak. I have been speaking so much more and enjoy my conversations with them. Pablo is a psych major at the university so we have had some conversations about relationships and some of the differences between Peru and the US. Maria had the whole family over for some special deserts for Easter. She runs her school out of her home and has two daughters who are 9 and 11. They played with our kids and it was really fun. She has helped me find a volunteer place near my house at a retirement home run by the nuns. She is so sweet and I am enjoying my classes. I still go home exhausted, but I am understanding more and they leave me encouraged.