Lengua

There are 14 tenses in Spanish. At this point I know (to varying degrees!) seven of them, and I think I will leave it at that! For now anyway.

The process of learning a language, something I have never done before, has been an up and down experience. Three months ago, when I arrived in Buenos Aires, I was constantly frustrated by my lack of understanding and inability to communicate. This was a main motivation in hotfooting it to Peru, where I knew I wanted to study.

Now, after two months living in a Spanish speaking house with very patient friends, I finally feel that I can, to some degree, speak Spanish. It is immensly rewarding to be able to have chats with my juice lady in the market, make jokes and have conversations that stretch beyond name, work and nationality.

Undoubtedly it is an exhausting experience. Since Emily left two weeks ago I have spoken basically only Spanish. There comes a point in the evening where my brain can no longer formulate thoughts and my mouth can´t negotiate the acrobatics of Spanish language. But ultimately I am thrilled. I have a long way to go before I am fluent, but I can make myself understood.

There are of course hilarious moments of miscommunication. Just yesterday I asked my friend what ingredient makes a sweet rice dessert brown, a fruit or something else? He replied "Chancaca" which is a type of unrefined sugar, but I heard "Kaka", which is poo. My look of dismay ensued much laughter and a more thorough explanation.

The photo is the view from my street in San Blas.