Sonsonate, El Salvador
March 10, 2011
Cambios de mi vida!
Changes in my life! This week has been crazy! Especially yesterday! But I guess we'll start at the beginning!
So we had cambios* (Transfers*), I'm in the same place, but a lot of our district changed... so [many] new faces, a lot of gringos! Every companionship has at least one gringos.
I'm speaking a lot more English, which I don't like, but also my Spanish is a whole lot better... it's hard to think that I spent five years learning French , little by little, word by word, lesson by lesson... and in less that six months BAM! I speak Spanish waaaaaaaaaaaay better than I ever did speak French!
That is the power of God right there! It's amazing!
Anyway... so lots of new faces and a new District Leader. He's great, and he has a lot of animo (Enthusiasm or excitement) and he holds us accountable to our goals. So that's nice.
This week we taught a lot... it wasn't much different in that aspect from any other week... but yesterday was insane!
"Dates"
So, the assistants have been breathing down our necks for fechas* (dates)... for baptisms. Yesterday they came to our zone specifically to put fechas.
There were four investigators in sacrament meeting and I had no faith that we could put fechas with them... we had only been teaching them this week. We only taught half of the first lesson to one of them, and the other we had only met with twice.
Long story short, they put the fechas [anyway]...
Two things I've learned: (1) Miracles really do happen! (I knew this one before... but it's always nice to have it reaffirmed) and (2) I have a lot to learn about teaching!
I guess I better get to it! So here I go
I love you. God Loves you. what else really matters!?
* "Cambios": Spanish for "Changes" but in this context it means "Transfer"
* "Transfer": When a missionary is being move from one location or job to another.
* "Fechas": Spanish for "Dates" : missionary-lingo for 'reporting' the progress of investigators.
Showing posts with label Learning Spanish. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Learning Spanish. Show all posts
Spanish 101
the language is coming...slowly :) I'm understanding a lot better than I can speak and I have a whole host of teachers willing and ready to help.
Memo, a kid I work with is speaking to me in Spanish more and more asking me all sorts of questions and trying to get me to reply in Spanish. although, i'm pretty sure sometimes he tells me to say cuss words cause I'll repeat what he says and he will start laughing uncontrollably. Its also really funny when we start having a conversation in his broken english and my broken spanish and we'll get to a point when neither of us knows what the other is saying...then we just have to start all over :P
After the first week of lessons with Mari we had to stop because her daughter was getting married (Congratulations Joel and Monica!) but we are resuming again this week, which will help a lot!
Hernan has taken it upon himself to teach me Spanish and has even given me homework. which is surprisingly nice to have. with everybody going back to school and me staying at home, I definitely need something to focus on that uses brain power! Also I am being given a sentence every few days to memorize. that is way fun! especially for my family who gets to hear me repeat 'should we do something fun today?' five hundred gazillion times a day!!!! they should just be thankful they don't have to hear me ramble when I'm driving
Santiago, another guy I work with, also is really helpful. He is trying to learn English fluently so does not like speaking Spanish in the workplace, however upon finding out what I am doing is more than willing to teach me a few things... :)
Finally, Aunt Debi is just as bad/good as Hernan. in fact her first lesson for me was EXACTLY like his, almost word for word! 'learn the vowels a e i o u. repeat them again. keep them crisp and clear. open your mouth wide when you say them....etc.' as difficult and perfectionistic as they are, i'm sure i'll be thankful for it.
I know I'm not the first nor will I be the last to learn another language...and just like anything else, its really hard! but it will be worth it! of that I have no doubt.
Memo, a kid I work with is speaking to me in Spanish more and more asking me all sorts of questions and trying to get me to reply in Spanish. although, i'm pretty sure sometimes he tells me to say cuss words cause I'll repeat what he says and he will start laughing uncontrollably. Its also really funny when we start having a conversation in his broken english and my broken spanish and we'll get to a point when neither of us knows what the other is saying...then we just have to start all over :P
After the first week of lessons with Mari we had to stop because her daughter was getting married (Congratulations Joel and Monica!) but we are resuming again this week, which will help a lot!
Hernan has taken it upon himself to teach me Spanish and has even given me homework. which is surprisingly nice to have. with everybody going back to school and me staying at home, I definitely need something to focus on that uses brain power! Also I am being given a sentence every few days to memorize. that is way fun! especially for my family who gets to hear me repeat 'should we do something fun today?' five hundred gazillion times a day!!!! they should just be thankful they don't have to hear me ramble when I'm driving
Santiago, another guy I work with, also is really helpful. He is trying to learn English fluently so does not like speaking Spanish in the workplace, however upon finding out what I am doing is more than willing to teach me a few things... :)
Finally, Aunt Debi is just as bad/good as Hernan. in fact her first lesson for me was EXACTLY like his, almost word for word! 'learn the vowels a e i o u. repeat them again. keep them crisp and clear. open your mouth wide when you say them....etc.' as difficult and perfectionistic as they are, i'm sure i'll be thankful for it.
I know I'm not the first nor will I be the last to learn another language...and just like anything else, its really hard! but it will be worth it! of that I have no doubt.
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