Language Studies

About 5 1/2 years ago Jose and I really started talking about our desire to spread the gospel in another country. He felt called to Peru because he knew first hand the need there. I had personal reasons for not really thinking Peru was the right fit. (God eventually changed my heart obviously) Jose said I want to move there in 5 years. I thought "yeah ok, that sounds good" because the way things looked 5 years was really far away and yet I thought we would still be living in Texas preparing to go "someday".

2 years ago the call to Peru became more urgent for both of us. We planned our trip to visit and decide if this was really God or as Jose says "bad chinese food" (causing hallucinations) I started using a computer program we had that was supposed to teach Spanish. I learned the colors I didn't know and maybe a few fruit names. Aside from that it was not the most helpful software. We visited Peru for almost 2 weeks in September (2009) 5 years of marriage to Jose with his spanish speaking family helped some. I was able to understand quite a bit of what was said to me. So I got a little bit cocky. I thought "Spanish will be easy for me to learn". Jose's dad got me the Rosetta Stone program and I started using it some. I admit between the cockiness and the feeling that all I was learning on the program was what to call a man, woman, boy and girl I didn't stick to it well.

6 months ago we moved to Peru. I found out that non stop spanish wherever I go is hard to follow. Also I get a headache when I'm inundated with it. I think from all the translating in my head. I have started trying to do Rosetta stone more often. I do great and usually get 100% on my tests at the end of each lesson. Of course I'm still just learning observations. For instance I can tell you "Ellos Cocinan" (they or the men are cooking) or "Ellas Cocinan" (the women are cooking) Go me! But then I get into a situation where I'm trying to talk to someone they ask me how I'm doing to which I respond "bien" then they ask how my children are doing and again I respond "bien". Most people smile and move on but then there is the occasional person who believes their job is to force me to speak nothing but spanish pronounced correctly and in detail. That person would respond "bien, bien, bien. Nothing but bien!?! DAH!" To which I would love to respond "If you asked me those questions in english my response would have been "good" not "bien" so I don't really see what I'm doing wrong here. That is not exactly a get deep into conversation question to ask. Unless of course I were an oversharer. Then instead of "Bien" I could have responded. "Bueno, Timoteo tiene esta erupción extraña en el trasero y yo creo que es de nuestro detergente para la ropa, pero realmente no puedo entender por qué sería sólo en su parte inferior" (Which means -Well, Timothy has this weird rash on his behind and I think it's from our laundry detergent but I really can't figure out why it would only be on his bottom.) But the problem is it would take me a good hour to figure out exactly how to say that unless I had my translating program on me and then I would say pretty much exactly what I typed above even though it's most likely slightly off or incorrect.
But instead of all that I usually just try to avoid people like that and speak the little spanish I'm comfortable with so far. I know for fact that I attach the wrong genders to items and I pretty much hate the fact that in spanish everything has a gender.

On the other hand there are the people who get excited when I speak spanish to them. That is a little embarrassing really. I feel kind of like a dog doing a trick with them. They are all "oh look she's doing a trick isn't that cute?" When what I really want is to not draw attention to myself anymore than I already do. 

After all I look like this... 

 

                                                         

                                                                           Notice the pasty white-ness



In a sea of this

 

So it's really not hard for me to stand out.