So, I got pretty lucky with the timing of my Mexico trip, no? I made it home the second week of April, before swine flu hysteria reached a fever pitch. I also avoided a pretty powerful earthquake. Add a crazy (tragic) fire and spikes in headline-grabbing violence and it looks like the country just fell apart without me.
Fortunately, my Spanish isn't falling apart without Mexico. But the danger is there. I was fortunate to be able to spend as much time as I did in the capital taking classes and practicing with capitaleños, but coming back to San Francisco was when the real work began. Like anyone returning home after an immersion experience, it's imperative to keep up the learning process. San Francisco is obviously a better place than many others to keep practicing Spanish, and I benefit from having a Spanish-speaking boyfriend, but there are a few things I'm trying to do that anyone can do.
I can't imagine a middle-sized city or bigger that doesn't have a few language schools. San Francisco has several and I'm spending my Wednesday nights at Casa Hispana chatting about current events with a teacher and a handful of other Hispanophiles. The focus of this particular class is on talking rather than actually learning grammar or correcting mistakes, but the class provides a weekly focus for me. While I sprinkle Spanish-language music, podcasts and TV programs into my general media consumption throughout the week, I'm extra motivated to devote time to this stuff on Wednesdays.
Additionally, I'm trying to read more. I just can't get myself to check the newspapers of the hispanoparlante world regularly, but immediately after coming back I devoured a few copies of a really great Mexican linguistic magazine I picked up in el DF (Algarabía). I also just read the translation of The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, which was great and relatively easy to get through since I had read the original work. I'm trying to follow this up by finishing a book I picked up in Madrid and couldn't, for whatever reason, get super far into last year.
So, I'm doing what I can, but I can't help but continue thinking that I'll never be satisfied until I reach the next level. And the reality is that reaching that level will require not just another prolonged trip to a Spaniah-speaking country, but a move with no specific return date in mind. With the big 3-0 on the not-too-distant horizon, those kinds of big steps become harder to take.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Leaving for the airport soon and thinking about a few things I haven't mentioned:
- I have never seen more people with neck braces than I have here. I've spotted 6 or 7 people with their necks wrapped up in Mexico City. I blame the insane driving (la ley no aplica).
- Just over 9 weeks and no Montezuma's revenge, bitches! Top that! (Although, to borrow I term I recently came across -- and look away if you're easily grossed out -- the nights w/o any substantive food have caused the occasional bubbleguts.)
- It's April 7 and I haven't had a drop of tap water since the morning of Feb. 2. Crazy.
- Similarly, I haven't cooked anything for myself since Feb. 1. Haven't even used a microwave.
- Eating out all the time has been crazy and I'll be glad to switch it up, but I will be sad to have to start cleaning for myself again; I've had my room (and private bathroom) cleaned every single day. ¡Qué lujo!
- Despite my initial reservations, I quickly got used to hauling my laundry to the nearest lavandería and letting fulano take care of it. Not looking forward to hitting the laundromat myself this weekend (but, gracias a dios, the new place has in-unit washer and dryer. Livin' the dream once again).
- I've noticed myself taking notes in both languages recently. For example: "cooking y agua." I wonder if this will become a habit. I guess it's better than just English. I just need to avoid el español pocho.
- Finally, after 2 months here, Starbucks just changed it's wifi password. Every Starbucks I've been to in DF and Guanajuato use the same service provider and the same password. So, basically, you just need to buy one drink, check the password on the receipt, and you're able to log on anywhere that offers this service provider (not just Starbucks!). And if they change things up once every two months, that ain't bad. Of course, I have been going to Starbucks practically every day, so I didn't feel guilty at all the few times I logged on from Sanborn's or a random store.
Anyway, me voy. Next adventure: moving again at the end of the month. South Beach/Embarcadero, baby!
- I have never seen more people with neck braces than I have here. I've spotted 6 or 7 people with their necks wrapped up in Mexico City. I blame the insane driving (la ley no aplica).
- Just over 9 weeks and no Montezuma's revenge, bitches! Top that! (Although, to borrow I term I recently came across -- and look away if you're easily grossed out -- the nights w/o any substantive food have caused the occasional bubbleguts.)
- It's April 7 and I haven't had a drop of tap water since the morning of Feb. 2. Crazy.
- Similarly, I haven't cooked anything for myself since Feb. 1. Haven't even used a microwave.
- Eating out all the time has been crazy and I'll be glad to switch it up, but I will be sad to have to start cleaning for myself again; I've had my room (and private bathroom) cleaned every single day. ¡Qué lujo!
- Despite my initial reservations, I quickly got used to hauling my laundry to the nearest lavandería and letting fulano take care of it. Not looking forward to hitting the laundromat myself this weekend (but, gracias a dios, the new place has in-unit washer and dryer. Livin' the dream once again).
- I've noticed myself taking notes in both languages recently. For example: "cooking y agua." I wonder if this will become a habit. I guess it's better than just English. I just need to avoid el español pocho.
- Finally, after 2 months here, Starbucks just changed it's wifi password. Every Starbucks I've been to in DF and Guanajuato use the same service provider and the same password. So, basically, you just need to buy one drink, check the password on the receipt, and you're able to log on anywhere that offers this service provider (not just Starbucks!). And if they change things up once every two months, that ain't bad. Of course, I have been going to Starbucks practically every day, so I didn't feel guilty at all the few times I logged on from Sanborn's or a random store.
Anyway, me voy. Next adventure: moving again at the end of the month. South Beach/Embarcadero, baby!
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Last class was yesterday. En cuanto a las clases, the week started off with me being super frustrated -- de muy mal humor -- but it quickly improved and the rest of the week was pretty fun. I had to write up a little something, which I may as well throw up here:
Llevo casi 9 semanas aquí, así que es un poquito difícil tratar de resumir toda la estancia en unas frases, pero voy a identificar tres experiencias inolvidables.
Como ya he dicho, empecé mis estudios de español con un gran énfasis en la cultura española; por lo tanto, todavía mantengo un interés fuerte en áquel país, su comida, las ciudades muy distintas, los acentos y dialectos. Por eso, en cuanto a México, lo que más me ha interesado ha sido la influencia española -- por ejemplo, la arquitectura de las ciudades coloniales. Pero uno no puede viajar a este país sin darse cuenta de la belleza y poder, digamos, de la civilización azteca y de los otros pueblos indígenas. Mi recién visita a Teotihuácan fue una revelación. Quizás las pirámides ya no son tan mantenidas, pero, por haber sido construidas hace 2 mil años, me parecen bien impresionantes. No podía creer que el sitio fuera real. Me parecía algo de un parque de atracciones. Y las pirámides fueron completadas mientras las personas viviendo en la península ibérica -- esos hombres quienes vinieron mil quinientos años después para conquistar a los "salvajes" -- aún eran consideradas los bárbaros de Europa por los romanos.
Decidí viajar al DF no porque fuera mi ciudad favorita del mundo hispanoparlante, sino porque pasar dos meses en España hubiera sido demasiado difícil dado que los husos horarios de San Francisco y Madrid son demasiado diferentes. Por eso, vine a la ciudad de México y estoy muy contento porque creo que ya conozco la ciudad -- al menos el centro, y sobre todo, La Condesa, un vecindario absolutamente precioso. Cuando fuimos al DF en 2007, mis amigos y yo tuvimos solamente cuatro días para hacer lo más posibile. Pero esta vez, por tener tantos días libres aquí, he podido pasar horas y horas en los cafés del barrio, mirando la gente -- como buen escritor -- escuchando el slang chilango, disfrutantdo la belleza del Parque México y de la gente "nice." Nadamås esto, sentarme y observar, es una de mis experiencias favoritas del viaje.
Finalmente, tomar clases ha sido un placer, aunque a veces me ha frustrado la necesidad de trabajar mientras estudio. Como he explicado, es bastante difícil enfocarme, pensar en español y platicar con todo el mundo inmediatamente antes o después de trabajar en inglés. Sin embargo, a pesar del trabajo, asistir a las clases aquí valió la pena. Ahora tengo un vocabulario más amplio, creo yo, y he aprendido unos conceptos completamente nuevos y he repasado reglas gramaticales importantes. Y por eso, les doy las gracias a todos de International House.
Pero hace mucho calor ultimamente, así que mejor me voy. Pues, adiós cabrones.
Llevo casi 9 semanas aquí, así que es un poquito difícil tratar de resumir toda la estancia en unas frases, pero voy a identificar tres experiencias inolvidables.
Como ya he dicho, empecé mis estudios de español con un gran énfasis en la cultura española; por lo tanto, todavía mantengo un interés fuerte en áquel país, su comida, las ciudades muy distintas, los acentos y dialectos. Por eso, en cuanto a México, lo que más me ha interesado ha sido la influencia española -- por ejemplo, la arquitectura de las ciudades coloniales. Pero uno no puede viajar a este país sin darse cuenta de la belleza y poder, digamos, de la civilización azteca y de los otros pueblos indígenas. Mi recién visita a Teotihuácan fue una revelación. Quizás las pirámides ya no son tan mantenidas, pero, por haber sido construidas hace 2 mil años, me parecen bien impresionantes. No podía creer que el sitio fuera real. Me parecía algo de un parque de atracciones. Y las pirámides fueron completadas mientras las personas viviendo en la península ibérica -- esos hombres quienes vinieron mil quinientos años después para conquistar a los "salvajes" -- aún eran consideradas los bárbaros de Europa por los romanos.
Decidí viajar al DF no porque fuera mi ciudad favorita del mundo hispanoparlante, sino porque pasar dos meses en España hubiera sido demasiado difícil dado que los husos horarios de San Francisco y Madrid son demasiado diferentes. Por eso, vine a la ciudad de México y estoy muy contento porque creo que ya conozco la ciudad -- al menos el centro, y sobre todo, La Condesa, un vecindario absolutamente precioso. Cuando fuimos al DF en 2007, mis amigos y yo tuvimos solamente cuatro días para hacer lo más posibile. Pero esta vez, por tener tantos días libres aquí, he podido pasar horas y horas en los cafés del barrio, mirando la gente -- como buen escritor -- escuchando el slang chilango, disfrutantdo la belleza del Parque México y de la gente "nice." Nadamås esto, sentarme y observar, es una de mis experiencias favoritas del viaje.
Finalmente, tomar clases ha sido un placer, aunque a veces me ha frustrado la necesidad de trabajar mientras estudio. Como he explicado, es bastante difícil enfocarme, pensar en español y platicar con todo el mundo inmediatamente antes o después de trabajar en inglés. Sin embargo, a pesar del trabajo, asistir a las clases aquí valió la pena. Ahora tengo un vocabulario más amplio, creo yo, y he aprendido unos conceptos completamente nuevos y he repasado reglas gramaticales importantes. Y por eso, les doy las gracias a todos de International House.
Pero hace mucho calor ultimamente, así que mejor me voy. Pues, adiós cabrones.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Working during my Mexican adventures (save one week when J came down) has been wonderful for the obvious reasons: I have been able to spend a significant chunk of time in another country without having to quit a job, live off of savings and risk long-term unemployment upon my return. I'm working 4 days a week, so I have three days every week to enjoy the city (although the addition of classes means I don't have any fully free days).
But those pros come along with some serious cons. This has not been a true immersion experience because I have to spend 8 hours a day, 4 days a week, thinking, writing and speaking in English. That's a must. Obviously, if I were not working, I'd still be riding the English-language wave by checking in with family and friends via phone, email, etc. But working is a real cock-blocker when it comes to improving my Spanish as much and as quickly as I'd like.
That said, I definitely have sensed improvements. I've been able to clear up confusing rules. I've learned a lot of colloquial Mexican-Spanish. And perhaps most importantly, I'm putting myself out there and making mistakes without beating myself up too much. That all has led to more confidence.
A big help in maximizing my Spanish-only time has been music. It's a tool I use in SF, too. Whenever I want to kickstart my day or need to refocus after a long spell of English, I open up my iTunes "Spanish" playlist and force my mind to begin thinking in Spanish. Here are some of my longtime favorites (all of which helped teach me a grammar trick or wicked Spanish-language expression):
Julieta Venagas - Me Voy (Mexico)
El Canto del Loco & Amaia Montero - Puede Ser (Spain)
Leonor Watling & Miguel Bosé - Este Mundo Va (Spain)
Diego Torres & Julieta Venegas - Sueños (Argentina)
La Oreja de Van Gogh - 20 de Enero (Spain)
But those pros come along with some serious cons. This has not been a true immersion experience because I have to spend 8 hours a day, 4 days a week, thinking, writing and speaking in English. That's a must. Obviously, if I were not working, I'd still be riding the English-language wave by checking in with family and friends via phone, email, etc. But working is a real cock-blocker when it comes to improving my Spanish as much and as quickly as I'd like.
That said, I definitely have sensed improvements. I've been able to clear up confusing rules. I've learned a lot of colloquial Mexican-Spanish. And perhaps most importantly, I'm putting myself out there and making mistakes without beating myself up too much. That all has led to more confidence.
A big help in maximizing my Spanish-only time has been music. It's a tool I use in SF, too. Whenever I want to kickstart my day or need to refocus after a long spell of English, I open up my iTunes "Spanish" playlist and force my mind to begin thinking in Spanish. Here are some of my longtime favorites (all of which helped teach me a grammar trick or wicked Spanish-language expression):
Julieta Venagas - Me Voy (Mexico)
El Canto del Loco & Amaia Montero - Puede Ser (Spain)
Leonor Watling & Miguel Bosé - Este Mundo Va (Spain)
Diego Torres & Julieta Venegas - Sueños (Argentina)
La Oreja de Van Gogh - 20 de Enero (Spain)
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Mariachi on the Patio
Originally uploaded by tjdee
Working upstairs in my new room, at first I thought the owners of the Red Tree House, where I'm staying, had bought some wicked new stereo speakers because the music was super clear and loud. Took me two songs to realize what was going on.
After about 45 minutes I went down quickly to take some video. I had to turn down wine twice (everyone is very friendly and inclusive). Stayed just long enough to find out a guest was having a special birthday dinner. Then, back up to my lovely new room to work from the uber-comfy couch and, predictably, listen to the new Kelly Clarkson CD instead of live mariachi music.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Since my trip to Madrid in 2007, I've realized that I'm a very good solo traveler (better than expected). Add another person, with his/her opinions, desires, preferences, etc. to the mix and that's where problems can occur.
That said, last week's stays in Guanajuato and Querétaro, both colonial cities to the northwest of Mexico City, were pretty fun. Jesús and I saw most of what we wanted to see, had some amazing food (both at "nice" restaurants and hole-in-the-wall joints) and, most importantly, experienced Mexico's first-class bus service.
Believe me, people, many companies claim to offer first-class bus service, and I'm sure they're all nicer than anything Greyhound has to offer (not that I'd know), but only ETN gets my seal of approval. I think there are only 24 seats on the entire bus and only three in each row. Plus, free wifi ON THE BUS. I can't even get wifi at San Francisco's airport for free. ¡Viva México!
(I've yet to organize a proper Guanajuato/Querétaro Flickr set, but here's one of my favorite photos and a video from the trip.)
That said, last week's stays in Guanajuato and Querétaro, both colonial cities to the northwest of Mexico City, were pretty fun. Jesús and I saw most of what we wanted to see, had some amazing food (both at "nice" restaurants and hole-in-the-wall joints) and, most importantly, experienced Mexico's first-class bus service.
Believe me, people, many companies claim to offer first-class bus service, and I'm sure they're all nicer than anything Greyhound has to offer (not that I'd know), but only ETN gets my seal of approval. I think there are only 24 seats on the entire bus and only three in each row. Plus, free wifi ON THE BUS. I can't even get wifi at San Francisco's airport for free. ¡Viva México!
(I've yet to organize a proper Guanajuato/Querétaro Flickr set, but here's one of my favorite photos and a video from the trip.)
Monday, March 2, 2009
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)