Podria hablar mas despacio?

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In eager anticipation of our departure, I have...for the second time in my adult life....signed up for a Spanish course. As you can imagine, the first time didn't go so well. But that story is between Kathleen and me..right Kath?

Matt speaks Spanish beautifully and has really enabled me to sit back and enjoy the ride south of the border. Need directions or to figure out where the bus station is, what time the bus leaves, how much it costs and when it arrives? Easy....just tell Matt where you'd like to go and he works it out.

Now while that is an enormous perk, it's also not how anyone with a deep love for cultural and educational experiences should embrace her time abroad. Matt makes amazing connections with people. You should see it. They adore him. Taxi drivers, drunken bar-goers, sailors, waiters, fellow passengers on buses. People warm to him in part because he speaks their language.

On our honeymoon, in the southeastern corner of Portugal, we stayed in a home that was built by the Moors hundreds of years ago. We found the home, because Matt was wandering the streets looking for a place for us to sleep, and he stumbled upon Josephine. Josephine, one of the few Portuguese we found who spoke fluent Spanish, was at least 85. She was not much taller than 4 feet, and she loved my husband. His sweet nature endeared her to him, but his Spanish sealed the deal. When we left her home, after eating the most amazing homemade breakfast you've ever seen, Matt went to give her $40. He came back in and said....."Josephine kissed me. On the lips. Not once, not twice, but three times. One more time, and I was going to have to remind her that I was on my honeymoon." 

Click here for photos of Josephine's house: http://share.shutterfly .com/action/welcome?sid =8AatmbZk0ZtFGTA

So all that to say - I knew when we decided to begin our trip in South America that I needed to speak more Spanish. Luckily, Matt and I have traveled enough in Mexico and Central America that I have picked up on quite a bit but not enough to really connect or navigate the way he can.

When Matt was sick in Oaxaca and sent me alone to the bank, pharmacy, and to get food.....I made it and got all of the errands run speaking only Spanish but determined later than I had quadruple paid for our dinner that I bought in a market stall. Something about catorce being different from cuarenta. Who knew?

Last night was my first class. It's on the beautiful UT campus that I loved so much in an old building with real chalkboards and the too-small right handed desks that those of us fortunate enough to be left handed have never quite mastered. I just sat there, looked around, and thought....the journey begins!

Part of what excites me about this trip is that I'll be learning and pushing myself.... while meeting other people who are doing exactly the same things.

We went around the room and introduced ourselves. A young Indian doctor, a much older truck driver who wants to learn Spanish so that he can speak with his son's new in-laws, a nineteen year old who just likes to learn, a man who lived in Columbia until 10 years ago and wants to brush up before he heads back, a middle-aged woman whose life goal is to retire in Veracruz, and me...hoping that maybe my Spanish will become good enough to inspire the adoration that Matt did in Josephine....well, maybe not that much....all there to learn something new.

Deseame buena suerte,

Amber