Week 3

By Joni

Lost in Translation: Aaron was sick this week and mistook the pharmacist to be saying inflamed rather than phlegm...so if anyone is in need of some phlegm reduction, we've got a bottle of liquid that might help!

It turns out some things get lost in translation from English to English as well. During an exercise for one of our grammar lessons, my British friend Ryan and I kept arguing over the correct answer to a question.  I insisted it was a wallet, and he insisted it was a purse.  I tried to explain that the wallet goes inside the purse, and he kept trying to tell me something about a handbag.  It turns out that in the U.K., wallet = purse (the word wallet is only used to describe what men carry), and purse = handbag. I also taught the phrase "I have a shower everyday" to one of my students because the worksheet I was used British English. 

Exploring the city: We met up with our friends Ben and Cat to have dinner at their place in the Chamberí neighborhood. In addition to a delicious dinner and spending time on their quiet terrace, we also had our first gelato experience in Spain at a place called Kalua Helado Artesanal. Yum.

Memorable meal: Marli made a meal this week that contained almost all of my favorite foods - something that closely resembled lasagna, something that less closely resembled hummus (very oily and more like a sauce in consistency, but delicious), a pineapple/tomato/lettuce salad, and ice cream cone treats for dessert. We aren't too far removed from our last "American" meal, but it was a nice break from fish :)

Who's coming to dinner: We have mentioned our Austrian housemate before, but have not yet elaborated.  Theo is 18 and here for a 3 week long school trip by himself.  His high school requires him to go on 1-2 international trips each year.  He has been all over the place, sometimes with his class, sometimes with just one or two classmates, and sometimes alone.  Each trip requires some sort of learning experience, which usually takes the form of an apprenticeship. Here in Madrid, he is volunteering with a summer camp run by the Red Cross. In the past he has worked construction in South Africa, has farmed in Spain, has learned the ins and outs of lumber-jacking in Austria, and has painted in the streets of Italy and France. Theo speaks 3 languages and has been our lifeline at many dinners.  I'm not sure what conversations will be like without him here to translate after he leaves on Saturday. Theo, you will be missed.

En la clase: The third week of class is said to be the toughest week of the course, as though it wasn't already intense enough.  Luckily for me, however, this week includes several lessons on phonetics, which happens to be one of my favorite subjects!  I can't get enough of it (and no, I'm not being sarcastic). We have now completed teaching practices 3 and 4, but need to finish a huge group project and start studying for next week's big grammar exam, as well prepare for our last 2 teaching practices. This will be another weekend spent at TtMadrid getting work done, but next weekend we will meet sweet freedom!

Final note: Aaron passed whatever sickness he had onto me, so Tuesday I was feeling quite ill.  After a long day of class/teaching, we came home and I had a fever.  I started crying out of pure exhaustion and because my whole body ached. Marli lovingly came in and tried to comfort me. Amid her many hugs and "don't cry" commands, she kept asking me questions to find out what was wrong, if I needed medicine, and what she could do to help. I did my best to respond, but it's REALLY hard to speak Spanish when you're sick, tired, and crying. This whole scene resulted in all of us laughing, and then Marli said a very nice prayer for me and told us she is blessed to have us in her home.  We are blessed to be in her home!