Lost in Translation: I recently crossed some sort of threshold where I no longer care about how others perceive my Spanish speaking ability. Perhaps my confidence has improved, but I think it's really more that I've leaned into the comforting anonymity of an urban setting. This means that I now speak along with the Spanish podcasts I've started consuming, whether I'm walking down the street or sitting on the metro. This strange new feeling almost got me in trouble this week. I came into about an hour of free time after a cancelled class, and so I made my way to a cafe near my next class. There was a woman tending the counter and I ordered (in Spanish, successfully) immediately. After taking my espresso to a window, I picked up a magazine and began to read an excellent article about the NBA. Since it was in Spanish, I naturally began to read out loud. A moment later, a woman clearing a table approached me and said something very quickly while gesturing towards the door. Before I could respond, she cut herself off and smiled as I think she said "Pensé que estabas hablando contigo mismo" - she thought I was talking to myself! This lead me to believe that she thought I was loitering, completely understandable as I had lingered a while outside the cafe as I spoke along to the last few minutes of a podcast. I proceeded to read the rest of the article out loud (clocking in around 45 minutes total time for something the magazine labeled as about an 11 minute read) and I was bid a very warm farewell after leaving the restaurant. It started by accident, but I really enjoyed this odd activity and plan on doing it again...maybe in a different location to see how it goes over!
Exploring the City: We embarked on our first international trip in two months this past weekend as we headed to Ireland. Normally a two month gap between travel of any kind would seem like a blink of an eye, but with the clock ticking on our time in Madrid (along with our much-closer-than-usual proximity to Europe) the pressure to travel is real. Our friends Gregg and Lavonne planned to meet us in Dublin, tour the city for a few days and then continue on to Madrid. Although it was a brief visit, the four of us really packed a lot into the 40 hours we had on the very green water surrounded land. True to form, it rained off and on for much of the visit and I think we are all the richer for it. Sites in town included St. Stephen's Green, Christchurch Cathedral, the Guiness Storehouse, the Trinity College campus, the Temple Bar neighborhood, the Liffey River, St. Patrick's Cathedral, and a treasure trove of picturesque streets that paved the road out of the center to our hotel.
On Saturday, we were pining for the coast and decided to hop on a train to the town/community of Howth. Located on an island-like peninsula slightly northeast of the city center, this place afforded us the opportunity to hike a rocky trail that wound around from the harbor to a lighthouse before circling back into town. Though it was raining for part of the trek, the excursion was wonderful and gave us a little more of a sense for the country whose surface we barely skimmed. Near the end of the walk we opted for a warm reprieve in an unassuming pub. This turned out to be one of the best experiences of the country, as we were greeted with a bevy of locals crowded around tables in a room with a real fireplace! After drying off, a man thanked us for our business rather awkwardly. Unbeknownst to Gregg and I, he apparently gave up his seat to us at a table when we first arrived. We later concluded that he must be the owner or have some stake in the place. Identifying with the somewhat poor timing of his conversation skills, this man endeared me to the establishment even more.
Sunday brought an early morning flight to Madrid, and Joni and I were impressed by the steady conscious resolve of our friends hailing from Indiana. They have been quite resilient in adapting to the time change, for which they have been awarded with cramming in a LOT of sights in and around Madrid. In addition to the standard must-see haunts (the palace, Retiro, the Prado, Sol, Plaza Mayor, El Jardín Secreto) we were glad to accompany them on journeys to a few new places/experiences. Back in November with fellow Indiana residents Bracton and Bri, a cloudy morning prevented us from seeing the supposedly glorious sunrise at Templo de Debod. Having heard several rave reviews about the park at sunset and having done our best to select a clear day, we camped out and waited for the sun to descend beyond the horizon. It was nice enough, but decidedly over-hyped as far as natural beauty goes. Joni's Spanish teacher Paloma had recommended Círculo de las Bellas Artes to us as a great place to take out of town friends, and so our crew went to take in the view atop this cultural center's rooftop. I can't believe I hadn't heard of this place and that I had seen so many unabashed paeans to Templo de Debod. Círculo de las Bellas Artes is by far superior, with the evening sun splayed out across the sprawling city rooftops.
En la clase: Cat happened to be traveling this week, and so on Tuesday Paloma came to our apartment for Joni's Spanish lesson. Since it would have been more of a pain to leave and because it sounded like fun, Gregg, Lavonne and I all joined in. Joni once said that Paloma makes her feel smart, by speaking at a comfortable speed and being incredibly kind, and I now agree wholeheartedly. We studied Enrique Iglesias' smash summer hit from 2016, "Duele el Corazón," and enjoyed singing along after gleaning meaning from each phrase. Gregg traveled to Guatemala with Joni on a cross cultural trip in college, and Lavonne spent a whole term in Peru, so though they were a bit rusty the class seemed to be enjoyed and at least partially understood by all participants. Joni even asserted that we didn't hold her back, though I'm still a bit suspicious of that claim.
Joni continues to have a steady stream of VIP Kid classes filling in her free time, and she is starting to become a sought after teacher. Parents are able to review teachers, commenting with words the teacher can then read. Of course, since these classes are delivered to students in China, the parents are likely to be more comfortable in Chinese. Anticipating this, VIP Kid reviews have a feature that allows teachers to translate comments to English on the page. The best one to date reads: "Jonella teacher is kind and easy-going, good at guiding children, is a daughter like a teacher." I'm 100% sure those are the words of a happy parent, but only 50% sure I can use the phrase "Jonella wife is a daughter like a wife."
Final Notes: A handful of hours after sending Gregg and Lavonne off to the airport on Friday, we'll head for Italia on our first (and likely last) week-long trip during our time living in Spain. Joni has been brushing up on Italian using Duo Lingo, and I successfully located and borrowed an Italian guidebook in Spanish. Suffice to say we're prepared to be reasonably confused, but also feel secure in our ability to locate and consume gelato and pasta. Many memorable dining experiences are sure to lace our canvas of linguistic uncertainty, which, of course, makes for excellent blog fodder.
Memorable Meal: Seeking both shelter from the persistent rain alongside sustenance to quell our hunger, we ducked in to the genially named restaurant Crabby Joe's on the Howth pier. Seeing as it was the heart of the lunch hour, we were greeted with a rather discouraging queue of hopeful diners whose minds and stomachs likely contained similar content our own. After a pleasantly brief 5 minutes or so in limbo, we were warmly escorted to a table in the dining room. Despite the name, the service was friendly and the menu was varied enough to allow Joni a few non-seafood options. I had a delectable seafood chowder, Joni thoroughly enjoyed her bowl of french onion soup, and Gregg and Lavonne partook of a mushroom soup, seafood medley, and crab cakes. To my delight, they had ordered too much and implored me to swoop in and finish the job. Which I did, without hesitation. There's nothing like warm seafood on a drizzly day on a remote pier preceding a fulsome cliff-side walk!
En la clase: Cat happened to be traveling this week, and so on Tuesday Paloma came to our apartment for Joni's Spanish lesson. Since it would have been more of a pain to leave and because it sounded like fun, Gregg, Lavonne and I all joined in. Joni once said that Paloma makes her feel smart, by speaking at a comfortable speed and being incredibly kind, and I now agree wholeheartedly. We studied Enrique Iglesias' smash summer hit from 2016, "Duele el Corazón," and enjoyed singing along after gleaning meaning from each phrase. Gregg traveled to Guatemala with Joni on a cross cultural trip in college, and Lavonne spent a whole term in Peru, so though they were a bit rusty the class seemed to be enjoyed and at least partially understood by all participants. Joni even asserted that we didn't hold her back, though I'm still a bit suspicious of that claim.
Joni continues to have a steady stream of VIP Kid classes filling in her free time, and she is starting to become a sought after teacher. Parents are able to review teachers, commenting with words the teacher can then read. Of course, since these classes are delivered to students in China, the parents are likely to be more comfortable in Chinese. Anticipating this, VIP Kid reviews have a feature that allows teachers to translate comments to English on the page. The best one to date reads: "Jonella teacher is kind and easy-going, good at guiding children, is a daughter like a teacher." I'm 100% sure those are the words of a happy parent, but only 50% sure I can use the phrase "Jonella wife is a daughter like a wife."
Final Notes: A handful of hours after sending Gregg and Lavonne off to the airport on Friday, we'll head for Italia on our first (and likely last) week-long trip during our time living in Spain. Joni has been brushing up on Italian using Duo Lingo, and I successfully located and borrowed an Italian guidebook in Spanish. Suffice to say we're prepared to be reasonably confused, but also feel secure in our ability to locate and consume gelato and pasta. Many memorable dining experiences are sure to lace our canvas of linguistic uncertainty, which, of course, makes for excellent blog fodder.
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