So on my Christmas Vacation I went to Mexico. Cuernavaca, Mexico to be exact. I enrolled in the Cuernavaca School of Language and went to learn Spanish. After teaching my mat class one morning, I was talking with Dita, Berenice, Romina and Agnes and they all inspired me! If they can speak 3-4 different languages, then I can try to learn one! I wanted to go to the source and not just enroll in a program here in the city or even the States. I did some research and found this school. I lived with a host family (Humberto and Leontine) to really get a feel for the language and culture. I also had an amazing teacher (Eloisa) who did her best to teach me Spanish for 6 days. I went to school every day for 5 hours and practiced, practiced, practiced.
Did I learn to speak Spanish? Kinda. I learned a lot, but after only 6 days I still struggle with putting a sentence together or holding a conversation. I do feel like I understand the language a little better by broadening my vocabulary and listening to it for so many days. My hosts spoke a little bit of English, but for the most part I had to use a lot of hand gestures and big expressions and my limited vocabulary to communicate.
I am VERY motivated to continue my education back in the States by using Rosetta Stone and signing up for a Spanish discussion group or class. I want to return to Cuernavaca in a year to show my host family and my teacher that I can do this!
What else did I learn? PERSPECTIVE! Life was very simple and the people I met where so kind and friendly. They went out of their way to help me and make me feel welcome. The pace of life slowed down and things like checking my FB account or Instagram account ceased to really matter. We sat down to every single meal and had a conversation. I took naps. I didn’t workout in the sense of going to a gym, but in taking a walk every day and playing badminton and hiking. The food I ate was simple and fresh and so good! I ate 3 square meals a day which always included bread and cheese. I made due with a shower that had hot water for only about a minute each morning and was without a Starbucks.
It was a learning experience that I’m glad I did. My teacher, Eloisa, was a gift! She was a sassy, firecracker of a person that I just know I will stay in touch with. I made a new friend!
Here are some pictures of my trip!
