Day 9 - April 16, 2007

Happy Birthday
Happy Birthday, Patty! I hope that Sydney made you a cake. Have a great day and do something for yourself. I'm sure that mom is babysitting. LOL Harley will put on her birthday outfit for you!

La Nueva Escuela
I did not sleep at all because I had to start at Playa Lingua today. The school is further and classes start earlier.

Of course, on my first day, I would have a big zit on my chin!

On my way to school, the cutest little puppy found me, so I fed it my snack and the rest of my Chai Tea. I had to get Chai on the way to school because it was chilly.

Our teacher was a bit intimidating at first. I thought he was going to be mean and crabby, but he's very nice. There's a French Canadian lady named Kathy, and two people from Switzerland, Andrea y Mark.

The new school is like night and day. I still think it's difficult to learn, but Luis's teaching style is much better and I have already learned more in a day than I learned at IH Riviera Maya. It's going to be an exhausting week, but it will be worth it.

The teacher told me that I´m like a non-stick skillet because all of the information just slides right off. He was really speaking about Americans in general because the language is so much harder for us to learn. I think he meant that I´m ADD. LOL

Everyone keeps telling me that I should stay for 3 months. Cheryl and Mandy, can you ask MK what she thinks? LOL

Estadounidense
What the heck is that? Why can´t we just say North America (Norte de America) or U.S.A.? They had to go and make up some crazy, difficult word for us to remember. Ay, yay, yah!

Americans
My advice for any American who wants to get immersed is to get a basic knowledge of common words, time, numbers, etc. first. I didn´t want to learn the wrong way, so I didn´t prepare and people from other countries are way more advanced even though they are in the beginners class. Some of their languages are similar and it´s easier for them.

Homework
Luis, el maestro, told us to go to the store and read labels, which I did. He also said not to speak to anyone in Spanish, but to just listen. He also recommended watching T.V. for at least an hour and to identify some opposites.

Real Playa Del Carmen
I took a tour of the Real on my way to La Cueva del Chango. It´s very small and there´s a large Italian population. It´s a decent place to stay on 5th Avenue if it´s a good price because it is all-inclusive. If the price is not right, then I wouldn´t bother. The beach is shared with the Gran Porto Real.

La Cueva del Chango
I LOVE this place! They have the best and most fresh food. It´s difficult for me to go somewhere else when I can go there. It´s closer to the school, but it´s still a good walk. I´m in Playacar and it´s all the way at the opposite end near Shangri La. It really has a great atmosphere and you can watch them cooking and making fresh fruit drinks. There are fountains throughout and there is even one that serves as the bathroom sink! For lunch I had Chicken Enchiladas with Mole´sauce and a Yogurt Smoothie with pineapple, orange and banana. My bill was $7.00. It sort of reminds me of a place that would be in Brown County, IN.

Cheryl's Great Idea
Cheryl sent me the following email, which cracks me up!

I had a GREAT idea yesterday. I think you should become Rachael Ray's best friend...you know like Gail is to Oprah? You could make guest appearances on her show, and be sent on special trips...etc. Possibly a spin off show of your own.

The End of the Day
I went to Wal-Mart like a good girl and read my labels. I couldn´t resist the pastry aisle (no wonder the food baby is growing). I bought big croissants and Nutella for breakfast. I also found some chocolate-strawberry breakfast bars to bring home with me.

Fibre
I swear that Wal-Mart has a whole aisle devoted to things with fibre in them. I've never seen anything like it.

Educational Evening
I took a taxi back to the condo and was on brain overload. I took a little snooze with the T.V. on. Then, I did some laundry and put Post-It Notes all over the condo of the words that I was supposed to learn (e.g., la mesa...the table, la puerta...the door, la pluma...the pen, etc.). I also watched a movie in Spanish with Farrah Faucett because I saw it before and thought it would help. Later, I found the Discovery Channel and watched Plaza Sesamo (or, Sesame Street!). Now, that was more my speed.

That was my fun and exciting evening!

Adios!