En Español

I would like to take a moment to give a shoutout to Señora Zamora at Valpo. Because of her I am muddling my way through conversations about camera memory cards, translating conversations between a Spanish speaking stranger and an English speaking stranger, and most importantly - ordering food. I am amazed at the amount of vocabulary that is coming back to me a little at a time. For example some guy hawking cigarettes in the plaza wouldn't leave us alone until I said, "no fumar!" Now, I'm pretty sure I said, "no to smoke!" But it worked! My limited Spanish is really coming in clutch. 

I also learned something about myself - I really enjoy trying to speak with strangers in a foreign land. There's something so gratifying when both parties finally understand. It's like there's a moment of pure relief and happiness when it clicks. It almost always involves smiling like a fool when the exchange is complete.