Acuerdo; Desacuerdo

In Spanish, acuerdo means to agree; desacuerdo means to disagree. I am taking more of an introductory  class than Celeste is. Her Spanish is mucho mejor que la mia. This morning, the teacher, Julia, said a statement and we went around the room replying if we agreed or not. Por ejemplo, "Me gusta el zumo de naranja," I like orange juice, so I replied, "Acuerdo; a mi tambien." After the teacher led the first round of statements, it was our turn to share something we liked or did not like. This is the time when our personalities  shine. The student that sits next to me, Matt, likes American muscle cars. Another students, Tony, prefers classical music.

At the beginning of each week, the students in the class change out; some leave and new students come in.  I will never forget what it felt like to be the new student in the class, and I thought about that lost feeling I had when a new student, Camilla, came in from Brazil.  She was welcomed and asked her name and where she is from. She seemed very well adjusted.  Her English is very good.

Even with a new student, I noticed that the feeling of esprit de corps still exists among us in the group. It is also important to note that with the instructors there is no feeling of 'us against them,' they are very helpful and have a welcoming demeanor about themselves.

When new students inevitably enter my English class in the states, I can be even more sympathetic towards that insecure feeling new students have of not knowing exactly where to fit in.  In my current Spanish class, no one taught us or showed us how to be accepting of new people, it is the norm here and we adjust. That feeling of inclusiveness is probably so prevalent because recently we were all that new person not knowing exactly what the unwritten rules of the game are.

                                  Our conversational Spanish teacher, Julia with me and Paphada