It wasn't me...

One of the great things about our classes in addition to improving our Spanish is getting to talk to our Spanish teachers. Today we learned a lot about the tradition of bullfighting. Whether you agree with it or not, la corrida del torros (bullfight) is very much a part of the fabric of Spain. There are many "stages" to the bullfight before the matador even steps into the arena. It was also interesting to learn that the younger generation of Spaniards do not necessarily support the practice. It will be interesting to see if the tradition continues...it has already been banned in Barcelona and the Canary Islands.

I continue to have moments of elation and frustration in my studies. Today was frustrating not because of what we are learning, but because of who sat next to me. We have a girl in class who has a tendency to talk a lot - and she does it when she is really not supposed to be speaking. Today I was trying to listen to our teacher explain a lesson and she was whispering something to me. Our teacher had to stop class and ask if there was a problem. I have to say I was a bit mortified, but the question was directed at my neighbor and not me. (Phew!) The girl said she was asking to see my notes because she couldn't see the board and my teacher had her move closer to the board. I couldn't help but chuckle at the many times I have had to move a student because they couldn't see the board or because they were disrupting another student. As my teacher was handing me my homework, she gave me a look that immediately told me that she knew I was frustrated with the girl beside me.

This girl means well, but geez, we are trying to learn here. It has been interesting watching how the class handles her continuous input. Again, sitting on the other side of the desk again has been fascinating!

In España they don't use the word tarea for homework, they use deberes.

¡Deberes, deberes, deberes!