Language Classes: By himself
"No no, in the plusperfect, subjunctive, preterit noun phrase in the past tense you add an "a" not an "ra" and change the accent to the last syllable," stated Victor the language teacher.
How could I have been so silly?
After a break of 13 years it was time to brush up on formal Spanish. First for all you die hard Albertans I was informed that I spoke with a distinct French accent. Having never studied French I guess that would indicate that deep down Albertans have a close association with their French counterparts in Canada. There is hope for us yet!
As Herself and I are at a fairly advanced level of spanish our classes were primarily spent in conversation with the instructor. These conversations stressed new grammatical structures and vocabulary. We were asked to write stories using these new structures in as many ways as possible. Four hours of this was about as much as we could take.
The kids time was spent in a combination of conversation and book work in which they learned new verbs and practiced situations where different vocabulary could be used. These included going to a restaurant and a store. Bigsis managed four hours of instruction a day while Lilsis and Bro were exhausted after three.
The afternoons were spent doing homework or going on expeditions of exploration around the town. Amazing how many things one can find to do in the city of Trujillo when really they should be doing homework!
Herself and I left with our heads full of Spanish grammar, ready to experiment on any unsuspecting Latinos we should meet. Bigsis, Bro and Lilsis left with renewed confidence in their new language and an ability to communicate what they need in most situations.
LANGUAGE FAMILIES by Herself
You kids are so lucky to be experiencing other countries and other cultures! How often they have heard these words since our plan to travel began to hatch!
Other Culture: that would be a different language, lifestyle, and manners in the house, the streets, the stores, and at the table. That would be different foods -- packaged and purchased differently, stored and prepared differently, and served in different kinds of ways and at different times of day. (So why DO North Americans put cold milk on their Cornflakes?) "Other culture" would be differences in bathing, washing dishes and clothing. It would also be differences in minimal acceptable grooming before one leaves the house. It would include differences in the treatment of men, women, and children--in the home, in the workplace, and in public places.
Until recently, we have interfaced with people of several different Latin American nations in a multitude of different social settings and interactions. However, every night we have retreated into a space of our own whether a rustic boarded, sandfloored hut in the middle of the Carribean, a basic no frills bed with maybe a clean sheet, a fancy hotel room with cable, or our own home as in Bolivia. These spaces provided a sanctuary in which our "normal" existed.
Trujillo, a town east of La Ceiba on the north coast of the Honduras temporarily took away our refuge! Here, for one week, we lived: slept, ate, bathed, studied, played, cooked, cleaned and got rained on in the homes of two different Honduran families. The boys were in one home and the girls were in another. We were separated thus as it is a rare household that can accomodate five people and also to maximize everyone's opportunities to use Spanish day in and day out.
The Verdicts:
It was challenging (not easy, stressful) to find ourselves immersed with no escape, into worlds so different from our own even if only for a week.
It is easier to get to know people "below that surface" when you live and work with them. The potential for the wealth of friendships is opened much wider and sooner with some and closed firmly and much earlier with others!
The collection of stories broadens significantly the further down from the surface you scratch!
Here follows some observations from our "first-timers" in the experience of the "language family".
Food: by Bigsis
Our food in Trujillo was definitely not what we would normally choose to eat. Unfortunately for the one week we lived in Trujillo we had no choice.
In the girl's language family our food wasn't actually that bad. Breakfast was corn-flakes or bread. For lunches and suppers we usually ate the same type of food. It was rice, platano, (cooked bananas), black beans, and either chicken or beef. By the time we arrived for lunch, it was usually cold, (because we were often late getting home from language study), so we warmed it up in the microwave. The first few days we really enjoyed the food, but after that our stomachs were ready for a change. A few afternoons our tummies felt greasy inside afterwards. I'm sorry to say that my favorite meal was actually the one that Mom ended up making. That was when Celia, the queen of the house, was out getting her hair permed and wasn't back in time to make supper. Mom made us spaghetti and salad. The salad especially was a treat because it was the only fruits or veggies we were served all week. For the most part, our food was, although different, very good.
Unfortunately the boys have a different tale to tell.
Their breakfasts were corn-flakes with hot milk. I know that doesn't sound too bad, but when the milk is added half an hour early and the cereal is all soggy, and plus, Dad doesn't like milk in the first place, it really isn't all that delectable. They did have two days without corn-flakes however. On one occasion a huge plate of melon was set on the table and nothing else. Bro loved that meal, but unfortunately Dad is allergic to melon. The other morning they had eggs. Those somehow ended up in the garbage pail wrapped up in ten napkins each and the grease still leaking through. The lunches and suppers for them were grilled cheese sandwiches (made with an inch of cheese and about the equal amount of butter) or baleadas, a tortilla filled with all sorts of vegetables and meats, which were very much enjoyed.
After a week of that the boys for sure were ready for a while of Mom doing the cooking, but I think that I wouldn't have minded staying a bit longer. I do think, however, that even Bro and Dad will enjoy having another good story to tell.
The Houses: by Bro
One early morning, we woke up to the sound of rain pounding viciously at the roof of our small house in Trujillo. Sleep still in our eyes, we crawled out of bed and stepped on to a dirty floor. It still had some mud from the day before's adventure. In that story our house flooded up to our knees and we had to abort the house. But who knows what's up today.
From the outside it looked like any old house with a tin roof and red cement walls coated in mud.
Inside lived us, 4 boys and 1 girl and the mom. They were nice to us but were always coming into our room to use the bathroom. The only one in the house. They watched a lot of TV. It was fine for awhile but it was very difficult to fall asleep with gunshots and soccer games all through the night. That is what our house was like. You should have seen the girl's house.
The Storm: by Lil Sis
The rain battered the windows and doors, filling the house with noise. Welcome to the Trujillo storm.
As we sat huddled in our host family's living room, a storm raged outside. We looked out the window and saw that the trench outside our house was full! The next moment, the whole road had disappeared.
As you may know, Bigsis, Mom, and I were living in one house and Bro and Dad were in another. We were very surprised when Bro and Dad came knocking on our door with all their stuff claiming that their house had flooded. (There were only 15 cm of water on the floor.)
Bro and Dad had to stay with us one night! Though it was hard to fit seven people in our house we put a mattress on the living room floor for Bro and Bigsis, Mom and Dad on the bed frame with no mattress, and me in the single bed. We managed.
It was quite the storm! I'm glad that it is over.
The flooded streets of Trujillo during the tropical storm.
Himself waiting for the bus-that-would-not-come during the tropical storm.
