All of my classes are in Spanish with students from other European countries and from the U.S. I'm taking a class on society and politics in Spain and another class on the political system of the European Union. The professors of both classes are great, and I'm really enjoying learning about the political systems of other countries. I'm also taking a class on Latin American culture. To be honest, it's very boring. The professor is an old guy who likes to throw out random facts about the Aztecs and the Inca and isn't very good at putting the whole picture together. It's a shame because I think the class could be very interesting if it were taught differently. My other two classes focus on Spanish grammar, writing, speaking, and listening. I really like the speaking and listening class because it's a friendly group of students and we have a lot of fun joking around with the professor.
Once a week I volunteer at an elementary school. The school is trying to become bilingual (Spanish/English) and holds English classes for its teachers in the evening. There are about 8 teachers in the class I help with. They're beginners so I get to use a lot of Spanish while I'm there. They've been so welcoming and I can tell they're happy to have me there. Last week their homework was to write me recommendations on places to visit in Granada. Tonight they read them to me. It was cute because they took it very seriously and gave me detailed instructions on where to go, what time, how to get there, etc. One of the teachers cooked me a Spanish tortilla to share with my roommate for dinner. She is known for her good cooking and she is always the first one in class to come up to me to tell me something in English. The teachers have also invited me to a big lunch party next week to celebrate the region of Andalucía. I'm really looking forward to it. Another activity I'll hopefully be doing at the school (my class schedule permitting) is planting trees with the students as part of an ecology project they've been working on.
One of the teachers, Encarnita, asked me if I could tutor her in English. She just started working on a degree in English and wants some extra help outside of class. Originally she was going to pay me, but I suggested we do an exchange instead where we talk in English half of the time and Spanish for the other half. We've been doing that and it has been working out great. Since her level of English is very low, I get to use a lot of Spanish because she often needs things explained. We meet at her apartment where she lives with her mom. She puts out milk and cookies while we study and always asks a lot of questions about my family and the United States. I showed her pictures of my friends and family and she also shared photos of her family with me. It felt good to finally share those kinds of things with someone. My host mom hasn't really shown an interest, so Encarnita was the first person in Spain who I have talked about my family with. She's a very generous and caring person and I'm so glad to have a friendship with her. It's something I haven't been able to get out of my home stay experience, and something I was really needing. I'm also planning on helping one of her nephews study for the English portion of his college entrance exam.
Working at the school and with Encarnita has been great in so many ways, and it has really forced me to speak Spanish. When I go to the school, or when I go to Encarnita's apartment, I'm the only American there and nobody has a conversational level of English (except the English teacher of course). I love the feeling of independence I have gained by interacting with Spaniards on my own. Simple things like mailing a letter at the post office, calling Encarnita to reschedule a lesson, talking to the secretary at the school when I arrive...are all things I would have been nervous to do before, but now I do them automatically and without hesitation. There have been so many things I have had to ask for, buy, explain, etc. that the timidness has washed away. It's great to feel like I can handle taking care of anything I need to in another language. I know it's going to get even easier as time goes on and that's really exciting.
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