Language meltdown

I had a language meltdown on Wednesday. Our teacher speaks to us only in Spanish and so when I ask what something is, the explanation is in Spanish. The challenge is that I'm not very experienced with language teaching methods but this seems to be the 'bombard them with Spanish' method. I think that the theory behind this method is that children learn to speak a language surrounded by the language... the difference with adults is that we know a language already but need to learn the words of another language so I'm not sure I buy it...

Anyhoo, I chose this language school from the internet and the reviews are good and it seems they've taught people to speak Spanish successfully so I just have to chill and go with the flow.

But, I did have a 'freak out' - not crazy in actions -  but in my head I was going ballistic.

I don't mind not being able to communicate fluently, it is not being able to understand everything IN THE LESSONS that I find totally irritating.

When she is talking, talking, talking, talking away in Spanish all I can think of is, "The more you frikkin' keep speaking the less I frikkin' understand!".

And the other part of the frustration is, I guess, that I've been wanting to do this for so many years and perhaps my expectations are too high... But not that I expect to be speaking Spanish after only three days...

Anyway, during our tea break I spoke to the director of the school to tell her that I really wasn't getting this. The lass from the US too - she's in the same boat as me. And I suggested that the Italian lass be moved into a higher class - for her sake and ours. She's too good for us and when she and the teacher are chatting away, we're lost. I also requested more grammar. I think it is important to learn how to build the language so that I can build it on my own. The director said that Day 3 is usually the meltdown day...

I was working through Spanish podcasts from January and I felt like I was remembering and learning and progressing and I like the teaching method used. The first two-and-a-half lessons were just a total bombardment! Disappointment was a big part of what I was feeling.

Today the change was implemented and the class was way more smooth with just me and Danielle (the American lass). We really enjoy the 'board games' where you have to answer questions or conjugate verbs when you land on a block - this kind of thing. Interactive activities. We had an extra two hours of class this afternoon to make up for the missed lesson tomorrow (public holiday and long weekend here) and we've got some homework and also the director thought I'd appreciate some additional lessons / homework related to grammar that I can work on in my own time. The lesson this afternoon was really fun - with a different teacher - who is passionate about grammar and she explains things in English!

We bumped into Sara, the Italian lass, and I asked how her new class was going. She looked pleased (yesterday she said she'd been thinking too that she should be in a more advanced class) and said that this class is faster for her.

Overall, sure, I'm learning and I'm understanding more. I'm learning loads of words daily - I don't remember them all but repetition definitely helps. And I enjoy listening to the people in the hostel speaking at night.

Our teachers are from Buenos Aires and there's quite a different accent and pronunciation from BA. Actually, you get a different 'Spanish' in each of the Spanish-speaking countries - I guess much like the accents and sayings and pronunciations of English - like SA English vs Australia vs Scotland etc.

This BA pronunciation... For example... in the word pollo (chicken) the double 'l' sound that I'm used to (from Chile, Costa Rica, Mexico, Spain Spanish, podcasts etc) is said 'poyo' where the 'yo' being much like the 'Yo' of York. In Buenos Aires they say 'sho' - not as in shoe or choose but like the 'che' in porche without the 'e' (replace the 'e' with an 'o' to get the sound. I'm finding this challenging when listening to 'recalculate' what the word is and also to remember to pronounce 'sho' instead of 'yo' (either way is fine but the 'sho' is the local manner).

So, big learning curve and I hope that next week will be more successful. When I'm out running or walking around I make nice sentences in my mind but I'm struggling to spit them out verbally. Four days down and I've got homework and reading and listening and interacting and adventuring ahead this weekend.

Compleanos blanco (White birthday)

This morning I woke up to a white birthday as a dusting of snow fell in this town of Bariloche overnight. It seems like this snowfall caught the locals unprepared as I've seen no cars with snow tyres - they were crawling along with little traction on the iced roads this morning - some almost sliding backwards!

I received a number of sms message this morning from friends and family and just as warm "Feliz compleanos" greetings from the peeps here at breakfast. A lovely warm start to this cold morning.

It only starts to get light after 8am so the sun isn't shining very strong when I walk to the Spanish school, which is only two blocks across and one block down from the hostel. As the people walk on the snow it compacts to make very slippery ice. Quite exciting and novel for me. Trail shoes do pretty ok. I'd love some with ice spikes!

I'm now two days into Spanish lessons and feeling quite overwhelmed. My teacher, Sasha, speaks nothing but Spanish to us - I probably understand about 40% of what she says; I get the gist of the next 40% and there's a goo 20% where I haven't got a clue. If we ask what a word is, she does tell us in English.

There are two other women in the class with me. A lass from Arizona who is probably at a similar level to me; and a lass from Rome, who is definitely above both of us.

I'm enjoying the vibe in the hostel. Last night I was up quite late (most are up way later than me) and enjoy being surrounded by all the Spanish. There are a few who speak pretty good English but they're good and they don't speak much English to me and are very willing to help to explain words and to correct my sorry attempts. I seem to get it so much better in my head than when I try to spit out the words.

Well, two days down and 3.5 weeks to go... A chap here reassured me this afternoon that it will start to click after a week or so. 

Yesterday after class another teacher, Javier, took us on a mini tour of the town. It drizzled the whole day yesterday with snow coming into the mix in the afternoon. Our tour was very cold and very wet and very windy but at least I now know where to get an electronic bus ticket, which I need to do before the weekend, and also he recommended a supermarcado (supermarket). 

There's a fiesta on this weekend, which is a long weekend. It's in the town square - only a few blocks from the hostel. It's a public holiday on Thursday so they get Friday too. It seems there will be concerts and things. That will be fun to check out.

The silver lining to my lost-in-the-language compleanos day was that the morning dawned crystal clear with a big blue sky and shining sun. I took advantage to head out for a birthday run - the same area as I was on Sunday afternoon. This time I took the road up and down. What fun! 

There was probably around 30cm of snow - or a bit more - on the upper parts of the road. I didn't go all the way to the top - just to a lower-down ski station (children's ski area?) where I met the two St Bernards on Sunday. And then I turned around and ran back. I saw a few runners out there and also three guys on what I assume are cross-country skis. I ran past them going up the road ;)

It will take me a while to get used to running on this snowy-icy surface. Definitely can't lose focus for even a second or I'll go flying for sure. I enjoy running on the snow, which 'squeaks' under my shoes rather than the slipper ice, compacted by cars. I also learned today not to run too close to the trees. With the sun out the snow was melting so chunks come off the trees - some just missed my head!

Feliz compleanos! 37 today! And what a beautiful afternoon. This road was all dirt two days ago. Warmer out than on Sunday (less wind) so sweating despite the chill.

Looking down on Bariloche - through the branches. First snow in town for the season.

Arrow showing where I went to on Sunday afternoon. Didn't go all the way up there today. I couldn't have asked for a prettier birthday run ;)

There's quite a cooking culture here in the hostel and at night (late) a number of the men take turns cooking. I can't quite figure it out but there is the guy who owns the hostel, Pablo, and his wife and little daughter, plus some of the people who work here plus a couple of other guys - perhaps friends? They all eat together late at night. Last night the one guy may delicious pizzas and most nights Pablo bakes 'pan casita' (home-made bread) for breakfast.

Things happen here late... the local disco gets going around 3am. My dorm mate (only one at the moment - Diego, he works here at the hostel) got back at 8am on Sunday morning! And people get up late too. And so they eat dinner late too. Diego must have been partying last night too because when I cam back from school a bit after 1 he was still sleeping!

To give you a quick idea of how much things cost...

• It's around R2.00 for a bread roll. Loaves of bread (like regular sandwich bread at home) are very expensive - like R40.00 a loaf. Very popular here it to buy rolls daily or to bake your own bread at home.
• Six large eggs are around R14.00.
• It's around R15.00 for a can of lentils.
• I paid about R22.00 for three bananas and two apples today. It's around R20/kilo for bananas at the supermarket.
• A litre of apple juice is similar to home at around R14.00.
• A 500g packet of fresh spinach and ricotta stuffed ravioli is around R36.00. Big Italian heritage in Argentina so pasta, especially fresh, seems popular. 

Some things very similar to home - others much more expensive and others cheaper.

My other slippies are somewhere - with prices for things like rice and other odds. I've found a nice vegetable shop with a not very socially-adept fellow (a bit abrupt) that is on my way home from the Spanish school. I bought a nice red cabbage (half) and onions from him over the weekend and I got my bananas and apples there today too.

Bariloche has many stores that cater specifically for tourists, who will be hitting town in a big way in the next two weeks for ski season. TONS of chocolate stores. Also outdoor clothing (new and second hand). And artesanal beer is also a big thing here with many microbreweries around town.

Hasta luego...

First run... in heaven

After a slow and easy morning I headed out for my first run here in Bariloche. I thought I'd go out for an hour or so. I got back after THREE HOURS. At one stage during the run I thought that I must have died and gone to heaven. But as I'd always figured heaven for tee-shirt-and-shorts weather, I knew that could not be so. Nonetheless, I am in a HEAVEN of some kind because this place is just fabulous. Cold. But fabulous.

I set off along the 'coastal' road, with basic street map of Bariloche in hand. The wind was howling but with two Buffs (one on head, one around neck), a thermal base layer plus run jacket plus wind shell and long warm (not fleece - these are still to come out) tights, I felt A-ok. Ah, and running gloves. The wind here is really icy! Even saw iced-over puddles on the road side. And this was at 13h00-ish! Only going to be getting colder from here...

I've got another, local map. This just gives you an idea of the town. Need to get my hands on the hiking map of the area.

As much as I've never been crazy about the cold I do find it fresh and invigorating - quite novel and exciting for now. The hostel is nice and warm inside and you sleep warm too. There's even a radiator in the bathroom, which keeps off the chill after showering.

The lake. These waves are so totally because of the wind. Brrrr...

After a few kays I took another road up and made my way across to what looked like a trail on the map. What it was is a trail... it runs beneath a ski lift. Yes, it is steep and straight up!

More than 2/3 up already. Just a bit more to go. Underfoot on this section ahead the 'gravel' just slides - very loose.

After a bit I started to see bits of snow and up on top there was quite a bit. Spectators too, who came up by cable car.

And this isn't even the main ski mountain area! So much exploring to be done!

I think I'll run this route frequently as it is awesome and easily accessible. Will be interesting to see the change in the scenery over the next few weeks. Going to get very WHITE. Won't be any vegetation showing. I'm going to have such awesome weekend adventures!

And then I ran the road down and back into town. The only tricky bit was running on ice on the higher parts of the road. Very slippery. I look forward to attempting to run this road up. Great fitness challenge to be able to run 90% of it - at least - by the time I leave. Nice in places, steep lower down. I met two St Bernard dogs. I think they live at the ski place next to the road down. They came up to me to say hi and leaned against my leg while I petted them. Very sweet. I saw a big St Bernard and a puppy yesterday. Suitable and evidently popular dogs for this area. Oooohh... the huskies would absolutely loooovvveee this place!

High up on the road. Where the car tracks are... that's ice, not dirt. Safer to run on the snow. Crunch-crunch.

Also what makes this place so great is that aside from the main roads in the central part of town and the main routes along the lake, the rest are DIRT. That's right. DIRT. I did say HEAVEN, didn't I?

Where I'm staying. Bariloche stretches long along the lake but this here is the main town 'centre'. I'm staying a few blocks above the centre of centre of town.

These photos are to make you TOTALLY envious. I would be. Except I'm not. Because I AM HERE!

This afternoon I went to check out my Spanish school - it's like two small blocks from here. I start lessons at 09h00 Monday morning. So very excited!

Excitement is... learning Spanish in a Spanish-speaking country!

In the news here too. In the local Bariloche newspaper from today, 16 June 2013. A few people in BA asked after Mandela's health too.

I did good

This morning I successfully caught a bus. This sounds like a minor, routine thing but I find it more daunting than catching a flight. The staff at the hostel told me the bus number and the road intersection (two blocks from the hostel) to catch the bus to the domestic airport, which is just North of the city centre, on the river. So, last night, when I went out walking, I went to watch the buses at this intersection because I didn't know where it would come from or where to stand. I got it figured out and made the successful connection.

What I didn't know is that these city buses don't take cash - it's an electronic card or coins, put into a 'slot machine'. I had 2 pesos in coins and a 10 pesos note. The fare was 3.50 pesos (they write pesos with a $ sign - if the amount was US Dollars they'd add US). I asked a young woman if she had change and she kindly swiped her bus card, giving me a ride. Very sweet. I obviously looked very out of place with my luggage and I-don't-know-what-to-do expression.

City centre of Buenos Aires from the air. Yellow circle is the obelisk and the pink x is where I was staying.

On my walk last night... I went to the port area, to the left of the pink x. This is the second of three ports built for BA (this one in 1890). But, they made the docks too small for the ships so it wasn't used and the current main port was built (bottom of photo). It is a fancy area now with restaurants, nice new office buildings, hotels and apartments. They've got two historic ships that you can look around - I'm going to do this when I come back to the city. Great area to walk around and I saw some runners too.

As for Barlioche... My feet started itching just looking at the open, far-South-looking terrain. Oh golly. Not much accessible but just open and expansive and lovely. It is chilly but was a clear and beautiful afternoon. Icy wind that howls across the lake. Mountains visible with snow-capped tops. Definitely snowing the other side of the lake today. White horses on the lake.

Approaching Bariloche. My first view of the Andes. Snow on the mountain tops.

The town is really cool. A bit of sweetness and cuteness mixed with ski-town-tourist-trap - but overall a nice feeling to it.

I did real good to choose to come here instead of staying in the city. I'd go crazy there.

My hostel here is very homey and warm and welcoming - very different from the huge one in BA. They even bake their own bread for breakfast! Big, welcoming kitchen.

Not much in the way of English speaking peeps, which is just what I need ;) Very friendly people. I'm going to have fun practising my Spanish on them - very accommodating.

I'm in a four person dorm - I haven't seen my roomies yet but I think it is two guys. Not as messy as the girls from the BA dorm!

I'll write more tomorrow to give you an idea of the cost of things here etc.

Rio de la Plata - the domestic airport in BA is right on the river, which was quite whipped up by the wind on Saturday.

Walking around a part of the Bariloche town. That's snow happening in that storm across the lake. It seems like there are a few flat roads near the lake and then they go up steeply. During a run on Sunday I'll check out the place more.

OMG - yarn bombing in town! There are a couple of trees wrapped in yarn. This means that there is a group of knitters / crocheters in town and to do stuff like this it means that they probably get together at least once a week... now to find them. Would be fun to join their group, hablo espanol y crochet. The hunt is on!