When the last braid is done, we walk to school. The ascensor has been, sadly, out of order but we battle on! The school is so fun! Vale la pena! (worth the pain!) Sean, Emily Jane, and Claire are really learning Spanish! Everyday they come out with smiles and more words and phrases. Such a treat to see! Elaine and I are truly having a blast. Our teacher is 26 years old and full of fun. We just talk and talk - in Spanish! Que divertido! We all have an hour and a half class followed by a one hour break and then another hour and a half class. For our break, we usually walk down to a little cafe and have caramelized croissants (medialunas) and glass bottles of coke. I have cafe con leche which is fantastic!!
Then, back up Cerro Alegre! Of course, from this vantage point it looks more like Cerro McKinley. At the top, right next to our apartment is a little store where we buy drinks. It is the carrot that gets us up the hill. What my kids won't do for a bottle of Coke!
Hi,
ReplyDeleteMedialunas me parece como Creampuffs. They had these stuffed croissants in Spain, Italy and Mexico, but I can't remember the names. Of course, they have them in France, but those croissants are so good that I don't put anything at all on them, in them or even near them.
I would make one recommendation relative to the learning experience. Listen to the radio and TV. Even if the children don't understand it yet, it seems to have the beneficial effect of conditioning your ears and brains to the sounds. Then, when someone speaks to you, it doesn't sound like one long word -- you hear the starts and stops. I don't know why, but it's worked for me in three languages. Of course, my hearing is such now that even English sounds like a blur, but that's a small penalty to pay for retirement.
When are you going up into the Andes? I was reading about them as I prepared for YOUR trip. Did you know that this is the largest mountain chain in the world? Nothing else is close. There are 23 mountains in South America taller than Denali. The driest place in the world is just north of you, the ATACAMA, in the foothills of the mountains and on and on and on. You have to get there. Here's a tidbit that will get Eric beat up in the local bar. What's the tallest mountain in the world? It's not Everest. It's Chimborazo in the Andes. Because of the equatorial bulge, it's peak is the farthest point from the center of the earth. Tell Eric to be careful with these little bets. My father always had these little tidbits to bet in the bar, but as you know, Grandpa could collect on the bets -- even in the Bronx.
Do you really have to go to the Andes? I only know two things about the Andes. 1) If you go to Olive Garden you can get them with your check. 2) Things don't work out well for people who crash land into them. Couldn't ya'll just ride the ascensor all day instead?
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