Author: Geoff

Today I completed my first week of Spanish school and if the results of my first test are anything to go by it’s been a bit of a flop 🙂 we had to write 100 words describing a family from 3 cartoon pictures – couldn’t even begin to make sentences! Filling in the verbs ser, esta, was ok as we were allowed a dictionary 🙂 Will be interesting to see how I do next week, especially since I will be helping the school handyman who has no English.

After the exam it was straight in the minibus with 9 others for the 200km+ ride to Arenal to visit Volcán Arenal y Monteverde a $165 weekend exursion.

Tonight I’m sharing a deluxe room with Michael from Switzerland at the deluxe hotel. We’ve just returned from the amazing Baldi hot springs oasis of 25 thermal outdoor pools ranging from 67deg to 32deg. The star attraction was the humungous slide where you reach 30mph in an enclosed tunnel exiting in a huge splash into a thermal pool. Unbelievable 🙂 🙂 only did it once though as I thought the old back might suffer.

Now it’s off for dinner then the others have threatened to take me to the disco….

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After yesterdays fun trip along the coast to Corillo “yo monto la bicicleta” with Kerry who is also lodging with Nuria

Today was the start of Geoff as the “estudiante” after a very brief test at 7am I was, surprisingly, assigned to the beginners class 🙂

Wow! Nelson our teacher doesn’t speak ANY English in class so it’s real immersion. In my class of 6 there is Margaret an English GP (whose husbands blood pressure has dropped whilst she and her dog have been away! The dog returns later this week..)
Two Swiss German girls Sandra & Caroline – Caroline was my class amiga and pushed me along. Maiete from Holland and Rebecca.

It was straight into “la presentación personal” ” Yo me llamo Geoff, Mi apellido es Jones, Yo Vivo en Cambridge, Yo soy de inglaterra,etc etc
Then we had to do an introduction of our class amiga. Followed by going through the alphabet & fonètica bàsica.

No wonder my head hurt. But not so much because I signed up for two weeks at the Sàmara Language school and maybe if I still enjoy it for another couple of weeks.

This evening it was intensive salsa lessons, really great as it was given by a guy so I could easily follow his steps.

The atomsphere is great and everyone is so friendly if only I could say hija (sorry Emily that wretched j does me in).

Now for those 3 pages of homework to do 🙁 before tomorrows class.