484 Hours, 21 Days, 3 Weeks
Today marks three weeks that I stepped onto the plane in Denver; after two layovers and 26 hours by the clock, I stepped off in Madrid. As my boss Jake tells me, I´m a spounge at this point, soaking in everything because everything is still new. Any reflections? Yes, and this one is perhaps the biggest SuperSoaker in my life right now: the language.
Slowly, ever so gradually, I am learning how to communicate. I can ask, albeit in broken Spanish, whether the lottery kiosk has stamps. (They don´t, only the tobacco kiosks do.) I can give directions to the metro stop Opera. And I can ask the busdriver if his route goes to the Las Matas train station. In the early morning, however, as I wait for the 625A bus, I do not have an answer for the boy who asks ¨¿Tiene cines?¨
Later, I ask my class what this means. As usual, with the few Spanish questions I bring them, it does not make sense. I thought perhaps the kid was asking for a cigarette, but the sentence that I remember means ¨Do you have cinemas?¨ The last sentence I brought them was a headline for racing dogs: ¨a precioso de oro.¨ When translated, this means ¨at/for precious of gold.¨
On the train, I open ¨Que!¨, the most liberal of the three papers shoved at every morning commuter at every train station. I scan the short entertainment clips. Heath´s body was buried in Australia, Britney´s back in rehab, and Lindsey would prefer to go out at night with her friends than join Britney. Hmmm, I guess they print trash in Spanish news too.
Later, with the help of the Bantam New College Dictionary, I puzzle out other articles. The check on apartments has closed 40% of real estate. The politician Gallardón wants ´to bury´ 12,000 cars in Madrid. The French are not allowed to attack their trucks. ¿¿Que??
Slowly, ever so gradually, I am learning how to communicate. I can ask, albeit in broken Spanish, whether the lottery kiosk has stamps. (They don´t, only the tobacco kiosks do.) I can give directions to the metro stop Opera. And I can ask the busdriver if his route goes to the Las Matas train station. In the early morning, however, as I wait for the 625A bus, I do not have an answer for the boy who asks ¨¿Tiene cines?¨
Later, I ask my class what this means. As usual, with the few Spanish questions I bring them, it does not make sense. I thought perhaps the kid was asking for a cigarette, but the sentence that I remember means ¨Do you have cinemas?¨ The last sentence I brought them was a headline for racing dogs: ¨a precioso de oro.¨ When translated, this means ¨at/for precious of gold.¨
On the train, I open ¨Que!¨, the most liberal of the three papers shoved at every morning commuter at every train station. I scan the short entertainment clips. Heath´s body was buried in Australia, Britney´s back in rehab, and Lindsey would prefer to go out at night with her friends than join Britney. Hmmm, I guess they print trash in Spanish news too.
Later, with the help of the Bantam New College Dictionary, I puzzle out other articles. The check on apartments has closed 40% of real estate. The politician Gallardón wants ´to bury´ 12,000 cars in Madrid. The French are not allowed to attack their trucks. ¿¿Que??
posted by Eva | 8:37 PM
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