Week One Finished!

What an amazing experience I have had. I am excited to think that I have 2 more weeks of experiences to come. My spanish classes have been very difficult. Profesora Martinez made each class uncomfortable.  Which I have to say was a good think for me.  She pushed me each classs to move forward.  At the start of the week we were learning phrases.  By the end of the week we had aquired enough vocabulary, including nouns and verbs, analyzed enough verb conjugation, including ir, er, and ar verbs, and examined enough sentence structure to create our own sentences of varying lengths.  Profesora Martinez always smiled at our groans when she would ask a question, receive a brief answer, and then add to the question to force us to create a longer answer.  By the end of the end of the week we were expecting this push, but still groaned and smiled.  Even though it was strenuous to remember the correct vocabulary and structure to use, it was rewarding.  At the end of each class I left with sentences I felt I could use with my family.  She was not asking us to pretend or make up sentences.  Our profesora asked us about our day, or the night before, etc.  I found that after leaving class and sitting with my mama tica, I could use those example sentences to tell her about my day.  After realizing this, I was more motivated the next day to create my sentences.  This technique created a purpose for my classwork.  I was being pushed to improve, but also to make my work useful.  I could apply this knowledge, and this application occured just hours after learning it.  So Rewarding!  I noticed mid-week that Profesora Martinez was altering her style to match the class personality.  We liked to make jokes and laugh. She began to joke back and allowed us time to play games.  These games were (for the most part) a chance for us to use our new knowledge and to joke with each other.  She even let us make a suggestion for a game to play which used our spanish vocabulary.  I think this flexibility helped us all feel more comfortable, even if we were sitting for a long time.  I find that I am now much more comfortable talking with spanish speakers.  I realize each time I attempt this, however, that I am in need of more vocabulary.  I am ready to interact with our teachers in Monte Verde, to become more confident in my spanish speaking, and to learn more about Costa Rica.