Day 4: First Spanish Class in Antigua

My Spanish school- right near my house 

My first Spanish class was tonight and it was intense! First of all, it was weird because no students take classes at 6:00 p.m. I was the only one there in the basically shut-down-for-the-night school. But my teacher, Neri (which sounded like Nelly) was really nice and he jumped right into the lesson, asking me questions. His intent was to test my level but I was already nervous so I was struggling with some basic stuff, like "What time did you arrive yesterday." No one ever asks me the time, so I was rusty.

But I guess he felt my level was high enough that he could speak extremely quickly across a range of subjects which, though jarring at first, actually made me feel good. Normally Spanish speakers talk to me like I'm five years old, or maybe 10, which I like a lot because then I understand everything. But truth be told, I understood Neri just fine, even at what seemed like a rapid-fire pace. It felt like progress! However, I can tell Neri is going to be a tough teacher, even though he's nice. This was obvious when I launched him into an impromptu side lesson when I first arrived, by asking him, "Como se llamas?" (this is a rookie grammar mistake). I'm on the fence about whether I want a teacher who's wound so tight, but I'm keeping an open mind.

However, I've decided I definitely want to mix up my schedule a bit so that I can come to the school during regular hours because otherwise, it's just not the same fun ambiance I saw the other day. I want to have classes on the roof with volcano views!  I'll just take a long lunch break one or two days a week so I can do Spanish tutoring then, and I think I'll do weekend classes too. I may as well since I have the time and will only be here a month!

Other than Spanish class, today was uneventful (just work) although I did learn to use this amazing thing, which I thought was a weird children's toy left in my room, but which is actually an electric mosquito killer.

Electric mosquito-killing racket

This might be worth posting as a video, because you turn it on and wave it around and there's a really loud, startling zap when you hit a mosquito. But for now, here's a photo. (Just ignore that giant spot on the table.) I love this thing and wish I could bring one back with me.

Speaking of mosquitos, there are actually lots here. They don't bite all that much but seem to love my ankles for some reason. Because of this, today I went to the pharmacy on my lunch break to buy some bug spray. They only had one kind but it was "all natural" so I figured that was probably a good bet. I sprayed in on myself when I got home and it really did work. I smelled like a lemon, but it wasn't bad. Lupita liked the smell of it when she passed my room, so I told her to feel free and try it. She asked how you were supposed to use it and I said on your body. She sprayed it on herself, but after she left I thought about how I hadn't actually read the label and when I did, sure enough, this was spray for the house, not for people's skin. Now Lupita and I were covered in it. At least it was all natural! I should probably shower now though.

Money spent today
35Q bug spray = $5