Fridays are especially wonderful when you don't have class and you don't have work. I got to do a little shopping today, an extremely dangerous activity for two reasons: Firstly, I still automatically think in dollars and thus the rebajas (bargains) seem so great; a jacket for 39 Euros? Aweomse! Wait...that's $60. Damn. Secondly, everything is so fashionable in Madrid that I couldn't help but fall in love with each pair of shoes and every purse I saw. Thankfully I got out of the stores with only one purchase.
Yesterday marked my second day at my internship and another challenging task. A new refugee from Palestine came into the center speaking only Arabic and MINIMAL English. My job was to sit next to him and translate the terms and conditions of staying in the refugee center and how the center programs and daily life operate as one of the directors explained it to him in Spanish. Sometimes I have a very tough time understanding the "Spain Spanish" here just because it's a little mumblely and they use the theta in place of "z", "ci", and "ce". Surprisingly I actually did a pretty good job of translating. I think it was this moment that I actually realized that I'm bilingual. I'd always answered "¿hablas español?" with "un poquito..." but I think I can confidently say "sí" now. Though I'm no where near perfect nor where I'd like to be, I feel a lot better about my linguistic skills. I'm not sure if I would ever want to do translating work as a career but this experience definitely amplified my appreciation of being fluent in two languages. I'm so thankful that Ruben and the other people at el centro have entrusted me with this kind of responsibility so quickly.
Last night we went out for churros and chocolate caliente. This was real, pure, thick chocolate--like 7 godiva chocolate bars melted in a cup. It was borderline too rich even for my chocolate addiction. It might be something I could only handle once a month. Tonight, we're off to see our first flamenco show. ¡Olé!
I really don't think I've been this happy or comfortable living so far away from home in my life...even in Boston. My host family keeps getting better and better, I'm already comfortable with exploring the city, and the Spanish in general give off such a welcoming vibe like they're always so pleased to see you.
Regardless, I still miss everyone in the worst way. I wish you all could come to visit!
Yesterday marked my second day at my internship and another challenging task. A new refugee from Palestine came into the center speaking only Arabic and MINIMAL English. My job was to sit next to him and translate the terms and conditions of staying in the refugee center and how the center programs and daily life operate as one of the directors explained it to him in Spanish. Sometimes I have a very tough time understanding the "Spain Spanish" here just because it's a little mumblely and they use the theta in place of "z", "ci", and "ce". Surprisingly I actually did a pretty good job of translating. I think it was this moment that I actually realized that I'm bilingual. I'd always answered "¿hablas español?" with "un poquito..." but I think I can confidently say "sí" now. Though I'm no where near perfect nor where I'd like to be, I feel a lot better about my linguistic skills. I'm not sure if I would ever want to do translating work as a career but this experience definitely amplified my appreciation of being fluent in two languages. I'm so thankful that Ruben and the other people at el centro have entrusted me with this kind of responsibility so quickly.
Last night we went out for churros and chocolate caliente. This was real, pure, thick chocolate--like 7 godiva chocolate bars melted in a cup. It was borderline too rich even for my chocolate addiction. It might be something I could only handle once a month. Tonight, we're off to see our first flamenco show. ¡Olé!
I really don't think I've been this happy or comfortable living so far away from home in my life...even in Boston. My host family keeps getting better and better, I'm already comfortable with exploring the city, and the Spanish in general give off such a welcoming vibe like they're always so pleased to see you.
Regardless, I still miss everyone in the worst way. I wish you all could come to visit!
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