Cinco de Mayo Sale!!!! Yeehaw!

Whelp.  I worked all this weekend.  And of course we all knew what this weekend was...Cinco de Mayo! Yeeeaaah Buddy!  Well this weekend at work we had a huge sale where every single mexican food item was on sale!  Everything was selling like hot cakes! There was this mexican family that came in, they spoke no english what so ever.  They only knew spanish.  Well this is where I come into play.  The family walked up to another cashier named Megan.  And like I said before, they know no English only spanish! So Megan had no idea what they were trying to ask her!  So once she figured out that she wasn't going to be able to help them, she came over to my register and asked for my help!  Well it turns out that they wanted to know what isle all the mexican food was in.  It took me a while to figure out what they were trying to say only because I didn't know what the word isle was in spanish! But I used context clues to figure out what we had to do!  I really enjoy getting to talk to all the mexican families that come in to Payless to buy food! They really brighten my day!

cuatro anos de espanol!

  It's crazy to think I've been in Spanish for four years!  I still remember Spanish I and how nervous I was after trying to remember all the pronouns in the verb chart.  I was intrigued by the whole concept of speaking another language, but I never thought I'd actually be able to do it.  I'm still not fluent--by any means--but I can understand a great deal more.  I'll never forget trying to translate a Daddy Yankee song in Spanish I and the only words I knew were "el" and "gasolina." BAHAHAHA
 I think the moment I really began to enjoy Spanish and all it's applications was on the Spanish Trip.  I had so much speaking and conversing with the people in Mexico.  Everyone has misconceptions about Mexico, and I think I became much more culturally aware after the trip.  Holly and I are trying to make plans(including financial plans:/) to go to Merida for spring break some time in college.  Spanish has really opened my eyes to other cultures.  (Those culture grams really do make you think!)
  BTW, I listen to Spanish music alllll the time.  I love "Besame" with all my heart, I really do.  LOVE IT.   I speak Spanish randomly at home, but the only problem is, no one really understands what I'm saying.  On a positive note, my mom understands what "tengo hambre" means.  She's picked up on that one!:)   Spanish has been a really enjoyable class over the last four years.  It makes random connections to my life.  IE. In Intro to Lit, we discussed how stories can begin "en media res"  AKA in the middle of the action.  Spanish helped me remember that one! (Well, in Spanish that would mean in the middle of the beef...so yeah!)  I would advise anyone to take Spanish!

Espanol Pelicula :)

A few weeks ago in my health science class at kirkwood we watched a movie called Patch Adams. The movie ended up having Spanish subtitles, and our teacher couldn't figure out how to shut them off. For three days we watched this movie witht the subtitles, but it was okay with me because I could understand most of it. And one time the movie was really quiet, but with help from the subtitles, I knew what was going on. Since I've done some Spanish homework at kirkwood before my peers knew I knew Spanish. The girl I was sitting by from Anamosa, whispred to me quite a few times asking me what some words meant. I was glad to know I could tell her! I'm glad Ive been in Spanish for four years, it alwasys comes in handy.

A few nights ago I had the misfortune of coming across a very ugly and bad t.v. show.  I can't tell you the name, but I can tell you it was a Spanish soap opera.  I have seen a couple American soap operas like "Days of our Lives" and I HATED it!  Now, I feel as though the American ones are tolerable compared to the Spanish soap operas.  I know I don't understand what they are saying most of the time, but the acting is so bad!  With what I can pick of through the mess of words that flood out of their mouths I can get the plot of what is going on, of course with the help of the visuals on the t.v.  These soap operas are just way to over dramatic for me.  You may ask, "If you didn't like it then why did you watch it?"  Don't worry I am asking the same question. . .  If anything It was just very fun to make fun of.

At least I was able to pick up some of what they were saying on the program.  However, I realized I still had a hard time understanding everything since they talked way to fast for this guy.  Maybe if I was really ambitious I could use that as practice?  I hate to say it, but I"m no sure if that will ever happen!

Our Spanish Years in Review

I'm a sad to say that this is my final blog for our spanish group.  :(  Over the last four years of high school we have learn so much about different subjects and about each other.

Taking a look at Spanish class alone, we have learned a great deal of information.  Our freshman year we came into Spanish knowing different colors and numbers probably up to ten or twenty.  Then we dove into with common everyday conversations.  I felt special being able to understand just a little part of Spanish.  We then learned our first tense... present.  I didn't like it because it was new and really different than our language.  But I got better and got used to the idea of taking off the ending and placing the appropriate ending on for what is needed.  At the end of our first year we touched on the preterite tense.  I started to confuse my endings then even more.  I think back and see how little I knew and how simple it was then and wonder how I thought it was difficult.

Sophomore year of high school we got a new teacher, Senorita Schooly.  We had to get used to her way of teaching first and then we were able to learn a lot of the other tenses.  This year was jammed pack full of information and was the most important year for my Spanish learning experience.

By my junior year of high school, my Spanish class had shrunk... A LOT!  Most people only took two years of Spanish because that is what most colleges call for.  I decided that I wanted to finish off all four years of Spanish because I didn't know exactly what I would be doing as a job or if I would be needing it in the future.

Spanish III and IV both seemed like review years.  We had a lot of projects that helped to teach us to use our Spanish skills.  The most important part to me about Spanish was when we read Don Juan.  I know that this book has taught me to not stress over the little words and go for over all comprehension.

Our fourth year of Spanish we finish off a circle with teaching little kids some words in Spanish.  They now know about as much as we did coming into Spanish I.

I'm really glad that I took four years of Spanish.  I didn't know that it would be this beneficial.  I would definitely recommend to underclassmen to take all four years.  I would never go back and switch this class for any other one.

                               Olivia Heims
                                          ~Angie Heims~

Francisco Bayeu y Subias

Since this is my very last Spanish blog, I have decided to write about my favorite artist who turns out to be Spanish.  His name is Francisco Bayeu and he has painted some of the greatest pieces of art.  The theme to many of his painting revolve around historical and religious events.  Francisco was born March 9,  in Zaragoza(also called Saragossa in English) which is in Spain.  At one time he had the prestigious title of court painter to King Charles the III of Spain.  He was also named a professor at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando.    He had a lot to do with the Neoclassic style in his time and definitely set the standards high.

Max Zendejas

Maximmilian Javier Zendejas was born on September 2, 1963 in Michoacan, Mexico.  At a young age he began playing his national sport, soccer, but he wanted more of a challenge.  In 1975 him and his parents moved to Arizona to have a better life.  While in Arizona, Max began to become fond of football.  With his strong leg that he required from soccer, Max found himself at home playing as a place kicker.  He not only had a strong leg, but he was accurate too.  His talents interested some scouts and soon enough he was playing for Arizona University.

During his four years of college football, he improved his control and accuracy, and soon enough NFL teams were looking at him as a potential draft pick.  When he finished college, Max went into the 1986 NFL draft and waited for four rounds.  On the fourth round and the 100th overall pick Max was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys.  However, the Cowboys already had a decent kicker, so they traded them off to the Green Bay Packers.  While at Green Bay he had an amazing two seasons.  His 1987 season was the best, however.  During that year he made 16 field goals and 13 extra points for a total of 61 points.  I never watched him play, but he sounds like a mighty swell fella.  If I had the chance I would watch a game from that season and bask in his Packer greatness.

Spanish IV

I have learned so much over the past four years of Spanish. I never thought that I would be able to talk in full sentences when I started in Spanish one. I thought it was going to be a really tough time trying to learn a new language. Don't get me wrong it was tough for me, but I made it through. I am glad that I took four years because now I know that I will not have to take any Spanish in college, which will save me time and money. I am also glad that I took Spanish because it was a lot of fun. Being able to go on the Mexico trip with some Spanish students was a great opportunity. It was neat to see the different culture and be able to be a part of it. I am really fortunate to have a school that offers such a great Spanish program.

One of my favorite bands is Oasis.  They're from Manchester, England and have (well, had) a huge following in Britain (Noel Gallagher is looked at as a godlike figure over there).  Their concerts were some of the biggest and most exciting.  If you were to watch just about any of their live performances in their native England on Youtube, you'd find some of the most dedicated fans you've ever seen.  So it's a little bit surprising that the band has a very passionate fanbase in Argentina.  They played a concert in 2009 at River Plate Stadium in Buenos Aires, and it was epic if I do say so myself.  Despite the fact that Spanish is the official language of Argentina, the fans all sang along to the songs.  One of the most poignant examples of this came when Noel introduced "Don't Look Back in Anger" and told the crowd to sing along to the chorus.  Instead, they were like, "Lol no we're gonna sing the entire song." (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBbyc3t-Ctc&feature=player_embedded).  With the crowd singing, it was one of the greatest versions of that song ever.  I find it amazing that most of those people probably don't even speak English, yet they sang along perfectly.  Soccer star Lionel Messi has stated that he's inspired by Oasis and he even said that they could name their price to reform for a World Cup gig were Argentina to win (they didn't).  I just think it's incredible that Spanish-speaking countries love our own English music perhaps more than we do.

The other night, my family and I went to Las Flores for supper. There was a Hispanic family in there and they talked and ordered everything in Spanish. I actually knew the majority of what they were saying. My mom and dad don't know spanish so they didn't understand it like I did. I didn't order my food in Spanish though because my dad didn't believe in me and didn't want me to mess up my order. I did say "gracias" and "por favor" though. I enjoyed having the ability to use my Spanish in a real life situation. I hope the next time I go there I will be with my friends so I can order my food in Spanish. I had a good time though!

Oh Don Juan

Don Juan is quite the player. If I would have wrote Don Juan, I would have had a completely different ending. The author made the ending a happily ever after one. Personally, I think Don Juan should have gotten what he deserved. I wish five years later when he came back, he would have seen Dona Ines in love with someone he never would have guessed. I would have liked to see her be with someone that wouldn't take advantage of her or upset her the way Don Juan did. The ending the author had was a good way of ending it, but he needs to learn a lesson the hard way. He hurt and killed many people, and he couldn't have learned that in only 5 years, especially since he wasn't around any of them. I think the best ending would have been if someone killed Don Juan.

Rico Suave

Gerardo Mejia, or better known my his stage name, Gerardo is an Ecuadorian singer. He's a one hit wonder from the 90s and he's known for his hit single "Rico Suave." He often calls himself the "Latin Elvis." He's known for wearing a bandana, tight pants and no shirt. He started his career as an actor in 1988 in the movie "Can't Buy Me Love." In this movie his dance moves became known and women from all over fell in love with him. His first album, "Mo' Ritmo," showcased "Rico Suave" and it became an instant hit. Unfortunately is was his only hit. Ever. The song reached #7 at its peak in the summer of 1991. He released five other albums but they were absolutely horrible. None of them had a hit single at all. He still continues to act in movies but they're really dumb indie movies that nobody knows about. Ricooooo. Suaaaaaveeeeeee.

Desk troubles.

So the other day I got a new desk and I asked Quincy to help me put it together. He got to my house and we decided to start putting it together. Half way through putting it together Quincy realized that was thirsty so he went and got a pop as he was walking back into the room he tripped and dumped pop all over the english instructions. The instructions were ruined so we had the decision of using the Spanish or Chinese instructions and Quincy with his brilliant mind goes, "Hey don't you speak this?" refering the Spanish side. So I decided to give it a whirl and we slowly went along. I knew that there would be some things we wouldn't understand. We got all done and i felt awesome because I put half of a desk together by using Spanish. I feel very accomplished that I could do that when four years ago I didn't even know how to count to 20 in Spanish. I feel awesome about it even though it took us four hours but I blame that on Quincy for trying to understand and me trying to teach him some Spanish. It was a win win situation even though I don't know how much he remembers now.

My Bloggy thingy

Whenever I get a new electronic that involves some form of assembly or installation, I refer to the manual. Before this year I would see the Spanish and say, "EWWWW. . . Gag me with a rusty spoon!" Then proceed to look for the English directions. However, when I opened my new HD PVR (high-def personal video recorder) I saw the Spanish side and thought Come at me bro!

I dove into the instructions, but I avoided using the pictures because that makes it too easy. I knew there would be things I wouldn't understand since it would have names of different components and cords so I had to cheat a little bit. After about five minutes of reading the Spanish and tinkering with setting I actually get it to work!

THis situation made me think one thing, Wow! I have come a long ways. Way back in the day I struggled to get a B in Spanish, but that isn't how it is now! It may take me time to comprehend, but I can read AND understand what is being said. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside knowing how awesome things have gone! :)

Spain

I was recently introduced to my newest love--Pinterest. While pinning away at the oodles of great things found on pinterest, I fell in love with pictures of beautiful places located in none other than Spain.

Spain is roughly the size of Utah and Arizona combined. The capital is in Madrid, while many mistakenly believe that it is in Barcelona. Spain has roughly 47 million people living within the country. The country is mostly Catholic, with about 75% practicing Catholicism. Spanish is the official language, while other regional langues and phrases are spoken. The Strait of Gibralter separates Spain from the African country of Morocco. This country shares the The climate on the Iberian peninsula is very temperate. The winters are colder on the interior of the peninsula compared to the coast. On the other hand, the summers are much hotter in this area of the peninsula. The Spanish have a constitutional monarchy as their form of government. Coal and iron ore are among the country's leading natural resoures. Aside from all of this, I want to see Spain in the worst way. Note: the pictures attached

I'm serious--send me there now. I want to see the running of the bulls and the beautiful beaches in Spain. I want to see the dancing that is authentic to Spain. I wanna go!

I went to church on Ash Wednesday for services. Before church started I found a bookmark by the books in their holders. I looked at it and on one side the prayer was in English and on the other side it was in Spanish. So, while father was giving the serman, which I should have been paying attention to, I tried to read the Spanish side of the prayer. I went line by line and tried to figure out what it was trying to say. When I couldn't figure out what it was saying because of words I did not know, I would peek at the other side to see what they ment. I did pretty well in reading the Spanish side, but I did get stuck on a few words. I was proud of myself for being able to challenge myself a little bit and also for keeping me entertained. :)

Juan De Juanes

A painter that is not well known by his name but known by his famous painting is Juan de Juanes. When thinking about the painting "The Last Supper" many people may not associate a Spanish artist with that work. Where he was born was not recorded but some facts known about him are that he studied in Venice and his works are actually close imitations of his father's (Vicente Juan Masip). Juan was interested in art at a very young age and most of his works were during the renaissance period. His works were known not to be as precise as his fathers but he still had his own touch that was very appealing to people who enjoyed the arts.

Salma Hayek

When thinking about an actress with some hispanic background, the one that comes to mind is Salma Hayek. Not only is she a great actor who played in over thirty films and produced several films, but she is also muy caliente!

One of Salma Hayek's greatest films was "Frida," a romantic movie released in 2002. She played as the main character and goes through a slew of romances. She also appeared in some more recent films such as: Cirque Du Freak, Puss in Boots, and my personal favorite, Grown Ups. She's a great actor and earned several Oscars. Salma is the first Mexican to ever be nominated for a Best Actress Oscar and is known to be one of the biggest Mexican faces to ever appear in Hollywood. She had a great career, which is far from over.

Camila!

Camila is a soft rock group who have much fame in Latin America! The group has a total of three members Mario Domm, Samuel Parra and Pablo Hurtado. They got their band name from a friends idea, which means "close to God". I first hurt their song Besame in Spanish class. I really love the rhythm! I feel as though every time my friends and I here this song, we NEED to sing the greatest line in the song, "Beesssssaameeee"(insert low male voice). We can listen to this song just about anywhere, but tend to listen to it while we cruise around the gooood ol' town of Hopkinton! This song will never get old to us. I absolutely love the song Besame! Plus all the band members are muy guapo! :)

Michael Trevino

One of my favorite shows to watch is The Vampire Diaries, partly because a lot of the actors on it are, like, really pretty. One of these actors is Michael Trevino (technically pronounced Treviño). He is a Mexican American, and his role as Tyler Lockwood on TVD is his most famous role to date. He won a People's Choice Award for Best Scene Stealer in 2011.

Michael's a full-blooded Mexican-- his mother is from Zacatecas, Mexico, and his father was born to Mexican immigrants in California. He was brought up bilingual but because he spent too much time with a white, English-speaking babysitter, he lost most of it much to his disappointment. However, he still speaks a bit of Spanish and is working to become fluent again.

Source: http://www.latina.com/blogs/vivo-por-tivo/exclusive-michael-trevino-moving-90210

Mexico

Last summer, I traveled to Mexico with Spanish 2 through 4 class mates. It never really set into my mind that I was going to Mexico until I was getting ready to leave. I remember when we were getting on the boat to bring us to Isla Mujeres. We had to wait awhile to load up the boat. The boat ride was one of my favorite parts because you could see the different depths of water underneath us. My roommates and I decided to take take pictures. We then saw some army men guarding the area. I instantly wanted a picture with them. Although, we were intimidated, we politely said, "Tengo una photo con tu?" One smiled and said, "Si!"
I got in the middle of the three men and smiled. In the picture I have with them, two aren't even looking but the one that said yes to me has a small smirk on his face.

I had never actually taken the time to think that all army men, even from other countries need to be respected. I think of how much we appreciate our soldiers, and marines. Other countries love their men just as much as we do. I think it is awesome that when we aren't fighting a country, you can still respect other countries people who serve. I thanked them for taking a picture with me and wish I would have said thank you for what you do for your country too. They weren't only protecting Mexicans in that area, they were guarding their coast and me.

Last Monday when we didn't have school I babysat for four kids. The kids were six, seven, and there were two eleven year olds. When I got to their house, they were watching Dora the Explorer. I let them keep watching it because it is one of their favorite shows. Dora speaks a lot of spanish on the show, because it is educational and is teaching the kids simple spanish phrases and words. I was surprised by how much spanish that the kids actually knew. They knew a lot of the basics like "hola" and "adios" but I had to tell them some new stuff. While they were watching, they asked me if I knew any spanish words and I told them that I was in spanish IV. They kept asking me what I knew and I would tell them a few words and say a few sentences in spanish. I felt really cool because they were so interested in it and I could actually tell them what they wanted to know.

Direccions en Espanol!

I've always wondered if Spanish speaking schools teach their students English. I always wonder how hard it is for them, and if the students ever feel the same way I do when I'm trying to learn their language. Then I wonder what it would be like if my official language was Spanish, and how different my life would be. I received a GPS this year for my birthday. When my mom and I were setting it all up and figuring out how it worked, I saw their was an option for it to be in Spanish. I then began wondering how hard it would be for Spanish speaking people to travel in the United States. Yeah, the GPS had Espanol as an option, but would every Spanish speaking person have to buy one in order to travel? I then thought, yes, because speed limit signs, exit signs, and every other signs along the roads and highways don't have English and Spanish on them! How would they completely understand where they were going? It'd be nearly impossible! And if they don't know for sure where they're going, it could be very dangerous and scary for them, and it wouldn't be their fault entirely. I hear the English language is the hardest to learn. So, I'm glad I speak English and I'm okay with staying right here in the United States!

Senor Temple :)

I love speaking Spanish and being able to know a different language! Sometimes I feel like it's a secret code language, because not everyone knows it! Many times in composition class my teacher Mrs. Temple says things in Spanish. She's really good at it because she use to teach Spanish. Sometimes we even connect some of our vocabulary words to Spanish words to help us remember them. When Mrs. Temple talks in Spanish I love answering back confidently, because not everyone in our comp class took Spanish, and especially didn't take four years of it. I like when people in the class respond with "what?" and I know what she's talking about! It makes me laugh. One day, I answered, "Si senorita." But then i realized she's married, so I can't call her senorita, it's senora. Then I began wondering how different Spanish class would be if we called our teacher "Senora" instead of "Senorita" because we don't call our Spanish teacher, now, anything else but Senorita. I'm glad Senora Temple is my English teacher and that Senorita is my Spanish teacher! It just seems right that way! :)

Arizona

When people think of Arizona they think of Mexicans or many other different cultures. Soemtimes. I do the same. I think that is because of the extremely hot weather and the location of Arizona. It's located near Texas and New Mexico, which are both thought of as having a Mexican population as well. My mom was born and raised in Arizona, my sister Annie and I were born there, and my grandparents lived there for many many years of their lives as well. My mom didn't move to Iowa until I was three. When Annie or I want to study Spanish vocabulary or talk to each other in Spanish, my mom can't even help or understand us. My sisters and I thought this was very weird, considering where she grew up and spent mostly all of her life. She said she never learned Spanish and didn't have to. She even told us that there were only a few Spanish speaking students in her whole school, most were white, American. I found this odd as well. My grandma said she doesn't know any Spanish either. She said she was around Spanish speaking people quite a few times, but didn't need to know it and didn't bother learning it. I'm glad I know Spanish, because the world is becoming more diverse and I know it will come in handy sometime! :)

YeeHaw!

My favorite subject throughout high school has definitely been Spanish. I love the fact that I can speak a different language...well kinda anyway. For awhile I thought about minoring in Spanish when I got to college. After, I looked up what colleges offer Spanish, I found out that my dream school, Mount Mercy, didn't offer it. I was so sad. :( I began to look at other schools close to home that offer Spanish and the major that I wanted. Once I found Loras I thought I was set. I could study everything I wanted to. Then I realized that I really wanted to go to MMU and that Loras wasn't for me. So, I let go of the fact that I wouldn't be able to study Spanish like I wanted to. Recently I went on a college visit to MMU where they told me I CAN study Spanish! I was so happy that I will be able to go to my dream school and minor in Spanish! :)

Subway Espanol

Since I have been working at Subway many Spanish speaking families have come in and ordered from us. Once there was this family who came in and none of them spoke any English so I had to translate for them. I had to individually make everyone of their Subs by myself because no one else understood a word they were saying. I patiently waited and conversed with them and even had a few laughs because of my mispronunciation of some words and from a joke one told me(which I barely understood). I served everyone in the family only speaking Spanish and we actually understood each other. I enjoyed the time I got to talk to them and learned a lot from how fast they talked and how many times I had to ask please slow down. I learned a lot from the experience. My boss was proud of me for taking on the challenge when no one else would.

Olivia :D

For Christmas a year or two ago, I got a new radio. When I opened it, there were only one set of instructions: Spanish ones. I was only in Spanish one or two so I barely understood what they were saying. I "winged it" and just threw the instructions in the box to set up the rest of the speakers.

Recently I had to go back upstairs in our storage room and find the box for our Playstation to send in for repair. While I was up there, I accidentally dropped my radio box. The instructions came out so I picked them up and looked at them. I was surprised to see that the two more years of knowledge from Spanish 3 and 4 helped me greatly. I could comprehend most of what was written on the page! I felt very proud of my Spanish knowledge. :D

Olivia :D

Neither of my parents or my brother took Spanish as a foreign language. So, I got bored one day and changed the language to Spanish on my brother's phone. He asked my parents for help but, because they had no background knowledge, they couldn't help. After a while of struggling, he handed the phone back to me and told me to change it. I used this as black-mail and told him that he had to make breakfast before I would change it back. So, with my knowledge of Spanish helping me, I got my brother to make me eggs for breakfast! It was a simple way to get what I want using what I know. :D

Olivia :D

Over our four day weekend I watched some movies to pass the time. While watching them Spanish came up in different parts. Most of the time the movies would have dialogue at the bottom so English speaking people would know what they were saying but sometimes it wouldn't come up. While watching the movie one part the guy said "death to you all" in Spanish. I chuckled because I understood what was being said and the rest of my family didn't. I felt smarter because I could comprehend more of the movie (even though I've seen it a thousand times) through comprehending the Spanish parts. :D

(Sorry about the green background... It wouldn't let me change it and I don't know why it changed in the first place)