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! :)