Eight is Not Enough

Class 8 continued on the food theme delving more into restaurant etiquette, the world of steak/parillas, and the delectable milanesas. For the past several weeks I have been trying to figure out the difference between the milanesa and the suprema, two standard menu items in Buenos Aires. Is the milanesa plain and the suprema topped with cheese and tomato? Is the milanesa a fillet cut and the suprema a breast? Again, where was Bueno, entonces... Learn Spanish when I needed it. From class 8 I learned that the milanesa is veal and the suprema is chicken - go figure.

I've also become a bit of a house-husband while in Argentina - still looking for work and having to pick up the kids from school at lunch time. With that has come the lion's share of the shopping and laundry, and now I have the vocabulary to bitch about having to do it all (hacer un lavado de ropa; hacer las compras). If only class 9 will teach me how to watch a Spanish mid-day talk show or telenovela I can complete the transformation to soccer mom.

Kidding aside, what I liked most about class 8 was that David (the English speaking student) is finally learning enough Spanish to say full sentences and carry on somewhat of a conversation with Jimena (the Spanish speaking teacher) - yes, we're on a first name basis. This back and forth conversation is really what I was waiting for as it gives you practice hearing how verbs are conjugated quickly between the first and second person verb tenses. Hopefully after a few classes of this I will feel much more comfortable in conversation and won't have to pause to conjugate the verb before answering.

I am thrilled with what I have learned so far and can't wait to see where I am after the next 4 weeks.