Day 9

First morning in my new dwelling.  Ate breakfast with my fellow classmate Josh from Boston and Ordelia's husband Aldolfo, pancakes and watermelon.  Class as usual, feeling like I'm starting to retain some vocabulary and understand some simple grammar.  Many more new students in the garden!

At home, a lot more activity with the family, there was even a small child there of the age of 2 or 3 running around, who was explained to me to be somebody's God child.  Josh and I were served lunch first, some kind of pasta with a cannelloni type shell with sausage and tomato sauce inside, a potato, and a carrot/cucumber salad in a vinegar sauce.  Other family members joined us later the only name of which I learned is Hector.  Hector appears to be Ordelia's youngest child of 19 years.  Ordelia's niece was also there.  The child's mother breast feed the child at the table and the child quickly fell asleep.  Everyone, other than my classmate, stayed around the table talking for awhile.  I wasn't really involved in any conversation but I'm hoping that just hearing Spanish will help my brain get used to it.

Later in the afternoon I went to get some money out of an ATM, buy a Spanish/English dictionary for a reasonable amount recommended by Leo, and pay for the week of school and housing.  I then met Leo, Lisa, and their housemate Phillip at Fernandos and studied for a bit.

At home, the other student and I ate some kind of soup (I couldn't decipher if it was asparagus or broccoli) and a zucchini/red pepper/onion side dish.  Ordelia's husband and Hector ate with us but ate something different.  The other classmate left the table again shortly after he'd finished eating.  The rest of us stayed around the table but conversation was limited until some other random people showed up.  I felt like some creepy wall flower observing and out of place but I wanted to stay around to try and soak in more Spanish.  One of the friends that showed up attempted talking to me.  So far I've really only spoken with Ordelia, my teacher, and fellow students in Spanish and I realize how amazingly slow and patient they have been with me.  I guess the rest of the Spanish speaking world isn't the same.  I've got a long road ahead of me.

I missed having Sonny at dinner!  She is just so animated and awesome!  Ordelia told me that she was sad that I left the other house without saying goodbye.  I knocked on their door to say hello to her but she wasn't home.  If only I could have the best of both worlds, her as my housemate and still have exposure to the family as well.  Also, Ordelia isn't around much in this house.  She is very busy with all the work of running the household and doesn't have time to sit and chat like she does in the other house.  Also, it is colder in this house with less light and more of a basement feel to it.  However, the shower here is so much better!!!!