Karen's journey into the unknown

Can't really believe that I'm managing to have conversations completely in Spanish. It really is quite amazing. Especially as I only know the present tense, and obviously not all of it. But all the classes here in the school are completely in Spanish, and then at night I sit with Felicia and we actually have conversations in Spanish. Although she speaks very slowly for me and chooses her words carefully so that I will understand. My teacher Paoulo, does too, and it leads me into a false world of believing that I can actually speak Spanish. Then Felicia's family come round and they all speak as they would normally, and of course I realise that I can only follow tiny sections! But it's all progress....

One of the days in the class there was just me and Paoulo because Petter, the Norweigan man, went somewhere else. We spent the whole afternoon talking about our lives, relationships with los hombres, feelings about having children, our families....I even managed to tell her about the completely naked man I saw on Sunday in the bushes playing with his man parts, calling out buenas dias to me. It was okay though I was too busy carrying heavy bags in the boiling hot to be too concerned about that. Although I was really pleased not to be on the same side of the road as him. I'll just keep away from those bushes....So anyway, that was quite an achievement to explain all that to Paoulo. Much further on than my first night with Felicia when I just didn't have the words to desrcibe it, or to describe anything really....

Felicia is so kind and makes me all this amazing food with no animal products in, it is so lovely of her. Especially as vegetarianism is not something which she's ever given any thought to. Although she makes me feel terrible that she won't let me help, although I've fought a good battle in Spanish and managed to get an arrangement where I do the washing up. Some students though stay with huge families and the mother does everything, so I'm quite glad to have the one on one contact with Felicia. It's definitely helped my Spanish lots more as I don't think I'd be speaking as much if I was with a huge family.

Oh dear think the college is closing, better go. I'll write more soon. Hope everybody's well. I'm not getting too much chance to write emails so sorry for that.