Escuela

After an eventful weekend, full of wonderful new people and places, our first day of language school has arrived!

Or arrived? Did arrive? Since I am writing a day later…

Ah! I am already in grammar overload!

You get the point. Monday came and went. And to preface, I must go back about three months. In January 2014, Alex and I found ourselves preparing to transition. What to do? Where to live? We have both come to love Mexican culture while living in California, and we strongly desire to communicate with our Spanish-speaking friends and neighbors. I often use a translator at work, and while my coworkers are fabulous translators, I desire to speak for myself. So much is lost in translation, including emotion, which is vital when establishing rapport in a counseling session. And while Alex does not use Spanish as much during the workday, second and third languages are necessary for future schooling.

With that said, and after days and months of praying and pleading and planning, a Spanish immersion trip was birthed. In researching the trip, Alex found Babylon Idiomas, an award-winning language school in North and South America, as well as Europe. We settled on our course in Madrid because of the central location and access to Europe. France, anyone!?

So Monday morning, at the crack of dawn it seemed, we treked to our new home away from home, Babylon Idiomas Madrid. That is, it should become a home away from home if we want to leave Spain with proper Spanish skills!

We arrived early to take our oral placement tests. This was rather nervewracking. Luckily, Alex and I were placed in the same class. From henceforth, we shall learn Spanish grammar, writing, and conversation side by side. (If I were sentimental, I would shed a tear.)

Overall, the school is impressive. There are many levels of classes, an agenda for the week, including group activities and cultural experiences. There is even a Facebook page! Our current teacher is about our age and is super adorable. She is clever and knows many languages. Happily, she knows very little English. So everything is Spanish! We are going to be super immersed!

I am particularly excited about conversation class. Students of all levels gather in a classroom and converse for an hour in Spanish. Individuals whose native languages are English, French, Italian, German, and Chinese communicate through the Spanish language. Alex and my conversation is very rudimentary still, but I am confident that a few weeks of practice will yield great results!

Look for more blog posts about Spanish class, as is it going to soon consume our lives!

First day of school!

Plaza Santa Ana, main location of Babylon Idiomas

Rooftop view of Madrid