Did I mention I don't like soup?

This story is a bit embarrassing to admit. I had fooled myself a little into thinking I could get by okay in restaurants and stores etc. Today after church I went to a typical Guatemala restaurant. I went there years ago with some friends. The menu was only in Spanish but that initially didn't faze me. Last week for dinner a friend and I went to a restaurant that had only spanish. But I ordered pasta and that is pretty easy to translate. I couldn't figure out what anything was except the nachos!!! I felt like I had really done well in fooling my waiter into thinking I could speak Spanish and I didn't want to ask him what each thing was. Three north american girls came in and I asked them if they knew what it all said. She said she would try but she was no better than I at understanding. So I ordered something with chicken and rice. Can't go wrong can you! Ya, you can. It was soup. It did not say "sopa" in the description and the other soups did. Just as the food was arriving the girl at the next table brought her dictionary over for me to use. But I had just figured out what I had ordered so I didn't use it. I ate it and it was okay. I had wanted fried chicken. So I let myself order a banana liquado (like a milkshake) for my dessert. It made me feel happy. :)

It is funny going to church. Well, not funny. I like it but the funny part is that I am able to gauge my progress in Spanish by how much I understand each week. I understand the songs better and when the cute really short little old lady gets up to pray I understand more of what she says. The sermon is spoken first in English then translated. The girl translating speaks SO fast but I get bits and pieces here. I had heard she changes little things sometimes (gets numbers mixed up or expands on something) and today I caught a few things she expanded. And when the guy speaking (guest speaker) said the bit about heaven he said where wolves lie down with the lambs and she changed it to lions and lambs. Kind of funny. :)

This week has been a good one. It is sure nice to have other people around to run my errands with me and to do fun things too of course. :)

Yesterday I met with Anita and Greg. They are the ones who run the medical clinic I want to work at in January. Their web site address is http://hands-of-hope.com/s/  I got really excited talking to them. There is a lot to learn and she is willing to help me out. She doesn't do the clinic 5 days a week so there is another clinic she knows of that might need some help. And they know of some orphanages who would like to have someone come in once a week or something like that. That would be fun I think. There is also a midwife who works there. I am hoping she is willing to train me in all she knows. I would have loved to taken a midwifery course before I came down here but you know, life gets busy. So I got very excited and wished January was here! I can start whenever but I wanted to wait until my language skills are more advanced. So I will evaluate later. I still have 7 weeks of Spanish school scheduled. I have to be better by then!!! 

Off I go to study. It has to be done. :( As exciting as it is to learn a new language, and as motivated I am to know the language, what it boils down to is this: It is still school. And I don't like school. (I know you are thinking suck it up princess!) But it is my job right now. So I will do it (do you hear the martyrdom in my voice?)

Have a good week guys!!!!