While in the
states during the summer I didn't look or listen to any Spanish. When we
returned to Loja, school was a main priority and I let learning Spanish slide.
We have had a new infusion of short termers who are learning Spanish and I am embarrassed that they are getting way ahead of me in the language area.
Sitting at
Sendero I decided I needed to start back with language and have asked a friend
to give me an hour a week of conversational Spanish practice.
I had my
first lesson today and it was an adventure. My daughter Becca insisted that it
would be better for me to go to Sandra’s house to have my lessons. I wanted to
stay in our building and have Sandra come here. Becca’s reasoning was that I
would get out of the building and that I would be making more of an effort to
have the lessons. Well she was right.
I got out of
the building alright and ending up in another building that was the wrong building.
Terry walked me to a building with a gate that looked like wood and I buzzed
the bell. I pushed on the buzzer several times. I was told it was the second
one from the bottom. No one answered so I thought maybe it was the wrong one
and buzzed the one next to it. In Loja you have a buzzer outside your building
and you speak to the person outside before you let them in. No one said
anything but the gate opened and my sweet husband said goodbye and he left.
Inside the
building were a small boy and his dog staring at me. I climbed the stairs and
there were several doors but no one was outside to meet me. I called Becca who
said there should be a large mirror in the hall. Nope no mirror just a little
boy with a dog staring at me. I realize I am in the wrong building and try to
get out but I can’t find the gate button I start to panic. I am in a strange
building and I can’t get out. As I am standing at the gate a girl opens it from
the outside. I act like I was just visiting someone in the building, say hello
and walk out into the wild blue yonder.
I walk to
the next building with a metal gate that looks like wood and buzz, buzz buzz.
No answer.. I call Becca again who tells me to call Dustan and tell Dustan to
call Sandra so she could meet me outside the gate. Becca has no minutes on her
phone so she can’t call anyone back and I don’t have Dustan’s phone number. I
decided to call it a day and started walking back home. I called Becca to tell
her I was on my way home. She talks me into going back to the metal gate that
looks like wood and talks me thru buzzing the buzzers again. Becca tells me to
buzz the ones around it. So I am buzzing several Apartments with no one answering.
I am about to give up when the gate
opens. I see the large mirror and tell Becca I am ok. Sandra meets me at her
door and I am able to tell her in broken Spanish that I have buzzed eight of
her neighbors and if they ask her about a crazy gringa lady to tell them, I said
I was sorry.
