Language Adventure

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.