¿Porqué Guanajuato?

Yo quiero ir al Guanajuato.  ¿Porqué?   Porque yo necesito a practicar español!!

I usually consider myself a pretty educated (of the go-to-school-a-lot-and-owe-lots-of-money sort… as opposed to the various and sundry other, possibly less expensive and more fun sorts of edumacation) but this year has been the year of the dunce for me.  I started working in a public pre-k and everyone speaks Spanish.   And I mean everyone.  Students, parents, teachers, TAs, office workers, delivery guys, crickets, ants… everyone but me and like, 6 other people.  So after a year I’ve learned very well how to tell someone to check out books, when to bring them back, how to take care of books, and how to find the Spanish and/or bilingual books in the library.  I feel quite proud of myself and think, “Mmmm, I speak Spanish.”

Then, I see one of my four-year-old students in the hallway… away from the library.   You see it coming, don’t you?  They start talking.  And I start listening.  And nodding.  And nodding some more.  And saying, “O, si??” And then they look at me funny.

Turns out I do not speak Spanish after all, only library.  Because I’m the library-er  (a moniker given to me by some of my students).  And shouldn’t a library-er be able to talk about lots of things besides where to look for that missing book? 

I think definitely so, and so Jim and I go to Guanajuato next week.  My neighbor Paola told me about it.  Via lots of handsigns and some terrible grammar on my part, I was yet able to learn enough to know that I can go there and learn some Spanish whilst being in the mountains and on a little va-cay.  (Is that what smart people or annoying people call vacation??  I forget.)

 So I think it will be an adventure on many parts.  Now if only I could figure out what book to read…