"No se" is ok

Jan 6: Spanish school, 93 degrees

Over the years, we have become quite fond of traveling to Central America.  In the past, we knew enough Spanish to get by.  Banos, cerveza, hola, gracias,etc.  For those things I didn't know, I relied on Mandy's 5 yrs of Spanish in college. This week, we started Spanish classes at the Coastal Spanish Institute (CSI).  The classrooms are right on the beach,  windows are open and you can hear the waves rolling on shore.  Beyond the primo location,  I didn't quite know what to expect.  I was going to just embrace the experience.  I was in the beginner class and Mandy in another that was more advanced.  Ok, here we go.  EVERY single word coming out of the instructor's mouth was in Espanol.  It didn't take me long to realize that I didn't know anything.  I got real used to saying, "No se". (I don't know)

I finish the four hour class and my head feels like it is going to explode.  Mandy walks up and asks, "How did it go?".  She saw the frustration on my face and quickly reminded me that I was here to learn.  "It will get better.  Let's go grab some lunch".

The days are hot and we often have to remind ourselves to eat.  Not hungry for much in this heat. This is good for not spending a lot of money on food as Mandy and I are splitting a lot of meals.  Today for lunch,  Subway sounds good and refreshing.  We both order then sit in silence as we look at our receipt.  "Holy shit." "This is the most expensive $5 foot long Subway sandwich I have ever had!"  It was nearly $20 for our meal.  Lesson learned.  We head to the grocery to pick up a few things and make a pact to eat 2 meals a day in our apartment.

At the grocery store, we also discover how expensive things like bug spray and sunblock are. Today, it is hot out and we are realizing that our 30 block isn't going to be very effective.  It hurts when the cashier rings up the 60 block.  These are now novelty items that we must not leave laying around.  All the sudden, these items are as precious to us as a car.  Don't leave it on the beach, don't leave it on the beach, don't leave it on the beach.