Constructing

Worry not, I bought lots of chocolate last night (but managed to consume only three chocolate covered coffee beans), and today the world is much better. I went to work on my own today, and spent the morning (work ended at noon, because of Holy Week) sifting dirt, cleaning up the site, and playing soccer (to the best of my non-abilities) and chatting with a six year old. If nothing else, this will be 10 days of total Spanish immersion. It was reassuring to me when the child could actually understand what I said to him (and vice versa). But clearly either he has quite a limited vocabulary or my accent is horrendous, for sometimes I would look up a word in my dictionary (always in my pocket), and he still had no idea what I was saying. (I'm guessing it's not HIS limited language....)

I do like talking to kids, not only because I am comfortable with them (after 10+ years I should be!), but because he had absolutely no qualms about chatting away in Spanish, despite the fact that I could only get a word here or there. It reminded me (as have many moments in the last few weeks) of the scene in Love Actually where Colin Firth and the Portugese woman (if it wasn't Jennifer Ehle, she's incidental) were holding a conversation of sorts, each in their own language. That's me (but alas, Mr. Darcy is nowhere to be seen).

The kid asked me the names of my students (I wasn't up to explaining that I don't have any this year, so I went with last year's class, all of whose names I eventually remembered... in alphabetical order). He got a kick out of hearing their names, and happily told me that he has an Abby in his class too. Hearing him attempt to pronounce "Oliver" what quite a trip. It just wasn't going to happen even remotely. Sort of like me trying to pronounce "Luigi" (I think that is at least a little bit like the name he was saying to me).

As to names, I've just admitted defeat, and now introduce myself as Lucia. It's just easier.