Test Time!

I enjoy practicing speaking Spanish. One of my friends, Micaela, is very good at speaking Spanish, and often enjoys testing me on what I know. Therefor, in church some mornings, if my parents actually get me there on time or a little early, she'll iniciate conversation in Spanish, expecting me to continue in Spanish. I do what I can, and often wind up throwing a couple English words into Spanish sentences when I know what I want to say, and know most of the sentence in Spanish, but not quite all of it. Micaela, upon hearing these "foriegn" words inserted into a Spanish sentence, will correct it in Spanish. I repeat it and usually write it down so that I don't forget. We then continue on as long as we can in Spanish, until I get completely lost, but then we still speak what I know.
This brings me to another topic. One day, Ally, Felicia, and I were sitting in the band room after lunch. I was studying one of the handouts we were given in class (the one that had words useful in conversations), and they asked me why I was studying it because they didn't think I would ever need to use it, because - according to them - I'll never have to have a long-term Spanish conversation. However, with Micaela constantly quizzing me, and my desire to be a teacher, I know that I need to learn this stuff. I know I want to teach, maybe not Spanish, but - even so - I don't know where I might get a job, or what type of students I'll get. My luck, if I don't learn it, I'll get a student who can only speak Spanish. I just like to be prepared.

The other day I was in Subway and there was this family sitting down eating. They were speaking Spanish. I could hear them talking, and I was picking up some of what they were saying, and I thought that was really cool.

I went to Pancheros in Cedar Rapids. I ate a beef burrito. They also had an El Gordo witch is a burrito but twice the size of the one i ordered. They make there tortillas from scratch they use a compressor to make the tortillas. The machine is called the DoughPro. I also had a Coke with my meal.

Spanish

My name is Corlos. I have learned a lot since I started taking spanish. This class is very fun. For example we play a vocab game that is fun every week. I like that we don't have very much homework and no homework on Fridays. This class is very interesting. Since I started taking spanish I have noticed it all over the place. I actually understand what Dora is saying when she speaks spanish. I think spanish is hard at times. My favorite game is elbatone.

Spanish on my camara

When I first got my camara I was playing around with it trying to see what I could do with it, and I turned it into Spanish. When I went to take a picture it said fecha, the date on it. I was so proud of myself, and then I kept going and there were tons of thing I didn't even know I knew. Information, the date, the time, the languages. It then hit me I knew more Spanish then I gave myself credit for.

Spanish on facebook?!

The other day I was sitting at home and I was extremely bored. I decided to go get on facebook and see if there was anything interesting. I was scrolling through my newsfeed when all of a sudden I must have bumped something. Everything on the screen went from english. to spanish. At first I panicked because I thought I wouldn’t be able to understand anything, but after I took the time to reallly look things over I was surprised by how much I knew or could figure out. I learned new things, just by one simple mistake.

I was at home watching the new movie "Fast Five" and they are in Rio de Janeiro. Two of the main characters are arguing in spanish and I thought it was funny hearing them.

Spanish on facebook?!

The other day I was sitting at home and I was extremely bored. I decided to go get on facebook and see if there was anything interesting. I was scrolling through my newsfeed when all of a sudden I must have bumped something. Everything on the screen went from english. to spanish. At first I panicked because I thought I wouldn’t be able to understand anything, but after I took the time to reallly look things over I was surprised by how much I knew or could figure out. I learned new things, just by one simple mistake.

Good things do come form watching movies!

With little brothers I watch a lot of cartoon movies. Although, I do enjoy the movies, or most of them. There are three that stick out to me since school has started. These three movies are Rio, Toy Story 3, and Rango. The one thing these three movies have in common is that they have some Spanish in them. The first movie is about a bird who gets caught from Rio de Janero and ends up in Minnesota. The bird ends up going back to Rio de Janero to find a girl bird. Since the story takes place in Rio de Janero you here birds and animals say amigo,.. The other one Toy Story 3 has two partrs that has Spanish in it. When Buzz (the space ranger) gets switched to Spanish mode. Now altough the producers have it translated at the bottom I would always smile when he said amiga, or amigo. Now he said a lot of other Spanish but those two words stick out to me the most. The other Spanish part is at the end when they play the song You've got a friend in me , there is a little "catch" though. They sing it in Spanish and again I can pick out the parts or words I know (with no translation, too). The last movie is Rango, this movie is a Western type movie. A lizard gets stranded in desert, meets armadillo. The lizard then goes to town, to then only to become a sheriff and find who stole the water. The Spanish parts was when he meets the armadillo (speaks spanish). The others involves the owl meriochie band speaking and playing songs, are the narrators. The owls say amigo and compadre and a lot of other Spanish. Another part was when the lizard is being chased by a hawk he goes in a milk cartoon outhouse and the signs for open and occupied where in Spanish too.

spaaaaniiissshhh :)

SO, the other day I am sitting at my table doing homework and my brothers are like technology junkies. They are young but know how to control everything! Well anyways, they were watching Madagascar and I start hearing spanish, they changed the language to Spanish and I happened to recognize words like, muy bien, muchacho, mucho and a lot more! I also noticed words like el,la,los,las and even some of SER! I thought it was pretty cool. I then found myself sitting in front of the t.v with the remote rewinding it trying to figure out sentences! I never used to be so attracted to Spanish when I hear it! I also find myself reading the directions on the back of my shampoo and conditioner bottles. The thing is I read the Spanish, then the Enlgish and I try to connect and figure out what they say.

spanish

Yesterday I was hanging out with Carlos and he was telling me about his friend that he has in Monticello. His friend from Monticello was mexican and me and Carlos were talking to him about his life back were he used to live and he has a twin brother that is mexican but he still lives back where they were born. His name is joe, he is 19, he came over to Carloses house the other night to just hangout and we got talking about his past and we were asking him questions and we didnt really know how to ask him without maybe offending him but we asked him if he could still speek his old language and he for sure could! He was saying a whole bunch of stuff in spanish and he was talking really fast so i new that he was not just messing around, He explained how he came back here to live and how his family is all mexicans and most of them still live back in his home town where tthey were born. After he said where he was from and all that in spanish I said repeaten porfavor! he spoke way to fast I didnt catch all of what he had to say so then me and Carlos asked him and told him to speech in ingles this time and it was really interesting listening to him tell us about his life and listening to him talk in spanish. He was one of the few people i know who can speech the full spanish language as good as he can. I just thought it was cool and i thought about my spanish class and realized spanish would be really cool to know and be able to have never ending conversations wile talking in spanish.

World Dairy Expo

At one point last week I was at the World Dairy Expo with Pedro Willenbring, and we heard some people talking Spanish. They were talking too fast. I couldn't understand anything they said. It was too hard to catch any words so that we could break down what they were saying. I was thinking about showing them my Spanish ability, but I figured I wouldn't understand they're responses. So we just turned around and left it at that.

Spanish on the radio

I was listening to the radio one night and this one song came on and during the song it switched to spanish. At first I though what is this but then i started listening to it and could pick out a few words. Then it switched back to english and I understood that better.

Spanish Everywhere!(:

Ever since I started in Spanish I, I have seen Spanish everywhere. Sometimes I just take the time to look at the back of a shampoo bottle in the shower, and I see cognates like the word ingredients(: Also on some t-shirt tags I see Spanish. Before I started Spanish I, I never really noticed Spanish really anywhere, and now I see it all the time. I like Spanish because after I learn the words they stick with me and I can tell other people that I know some Spanish and I can try to talk in some sentences. Haha so Spanish is very fun(: Muy Divertido(:

a movie with Spanish in it.

I was watching a Bring it on movie and there was a rivalry between two teams. At the big state competition they were in huddles facing each other and one of the girls was from a town where they spoke some Spanish, so she started speaking Spanish. While she was speaking I was able to tell what she was saying and then there was one word that stuck out at me and I didn't no what it meant. Then the next day it was the word of the day, and I was able to understand everything that she said.

McKinney, Texas

My older sister, Jennifer, lives in McKinney, Texas with her husband, Wade, and three crazy boys; Tristan, Trevor, and Tennison. We take a vacation down to see them every now and then, but now that me and Margie are in high school it's harder for us to miss school, so they usually come up to see us here in Iowa. Fortunately I remember so much about my visits to Texas. The grass down there is very green because of all the rain which is a great accent with the beautiful houses that surround you as you drive through the suburbs. One of the times we went down there we got to go on a gondala ride which was amazing, because it was like driving right through a town with all the little restaurants around us. Another time we went and visited the Alamo, it was a long wait to get in, but it was worth it to see history. Everybody around me was speaking Spanish, and at that time I had no idea what they were saying and it was so interesting to listen and try to interpret what they were sayin. There is a lot to see in Texas and to learn about, but I only discovered a few, so I hope to go back down there soon to learn more, and visit Jennifer and her family.

Texas

This summer my family and I went on a trip to Texas for my cousins (the bride) wedding. It was awesome but also a boring drive. As we got closer to Texas I heard more and more people talking Spanish and couldn't understand them because I wasn't in Spanish at the time and they were difficult words. A lot of them were talking really fast and I would get confused. When we arrived in the town of Lake Jackson near the Gulf of Mexico, I learned that the whole groom's side of the family was Spanish, I got really annoyed of of all the Spanish around me. When the wedding was over and the reception started I danced but not to the Spanish songs because I don't know how to dance to them and they were very quick dances. When we left Texas, I was relieved to be back to all English. It was an amazing adventure and I would love to relive it.

Spanish on a Package

I never realized how much spanish surrounds us in our everyday lives. My sister, Carissa, just got a new Haloween costume. Well, she loves reading, so she was reading everything on the package. She came to some words she didn't know and of course, they were spanish! Spanish was everywhere on this one little package! The contents of the package were listed in spanish, a warning, the name of the costume, plus some side notes were all written in spanish. I was able to pick up on the cognates like: separada. incluye, producto, and accesorios. Pequenas, one of our vocabulary words, was also used on the package, I could connect with the plurals as well as the feminine and masculine use of words. Because of taking spanish, I don't feel completely clueless when it comes to seeing "odd" words on packages or listening to people who speak it.

Jersey Shore :)

I was watching Jersey Shore, THE best show probably ever, and Deena, Snooki, and Pauly D were in Italy with the rest of their roomies for this season. Anyways, I was watching it and the roomies all have to work at a pizza place. The three I listed before were on their way to work and once they finally found it they walked in. Their boss (I think it was the boss) opened the door for them and asked, "Como esta?" Deena answered with, "Bien." Because Senorita taught us that already, I knew what the two were saying to one another. I felt pretty smart. :) It's weird, though, because in Italy they speak Italian and not Spanish, so for me to be able to understand that because of the little Spanish I know was awesome.

Chicago

   This weekend I went to Chicago with some friends. I heard many languages while walking around in stores, and on the streets. I heard a lot of Spanish. One time we were in a cafe in Macy's, and there were two people speaking Spanish. I couldn't really pick up on anything in the conversation, because they spoke so fast! They were actually speaking faster than I usually hear Spanish people speak. I did pick up on one of them saying como, but that was all I could understand. I was hoping to be able to understand more, but I know that it will take time to be able to do so.

Spanish in the Mall

So I was in the mall and there were these Spanish people in front of me. They were talking really fast but i caught some cognates and they used the ser words. I didn't understand any of it though except when they were talking with their hands and were pointing to how cute a pair of earrings were. I felt creepy for staring so I left.

As I was standing in line waiting to check out and I noticed the people in front of me were hispanics. They were talking back and forth very fast and I got very confused. I only noticed what they were saying when they would use "ser" words or they would use plurals. It was very confusing so I stopped listening and left.

World Dairy Expo

Spanish is a great thing to learn and it has crossed my life through the World Dairy Expo! I was at the world dairy expo and I couldn't believe that this year I could actually understand them. Wether they were talking on their phone or talking to someone else. I actually could understand what they were talking about and I talked to them a little and didn't need my notebook! It was awesome and I was having so much fun talking to them. I am so glad that I am learning spanish

Walmart.

Last week I was in Walmart when I heard a LOT of Spanish being said. It was so fast! I couldn't understand any of it, until I took what they said piece by piece. I pulled out a lot of soy, ella es, porfavor and gracias. So I imagined that someone was asking someone else for help finding something by saying, "I am... she is... please.... thank you." I walked around the corner and saw a woman, her daughter, and an employee. As I thought about it more and more, I realized that people who work at convinent stores like Walmart or Fareway or even gas stations need to be able to speak a different language for any customer that comes in and needs service. It was REALLY overwhelming when I heard all of it, but it gets so much easier when you just breathe and take it piece by piece. Of course with time I won't have to do that, but for now I do. It's easier when you know important verbs of ser so I can pick out soy and ella es. Then I knew the woman was talking about herself and another girl. It almost feels like I'm being nosey listening to their conversations as if they were talking in code. But for them, it's normal.

Wal-Mart

My mom and I went up to visit my grandpa on a Sunday afternoon. After we visited my grandpa we had to stop at Wal-Mart to pick up a few things. We turn into an aisle and there is a kid and her mother yelling at each other. They are blabbering away in Spanish. I assumed the little girl wanted some snacks because she had some in her hand but her mom wouldn't let her put it in the cart. The mom was doing most of the talking and was talking to fast. I heard some easy words like no and bastante, but otherwise I couldn't understand a word they were saying.

World Dairy Expo and Spanish

October 4th our FFA chapter had the opportunity to go to the World Dairy Expo. I jumped at this opportunity and I'm glad I did. While walking around with Rachel Knipper we were hearing people speaking quite a few different languages. One language other then our own we both recognized was Spanish. Rachel, being in Spanish II, knew more words then I but we both were hearing words and being able to know get an idea of what these people were saying. If I could recommend one thing to underclassmen in FFA and Spanish it would be that when you get the chance to go to the World Dairy Expo or anything else jump at the opportunity because you'd be amazed at the words you know and can pick up on.

Secret Life

I get home everyday and automatically turn on one of my favorite shows, The Secret Life of the American Teenager. Adrian, one of the characters, starts talking spanish to her father. He said Bastante! I knew that bastante meant enough. Adrian said interesante and importante, and I picked up that she said interesting and important. It is really cool that I can pick up some words that they are saying in Spanish. I started saying some words that they were saying in English, and my parents were amazed that I could translate words from Spanish to English. It is really cool that I could pick apart and translate some words, but some words they said I had know idea what they were. They were talking really fast but I still managed to pick up some words. Learning Spanish is very interesante!

Texas Road House

My family and I decided to go to Texas Road House in Dubuque for the first time. Once we got there it took a while to get our seats, but when the lady walked us to our booth. We had walked past some spanish speeking people. I really wasn't able to understand what they were staying, because it was a words that we hadn't learned and they were also talking a 100 words per minute. So I hope next time will be able to understand so people speaking spanish.

Toy Story 3

I was babysitting my neighbor's boy who was only four years old and he absolutely loved the Toy Story movie series. So right away when I got there he wanted to watch the third one. An hour went by as we were watching it and then all of a sudden Buzz, the space guy, started blabbering away in Spanish. He didn't speak that fast so I picked up on quite a few words. Some words were linda and galaxia, which is galaxy. I would have never thought a movie like that would have Spanish in it since it's for kids. Turns out I was wrong!