Post parto

Spanish class is over for the summer. I was still enjoying class and working very nearly full-time-squared up to Tuesday, when I bailed out after our instructor’s fifth absence. I had only a brief oral presentation on Wednesday and the final exam on Thursday, and since I’m auditing the class, there was no reason to stick around to earn the points.

Despite the poor showing from the instructor when he showed at all, I count the class a terrific success and would sign up for another this fall if one were available.
The instructor was a likeable guy and generally used class time well, but he’s the worst deadbeat I’ve ever had as a teacher, and in the end I was mostly fed up with him.

Despite all the problems with him (a long list of which I just deleted because who really cares?), I loved the class and made a huge amount of progress, though I still consider myself a beginner in Spanish.

I’m signed up for a Spanish lit class this fall, which meets two days a week, so I’ll commute the seventy miles one-way instead of living over there. I’m also probably going to volunteer in a local school working with ELL students (“ELL” meaning English Language Learners and replacing all prior acronyms). For now, there’s plenty of work to be done around the house after being gone for so long, and after a few days of mental rest, I’ll get back to studying two or three hours a day, my goal to continue to make a little progress and not immediately forget everything I’ve learned.

It’s good to be back home, although I’m having a little trouble adjusting to the change of pace that comes with not having something I absolutely must be doing right this minute. That might be a drain after awhile (and it is), but it’s also a form of structure. Take it away too quickly and one feels a little adrift. At the moment, I’m somewhat adrifting but should adjust to things fairly quickly.