My First Spanish Lesson....

...was a qualified success.

One of the perks that Pro Language offers its teachers is free Spanish lessons.

When asked if I'd like to take lessons, of course I said yes.

Lost...But Not Ignored

Today was my first lesson. But not as it turns out, the first lesson of the other students in the class.

The class was supposed to start at 1:30 but in very un-Costa Rican fashion, it started at 1:15.

By 1:20 I was lost...and by 1:45 I was totally overwhelmed.

At 2:15 I was ready to surrender and throw in the towel...and honestly tried.

The teacher seemed to take it personally that I was so out of it that she redoubled her efforts to salvage the lesson for me.

Finally Lydia, another student, was able to help the teacher understand that this was my first Spanish lesson...ever!

At that point, the teacher's approach shifted to providing me with a half-hour tutoring before the next class. She...the teacher whose name among other things, I forget...said she would speak to Mark,who owns and runs Pro Language, about extra help for me.

Mark and I are developing a very enjoyable relationship so I wouldn't be surprised if I find myself the beneficiary of some extra help in learning Spanish. Only time will tell.

More Lessons Learned

As much as I might...or might not... enjoy extra help in learning Spanish, that was not the success element of the lesson.

The Spanish lesson was not the only item on today's to-do list.

My day started as most do, at 5:30 AM when my brain was eager to get going.

So I wrote a blog post and finished a magazine article that I had promised for March.

I then walked the 20 minute trek to the Pro Language office (in 30 degree temperature) to finish setting up a bank account.

After 1½ hours in the bank yesterday it was still not finalized because there was problem with the 'systema'. Today, with the assistance of the Pro Language admin assistant, it took only 45 minutes to finalize the details.

After lunch at a nearby but noisy Peruvian restaurant, there was the aforementioned (now that feels nice and familiar!) Spanish lesson.

The lesson was to have ended at 3:00 and then I had planned to take 2 different buses to a 2-hour teaching session with Gustavo.

Fortunately Gustavo canceled tonight...his boss is in town.

On the way home from the prematurely ended Spanish lesson, I reflected on why I had felt so overwhelmed in the class.

Gradually, I realized what was happening.

For the past month or so, I have set some incredibly high expectations for myself. Happily, for the most part, these expectations were met.

But today, I my adaptability scale hit overload...and it was not pretty nor was it fun.

Time out!!

And what's just as helpful: I know know what Gilbert and Gustavo feel like when working through a 2-hour English class after a full day of their normal work.

Like I was today, they are any or all of: tired, stressed, frustrated and overwhelmed.

I cannot do anything about how my students are feeling.

I will however continue with my Spanish lessons in order to learn Spanish...and remind myself of how my students probably feel in my classes.