“No Spanglish Spoken Here”
Date: 11/16/2006Demanding a beer is easy: una cerveza, por favor. I know how to get my usual breakfast ( desayuno) of coffee and cigarettes: cafe y cigarillos. And I learnt the word for pain ( dolor) during that memorable trip to Mexico where a wash basin fell off the hotel’s bathroom wall and smashed my foot.
“Spanglish” is the English tourist’s version of Spanish. It’s all I’ve ever needed for exploring Spain’s costas, and surviving Mexico. Sadly it doesn’t work quite so well in Nicaragua. The hotel maids and maintenance guys don’t seem to understand that my air-conditioning isn’t functioning. And I want to ask why the shower is a water-free zone...
So I’ve come to Casa Xalteva, one of Granada’s language schools. International Living’s man in Nicaragua, Joe Rosko, arranged for me to try one-on-one conversational Spanish lessons here.
Oscar, my 25-year-old “professor,” undoubtedly thinks he’s teaching an eccentric female with an unhealthy obsession about men in shorts. I enjoy talking, but it’s tough maintaining a three-and-a-half hour conversation that’s almost entirely in Spanish. The few other words I can dredge from memory revolve around the World Cup ( Copa Mundial) and European soccer teams ( equipos de Europa).
Even with that I’m struggling. Equipos are not the same as equipajes. I don’t blame Oscar for initially not understanding how futbol was related to equipajes de Europa...which I now realize means European luggage.
Casa Xalteva’s regular students work in small groups. Although their classes also focus strongly on conversational skills, they have the benefit of textbooks and other materials designed for non-native speakers. All I’ve got is Oscar--who now wants to chat about my husband ( marido), daughter ( hija), and grandkids ( nietos).
Well, some of the nietos play futbol in Irlanda. Oh, and in his distant past, the marido played a few games for a fourth-rate futbol equipo from Scotland ( Ecosia).
I wish I had time for more lessons. Through Casa Xalteva, a week-long course (four hours a day, five days a week) only costs $135. Just as much a community project as language school, it also provides Granada’s homeless and abused street kids with food, education, and a place to live. For more information, check out the website at http://www.casaxalteva.com.
From just one morning here, I’ve certainly acquired lots more useful phrases. Before, I never knew how to tell people I’m a journalist. Now I do : Soy una periodista.
Plus, I can also comment on how handsome ( guapo) Italian soccer players are. Si, Alessandro del Piero es muy guapo! Sadly I can’t say the same about los hombres who currently wear the England shirt. But when it comes to fighting spirit ( espiritu de lucha), the lads from Inglaterra reign supreme. Have you ever seen that infamous picture of Wayne Rooney stamping on an opponent’s manhood ( cojones)?
Steenie Harvey
Roving Europe Editor (on loan to Nicaragua), International Living
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