El Raton Perez

I can´t seem to go a day without almost getting hit by a car, or jumping on a moving bus. It´s great. Normally when I jump on a moving bus, the busdriver knows I´m getting on, and isn´t really driving away. Today was different. I don´t think they even noticed I ran and jumped in the back door as the bus took off (they didn´t even collect my money, third time baby, haha). It was actually kinda fun, haha. Oh, and the difference between crossing the street here, and in NYC, is that in NYC people won´t actually hit you as you cross the street... here, they will, haha. You can´t even trust a stop sign (most drivers don´t stop for them).

Onto other news, I went to the movies yesterday. I went to another Centro Commercial (mall) that I haven´t been to before, which was fun (I´ve been to at least four now). I discovered an ice skating rink in this one (not very big, but still exciting!) and got some free watermelon flavored Halls cough drops, haha. Then I went to see El Raton Perez, a kids movie that was part live action, part computer animated. It was about Perez, el raton de los dientes (he´s kinda like the toothfairy). He leaves kids a coin for their tooth, then turns the tooth into a pearl! The story was that he was kidnapped and these kids had to find him and save the everyone from a world without el raton de los dientes. It was cute and fun, and I really enjoyed it. And the best part was, it was all in Spanish, and I understood it all! I was very excited about that.

This weekend I also went to Latitude again, the wine and tapas restaurant, got some yummy and expensive chocolate ice cream (and again at a different place today), went to Seseribo again, and danced with a complete stranger (some of the most fun salsa I´ve done), slept till noon on Sunday, had a converstaion where I spoke Spanish, and my Ecuadorian friend spoke English, and walked a really really long ways after the movie just for the sake of walking and talking. It was a good weekend, but I´m looking forward to going to Banos next weekend, and escaping my usual weekend plans in the city.

I also feel now that I´m getting to a point with the language where, the more I learn, the harder it is to make it all fit. I understand so much more, but can´t seem to make myself learn how to work with all the tenses at once, plus subjuntivo, and everything else. At times, it´s ok, but when I get into class, I get so frustrated. I feel like I either need to stay here (or in a Spanish speaking country) for the next few months, or take a short break, then come back. Neither of which seems like a real possibility (but I came to learn Spanish, and it´s frustrating me that the best ways to do it aren´t really options). Ideally, I would love to stay here through June, then spend all of July in Puerto Rico, then go home for three weeks before heading back to Swat. I don´t think I can stand to spend much time in an English speaking country as soon as the end of May. I love hearing Spanish in the streets, on the bus, on the radio, tv, all the time, even when I don´t understand it. I love the language, and want to master it, and I know I can´t do that back home in the States. Well, we´ll see how things pan out...

And my independent project is frustrating me. I´m not sure what I really want to do, and need to decide and make contacts. I mean, I turned in a final proposal for a project I really don´t intend on doing. I just need to find something that clicks, and feels right. I can´t do a project if my whole heart´s not in it. Let´s hope I figure this out soon... but other than that, all is well, I´m happy and healthy, and hanging out with people enough that I´m hardly online (or home for that matter). =)