Buenos Tardes!

Hello Beautiful Canadians,

Spanish Lessons start every mañana at 8am and go until doze for duos semena. They are exhausting to say the least. Learning another language with no alternative takes a lot of brain work 24-7. I´m put in the class with Marissa as the beginner-intermediate group (I have no idea how they thought I was almost intermediate...I guess I have Maria to thank!.) Jessica, Megan and Malinda are all in the very very very beginners class, they can only say HOLA, and Benny is solo in the intermediate class. He is our rescource for understanding most of the time. I dont think this thrills him at all. Megan´s luggage was found yesterday (as we all told her it would be) so she was very very contente. After class I´m always starving. I thought I´d be extra adventurous and walk back to my house all the way from Los Pipitos. Let me tell you I regreted that decision pretty rapido as it was MUCHOS CALOR. But I got here safely and ate a huge plate of pollo and rice with a simple salad of cocombre and tomado with white vinegar and jugo fresco (freshly squeezed juice) of melon and limone. Mucho Gusto!!! They make this salad with non ripe mangos and sea salt too for an afternoon snack. The food here is always very very good. Little Ali, the two year old I spoke of before, now has a nickname for me as he cannnnot pronounce my name. (NO ONE HERE CAN PRONOUNCE MY NAME. I am often found cursing my parents for naming me the most complicated name in spanish. They all look at me with the strangest face and attempt a syyyohbhhagnna? And I have to answer, Ce Irlandais, loco nombre irlandais.) So Ali runs around the house yelling SHARI SHARIII as that is what i am called here. We play hide and go seek all the time and we both drink yogurt in between our games. He is fascinated with my purple water bottle and whenever i drink from it he says Por Favor Shari Aqua! Aqua! So I end up giving him a tonne of water too. He has these two bicycles that he rides around the house all the time. They are his only toys but he loves them so so much. He has this stick that he pretends is his guitar and we both pretend to play it and cantan (sing.) Very cute. Yesterday is the first day it hasnt rained. In fact last night was soooo cold I could not sleep for more than half an hour with only a sheet to cover me. I put on two sweaters and socks and I was still so cold I couldnt concentrate of sleep. I kept dreaming of the word ¨blankets¨ in espagnol to ask them for another one. I should get on that before Im sorry tonight. I might meet up with Benny and Marissa later as we have cell phones and text to keep in touch. I may just stay here with the family though. They treat me completely equal. Theyve hosted two other girls two years in a row and Im not a novelty whatsoever. I guess its the best way to fully grasp what its like to vivre here day by day without being treated like royalty but instead igual (equal.) I love it here though with them, they are very very kind and always singing and smiling. They go about their own life and just let me do my own thing. William, who is 16, speaks the most english. I showed him all the New York pictures that were already on my camera from my family´s trip there. He loved the Empire States building. He plays his playstation three all the time and loves learning english songs like ¨Yellow¨by coldplay on the piano. He studies the chords for so long. Anways I could ramble on and on about everyone. I will keep you all posted as I want you to experience all of these things with me. Sayda (the cleaning girl) just brought me a steaming cup of cafe, so I will get on drinking that!
MUCHOS MUCHOS AMORE
I love you all so much

xo
Shari.