After spending quality time with Sarah’s family in Sioux Falls, SD for Navidad & a wedding (Tim Randall, i.e. Sarah’s brother, & Jennifer Krecklow), we are back in Oaxaca. We had such a wonderful time (despite the cold weather) in the States! (¡Muchas Gracias, Randalls!)While we appreciate Mexican, sp. Oaxacan, culture, It was great to experience some familiar things like English, NFL football, & ‘American’ food. I must admit that it was a bit hard to come back. Again, we thoroughly enjoy Oaxaca, but honestly, an immersion experience has it’s challenges. After spending the better part of 3 decades in one country and in variations of the same culture, your patience can be tested when trying to learn & speak a new language and adjust to an unfamiliar culture. But I wouldn’t exchange this experience for anything. I am confident that it will help us to better relate to the people with whom we are so privileged to work in Queens…not to mention the fact that we are learning a new language along the way!

During this little hiatus, our Spanish abilities reacted differently. Just before we left, I studied a handful of different verb tenses with many uses and forms. My mind was quite cluttered. Forms and rules were completely mixed up. So, this week-long break worked well to give my mind a rest, to let the rules sort themselves out, and to solidify the forms. In other words, I came back with a clearer mind!

Regarding Sarah…just before we left, la señora of our host family said that she had seen quite an improvement in Sarah’s abilities. This was a great compliment from a native Spanish-speaker! Sarah said, however, that she feels that she lost something during our time in the States. We were back in class today for a private lesson, and she said that her previous Spanish knowledge has come back quickly!

Regarding Adia…She continues to learn rapidamente! It is evident that she understands both the Spanish & English idioms/words for some of the same concepts. For example: One day at comida, I asked her, ‘¿Te gusta?’ (which means, ‘Do you like it?’). She responded with ‘I like it!’ Then, I said, ‘¡Delicioso!’ She responded with ‘Delicious!’ In other words, we carried on a bilingual conversation…I spoke Spanish & she responded correctly in English!

We get back into the regular weekly schedule on Monday. Please continue to keep us in your prayers, asking the Lord to give us an ear for spoken Spanish, understanding of the grammatical concepts, and retention of the rules & forms. ¡Gracias!

¡Hasta Luego!
Steven Gabb