Weekly Conversations about One Thing.

At least two people every week ask me how I'm doing with my Spanish. I don't really mind answering the same question at least twice every week, but I think they could probably answer that question better than I could if they would just ask me something else and then evaluate the quality of my answer themselves. My answer is usually, "Esta mejorando (it's improving)." I never know what else to say.
One of the guys who asks me that question nearly every week is JuanJo, one of the nicest guys I've ever met in my life. He asked me the question again after church last night. I told him that it's difficult to understand my professors, yada yada.
Then Felix, the founder of the church and Dom's father-in-law, walked up. He always talks to me in English, probably because I'm the only chance he ever has to practice his English. Then JuanJo objected, "No no no! You can't speak English! He's here to learn Spanish! You have to speak Spanish!" I actually cannot remember whether he said that in English or Spanish. Felix asked me if I understood his sermon, which I did. It was about our dependency on God. I was very proud of myself for understanding nearly all of it. He is probably the easiest pastor to understand.
Once I filled them in on my liguistical progress, JuanJo told Felix that I'm living with Spanish nonbelieving students, and that it's a good thing because I can be a light to them. Felix asked me what I think about the youth in Spain. I told him that everyone just likes to drink, and there are no alternatives. His response kind of surprised me. He told me that the United States is still sort of a city of God, but that Spain is nearly completely lost. There is so much talk in GCL about UF being spiritually dead that I had never thought of my homeland as a godly place. But he was right, and I'll tell you why in another blog. He reminded me that I am light out here for the other students. I had heard the same thing before from several people over the past few months, but it was especially encouraging to hear it directly from the big guy.
My Spanish education wasn't quite done yet- after I explained what I thought about my counterparts in Spain, JuanJo remarked, "Habla muy bien!" or "He speaks very well." He sounded genuinely impressed. That also encouraged me, but in a different way. My Spanish is always hit or miss. It is easy to speak with somebody I'm comfortable with, like Juanjo, Felix, or the other college students in the church. My professors and classmates are patient with me as well. I have the hardest time when I talk to somebody in a store (they're often the least patient and understanding). When I talk to my roommates about cooking and don't know a word or two, I completely stumble. But my roommate and people from the church have told me that I have improved so I know I'm getting somewhere. If nothing else, answering the same questions about my Spanish over and over reminds me that I should be constantly working on it.