Monday, September 24, 2007

I'm not sure what all....

It's sign up time for all the extracurricular activities here...today I got eldest enrolled in the local theater class for 11 - 14 year olds, and both of them are mostly enrolled in the painting class being offered in town, me too!!!! I've met the teacher, got the shopping list and I just have to hand in the form tomorrow.

The teacher didn't mind that I have to leave an hour early to get to work teaching English, which is very kind of her, and so I am off on Monday for my first painting class since I was 18!!!

*girlish gleeful squeals*

I am also studying hard (not hard enough but I am not sure that you ever can) for my big Catalan assessment test on Wednesday morning. Gack. I just don't want to end up in beginner one. I like to think that in the last ten months I have made some advances in my Catalan and I don't have to go right back to the days of the week -dillunes, dimarts, dimecres, dijous, divendres, dissabtes i diuminge - and the months of the year which I won't list, and I can hear the thanks.

Anywhooo, even if I am in basic one *sob* it will still be Catalan pouring into my rattling empty head, so that will still be good. I am currently understanding about 50% of what is said to me, not the words, but the general gist, and I am getting to the same level of marginal understanding/misunderstanding that I achieved last year but they don't have to repeat it so damn often now, so I think I am continuing to improve. The Catalan language painting course should be fun too. yahooooo!!! The teacher seems very nice and is very funny and enthusiastic and talks with her whole body, very animated which definitely helps me...a burnt sienna paint here is sienna tostada! Gotta love it, though I think that is Castillian, it would be sienna crema in Catalan. I think.

The English classes I am teaching are going somewhat more smoothly, partially because the students are more used to being in school and partially because I have successfully established my witch credentials giving myself more authority in the room; though the kids continue to teach me interesting vocabulary. *sigh* Not vocab I can use though.

I should go study, I have been looking at the declinations of adjectives in the masculine/feminine and singular and plural. Some have two declinations a singular and plural, not too bad, add an s, some have three and some vary in every seperate group giving them a full four different forms. *gentle weeping* Most are regular, but get this one...automatic, automatica, automatics, automatigues...this doesn't include the accent that appears and disappears over the second a for no apparent reason.

Enough, that one isn't too bad, I can figure out the meaning, some aren't in my dictionary even. Fun wow. Though on a good note, I also now have two women lined up with whom I am trading English and Catalan lessons, so there's a little more as well. With any luck that will get me to approximately 7 hours of Catalan instruction/practice a week, aside from trying to enroll in painting classes, etc.

'nuff said.

Hope you all had a decent day, better yet, hope it was great.

Happy Birthday Mom, Love ya tons.

4 comments:

Beth said...

So glad to hear you're taking a painting course - now that you've posted some of your work, I can see your love of painting - and your talent. Enjoy!

Angel said...

aw Oreneta! have so much fun at your painting class! How fun is that?

I love reading about your life...

Anonymous said...

Ha, beat you to it - theoretically at least.Sent your Mum a birthday card by snailmail weeks ago!
But, since she's off travelling - according to you - who know shen she'll get to read it.
Mail service between Rx and To is quite erratic, subject to "now you see it now you don't" tricks.
Keep up the slogging on the Catalan, I'll need your help for sure. I'll do the same when you come here!!!

oreneta said...

Beth: I am pretty happy about it...I have an excuse to go and buy more painting supplies now too!!!

Beth: Thanks....those pictures of Joey were gorgeous.

G.M.:I don't know when she will read it either...or if she will read mine, they should be back but I haven't heard anything....