The Mariachi band plays on

ACA coordinators - Heraldo & Alicia

I've always known that repetition is one of the keys into the memory. There's one phrase I remember being repeated over and over as a kid: If you can't say anything nice ... don't say anything at all. Some days I find myself saying that same phrase to myself and thinking how much it sounds like my mother's voice. Today, I noticed that our American group is extremely loud in this culture, but thanks to my mother the loud American's won't hear too much from me. But this week I've heard a lot of phrases repeated. And often I've asked for repeats over and over and over, until it's clear. I remembered this morning that someone once suggested to carry a small notepad around and write down words I don't know. At lunch I took them to my room and looked up definitions and began repeating them to myself. Sometimes I wonder if I'll ever have enough time to repeat ALL of the words I need to know in order to learn a language in 3 months. I have been placed in the advanced composition, grammar, and conversation courses, but it's hard for me to believe that I will last there. After we were placed in our courses I went to lunch in the comedor and filled my aluminum-prison-looking-deep-slotted tray with broccoli, beats, and black beans and rice. The clan I sat with was a mutt-like table from Ukraine, Russia, Panama, Fiji, Brazil, Argentina, and the U.S and after we finished food we talked for an extra hour. Since it's siesta and there's nothing else to do, I've been told that el comedor is the best place to hang out. Another ACA student, Vernee, and myself went to la heladaria after lunch and had tea, tuned our ukulele's, practiced some tunes, and probably drove out a few customer's. After tea, a game of ultimate frisbee started up on the futbol fields. And without a gap in between we headed for dinner, a special dinner for ACA students, with empanadas, potatoes, veggies and dulce le leche cake. We devoured our food like we hadn't had anything in days, laughed at jokes in English, watched a clip of the places ACA students will travel to, and when we we finished a Mariachi band concert was still happening behind the comedor. As I sit hear under my covers with the windows wide open, the band plays what must be the last song, "Ay, ay, ay, ay! Canta y no llores ..."