Inglés

I'm sorry it's been so long!  Between classes starting, and a good friend coming to visit, I haven't had much time to sit at my computer.  Sadly, however, my friend returned to school in Edinburgh yesterday, so with the little time I have with myself today, I thought I'd get a post up here.

Between posts, I jot down blog ideas, and, coincidentally, I had written down "failing English" long before this weekend when my friend, Kristen, and I went out to El Guijo (where we had lived years before) to visit some old friends.  We had a great time, and I was especially proud to notice how much my Spanish had improved since I had last been out there.  At one point, a friend wanted to practice his English, so I agreed to speak with him a little in my native language, and I let him know how impressed I was by his improvement as well.

It wasn't until the next day that Kristen told me how awful my English was when I was speaking with my Spanish friend, that I realized that I may have been less help to him when we speak English than he is to me when we speak Spanish.  Remembering back, I knew she was right, that I was actually speaking my first language worse than he was.  When speaking Spanish for more than a sentence or two, my brain automatically converts to thinking in Spanish as well, but apparently I have not perfected the switch back, and I had been speaking in English while thinking in Spanish.

This was not the first time that English speakers have pointed out my failing English.  When my dad came to visit back in October, I already noticed myself using false or awkward cognates, such as saying that I "noted" something, rather than having "noticed" it.  There was also the time during orientation in Granada when I asked friends "how do you call?" instead of "how do you say?" or "what do you call?" My biggest challenge so far, however, was the article I am working on for a project with the other student from our program who is also staying the full year in Madrid.

To challenge ourselves, we decided that we would write our articles in both Spanish and English, so I wrote the body of my article first in Spanish, then went back and translated it to English.  Or, rather, I tried to translate it.  Simple sentences and phrases that came so naturally when I was writing the Spanish version, suddenly became complex to me, and I found myself translating colloquial phrases word for word into constructions that wouldn't make sense to an American.

After taking a break, then returning to my work, I believe now that the English version of my work makes a lot more sense, but I was unable to properly translate it right after writing the Spanish version because I was still thinking in Spanish.  During first semester's orientation, when we were asked what our biggest difficulty was when speaking Spanish, many students agreed that it was thinking in English then having to translate their thoughts.  At the risk of sounding like a snob, I could not understand their problem.  I had been thinking in Spanish when speaking in Spanish for at least the past five years, and I couldn't imagine being able to think and speak properly in two different languages at the same time.  Little did I know that my problem would be the reverse.

My difficulties have just gone to show that I cannot take either of my languages for granted.  Until I can switch freely between English and Spanish, I will not have truly mastered a second language.  I have realized that my problem is that I am nervous that if I stop thinking in Spanish, it will take too long to switch back when need be, but a true Spanish speaker would have no trouble switching from, and back to, Spanish in her mind.  Unlike those students that challenge themselves to full immersion in Spain to improve their language abilities, this semester I will have to focus on balancing my two languages to be able to switch back and forth at a moment's notice.

In case you all are curious about how my article turned out, I will post it below, but please be aware that it is a very rough draft!  I just thought that its subject may be of interest to those curious about what there is to do on a typical weekend here in Madrid.  It is lacking an introduction, conclusion, and editing, but, then again, most of my posts here are lacking those elements as well, so hopefully you will be able to forgive me.

Un beso.

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Weekend in Madrid

Friday. Begin your weekend in the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza (metro Banco de España), one of the three most famous museums in Madrid (including the Museo del Prado, and the Centro de Arte Reina Sofía).  The art is organized by year, so if you don’t have much time, focus on the two floors that interest you the most, or on Carmen Thyssen-Bornemsiza’s collection.

You are going to need a break after seeing so much art, and you can relax with food and a book in the museum’s café.  The food is a little pricey, but it is delicious and comes in generous portions.

After your rest, take a walk through Madrid’s center.  Turn off of the Paseo del Prado onto the Carrera de San Jerónimo towards the Puerta del Sol.  When you arrive in Sol, be sure to check out Kilómetro 0, the statue of the bear reaching for the madroño, and the Tío Pepe sign.  Continue west on the Calle Mayor, taking time to duck into the Plaza Mayor to see its Real Casa de la Panadería and the statue of Felipe III.  Your next stop on the Calle Mayor should be the Plaza de la Villa, the oldest plaza in Madrid, before you arrive in front of the Plaza Real.  If you don’t have time to enter and explore the palace, observe its majesty from the outside, and get off your feet for a moment in the Plaza de Oriente.

That night, go out in Malasaña (metro Noviciado), a neighborhood full of restaurants, bars, and young people looking to have a good time.  Savor Galician raciones (large tapas) such as pulpo, pimientos de padrón, and patatas bravas in the restaurant Casa do Compañeiro (c/San Vincente Ferrer, 44).  While you’re digesting, continue towards metro Tribunal on San Vincente Ferrer to Café Manuela (c/San Vincente Ferrer, 29), a bar that serves cocktails and coffee drinks, alongside various board games.  When you’ve had enough of playing games, keep exploring the many other bars and discotecas of Malasaña.

Saturday.  Sleep in the next day, Saturday, because you are going to have a long day.  Eat lunch and relax in Café Comercial (Glorieta de Bilbao, 7), the oldest café in Madrid, where you can observe Madrileños going about their days.  When you’re ready to leave, enter the metro (Bilbao) just outside of the café door, and take line 4 to Argüelles where you can walk south down Calle de la Princesa towards the Templo de Debod.  Explore this ancient Egyptian temple, then have a seat in front of its fountain to study a little (don’t forget that you have classes during the week!)

That night, have Indian food in Lavapiés (metro Lavapiés), a neighborhood full of immigrants, bohemians, and a lot of personality.  One of the best Indian restaurants is Baisakhi (c/Lavapiés, 42), where you can enjoy a menú of three courses and dessert, and share a bottle of wine and naan with a friend, for only 9.50€ per person (8€ for the vegetarian menú).  When you’re full, cross the street to Juglar (c/Lavapiés, 37), a bar with good music and interesting people.  If you want, visit more of Lavapiés’ bars before walking to Kapital (c/Atocha, 125), a gigantic discoteca with 7 floors and different music on each floor, where you can dance until the metro reopens in the morning.

Sunday. If you have energy the next morning, return to the center to stroll through the Rastro (metro La Latina) and possibly buy a lot for very little.  When you’ve had enough of the crowds, walk through Lavapiés, with which you’ll be familiar from the night before, to the Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, the most important modern art museum in Spain.  You may not be able to see all the art, but be sure to visit Guerinca by Picasso, Accidente by Ponce de León, and El gran masturbador by Dalí.  Finish your weekend just up the street to the left of the museum, with a film in Cine Doré (c/Santa Isabel, 3), Filmoteca Española, that shows classic and foreign films.