Adiós, Principiante 2B. ¡Hola, Intermedio 1A!

My Principiante 2B class

Peter 1 from Toronto, Bill 1 (Guillermo) from Austin, Texas, Isabel from Santiago (profesora), Bill 2 (Guille) from Ann Arbor, Gail from Tuscon, Arizona and Peter 2 from St. Paul, MN

Filipe, my private tutor this and last week.

Oops. An ostrich at the zoo. I guess I told the computer to send the wrong photo! It was supposed to be classmates of mine. Ah, well... Birds of a Feather, and all that!

Hola, amigos y familia. Espero que estan bien y felíz.

Now that it´s over, I can share with you something that was making me VERY nervous all week. I had spoken with my tutor about the possibility of advancing more rapidly, finishing the "Principiante" section of their course of studies and moving into "Intermedio" early. Well, he thought it was PRECISELY what I need to do, and not only that, he went to the academic director and arranged for me to take the test on Friday (today!). Of course, as soon as he told me I´d have the exam (and this was the EUREKA! day of functioning easily in Spanish!), suddenly I could say NOTHING clearly in EITHER Spanish OR English! Oh, how I HATE performance anxiety!

So... I studied and I practiced and I prepared, going through everything else in the Principiante 2B book that we might cover in the coming week to prepare myself for the test, and I pretty much got myself all worked up and worried. The tutor, my teacher, the acting academic dean, the staff, my homestay family, my friends... EVERYBODY said, "You´ll be FINE. You KNOW this. You´re doing GREAT!" And, of course, I didn´t believe a word of it. (Except I did believe it in my heart of hearts, only was afraid to believe it.)

I also learned that the exam following Principiante 2B is more difficult than the others. Because it permits a change of levels, the exam is more thorough and also, one is required to have a higher score. In the past, one only needs a 75. But to advance to Intermedio 1A one must achieve an 80 or better. Granted, I´d not gotten below a 92 thus far. Still, I worried.

That was Tuesday. Then came Thursday, and my classroom teacher gave me the practice sheets. It was hard, and there was one section for which I had to move ahead in our text and study ahead of the class (algún, algunas, alguna vez, nadie, nunca, poco, mucho, etc. and et. al.). The rest seemed pretty-much familiar. Still, I studied irregular verbs like a mad-person (or, at least, a dedicated one!), and I reviewed everything I could think to review. By the time I went to sleep on Thursday night, I knew I´d pass the test. I hoped and prayed I´d do well, of course, but also that the test would be a good reflection of where I am in my Spanish skills.

My test was scheduled for 12:30 p.m. However, following the second break period, at noon, I requested to go ahead and take the test. I was escourted by the acting Academic Dean to the upper floor, to a small classroom at the rear of the building, and given the test. First, oral questions (10 of them). I was impressed that she spoke the questions at the normal speed of Chilean Spanish. I only had to ask her to repeat one question. Then followed all of the other sections, including a "reading for comprehension" section and a paragraph to be written in future tense. Sure enough, it was significantly harder than any test to date, but even as I took it, I had a good sense that I´d pass without a problem. It took about an hour and a quarter to complete.

After the test the Acting Dean invited me to join the other students for Friday lunch (tacos! And it was considered exotic! The first "Mexican" food we´ve had, though it was NOT spicy at ALL, as is the case with all of their food here). After that I returned to the office, and...

...92! A score with which I was VERY pleased. This time, half the deducted points were for things I didn´t recall having known, and the other half were things that I have learned but didn´t remember at the time. All in all, a fair accessment of my Spanish abilities to date.

The Acting Dean sat with me to explain my errors and encourage me to learn a few principles in particular. She also shared with me what I need to study over the weekend in order to catch-up with the class I will be joining on Monday. (They have completed 50% of the studies for their -- OUR -- level.) And the last part made me laugh. She said that I speak Spanish VERY WELL, and that I will have to sit patiently in class and allow the other students to practice speaking! I explained that I´m an extrovert and often "talk to think," and she laughed so hard, she almost fell from her chair. "Well, then," she said, "next week, you will get to practice listening patiently to your fellow students." Fair enough! She also congratulated me and complimented me on how well I am doing.

Yippee!

This weekend a group of students is going to Valparaiso, a sea-side city about 1 1/2 hours from Santiago. That´s Saturday and Sunday. I figure that I´ll study while everybody is at the beach (what, with my need and desire to avoid the harsh sun). Then, on Monday... on to Intermedio 1A!


Thanks for sharing in my joy, and also for your love and support. It means more than I possibly can say.

-- Bill