Mexico City, Day 7 - Saturday

Well, no class today.  This is the best-looking weather I have seen. I'm hung over.  Had a LOT to drink last night, but had a great time with our teachers, and then at La Opera hung out with:

• Russell
• Natalie
• Ramon

I also lost my cell phone on the ride back from La Operat (left it in an Uber). Amazingly, I got it back.  It was stressful as hell because I didn't call the Uber, Natalie did.  However, because my MacBook is connected to my accounts - I could WhatsApp her and ask her to contact the driver.  I used Find My app to locate my phone. I could watch it in real time as it drove around.  It was crazy. Luis the driver finally returned it, and I gave him a 500 MXN tip.

But wow was that scary, the idea of being without a phone for??? What would it cost if I had to replace it?  It was an unnerving 30 minutes.

But I have it back. (I feel like one of my kids when they were little and we thought we lost their blanky on a road trip)

I don't know what I'm going to do today for sure.  My big plan was to ride my bike all day - explore more of Condesa, Polanco, and Roma.  Possibly even ride downtown.

How's the Spanish Learning

It's been frustrating.  I never really mastered very much, and I want to spend more time learning how to hear the language, but I'm having to go back and master some techniques.  I decided this weekend I will practice and focus on my weaknesses.  Ramon had a good idea to ask the school if there's a teacher who would meet with me a few days after school - just to hang out and practice talking.

For me, the real core of the challenge is that - I still have three problems.

1. I have to hear the word
2. I have know what the word means
3. I have to understand how the word is used in that sense.

For example: Ya means already.

But Ya No - means, "Not anymore" or more correctly, "I don't do that anymore"

So when I hear "Ya" I'm thinking "already" I barely hear the "no" or it doesn't register and I'm left sitting there puzzled like - you already eat meat? but I thought you don't eat meat any more?  Oh... I missed something.  It feels like I'm always missing something.  I have this fear that I'm walking around with a confused look on my face all the time.

I know I'm being hard on myself, I'm just very used to being able to understand what people tell me.  I guess I can now see I'm overly connected to my identity as a "quick learner". I need to find something else to attach my sense of self worth to.  I don't mind putting in the effort, but language study can be hard to gain a sense of steady progress.  Steady here being the key word.  I like biking because I can see the miles rack up and I know I'm making progress.  With language I feel like I need to make progress in a bunch of directions all at once - vocabulary, grammar, writing, reading, speaking, listening comprehension, expressions, pronunciation... the list goes on and on, and they all interact and effect each other.

I think I'll just go shopping for food.  Find the Walmart Express and take a break.