School´s in for winter

So, after a week of Spanish classes I´m beginning to believe I´ll actually learn this language. Who´d have thunk it.

The deal with Spanish is this. People like to say that it -- unlike the King´s English -- makes sense. It´s logically constructed, they say. Like Latin.

Well, my smug, English-bashing friends, there are a couple kinks in this little theory. First, I´d ask for a show of hands. How many of ya´ll habla the Latin? What was that? Oh, it died? Must have been pretty great.

Secondly, Spanish has more exceptions than the tax code. You may know that words are either masculine or feminine in Spanish, as in your preciouso Latin. But did you know how you tell the man words from the lady words? I´ll bet you thought you did. I´ll bet you just though something like, ¨Masculine words end in el, o or other manly sounds. Feminine words end in la, a or something else wombish. Levi is a crank.¨

Don´t believe the hype.

The difference between the masculine words and the feminine words is this: Masculine words are masculine, feminine words are feminine. That´s it. Nada mas.

Then there are the verbos. In Spanish there are what the quaintly refer to as the regular verbs and the irregular verbs. Sure, there are many, many more irregular verbs than regular ones. And the importante verbs are all irregular. But it gives that facade of reason on which the Spanish-world seems to hold so dear.

That said, I´ve been having a great time at Pop Wuj. The school´s online at http://www.pop-wuj.org should anyone wish to view it´s web site. Unlike my traveling companion, I´ve been extremely pleased with my teacher, Byron, who´s show unbelievable patience with this slow American.

He´s also taken my word for it that I too have no idea why my country decided to mettle in Latin American politics or overthow the Guatemalan government. And he -- unlike Isolde´s maestro -- doesn´t feel the need to lecture me on the excesses of Western living. He has told me a bit about himself -- as much as my busted Spanish will allow anyway. He´s an extremely hard working guy. He teaches about eight hours of Spanish a day, then takes night classes at the public university. He hopes to own a business someday. In Guatemala, working for someone else is kind of like volunteering for serfdom.