Little more

I don´t have a whole lot more to add this week, but I figure I should try and make a habit of updating at least once a week. Last week, the same night after my first post, I ended up hanging out with my intercambio at his house, where he first showed me some Basque sports on the internet, then I stuck around for dinner with him and his roomates. This was quite an experience because, along with some Euskara mixed in, all the conversation was in much faster and more colloquial Spanish than I am used to. This was an improvement over the times that I go with my intercambio to the Basque bars where it is only in Euskara(this improvement owing to the fact that not all house members are from Basque Country), because I can understand at least a sizeable percentage of Spanish as opposed to maybe 13-20 words in Basque, but still quite a task. When they spoke to me it was slowed down a little bit, but still quite difficult. I´ve noticed my comprehension and speaking ability vary widely depending on my mood and energy level, and I think that night was one of the lower points. It was good though, to be hearing people speak Spanish for real, the way locals speak to each other in their house, which might be similar to the way I sometimes speak relatively unintelligible English.

Also, interestingly enough and pertinent to the comment made by Josef on my last, entry...

The next day after the dinner, in my Basque Language and Culture class, I learned that the word, or one of the words, for him/her, él/ella is BERA as in "bera Josef da". He is Josef. But the word Bera, unlike its English and Spanish counterparts, is not gendered, so one would also say "bera Jessica da". Interesting, no?

Alright, thats all for now, agur.