Las apariencias engañan

Ironically, the theme for today's B2 lesson was stereotypes, with the title las apariencias engañan which means "appearances can be deceptive".


I take back everything I said earlier about Isa...

I took a back seat during the grammar class today in an attempt to be less monopolising. I answered only when directly asked something and didn't ask any extra questions!

In my private lesson afterwards, Isa asked me if there was something wrong. I decided to explain my fears and she was really surprised. She said that she much prefers students to talk lots and ask questions. She said that, especially at B2, it should be mainly the students doing the talking and that today's lesson had been much less fun for her with lots of silences and her having to do all the talking! I realise that I had been totally wrong and she said that, if the others have a problem with me talking and asking questions, that's their problem and I shouldn't let it affect me and how I learn.

It was a real relief to hear that and know that I can go back to my usual self. I much prefer to ask what a word means rather than keep searching in the dictionary. By the time I have located the word, I have missed the rest of the sentence!

We ended up having a long chat about lots of things and it was a great lesson. She is actually much more approachable than I had thought and I feel much happier about being in the B2 class now. We have a new student in with us this week: a Chinese lad called Moo (his actual name is far longer, but we shortened it because none of us could pronounce it!) He has been at a school in Barcelona for a few months so has a really good level of Spanish. The B2 class certainly has students with a higher level which suits me really well. The B1 class was just right for me at first, but I had started to get frustrated by its repetition of ideas I understood and I am really glad I moved up when I did. I only wish I had enough money to stay here long enough to progress through levels C1 and C2, but I don't so I need to just make the most of the next 2.5 weeks.

I have just spent an hour or so on the beach doing the crosswords. I allow myself to buy just 1 or 2 Telegraphs a week and have to make the puzzles last! It costs €3.20, so I can't justify buying it every day, but once or twice a week is OK.