Las dias de mi vida. (The days of my life...Rachel version)

I was trying to be funny and dramatic with my post title today because I feel like this is the continuing saga of my spanish 102 class. I was thinking of those spanish soap operas...have you ever seen one? LOL, they are so funny. I watched an episode when I lived in South America (Adam said it was a good way to learn some spanish). And oh my gosh! They are hilarious! Think high school drama club type acting meets espanol! hahaha so funny...

So let's see...where were we?

Anteriormente en los dias de mi vida (previously - I had to look that word up! - on the days of my life):
So I had studied for a spanish test and was not feeling that confident. Cut to me sitting in the private testing room tearing up because I couldn't remember how to write sentences in present subjunctive, feeling like a failure and hoping that the earth would swallow me up whole so I wouldn't have to face my spanish teacher again (cuz he is my teacher and my co-worker! we have offices down the hall from each other).

The scene:
I had seen my professor a couple of times over the last week, mostly I made the interactions short and sweet...I was so afraid he was going to...
Acutally, I am not really sure what I was afraid of. I know that I can't be perfect all of the time, I guess I was just afraid for HIM to know that??? I don't know.

The episode:
So during our brief conversations he mentioned that he didn't have a chance to grade the test yet. I assured him that he could take as much time as he wanted and admitted that I didn't understand how to do the last page (I did not admit the crying).
Last week I went over to his office, feeling bad about my lack of understanding on the test. He still hadn't looked at it yet, "Thank goodness," I thought. I had decided after taking the test and doing so poorly (at least in my mind) that I needed to increase my study and try speaking outloud, to people other than myself. So I went to his office and slowly, probably incoherently, said, "Profesor, te necisito a hablar solo en espanol a mi." Which means, for you gringas out there, "Professor, I need you to only speak in spanish to me."
"Ah, Rachel, que es una buena idea!," he replied. And then started speaking in a waterfall of spanish words, some of which I even understood, the others seemed to bounce off of me like little droplets of spray from the waterfall and fall away quickly and disappear.
I gazed at him in a silly way that said, I kind of understood some of that.
"It will get easier Rachel, I promise."
"I will have to trust you on that," I replied, content on the fact that we apparently had an unspoken agreement to speak in spanish unless I look clueless and then we'd try it in English. Does this ever get easier???
And so I waited...
Yesterday, he brought me the test and the homework that I had turned in. I had gotten an 'A' on the homework (thank you Evy!) And then I close my eyes and prepare myself to look at the test (my teacher is still standing there waiting for my reaction). I open my eyes and can't believe my eyes! A "B+" is glistening is red ink bigger than life on my test. No, that can't be right...
"Profesor, no es correcto...I think that you are being WAY to kind."
"No, Rachel, you did fine. My corrections are there."
"But, Profesor, the last page, I didn't know what I was doing. I couldn't remember present subjunctive."
"No es problema, Rachel. You wrote all 12 sentences and although there are some errors you did very well." He turns to leave.
"Gracias profesor. I can't believe it. Thank you. Hasta manana." He started walking towards his office, "De nada, Rachel. You are doing well! Just keep trying!" By this time I am blushing and thankful that he is already headed down the hall. I can't have actually done as well as he says. I read through the test and realize that he had only taken off a few points for all of my errors! He was being too kind but I appreciated his understanding and patience with me. I suppose that he could see that I had tried hard. Luckily for me, some teachers still believe that effort should be awarded.

La proxima vez en los dias de mi vida(next time on the days of my life):
Test number three is looming on Nov 4th! That is sooo soon. With halloween and everything else going on I wonder how I will be able to be prepared enough to take it. I have actually been a week and a half behind the proposed schedule (it is a distance ed course so I can make my own schedule)...so I might stretch it out just a bit longer...we will see.