Spanish here I come

So this is my frustration(one of them at least). I find myself walking about yesterday, and realize that I needed some money. Gab having just got paid and me not wanting to convert and lose money in the Dollar vs. Euro Struggle, I decided to head to a park and read while I waited for Gab to get done teaching. Well early in our stay an intercambio had taken us to a book store and showed us where to find books that were made so new Spanish speakers could understand and read them. Now they all are well know stories and not dumbed down at all, just labeled by what level of spanish you must know to read them. The one in my bag was a 3, so not too hard but not beginning either. Well seeing that I had time to kill I began to try to read it, and lo and behold I could! Not just get the drift but read it! Sure there were words I was foggy on and if you wanted me to tell it back to you line for line I'd have some trouble. But in the end I knew the storie and what was going on! Now the frustration, I can't speak a word of it! While I can read it butchering every other word as I go along, I can't turn to you and tell you what I just read. I know, I know patience patience...yeah well that only goes so far...It's starting to drive me nuts, I even understand some tv and conversations, but in the end it drives one made knowing what your roomate said and not having any way to respond to it! UGH!!!

Hence, Monday morning at 10am I head into my first Spanish class! Yes I'm going BACK TO SCHOOL! A one week intensive course 25 hours, 5 of which are one and one. So keep your fingers crossed, all I hope is that I can start to link up my Portuguese with my Spanish and begin to get over the fear of speaking. I'm excited and a bit scared but more excited! I just need to spend some time struggling and in a group with others can make that a bit easier. We'll see, I need this, Brian the wine buyer from the Cellars comes the next week, and I need to be a guide as we head down south to see some of the Sherry Producers. I'm sure I'll have a lot to say after that trip. Then if nothing happens right away after that, I'm off to Rioja or Valencia, just depends who I hear from in those regions. Though there is a slim chance I might have an interview up in Rioja? Maybe we could live near the Pyrenees? WOOO hOOOO...
right! First things first...Yo tengo hablar!
'ta luego, Ryan

Oh here's my SCHOOL