¡carumba! That was actually fun(ny)

Wow. I have to say after the first class I am delightfully surprised. That was much more entertaining than I had originally thought it was going to be. Look at the demo video above to just get a taste of this guy's humor that doesn't stop throughout the entire lesson. If you like it, there is a YouTube channel with a bunch more (http://www.youtube.com/buenoentonces). He's hilarious, and it really keeps you motivated to keep listening. I have never seen these types of lessons before--ones that don't bore me as soon as they begin. I knew Bueno, entonces said these were interactive Spanish courses, but they truly do keep your attention and keep you tuned in.

Now, apart from the entertainment value, I did learn some cool new stuff just through the first class. From the basic Spanish classes I have taken I figured I would fly through at least the first few classes, but I was introduced to tons of words and useful Spanish phrases I didn't know before. For example, to spoon someone is "hacer cucharita". Amazing, haha! Not only that, but there are really cool cultural notes in there. For example, they explained where the term "gringos" came from. During the Battle of the Alamo, between Mexico and Texas, Texans wore green and Mexicans wanted them to go--thus, "Green-go's". So simple, yet you would never put that together! Basically, that just solidifies my opinion that gringo isn't a nice term, despite attempts from Latinos to tell me it's ok, haha. Also, I learned how to say "Yankee" in Spanish, because apparently all Americans are Yankees? Even though they are the most hated baseball team in the U.S. Thirdly, as a person from the United States I (like everyone else) have grown accustomed to referring to ourselves as Americans, but people from South America refer to themselves as Americans as well, because, well, they are from the Americas. ¿Claro, si? This is all in the first class!

Lastly, and most importantly, I really appreciate that the program emphasizes speaking first and foremost. Other programs and courses in school try to throw too much grammar and conjugations at you, instead of teaching you how to communicate--the most necessary part of learning a language. The first class was just greetings, salutations, and farewells, but I can tell I am going to learn how to speak much better. I have always been good at understanding Spanish when reading, writing, and listening, but I have had a difficult time trying to speak it. I know tons of other people who struggle speaking as well. This is going to be a great tool to improving my speech, I can tell. Can't wait for the next session.