requiem

Today was the day of rest for me... sort of.

I slept in until 10:45am, which was quite nice, and then had a delicious cheese empanada for desayuno. I decided to remain at the homestay instead of going out for lunch, using the time to study and prepare for the coming week. Much to my surprise, I was beckoned to eat lunch with my host family at around 2:00pm, meaning that I had to awkwardly practice my Spanish with Flory (the host mother and cook of the delicious meal), her husband, their three-year-old grandson, and his mom. I managed to tell them (with corrections from them) that I had stayed home because of all the schoolwork I had. They commended my decision and were happy to give me some food, even though host families aren't expected to provide lunches.

Anthony, the three-year-old, had a small toy antelope with him at the table, with which he amused himself by pretending to kill it in various ways. Joining in on the fun, I surprised him by flipping the animal not just to the side, as he had been doing, but completely onto its back with legs in the air to signify its death. Anthony and I were quite amused.

I slaved over the new material (how to solder and desolder, splice wires, add/remove circuit board components, build power supplies, etc.) until dinner, and then slaved over it some more. I studied for about eight hours today, which will actually be below the norm starting tomorrow, when every day will be comprised of four hours of Spanish, four hours of technical training, and then whatever time is needed to do homework on our own.