Perfectamente.....

Another day in paradise after spending the morning in Spanish school. Actually class went well today and was shared between two instructors.  The first two hours was spent with Suzanna who we've had before.  And yesterday for the first time we were entertained by professor Jaime who we had never met before.  Dressed in a smart looking business suit and spouting off new to us adverbs like "perfectamente" and "absolutamente" he brought a breath of fresh air into the classroom.  Jaime is overly upbeat, positive and reassuring making us feel like we actually have a shot at learning this strange new language.  Some of the vibes we got from the others made us feel like we were sliding down the hill into a Spanish grave never to see the light of day again. 

Jaime is a gentleman from Chile who stole the heart of a Panamanian woman that now shares his name.  When he first moved here even though he knew the language, he had to learn the local verbage and customs foreign to anyone except those from canal-land.  His teaching method is in both Spanish and English which makes it easy for our simple minds to grasp. That way we don't get lost in the translation while trying to figure out what's being taught.  Although we do realize that it's necessary for us to hear Spanish spoken in a clear, direct manner the way he speaks it.  Not everyone was meant to teach since not everyone is good at being able to explain things.  Jaime has a way of explaining new words and conjugation that makes it easy to follow and understand.  His pronunciation is very clear so we can mimic his tone and learn how to properly speak the language.  And his positive approach is uplifting and rewarding which makes us want to learn and speak more Spanish.  Jaime truly seems to have a knack for teaching and we expect to learn much from him while having fun.

Sometimes we just never know who we'll meet in our travels.  But many of those that we meet along the gringo trail will stay in our hearts and minds for years to come.  As we panic and stumble with conversations in Spanish we'll remember those from Spanish Panama and hopefully will remember a little of what they taught us.