On Friday, June 3, 2011 the Christian Spanish Academy of Antigua, Guatemala presented me with a diploma indicating that I had satisfactorily completed de nuestro Programa General en Español como Segunda Lengua por un período de 32 semanas (572 horas).

What that basically means is that I spent a whole heckuva lot of time sitting in a beautiful garden setting trying to learn a new language. I walked through the doors of the Christian Spanish Academy for 143 days. Each day I sat across from my teacher, Merle, for 4 hour chunks. You’d think I’d be fluent by now, but at the end of my time in school, I feel like the proverbial “old dog” who is struggling to learn the “new tricks”.

In actuality, I think my diploma should have said “After 572 hours in the Christian Spanish Academy, Todd Erickson officially knows more Spanish than when he started, can efficiently and effectively order at a restaurant and is fully trained in the use of Google Translate.”

I still have a long way to go, but now it is time to head out and take the test that really counts: “El Examen de las Calles”.