I have been here in Ecuador for almost five months now and WOW has my Spanish has improved. I cannot believe how much more and more it keeps getting better. Instead of translating Spanish to English when I read or hear it, I simply try to think in Spanish. It is weird to realize that when I think about speaking--I think in Spanish, but when I am just thinking in general, it is usually still in English.
Now that I understand the language quite well, I am working on my accent. The problem is if you do not have an accent from Quito, then you are going to get ripped off or it makes you a dead give away if you are trying not to stand out. When I am with my friends from the states, I cannot help but get ripped off as they some of them are blonde and white. I, only being half-white, can fit in if I try. And that's where the accent comes in.
Now, it has gotten to the point where I get into a cab and the driver asks how much I usually pay! He doesn't offer a price, thinking I am a local and he cannot charge me more. This is not because my accent is perfect, but I know exactly how to ask to get to locations. And I practice saying them beforehand as I cleverly try to minimally say the words that I know I can say correctly. The other day though, a taxi driver called me out on it and asked where I was from as he complemented my Spanish, even though I was stumbling now and then in the conversation. It gives you a bit of new confidence and makes me feel as though all of my patience and hard work is starting to really pay off.
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