Another couple of weeks have come and gone here in Mendoza. It's amazing how fast time is passing. Next week, I will have been gone for four months. When I look back at all the photos and blogs I've posted since I left, I realize I have been gone quite awhile - and I've done a lot - but overall, I can't believe the time has gone so quickly.

Maybe I lose track of time because I've been doing so many things. In the last couple of weeks, I've visited three wineries, a wine museum and an olive oil factory, learned how to make some traditional Argentine fare at a cooking class, taken a trip to the Argentina-Chile border high up in the Andes, and experienced the country's passion for football (or soccer) at a rally in downtown Mendoza. I've fit those activities in around the Spanish classes I've been taking.

At this point, I feel like I can more-or-less understand the gist of what people are saying to me, but I still have difficultly putting a sentence together correctly. There are a ridiculous number of verb tenses to try to get my head around - presente, preterito perfecto, preterito imperfecto, preterito subjunctivo, pluscuamperfecto… the list goes on and on. I guess it's the same in English - "I have a potato" is different than "I had a potato" and that's different than "I have had a potato" which is different than "I would have a potato" and that's different than "I would have had a potato." But in English, I don't have to think about what it is I want to say - I just say it. Not so in Spanish. Of course, I've had 43 years to practice speaking English and, as of next week, four months to practice speaking Spanish. At least I have learned that a potato is a "papa." (Although "Papa" - capitalized - is the Pope. That could lead to some confusion…) So, it seems what I most need at this point to get my head around Spanish is more practice. Practice, practice, practice. It's the same with all things in life, right? No one is an expert - or even competent - at anything right off the bat. While I work my way up to the "competent" stage, I'm enjoying the challenge and the experiences en route.