Years of Spanish Classes Haven't Failed Me

For the last five days, I've been living in Oaxaco, Mexico where the official, preferred, and only language spoken is Spanish. Signs are in Spanish, taxi drivers only speak Spanish - even workers at the Dirección de Turismo (Office of Tourism) can't understand English! This immersion in Spanish has been such a wonderful opportunity for me to improve, practice, and utilize my Spanish in an environment that requires it. Not to mention the fact that it is simply awesome when you can have a legitimate exchange with someone (a conversation that involves something other than asking for their name or for the time) in your second language. I absolutely love it. Thank goodness for my six years of Spanish classes, especially the last three with Señor Olsen. Without them, I'd be un americano estereotípico, perdido en un idioma extraño.