I mentioned on the last blog that I had 2 big tests coming up soon. Well, the first one was last Friday, and was a 30-minute oral exam. You can't really prepare for the test, because you just have a conversation with a teacher.In order to pass the oral test, I needed to achieve an 'advance' rating on my speaking abilities. (A teacher told a friend of mine that an 'advanced' level is when a Spanish speaker who has never talked to a gringo (English Speaker) before can walk up to me and hold a conversation, and I can understand and make myself understood.) Considering that I came to Costa Rica to study Spanish only 10 months ago, and that I knew absolutely no Spanish at the time, getting an advanced rating would be pretty huge.
The second test was last Tuesday, and was a comprehensive, 3 hour, 300 point written exam. It covered everything: present tense, past tense, future tense, subjunctives, parifrases, comparatives, quoting people... everything! In order to pass the written test, I need at least a 70% as a final score. Most students take both exams after their third semester at the school, but since I am leaving this coming Monday, I decided to take them now.
Well, thank you for all the prayers and encouraging notes. I did pass both tests so now I can focus on getting ready for the start of the school year in Shell, Ecuador!
