In which I try to speak Catalan all day for seven days

Day 3

The Vet
Today was good in general and I have managed to speak Catalan almost all the time, allowing for a few lapses when I found that English words were slipping out without me really knowing it!
I took Bonnie to see a new vet and as well as discussing her strange nipple wound, we had a very lengthy discussion about Leishmaniosis and I was able to not just follow it but ask semi-intelligent questions. It is a complicated subject and knowing what is the best method of protection is far from obvious.

Leishmaniosis is one of the worrying diseases that Mediterranean dogs can get. It is a blood parasite spread in the saliva of a biting insect, the sandfly. Sandflies are active at dawn and dusk which makes walking in the cooler times of the day rather scary.

He gave me some written information and apologised for it being in Castellano which I thought was nice.  Bonnie was very good as well, sitting when I said ‘Seu’ and relaxing when he told her she was ‘guapa’.

The Vet is happily named Dr Om – do you remember this?
 
Life Under Franco

Just found this film interview of a woman who grew up in Barcelona in Franco times, talking about her education and the general cultural atmosphere of the 50’s and 60’s.It really shows you how recent it was that the Catalan language and identity was under pressure.

Bats
The other thing that made me feel good was that I read an article in Catalan in El Nou about a new book on Bats in Catalunya.  It has been published by the Museum in Granollers, a place I promise myself to visit one day.  I didn’t read the whole article but was able to skim through for information and I noticed it partly because of the Bat Hospital in Penzance and because I love watching them at night from our balcony.

Bats, by the way, in Catalan are Rat penats which I’m sure doesn’t help people love them!

Listening to Catalan too

Then I went for a walk with my phone playing Radio Granollers instead of my normal tango and suddenly there was an interview with the author of the bat book. In spite of it being a radio interview which usually are hard to understand because of how fast they speak, I seemed to tune in and follow it all.
So I think this is a sign that the more you listen and read and keep surrounding yourself with the language, the easier it gets.