cada dia mas (more everyday)

i'm learning that the "success" of a conversation in spanish really effects me, even in physical ways. that is to say, i will sometimes (right now, usually) finish a conversation and find myself physically exhuasted. it is so much work to understand when most people talk. i dont want to miss a thing, because they usually ask for a response. but other times, the opposite happens, like the conversation i just had with my host brother. to be honest, as of late i've been kind of avoiding him at home because he is by far the most difficult to understand. he uses some slang, but more than anything he just doesn't pronounce his words very clearly. in part, i think he chooses to not speak slower or better for me because he knows that in the long run it will help me learn. but regardless, i usually find myself very tired after a converstaion, eyes drooping and head hurting. however, i'm already feeling this changing a bit. as in, tonight i was exhausted. after school i went to the pool with a couple friends (i didnt say my life was hard) and the sun is incredibly strong here (high polution means high uv rays), so by the time i got home at 7pm, i was exhausted. i ate dinner at 830, so i was by myself (they dont generally eat until around 10/11 here) and i then retreated into my room and closed the door (for the first time) and watched CNN in spanish. (sorry tesi, fox news doesnt broadcast in spanish). when i finally heard voices in the house around 10, and i knew everyone had finally come home, i decided to go out to just say hello. i ended up staying for an hour talking to my host mom, then my host brother and his girlfriend. it was markedly easier to understand him, although still hard work, and he mentioned multiple times how much i had improved in just a few days. and now? i'm overly alert. my blood is pumping and i'm actually excited to watch all the presidential canditates post-new hampshire speeches dubbed in spanish. ok, maybe not, but i'm at least okay with it. maybe i'll watch seinfeld or miss congeniality or one of the other many things they have dubbed.
peace.