No Habla Espanol

I need to learn Spanish. Like now. It's kind of hard to feel comfortable in a city when you can't communicate with anyone and you can't get around by yourself. People keep telling me that I will pick it up, but I'm not sure if I believe them. It's been a really long time since I've had to learn a language, and I'm not sure if my 25 year old brain is as absorbent as it used to be. My cousin Avani, who lives in Riverside, gave me a crash course before I left, so at least I know some basics. I thought I could get by okay in rehearsal, but I totally started in the wrong place today. I think it was pretty noticable, because the conductor looked at me and said, "Problema de idioma." Okay, enough whining.
Other than that, I have just been getting settled in, unpacking, and meeting more people. I'm living with Kristin's fiance Slava, who is the concertmaster of the orchestra, until the end of the month. (Kristin in the oboist that I am subbing for until June). Then Slava is moving into his own place, and Andrea is moving in. Strangely enough, Andrea is a horn player from Kokomo, Indiana, which really close to Fort Wayne. Both Andrea and Slava have been really helpful the last couple of days. We went to the botanical gardens yesterday, which is something that the city of Culiacán is known for. I'll post pictures of it when I figure out how. Slava showed me where to go to pay my rent/bills, and is helping me get all my paperwork done so that I can legally work in Mexico. He has been here for several years, so he is fluent in Spanish. Andrea just moved here in September, so I guess we can work on our Spanish together. She is also a runner, so maybe she will bring out my athletic side. Probably not, though. I think all the walking I am doing here will help me get in shape, since 3 years of living in LA and driving everywhere has made me a bum.
Alas, it is getting late. I think I will spend some time with my big book of Spanish verbs, and then go to bed.
Buenas Noches.