How Much Language Can You Learn in 5 Weeks?

Murray and I started bahasa Indonesia lessons five weeks ago.  We had classes three times a week for four weeks, and now we have a month off to practice before we start our Beginner 2 class.  We are having so much fun, and so are the Balinese as they laugh at us and correct us, full of generosity an heart.

We had lunch this afternoon with two Balinese men, one in his early twenties and one in his early forties.  (If you need a great guide, we will connect you with Dewa.)
The younger man does not speak English very well, so Dewa, pronounced Daywah, helped keep us all connected.  There was much laughing and brain frying going on as we traded inside secrets to speaking like a local and like an American.  For example, we taught them how to say "sh" and how don't answer a "Why" question by saying, "Why I like to go to the beach is because..."  They helped me learn how to roll r's, and how not to use the word for no, tidok, unless there is really no hope.  If there is hope, we should say "belum," which means "not yet."  It's about optimism.

Our guru, teacher, Nyoman, sent me this email recently, and, the great news is we understood it!  We are so impressed with ourselves!
Here is the message:

Selamat malam Vicki, apa kabar? Bagaimana makan siang dan latihan bahasa Indonesianya? Maaf saya tidak bisa datang karena saya harus bekerja,, sampai jumpa dan salam untuk Murray, selamat malam :)

Vicki