So I figured I should update the blog because the last post was me being quite homesick, and it only took me a couple days to get over that. I now feel much better, mostly because I am no longer sick, I have plans with friends coming up, I am currently planning many trips for myself with various people around Europe, and I'll be getting paid next week. Yesterday while at the grocery store, I had to choose between buying wine or cookies (CHIPS AHOY!), because I had to withdraw money from my credit card to actually have the cash to go shopping. Surprisingly, I chose the cookies, which is a new step for me in life, albeit a sad one. But I figured I needed to wait until I had enough money to buy the good stuff (My new standard is at least 4 euros a bottle)... another new step. I guess this is what you get when you graduate college and no longer want to drink crap. I must be growing up.
I have found myself using British words for things, because here most English speakers learn British English, and for them to understand my English more effectively, I have started using words like "flat" for apartment, "rubbish" for garbage, and "timetable" for schedule. I just know that when I get back to the US people are going to laugh at me for using British words but not having a cool British accent. Also something new, is that I've actually started to learn how to cook. People are appalled when they hear that I don't have an oven, but I actually think of it as a blessing, because with an oven I would cheat. I could make a plethora of oven pizzas and other crap that I would just be eating in the US as well, but because I only have a stove, if I want to eat anything that's actually warm and not a sandwich, I have to COOK. Which for me is a whole new skill. Who would have thought that I just had to travel to Spain to get the incentive to cook? But I have learned how to make fajitas, which to me is even strange... I'm in Spain and I taught myself how to make fajitas. Probably because I miss Mexican food so much! I also have a new Spanish friend that said that he loves to cook and would be willing to teach me how to cook Spanish food if I wanted... honestly, Spanish food is okay but there are other things I would like to learn how to cook, but I figure that because I'm here, I better at least attempt to make some of the food!
I am desperatly looking for students for private classes right now... I am talking to my coworkers and anyone that I can, telling them to spread the word that I am teaching English. I also put up posters around town. That is the strange thing about Spain... if you want to rent an apartment or are looking for an apartment or have a skill that you would like to advertise for a job or want to teach private lessons in anything, all you have to do is put up posters advertising it, and at the bottom put your phone number. This is completely legitimate, and people do it all the time. For me, it seemed like something only creepers would do in the US... we go through more formal options like craigslist or listing it in the paper, which are much less personal and in your face. Here they just put up the signs wherever and people actually respond! Seems like a good system to me.
I'm really proud of myself because Spaniards continue to tell me that I have pretty good Spanish, and I feel that the more I speak it and correct myself and actually think about what I say before I say it, that I learn more and soon will be able to speak correctly AND fluidly! I love Spanish. I love speaking it and hearing it, and my goal is to be able to listen to a conversation that is not directed at me and understand it, because this is always the hardest. The other day when I was at the bus station, the guy and I were talking for about 5 minutes when I said something and he looked at me and said, "Espera, tu no eres espanola?" (Wait, you're not Spanish?). And I said, "No! Soy de los estados unidos!" (No! I'm from the United States!). And he just stared at me for a litte bit and shook his head and said in Spanish, "Wow, your Spanish is really good then!" True, we were talking for just about 5 minutes and it was more of him talking than me, but still. I was super proud of myself! That means that my accent is getting better and I'm not OBVIOUSLY American. It's amazing to see myself improving like this. I feel SO MUCH more confident in my Spanish, and even though it's frustrating at times, I feel like I'm getting better every day.
For now I am saving my money, because I'm going to Scotland and Ireland in the beginning of December for a week with some of my Spanish friends, then after Christmas I'm going with my friend Linnaea to London and Belgium... of course I would pick the most expensive places to visit! I plan on eating bread and perhaps cheese as a luxury to be able to afford these trips, but oh well! I also want to start to travel around Spain, which will be much cheaper but still I'll need money for these trips. But who cares, I'm IN SPAIN. I need to SEE SPAIN. So for the next 2 months I will try not to buy anything excessive, like new clothes or shoes or books... though I'm sure I will bend and end up buying chocolate and wine, like normal. So for Christmas, all I ask for is money because this trip will be the best Christmas present you could give me!! For actual Christmas Day, me, my American friends Kate and Will who live in my town with me, and my friend from college Linnaea (who is teaching English in Spain but up north), are all going to meet up and have a little Christmas celebration! All of us are leaving for London on the 26th, because it's much cheaper. I dont think any of us really know how to cook, so we are going to have to ask around to our mothers and grandmothers for Christmas recipes and then attempt to find these ingredients or something similar to them so that we can have a makeshift Christmas dinner, or at LEAST desserts!! And of course we will have to use someone else's kitchen, because I have no oven. I'm thinking of invading Will's apartment. But I figure we can bake on Christmas Eve, and then on Christmas have our grand dinner and give some little presents to each other and Skype our families and watch some Christmas movies... I think it will be fun, though I'm sure I'll miss my family a lot... it's going to be strange but this is life. It's exciting and boring and strange and breathtaking and ridiculous and I love it!!
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