I finally have the time and energy to sit down and write a nice long blog about Ireland and Scotland... we got very lucky because on Friday and Saturday there was an air strike in Spain and so many of my friends who had tickets out of here to other parts of Europe were stuck in Spain. Our tickets were on Sunday, so we arrived in Belfast Sunday evening. Belfast was pretty, but rather like a normal city. They did have a great Christmas market though that had stands from all over Europe selling food and goods native to those countries... It was wonderfully delicious and colorful. We went out the first night and I had my first Guinness in Ireland, which was great! We also ran into some very drunk Irish guys that were hilarious and made our night. The next day we went on a Black Taxi tour. This tour was of the wall that goes down the middle of Belfast separating the Catholics (who want to be officially part of Ireland) and the Protestants (who want to stay under British rule). There was a huge conflict with these two sides that just ended about 15 years ago... before that people were being shot in the streets by the other side and there were many many conflicts between them. We went on a tour of the murals that are painted on either side, which were all representing political events or important people to that side. These murals are so sacred that no one is allowed to graffiti them, and no one DOES, because they're that important. There was one mural on the Catholic side that was painted by both a Catholic and a Protestant, but it is the only mural like that in existance. There is still a wall separating the city and the gates between them open at 6 am and close at 6pm. It just amazed me that these conflicts were so recent.
While driving into Belfast I was amazed at the resemblance to Oregon it had... It was like driving on 99W, though it was covered in snow and the cars were driving on the wrong side of the road. I was just staring out the window in shock. It was nice, that throwback to home. The only time it snowed on the entire trip was when we were in Belfast, and I was with a group of girls from California so some of them were overly excited about it as I think for one of them it was only the second time she had seen snow.
Anyways, from Belfast we went took a bus to Dublin, which was also rather city-like but had character! The first night we went out to several bars that were extremely fun, and my Spanish friend Montse and I succeeded in getting guys to buy us drinks... this was an economic decision for all of you judging me ;) But I met some really great people and at one bar there were some guys playing typical Irish music... I ADORED it, I wanted them to play all night but unfortunately it had to end. We also went to the oldest bar in Dublin which was pretty cool... it had several rooms that were all really quirky, and at the end of the night we ended up at a club. Irish people can't really dance, but that's okay! The club closed at 3:00 and I think we were all really shocked... I must be getting used to this Spanish craziness of staying out really late! The next day we went on a tour of Dublin and learned some interesting stuff about its history... but our favorite tour by far of the day was the Guinness factory!! It was quite a long walk to find it but it was really worth it. It was a self-guided tour in the Store house of the Guinness factory, and it was really well done. The guy who founded Guinness signed a 9,000 year lease on the property and its in a glass case right at the beginning of the tour. So you start at the bottom and work your way up to about 7 stories of tour, where they talk about the ingredients (Barley, Hops, Water, and Yeast), the history, advertising, and other interesting things. And when you get to the end you are in the bar at the top of the storehouse and you get a free pint of Guinness! The bar is amazing because of course it's at the top of the building, but its also circular and the walls are made entirely of glass, so you can see the entire city. Unfortunately when we finally made it to the top it was dark, but it was still pretty amazing.
Our next and final destination was Edinburgh (pronounced Edin-bur-oh). This was BY FAR my favorite city! It looks exactly like what you would imagine a northern European city to look like... a castle on a hill, old stone 5-story buildings and quirky little bars, cafes, and shops below, an old beautiful university, magnificent churches, and cobblestone streets. Just beautiful. I really felt like I could live there and really enjoy it. And it seemed to have great shopping. Montse studied abroad here for a year so she showed me all these really great places: a little village right in the middle of the city that was fairy-tale like, a cafe that donates all its proceeds to charity, the university dining hall... the first night we went to the christmas market they had and drank mulled wine (AMAZING) and met some Scottish people... Scottish people are SO friendly and helpful, we had a very pleasent time talking to them. The first night we went on a pub crawl and got discounts on many different drinks and ended up at a club that almost disgusted me with its amount of corny american music... Shania twain, footloose, YMCA. But again we met some really cool people while out! The next day we went on a tour of Edinburgh. When it was over, Montse said that there was a really cool hill very near to there where we could see the entire city. Unfortunately the sun was setting and our group was having troubles making decisions (like always), so Montse and I just decided to go for it, so we sprinted through the city towards this hill, trying to beat the sun so that we could see the city before it was dark (at 4:00!). I was PANTING when we finally made it to the top, but it was well worth it... it was beautiful! I could see everything and the sun was setting. Amazing. After we were done there and freezing, we went to a bar that had places where you could LAY DOWN and drink a beer, with decorative pillows and everything! So we laid there for an hour or so just relaxing, me adoring Edinburgh more and more by the minute, and then went back to the hostel to begin the celebration of Montses birthday! We went out to a club that night and had a great time. The next morning we left to Glasgow, where I basically ate food and went to bed at 6:00 pm until the next morning. I really needed the sleep.
Anyways, my trip was great! And I have another one coming up here soon... I am really going to be broke after this, and all my Christmas money is going to paying off my credit card, but I really dont care that much. I will get to see some great places and experience so much! I also discovered on this trip to Ireland and Scotland that hostels always have a kitchen, so to save some money I think we will buy food from supermarkets and eat THAT instead of eating out all the time in London and Belgium. As for classes, I'm done for the week. It went so fast! Today I taught a Christmas lesson where I made them write a letter to Santa saying that they have been good and what they wanted for christmas. And then I gave them christmas cards to color and fill out with some phrases I wrote on the board. It was my first year group who is usually very noisy, and it was the quietest I have ever heard them! I continue to enjoy teaching English, which is definitely a good thing. But I am already trying to find ways to stay here a little bit longer after I'm done here in Spain... Part of me wants to go home but part of me wants to enjoy everything that I can while I'm here... who knows when I'll be able to afford the plane ticket over here again?! The tricky part will be paying off my loans, and getting another visa. But I figure everything will work out how it should and the opportunity I'm looking for will present itself to me, hopefully soon!
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Monday, November 29, 2010
Thanksgiving, "Football," and Travelling!
My American friends and I decided to have a Thanksgiving dinner, which made us all very very happy. We went to one of my friends houses (who had an oven!) and we all brought something to eat. I was supposed to bring mashed potatoes but I unfortnately had no idea what I was doing and was not confident in even making this, so my POLISH roommate Magda took over and made the mashed potatoes for me... Thank God! We went to the dinner and there were 12 people there, 10 of us from the United States. One of the girls made a real turkey, and gravy, and someone brought a green bean casserole and baked macaroni and cheese, and one of the girls mothers was visiting her so she brought apple pies... we were all sighing in happiness, thankful for our makeshift American Thanksgiving dinner that made us feel a little more at home. Our French friend made us hot spiced red wine, and we all sat around and drank this together with the brasero under our table and laughed and talked and enjoyed our evening immensly.
I LOVE my private classes! I love being the teacher and planning out my OWN lessons and getting to know the kids. My first class with the teenagers went really well. 12 students showed up, and I just basically did a little introduction lesson. Today I have the next class, and I plan on playing some games and teaching some stuff. ;) I also had my class with the 4 girls last week. They are really cute but they can barely understand me when I talk, so we went over their workbooks and did really simple activities. I'm hoping that I can play some games with them too. They are still young and therefore eager to learn. They would get really excited when they knew the right answer and the hour passed really quickly! I still feel a little nervous before the lessons, but during and afterwards I'm really happy with the result. I made it very clear during the lesson for my teenagers that they are paying for this lesson, and if they pass this exam it will help them to get jobs, and so I want respect and I want them to participate and ask questions. And I think they listened to me... at least I hope they did!
Tonight I went to watch a soccer game at the bar. It was a very important game, between the two most popular teams in Spain: FC Barcelona and Real Madrid. My town is pretty much split down the middle at who they cheer for. All the kids at my school have a favorite team and think it's CRAZY that I don't have one. At halftime of the soccer game my friend Kate and I ran to get a kabob and ran back to the bar... so there I was sitting in a bar, watching a soccer game, eating a (DELICIOUS) kabob, drinking a beer. So Spanish. Barcelona ended up smashing Madrid 5-0, and while walking back to my apartment, people driving in their cars were shouting, "BARSA!!" And the guy walking in front of me yelled back, "PUTA BARSA," literally saing, "BITCH BARSA," but more like, "F*** Barcelona!" It made me laugh. Spaniards are very passionate about soccer (football).
Yesterday I was invited to a Spanish friends house... it was a celebration for her birthday, so we had coffee and some drinks and she made us all pizza. Her children were there, as well as her husband, my friend Will, and an English family that has been living here for five years now. One of the daughters goes to my school, and the family is extremely nice. We had a wonderful time. I feel that the more people I meet and the busier I get, the happier I am here. Walking around the town yesterday, I was reminded of how beautiful it is and how lucky I am to be here, even if sometimes it seems difficult to be so far away from home and my family and friends.
Exciting news: this weekend I am heading to Scotland and Ireland for a week! I am SOOOO EXCITED to get out of my town and Spain and experience more of EUROPE with my friends! And it's snowing in Scotland right now, so I will feel like it's really December and the Christmas season. And after a week, about the time that I start to get tired of snow, I will come back here and be in just the rain again. Oh well. And that's another thing... its begun to rain here. I feel like I'm back in Oregon! But unlike Oregon, I don't have a car and therefore must walk in the rain if I want to go ANYWHERE (I finally bought an umbrella...), and we don't have a dryer so my clothes take forever to get dry, even though they're hanging under shelter! I'm going to have to find a way to move them inside.
More exciting news: I GET PAID NEXT WEEK! Unfortunatley it looks like the 700 euros will just tide me over living in my town for a month, what with food and rent and little excursions to Granada and buying a couple pieces of clothing... but I have my private classes now, and hopefully will be getting some money for Christmas that will go towards my trip to London/Belgium :)
Love you and miss you all, I hope you're doing well! I'm missing you during these holidays but I'll be home in 6 months, don't you worry :)
I LOVE my private classes! I love being the teacher and planning out my OWN lessons and getting to know the kids. My first class with the teenagers went really well. 12 students showed up, and I just basically did a little introduction lesson. Today I have the next class, and I plan on playing some games and teaching some stuff. ;) I also had my class with the 4 girls last week. They are really cute but they can barely understand me when I talk, so we went over their workbooks and did really simple activities. I'm hoping that I can play some games with them too. They are still young and therefore eager to learn. They would get really excited when they knew the right answer and the hour passed really quickly! I still feel a little nervous before the lessons, but during and afterwards I'm really happy with the result. I made it very clear during the lesson for my teenagers that they are paying for this lesson, and if they pass this exam it will help them to get jobs, and so I want respect and I want them to participate and ask questions. And I think they listened to me... at least I hope they did!
Tonight I went to watch a soccer game at the bar. It was a very important game, between the two most popular teams in Spain: FC Barcelona and Real Madrid. My town is pretty much split down the middle at who they cheer for. All the kids at my school have a favorite team and think it's CRAZY that I don't have one. At halftime of the soccer game my friend Kate and I ran to get a kabob and ran back to the bar... so there I was sitting in a bar, watching a soccer game, eating a (DELICIOUS) kabob, drinking a beer. So Spanish. Barcelona ended up smashing Madrid 5-0, and while walking back to my apartment, people driving in their cars were shouting, "BARSA!!" And the guy walking in front of me yelled back, "PUTA BARSA," literally saing, "BITCH BARSA," but more like, "F*** Barcelona!" It made me laugh. Spaniards are very passionate about soccer (football).
Yesterday I was invited to a Spanish friends house... it was a celebration for her birthday, so we had coffee and some drinks and she made us all pizza. Her children were there, as well as her husband, my friend Will, and an English family that has been living here for five years now. One of the daughters goes to my school, and the family is extremely nice. We had a wonderful time. I feel that the more people I meet and the busier I get, the happier I am here. Walking around the town yesterday, I was reminded of how beautiful it is and how lucky I am to be here, even if sometimes it seems difficult to be so far away from home and my family and friends.
Exciting news: this weekend I am heading to Scotland and Ireland for a week! I am SOOOO EXCITED to get out of my town and Spain and experience more of EUROPE with my friends! And it's snowing in Scotland right now, so I will feel like it's really December and the Christmas season. And after a week, about the time that I start to get tired of snow, I will come back here and be in just the rain again. Oh well. And that's another thing... its begun to rain here. I feel like I'm back in Oregon! But unlike Oregon, I don't have a car and therefore must walk in the rain if I want to go ANYWHERE (I finally bought an umbrella...), and we don't have a dryer so my clothes take forever to get dry, even though they're hanging under shelter! I'm going to have to find a way to move them inside.
More exciting news: I GET PAID NEXT WEEK! Unfortunatley it looks like the 700 euros will just tide me over living in my town for a month, what with food and rent and little excursions to Granada and buying a couple pieces of clothing... but I have my private classes now, and hopefully will be getting some money for Christmas that will go towards my trip to London/Belgium :)
Love you and miss you all, I hope you're doing well! I'm missing you during these holidays but I'll be home in 6 months, don't you worry :)
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Private Classes
I FINALLY have private classes all set up! Fran helped me get students signed up for the classes I'm going to give for their Trinity University English examination... there are 22 who want to take the class! So I'm splitting them up into two groups, two classes a week for each group. And two days ago I met with the woman who runs the conversation group I go to and she took me to a beautiful apartment where her friend lives, and I met four mothers who want me to teach English to their daughters for one hour a week. Basically what I will have to do is just speak to them in English and help them with their English homework. I can't believe I'm going to make money by doing something I barely have to think about; talking in English.
I have also been trying to learn French. Last week the French teacher at my school started talking to me and so I told her that I was interested in learning the language. She told me to wait a moment, went over to the cupboard, and pulled out three books for me... first and third year French textbooks with CD's included! That day I went home smiling, and remembered that Laurie has been listening to podcasts to learn a little Spanish, so I did some research and found some free podcasts that teach French! I have been listening to these for the past week, and I am planning on calling my French friend here and doing some sort of trade-off between learning English for him and French for me. I am determined to at least know SOMETHING for when I go to Belgium in January.
Last night Magda and I went out with one of our friends to a salsa lesson at one of the bars... it was SO FUN! I love dancing! After we got done stumbling around and laughing at ourselves, the teacher and some of the Spanish girls danced together and I just stared at them. They were SO GOOD. I was almost hypnotized by it... they were so fluid and sexy and awesome. I WANT TO BE LIKE THAT! So we have vowed that we will go here every Friday night until we are good, haha. Today we are going in one of our friends CARS (Woo!) to Lucena, a nearby town that apparently has good shopping. I need to buy some boots before I head off to Scotland and Ireland in two weeks... also I am celebrating the fact that if all these private lessons work out, I will be almost doubling my salary. I FINALLY WILL HAVE MONEY!!! That feels pretty great. I have never been so broke in my life.
I have also been trying to learn French. Last week the French teacher at my school started talking to me and so I told her that I was interested in learning the language. She told me to wait a moment, went over to the cupboard, and pulled out three books for me... first and third year French textbooks with CD's included! That day I went home smiling, and remembered that Laurie has been listening to podcasts to learn a little Spanish, so I did some research and found some free podcasts that teach French! I have been listening to these for the past week, and I am planning on calling my French friend here and doing some sort of trade-off between learning English for him and French for me. I am determined to at least know SOMETHING for when I go to Belgium in January.
Last night Magda and I went out with one of our friends to a salsa lesson at one of the bars... it was SO FUN! I love dancing! After we got done stumbling around and laughing at ourselves, the teacher and some of the Spanish girls danced together and I just stared at them. They were SO GOOD. I was almost hypnotized by it... they were so fluid and sexy and awesome. I WANT TO BE LIKE THAT! So we have vowed that we will go here every Friday night until we are good, haha. Today we are going in one of our friends CARS (Woo!) to Lucena, a nearby town that apparently has good shopping. I need to buy some boots before I head off to Scotland and Ireland in two weeks... also I am celebrating the fact that if all these private lessons work out, I will be almost doubling my salary. I FINALLY WILL HAVE MONEY!!! That feels pretty great. I have never been so broke in my life.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
It's quiet around here...
Sorry I haven't written in awhile, but there really hasn't been that many things going on for me!
Last weekend I finally got out of town and went to Granada, where I met up with one of my college friends, Linnaea! She is teaching English here as well, but somewhere up north past Madrid. It was SO GOOD to see her! She is the first person I have seen from home, and it was wonderful. Our hostel had a view of the Alhambra, and when we opened the window in the morning, it was right there. Absolutely beautiful... I never get tired of looking at the Alhambra! Anyways, we spent 2 days in Granada, where we drank tea and mojitos and wine, smoked hookah, ate tapas, went shopping, explored the city, met new people in our hostel, danced, ate churros and chocolate, and generally had a great time! I was thinking about actually moving to Granada for a while, but then realized that it is just much easier to live here in Priego... I really hate moving and though it would be GREAT to live in Granada, I can save money here and then visit often. Granada is the coolest city I've ever been in, and I just LOVE that I can get on a bus and be there within 2 hours. On Saturday night Linnaea and I went to a flamenco show near the caves where the gypsies live. The show was in a theater and the back side of it was just a huge wall of glass, so we could see the Alhambra lit up behind the dancers, singers, and guitar players. Flamenco is so passionate and intense, an extremely unique dance that I just love to watch!
Also I have been meeting up with some of the teachers from my school on Thursday nights for drinks, which has been really fun! A great opportunity to practice my Spanish, since I feel like I have been speaking English a lot more than I want to. Last night I went to a meeting that my director was having with some of the parents at the school who are interested in their kid taking the Trinity University English Exam... basically it tells any employers or universities that the student who took it has a good level of English, and a lot of people feel that this is a great opportunity. So I went there and my director had me introduce myself to the parents... I stood up in front of all of them, and I felt myself blushing, but I'm pretty sure I spoke really well! I hope this works out so that I get some private classes, for something to do in the afternoons as well as some extra money so that I can travel more! Also in all my free time, I've started to write. Mostly because I love to write, but also because I want to see if I can write a book. It's always been a goal of mine, so since I have so much extra time, I though, why not start now? I really enjoy doing it, so it seems like a good use of my time.
Anyways, that's about all for now. Not much has been going on for me, but I hope you all are doing well!
Last weekend I finally got out of town and went to Granada, where I met up with one of my college friends, Linnaea! She is teaching English here as well, but somewhere up north past Madrid. It was SO GOOD to see her! She is the first person I have seen from home, and it was wonderful. Our hostel had a view of the Alhambra, and when we opened the window in the morning, it was right there. Absolutely beautiful... I never get tired of looking at the Alhambra! Anyways, we spent 2 days in Granada, where we drank tea and mojitos and wine, smoked hookah, ate tapas, went shopping, explored the city, met new people in our hostel, danced, ate churros and chocolate, and generally had a great time! I was thinking about actually moving to Granada for a while, but then realized that it is just much easier to live here in Priego... I really hate moving and though it would be GREAT to live in Granada, I can save money here and then visit often. Granada is the coolest city I've ever been in, and I just LOVE that I can get on a bus and be there within 2 hours. On Saturday night Linnaea and I went to a flamenco show near the caves where the gypsies live. The show was in a theater and the back side of it was just a huge wall of glass, so we could see the Alhambra lit up behind the dancers, singers, and guitar players. Flamenco is so passionate and intense, an extremely unique dance that I just love to watch!
Also I have been meeting up with some of the teachers from my school on Thursday nights for drinks, which has been really fun! A great opportunity to practice my Spanish, since I feel like I have been speaking English a lot more than I want to. Last night I went to a meeting that my director was having with some of the parents at the school who are interested in their kid taking the Trinity University English Exam... basically it tells any employers or universities that the student who took it has a good level of English, and a lot of people feel that this is a great opportunity. So I went there and my director had me introduce myself to the parents... I stood up in front of all of them, and I felt myself blushing, but I'm pretty sure I spoke really well! I hope this works out so that I get some private classes, for something to do in the afternoons as well as some extra money so that I can travel more! Also in all my free time, I've started to write. Mostly because I love to write, but also because I want to see if I can write a book. It's always been a goal of mine, so since I have so much extra time, I though, why not start now? I really enjoy doing it, so it seems like a good use of my time.
Anyways, that's about all for now. Not much has been going on for me, but I hope you all are doing well!
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Little Unimportant Updates
Teaching has been going really smoothly, besides the one class period where I accidentally taught the students the difference between some select words for insulting women. Anyways, I have had a Halloween lesson that I have been presenting in class, with four slides. The first one is titled "Halloween Costumes" and has a bunch of pictures of children dressed up. The kids here are surprised that children in the US don't just dress as scary things, but as princesses and superheros and fictional characters as well. The next slide is "Halloween Food," and I have pictures of candy corn, caramel apples, a pile of candy and cookies that look like eyeballs. I explain that in the United States, during Halloween we like to make food that looks like gross things that you wouldn't normally eat, like fingers and eyeballs and spiders, etc. The next slide is titled "Halloween Traditions," and has pictures of Halloween decorations outside someones home, a haunted house, and a corn maze. It always takes a while to explain what a corn maze is, because it is so different than what they've heard before. And the last slide is "Carving Pumpkins." I have a picture from last year of Brittany, Cassy, and Brayden carving pumpkins (Brayden is VERY excited), and the photos of different types of jack-o-lanterns. After explaining this last slide, I hand out a word search worksheet and explain all of the vocabulary on it, like bat, cobweb, coffin, witch, etc. The hardest one is "pillowcase." First, I have to make sure they know what a pillow is in Spanish. Then I have to explain how it has fabric around it. Once they understand that, I have to explain that in Spain, both ends of a pillowcase are open (The first time I tried to put a pillow into a pillowcase here, it fell right through and I was really confused), but in the US, one side is closed, like a bag. And THEN I have to tell them that some children in the US use pillowcases as bags for their candy. It's a long and tedious process.
Something else quite noteworthy is the fact that I made a grilled cheese sandwich last week for the first time since coming to Spain. I had forgotten just how AMAZING a grilled cheese sandwich was, and so when I ate it, I was SO EXTREMELY HAPPY... it's a comfort food for me, and thank God my friend Olivia mentioned it to me so that I could realize that it is possible to make here!
I have also started going to a Spanish/English conversation group that is on Tuesday evenings... basically people who want to practice their Spanish or English come to the group and we just talk to each other for a couple hours in each language. It's really fun! I get to meet new people, which is something I really enjoy. Also, the other language assistant at my school ended up going back to England this week because he was homesick, but I guess we already have a new one! A guy from Iceland, who I heard looks like he could be 35 and has a 1 year old daughter. I dont know what a 35-year-old would be doing as a language and culture assistant, but perhaps the economy is really bad in Iceland? No idea. Haven't met him yet, but hopefully he's nice.
Also, I got paid today!!!! Yesssss. And Fran talked to me today about coming to a meeting of the kids at my school who are going to be taking the Trinity University exam (and thus need to know English) so I can meet their families and offer my services of private English lessons... I really hope this works out!!
Things I am looking forward to:
1. A skype-wine date I'm having with my besties from home, Claire and Julie, on Sunday morning. (I know, you are asking me why I am having a wine date in the morning... this is because Claire is in Korea and so it will be 3pm for her, and Julie is in the US so it will be 11pm on Saturday night for her. I get the morning this time because last time I had the afternoon. It's okay, we forced Julie to drink wine with us last time when it was the morning for her, haha)
2. A barbeque with my Spanish friends on Saturday
3. The potential for some private classes soon
4. Heading to Scotland and Ireland in early December
5. Christmas dinner with my American friends, and then heading to London and Belgium for the break.
Yay!
But that's about all that's been happening here lately... I hope you all are doing well! :)
Something else quite noteworthy is the fact that I made a grilled cheese sandwich last week for the first time since coming to Spain. I had forgotten just how AMAZING a grilled cheese sandwich was, and so when I ate it, I was SO EXTREMELY HAPPY... it's a comfort food for me, and thank God my friend Olivia mentioned it to me so that I could realize that it is possible to make here!
I have also started going to a Spanish/English conversation group that is on Tuesday evenings... basically people who want to practice their Spanish or English come to the group and we just talk to each other for a couple hours in each language. It's really fun! I get to meet new people, which is something I really enjoy. Also, the other language assistant at my school ended up going back to England this week because he was homesick, but I guess we already have a new one! A guy from Iceland, who I heard looks like he could be 35 and has a 1 year old daughter. I dont know what a 35-year-old would be doing as a language and culture assistant, but perhaps the economy is really bad in Iceland? No idea. Haven't met him yet, but hopefully he's nice.
Also, I got paid today!!!! Yesssss. And Fran talked to me today about coming to a meeting of the kids at my school who are going to be taking the Trinity University exam (and thus need to know English) so I can meet their families and offer my services of private English lessons... I really hope this works out!!
Things I am looking forward to:
1. A skype-wine date I'm having with my besties from home, Claire and Julie, on Sunday morning. (I know, you are asking me why I am having a wine date in the morning... this is because Claire is in Korea and so it will be 3pm for her, and Julie is in the US so it will be 11pm on Saturday night for her. I get the morning this time because last time I had the afternoon. It's okay, we forced Julie to drink wine with us last time when it was the morning for her, haha)
2. A barbeque with my Spanish friends on Saturday
3. The potential for some private classes soon
4. Heading to Scotland and Ireland in early December
5. Christmas dinner with my American friends, and then heading to London and Belgium for the break.
Yay!
But that's about all that's been happening here lately... I hope you all are doing well! :)
Saturday, October 23, 2010
"Will work for adventures!"
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!!
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!!
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Homesick
I spent some of my food money on a coat and a scarf, because it's FREEZING here at night and our apartment must have no insulation and thin walls (I know this is true, because I can hear the people above us walking around and talking all the time, and I always hope that something interesting happens... like hearing them have a fight, just so I can get some entertainment out of the fact that I can hear everything they do). I dont know where all my money goes... honestly, all I do is pay for food at the grocery store (which is cheap) and I went to Granada this last weekend, but oh well. I get paid soon, finally.
I was sick with what some people would call a "loose digestive tract" for several days earlier last week, with stabbing pains in my stomach that at first only got worse when I began taking the antibiotics my mother sent with me (THANK GOD... for the antibiotics, not the pain). Being sick in a foreign country really made me pissed off at all the little things here in Spain that are different than home... like how there is no carpet anywhere, just cold tile floors, and how there are bars on all the windows, and that the shower nozzle is in the CENTER of the shower rather than on one of the sides, and there is no central heating and I can't eat Tillamook Cheese and there is NO GRASS except in that one park, and all the trees surrounding my town are damned OLIVE TREES, and that I have to line dry my clothes because I dont have a dryer, or an oven, or a microwave, and my town is super small and there is NOTHING to do, there isn't even a movie theater, and the nearest place I can get to is Granada, which by bus takes 1.5 hours but if I had a car it would only take 45 minutes, and my room is tiny and with boring white walls and I can't afford to buy anything to put on them because I am POOR right now, and they don't have good tea here...
But they do have good chocolate. And good wine. And not having a oven or microwave forces me to cook, which is something that I never had to learn in the US and is a great skill to have. And the clothes are pretty cute and the people are really nice and actually long bus rides aren't bad because I can listen to my iPod or read, and the architecture is pretty nice, and I'm close to some of the most amazing places in the world and soon I'll be travelling to Scotland, Ireland, London, and Belgium, whether I can afford it or not. Whenever I start to feel homesick I go to that park, or I take a walk around my town and buy a pastry and remind myself that I'm here in SPAIN, living my dream, and that home will always be there and I have this wonderful opportunity, so just suck it up and like it.
And so I do. And the homesickness passes. And I am thankful and thrilled once again.
I was sick with what some people would call a "loose digestive tract" for several days earlier last week, with stabbing pains in my stomach that at first only got worse when I began taking the antibiotics my mother sent with me (THANK GOD... for the antibiotics, not the pain). Being sick in a foreign country really made me pissed off at all the little things here in Spain that are different than home... like how there is no carpet anywhere, just cold tile floors, and how there are bars on all the windows, and that the shower nozzle is in the CENTER of the shower rather than on one of the sides, and there is no central heating and I can't eat Tillamook Cheese and there is NO GRASS except in that one park, and all the trees surrounding my town are damned OLIVE TREES, and that I have to line dry my clothes because I dont have a dryer, or an oven, or a microwave, and my town is super small and there is NOTHING to do, there isn't even a movie theater, and the nearest place I can get to is Granada, which by bus takes 1.5 hours but if I had a car it would only take 45 minutes, and my room is tiny and with boring white walls and I can't afford to buy anything to put on them because I am POOR right now, and they don't have good tea here...
But they do have good chocolate. And good wine. And not having a oven or microwave forces me to cook, which is something that I never had to learn in the US and is a great skill to have. And the clothes are pretty cute and the people are really nice and actually long bus rides aren't bad because I can listen to my iPod or read, and the architecture is pretty nice, and I'm close to some of the most amazing places in the world and soon I'll be travelling to Scotland, Ireland, London, and Belgium, whether I can afford it or not. Whenever I start to feel homesick I go to that park, or I take a walk around my town and buy a pastry and remind myself that I'm here in SPAIN, living my dream, and that home will always be there and I have this wonderful opportunity, so just suck it up and like it.
And so I do. And the homesickness passes. And I am thankful and thrilled once again.
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