Hey ya’ll! (my Texan roommate has been rubbing off on me…)
Welp, just finished up with my first week of school (no work on Fridays) and it seems to have gone pretty well so far. Monday I just had one class with 12 year olds, and they were so funny! They barely spoke any English but we still had jumbled conversations where they introduced themselves and told me basic things like their hobbies and favorite music. It’s so interesting how you can tell in 2 minutes who the brainiacs are and who is gonna need a little extra help. Tuesday I had a bit more of a variety with students anywhere from 12-18 years old. My class with the seniors, who theoretically should know the most English out of everybody here, spoke less than my 12 year olds and barely said a single word, so their regular teacher just ended up letting me leave after 5 minutes.
I also had a class with Begoña, in which we mostly talked about the differences between driving ages and drinking ages in the United States and Spain. They couldn’t believe how early we get to drive. Apparently they don’t get to until they’re 18, the same age they are allowed to drink. Everything is so laid back here, there’s no way we ever would have been able to have a conversation like that at an American high school. One of the teachers at my roommate’s school was even drinking a non-alcoholic beer during one of the breaks.
Today (Thursday) I had a really fun class with a big group of senior girls (and one boy, not sure how he lucked out) who were really energetic and talkative. They mostly spoke in Spanish, but at least they talked, and I’m sure after a few weeks they’ll be talking more in English. In one of my classes somebody asked if we have tornadoes in Nebraska, and everybody got SO excited. They wanted to hear everything about them, which I thought was so funny.
Oh yeah, one of the English teachers here told me today that she had a 12-year-old student ask her if I traveled here from America every day…. Ohhh kids.
Wednesday we took a trip to Santiago de Compostela, the capitol of Galicia, for the orientation for everybody participating in the Auxiliares de Conversación program. It was mostly dry and boring (they’ve gotta be kidding if they seriously expected us to pay attention for 3 hours while they talked in Spanish about a bunch of legal crap) but lunch was so tasty! The dessert was this apple flan stuff that is still making my mouth water.
While we were there my roommates and I met and exchanged numbers with other teachers from around Galicia and figured out who else is living in Ferrol. I saw my friend Max again (met him on the airplane from Philadelphia to Madrid – our seats were randomly next to each other) who is teaching a few hours south of me. We also took a tour around Santiago and saw some of the trekkers who were finishing up their Camino de Santiago. If you don’t know what the Camino is, please Google it. It’s basically where people come from all over Spain and Europe – WALKING – to the cathedral in the center of the city. It’s supposed to be a religious pilgrimage for people from all around the world, but it can be a very spiritual experience for even non-religious people. My roommates and I are going to do it in the spring from Ferrol, which isn’t as hard-core as what some people do but the journey should still take about 3-4 days on foot.
Hopefully with our new contacts we’ll be able to find more people to go out with this weekend. Last weekend was pretty calm; we just grabbed some tapas and went to a low-key Spanish reggae concert at a bar with Begoña’s son, Gonzalo. About five minutes ago the bartender (who is very fond of us and likes to call us her “niñas”) tried to introduce us to this boy who was in the bar, but he looks about 19…
The weather here has been… so-so. The Earth is apparently always taking a bath, and I guess I’m required to take one with it. My biggest problem is that I have no water-proof clothes, so it’s been difficult to function here. I’ve got to get an umbrella and some non-suede shoes soon if I’m going to survive. The rain is, however, very peaceful and calming. Sitting in my room while listening to it pounding down is so meditative, I could do it all day every day (which, let’s be honest, it’s possible to do if I really wanted to).
Other random happenings from the past week:
-As my roommates and I walk down the street, one of them trips over something, so we stop and look to see what it was. Yep, it was a ham bone. In the middle of the sidewalk. Only in Spain. (pictures coming soon)
-Then, last night we’re just hanging out in the apartment and we hear a ruckus going on down below, so we run to the balcony to see a man (seemingly sober) yelling at his girlfriend and chasing her around the street. This lasts for a good five minutes, eventually he breaks some sort of bottle and then yells “Por que no te calles?” (why don’t you just shut up) and then spits in her face. Oh, que pasion!
-I saw a sign today that said “vending 24 horas” which for some reason I just thought it was sooo funny.
-I watched JK Rowling’s interview with Oprah (puke) and when she said she doesn’t believe magic exists my heart broke into a million pieces. Can she really believe that after all the magic that Harry Potter has created? Also, mixed feelings about her comment about the possibility of writing the 8th, 9th, 10th, etc, HP books…
-And finally got kebaps last night! They were super tasty, but definitely not the best ones I’ve had – they used ranch instead of the traditional tzatziki sauce that I’m used to. Still though, it hit the spot. I realized yesterday that this time is Spain is drastically different from last time, as I hadn’t had any of my three addictions yet – kebaps, helado (Spanish ice cream), and tequila shots—all of which I had on almost a daily/nightly basis last time….
I’m starting to miss lots of things from home, like going to concerts! I’m sad I missed the Lincoln Calling festival, and it seems like there are some really good shows coming up…. Jealous! But mostly I’m missing all you folks, and I hope you all know how much I truly appreciate the support you give me every time I post something new. Mom and Dad, I know I don’t say this enough but I couldn’t have done ANY of this without you guys. Love you all.
Here again we’re at the end of another blog, and now it’s time for the soundtrack:
The District Sleeps Alone Tonight -- The Postal Service
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUIBnmdJJ50&ob=av2
Waiting for Superman -- The Flaming Lips (the Iron & Wine version is quite lovely as well)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xr799iX0qGo <--Flaming Lips
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5gBt-zpb-w&feature=related <-- Iron & Wine
Gotsta head out, thanks for reading :)
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