Spanish From Scratch

France Blog

2009-05-08T10:39:00.000-07:00

I'm now blogging from France!

Time change, bed, and fragrant shower

2008-06-27T07:52:00.000-07:00

1. On the plane from Madrid to Chicago, I sit next to a girl who's been studying in Sevilla for six months. Even though I'm tired, we have an easy conversation about our time in Spain and how we're excited to go home. As we're descending, we get a clear view of Chicago's skyline which looks like a toy model of a city. The flight attendant announces the time which is seven hours earlier than in Spain and the girl next to me says, "I'll change my watch when I'm ready, but I don't feel ready yet." I think this is an appropriate statement and symbolizes re-adjusting to home after you've been away for a while, even if it means having an extremely distorted sense of time.

2. I try to unpack, but as I fall asleep as I'm walking from the bathroom to my room, I collapse into bed and don't wake up for a long time. There's really nothing like a good, deep sleep.

3. Washing the dirt of traveling the whole day and being out the whole night before in the shower is like cleansing my soul. To make it even better, my mom has set out fragrant new shampoos and soaps complete with a white robe and slippers.

Hasta Luego Valladolid

2008-06-25T07:23:00.001-07:00

Today is my last day in Valladolid, Spain, so I decided to go for one last stroll around the city and take some pictures...
"Mother Goose" in Campo Grande, Valladolid

Peacock in Campo Grande, Valladolid

Fountain in Campo Grande, Valladolid

Vacant plaza in Valladolid during siesta

Plaza Espana, Valladolid

View of the cathedral, Valladolid

Plaza Espana Market, Valladolid

This'll be my last post from Spain, but not my last post as a blogger abroad. I'll be continuing a new blog in France in the autumn for my fourth year as an English teacher overseas. But for now, I say good-bye to Spain...

On my last day in Spain, I love...

siestas, because I can walk down winding streets where the sun catches some windows and misses others and not see a single soul. The city is mine and I can walk as slowly as I want, swinging my arms as high as I want.

an old lady who is admiring a sparkly gown in a shop window. She's in a moment and I smile, thinking about how she may be much older than I, but a lovely gown continues to grip her attention. We're all different, yet the same.

menu del dias. I don't stop to eat one, but the idea is perfect for the Spanish anatomy of a lunch.

the park, because the sky is blue, the trees are green, the birds are chirping, and my favourite white geese immediately walk up to me when I go to pay them a last visit. I don't have any food, so they cease honking, yet they continue to nest beside me. I stare at one duck and realize he's staring back at me. I wonder what he's thinking. As I walk away, I like to imagine he winked at me.

the weather, because it seems appropriately Spanish. Everything is perfect in the city I've lived in for the last nine months today. It's entirely called for, seeing as tomorrow, I will leave.

Shakira on the radio in Spanish.

my favourite shops, because they have clothes that seem to jump out at me and into a bag. I'm sucked into a shopping hole where a few hours disappear, hours that should be spent packing, but I'm content to indulge, because it is my last day and I'm content to flutter around town alone in and out of shops.

that my eyes get a little teary while walking past certain places that reincarnate memories of the early months spent on these streets.

that I will miss Valladolid, even if just a little bit.

that I survived this year.

The slide of La Concha, musical lunch, and high school reunion

2008-06-24T12:04:00.000-07:00

1. Even though the weather was a tad misty, cloudy, and cool, John and I still went for a swim in la Playa de la Concha in San Sebastian. We swam out to a platform with a slide. From afar, the slide looks like a child's blue and plastic toy, but John seems a bit terrified at the top and screams all the way down. When it's my turn, I feel like I'm suddenly nine years old again and hours at the playground as a child flash before my eyes. I'm delighted that the simple things still continue to exhilarate. When we meet up with Maggie again, John comments that we swam around the whole bay and there's an air of pride in his tone.

2. After a long walk along the beach promenade, Maggie and I go for lunch in a funky restaurant that's playing 80's music. I pair my spaghetti ali-oli with two glasses of white wine and so does Maggie. We chatter non-stop and pause only to punctuate an easy flowing conversation with the name of the song or band we hear playing around us.

3. I meet up with a friend from high school who's in San Sebastian at the same time. We meet in a plaza that has been converted from a bull ring (still sporting numbers under each window). In the middle of the square, a group of Basque dancers in traditional costume skip around in a circle as it starts to rain, lightning, and thunder. We sit at a table of five sipping drinks and I'm happy to coincidentally meet up with so many people on holiday.

Sandy sights, clearing my desk, neighborhood shots

2008-06-18T13:48:00.000-07:00

1. As I step off the bus after another day at work singed with drama and tension, I feel myself relax. I walk out into the center of Valladolid and into Plaza Mayor where people are out for a slow paseo. The sandcastle pieces look finished, so instead of rushing home, I pitter around the square with my camera. The details of some pieces are so minute that they cannot be captured on film, so I pause to see them in the warmth of what feels like a real summer's night in Plaza Mayor.

2. As my last Wednesday class leaves for the day, a weight (mainly of paper) is lifted. All the tests, flashcards, reports, worksheets, and handouts can be recycled, handed back, or passed on to someone else. What's important is that I'm freeing myself from a paper prison and I feel like a bird who is about to take off to different skies.

3. I'm taking photos of my neighborhood so that my mom and dad can see what it's like around where I've lived for the past three months. I've always appreciated the intricate architecture that lines Calle Gamazo, but tonight, the sun hits the buildings perfectly bathing them in a warm glow.

El ultimo lunes, video class, and gettin' in a run

2008-06-16T15:02:00.000-07:00

1. Today was my last Monday of teaching at IH Valladolid. Whoa, never thought it would feel so good.

2. Combining my teenage class with Lauriane's to watch "Death At A Funeral." Seeing the kids laugh and be so into a film was a nice change from their usual stone-cold bored faces.

3. I got in a morning run by the river and made it home before the sky exploded with rain for the rest of the day.

Miss and no miss...

2008-06-11T03:08:00.000-07:00

...this is what my English has come to after months of teaching eight year old Spanish children and stubborn adults how to speak English. Hahaha....hopefully this summer, someone will be willing to engage in a conversation where I can use words from my university English compositions or better yet, just audible, logical sentences where I don't have to concept check every few minutes.

On that note, I was thinking of a few things that will pull at my heart upon departure and things that I'd have gladly waved off a long time ago.

Things I will NOT miss when I leave Spain:

* The god-forsaken cigarette SMOKE! Along with the bull, the cigarette should be a symbol of Spain. I'm tired of walking into clouds of hovering smoke on the streets of Valladolid and not being able to find anyone smoking. I'd rather walk the streets of America and inhale Krispy Kreme doughnuts and fried hamburger. At least my hair will smell tasty and not reek of the bar when I go outside.

* Distinguishing between the preterito perfecto and the indefinido past tenses. There's a point when too much becomes too much and I just can't be a part of the interchangeable Spanish past tense world.

* Uh, the messes my roommates leave in the kitchen whenever they make food. Oh, did I mention the sour milk drip on my food?

* Old Spanish women elbowing me out of the way when I happen to walk in their designated path.

* People staring at me when I speak English.

* People looking at me as if I'm a three headed mythical beast when I try to ask for something in Spanish.

* The never-ending RAIN. When will it STOP? This is supposed to be SPAIN!

Things I will miss when I leave Spain:

* The friends I've made here. They know who they are.

* The following phrases: VALE, claro, creo que si, todavia no, entonces, pues, estas seguro?, tu tranquila...

* The extremely cheap price of medication at pharmacies.

* Hikes in the mountains.

* Zapatillo cookies and sweet wine at Penicilino

* The fact that even though I get up late in the morning on the weekend, or even during the week, the shops are still not open until later. Because everyone's relaxing, I feel more relaxed. This can also prove to be a pain in the ass sometimes.

* Cafe teas, coffees, Cokes, sangrias.

* Spanish classes with Kathrin.

* Chats with Maggie.

* Segovia, Sevilla, Puerto de Santa Maria, Madrid, Barcelona.

* Tortilla

* The Sunday evening paseo

* My students

* The peacocks and white geese in Campo Grande

* Discovering expositions or random parades and festivities occuring around the city. It's almost as if there's always something going on. (Today's sandcastle competition with artists from around the world- for example.)

I'm sure there are things I've left out, but this is what I've come up with for now...

Art daze, park thunderstorms, long lost songs

2008-06-02T03:26:00.000-07:00

1. Walking through El Prado museum, I find myself losing track of time, entering a calm state of being where all other people disappear and it's just me and the paintings before my eyes.

2. After coming out of the Palacio Cristal in Retiro Park, Kathrin, Maggie, and I come upon the rose garden. Once we walk into the garden circle, a heady scent of roses emanates from all around. Above, storm clouds gather and the sky begins to rumble.

3. In the bar "Huerta Uno," Maggie and I enjoy some sangria and cava on our first night in Madrid. We find an alcove of bright red pillows and decide to camp there. Our conversation peels away the time and as the hours become later and earlier at the same time, the crooning and fiddle of my favorite French group, Louise Attaque can be heard from the sound system.

Gracias, conditionals, and rainbows

2008-05-27T14:40:00.000-07:00

1. In my second to last class with the Tuesdady/Thursday Lourdes bunch, many students come up to me and say "Thank you for your class" in English. I'm utterly shocked and a little confused to why they're professing their goodbyes when they still have to endure one more class with me. But I'm more surprised by their kindness, especially when one girl says, "We," referring to them screaming and throwing their arms in the air, and then "You" referring to me by looking extremely serene and calm to the point of looking drugged. All in all, their "thank yous" made my year here feel so important.

2. After going to an exposition on Leonardo Da Vinci with Kathrin and our Spanish teacher, Pablo, we get teas and coffees afterwards. I do my best to speak in Spanish and we all manage to come up with an answer to Pablo's question, "if sleep were an object what would it be?" Answers vary and while walking home, I feel the satisfaction of having had a pleasant Saturday evening.

3. This weekend, I managed to see three different rainbows in two straight days. One, coming out of the exposition near Plaza Mayor (Pablo remarked that it was only a "trozo" or piece of a rainbow). The second was during the Picos de Europa after a light drizzle during a hike in the mountains. And the last was on the bus home from Asturias. Even as the rainy weather continues to sodden everyone's mood, there's still a literal sliver of hope in the prisms of the sky.

Snaps from Bilbao and the Guggenheim Museum

2008-05-19T01:59:00.001-07:00

"The Old Town" or Casco Viejo

On the River Nervion

"Puppy" and Me outside the Guggenheim

Guggenheim sails

"Tulips"

"Maman" the Spider outside the Guggenheim

Sleeping duck, spring trees, post-rain jog, and student note

2008-05-16T08:50:00.000-07:00

1. Walking home through Campo Grande, equipped with my smallish and now bent umbrella that successfully keeps half the rain off, I noticed two ducks standing near a puddle, incidentally without umbrellas. They stood there looking as if they had never been cozier (maybe perhaps if they had been sitting down). The rain lightly pelted their backs, but this seemed to soothe them. One closed its eyes in drowsiness.

2. The bony hand trees (part of the banana tree family? I think?) of Valladolid have now, after 6 months of no leaves nor foliage, begun to sprout green. It makes the city look like an entirely different place.

3. After my Friday classes and sporadic morning downpours, a dry sunny patch of weather sailed into town approximately when my week ended and my weekend began. Since I've finally shaken my cold, I decided to go for a jog on the river trail. I ran into 2 other people, but other than that, it was a solitary journey. I like the feeling of taking advantage of the city when everyone else is home for siesta.

4. I can see 9 year old Celia writing a note over the span of a week. She's been drawing a picture and today I saw that my name was on it. It's not really unusual for young children to draw pictures for their foreign teachers, but this is the first one I've seen this year. Then in the middle of the lesson, she told me to close my eyes. Needing to keep some type of authority, I told her that I'd close my eyes at the end of class when we were finished with the activity. I knew what she was getting at the whole time, but when I finally did close my eyes, she slipped the picture into my bag. When I looked at it, I was surprised by how nice it felt to receive a portrait of myself from my student. I didn't have devil horns coming out of my head or a sneering expression like some past students have drawn. I looked happy and nice.

Pesto, slobs, and sweet discovery

2008-05-14T14:42:00.000-07:00

1. Pesto is my new best friend. It's always there for me when I'm hungry and so easy to deal with. I know I need to branch out soon, but when the kitchen is overflowing with food, it's sometimes difficult to find room for ingredients that'll only be used for one person. My weekly pesto jar is small and can fit into a refrigerator anywhere. He'll stay good for a while too. If only pesto could feel appreciated....

2. Listening to my roommate vent about another roommate who is an absolute slob, so much so that he showed me, we'll call this person, "Piggy"'s room (al lado de mi). You literally couldn't see the floor and I suddenly figured out where all the smallish plates and forks had disappeared to. The stench was almost too much for us. While Oscar spoke in English, I told him in Spanish how I had to clean out a pool of curdled milk that had collected at the bottom of the fridge where my food had subsequently been sodden by absolute sourness. We both had a bit of a laugh and I was praised for my cleanliness.

3. Discovering a piece of cheesecake that Lauriane had made for our dinner party at the back of the fridge and untouched by sour milk.

Bus ride, mountain grass, and making it before the rain

2008-05-11T14:20:00.000-07:00

Above: Lauriane, Don Quixote, and me.

1. My favorite part of the bus ride to a mountain trail near Zamora is after the coffee break at a cafe that boasts, "Hay Pulpo Gallego" or Galician style octopus. After everyone powers up on coffee, Coke, tortilla, chocolate or perhaps even pulpo, the bus takes us up through winding mountain roads to the start point for our hike. The mountains come into plain, unobscured view and as we swing around a corner, a massive lake flashes before our eyes. My body starts to relax and calm after seeing such spectacles of nature.

2. The terrain of today's hike resembles tufts of straw like hair, blonde and disguising the past week's rainfall in cunning spirals. At one point, I feel like a character out of Super Mario Bros. hopping from one grassy toadstool to the next, attempting to save my dry feet from "mucho frio." Yellow cups of flowers dot the landscape, while cows and bulls from nowhere munch happily in the distance.

3. Lauriane and I chose the Option A hike which was only four hours as opposed to the seven hour hike that the hard core walking stick equipped group trekked out on. We figured this was the best option as Lauriane was wearing new boots that came with a fear of blisters, whereas I had no boots, just my airy trainers that are starting to develop holes. With the possibility of rain, we thought four hours might just be enough. Just as we came into the village for a museum and cafe break, the rain started to come down. Que suerte!

Apellidos, el principito, and new music

2008-05-10T10:52:00.000-07:00

1. My 8 year old students tell me their full Spanish names and it seriously takes them a good long 5 second breath to spit it all out (Maria Sanz Garcia Rodriguez...) When they ask me my full name, I say three words. They come out of my mouth like a deflating balloon while their Spanish sequence comes out like a string of dynamite.

2. I've started to read my first Spanish book, "El Principito" or "Le Petit Prince" en francais. I've successfully read about three pages but seriously intend to keep going.

3. After having a dinner party with a few friends last night, we traded some music and as a result I can listen to some new tunes, particularly calm ones that I can relax to.

Impressions, fairy talesque, and accents

2008-05-06T15:19:00.000-07:00

1. After our first day in Sevilla, when I close my eyes at night, I can see only bright splashes of flowers, intricate tiles, ostentatious buildings, and trees flowering the color purple. A clear blue sky is the perfect backdrop for a wild setting with too much going on. Nevertheless, I slept soundly.

2. When Maggie, Kathrin, and I arrive to our hostel in Sevilla, we open the door to see three identical twin beds with flowered spreads, a wardrobe with mirror, pink walls, and long curtains. We feel as though we'll be staying in a dollhouse and when the proprietor says that we have to be in by 1am, we then feel like Cinderella. This all fits in perfectly with our all-girls weekend away and we indulge girlishly.

3. In Andalucia, Spaniards drop the 's' in most words. Hearing a new Spanish accent makes my ears perk up in curiosity and I attempt to try it out myself, but am completely satisfied being able to understand basic phrases in a different region of Spain.

Sixth sense cat, beach, and geese

2008-04-25T14:47:00.000-07:00

1. I've had a rough day. I've had a cold for about two weeks and I can't seem to get through the night without intense coughing fits. As a result, I'm tired and cranky. There isn't much time to nap during the day so I have to fight through it. Today I could barely open my eyes to get dressed for my early class. On the way home, I fell down the stairs and landed on my knees. Spanish teachers had to catch me. After finishing my second class, the beach and the warm weather was calling my name and I headed to the river beach. Sitting alone in the sun got me thinking about the past and memories gone. I got a little sad and had to get up and walk. On my way home, I stopped to watch a pick up football match near the beach and sat on a ledge. I got lost looking into the river and the sparkles of sun dancing on top of it, when a white and black cat brushed up against me on the ledge, nearly surprising me into the river itself. It wouldn't let me be, but continued purring, pawing, and nuzzling into me. It made me think of a cat that could sense distress and would nuzzle sick patients just before they were about to die. I couldn't help but wonder if the cat could sense my stress. At some point, I had to leave the cat and just as I did, two small children came up to it and tried to pet it, but it backed away in a fright.

As I proceeded to go shopping in order to further make myself feel better, I found a gray T-shirt with a cat that looked so similar to the one on the ledge and therefore HAD to buy it for talisman purposes.

2. In the entire time I've been in Valladolid, I've never spent proper time on the beach. Today I packed a towel, my book, some water, and sunscreen and set off for uncharted territory. It's not much of a beach as there are overgrown weeds and only a river shore, but it's perfect for people watching and relaxing. I managed to finish my book, finally feel a bit rested, and warmed from the sun.

3. I took frequent breaks from reading my book and noticed that my favorite white geese had come ashore. At first they pecked at the sand, then stood preening, then finally just as the warm sun had got to me, they began to look dozy and settled themselves into the sand. I enjoyed watching the simple movements of animals going about their daily routine and marveled at the fact that I didn't have to be anywhere any time soon.

Hiking in the Basque country

2008-04-21T15:02:00.000-07:00

Super-calcetines, hiking help, from a distance

2008-04-21T14:47:00.000-07:00

1. After weeks of rain, my friends and I set out on a hike with a local mountain climbing club to the Basque country on Sunday. As I was humming happily to myself, I missed hearing a fellow Spanish hiker warn me not to step in a huge puddle of mudwater disguised by a thick layer of leaves. I splashed into it full force and felt the cold sink into the "breathing holes" of my meager running shoes. Minutes later, the cold disappeared and I could hardly tell that I'd stepped into water. I suddenly remembered that I was wearing my SmartWool socks that my mom sent over months ago. Before the hike, I had wondered if they could block water, and instead of feeling stupid for not paying attention, I chalk it all up to an experiment gone well.

2. Going up the mountain is hard work, especially as I'm still in the cold zone and find it hard to breathe, however, going down is almost as much work, seeing as we have to surf the ubiquitous mud slicks to get back. Another hiker offers his walking stick "baston" and I feel like a skier tackling the mud in the same way I'd take on the snow.

3. Once we reach the top of the mountain, there are pockets of snow ponds and mucho viento. We are above the birds and a guide points out that the city of Bilbao, its coast, and the glint from the shiny Guggenheim museum are visible from the top.

Entertainer, brothers, and a night in

2008-04-18T06:11:00.000-07:00

1. As a result of chaotic management and parents of private school students, my colleagues and I now teach on Fridays and are working over-time. This will however mean that we'll have less classes for the month of June. One of my Friday classes just happens to begin at 8:30 in the morning which is tough when I teach until 10:05 the previous night. Today I walk in and I'm tired, my nine year old students are tired, and they have circles under their eyes. They almost resemble old, docile dogs who are content to sit in an armchair all day by the fire. The perk of teaching at this hour is that they are fresh. I'm their first teacher of the day and they all sit in the front row looking up at me expectantly, tiredly. I have to start their day and mine as well.

2. I explain to one nine year old Spanish boy that "Bros." in Super Mario Bros. means "Brothers." I see him diligently taking note of this in his exercise book. He writes "Hermanos" and crosses off the last half of the word.

3. I've got two movies, a pack of chocolate covered almonds, and overly excited to stay in tonight in order to miss the windy rainy weather.

Laundry, postcards, and las cosas espanolas

2008-04-12T07:53:00.000-07:00

1. I hang my laundry on the line outside the window and because it's siesta, all I can hear is the howling wind and the cries of the peacocks from the park a block away. They don't sound like birds, but cats meowing furiously.

2. I've begun to decorate my new room with postcards of my travels from this year and as a result, it's starting to feel a little more like home.

3. Maggie's sister and sister's boyfriend are visiting from England for the weekend, so we do typically Spanish things like have churros con chocolate for breakfast after a late night out, and sit at a cafe munching on tortillas.

Walk through the park, weekend plans, rain relief

2008-04-11T03:18:00.000-07:00

1. As I walk to my first 8.30 class at Lourdes this morning, I walk into Campo Grande, home to peacocks and ducks waddling everywhere. As I enter the park, there are at least four peacocks displaying their irredescently green feathers and I have about 20 eyes looking at me from their plumage.

2. Maggie's sister is coming to visit, so we're all planning to meet her and have a good time out.

3. Today is the first day in about four days that it hasn't rained nonstop throughout the day. The sun is shining and I feel a little less watered down.

La cena espanola, alto bajo, no tiempo

2008-04-09T16:25:00.000-07:00

1. Having tortilla and chocolate cake for dinner.

2. Playing a card game in Spanish.

3. Being so busy that I don't have time to think about anything.

Barcelona photos

2008-04-07T14:17:00.001-07:00

Breeze, Aromas, and Sun

2008-04-07T03:12:00.001-07:00

1. Feeling the breeze on my bare arms while walking through the forest during our hike to Pena de Francia on Sunday.

2. Lauriane pulls off a piece of frosty green plant from a bush in the trail and we can't identify it, but it reminds us of lavendar.

3. The sun is out for most of our hike and provides the best lighting for good conversation, warmth, and a much needed outing from Valladolid.

Three Holiday Snaps

2008-04-05T08:16:00.000-07:00

Wii Sore, hablo un poco mas, Spanish hot chocolate

2008-04-04T16:43:00.000-07:00

1. I'm actually sore from playing Wii tennis (particularly from serving) at a bar on Thursday night. Video games that get you up and moving...what will they think of next?

2. I had my first long conversation in Spanish with my new roommate. Ok, so it wasn't really perfect and it wasn't really that advanced, but I was and still am proud of myself.

3. One night after work, Michelle, Maggie, and I go for cups of hot chocolate at a cafe and experience the gooific wonder of rich and creamy, liquid, Spanish chocolate. Not the watered down powdery excuse for a drink back home.

A Quiet Calle Santiago, morning cafe olives, the weather

2008-04-03T05:29:00.000-07:00

1. Last night, walking home on a normally bustling shopping street, but being the only one save a few others. It´s peaceful, dark, but not too cold on Calle Santiago and I am happy to be there alone.

2. This morning after Spanish class, Michelle, Katrin, Maggie and I went for tea and coffee at a cafe and could actually sit outside in the sun. I needed the tea to thaw the morning chill, but after a quarter of an hour, I switched to a cool Cola Light as the sun became more powerful and nibbled on olives for breakfast.

3. It´s warm! And it´s actually starting to feel like the Spain I thought I´d be going to! Warm and sunny at last...

Comida del gato, my new roommate, improving Spanish

2008-04-01T05:31:00.000-07:00

1. As I´m walking to the bus stop and up the stairs to the bridge, I notice an old man dangling a glass bowl full of cat food from a fairly sturdy rope. We´re not talking a few feet here either. As I´m ascending the stairs, I see a spotted white and black cat sitting patiently yet anxiously looking up at the bowl.

2. I have two new Irish roommates and a Spanish roommate. So far, everyone has been beyond nice. Even though I was exhausted after my first Monday back on the job, the Irish girl, Liz and I stayed up and talked. I feel more comfortable in a new place where the inhabitants are so friendly.

3. After finishing my first class at Lourdes, two girls walk out with me and we have a conversation in Spanglish. I can understand just about everything they say now, whereas before I was utterly hopeless. However, this doesn´t mean that I can have intelligent conversations about the meaning of life in Spanish. I´m still working on that.

Barcelona bound, Semana Santa, new beginnings

2008-03-22T08:51:00.000-07:00

1. I´m going to Barcelona in two days!! Can´t wait to see more of Spain.

2. Religious processions are taking over the streets of Valladolid in honor of Semana Santa or Easter as we call it...pictures will come shortly.

3. I´m moving into a new apartment at the beginning of April. This is bittersweet, but with new beginnings come new hope.

Midnight crowds, continuing on, and cloudy river

2008-03-04T05:38:00.000-08:00

1. Only in Spain are the streets absolutely ghost town empty at 3 in the afternoon for siesta and bustling with people of all ages at 3 in the morning on a weekend.

2. Somehow I get out of bed, into the shower, and to work today. A day that´s extremely difficult to face.

3. On a walk from school to school, I admire the windy ripple effect on the river, and how I can still see undistorted puffy white clouds in the reflection.

Kat is back for now...

2008-02-28T05:36:00.001-08:00

1. As I´m running to catch the early bus before the siesta rush at my newly discovered bus stop, I pass under a couple trees blossoming pink and catch a scent of spring.

2. I get a text from Sarah telling me that a parent of one of my students is very happy with my classes and wants to meet me.

3. An ache in my side has been slowly residing.

4. Blogger still remembers me!

Psychological day

2008-02-20T05:43:00.000-08:00

I had one of those days yesterday where I knew how tired I´d be before I even woke up. Going from 7:30 am until 10:00 pm on two bocadillos, energy fumes, and constant reminders of how corrupt this renowned language school is made me collapse as soon as I put my fork down after dinner.

Today, I woke up at 11:00 and felt the exact opposite. Not bouncing off of walls opposite, but ready to face the day. After a real doozy of day, doozy in the bad sense, is it more likely that the next day will be better?

Just a thought. Really, I´m trying to stay away from the blog seeing as my head is a bit fatigued and blahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...

Long time no post...

2008-02-19T05:37:00.000-08:00

The past few weeks have been a bit dreary. Not in the sense of weather, but my colleagues and the drama of working at this school have started to weigh me down a bit.

On the upside, I´m still appreciating my time here. For me, Spain, like coffee, was an acquired taste. I don´t really need it, but I´m starting to like it more and more.

The other night, I walked past a non descript church, the same one I walk past every night on my way home, but this time, the doors were open and I could see inside. I saw colorful murals and statues tipped in gold. Now, everytime I walk past, I think about not judging books by their covers.

¨Carnaval¨ kids, Segovian getaway, hunchbacks

2008-02-06T12:56:00.000-08:00

1. Everywhere, children are dressed up as if it were Halloween. It´s carnival season and there are miniature pirates, knights, princesses, ninjas, tigers, cows, and more walking the streets.

2. Exploring a Spanish castle and seeing an amazing view of Segovia from the top.

3. After trying to explain what a camel hump is, an eight year old student tells me that old people have them too.

Ñ, sit down, and new student

2008-02-01T05:02:00.000-08:00

1. After putting my beautifully colored and laminated alphabet cards on the board, I ask students to tell me how to say each letter. Then I tell them that two letters are missing, because it´s just too difficult to do the activity with ¨V¨ and ¨X¨. At least three children in different classes couldn´t believe that ¨ñ¨ wasn´t in the English alphabet.

2. I´m feeling pretty sick on the last day before Carnival weekend, so I play a game with the kids called ¨Whispering Dictation¨ where I can sit in my chair while the kids run around the class whispering sentences to each other.

3. I have a new adult student in my late class. He´s a bit nervous when he first arrives, but I can already see the two outgoing women making small talk so that he feels more comfortable. By the end of the lesson, he´s laughing along with us.

Blackboard compliments, last minute coffees, and runnin on empty

2008-01-31T05:26:00.000-08:00

1. I walk into my first class today to find that Celia has drawn a formal looking paper on the board with the words, ¨Kat is a very good teacher.¨ She comes up to me and asks what the paper is called and I tell her, ¨scroll.¨ When I start the class, I notice it, look at her and she smiles.

2. On the way to our first lessons, Krista, David, and I stop into a cafe for some quick cafes con leche and hot chocolate. We have approximately five minutes before we start teaching, but in Spain, this is plenty of time to get a drink and warm up.

3. I have a cold and in the mornings, I can barely move without coughing or dabbing my nose. But somehow, once I get to work, I am able to work through it as if my body knows I need to be ¨on¨ and is functioning for me so that I can get through the day.

River ducks, listening, and planning

2008-01-29T05:57:00.000-08:00

1. Seeing white ducks paddling around in the sunshine of the river below as I walk across the bridge to an afternoon-evening of teaching.

2. Listening to a colleague describe how she´ll spend her four day weekend in the south of Spain just walking through a national park, alone. Sounds soothing and peaceful. She describes how she´s unsure of going about it alone, but is motivated by the advice, ¨sometimes you just have to start something and from there, it will take care of itself.¨

3. Planning my own weekend trip to Segovia and looking forward to seeing new things.

Out, up a hill, out of town

2008-01-28T05:52:00.000-08:00

1. Going out with one of my favorite people Saturday night.

2. Discovering a peaceful hill very close to but far enough away from the urban bustle of Valladolid. Then hiking up that hill, breathing fresh air and basking in spring like temperatures. From the particular view, the only historically Spanish building in sight was the bell tower. Everything else was identically modern and too practical looking. It could have been any country.

3. Seeing a different part of the city I temporarily call home. In the suburbs there are chicken huts with crowing roosters, intricate gates to actual yards, and winding stairs that cut through ivy and other overgrown plants. This is so unlike the blocks of apartment buildings in central Valladolid, that I feel as though I´m in a different city.

The boys, the breakdancers, and barrel o´laughs

2008-01-25T11:09:00.000-08:00

The BOYS (from left top) - Diego, Diego, Jorge, Jorge, Pablo, Nacho,
and Javier. All students aged 8-10

Always dancin´, doing the splits, or cartwheels before the lesson starts:
(From left) - Andrea, Julia, Marina, Clara, Aihnoa, Ivan, and Eva.

Always giggling: (from left) Gonzalo, Guillermo, Jaime, Nico, David,
Maria, Laura, Miriam, and Elisa.

Good drivers, dreams, and January spring?

2008-01-25T03:29:00.000-08:00

1. Two nuns driving a very small, red car let me cross the road when they have the right away.

2. I have a dream about the adult beginner English File book I teach from. Only in my dream, it´s used to help me save my life and especially for people in their 20´s, whatever that means. At the least, I´m amused.

3. Blue sky today and believe it or not, there´s a touch of warmth in the air that makes me think about that first spring day and how alive it makes you feel.

Application complete, morning sleep, and almost there

2008-01-23T05:53:00.000-08:00

1. Finishing my application for a teaching position in France next year and an email from my mom telling me it´s been sent off. Now to play the waiting game.

2. Being able to sleep in this morning because on Wednesdays I can. And really needing it, because I came home last night exhausted and with a sore throat.

3. Knowing that I´m halfway finished teaching for the week. I´ve made it over the hump.

Street cleaner, articulate, and grammar

2008-01-22T02:16:00.000-08:00

1. On my way to International House this morning, I see an ordinary woman picking up trash on the side of the street. And she isn´t bearing the name, ¨limpiador¨ on the back of a bright yellow and black uniform.

2. I tried the ¨Articulate¨ game with my class of teenagers and they didn´t look like they´d pull out their teeth to curb boredom. The one where one kid has to describe a word (adjective, noun, verb, etc.) using relative clauses (Haha, I snuck in some learning) and the rest of the class has to guess the word. I barely spoke for the entire lesson. It was amazing.

3. Before above class, I ask David (Linguistic and Grammar Expert) what the difference between using ¨who¨ and ¨whose¨ is. The braniac twins (Teresa and Margarita) ask me the same question 10 minutes later. And thank God, I have an intelligent answer.

Pirate hippo, last minute lesson, reBelation

2008-01-17T02:42:00.000-08:00

1. My stuffed hippo is dressed up like a pirate when I come home, with eye patch and golden earring.

2. Not having planned a lesson for my fourteen year olds, I whipped up some discussion activities with useful expressions from a Timesaver worksheet I snatched in Hungary.

3. Christopher, my Spanish lesson buddy, suddenly realizes that all the ¨v¨ sounds in Spanish are really ¨b¨. Now, he can move forward with a newfound confidence.

Fitzgerald quote, good ideas, and Kut

2008-01-16T05:44:00.000-08:00

1. I read this quote and I could immediately identify with it. In ¨Tender is the Night,¨ by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Rosemary is walking through an old French battlefield with Dick Diver.

--Later she remembered all the hours of the afternoon as happy- one of those uneventful times that seem at the moment only a link between past and future pleasure but turn out to have been the pleasure itself.

This, in turn has made several little ¨uneventful¨ memories burst into my head.

2. The new Director of Studies asked me what I was teaching last night and when I told her reported speech for my First Certificate Exam class, she gave me a great idea and gave me a copy of the pilot episode of ¨Heroes¨to use for Thursday.

3. My adult students think that it´s hilarious how my name, ¨Kat¨ and the word, ¨cut¨ sound exactly the same. At first, they´re confused, but when I spell it out on the board and say it about 13 times, they start laughing.

Seeing words, nonconfrontational teens, green tea

2008-01-15T05:57:00.000-08:00

1. After learning ¨city vocabulary¨ in my Spanish lesson today, I promptly spotted one new word we learned on a sign on my way to teach my first English lesson. ¨Ayuntamiento¨ or city hall.

One of my students holds up a picture of a monster with big, grotesque feet and says something in Spanish. If it had not been for my lesson this morning, I wouldn´t have known that she wanted me to smell the monster´s feet. Since when do books publish stinky smells?

2. I write, ¨Men´s Jobs¨ and ¨Women´s Jobs¨ on the board for a class of fourteen year olds. They give me stereotypical answers, however, one boy goes onto say in English that maybe there are more older, male psychologists because it was acceptable and more likely for men to work this profession years ago, while younger psychologists may include more women, because times are changing. Other students went onto to say that men nor women are better teachers. It just depends on the person.

3. I´ve been on such a Coke Light binge that I forgot how a hot cup of green tea can warm you up from head to toe.

Uphill hike, student teacher, Spanish kids

2008-01-14T05:52:00.000-08:00

1. Today, instead of taking the overcrowded 8 bus from the private school to the language school, I decided to walk the 40 minutes there. Because of this, my face is now rosy, I feel a rush from my heart working away to get me up the massive hills, and I saved 50 Euro cent.

2. Being a student and teacher simultaneously helps me to teach better and learn better. I´m still getting a kick out of ¨los consuegros¨ the word for grandparent-in-laws in Spanish.

3. Spanish children are better dressed than I am. Their little peacoats, polished shoes, ribboned hair, and matching socks make me look like a slob. They´re too innocent to realize how good they look.

Year round fountains, church storks, roll on the floor

2008-01-10T05:50:00.000-08:00

1. In Spain, the fountains are never turned off. They continue to gurgle water even when sub zero temperatures threaten to freeze everything else. It´s as if Spainards want to deny the cold, ignore the winter.

2. After reading about how storks seem to flock and nest in church crevices, Miranda France, author of ¨Don Quixote´s Delusions,¨ ponders that perhaps storks are the spirits of deceased priests and cannot drift away from these holy buildings. As I´m walking one afternoon, I see a stork return to its nest on the church and fold its wings. I´m glad to be reading literature that is immediately relative to my surroundings.

3. There don´t seem to be any toilet paper holders in Spanish bathrooms. In every place I´ve stayed, the roll either just sits on the toilet itself or on a shelf. Why bother? Sometimes I don´t care, but sometimes it´s a hassle. Either way, I love noticing tiny cultural differences.

Night fog, delusions, library

2007-12-30T07:43:00.000-08:00

1. On a Friday night out in the city, Aran and I pass the cathedral tower that is shrouded in a thick mist. All around us, the air is cluttered with tiny specks of sparkle.

2. Learning more about Spain´s history, while enjoying another woman´s stories of travel in Miranda France´s ¨Don Quixote´s Delusions: Travels in Castilian Spain.¨

3. The massive library around the corner of the flat, that holds English newspapers, DVD´s, music, and books. And it´s all free!

Christmas food, movies, and laziness

2007-12-27T07:04:00.000-08:00

Note: I´m on holiday until Jan. 7, therefore not at school and will be found lazing about in my apartment until then. Unfortunately, my blogging will be sporadic, but hey, it´s the holidays!

1. Turkey, stuffing, vegetables, muffins, cabbage, mashed potatoes combined with a Spanish tortilla to add a bit of cultural flair, and a tiramisu cake plus Irish coffees make for one marvelous Christmas dinner, a full and satisfied stomach and plenty of hours on the couch.

2. Watching ¨It´s a Wonderful Life¨ on Christmas Eve.

3. Just being lazy. Not having anywhere to go. Reading on the couch, snacking on baked goodies and Spanish sweets from the grocery store, watching movies, and staying in bed until I decide I should probably get up before it gets dark again.

Lisbon, Portugal, Pictures

2007-12-21T07:07:00.000-08:00

Above - Lisbon dinner

Above - picturesque cafe alley in Lisbon
Above - Lisbon

Above - Lisbon´s castle lit up
Above - Sintra, Portugal (tile bench)

Above - Sintra

Above - sloping streets of Lisbon
Above - Lisbon
Above - Me holding the pineapple tree

Above - Me lifting the pineapple tree

Above - Me and pineapple tree

Above - Lisbon

Above - Santa trolley

Above - giant tree in Lisbon park

Above - Lisbon

Above - are the people real or not?

Above - first day in the hostel, Lisbon

Simpsons, Spanish treats, countdown

2007-12-20T05:55:00.000-08:00

1. Watching Simpson Christmas episodes in two of my classes today.

2. Having some wine and Spanish biscuits and sweets from the headmaster of Lourdes yesterday.

3. Knowing that I have 5 more classes to teach in 2007 and I won´t have to listen to whining Spanish children for another two weeks.

Christmas bingo, shoppers, snow

2007-12-18T05:57:00.001-08:00

1. Not teaching from the book, therefore not having to lug all these books around, and therefore not having to really think, but just watch the kids color away the hours before the Christmas holidays.

2. On my walk to school, I see all kinds of people with wrapped presents peeking out of their shopping bags.

3. The first flakes of winter drifting from the sky slowly and sparsely, yet making the sidewalk wet.

No fumar, calamare bocadillo, darts

2007-12-17T05:52:00.000-08:00

1. While checking emails and playing pool at an Internet cafe on Saturday afternoon, I noticed signs everywhere ¨smoking is prohibited¨. Yet, during the entire time Aran and I were there, the owner never took a cigar out of his mouth once and kept the door open so that the freezing cold air could somewhat mask it. These are the times when I´m glad that I come from a country where when there is a sign that ¨smoking is prohibited¨smoking is indeed prohibited.

2. It seems that Burger King is a bit more fashionable in Spain. Teenagers would rather sit around a plastic table with plastic chairs and rustle their hamburger wrappers while sipping cokes out of paper cups while paying more money than it´s all worth, while I can sit and nibble on a calamare sandwich for half the price while sitting at a wooden table with wooden chairs. Different countries, different fast foods.

3. To escape the frigid afternoon, Aran and I find a nice cozy underground bar with a dart board.

Decorations, almost over, gloves

2007-12-13T05:57:00.000-08:00

1. For the last ten to fifteen minutes of class, I´m allowing my students to color and decorate my classroom with pictures of Christmas.

2. I´m tired, and yet another week is nearly over.

3. I found a pair of gloves that I´ve been looking for this morning. A pair that Alicia mailed to me in Hungary and that are mittens/gloves with an opening top so that my hands can actually function and stay warm.

Packages, gnocchi, happy game

2007-12-12T05:38:00.000-08:00

1. I received not one, but three pieces of mail on the same day. There´s nothing better than mail from a familiar address while abroad. A package with real brown sugar, vanilla, and real chocolate chips with some amazing Smart Wool socks that I can´t get enough of, plus more, from my parents, a birthday-Xmas card from none other than Jer (Koszi Jer!!!) and even though it´s mildly less exciting, a package of information on Spanish lessons from another language school.

2. Aran and I made a combination of gnocchi and caprese salad dinner in an attempt to replicate the one that I ordered in Lisbon and it turned out to be just right.

3. Today, while playing a Christmas bingo game, one usually obnoxious student said, ¨This game is....is...happy.¨

Hearty dinner, new reading, feeling rested

2007-12-11T05:51:00.001-08:00

1. A dinner of mashed potatoes, chicken, roasted vegetables, and Irish coffees.

2. A new book about Spain, that I ironically enough, bought in Portugal. I can spend free moments leafing through it learning about the Basque Country (Euskara), different day trips to go on weekends, and a little about Spain´s history.

3. Despite having traveled the entire weekend, 16 hours on a train, and hiking up and down Lisbon´s hilly San Franciso-esque streets, I feel refreshed today. Maybe it´s the fact that I´ve gotten out of Dodge for a bit and that gives me energy.

Away from computer, warm weather, a few of my favorite things

2007-12-10T05:55:00.000-08:00

1. I´ve been away from the computer for what seems like a really long time and actually, it feels nice. Either the Internet server isn´t letting me access Blogger or I´ve been away from the school. It doesn´t bother me.

2. It was 65 degrees Fahrenheit, 18 degrees Celsius in Lisbon this weekend.

3. Swordfish, Indian food, pizzas...things that seem to be inaccessible here in Valladolid, but were happily available everywhere you looked in Lisbon.

4. New pictures to post...coming soon!

Hippo, birthday card, and Christmas lunch

2007-12-04T05:52:00.000-08:00

Yikes, I just had a four day weekend away from the blog...

1. I find that Aran has bought me that red-sweatered, comical stuffed hippo in the window of a stationery shop for my birthday. I can´t stop giggling when I realize what´s in the bag.

2. Michelle has made me a birthday card with all of my colleague´s signatures on it. We share the same birthday, so I got her a box of Chip´s Ahoy and some magic candles to put in her cubby hole at work.

3. A nice Christmas lunch with the language school at the most massive table I´ve ever eaten at and getting to talk with people I don´t usually see.

Teaching groove, optimistic glory, and blocks

2007-11-28T05:29:00.000-08:00

1. When someone asks me how my day teaching was, I can honestly say that it´s been alright, uneventful, or even a bit amusing.

2. As I listen to other people vent about every little detail that´s pissing them off, I feel relieved that I´m more often than not, an optimist.

3. While teaching my adult students last night, I learn that ¨blocks¨ as in a reference to how far away something is (i.e. she lives 4 blocks away)...means ¨manzana¨ or ¨apple¨ in Spanish. I savor a ¨student moment¨ in a class where I´m supposed to be teaching.

Moon, window hippo, and Halloween candy

2007-11-27T00:55:00.000-08:00

1. As I walk home, the moon is surrounded by that glowing halo of light and from where I´m standing, it´s evenly centered between two lines of trees that run along the street. There are no cars coming, but I pause briefly to gaze at the dark wisps of cloud that pass over the moon making it bright white one second and mottled the next.

2. There is a stuffed hippo wearing a red sweater in the window of a stationery shop and he´s sitting directly beneath a display light so that it looks as though the spotlight is on and he´s about to perform.

3. David brings in a package of candy corn that his mother sent him way back in October. Because his roommate didn´t know David´s last name and told the postman that there was no David by that name, the package got sent back to the U.S. Better late than never.

Pink, playing along, and hot wine

2007-11-26T05:42:00.000-08:00

1. Spanish men are not afraid to wear pink shirts or pink ties for that matter. It´s actually a pretty common occurence.

2. An older gentleman starts talking to me at the bus stop while we´re waiting and I can only pick out two or three words he´s saying. Instead of surrending and throwing out my, ¨lo siento, no hablo...¨, I decide that I´m just too tired and play along as if I understand the conversation. I make a guess that he wants to know about bus number 8. And as it pulls up, I point to it and he smiles and never appeared to have a clue that I was an idiot or foreigner or both for that matter.

3. With the help of cinnamon sticks, cloves, oranges, lemon, brown sugar, and some 75 cent table wine, we´ve created some amazing mulled wine for our Thanksgiving dinner on Sunday.

Smiles, carousel, and a curious cat

2007-11-23T06:19:00.000-08:00

1. I´m happy and I don´t know why, but I feel like smiling as I walk down the street.

2. There is a quite large, yet very old-fashioned carousel being set up in Plaza Mayor. I assume it´s for Christmas, like so many other decorations that are draping the city in festivity.

3. There is a white cat venturing out of an apartment window and climbing through the attached flower box. He looks unsure, so decides to hop back inside where it´s warm.

Scuba Kat, sibling helper, and perfect pesto

2007-11-22T05:39:00.000-08:00

1. Today it´s raining and instead of avoiding puddles, I´ve been stomping into them gleefully having come prepared with boots instead of regular shoes.

2. I see two young children waiting at a bus stop and I assume they are brother and sister, when the sister holds her arm in front of the little boy before he gets on the wrong bus.

3. A spaghetti dinner with the most delicious tasting pesto. If Spain can do one thing right, it´s anything to do with olives, olive oil, and olive related products.

Vanilla sky, new threads, cozy

2007-11-21T05:45:00.000-08:00

1. While walking home from work, I smell a heavy scent of vanilla in the air and whether it was born from factories or someone´s kitchen, I´ll never know, but decide just to savor it.

2. I´m wearing a new cream colored sweater today that I bought in Salamanca and it´s keeping me warm as the temperatures start to drop even lower.

3. This morning, my blanket is wrapped around me perfectly and the temperature in my room is not too hot or not too cold. I also realize this with one more hour to stay in bed.

Thanks givings, have a seat, and past cities

2007-11-20T06:01:00.000-08:00

1. Even though it´ll never beat Thanksgiving 2005 abroad in Hungary, planning the contents of Thanksgiving 2007 abroad in Spain make me look forward to the weekend.

2. Getting on the normally packed number 8 bus to my afternoon/evening classes and having to blink because there´s nobody on the bus. Every single last seat is available and I can sit down.

3. Having a dream about going back to Budapest and realizing how much I love that city and how I really do want to go back.

Small world, shopping, and simply standing

2007-11-19T05:55:00.000-08:00

1. At a bar on Friday night, there´s a Lithuanian guy sitting at our table who is suddenly out of the conversation when his friends leave to get a drink. I start talking to him and realize that he´s worked very close (Darien, to be exact) to my hometown in the U.S. We start talking about 75th street and how he thinks Bennigan´s has the best ribs he´s ever tasted.

2. Walking into the shops in Salamanca with Ann on Saturday and realizing that we have the entire shop to ourselves as it is the tail-end of siesta.

3. Ann and I watch the people in Plaza Mayor, Salamanca. Just about every Spanish city seems to have a ¨main square¨ or plaza mayor. I joke to her that I´ll start a photo collection of all the plaza mayors in Spain. But mostly, we just stand there eating our sandwiches, observing all the well dressed people (the men with the men and the women with the women) just standing about as if they´re waiting to be seen or waiting for something to happen. It´s in these moments that I see cultural differences.

Saturday in Salamanca, late morning, blue sky

2007-11-16T06:46:00.000-08:00

NOTE: I missed my computer time yesterday (I´m making up for it today), because I skipped out to meet Aran for lunch.

1. Thinking about a day trip to Salamanca tomorrow with a friend. I know nothing about the town, but I´m excited to travel and move away from all things work-related.

2. This morning is the first Friday morning that I´ve not had to be at work until 3:30, because my colleagues and I have no Young Learner´s Course this morning. As a result, I feel a bit more rested and fresh.

3. The sky is of a color blue that I´ve never seen before. A color that people would pay for in the shape of a gem to sit and gaze upon their finger. It gets me thinking about how many shades of sky there actually are.

November in Spain, morning light, and passafires

2007-11-16T06:32:00.000-08:00

1. Seeing my breath in the air, people armed in winter accessories, the temperature on the clock at one degree Celsius, and yet there are still palm trees standing tall, seemingly untouched and unfazed by the cold.

2. The horizontal sunrise line gradually moves higher and higher across cathedrals and plaza columns on my morning walk to Spanish class.

3. My two adult students ask for the name of the thing that Maggie Simpson has in her mouth. I explain that it´s a passafire. As the two women laugh and talk in Spanish, I can understand that they´re creating their own meaning for the word. Something roughly like, ¨when the baby cries, it´s like a fire, so you need to pass something over quickly to stop the fire.¨

Teacher voice, ´za, and student compromise

2007-11-14T06:05:00.000-08:00

1. Getting pushed to near breaking point by students, but then remembering that lashing out does no good for anyone, then lowered my voice to a gentler decibel.

2. Coming home to the smell of baking pizza.

3. After a much too loud argument among my students about who gets to clean the blackboard, Angela smiles sweetly and raises her hand. ¨Idea...Gonzalo today, Pablo Wednesday, Paula on Monday,¨ she says. I was pleasantly surprised and took her advice.

The other side of the desk, long underwear, and ARRRR...

2007-11-13T06:09:00.000-08:00

1. Going to my first Spanish lesson, sitting in the desks my students normally sit in, and getting extremely giddy about being a student again.

2. My nine year old students refer to ¨tights¨ as ¨underwear.¨

3. Another student adds ¨pirate¨ to the list of professions we have written on the blackboard.

Good job, animal hybrids, and Sunday trip

2007-11-12T05:51:00.000-08:00

1. Positive feeback from the Director of Studies about my classes at Lourdes.

2. An advertisement in Madrid with a red silohuette of a ¨horsechicken¨ that amuses me so much that I want to take a picture. I can´t help but think how top heavy the horse head is compared with chicken legs.

3. Coming home on a bus from Madrid with Aran and Ann with a good meal in our stomachs, many pictures, and realizing that I´ve found an antidote to the Sunday blues.

Autumn, Christmas, and wise words

2007-11-09T02:42:00.000-08:00

1. Yellow leaves whip through the sunny morning air like twirling golden stars.

2. Workers have begun hanging green and red glass ornaments nestled in garland from the buildings in Valladolid´s main square, and even though I know it´s still fairly early for all things Christmas, I can´t help but be excited, anticipating this year´s holiday in a new and very religious country.

3. Remembering a piece of advice my dad gave me about being careful not to burn bridges.

Teenage enthusiasm, present, and ride home

2007-11-08T05:48:00.000-08:00

1. Watching my normally indifferent and lethargic fourteen year old students squealing with laughter during a warm-up game before the lesson.

2. Opening my fridge to see that Aran bought me three portable bottles of Coke Light, just the way I like them.

3. Leaning back in my seat on the bus after a long day of teaching, while letting the bus driver take me closer to home and a warm dinner.

My very own, a special treat, and foreign transactions

2007-11-07T06:30:00.000-08:00

1. I find a laminated worksheet listing all the English tenses that I bought in Budapest several months ago and realize that I can hang it on the wall, because it is indeed my very own classroom and I can put it anywhere I want.

2. On my way to my first class, I stop at the grocery store to grab a Coke Light to give me the kick I need to get through the rest of the afternoon/evening and as a bonus, I´ve made it in time before the pre-siesta rush.

3. My bus card is low on credit and I´m still somewhat nervous to ask for things in Spanish. However, when it´s over and I´ve managed to communicate, ¨I want to recharge...for 5.80....thank you...see you later...¨ I feel that rush from accomplishing a micro-mini chore in a foreign country. I

Making life easier

2007-11-06T05:59:00.000-08:00

I´ve decided that I have got to start writing more. But it´s hard to do it when I´m jumping all over town with only several minutes to spare on Internet. So, I will continue my posts in the theme of another blogger who I discovered about a year ago. She delivers her observations and thoughts in digestive bits of 3 each day. These bits are something beautiful and positive, even though they may appear little to an ordinary observer.

A few days ago, I read my online quote of the day and I was told that happiness is not a trip to Paris or getting a successful job, because more often than not, expectations will not always be met. Happiness is in the traveling....not to Spain or France or Turkey or wherever a dream destination may lie...but in the traveling through life and the little things you encounter each day. I can´t remember who said it, but it´s stuck with me for a week now. Between reading Clare´s blog ¨Three Beautiful Things,¨ the above paraphrased quote, and my desire to write and capture my time in Spain, it´s become time to chain myself to a chair in front of the computer for at least a few minutes everyday and write....starting....tomorrow.

Promised pictures

2007-10-24T06:22:00.000-07:00

I really haven´t taken that many photos, what with being occupied by a pesky full time job and a even peskier full-time cold. So here are the few that I´ve immortalized...

Below is my apartment living room...Ha, it was worth the wait! I love the window.

Next, is my classroom at IH and the faces my students have drawn. They´re on the wall and they get stickers if they´re good. Bribery: my latest experiment in teaching.

On my way to work one afternoon, I couldn´t help but notice how vibrant the rose garden was in comparison with the gray October day.

Below is one of my favorites so far. Aran and I were walking around in Campo Grande, when we turned a corner only to witness a flock of white birds swooping low through the sky to reveal a starburst of orange sunlight through the trees, petals falling daintily from a flowering tree and a gaggle of peacocks minding their own business in a peaceful rose garden at exactly the same moment. Of course, that couldn´t be captured on camera, but I had to try for some post-moment glow.

To finish, is what I could call my second home: my very own classroom.

STAY TUNED FOR MORE!

Lessons, transformations, and observations

2007-10-23T06:07:00.000-07:00

My blog has only been alive for a few weeks, still young, stumbling on spindly fawn legs and I´ve already changed its name.

Valladolid isn´t really the moon anymore. Maybe that should have been the title to an entry, but not my blog. Things have become somewhat familiar now: the bus lines, the main squares, the absence of dinnertime crowds. Therefore, I´m going back to the familiar, back to what worked before. A continuation of lessons...this time in Spanish!

It´s quite possible that I may get more readers this way. Those looking for actual Spanish lessons may happen upon this blog and realize that unfortunately, I don´t offer Spanish lessons. I´m looking for them myself!

On another note, I´ve been wanting to jot down the little differences or strange things I see each day, but I always tend to fall asleep before I do. So I present you with a short bite here and now:

olive oil is in absolute abundance in the grocery stores

a good variety of chocolate is not

city maintenance cuts off the tops of trees making the city look full of bony hands reaching for the sky

everyone wears nice shoes here

everyone also seems to find a spare minute to window shop

I do promise to get some pictures up soon. I´ve been carrying the camera around with me to get shots on my way to work in the afternoon.

Sick Days

2007-10-19T11:29:00.001-07:00

Either there´s something strange in the air here in Valladolid or the children are passing a string of sicknesses around, but most of the teachers here have picked up some kind of bug.

I´m still coughing without a voice, Colin´s determining whether the color of his phlegm is normal, Michelle is going through my aspirin faster than I am, and others have decided to resign themselves to their apartments for the weekend instead of an impromptu jaunt to Madrid.

Luckily there is no teaching for our sorry sick bunch on Fridays, but we still have to make a somewhat lengthy appearance at the school to plan, meet with parents, and take a Young Learner Course. Yikes. Today, instead of hunting for an apartment, I spent some time planning for the entire week ahead of me.

I´m sure my eyes are a bit red and my pulse is racing from the adrenaline of trying to get too much done in such a short amount of time, especially on a Friday night abroad. Gone are the sweet Friday afternoons spent doing nothing. Instead, I´m organizing and at school, preparing for a job that might just kill the remaining granules of my voice.

Still trying to figure out the best equation for managing my time in this crazy schedule that´s been so quickly unloaded onto my shoulders.

At least I´m not alone in this. The bug will pass. Hopefully soon.

Rough day

2007-10-17T06:04:00.000-07:00

It´s barely started, but I´m just not here today. I´m losing my voice and maybe coming down with something, because I just feel SPENT.

Perhaps my students are noticing my absence of first week energy, because they´re making excuses to leave class. Well that was just one. I have to go somewhat easy on myself.

A little disorganization at work, a lack of voice, and attempts to adjust to the strangest eating schedule I´ve ever had, not to mention wanting to be able to communicate in a foreign country for once and not being able to are taking their toll on my soul.

If there were a genie in a bottle here right now, I´d wish to be thrown back into bed where I could drink tea and read for the whole afternoon.

Move-in, fiestas, and birthdays

2007-10-13T05:02:00.000-07:00

Today I´m moving into my apartment. Finally. Sigh of relief.

It´s been a three day weekend, Friday being a holiday in honor of Chris Columbus, who discovered the Americas. I didn´t even consider the possibility that Spaniards would celebrate the Columbus day we know and love (a day off school) in the U.S. But it all makes sense now. My adult student reminded me that good old Chris was exiled here in Valladolid for the mistreatment of Native Americans. There is also a museum that I have yet to find and see documenting his life.

Aran´s birthday was yesterday, so we decided to take a break from the hectic pace of adjusting and take a leisurely stroll around Campo Grande, the park here that´s famous for its free roaming peacocks and peahens, not to mention forest ducks. I did get a few shots on my camera, but I´m still in the process of loading them onto my computer. There is a cafe in the center of the park where we both ordered cafe con leches, unwound, and watched kids and adults alike juggling, tossing, and kicking chestnuts around like the latest toy on the market.
We had dinner around nine and ordered a plate of food for four people seeing as we´d only eaten a bocadillo and tiny calamari sandwich for breakfast. The two of us polished off the platter without skipping a beat, proving once again that Spanish people don´t eat the size of dinner that we Americans do.

I´m off to grocery shop, do laundry, and unpack after living out of hotels and hostels for three weeks. I never thought I´d look forward to it so much.

La Comida y Tapas

2007-10-11T06:13:00.000-07:00

Eating has been a bit of a struggle here. Not in the sense that I´m not hungry, because after teaching five classes in a row through dinner, believe me, I have room in my stomach.

My first class doesn´t start until one and I don´t yet have a kitchen, so usually, I get a plastic box triangle sandwich from the grocery store for breakfast. Yum.

Lunch falls between my bus commute from school one to school two, so I gradually learned to buy two plastic box triangle sandwiches. By dinnertime, I was starving and ready to eat a bull.

After much trial and error, I learned that dinner doesn´t seem to be a huge deal here. If you want to go to a restaurant to eat, it´s going to be a tad fancier than expected, complete with three courses. And when Aran and I tried to go to a restaurant one night, we had to nibble on some tapas at a bar while we waited for the restaurant to open at 9:30. We were one of two groups of people dining at that location that night. At 10:30, exactly an hour after we walked in, the waiter glared at our food, at us, willing us with his eyes to leave already. Apparently, the restaurant was ready to close an hour after opening.

So, I´ve learned. I still eat my plastic box sandwiches, but I eat a big lunch that school one provides for 3 euro and then I nab some tapas at a bar for dinner.

I´m moving along, slowly but surely.

Apartment hunting and rusty Spanish

2007-10-06T10:33:00.000-07:00

Apartments are not in abundance here in Valladolid. I´m still looking, without much luck. It doesn´t help that everything closes, including apartment rental agencies, between 2-5 for siesta. Right now, I feel like I´m running through an obstacle course, trying to climb up a wet muddy hill, racing around a hamster wheel that´s stuck.

I´ve started working, but it´s hard to concentrate on anything else when I don´t have a semi-permanent place to live yet. Wrinkled clothes from living out of a suitcase, and socks that have been worn twice, sometimes thrice are getting old.

This is not a touristy place and with my non-existent Spanish, I have a hard time getting by without relying on others. Even the Spanish people here are surprised that I don´t speak Spanish. It looks like it´s high time I started hitting the books.

Melrose Blvd...

2007-10-04T06:19:00.000-07:00

...is the name of the sign on my classroom door at IH. I have several groups of nine year olds that come to me in classes of eight! Then I have some teenagers and some adults at night. So far, they´ve all been cooperating! I have a circle of desks, a whiteboard, and windows that look out into the square. A flashing green pharmacy sign gets brighter as it gets darker. My classes here start at 3:55 and end at either 8:40 or 10:05pm. I´m still getting used to the schedule, but it´s making the jet lag hard to lose.

I teach one class of nine year olds in a school called ¨Lourdes,¨a very private and prestigious school. For the most part, they´re well behaved. Then, I have about two hours to commute to the other side of the city. It´s only about a fifteen minute bus ride, but the bus is usually packed with kids going home after their school day.

As for my Spanish, I might be able to take classes here at the school, but that hasn´t been organized yet. I am picking up words here and there, but still feel quite helpless. The city itself is pretty nice. There are more shoe shops and boutiques than a girl could ask for and a lot of Spanish architecture. Siesta or ¨lunch break¨occurs from between 2-5 here. Many things are closed and people go home to have lunch and a nap. This is what my adult students have told me.

Valladolid, located in the Castille-Leon region of Spain, has what its inhabitants call, ¨the purest form of Spanish¨in the world. Because I don´t understand Spanish, I can´t begin to differentiate between forms, but just go with it.

I have yet to take any pictures, because I´ve been so busy. But, once everything settles down a bit, I´ll be sure to write more and post some shots.

I have a long afternoon-evening of classes ahead of me, because one teacher quit without telling anyone and we´ve got to sub for him. Adios for now...

no hablo espanol

2007-09-28T11:03:00.000-07:00

I´m in Spain with a Spanish keyboard and I´m desperately trying to retrieve all the Spanish I learned in middle school for three weeks. So far, I´m just stupidly pronouncing words I see as I walk by. Gracias is not ´gra-see-as´ but ´gra-th-ee-as´. Plaza is not ´plazah´but ´platha.´

I start teaching on Monday and I´ve got classes of nine year olds and 15-16 year olds plus some adults. We´ll only know until it happens.

Adios for now...

Anticipation and last night

2007-09-24T21:53:00.000-07:00

When I first got back from Hungary in July, my bed in the U.S. seemed so foreign. Now, it's just like home again. And hopefully I'll warm up to a new Spanish bed.

I've got one hell of a flight itinerary ahead of me tomorrow, and I'll be happy if I make it to Spain. Chicago - Philadelphia - Barcelona - Valladolid complete with overnight flights, flight changes, storms, and other additives. Of course, I can't predict this outcome and I'm over- worrying, but I do have this sinking feeling in my stomach as I think about how the conditions just seem right for disaster.

But maybe that's just because I'm picking up and leaving again and with that, there's a lot to think about.

I'm off to bed. And off to Spain.

Introductions, countdowns, and autumn afternoons

2007-09-22T19:31:00.000-07:00

Sometime after a flurried morning of nervous pacing, anxious conversations on the phone, and clicking on computer buttons that would just not click fast enough, I managed to secure myself a ticket to Spain. More importantly, I've secured a hearty bite of my future. For now. I think. I hope.

I'm going to the moon. Or so says the DoS with whom I spoke on the phone today.

Valladolid, Spain. Although the city is about two hours northwest of Madrid and is home to a university, worthy wines, peacock parks, a reputable language school (in which Aran and I'll be making our temporary living), Chicagoesque winters, not to mention summers, and hopefully (fingers crossed) siestas; its airport is far removed from all of this. The DoS chuckles on the phone and tells me that when flying into Valladolid by plane, "it looks like you're landing on the moon."

Just thinking about landing on foreign soil for another year abroad makes my throat catch and I idly consider if it'd help to strap on an oxygen tank for those first steps on the moon.

What makes it all a little more exciting is that I'm leaving Tuesday, 9/25, just a week after being offered the job, and a little less than a week before the start of classes. It's testing my nerves quite a bit, but wanderlust continues to steer me confidently towards suitcases and flight itineraries.

Today was a perfect early autumn evening. One you'd like to capture in a jar, like fireflies. My brother and I both managed to get ourselves jobs this week, just like our similar re-entry dates to the U.S. in July. Based on this observation, it should take roughly two months to find a job. If life were only that easy.

We drove downtown Naperville to have a celebration dinner at an Italian restaurant where we gorged ourselves miserable on bread with olive oil and parmesan, stuffed mushrooms, sausages, and pastas. Between bites, we gawked at the severely young looking high school kids filing in for dinner before the homecoming dance. And, together we were all baffled at their parents who first took several of the infamous "homecoming group dinner shots," and then proceeded to watch a football game at the bar, just a few tables away. When did parents get to join in on the homecoming dance group dinner?

We took a walk around by the river at which my dad commented, "there is one problem with this river. It needs to get better." We all agreed, seeing as you could hike through it and barely get the tops of your shoes wet. Even still, a wedding party was being photographed near it, while more straggling homecoming students posed by a fountain framed by late afternoon sunlight, girls awkward in their heels and corsages.

It was good to observe. All was pleasant.

Lastly, we followed a trail that gave us a favorable view of the college football game across the river. The band played enthusiastically, little figurines from so far away. The announcers started the game and the players were off. In between the football game and the trail where we stood, crunchy yellow leaves fell softly into the river.

Just when I'm about to leave, I began to appreciate the U.S. a little more.