New Years (la noche vieja, in Spain) will be here tomorrow! I'm equipped with champagne (cava) and grapes (uvas), but fresh out of resolutions. Except maybe to get on top of my finances, which seem to have gotten quite out of hand since my return to Spain.
In case you weren't aware, there is a tradition in Spain to eat one grape every second during the final countdown to midnight. Apparently, this began as a Catalan tradition, so in Barcelona there are paramedics on hand all through the night for the occasional choking "accident." Still, I'm really excited! They don't have seedless grapes in Spain (imagine!), so we'll have to cut out the seeds and prepare the grapes for quick swallowing as the clock strikes 12:00. Fun, fun, fun!
The b/f is also set to arrive in 4 hours and counting - I barely slept a wink last night, I'm so excited. Apparently, neither did he. That's typical for the first night before a big trip, though. I never sleep before I get on the plane, which is better for me b/c then I'm actually able to sleep during the long flight. I'm sure he'll konk out as soon as he gets here, but I doubt I'll be able to sleep. Maybe I'll just lie there and watch him snooze next to me :)
Anyway, we have planned a grand cena (dinner) at the house, and then we'll move the party up to the Mirador de San Nicolas (minutes away from the house) for midnight. There will be fireworks, champagne, a view of the entire city (including the Alhambra), and we'll also be able to see all the parties going on down in the city below. Perfect. Hopefully, there will be parties going on until dawn - I hope the b/f is prepared for going out Spanish-style!
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Planning A Gay Yule Tide
Deflation. Absolute and utter decompression. That's what Xmas is about for me this year.
After the longest, most difficult week of my life as a TEFL teacher, I got to sing at the annual IML Teacher's Christmas party. The owner arranged for us to play at a really great jazz bar in Realejo, an awesome barrio of Granada. We rehearsed once last Sunday, and we pulled it off quite well for only one 4-hour rehearsal. It was me and Paul (from Canada) on vocals, Paul and Jack on drums/cajon, Jonathan on bass, Hans and Jack on Guitar, and Joe (female) on violin. When I found out we would be playing, I freaked out about it a bit for two weeks, but then all that nervous tension was eased last night with a few glasses of wine. The crowd was warm and inviting, and I had my very own female cheering section there to support me. It felt great to hear my voice through a PA again. I'd forgotten how much I love it, how much I miss just singing with other musicians. I will try to keep this as a more permanent part of my social life here in Granada - clearly, there is no lack of talented musicians here with which to collaborate!
Anyhow, now that last night is over, I feel a bit despondent, but still sortof euphoric too. Most of the household has left for Christmas to visit their families and won't return until after the New Year. There are about 6 or 7 of us left here who will stay and make the yule tide gay - sugar cookies, spice cake, eggnog, cider, and board games. I want to make a ramshackle tree and arrange a gift exchange too, and just lock ourselves in the salon with two or three heaters and hang out until the sun comes up, really see if Santa Clause stops by :)
I hope I don't die of boredom before then.
After the longest, most difficult week of my life as a TEFL teacher, I got to sing at the annual IML Teacher's Christmas party. The owner arranged for us to play at a really great jazz bar in Realejo, an awesome barrio of Granada. We rehearsed once last Sunday, and we pulled it off quite well for only one 4-hour rehearsal. It was me and Paul (from Canada) on vocals, Paul and Jack on drums/cajon, Jonathan on bass, Hans and Jack on Guitar, and Joe (female) on violin. When I found out we would be playing, I freaked out about it a bit for two weeks, but then all that nervous tension was eased last night with a few glasses of wine. The crowd was warm and inviting, and I had my very own female cheering section there to support me. It felt great to hear my voice through a PA again. I'd forgotten how much I love it, how much I miss just singing with other musicians. I will try to keep this as a more permanent part of my social life here in Granada - clearly, there is no lack of talented musicians here with which to collaborate!
Anyhow, now that last night is over, I feel a bit despondent, but still sortof euphoric too. Most of the household has left for Christmas to visit their families and won't return until after the New Year. There are about 6 or 7 of us left here who will stay and make the yule tide gay - sugar cookies, spice cake, eggnog, cider, and board games. I want to make a ramshackle tree and arrange a gift exchange too, and just lock ourselves in the salon with two or three heaters and hang out until the sun comes up, really see if Santa Clause stops by :)
I hope I don't die of boredom before then.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
A long, arduous day...
Sigh, where to begin???
So, this week has been BUSY to say the least. I woke up this morning, ready for the three classes I had to teach, complete with my very own drawing of Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer to accompany the listening activity I'd planned for my 7 & 8 yr-olds. As I walked into school to copy said drawing along with some additional exam materials for another class, who should call but my boss at IML? "I can see you from my window!" he says. (I was just below the school, which is on the 3rd floor, crossing the street as he called.) "Just a sec, I'm coming up there!" I replied. When I got there, he gave me the usual raised-eyebrow, anticipatory stare that he always has when he's about to ask me for a favor. Basically, he asked me to cover for another sick teacher tonight - two classes, just after my final class which ends at 7pm. This means working until 9:30pm and putting off the MOUNTAIN of work that I have to get done tonight. I agreed - hey, I need the money.
Anyway, so fast forward to my class with the 7 & 8 yr-olds, where I get the students into groups and very excited about the listening activity. I suddenly realize, I've misplaced the cd I burned with not one but FIVE different versions of "Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer" on it so that they can listen and put the lyrics in order. I ask another teacher to keep an eye on the students as I dash downstairs to dig for the cd, thinking I'd mistakenly put it into the wrong cd case with all my materials which I'd left downstairs. It wasn't there!! So I ran back up to the classroom, dug through my bag, and found it after all. I began to play the song, just as chaos broke out amongst the students. The usual suspects were screeching strange Spanish syllables (how's that for alliteration??) that I couldn't understand let alone speak over. I lost it. I turned off the song, just as the other students were really starting to figure it all out, and forced the students to write sentences instead. This meant they would NOT be rewarded for completing the task and also that I basically hate them. Some of the students complained (the good students), while the ones who routinely cause trouble just went on being bastards. Effing brats. Sometimes I hate teaching.
So then, flash forward to just after that class, where I brought up the topic of my transportation money to my boss as she was driving me back to the city center so I could catch a bus to my next class. I had sent her both an email AND a text message on the subject, saying I had to recharge my bus card this week and that I had the receipt, and could she reimburse me soon. So, I bring it up in the car, and she quickly changes her tone and says she "has to discuss it with Catarine," the other director. Something else about how "we agree to pay for some of your transportation costs...." So I immediately mounted the defensive and brought up the fact that, had I been given a choice (I hadn't) to accept or not accept these classes that are in Granada's B.F.E. region, knowing that transportation wouldn't be completely covered, I'd have been CRAZY to accept them. She said she was upset to hear that I felt that way about the scheduling, and I continued to tell her (most politely, of course) that the scheduling isn't the issue - I love my classes, have no problem with them, etc. - but that scheduling, i.e. WHERE the classes are, is related to transportation, which is the issue at hand. We were both in a rush to get to our next classes, so then as we were getting out of the car, still discussing the matter, she reaches into her purse and thrusts a 10 euro bill at me. I tell her, "Look, I've got the receipt, all I need is 5 euros to cover what I recharged on the card, you don't need to give me 10." And she keeps on insisting, saying, "No, no...I don't want to quibble about 8 euros." And I'm thinking, "Hold up - 8 euros is a lot of money, yo! I can buy breakfast for a WEEK on 8 euros." I took the money, and then I felt guilty (which I think, in retrospect, may have been her intention in just throwing money at me). So then I bought 2 packs of cigarettes with the 5 euros, and put the other 5 on my bus pass. Ha.
So THEN...
Flash forward to my 2 completely unprepared classes where I filled in for another sick teacher. The first one was a piece of cake - FCE students who have already taken the exam, and only 2 of the 12 showed up! So, we talked about Christmas, I presented them with the Rudolph activity which I'd so lovingly prepared and had to forfeit with the intended recipients, and the time flew by. Then, there were 4 students that showed up for the 2nd class - CAE (aka more advanced) students, who were quite suspicious about me from the beginning since I'm not their normal teacher. I did the Rudolph song with them, and they breezed through it on just one listen (typical of CAE students, but you can't blame me for trying). Then, I dished out a worksheet that I handmade a few months ago for another CAE student. This kept them occupied for 10 minutes, wherein I vigorously took notes, frantically trying to come up with ideas to fill the next HOUR of class. Somehow - and I have no earthly explanation for how the hell this came to be - visions of all those immaculate lesson plans on the TEFL course came flooding into my brain. It was automatic - I thought of a great role-play idea for my Production stage, then I thought about possible lead-ins and topics (Christmas shopping and associated problems), and all the Practice stage pieces just fell into place from there. I even started it off with a bogus story about how I recently purchased an ipod for my boyfriend, found out it was broken, then had to get this resolved at the store. This led to a discussion of aggressive, passive, and assertive behavior - in the moment, I remember that there's an entire UNIT in the CAE course book about "assertiveness," and "Hey, Presto!" I had a lesson. The students were interested and engaged, cooperated perfectly with the role-play, and perhaps even had a little fun. And the best part (which I attribute completely to the PPP model) was they didn't even realize they were learning!
I left work feeling euphoric and "in the zone" in a way I've never felt before with teaching. I mean, I've felt it's my calling before, but never so strongly. At this moment, I feel like all the "sink or swim" experience is FINALLY paying off, and I know for sure that I'm a swimmer.
To top off the euphoria, I rode the bus home listening to the playlist I recently uploaded to my mp3 player - songs from our set list on Friday. [Background: I'm singing on Friday at the IML Christmas party with a band comprised of 5 other TEFL teachers, and we sound awesome, if I do say so myself.] I've got blisters on my fingers from practicing the guitar for a solid week, ppl who genuinely think I can sing, and some new tunes to focus my attention on: HAPPINESS.
Oh yeah, did I mention I haven't eaten today, and I've got THREE full exams to prepare, plus report cards to fill out for 20 students, and a 12-hr teaching day tomorrow?? So, the day's not over. And all I can say is, thank god for momentum.
So, this week has been BUSY to say the least. I woke up this morning, ready for the three classes I had to teach, complete with my very own drawing of Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer to accompany the listening activity I'd planned for my 7 & 8 yr-olds. As I walked into school to copy said drawing along with some additional exam materials for another class, who should call but my boss at IML? "I can see you from my window!" he says. (I was just below the school, which is on the 3rd floor, crossing the street as he called.) "Just a sec, I'm coming up there!" I replied. When I got there, he gave me the usual raised-eyebrow, anticipatory stare that he always has when he's about to ask me for a favor. Basically, he asked me to cover for another sick teacher tonight - two classes, just after my final class which ends at 7pm. This means working until 9:30pm and putting off the MOUNTAIN of work that I have to get done tonight. I agreed - hey, I need the money.
Anyway, so fast forward to my class with the 7 & 8 yr-olds, where I get the students into groups and very excited about the listening activity. I suddenly realize, I've misplaced the cd I burned with not one but FIVE different versions of "Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer" on it so that they can listen and put the lyrics in order. I ask another teacher to keep an eye on the students as I dash downstairs to dig for the cd, thinking I'd mistakenly put it into the wrong cd case with all my materials which I'd left downstairs. It wasn't there!! So I ran back up to the classroom, dug through my bag, and found it after all. I began to play the song, just as chaos broke out amongst the students. The usual suspects were screeching strange Spanish syllables (how's that for alliteration??) that I couldn't understand let alone speak over. I lost it. I turned off the song, just as the other students were really starting to figure it all out, and forced the students to write sentences instead. This meant they would NOT be rewarded for completing the task and also that I basically hate them. Some of the students complained (the good students), while the ones who routinely cause trouble just went on being bastards. Effing brats. Sometimes I hate teaching.
So then, flash forward to just after that class, where I brought up the topic of my transportation money to my boss as she was driving me back to the city center so I could catch a bus to my next class. I had sent her both an email AND a text message on the subject, saying I had to recharge my bus card this week and that I had the receipt, and could she reimburse me soon. So, I bring it up in the car, and she quickly changes her tone and says she "has to discuss it with Catarine," the other director. Something else about how "we agree to pay for some of your transportation costs...." So I immediately mounted the defensive and brought up the fact that, had I been given a choice (I hadn't) to accept or not accept these classes that are in Granada's B.F.E. region, knowing that transportation wouldn't be completely covered, I'd have been CRAZY to accept them. She said she was upset to hear that I felt that way about the scheduling, and I continued to tell her (most politely, of course) that the scheduling isn't the issue - I love my classes, have no problem with them, etc. - but that scheduling, i.e. WHERE the classes are, is related to transportation, which is the issue at hand. We were both in a rush to get to our next classes, so then as we were getting out of the car, still discussing the matter, she reaches into her purse and thrusts a 10 euro bill at me. I tell her, "Look, I've got the receipt, all I need is 5 euros to cover what I recharged on the card, you don't need to give me 10." And she keeps on insisting, saying, "No, no...I don't want to quibble about 8 euros." And I'm thinking, "Hold up - 8 euros is a lot of money, yo! I can buy breakfast for a WEEK on 8 euros." I took the money, and then I felt guilty (which I think, in retrospect, may have been her intention in just throwing money at me). So then I bought 2 packs of cigarettes with the 5 euros, and put the other 5 on my bus pass. Ha.
So THEN...
Flash forward to my 2 completely unprepared classes where I filled in for another sick teacher. The first one was a piece of cake - FCE students who have already taken the exam, and only 2 of the 12 showed up! So, we talked about Christmas, I presented them with the Rudolph activity which I'd so lovingly prepared and had to forfeit with the intended recipients, and the time flew by. Then, there were 4 students that showed up for the 2nd class - CAE (aka more advanced) students, who were quite suspicious about me from the beginning since I'm not their normal teacher. I did the Rudolph song with them, and they breezed through it on just one listen (typical of CAE students, but you can't blame me for trying). Then, I dished out a worksheet that I handmade a few months ago for another CAE student. This kept them occupied for 10 minutes, wherein I vigorously took notes, frantically trying to come up with ideas to fill the next HOUR of class. Somehow - and I have no earthly explanation for how the hell this came to be - visions of all those immaculate lesson plans on the TEFL course came flooding into my brain. It was automatic - I thought of a great role-play idea for my Production stage, then I thought about possible lead-ins and topics (Christmas shopping and associated problems), and all the Practice stage pieces just fell into place from there. I even started it off with a bogus story about how I recently purchased an ipod for my boyfriend, found out it was broken, then had to get this resolved at the store. This led to a discussion of aggressive, passive, and assertive behavior - in the moment, I remember that there's an entire UNIT in the CAE course book about "assertiveness," and "Hey, Presto!" I had a lesson. The students were interested and engaged, cooperated perfectly with the role-play, and perhaps even had a little fun. And the best part (which I attribute completely to the PPP model) was they didn't even realize they were learning!
I left work feeling euphoric and "in the zone" in a way I've never felt before with teaching. I mean, I've felt it's my calling before, but never so strongly. At this moment, I feel like all the "sink or swim" experience is FINALLY paying off, and I know for sure that I'm a swimmer.
To top off the euphoria, I rode the bus home listening to the playlist I recently uploaded to my mp3 player - songs from our set list on Friday. [Background: I'm singing on Friday at the IML Christmas party with a band comprised of 5 other TEFL teachers, and we sound awesome, if I do say so myself.] I've got blisters on my fingers from practicing the guitar for a solid week, ppl who genuinely think I can sing, and some new tunes to focus my attention on: HAPPINESS.
Oh yeah, did I mention I haven't eaten today, and I've got THREE full exams to prepare, plus report cards to fill out for 20 students, and a 12-hr teaching day tomorrow?? So, the day's not over. And all I can say is, thank god for momentum.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Blank Space
...is always somehow daunting. It makes me take a deep breath and then my mind goes as blank as the page and I feel the motivation to write this blog draining from my veins.
I hit a groove last week with my lesson planning (exciting, right?! sorry to bore you, but this is my life). I planned everything on Sunday, and on Monday morning, there wasn't that familiar feeling of dread because I have no idea what I'm teaching today. It took a few hours to put it all together, but it was WELL worth it. And then came the three-day weekend as a result of the Dia de la Constitucion (don't ask me what the festival is about - there are far too many to keep track of, I don't ask anymore, just ENJOY the time off), and of course when I went to bed on Monday night, I hadn't planned my entire week like before. I went to work today feeling like a failure as a teacher because I just couldn't be bothered to come up with dynamic lessons for my three students today.
Oh well, I guess things work in cycles. I'll get ahead at some point, I'm sure. I've still got a bit of time before bed tonight to plan for tomorrow!
In good news, I'm possibly going to the UK for Christmas! My friend Alastair, who recently moved out of the house in Granada and went back to England, has invited Marcia and me up to his family's home in Ipswich. A roaring fire, British pudding, walks to neighborhood pubs and playing in the f-f-f-freezing cold weather - sounds like Christmas to me! I'm just thrilled to be going somewhere with a family, where they speak English and are as excited to have me as I am to be there. I'll get to see London for real (more than the airport!), and I'll get to experience British people outside of [British people in Spain]. I've got to figure out a way to do this without spending more than pocket money, but it will certainly be worth it. Woot woot! Pictures will certainly be posted, in the event that this comes through. *We still haven't booked our flight yet, which is why I speak of this as hypothetical, but it's pretty sure that we're going at this point.*
So, Christmas will be sad and strange since I'm not with my family, which is the whole point of Christmas for me. But at least I can be with someone else's family!
On another note, I've rediscovered my Southern roots, in terms of music. I've been downloading a mess of old Opry, gospel, Motown, 60's rock, and blues (Iko Iko, anybody??). This music fills my heart and makes me so homesick that I can't even describe it in words. I've been asked to sing at my school's Christmas party on December 18th, and there are a TON of musicians teaching English at IML (the school), so the pressure is on to chop some wood and get my vocals in shape. I figure if we do some gospel, I can at least surprise people with the tiny little black woman that I know is sometimes lying dormant in my vocal chords.
That's all the updates I've got for now. Life's good - cold (below freezing), but good. Ups and downs, sweets and sours, all that stuff. Plain ol' L-I-V-I-N'.
I hit a groove last week with my lesson planning (exciting, right?! sorry to bore you, but this is my life). I planned everything on Sunday, and on Monday morning, there wasn't that familiar feeling of dread because I have no idea what I'm teaching today. It took a few hours to put it all together, but it was WELL worth it. And then came the three-day weekend as a result of the Dia de la Constitucion (don't ask me what the festival is about - there are far too many to keep track of, I don't ask anymore, just ENJOY the time off), and of course when I went to bed on Monday night, I hadn't planned my entire week like before. I went to work today feeling like a failure as a teacher because I just couldn't be bothered to come up with dynamic lessons for my three students today.
Oh well, I guess things work in cycles. I'll get ahead at some point, I'm sure. I've still got a bit of time before bed tonight to plan for tomorrow!
In good news, I'm possibly going to the UK for Christmas! My friend Alastair, who recently moved out of the house in Granada and went back to England, has invited Marcia and me up to his family's home in Ipswich. A roaring fire, British pudding, walks to neighborhood pubs and playing in the f-f-f-freezing cold weather - sounds like Christmas to me! I'm just thrilled to be going somewhere with a family, where they speak English and are as excited to have me as I am to be there. I'll get to see London for real (more than the airport!), and I'll get to experience British people outside of [British people in Spain]. I've got to figure out a way to do this without spending more than pocket money, but it will certainly be worth it. Woot woot! Pictures will certainly be posted, in the event that this comes through. *We still haven't booked our flight yet, which is why I speak of this as hypothetical, but it's pretty sure that we're going at this point.*
So, Christmas will be sad and strange since I'm not with my family, which is the whole point of Christmas for me. But at least I can be with someone else's family!
On another note, I've rediscovered my Southern roots, in terms of music. I've been downloading a mess of old Opry, gospel, Motown, 60's rock, and blues (Iko Iko, anybody??). This music fills my heart and makes me so homesick that I can't even describe it in words. I've been asked to sing at my school's Christmas party on December 18th, and there are a TON of musicians teaching English at IML (the school), so the pressure is on to chop some wood and get my vocals in shape. I figure if we do some gospel, I can at least surprise people with the tiny little black woman that I know is sometimes lying dormant in my vocal chords.
That's all the updates I've got for now. Life's good - cold (below freezing), but good. Ups and downs, sweets and sours, all that stuff. Plain ol' L-I-V-I-N'.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Thank God for Words
Today was sortof a wash due to an impromptu hangover, and also incidentally sortof awash with sentiment since I spent a large portion of it re-reading Song of Myself for maybe the 30th time. I'd forgotten how long that poem is, and how wonderful. I'm not even halfway through it, taking my time with each line and relishing in them, and already the familiar wave of humility and grace and wonder is taking me. I know it's a bit rotten to say this, but there are elements of almost every poem I've ever written in Song of Myself. I wonder if maybe I subconsciously internalize my favorite poems and squeeze remnants of them into the things I write. There are hints of Ginsberg in some of my poems too, not surprising since he worshipped Whitman like I do. Anyway, I am in no way at ALL comparing the crappy little lives of my poems to the legends of the Greats, but I'm thankful and wistful today to feel touched and connected by something so much bigger than me, so much bigger than the world - yet completely inseparable from everything.
I just came across this particular stanza and almost felt like crying:
What is commonest, cheapest, nearest, easiest, is Me,
Me going in for my chances, spending for vast returns,
Adorning myself to bestow myself on the first that will take me,
Not asking the sky to come down to my good will,
Scattering it freely forever.
I don't know what I would do without words, without poetry. I wonder if other people in the world are fortunate enough to be as moved by something as I am by simple words. It's like the whole meaning of life for me is enveloped by this overwhelming feeling...sadness and euphoria, longing and resignation, wisdom and curiosity. It's the sweet and the sour, man. The sweet and the sour. I love you, Walt Whitman. Thanks for making me feel human again.
I just came across this particular stanza and almost felt like crying:
What is commonest, cheapest, nearest, easiest, is Me,
Me going in for my chances, spending for vast returns,
Adorning myself to bestow myself on the first that will take me,
Not asking the sky to come down to my good will,
Scattering it freely forever.
I don't know what I would do without words, without poetry. I wonder if other people in the world are fortunate enough to be as moved by something as I am by simple words. It's like the whole meaning of life for me is enveloped by this overwhelming feeling...sadness and euphoria, longing and resignation, wisdom and curiosity. It's the sweet and the sour, man. The sweet and the sour. I love you, Walt Whitman. Thanks for making me feel human again.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Bad Blog Mommy
Ok, ok. It goes without saying: I dropped the ball.
I've recently gone the more personal route of sending emails to a few friends and family members back home, so the blog suffered a little hiatus. In fact, I'm so swamped with work at this point that I'm going to borrow from some of these emails in order to update those who didn't receive one. So, my apologies in advance if these snippets seem disjointed at all. I've categorized them according to context, for clarity:
Travelling:
It's funny how you take things for granted without even knowing it. Travelling has taught me a lot about that - appreciating what you have while you have it, because next thing you know, you'll be moving on to a new city with new faces, new things to see every day, new adventures. It's different being here in Granada again because this time I have a job, like the city seems more normal and less exotic because it's sortof "home" now, but I still have these moments of complete euphoria when I realize where I am and just have to let out a big sigh of gratitude that I'm even here at all.
The Recent Election:
Despite most Americans' assumptions, it's actually been quite difficult to be a proud American abroad when everyone you meet hates and/or criticizes your president and government as well as its people for the economic crisis which they're all suffering from. That's tip of the iceberg, but ppl in Europa absolutely LOVE Obama, so their opinions of Americans (and thus of me) may change soon, and I'm happy about that.
Teaching English:
I love vocabulation!! I'm actually teaching English to some babies (3 and 4 years old), and they amaze me every day with the stuff they know. They are full of big-eyed wonder, and the other day (I've told this story to about 100 people now) we were singing "Head and shoulders, knees and toes, knees and tooooooes..." and afterwards, I pointed at each body part and asked the students "What's this?" They repeated, "Head!" and then, "Shoulders," and then, "Kneesand!" Hahahaaaa...they didn't understand there are TWO words in the song (knees & and) and combined them. It was so cute, I burst out laughing and they were so tickled, not knowing why I was laughing, that they laughed right along with me. TOO CUTE.
Future Plans:
As for my return date *big gulp*, my flight is scheduled for June 30, but I'm already anticipating that I will have to push that date forward. English Summer Camp work usually starts July 1st, so I have no idea why I chose June 30th for my return. Working at a camp is GREAT money, for just a little inconvenience and work, and when the school year ends in late May/early June, I will definitely need the income. I might even work for 2 months, if I can. So, there's that. But then, there's also...the fact that my long-term plans may have changed quite dramatically. I know there's a chance my friends and family might be disappointed, but I'm seeing TEFL Teaching abroad as a long-term career now. There are so many more countries that I want to see, and not just to visit but to live in - Japan, Thailand, Colombia, Brazil, Mexico (for starters)...and there's just no rational reason for me to go back to the States and end up in the same place I was when I left for Spain. I mean, I could probably find a TEFL job there, but I feel like I'm finished with New Orleans for now, so I'd be living outside of Louisiana and probably outside of the South anyway...so why not just country-hop for a few years until I feel like I've really taken advantage of the fact that I'm young and not tied down?
I of course have job offers for next year already, and I might consider coming back because the hours and the pay will improve since I've already worked for them. There's just not a chance that any offer in the States could be as seductive - what can I say? I really love it here. If not here next year, I might look at teaching jobs in Mexico - at least that isn't such an expensive flight home! Most importantly, I want to continue working on my Spanish so that I can hopefully teach both English and Spanish one day. And since Mexico is close and cheap, and I have a friend with whom I can live in Colombia...well, Latin America is looking like the next logical step.
Current Conditions:
It's freezing cold here in Granada now, and there is snow completely covering the Sierra Nevadas (the mountain range which is the backdrop everywhere you go in the city). The mountains seem to call to me, and right now is the best time to go up there (no tourists, plus it's not as cold as it will be in the coming months). I would really love to organize a trip around a snowball fight. We'll see what comes of that.
Onwards and Upwards!
Ciao, until next time
XD
I've recently gone the more personal route of sending emails to a few friends and family members back home, so the blog suffered a little hiatus. In fact, I'm so swamped with work at this point that I'm going to borrow from some of these emails in order to update those who didn't receive one. So, my apologies in advance if these snippets seem disjointed at all. I've categorized them according to context, for clarity:
Travelling:
It's funny how you take things for granted without even knowing it. Travelling has taught me a lot about that - appreciating what you have while you have it, because next thing you know, you'll be moving on to a new city with new faces, new things to see every day, new adventures. It's different being here in Granada again because this time I have a job, like the city seems more normal and less exotic because it's sortof "home" now, but I still have these moments of complete euphoria when I realize where I am and just have to let out a big sigh of gratitude that I'm even here at all.
The Recent Election:
Despite most Americans' assumptions, it's actually been quite difficult to be a proud American abroad when everyone you meet hates and/or criticizes your president and government as well as its people for the economic crisis which they're all suffering from. That's tip of the iceberg, but ppl in Europa absolutely LOVE Obama, so their opinions of Americans (and thus of me) may change soon, and I'm happy about that.
Teaching English:
I love vocabulation!! I'm actually teaching English to some babies (3 and 4 years old), and they amaze me every day with the stuff they know. They are full of big-eyed wonder, and the other day (I've told this story to about 100 people now) we were singing "Head and shoulders, knees and toes, knees and tooooooes..." and afterwards, I pointed at each body part and asked the students "What's this?" They repeated, "Head!" and then, "Shoulders," and then, "Kneesand!" Hahahaaaa...they didn't understand there are TWO words in the song (knees & and) and combined them. It was so cute, I burst out laughing and they were so tickled, not knowing why I was laughing, that they laughed right along with me. TOO CUTE.
Future Plans:
As for my return date *big gulp*, my flight is scheduled for June 30, but I'm already anticipating that I will have to push that date forward. English Summer Camp work usually starts July 1st, so I have no idea why I chose June 30th for my return. Working at a camp is GREAT money, for just a little inconvenience and work, and when the school year ends in late May/early June, I will definitely need the income. I might even work for 2 months, if I can. So, there's that. But then, there's also...the fact that my long-term plans may have changed quite dramatically. I know there's a chance my friends and family might be disappointed, but I'm seeing TEFL Teaching abroad as a long-term career now. There are so many more countries that I want to see, and not just to visit but to live in - Japan, Thailand, Colombia, Brazil, Mexico (for starters)...and there's just no rational reason for me to go back to the States and end up in the same place I was when I left for Spain. I mean, I could probably find a TEFL job there, but I feel like I'm finished with New Orleans for now, so I'd be living outside of Louisiana and probably outside of the South anyway...so why not just country-hop for a few years until I feel like I've really taken advantage of the fact that I'm young and not tied down?
I of course have job offers for next year already, and I might consider coming back because the hours and the pay will improve since I've already worked for them. There's just not a chance that any offer in the States could be as seductive - what can I say? I really love it here. If not here next year, I might look at teaching jobs in Mexico - at least that isn't such an expensive flight home! Most importantly, I want to continue working on my Spanish so that I can hopefully teach both English and Spanish one day. And since Mexico is close and cheap, and I have a friend with whom I can live in Colombia...well, Latin America is looking like the next logical step.
Current Conditions:
It's freezing cold here in Granada now, and there is snow completely covering the Sierra Nevadas (the mountain range which is the backdrop everywhere you go in the city). The mountains seem to call to me, and right now is the best time to go up there (no tourists, plus it's not as cold as it will be in the coming months). I would really love to organize a trip around a snowball fight. We'll see what comes of that.
Onwards and Upwards!
Ciao, until next time
XD
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Now this is what I'm talking about...the real LIVING begins
Yaaay - my first official LEISURE post since I've been back! I was beginning to think my life here in Granada was going to really suck this go-round if I didn't get in some good ol' fashioned chill time with some good people. Just my luck, as I emerged from my cave on Friday evening, feeling for the most part recovered from my week-long battle with la gripa (the flu), I learned that some girls from the house had pulled it together and organized a barbecue for the next day up on the mountain - the same place that Marcia, Ashley, Zevic, Thalia and I went during the summer. This was just what I needed after 6 whole days spent hibernating in my room, listening to everyone having fun without me through the walls in the house. I woke up early, and me and the girls went to AlCampo to buy all the supplies and beer, and we came back to the house to rally the troops - over 18 people had signed up saying they wanted to come!
When we got to the house, everyone was still asleep (go figure) at 1:00pm! As we patiently waited for everyone to get ready, we heard screaming outside and Shell, a girl from Australia, ran to the door yelling, "Blood! Blood!" Well, we didn't know what the hell was happening, but there was a Dutch woman in the street calling for help because she had just been robbed. Apparently, a young Moroccan kid grabbed her bag, which held all her money and the passport she would need to leave Spain in 2 days, so she refused to let go and held onto it tightly as he dragged her, causing her to bang her head open very badly. Blood was literally pouring from this woman's head, so we helped her into the house and called the police. She had a friend with her, and the friend called the Ambulance. We waited about 30 minutes and eventually it was all taken care of, but the woman still was very angry about her money and passport, all her things in her bag. This happened in broad daylight, just around the corner from my house, folks, and it's not the first time. This is the 3rd story I've heard of something like this happening just in the 3 weeks since I've been back, and all reports are near where I live. Lesson learned: I'm going to buy some pepper spray as soon as possible.
Anyway, once all that mess was straightened out, we headed out to the mountain. We threw the coals on the grill and got the fire going, and pretty soon we were cooking. It started to rain just a bit when we first arrived, but it led to some inventive grocery-bag headwear and blanket and/or hat improvisation, which really set the tone for the cookout. Later, the rain cleared up and the sky started doing some pretty incredible things, pushing the clouds around in these beautiful patterns. I'm not sure how many people were there, in grand total, but almost the whole house came this time, and we were quite content with our burgers and beer and scenery. Oh! We even had a little canine companion - Jerome, our old housemate who now lives in the caves, brought Lorita, a 6-wk old puppy who kept us company. She was cute as a button and twice as good-natured - I found myself wishing she was mine more than once (shame on me! I've already got a cat hating me back in the States, how could I possibly care for and then abandon another animal across the ocean?!).
Anyway, it started to get cold on the mountain, so after a few porros and the rest of the beer, we made our way back down the mountain - this time, we had cars to do it in! Both Julie from France and Oscar from Spain (the Basque region, to be exact) have cars here, so that was quite convenient. Although I must say - it felt exotic to be riding in a car in Spain, and I was fascinated to meet someone European (Julie) who found it so difficult to part with their car that they brought it all the way from France; however, cars are a pain in the ass, man. It was so frantic and stressful, just maneuvering everywhere and trying to find where we needed to go while we're trapped inside this huge piece of steel machinery...we had a big clusterfuck after the barbecue just leaving the mountain, trying to get out of the Alhambra parking lot. Then there was this whole need to be back in the Albayzin by a certain time in order to find parking. We were ready to pull our hair out, and I felt sick to my stomach it was so stressful, but hey - I guess some people love their cars so much that the stress becomes...normal? God, I hope this never happens to me. I'll put up with walking through rain, steep hills, streets of dog shit, and angry Spaniards before I'll ever again consider dealing with the headache of driving a car every day. For real, dude. Cars are a nice luxury and all, but it's just not worth it.
Anyway, everyone was exhausted when we got back, so we had hot tea and crepes back at the house, and I went to bed feeling quite content with my first day of recovery from THE PLAGUE.
Some photo highlights:
me and the site of hamburger madness behind me
a table full of Tina residents
the magnificent sky was performing for me
Isabella and her 2 Swedish friends, visiting for dos semanas
Lorita, the 6-wk old barbacoa companion
When we got to the house, everyone was still asleep (go figure) at 1:00pm! As we patiently waited for everyone to get ready, we heard screaming outside and Shell, a girl from Australia, ran to the door yelling, "Blood! Blood!" Well, we didn't know what the hell was happening, but there was a Dutch woman in the street calling for help because she had just been robbed. Apparently, a young Moroccan kid grabbed her bag, which held all her money and the passport she would need to leave Spain in 2 days, so she refused to let go and held onto it tightly as he dragged her, causing her to bang her head open very badly. Blood was literally pouring from this woman's head, so we helped her into the house and called the police. She had a friend with her, and the friend called the Ambulance. We waited about 30 minutes and eventually it was all taken care of, but the woman still was very angry about her money and passport, all her things in her bag. This happened in broad daylight, just around the corner from my house, folks, and it's not the first time. This is the 3rd story I've heard of something like this happening just in the 3 weeks since I've been back, and all reports are near where I live. Lesson learned: I'm going to buy some pepper spray as soon as possible.
Anyway, once all that mess was straightened out, we headed out to the mountain. We threw the coals on the grill and got the fire going, and pretty soon we were cooking. It started to rain just a bit when we first arrived, but it led to some inventive grocery-bag headwear and blanket and/or hat improvisation, which really set the tone for the cookout. Later, the rain cleared up and the sky started doing some pretty incredible things, pushing the clouds around in these beautiful patterns. I'm not sure how many people were there, in grand total, but almost the whole house came this time, and we were quite content with our burgers and beer and scenery. Oh! We even had a little canine companion - Jerome, our old housemate who now lives in the caves, brought Lorita, a 6-wk old puppy who kept us company. She was cute as a button and twice as good-natured - I found myself wishing she was mine more than once (shame on me! I've already got a cat hating me back in the States, how could I possibly care for and then abandon another animal across the ocean?!).
Anyway, it started to get cold on the mountain, so after a few porros and the rest of the beer, we made our way back down the mountain - this time, we had cars to do it in! Both Julie from France and Oscar from Spain (the Basque region, to be exact) have cars here, so that was quite convenient. Although I must say - it felt exotic to be riding in a car in Spain, and I was fascinated to meet someone European (Julie) who found it so difficult to part with their car that they brought it all the way from France; however, cars are a pain in the ass, man. It was so frantic and stressful, just maneuvering everywhere and trying to find where we needed to go while we're trapped inside this huge piece of steel machinery...we had a big clusterfuck after the barbecue just leaving the mountain, trying to get out of the Alhambra parking lot. Then there was this whole need to be back in the Albayzin by a certain time in order to find parking. We were ready to pull our hair out, and I felt sick to my stomach it was so stressful, but hey - I guess some people love their cars so much that the stress becomes...normal? God, I hope this never happens to me. I'll put up with walking through rain, steep hills, streets of dog shit, and angry Spaniards before I'll ever again consider dealing with the headache of driving a car every day. For real, dude. Cars are a nice luxury and all, but it's just not worth it.
Anyway, everyone was exhausted when we got back, so we had hot tea and crepes back at the house, and I went to bed feeling quite content with my first day of recovery from THE PLAGUE.
Some photo highlights:
me and the site of hamburger madness behind me
a table full of Tina residents
the magnificent sky was performing for me
Isabella and her 2 Swedish friends, visiting for dos semanas
Lorita, the 6-wk old barbacoa companion
Friday, October 17, 2008
I want to die
Seriously - this makes it twice this year that I've gotten sick with the same infection - or with what seems to be the same infection. The only difference is that this time I have to work through it and actually leave not only my bed but the house - a very challenging endeavor, indeed, when your whole body writhes in pain and anguish from just thinking about moving and every hour you experience a change in body temperature so severe it sends you either running for more clothes or conversely tearing the clothing from your limbs. Top it off with an achingly sore throat, a cough that would convince passersby that I am a 90-yr old man with emphysema, a congested and runny nose, and now expactorations of a bloody nature (sorry to gross you out, sickness is ugly)...well, I'm have a marvelous time, don't you think?
I was thinking this morning about health. I thought about how this sickness, which I've endured now for almost a full week, could have been much less painful if I had just gone to the doctor at the first signs of illness. So, then I have to consider why I didn't go to the doctor, and why I rarely go to the doctor when I'm ill? Granted, it's rare that I experience illness this severe, esp. two times in the same year, but I think my personal reasons may be two-fold: one, the fact that in America, if you are there without insurance, people will either scoff at you and turn you away, or treat you and send you the astronomical bill. I've always figured a few packs of Tylenol Flu is way cheaper and less embarrassing than having to deal with the humiliation of the American Health System; and two, my mother never took me to the doctor. I remember this one time, when I was sick with what the doctor later said was "the REAL flu," I laid on the couch for 2 FULL WEEKS before the woman took me to a doctor. By that point, not only had I missed a multitude of exams and homework, social club meetings and school what-have-yous, but I had fever blisters inside of my mouth, on my tongue, down my throat, in my nasal passages, in my tear ducts - basically, all nervous tissue in my body had been scorched by the ridiculous fever I'd endured for 2 weeks. When I finally went to the doctor, when my mother relented because she was afraid I had mono, I got some meds and was better in 2 days. I went back to school with scabs from all the blisters all over my face, eyes, and mouth, and everyone asked if I'd gotten beat up. "Nope, my mom is just cheap."
Anyway, I think I've inherited this awful trait of hers, and it occurred to me while being miserable this morning that, even though I don't have insurance here in Spain, most of the uninsured travelers I've spoken to have been treated by doctors and/or hospitals here, and some of them for FREE. Maybe I should head on down to the hospital?? It's certainly a thought. I can't take much more of this.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Connect the Dots
I've felt sick for the past two days - probably of my own doing, since some impromptu drinking ensued on Saturday night and then, without feeling tip-top, I again went out to the Booga last night (but I only had 2 or 3 beers and called it an early night - go me!). Yesterday, it was a headache and nausea, and today my throat hurts too. Just in time for my first full-on week of teaching hours...hooray. I am non-plussed.
I realized after the last post that I left out some details between when I first got my teaching hours with one school and when the second school hired me. The first school (which I am not naming out of concerns for myself and them, due to the working papers thing) apparently sent my C.V. over to the second school. So, I went on an interview without even knowing this school had existed before then. I went into the interview thinking I'd already gotten the job, so I was completely cool and confident, and I killed it. They called me three hours later and promised me up to 20 hours this school year! So that's what happened to take me from just 4/hrs a week to a full-time teaching load, and only in a matter of a week! Go, me.
But what this means is that now I'm teaching 2 days a week from 9am to 9m (roughly, with a few hours here and there for eating and transit). A lot of the hours are one-to-one, which I absolutely love, but the trade-off is that they are mostly "house calls," where I go to the students' homes and teach them there for an hour or two. The other days of the week are fairly easy, though they also require a lot of "bopping around" the city. This is a pain in the butt because it requires taking the bus to the far reaches of the city, then often only having half an hour to get to the next lesson. I'm making it work, but of course being sick (if I am in fact getting sick) will definitely put a drain on my energy levels and make this a lot more difficult. We shall see, we shall see.
In other news, I made some rosemary potatoes today without an oven (not recommended). They became mashed potatoes almost instantly, but they tasted great. I've been experimenting with various grilled cheese sandwiches (gouda, mozarella, edam...the cheese options are astounding in Spain), but I'm learning that the key is the right type of bread.
Hmmm...what else?? Well, I had my first big money hitch that I discovered today. Apparently, when I cancelled my Sprint account, they decided it wasn't necessary to send me an invoice and billed me a whopping $250.98, which I of course didn't have the money in my account to cover, so now I've got two $35 overdraft charges on top of that and my account is more in the red than it's ever been. I can't do anything about it until the end of the month when I get paid, but even then it won't be a full month's work of pay, so...I'm quite angry and stressed out over this. I disputed the charges with both Sprint and my bank, but who knows what will come of it. I don't know when I'll have to top off my phone again either, so I'm reluctant to use my minutes to make long-distance calls and sit in a holding queue for 30 minutes while they jerk me around. Such is life across the sea, I suppose - often inconvenient.
Well, I feel like crap. I'm gonna unplug now.
I realized after the last post that I left out some details between when I first got my teaching hours with one school and when the second school hired me. The first school (which I am not naming out of concerns for myself and them, due to the working papers thing) apparently sent my C.V. over to the second school. So, I went on an interview without even knowing this school had existed before then. I went into the interview thinking I'd already gotten the job, so I was completely cool and confident, and I killed it. They called me three hours later and promised me up to 20 hours this school year! So that's what happened to take me from just 4/hrs a week to a full-time teaching load, and only in a matter of a week! Go, me.
But what this means is that now I'm teaching 2 days a week from 9am to 9m (roughly, with a few hours here and there for eating and transit). A lot of the hours are one-to-one, which I absolutely love, but the trade-off is that they are mostly "house calls," where I go to the students' homes and teach them there for an hour or two. The other days of the week are fairly easy, though they also require a lot of "bopping around" the city. This is a pain in the butt because it requires taking the bus to the far reaches of the city, then often only having half an hour to get to the next lesson. I'm making it work, but of course being sick (if I am in fact getting sick) will definitely put a drain on my energy levels and make this a lot more difficult. We shall see, we shall see.
In other news, I made some rosemary potatoes today without an oven (not recommended). They became mashed potatoes almost instantly, but they tasted great. I've been experimenting with various grilled cheese sandwiches (gouda, mozarella, edam...the cheese options are astounding in Spain), but I'm learning that the key is the right type of bread.
Hmmm...what else?? Well, I had my first big money hitch that I discovered today. Apparently, when I cancelled my Sprint account, they decided it wasn't necessary to send me an invoice and billed me a whopping $250.98, which I of course didn't have the money in my account to cover, so now I've got two $35 overdraft charges on top of that and my account is more in the red than it's ever been. I can't do anything about it until the end of the month when I get paid, but even then it won't be a full month's work of pay, so...I'm quite angry and stressed out over this. I disputed the charges with both Sprint and my bank, but who knows what will come of it. I don't know when I'll have to top off my phone again either, so I'm reluctant to use my minutes to make long-distance calls and sit in a holding queue for 30 minutes while they jerk me around. Such is life across the sea, I suppose - often inconvenient.
Well, I feel like crap. I'm gonna unplug now.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
dot dot dot
And another week goes by...
I have reached Saturday, so I'm taking the opportunity now to post an update since my weekdays here are every so slightly filling to the brim as the two schools for which I am now working keep upping my hours. This is great, right? Of course it's great, for it means I will be able to pay my bills and live a decently comfortable life while here in Granada. It also means I get the experience I need to perpetuate my career as a TEFL teacher - a foot in the door was all it took, and somehow the miracle of a JOB has fallen into my lap.
However...
While on the one hand, I'm working mostly 1:1 hours with one school, AT the school, the other school is a completely different sack of potatoes. It's a really small school, very "hands-on" (their term, not mine), and they send me out on "house calls" most of the time. This means I'm hopping - not the Metro but BUSES - all over Granada, hoofing it from one bus stop to a student's home, then to another bus stop and another student's home...and so on, until I'm completely wrecked by the end of the day, just from going between points A and B, and then lugging all my books up the hill to get home. I came home Tuesday and was so exhausted and famished that I nearly cried into my leftover pasta. What have I done? I was asking myself. But, I woke up the next days and did it all over again, and each time, it seemed a bit less stressful. It helps that I get a few hours here and there in the week to deflate, have a cafe and a cigarette, and gather my mental bearings to prepare for the next student. It also helps that a lot of my students are 1:1, and a lot of them are at similar levels, preparing for the same exams. This eliminates a lot of lesson planning, for which I am unfathomably grateful.
Anyway, I'm doing ok. This is still only the beginning of the school year, and my course load is only 3/4 of the way full. I'm apprehensive about the amount of work it's going to be when my schedule is fully complete, but this way, it allows me to take baby steps towards a full-time work week. By next month, the routine will be much easier, and it will be a lot like carrying a college schedule, so I can certainly handle that.
I really like some of my students, too. There are only two that I'm not quite sure about (a brother and sister learning from home 1 day a week), and I got lost on the way to their first lessons and it was a bit hectic just jumping into the lessons so quickly to save time, so my first impression may be entirely wrong. I have one very bright 16-yr old boy who is at a very advanced level but just has some pronunciation and vocabulary issues. He's into politics and philosophical debate, so it's really fun to talk with him and engage his interests. I think he thinks I'm pretty cool, too :)
Outside of the job, there's no real news. The house is now completely full-up (British English), with all 17 rooms now occupied. It's a great vibe when everyone's here at the same time, but lately there are these lulls when absolutely no one is around, and it's quite creepy. I just hang out in my room, look up some lesson planning ideas on the internet, and wait for people to show up and chat with me.
The most exciting non-job-related thing on the docket for me now is HALLOWEEN! We're throwing a big party in the house and everyone will be in costume. I can NOT wait.
That's all for now. Gonna go down and help a friend pick out some new prescription eyewear - what fun ; )
I have reached Saturday, so I'm taking the opportunity now to post an update since my weekdays here are every so slightly filling to the brim as the two schools for which I am now working keep upping my hours. This is great, right? Of course it's great, for it means I will be able to pay my bills and live a decently comfortable life while here in Granada. It also means I get the experience I need to perpetuate my career as a TEFL teacher - a foot in the door was all it took, and somehow the miracle of a JOB has fallen into my lap.
However...
While on the one hand, I'm working mostly 1:1 hours with one school, AT the school, the other school is a completely different sack of potatoes. It's a really small school, very "hands-on" (their term, not mine), and they send me out on "house calls" most of the time. This means I'm hopping - not the Metro but BUSES - all over Granada, hoofing it from one bus stop to a student's home, then to another bus stop and another student's home...and so on, until I'm completely wrecked by the end of the day, just from going between points A and B, and then lugging all my books up the hill to get home. I came home Tuesday and was so exhausted and famished that I nearly cried into my leftover pasta. What have I done? I was asking myself. But, I woke up the next days and did it all over again, and each time, it seemed a bit less stressful. It helps that I get a few hours here and there in the week to deflate, have a cafe and a cigarette, and gather my mental bearings to prepare for the next student. It also helps that a lot of my students are 1:1, and a lot of them are at similar levels, preparing for the same exams. This eliminates a lot of lesson planning, for which I am unfathomably grateful.
Anyway, I'm doing ok. This is still only the beginning of the school year, and my course load is only 3/4 of the way full. I'm apprehensive about the amount of work it's going to be when my schedule is fully complete, but this way, it allows me to take baby steps towards a full-time work week. By next month, the routine will be much easier, and it will be a lot like carrying a college schedule, so I can certainly handle that.
I really like some of my students, too. There are only two that I'm not quite sure about (a brother and sister learning from home 1 day a week), and I got lost on the way to their first lessons and it was a bit hectic just jumping into the lessons so quickly to save time, so my first impression may be entirely wrong. I have one very bright 16-yr old boy who is at a very advanced level but just has some pronunciation and vocabulary issues. He's into politics and philosophical debate, so it's really fun to talk with him and engage his interests. I think he thinks I'm pretty cool, too :)
Outside of the job, there's no real news. The house is now completely full-up (British English), with all 17 rooms now occupied. It's a great vibe when everyone's here at the same time, but lately there are these lulls when absolutely no one is around, and it's quite creepy. I just hang out in my room, look up some lesson planning ideas on the internet, and wait for people to show up and chat with me.
The most exciting non-job-related thing on the docket for me now is HALLOWEEN! We're throwing a big party in the house and everyone will be in costume. I can NOT wait.
That's all for now. Gonna go down and help a friend pick out some new prescription eyewear - what fun ; )
Monday, September 29, 2008
Here Goes Nothing...or Something (maybe)
Well, folks, I officially have a job! Sortof - I got 4 hours/week teaching 1:1 to students prepping for Cambridge Exams. I am happy for a few reasons:
1) I HEART 1:1 teaching!;
2) yay! for income - ANY income; and
3) 1:1 teaching allows me to slowly test the teaching waters since I'm nervous as hell for some unexplainable reason (perhaps that it's been about 4 YEARS since I left the teaching world...hmmm).
That said, happiness aside, I am incredibly nervous about teaching Cambridge Exams. I have the teachers' handbook and several coursebooks to peruse tonight as I prepare for my first lesson (tomorrow at 9am - yikes!), but still I'm unofficially concerned b/c the TEFL course didn't really cover exam prep teaching. We talked about it maybe one day out of the whole course. This shouldn't make any difference, especially since tomorrow I'm working with a brand-new (adult) student who's never gone to this school before and who the school thinks is already at a pretty good English level. But still...my heart was pounding even as I walked down to the school to finalize my teaching schedule, it was hard to breathe as I was waiting in the lobby for the DOS to meet with me, and I think I may have dodged eye contact more than 5 times while he and I were talking.
I can't explain where the hell this anxiety is coming from. It's seriously mystifying me. I keep finding myself wishing there were another TEFL teacher that I knew who was just starting out, like me, and in whom I could confide and comiserate. There are, conversely, lots of TEFL teachers all around me in this town who are working full-time or have been at least established in this line of work for several years. It's stupid to compare myself to others in this way and is only increasing my level of anxiety, but I just can't help myself.
I'm sure that after tomorrow, I will be able to breathe a sigh of relief and actually get to celebrate my first official (non-English camp) teaching job since my certification, but at this point I can't think of anything except how the hell I'm going to fill an entire hour with this student tomorrow morning. I have to remember that 4 years ago I was teaching non-native English students to prepare for the GRE in the States, and what that was like (pretty easy, actually). This will be a different kind of teaching - more strategy-based lessons and working on how to anticipate the format and difficulty of the exam components (of which I currently know nothing!). Guess I'd better get to cracking these handbooks, eh?
Wish me luck, loves. I sure as hell feel like I need it.
1) I HEART 1:1 teaching!;
2) yay! for income - ANY income; and
3) 1:1 teaching allows me to slowly test the teaching waters since I'm nervous as hell for some unexplainable reason (perhaps that it's been about 4 YEARS since I left the teaching world...hmmm).
That said, happiness aside, I am incredibly nervous about teaching Cambridge Exams. I have the teachers' handbook and several coursebooks to peruse tonight as I prepare for my first lesson (tomorrow at 9am - yikes!), but still I'm unofficially concerned b/c the TEFL course didn't really cover exam prep teaching. We talked about it maybe one day out of the whole course. This shouldn't make any difference, especially since tomorrow I'm working with a brand-new (adult) student who's never gone to this school before and who the school thinks is already at a pretty good English level. But still...my heart was pounding even as I walked down to the school to finalize my teaching schedule, it was hard to breathe as I was waiting in the lobby for the DOS to meet with me, and I think I may have dodged eye contact more than 5 times while he and I were talking.
I can't explain where the hell this anxiety is coming from. It's seriously mystifying me. I keep finding myself wishing there were another TEFL teacher that I knew who was just starting out, like me, and in whom I could confide and comiserate. There are, conversely, lots of TEFL teachers all around me in this town who are working full-time or have been at least established in this line of work for several years. It's stupid to compare myself to others in this way and is only increasing my level of anxiety, but I just can't help myself.
I'm sure that after tomorrow, I will be able to breathe a sigh of relief and actually get to celebrate my first official (non-English camp) teaching job since my certification, but at this point I can't think of anything except how the hell I'm going to fill an entire hour with this student tomorrow morning. I have to remember that 4 years ago I was teaching non-native English students to prepare for the GRE in the States, and what that was like (pretty easy, actually). This will be a different kind of teaching - more strategy-based lessons and working on how to anticipate the format and difficulty of the exam components (of which I currently know nothing!). Guess I'd better get to cracking these handbooks, eh?
Wish me luck, loves. I sure as hell feel like I need it.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
The Pajarita Has Landed
(pajarita = female bird, for ya'll non-Spanish speakers...a.k.a. ME)
I'm here. I'm jet-lagged. I'm very tired and I have no idea how I'm still awake and kicking. The body is an incredible machine sometimes. I arrived here on time, somehow made it through the crowded-ass Metro to where I needed to be, stopped along the way for a backpack break (the thing weighs a TON) and a cigarette, then a Coke Zero at a McDonald's (shame on me...at least I didn't eat there!), and somehow magically oriented myself and found Lyosha's house - my first Madrid miracle! I always get lost in this city, but today luck was smiling on me. I don't think I'd have had the strength or patience to get lost with all my luggage. (by the way, Lyosha is the 'friend' of my friend, Lindy, who's so kindly letting me stay here tonight for FREE)
Good news is the weather is incredible here - it feels like the cold front that was blowing through New Orleans last week. I'm psyched to be back. I'll be even more psyched once I get some shut-eye, but I've got to last until Lindy gets off work at 10pm and we go out for drinksies and tapas (I hope). Then it's major crash time.
Oooh oooh, ALSO! Just got an email from another school in Granada and set up an interview for tomorrow - how's that for short-notice-perfect timing?! Wish me buena suerte.
I'm here. I'm jet-lagged. I'm very tired and I have no idea how I'm still awake and kicking. The body is an incredible machine sometimes. I arrived here on time, somehow made it through the crowded-ass Metro to where I needed to be, stopped along the way for a backpack break (the thing weighs a TON) and a cigarette, then a Coke Zero at a McDonald's (shame on me...at least I didn't eat there!), and somehow magically oriented myself and found Lyosha's house - my first Madrid miracle! I always get lost in this city, but today luck was smiling on me. I don't think I'd have had the strength or patience to get lost with all my luggage. (by the way, Lyosha is the 'friend' of my friend, Lindy, who's so kindly letting me stay here tonight for FREE)
Good news is the weather is incredible here - it feels like the cold front that was blowing through New Orleans last week. I'm psyched to be back. I'll be even more psyched once I get some shut-eye, but I've got to last until Lindy gets off work at 10pm and we go out for drinksies and tapas (I hope). Then it's major crash time.
Oooh oooh, ALSO! Just got an email from another school in Granada and set up an interview for tomorrow - how's that for short-notice-perfect timing?! Wish me buena suerte.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
The Countdown Begins...again
Well, it all worked out in the end - I'll have part-time work available to me in Granada when I get there, on September 25th. It's not perfect, but I'll take it if it means I get to live in Granada instead of Madrid. I hope there's still room for me at the Palace!
So begins the new countdown...one week to go in the States before my return. Lots to get done, lots of people to catch up with, lots to be anxious about. Let's hope the 2nd big adventure is as "successful" as the first.
So begins the new countdown...one week to go in the States before my return. Lots to get done, lots of people to catch up with, lots to be anxious about. Let's hope the 2nd big adventure is as "successful" as the first.
Monday, September 8, 2008
Heavy with Regret
I generally refrain from outwardly expressing extreme emotion via blog, but I feel like such a complete and total idiot at this juncture that I am overwhelmed.
I got a job offer today for the most PERFECT job imaginable, only to find out classes start earlier than I will be in Spain, so it's likely that now they won't hire me. I tried to change my flight, but since I'd have to leave 3 days from now to get there in time, it would cost over $2,500 to make the change, which is just absolutely ri-fucking-diculous.
Why do I feel like an ass, you say? Of course it isn't my fault that classes start earlier and the DOS emailed me only 3 days ago to tell me this - how could I have known? Well, I feel like it's my fault because I was aware that classes in Spain generally start from mid-September to October, but I was greedy (and cheap) and wanted to spend as much time in the U.S. as I could (and also get the cheapest flight possible) before returning to Spain. I feel like some awful buildup of career karma is out to get me, but I can't for the life of me figure out what I did to deserve this agony of regret.
If this doesn't work out (and it's probably 90% sure that it won't, but I don't know until the DOS emails me back), I am devastated and totally freaked out about my future for the next year. Of the potential jobs there are available to me, anywhere in Spain, many of them will start classes on September 15th too, or at least want a face-to-face interview around that time, so because I'm not in Spain yet, I've lost all of those possibilites. With the chance of being hired already so low due to my non-EU status, I feel like all hope is lost, which makes me question why I am doing this in the first place, why I would just assume that things would work out no matter what when I don't have any rational proof to base it on.
So I guess the message for anyone who stumbles upon my blog and is also a beginner TEFL teacher in Spain, the moral of my story is GET TO SPAIN EARLY if you want to find a job, or you'll hate yourself later.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Gustav and Introspection
Well, putting Spain aside, though I'd liked to have done it as a personal choice, turned out to be a necessity as Hurricane Gustav came barrelling into the Gulf Coast. I am now writing on the 6th day after the storm, from a CC's coffee house that is one of the first to reopen since Baton Rouge has been without power (as of Monday...and counting). A whole week, including Labor Day weekend, has been wasted, and I don't have much to show for it since phones and internet have been out for the count. What great fortune I've had while I've been back (sarcasm abounds)! But I guess it's my own fault for scheduling my return to the States during hurricane season. I'll definitely keep this in mind next year.
Spending 6 days without electricity, though, has led me to a lot of introspection. In the midst of sweaty nights of barely no sleep and anxiety dreams about not finding work OR a place to live in Spain yet - when I now have less than 2 weeks to do so before I go back - and sweaty days worrying where all my friends and family are and cleaning up the mess the storm left behind, I was barely able to muster up a smile when the b/f looked over in my direction. But I now have had a few nights of a/c (a friend of the b/f here in BR now has power and is gracious enough to host us) and thus a few nights of good sleep, and I can feel my head beginning to clear as I sip my Louisiana Blend dark roast.
Interestingly, I was perusing said friend/host's bookshelf this morning and came across a book called "The Meaning of Mindfulness." I cracked it open and learned several new deep breathing and meditation techniques to help me practice mindfulness. I haven't had the chance to incorporate these into my yoga practice yet, but just being in the moment and practicing the breathing, I already feel more like myself. Today, I've realized that no matter where I am, if I can find myself in the moment and recognize the joy of just being alive, I can be happy and satisfied. I only wish I'd had this epiphany 5 days ago when I was ready to tear my hair out.
Also adding to my increasing happiness, I received an email from a school in Granada that I'd commit murder to get a job offer from. I'm supposed to call them on Monday, and we'll see where it leads, but I'm really thrilled just to have the potential of it working out. I can't get my hopes up, because I know the disappointment would be fatal (this job would be the most perfect job I could possibly imagine for myself - it's centrally located in Granada, I could live at Tina, cost of living is cheaper there, and the school has good connections with Via Lingua and a good reputation). The word "ideal" just doesn't cut it to describe this job.
Anyway, I've come to realize that there is a turning point during the TEFL job-search process when all the denials and rejection emails seem to dwindle down and you start to get some positive feedback. For me, this point usually results in utter disappointment and career disillusion just before the sudden surprise of a great job offer (or as was the case this summer, two job offers). Throughout all my job searching, I've probably sent about 150+ C.V.'s out into cyberspace, filling up the inboxes of every DOS in every major school in Madrid (and every other school in Spain which advertises on TEFL.com and Dave's ESL Cafe). For every 10 C.V.'s that I send out, I get an email from a really good school telling me, "Thank you for your application, but we just can't hire non-EU citizens." And my hopes and dreams fall into the pit of my stomach. This is a humbling, pride-swallowing process. What I've taken away from it all is that a little bit of hope gets you through it. And while I only have 6 months of experience in this to go on, I'm fairly confident that this is the common experience for most TEFL teachers in the world. I'm hoping that this time the utter disappointment in my usual pattern takes a detour and the great job offer supercedes it. And that's about all I can do (aside from continuing to to pummell those DOS's with my C.V.).
In other news, I've discovered some really helpful blogs out there for TEFL teachers in Spain (one in particular is written by an American TEFL teacher). Check out The Pain in Spain for a lot of great information about teaching English in Spain.
I'd upload photos/videos of the recent hurricane, but I don't have the patience. Maybe I should do some breathing exercises.
Spending 6 days without electricity, though, has led me to a lot of introspection. In the midst of sweaty nights of barely no sleep and anxiety dreams about not finding work OR a place to live in Spain yet - when I now have less than 2 weeks to do so before I go back - and sweaty days worrying where all my friends and family are and cleaning up the mess the storm left behind, I was barely able to muster up a smile when the b/f looked over in my direction. But I now have had a few nights of a/c (a friend of the b/f here in BR now has power and is gracious enough to host us) and thus a few nights of good sleep, and I can feel my head beginning to clear as I sip my Louisiana Blend dark roast.
Interestingly, I was perusing said friend/host's bookshelf this morning and came across a book called "The Meaning of Mindfulness." I cracked it open and learned several new deep breathing and meditation techniques to help me practice mindfulness. I haven't had the chance to incorporate these into my yoga practice yet, but just being in the moment and practicing the breathing, I already feel more like myself. Today, I've realized that no matter where I am, if I can find myself in the moment and recognize the joy of just being alive, I can be happy and satisfied. I only wish I'd had this epiphany 5 days ago when I was ready to tear my hair out.
Also adding to my increasing happiness, I received an email from a school in Granada that I'd commit murder to get a job offer from. I'm supposed to call them on Monday, and we'll see where it leads, but I'm really thrilled just to have the potential of it working out. I can't get my hopes up, because I know the disappointment would be fatal (this job would be the most perfect job I could possibly imagine for myself - it's centrally located in Granada, I could live at Tina, cost of living is cheaper there, and the school has good connections with Via Lingua and a good reputation). The word "ideal" just doesn't cut it to describe this job.
Anyway, I've come to realize that there is a turning point during the TEFL job-search process when all the denials and rejection emails seem to dwindle down and you start to get some positive feedback. For me, this point usually results in utter disappointment and career disillusion just before the sudden surprise of a great job offer (or as was the case this summer, two job offers). Throughout all my job searching, I've probably sent about 150+ C.V.'s out into cyberspace, filling up the inboxes of every DOS in every major school in Madrid (and every other school in Spain which advertises on TEFL.com and Dave's ESL Cafe). For every 10 C.V.'s that I send out, I get an email from a really good school telling me, "Thank you for your application, but we just can't hire non-EU citizens." And my hopes and dreams fall into the pit of my stomach. This is a humbling, pride-swallowing process. What I've taken away from it all is that a little bit of hope gets you through it. And while I only have 6 months of experience in this to go on, I'm fairly confident that this is the common experience for most TEFL teachers in the world. I'm hoping that this time the utter disappointment in my usual pattern takes a detour and the great job offer supercedes it. And that's about all I can do (aside from continuing to to pummell those DOS's with my C.V.).
In other news, I've discovered some really helpful blogs out there for TEFL teachers in Spain (one in particular is written by an American TEFL teacher). Check out The Pain in Spain for a lot of great information about teaching English in Spain.
I'd upload photos/videos of the recent hurricane, but I don't have the patience. Maybe I should do some breathing exercises.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Sho'nough Stateside
Well, ya'll, I'm back. I've been back for about 3 weeks now and have been decidedly reclusive, not entirely to my own liking or choosing, but it's worked out for some nice 1:1 time with the b/f. So far while back in the States, I've been to a funeral, eaten at a Whataburger, gone to Destin and escaped a possible hurricane, and had only ONE mochasippi from CC's (showing some will power, there). I've been able to see almost all of my family, at least on my dad's side, but only one friend, b/c he happens to live in Baton Rouge where I've been staying. The next week is starting week for LSU classes, so I'm playing it low-key before heading back to NOLA to embrace all the sweet southern American faces I've been missing for over 6 months in Spain.
I have to mention how particularly odd and (sorry) depressing it's been, just being back after so long. The days seem so much shorter here, and the lifestyle so much less enjoyable, and I'm struggling all the while to prevent from making the endless comparisons so many American travelers make when returning from abroad. I do miss the tapas, and I do miss the cheap Rioja and just the overwhelming feeling of humility to be in the place that I'm in. I miss the friends I made there, but I also miss the ones I left behind. I'm making a point of putting Spain aside for now so that I'm not distracted while I catch up on all that I've missed.
Here are some photos I've taken so far. They kind of capture for me what it's been like, seeing my country with new eyes.
interesting juxtaposition of 2 American icons
my grandmother's funeral
on top of the Shaw Center, cocktails at sunset
my nephew has grown
yummy margarita, beachside in Destin
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Whoa, Blogger: Where Art Thou?
Well, I've officially returned from Oz. I'm not home yet, but I can safely say there's no place like Madrid.
I do apologize for the lack of blog upkeeping - totally unbecoming of a blog novice such as myself - and I do hope that you will all find it in your far away hearts to forgive me.
In the meanwhile, what kept me away for the month of June was a visit from Ashley, fellow Americana, which kept me quite occupied. We had some good times - went to Nerja and slept on the beach for 2 days, hiked up the mountain behind the Alhambra and barbecued, hung out with a lot of cool ppl from the Granada house, and had some times. More photos to come of all of that stuff.
As for the month of July, I was teaching English at a summer camp run by Interway in Madrid. There's a lot to say about Camp Interway and my experience over the past month, but frankly I'm too tired to say it at this juncture (I just got back today). I figure when I'm on my flight home (in FOUR DAYS!), I'll whip out the portatil and type it up when I'll have 12 hours to kill rather than here in Madrid where I have only four more days to live it up in Espana. So, sorry m'dears, the update'll have to wait. I will be sure to provide some fotos here for your viewing pleasure too.
'Tis all for now, folks. Besitos!
I do apologize for the lack of blog upkeeping - totally unbecoming of a blog novice such as myself - and I do hope that you will all find it in your far away hearts to forgive me.
In the meanwhile, what kept me away for the month of June was a visit from Ashley, fellow Americana, which kept me quite occupied. We had some good times - went to Nerja and slept on the beach for 2 days, hiked up the mountain behind the Alhambra and barbecued, hung out with a lot of cool ppl from the Granada house, and had some times. More photos to come of all of that stuff.
As for the month of July, I was teaching English at a summer camp run by Interway in Madrid. There's a lot to say about Camp Interway and my experience over the past month, but frankly I'm too tired to say it at this juncture (I just got back today). I figure when I'm on my flight home (in FOUR DAYS!), I'll whip out the portatil and type it up when I'll have 12 hours to kill rather than here in Madrid where I have only four more days to live it up in Espana. So, sorry m'dears, the update'll have to wait. I will be sure to provide some fotos here for your viewing pleasure too.
'Tis all for now, folks. Besitos!
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Spanish Rave
So, I woke up yesterday around 2pm and laid in bed until 4, got showered and dressed and came downstairs to find everyone sitting in the patio talking, with a crazy flyer on the table that had a psycho killer clown face in the middle and a bunch of drum and bass bands and dj's all over it. "Hey Stevie, you wanna go to a rave?" asked Isabella. It took me a few hours to think about it, but I eventually caved and decided to go. This was a tough decision due to the fact that I'd been up til dawn the night before at a house party.
We went to the rave, which was supposed to have body suspension going on somewhere (per the flyer), but we unfortunately (or fortunately) never saw it. It was indoors at this bar on the outskirts of Granada, and we had to take a 20-minute bus to get there. The first few musical acts were pretty shitty, and when we got there we'd already drunk about a half bottle of wine each and shared a big container of gin and peach juice on the way, so moving on to beer at the bar was probably a mistake. Liz and Zevic checked out early after Liz threw up...I was running around with some crazy Spanish people I met and had no idea Liz was even sick. I feel sortof guilty that I wasn't there to help her, but thank goodness Zevic took care of her and got her home. I had my own small misfortune as well, when I ate shit outside in the field across from the bar. I don't really remember what happened, I think I was running for some reason and I just remember the impact of hitting the ground. I must have fallen on my side, because this morning my left elbow is cut and I have massive bruises on my left hip and knee. Good thing I was too drunk to feel anything at the time! There was a really sweet guy who helped me up and made me feel like not so much of an ass for falling.
The same Spanish guy, who was obviously not as drunk as me, somehow was able to find Isabella and Nuria (my only hope of getting home alive), so we went outside and found there was daylight. We laughed and waited for a bus to arrive but it never did, so we flagged a taxi and headed towards Plaza Nueva. Isabella and I climbed out of the cab and giggled our drunken asses all the way to the top of the hill, stopping at one point to admire the sunrise coming up over the Albayzin. The morning light was so beautiful, I wish I hadn't been so tired and could have enjoyed it more. I have no idea what time it was, but we got to the house and ate leftover pasta and rice and then I could feel my body giving up. I climbed up the stairs and into bed, where I am now sitting as I try to recover from what was definitely the most drunken night I have had in Spain.
Woohoo, Spanish rave. Woohoo.
We went to the rave, which was supposed to have body suspension going on somewhere (per the flyer), but we unfortunately (or fortunately) never saw it. It was indoors at this bar on the outskirts of Granada, and we had to take a 20-minute bus to get there. The first few musical acts were pretty shitty, and when we got there we'd already drunk about a half bottle of wine each and shared a big container of gin and peach juice on the way, so moving on to beer at the bar was probably a mistake. Liz and Zevic checked out early after Liz threw up...I was running around with some crazy Spanish people I met and had no idea Liz was even sick. I feel sortof guilty that I wasn't there to help her, but thank goodness Zevic took care of her and got her home. I had my own small misfortune as well, when I ate shit outside in the field across from the bar. I don't really remember what happened, I think I was running for some reason and I just remember the impact of hitting the ground. I must have fallen on my side, because this morning my left elbow is cut and I have massive bruises on my left hip and knee. Good thing I was too drunk to feel anything at the time! There was a really sweet guy who helped me up and made me feel like not so much of an ass for falling.
The same Spanish guy, who was obviously not as drunk as me, somehow was able to find Isabella and Nuria (my only hope of getting home alive), so we went outside and found there was daylight. We laughed and waited for a bus to arrive but it never did, so we flagged a taxi and headed towards Plaza Nueva. Isabella and I climbed out of the cab and giggled our drunken asses all the way to the top of the hill, stopping at one point to admire the sunrise coming up over the Albayzin. The morning light was so beautiful, I wish I hadn't been so tired and could have enjoyed it more. I have no idea what time it was, but we got to the house and ate leftover pasta and rice and then I could feel my body giving up. I climbed up the stairs and into bed, where I am now sitting as I try to recover from what was definitely the most drunken night I have had in Spain.
Woohoo, Spanish rave. Woohoo.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Cosma! the house puppy (for now)
Anybody want a puppy?!? She's just about the most adorable thing on earth, and smart too! U.P.S. won't ship her, so don't ask.
Monday, May 26, 2008
15 strangers decide to live in a house...
Their lives are not taped, but they oughta be.
Seriously, someone should make a reality tv show based on this house. It would be riveting.
On Friday, I attempted to make it through one night without any alcohol, but as my will power faded, I found myself going down to the kitchen to make myself a vodka cocktail. Isabella and Marcia were going out to some schwarma shop down on Elvira to meet a friend of Isabella's, Patricio from Peru. I decided to tag along, and David did too. We'd busked for the first time that afternoon and made 20 euros in an hour, so I think we both felt we deserved a little imbibing time.
When we got to the schwarma place, Patricio was nowhere to be found. We ordered pitas and got some litres of beer and sat on the nearby steps to just hang out until we decided what to do. Avi, from Israel (the couchsurfing friend who had stayed with David one night and hooked up a few times with Isabella), walked past and joined us for a while. Then he disappeared and eventually Patricio came by with his Italian friend, Guiseppe. We decided to go to Entresuelo.
At Entresuelo, we had several beers and some chupitos (shots) of tequila (girls only) and tried to teach David how to dance. This was moderately successful. After several hours, we decided to head down to Perra Gorda (Fat Bitch) and see what was happening there. On the way, Marcia had to pee real bad but didn't want to cop a squat on the street, UNLESS, she said, we found a Mercedes. Apparently, Marcia doesn't care for pissing in public unless it's to make a statement. Lo and behold, just before we reached the bar, we spotted a Mercedes. Marcia christened the hood as an unsuspecting passerby caught sight of it and veered off to avoid any further witnessing. When we reached the bar, there was a party on the steps outside. Tons of hippies and dogs, a drunken flamenco player, and (thank god) a man with cold sandwiches and beer. We bought a bunch of cans of beer and sat on the steps for a while, taking photos. When we'd run out of ideas on what to do next, someone suggested going back to the house and making some food. So we set off to do this.
At the house, David played a folk song and then Patricio played a classical song on the guitar. Ramon came out of his room in is underwear and asked us to be quiet. Marcia made a bunch of pasta and we continued drinking beer and then ate like drunken madmen. Isabella and I talked about gratifying sex versus sex just for the sake of it, and the boys were riveted. After we ate, I went outside to the patio and was delighted to see a bright blue light coming spilling into the terrace. I made it to dawn!! I was so excited. David was too, so he set off to the Mirador to watch the sunrise. I didn't have the energy to go with him, so I stayed and eventually went off to bed around 8am.
Saturday, I took it pretty easy (slept in til about 4pm). I entertained Ann, Cecile, Lisa, and Jenny at the house and made a superbueno salmon dip (which I will certainly make again). We sang old songs from our LSMSA days, and it was a goofy, happy time.
Then on Sunday (yesterday), Isabella and I returned from a trip to buy cigarettes to strange distressed puppy noises coming from up the street. We mentioned something about the noise being irritating, but didn't think much of it. Then a buzz started to build as others mentioned the noise and that there was a puppy up the road in an abandoned building. The door to the building was locked, and the puppy had been sitting in the barred window for two days, trying to get someone to save it. It had no food or water and was just about the cutest thing you ever saw. Isabella went to the building and kicked the door in to save the puppy, and we brought her back to the house and everyone had happy puppy time. Isabella named the dog "Cosma"...she wanted to name her "Universe" but we thought "Cosma" had a better sound to it. So, obviously, we can't keep this poor abandoned dog at the hostal for very long, but it's so nice to have a little baby running around. Isabella really wants to keep it, but being a traveller makes it really difficult to keep a pet, especially a dog. We are searching for good puppy parents, but it's a difficult time (SPRING) in Granada to give away a puppy.
So, once we got the puppy settled, we set off to Booga (which we do every Sunday night), which is a bar in the city center that has an open jam session - jazz, latin music, bluesy stuff sometimes. I started to feel sick but decided to try and drink through it (bad idea). I had about 5 beers and then we did chupitos de ron con miel (shots of rum and honey), then a few more beers, and some dancing ensued. I ran into the guy who does sound at Hannigan's II, where David and I have been singing at the open mic night every Tuesday. He said he normally doesn't come to Booga, it's not really his style, but I was glad to see him and get to chat with him a bit, outside of the open mic night scenario. Marcia started to feel not so good by the end of the night too, so we made the executive decision to hail and split the cost of a cab back home and up the hill. This worked out perfectly for just over 4 euros - can't beat that.
Which brings me to TODAY, fine folks, where I am laid up in bed at 7:30 in the evening in such extreme pain and discomfort that I'm considering calling my mother (I always feel inclined to call my mom when I'm sick...it's an old habit from when I was young). I have a sore throat which seems to have caused my entire body to seize up and fight the infection - I am achey, getting chills and hot sweats, and I have a slight fever. To make matters worse, I've read all the books I brought with me and don't have the strength to make it into town to the english book store, nor do I want to spend money on those expensive damned books. So, I'm stuck watching the same old dvd's over and over again, wishing I could just sleep this off. I'm going to be pissed if I can't sing tomorrow (open mic night)...the sound guy said maybe we could sing "Creep" or "Fake Plastic Trees" together...hope David doesn't get jealous.
That's all for now. I don't know how I had the strength to type this much. Must be the boredom.
Also - sorry no photos recently, a girl from England borrowed my USB cable for my camera and hasn't returned it yet.
Seriously, someone should make a reality tv show based on this house. It would be riveting.
On Friday, I attempted to make it through one night without any alcohol, but as my will power faded, I found myself going down to the kitchen to make myself a vodka cocktail. Isabella and Marcia were going out to some schwarma shop down on Elvira to meet a friend of Isabella's, Patricio from Peru. I decided to tag along, and David did too. We'd busked for the first time that afternoon and made 20 euros in an hour, so I think we both felt we deserved a little imbibing time.
When we got to the schwarma place, Patricio was nowhere to be found. We ordered pitas and got some litres of beer and sat on the nearby steps to just hang out until we decided what to do. Avi, from Israel (the couchsurfing friend who had stayed with David one night and hooked up a few times with Isabella), walked past and joined us for a while. Then he disappeared and eventually Patricio came by with his Italian friend, Guiseppe. We decided to go to Entresuelo.
At Entresuelo, we had several beers and some chupitos (shots) of tequila (girls only) and tried to teach David how to dance. This was moderately successful. After several hours, we decided to head down to Perra Gorda (Fat Bitch) and see what was happening there. On the way, Marcia had to pee real bad but didn't want to cop a squat on the street, UNLESS, she said, we found a Mercedes. Apparently, Marcia doesn't care for pissing in public unless it's to make a statement. Lo and behold, just before we reached the bar, we spotted a Mercedes. Marcia christened the hood as an unsuspecting passerby caught sight of it and veered off to avoid any further witnessing. When we reached the bar, there was a party on the steps outside. Tons of hippies and dogs, a drunken flamenco player, and (thank god) a man with cold sandwiches and beer. We bought a bunch of cans of beer and sat on the steps for a while, taking photos. When we'd run out of ideas on what to do next, someone suggested going back to the house and making some food. So we set off to do this.
At the house, David played a folk song and then Patricio played a classical song on the guitar. Ramon came out of his room in is underwear and asked us to be quiet. Marcia made a bunch of pasta and we continued drinking beer and then ate like drunken madmen. Isabella and I talked about gratifying sex versus sex just for the sake of it, and the boys were riveted. After we ate, I went outside to the patio and was delighted to see a bright blue light coming spilling into the terrace. I made it to dawn!! I was so excited. David was too, so he set off to the Mirador to watch the sunrise. I didn't have the energy to go with him, so I stayed and eventually went off to bed around 8am.
Saturday, I took it pretty easy (slept in til about 4pm). I entertained Ann, Cecile, Lisa, and Jenny at the house and made a superbueno salmon dip (which I will certainly make again). We sang old songs from our LSMSA days, and it was a goofy, happy time.
Then on Sunday (yesterday), Isabella and I returned from a trip to buy cigarettes to strange distressed puppy noises coming from up the street. We mentioned something about the noise being irritating, but didn't think much of it. Then a buzz started to build as others mentioned the noise and that there was a puppy up the road in an abandoned building. The door to the building was locked, and the puppy had been sitting in the barred window for two days, trying to get someone to save it. It had no food or water and was just about the cutest thing you ever saw. Isabella went to the building and kicked the door in to save the puppy, and we brought her back to the house and everyone had happy puppy time. Isabella named the dog "Cosma"...she wanted to name her "Universe" but we thought "Cosma" had a better sound to it. So, obviously, we can't keep this poor abandoned dog at the hostal for very long, but it's so nice to have a little baby running around. Isabella really wants to keep it, but being a traveller makes it really difficult to keep a pet, especially a dog. We are searching for good puppy parents, but it's a difficult time (SPRING) in Granada to give away a puppy.
So, once we got the puppy settled, we set off to Booga (which we do every Sunday night), which is a bar in the city center that has an open jam session - jazz, latin music, bluesy stuff sometimes. I started to feel sick but decided to try and drink through it (bad idea). I had about 5 beers and then we did chupitos de ron con miel (shots of rum and honey), then a few more beers, and some dancing ensued. I ran into the guy who does sound at Hannigan's II, where David and I have been singing at the open mic night every Tuesday. He said he normally doesn't come to Booga, it's not really his style, but I was glad to see him and get to chat with him a bit, outside of the open mic night scenario. Marcia started to feel not so good by the end of the night too, so we made the executive decision to hail and split the cost of a cab back home and up the hill. This worked out perfectly for just over 4 euros - can't beat that.
Which brings me to TODAY, fine folks, where I am laid up in bed at 7:30 in the evening in such extreme pain and discomfort that I'm considering calling my mother (I always feel inclined to call my mom when I'm sick...it's an old habit from when I was young). I have a sore throat which seems to have caused my entire body to seize up and fight the infection - I am achey, getting chills and hot sweats, and I have a slight fever. To make matters worse, I've read all the books I brought with me and don't have the strength to make it into town to the english book store, nor do I want to spend money on those expensive damned books. So, I'm stuck watching the same old dvd's over and over again, wishing I could just sleep this off. I'm going to be pissed if I can't sing tomorrow (open mic night)...the sound guy said maybe we could sing "Creep" or "Fake Plastic Trees" together...hope David doesn't get jealous.
That's all for now. I don't know how I had the strength to type this much. Must be the boredom.
Also - sorry no photos recently, a girl from England borrowed my USB cable for my camera and hasn't returned it yet.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Fiesta de Corpus Christi
Does anyone have any idea what all these fiestas in Spain are about??! I know they're religious, but I can't for the life of me figure out what, exactly, each festival is celebrating. Two weeks ago was the Fiesta de las Cruces (Festival of the Crosses), and now this....
Oh well, it's an excuse to party. And to shut down stores early, apparently, and often to do African dance. I'll try to upload a video clip of the dancing we watched at the park yesterday - sometimes blogger doesn't cooperate when I try to do that.
Anyway, David and I have been hard (or semi-hard) at work this week, practicing the 6-8 songs we're going to be singing around town. We had a really rough day of it yesterday, and I think it put him in a weird mood.
In other news, I bought a yoga mat at a cheap German store called Aldi - it only cost 5 euros! Major score. I'm not sure what's on the agenda for this weekend, but getting in some yoga time is a definite must, as I've been out of it since we came back from the beach last weekend.
So far this week, I've sung (again) at an open mic night, then saw an amazing guitar and singing duo at Tertulia (a bar in the city center), including incredible flamenco singing, witnessed in-home flamenco dancing by a professional as well as flamenco singing by a different professional, and seen spontaneous African drumming and dancing in the park. Not too shabby, Granada.
That's a run-down on what I've been up to since my last post. Ciao.
Oh well, it's an excuse to party. And to shut down stores early, apparently, and often to do African dance. I'll try to upload a video clip of the dancing we watched at the park yesterday - sometimes blogger doesn't cooperate when I try to do that.
Anyway, David and I have been hard (or semi-hard) at work this week, practicing the 6-8 songs we're going to be singing around town. We had a really rough day of it yesterday, and I think it put him in a weird mood.
In other news, I bought a yoga mat at a cheap German store called Aldi - it only cost 5 euros! Major score. I'm not sure what's on the agenda for this weekend, but getting in some yoga time is a definite must, as I've been out of it since we came back from the beach last weekend.
So far this week, I've sung (again) at an open mic night, then saw an amazing guitar and singing duo at Tertulia (a bar in the city center), including incredible flamenco singing, witnessed in-home flamenco dancing by a professional as well as flamenco singing by a different professional, and seen spontaneous African drumming and dancing in the park. Not too shabby, Granada.
That's a run-down on what I've been up to since my last post. Ciao.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Working in the BLACK
Being an American in Spain SUCKS, in short.
I went on an interview yesterday to a school that has a (underground) reputation in the TEFL world here for hiring non-certified or non-legal (a.k.a. ME) teachers, but they seemed very adamant about not hiring Americans and said, basically, that they wouldn't hire me. Ever.
Very demoralizing.
But, on the upside, I might have a possible job with a summer camp in Madrid lined up for July. It will pay 1300 euros (woohoo!) plus accommodation, food, and transportation to Madrid - can't beat that with a stick. I'll live in a little wooden cabin and have to work six hours a day, but the rest of the days will be mine to do what I want with. If this falls through, I'm going to contact the guy at the Finland camp that Lindy knows about and possibly try to line up work then. Madrid or Finland...hm??? Decisions, decisions, decisions.
I went on an interview yesterday to a school that has a (underground) reputation in the TEFL world here for hiring non-certified or non-legal (a.k.a. ME) teachers, but they seemed very adamant about not hiring Americans and said, basically, that they wouldn't hire me. Ever.
Very demoralizing.
But, on the upside, I might have a possible job with a summer camp in Madrid lined up for July. It will pay 1300 euros (woohoo!) plus accommodation, food, and transportation to Madrid - can't beat that with a stick. I'll live in a little wooden cabin and have to work six hours a day, but the rest of the days will be mine to do what I want with. If this falls through, I'm going to contact the guy at the Finland camp that Lindy knows about and possibly try to line up work then. Madrid or Finland...hm??? Decisions, decisions, decisions.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
La Fiesta de Chema!
On Saturday night, when I returned from San Jose, I got straight down to business preparing red thai curry for Chema's birthday party (Chema is a guy from Seville who lives in the house and is just about the nicest guy on the planet). He'd bought all the ingredients and requested that I make a shit ton of food for all the guests, which included the 15 people living here now and their various friends or significant others, plus his friends from Nostromo, the comic store in town where he works.
There was a slight emergency when I realized Chema hadn't bought coconut milk - ppl suggested that I use cream instead, and I was in hysterics. "You can't make thai curry without coconut milk, you idiots!!" Well, two of the housemates saved the day by finding an open tienda at 10:30pm that actually had coconut milk, and all was right with the cooking world. The curry was even better than the last time I made it for the house, and easier too because this time I had an immersion blender at my disposal. Magnifico.
In addition to the thai, there were croquettes de atun, aceitunas, fried corn thingies similar to hush puppies, and LOTS of dulces: tarta de queso (cheesecake), homemade ice cream, strawberry & fudge cookies...OMG. We had so much beer, it was literally falling out of the refrigerator, and lots of wine. Somehow we made it through this party without drinking all of our booze - we had 9 litres of beer and 5 bottles of wine left over this morning! Success! Complete with trick birthday candles and several rounds of "Feliz Cumpleanos," I think the party met all of Chema's requests.
After drinking a bit at the party, we went to a bar called Entresuelo (which means "between the floors"), which is where all my photos are from. I was almost too drunk to stand, let alone finish my SINGLE beer that I bought there. After about an hour and a half, I made the journey back uphill to the house and to bed at 4:30am, and I slept til 2pm. When I woke up, I realized I'd been slightly sunburnt - guess it took all day and night to "set in." Way to go, melanin.
Tomorrow, I have an interview at CL, a prominent school here in Granada. The connection is a very good one, and I've got a good reference from Vince at Via Lingua. Hopefully the DOS (director of Studies) will know something or other about the summer camps here in Granada and be able to refer me...if I don't find some work to line up for June or July, I'm going to be in dire straights. I think I have enough money to get me through, but my self dignity will suffer a low blow, as will my mental health. Left to its own devices, the mind can be very self destructive. There's only so much busking, writing poetry and leisurely reading a girl can put up with. You think I'm joking, but I'm dead serious. All this leisure is so decadent...it's lovely, really, especially with the glory of Granada to compliment it, but it's getting to a point where I can't imagine myself actually having a job again. Read: DANGER ZONE
Anyways, that's whassup. Oh yeah - I met some Brits today who live at a sister house to this one, and they had lots of disparaging comments to make about Americans - and they made them in my presence! Shocking, but I guess I'm lucky that's the first time it's really happened since I've been in Europe. It's funny, really.
Playa Paradiso
I took the opportunity to get the hell out of dodge, if only for a few days. Ann invited me to the beach near Almeria with a few of her girl friends. Ann, Lisa (from TN), Cecile (from France) and I rented a car and a beach bungalo in San Jose, on the Mediterranean coast, and it was heavenly. I had to leave early on Saturday via the bus back to Granada to cook for Chema's birthday party at the hostal, which was kindof a drag, but I'm so thankful for the time I had on the beach. I've got a bitchin' tan to show for it too!
We went to Playa de los Genoveses for the first day, on Friday, which was small and quiet without a lot of people. We had to hike a bit through incredible terrain that reminded me a lot of the beach towns in Mexico. There's a pic above of the hike back from the beach. We went back to the house and made pina coladas, and Ann prepared pork chops with asparagus risotto. We ate like queens. Then, we decided on a movie to watch and pushed two of the twin beds together and had a slumber party in the blue room (the bungalow was set up with different colors in each room...the kitchen/main room was orange, one bedroom was yellow, and one was blue). We watched Stranger than Fiction and Ann was the only one who stayed awake!
The next morning, I woke up at 7:30am and drank two cups of tea. Then I realized Ian would still be awake in the States, so I called him. He was quite surprised, and it was nice looking out from the terrace at the sunrise while we talked. Then when the rest of the ladies woke up, we ate cereal and strawberries (fresas) and headed to a new beach, the Playa Monsul - the first two pics above are from there. Ann and I kept saying, "This is just retarded," about how beautiful it was. I was glad to have a fellow American who uses that expression as often as I do and understands that there's nothing offensive about it. Then, I made the decision to take the later bus back to Granada so we could soak up more sun. We had a tapas lunch at the bungalow before the ladies dropped me off at the bus stop in San Jose. I rode 40 minutes to Almeria then changed buses and rode another 2 hours to Granada. As soon as I got back, I had to start making the curry for Chema's party.
I was glad to get out of Granada for a while. It really broke up the monotony and made me realize that you have to seize every opportunity to have a good time.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Rainy Day Woman
I made a to-do list today, for the first time in a long while it seems. There's not much of importance on it: buy new phone minutes, get batteries for the camera, toilet paper and other various groceries. I also am going to take this guy, Ben, around the city center to put his C.V. out to as many schools as possible. He's desperate to find work but isn't certified yet, so...we'll see how much I can actually help him.
The recent days of gray, cold rain have awoken a sense of despondence and near severe lonliness in me. There was a party on Saturday, and we went out last night to the booga club until 5am. These drinking adventures serve as nice distractions when the sun goes down, but I find myself through the days not knowing what to do with myself. Should I just go for a walk? I bought a book called The Witch of Portobello by Paulo Choello. It's really beautiful, but I'm reading it too fast and worried about what I'll do once that's finished. I'll have to go out and buy another book, for sure.
Reading has been a very good way to kill the time pleasurably, but what I really want is a friend. I was hanging around with a guy from the house a lot, and for some reason one day everything just changed. He stopped asking me to go places with him, we stopped doing things alone together, which were the times when we really were able to talk. I felt for a while that I had a good friend I could count on, and now it's like he's intentionally pulling away. I'm not sure if this is common among travelers who don't want to get too attached to people they meet on the road so they try to avoid close connections, but I don't understand this. I think people are always going to be in your life for an undetermined amount of time, so it's important to make the most of the time together. I don't know. I feel guilty for expecting more from this guy's friendship. I feel stupid for wanting to ask him what's going on. I don't like feeling like I need something from other people...like I'm not self-sufficient or like I'm needy.
Anyway, that's a little bit of the undercurrent of emotion that's threaded through all of these dark, gloomy days in Granada. It's amazing what a difference the sun makes. I feel its power and like I can go out into the city and see and do anything. But with this overcast, I just want to stay in bed and fester about how lonely and bored I am. That's an overstatement, of course - I don't allow myself to stay in bed all day. But hanging around the hostal can only be so exciting. Perhaps I should go out and get a coffee. Yeah...that's the ticket.
The recent days of gray, cold rain have awoken a sense of despondence and near severe lonliness in me. There was a party on Saturday, and we went out last night to the booga club until 5am. These drinking adventures serve as nice distractions when the sun goes down, but I find myself through the days not knowing what to do with myself. Should I just go for a walk? I bought a book called The Witch of Portobello by Paulo Choello. It's really beautiful, but I'm reading it too fast and worried about what I'll do once that's finished. I'll have to go out and buy another book, for sure.
Reading has been a very good way to kill the time pleasurably, but what I really want is a friend. I was hanging around with a guy from the house a lot, and for some reason one day everything just changed. He stopped asking me to go places with him, we stopped doing things alone together, which were the times when we really were able to talk. I felt for a while that I had a good friend I could count on, and now it's like he's intentionally pulling away. I'm not sure if this is common among travelers who don't want to get too attached to people they meet on the road so they try to avoid close connections, but I don't understand this. I think people are always going to be in your life for an undetermined amount of time, so it's important to make the most of the time together. I don't know. I feel guilty for expecting more from this guy's friendship. I feel stupid for wanting to ask him what's going on. I don't like feeling like I need something from other people...like I'm not self-sufficient or like I'm needy.
Anyway, that's a little bit of the undercurrent of emotion that's threaded through all of these dark, gloomy days in Granada. It's amazing what a difference the sun makes. I feel its power and like I can go out into the city and see and do anything. But with this overcast, I just want to stay in bed and fester about how lonely and bored I am. That's an overstatement, of course - I don't allow myself to stay in bed all day. But hanging around the hostal can only be so exciting. Perhaps I should go out and get a coffee. Yeah...that's the ticket.
Monday, May 5, 2008
Mixed Nuts (and feelings)
I'm feeling a bit lonely and despondent today. Strange, after such a great weekend. I'm struck while here in Spain how every day brings something completely new and unexpected, including the occasional lonliness and writer's block. I was sitting there in my favorite spot just an hour ago, gripping my pen and notebook, and no words were coming. I had all the inspiration in the world around me...birds singing, incredible view of the river and the city of Granada, amazing sunshine, and yet no words. Maybe today wasn't set apart from the other amazing days in Granada, so it didn't feel unique or noteworthy. I don't know, but it's left me frustrated and a bit confused at the moment.
May 1-4 was the Fiesta de las Cruces in Granada, so all the schools were shut down as well as businesses. This meant I was left with no possible job hunting attempts, nothing to do but fiesta, fiesta, fiesta. Alastair, my neighbor in the house (which we lovingly call the Palace), brought a friend in from Madrid who was awesome and almost like having a little sister. With a little bit of home (she's from St. Louis, Missouri) and a whole lot of spunk, Lindy kept me entertained throughout my four-day weekend. There are pictures above for reference. She's gone back to Madrid, but I'm sure she and I will meet again. I miss having a girl friend to hang out with. Maybe that's part of the writer's block too.
It's been two weeks since the TEFL course ended, and I'm struggling to find some sort of drive to put myself out there and find work. I need to just decide on a day to get out there, put on my workin' clothes and hit the pavement. It's a bit frightening, and even more intimidating with all the decadent lounging I've been doing since the course ended. I feel like I've had to put aside the 9-to-5er Stevie and embrace a bit of the new Granada Stevie, who likes to hang out all day, play guitar and sing, make friends and eat dinner before heading out to the bars. But Granada Stevie might be taking over, and I'm not yet sure how I feel about that. Time to get off my hump (my lovely lady bump) and make some magic happen. Here goes nothing, right??
Friday, April 25, 2008
Un dia en Madrid, solo...
Well, I have returned - from sleep at last, from a day without sleep while touring Madrid alone. I left on Wednesday night at midnight, drunk on wine and new friendship at the palace (the hostal I'm living in now), and caught the 1:30am bus to Madrid. I wrote a poem at the bus station that was interrupted when a black dude from Madrid started chatting me up. He gave me a cigarette and in exchange I gave him a phony phone number (he'd asked for my digits).
I arrived in Madrid at 6:30am, exhausted and a bit confused from lack of sleep. I had a cafe at Estacion Sur del Autobuses and waited for the U.S. Embassy to open at 8am. Then, I hopped a taxi to the Embajada (Embassy) and sat in line for an hour (notary service doesn't start until 9am...good to know). While waiting, the lobby played a looped video called, "I am America." I was sitting amongst all these ppl waiting to get U.S. visas. The video showed all the stereotypical patriotic shots of my country, tis of thee. It was surreal. When I got to the window (finally), they informed me that because I didn't have a printed copy of the document I needed notarized, they couldn't help me. They gave me a crappy map with hi-lighted directions on how to get to "The Work Center," a photocopy shop. So then I got lost looking for that place, walking the Madrid hills in the early morning among business men and women, construction workers bustling and whistling as I walked past. I almost didn't get the prints I needed, but then it worked out, so I somehow found my way back to the Embassy, took another number, and got back in line while the America video was still playing.
The notary ended up working out, although it cost $30 U.S. dollars (20.40 in euros), plus the bus and cab fares, plus the copy costs...you get the idea (not cheap). At this point, I had six hours to kill in sunny Madrid. I decided to visit the Prado, but first I needed sustainence. I found a bagel shop and had a coffee, some water, and a bagel bocadillo with jamon serrano and cream cheese (quite good, actually). I fed some birds and started walking in the general direction that I thought I had remembered the Prado was in. Along my walk, a young girl approached me with a clip board. She motioned that she was deaf, and could I sign her petition. I started to sign and then noticed in the far-right column a space for "donations." My eyes got wide, and I told her I only had 2 euros. She let me contribute anyway and told me I had a beautiful face.
I had trouble finding the Prado (as goofy as that is). Madrid is huge! I kept stopping to look at my map, realizing that I'd past my intersection or turning point, somehow I'd gone in the wrong direction or veered off incorrectly. The biggest problem I had was the roundabout intersections - it's very easy to start walking in the wrong direction when you cross them. Plus, they put street signs on buildings here, so often there's no sign telling you what street you're even on. Lots of backtracking, LOTS of walking in shoes that probably were't made for walking.
Eventually, I found the Prado. I took a picture of my victory finding (the ticket/aceso booth). I saw paintings by Velasquez and Goya, sculptures and works spanning the length of Spain's artistic history. It was a bit lonely. I saw the "midget" paintings my father loved so much - los bufones, as they're called here. I laughed with him on the inside.
It was only 2pm when I left the Prado, and my bus didn't leave until 4:30pm. I decided to treat myself to a nice meal in Madrid. I wandered off the beaten path (knowing that as far into the city I went, I would need time and energy to walk out again) and found la Pizzeria Cervantes - I'd been DYING for real Italian pizza. The wait staff giggled when I came in and said only, "Uno." The Argentinian casero complimented my Spanish and asked where I was from. I had a pizza verde with asparagos, alcachofas, broccoli, and oregano and loads of fresh mozzarella. A glass of tinto, and I was on my way to hail a cab and head back to Granada.
Met some interesting folks at the bus station, one black girl from Chicago who hadn't figured out the Spanish bus system yet, and an older Spanish woman from Granada who seemed to adopt me as her "nina" (she called me this several times throughout the bus ride). I didn't even catch her name....
Anyway, I took a video of part of the final bus ride. I got back to the palace at 9:30pm, ate some leftover pasta, and crashed out until noon today (Friday, but I keep thinking it's Saturday). This was my first real travel experience abroad, totally alone. It was liberating, and I was talking in Spanish all day, so I came back very eager to continue speaking and thinking in Spanish. At least now I know that travelling alone, though of course a bit lonely and intimidating, can be quite thrilling, and for some reason the most tiny little parts of my day are so vivid and memorable. I guess it's because I didn't have anyone to share them with, so my mind was filing it all away, taking notes of it all.
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