Monday was a big day in Operation: Become More Spanish. First off, I went to Sevilla and picked up my TIE! Indeed I am now a proud Spanish Identity Card-Holding member. The card is like a mullet in that it's all business on the front: my photo and address, date of birth and ID number and all party in the back: my reason for being in Spain and my index finger fingerprint. This may give the illusion of being business-like, but if you look closely at the fingerprint you'll see that is doesn't show the usual loops, whorls and arches. Instead it frames the face of a baby. It is as though my fingerprint and a sonogram head shot image were merged and placed on the back of my card. What does it mean? Probably that someone in the Spanish Government's dark room is going to need a stern talking-to.
The second important accomplishment in my Mission was squeezing out the last bit of my Red, White and Blue toothpaste and moving on to a new Red and Yellow (with a coat of arms) tube. I believe it was no coincidence that my American tube ran out on the same day I picked up my Spanish identity card. The toothpaste tube is like a metaphor for my new Spanish (temporary) identity: it might still say Colgate on the outside and have a paste on the inside, but there's a distinct change in flavor from regular mint to spearmint.
In teaching English related news: when a native Spanish speaker says a word in English that starts with a 'y' it often comes out as more of a 'j' sound. So 'yes' sounds more like 'jes'. It's important to note that they are two different sounds, however. In class on Tuesday a student asked for clarification on something I had said in class. She asked, 'Did you say that President Bush went to jail?' 'No,' I said, 'I said he went to YALE.'
Another common pronunciation error made by native Spanish speakers is that of the short 'i' sound, as in 'pin'. They pronounce it more like 'peen'. This came up in a conversation class with a couple of 5th level students. We were actually talking about the difference between the 'ch' and the 'sh' sounds. Students have a hard time hearing the difference between those two similar sounds. For example, 'cheat sheet' sounds like one word repeated twice. Then add in the 'i' sound problem, and you have three words in English that can be pronounced the same: cheat, sheet, and shit. Imagine the three of us sitting at the table in a cafe practicing the three words in a row: cheat, sheet, shit. Practice makes perfect.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Whilst it was snowing in MN and WI...
...Alcalá was having some very short parades:
It seems to me that these parades are impromptu events because they are so short and occur at random times during the day. However, the group's outfits are usually coordinated and they seem to know what they are doing, so I must be mistaken.
This parade I just caught the tail end of, but at the beginning there were floats/vehicles with children throwing candy to people on the sidewalk. I think the whole parade lasted about two minutes.
And what is the weather like here in Spain right now? Well, a few days ago we had a small heat wave where the temperature got up to about 70 degrees. Currently (as I type this) it is 60 degrees. And although the temperatures are quite agreeable, the humidity is something I have never experienced before. How humid is it, you ask? It is so humid that if you wash your clothes on Monday and hang them out to dry, they will still not feel completely dry even by Thursday (and that includes clothes like running shorts that are designed to dry quickly and 'wick' away moisture). Our dishes don't dry. We wash them and set them in the rack to dry and the next morning they will still have drops of water all over. Your sheets and blankets have a light dampness to them when you crawl into bed. Paper bags have less of a crispness and more of a soggy wave. The table at school was slick, as if someone had just wiped it down with a wet rag. And my room sometimes smells like a dark, damp basement. I was told this would be they case, but I have never experienced it before so I really couldn't imagine what it meant.
In other news, the countdown to Christmas break has begun. This week I have fewer classes because most teachers are giving oral exams in class. (In case I haven't explained it before I have two different types of classes: those with a teacher, where I do an activity of their choosing with their class and then those on my own, with up to seven students, that are designed for the students to practice their conversation skills with a native English speaker). That means that I will have only my conversation classes during the week, so it looks like I will end up working about 5 hours this week. I am planning on doing some Christmas shopping and making a trip to the foreigner's office to pick up my TIE (identity card) so that I legally stay in the country now that my student visa has nearly expired. On Thursday (the last day of classes) there is a dinner planned for the teaching staff at our school. The reservation is for 9:30 PM, an ideal time for a Spanish evening meal. Next week (the week of the 20th) I have no classes at all.
It seems to me that these parades are impromptu events because they are so short and occur at random times during the day. However, the group's outfits are usually coordinated and they seem to know what they are doing, so I must be mistaken.
This parade I just caught the tail end of, but at the beginning there were floats/vehicles with children throwing candy to people on the sidewalk. I think the whole parade lasted about two minutes.
And what is the weather like here in Spain right now? Well, a few days ago we had a small heat wave where the temperature got up to about 70 degrees. Currently (as I type this) it is 60 degrees. And although the temperatures are quite agreeable, the humidity is something I have never experienced before. How humid is it, you ask? It is so humid that if you wash your clothes on Monday and hang them out to dry, they will still not feel completely dry even by Thursday (and that includes clothes like running shorts that are designed to dry quickly and 'wick' away moisture). Our dishes don't dry. We wash them and set them in the rack to dry and the next morning they will still have drops of water all over. Your sheets and blankets have a light dampness to them when you crawl into bed. Paper bags have less of a crispness and more of a soggy wave. The table at school was slick, as if someone had just wiped it down with a wet rag. And my room sometimes smells like a dark, damp basement. I was told this would be they case, but I have never experienced it before so I really couldn't imagine what it meant.
In other news, the countdown to Christmas break has begun. This week I have fewer classes because most teachers are giving oral exams in class. (In case I haven't explained it before I have two different types of classes: those with a teacher, where I do an activity of their choosing with their class and then those on my own, with up to seven students, that are designed for the students to practice their conversation skills with a native English speaker). That means that I will have only my conversation classes during the week, so it looks like I will end up working about 5 hours this week. I am planning on doing some Christmas shopping and making a trip to the foreigner's office to pick up my TIE (identity card) so that I legally stay in the country now that my student visa has nearly expired. On Thursday (the last day of classes) there is a dinner planned for the teaching staff at our school. The reservation is for 9:30 PM, an ideal time for a Spanish evening meal. Next week (the week of the 20th) I have no classes at all.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
I'll have a Málaga with a 12K, a birthday, tapas and churros
I would start out this blog with 'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of darkness, it was the age of light,' but I think that's already been done.
The first weekend in December was a 'puente' or long weekend. We had off from Friday afternoon until Thursday of the next week. Why? Because December 6th is Constitution Day (a National holiday for Spain since 1978) and the 8th of December is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.
So, we spent Friday and Saturday in Sevilla/Alcalá and hopped on a train bound for Málaga on Sunday afternoon. It was about a 2.5 hour train ride. What I really noticed about the train is how quiet it is. No one talks (very odd for Spain) and the train itself doesn't make much noise. (There were also no movies, headphones or snacks provided.) Upon arrival at the Málaga train station, which could easily have been mistaken for an airport because of the attached mall and modern design, we walked to our hostel, dropped our bags and figured out how to get to the race packet-pickup location (el Estadio de Atletismo) before 9 PM (it was about 3 when we got to Málaga).
The packet pick-up process wasn't any different than it is in the US: get your number, get your shirt, check to make sure that your chip works. However, unlike the US, there weren't a bunch of booths selling you all the best running gear available at a special marathon/12K runners rate. I think there was just one booth and it wasn't offering a discount as far as I could tell (I assume this because no one was at the booth).
After that excitement, we went back to the hostel (to drop off my bag of goodies and to pick up an umbrella) and then we headed out to check out Málaga a bit. We walked around the central area and I stopped to eat a sandwich (my last meal before the race). Megan and Clarisse were going out to dinner with Jose and his girlfriend, so I ate alone. Unfortunately before a race I can't eat whatever I want or drink whatever I want. Well, if I expect to be able to run decently I suppose. So I met up Raquel and Jose so I could say 'hola', but then headed back to the hostel (which only had one key between the three of us, making things tricky at times). So they got to have fun, while I got to try to have a good night's sleep. I missed out on tapas, drinks and hot chocolate in Málaga with real Malagueños! The sacrifices you make as a runner....
The race started at 9 AM on Monday, so we tried to get on the bus about 7:45. We (including a few other runners) got on the bus around 8 AM. The ride took about a half hour, so we made it in time. I had enough time to use the port-o-potties twice, which is really unheard of at a marathon with 2,000 people and six port-a-potties. I discovered later that there were real bathrooms inside the stadium.
Anyway, the race started in the stadium. We ran about halfway around the track at the beginning and end. The 12K runners were told to line up behind the marathon runners. I obeyed this rule, but I shouldn't have because we ran the entire 12K race along with the marathons. They 'dropped us off' at the stadium to finish and they kept going. So I ended up way in the back of the pack running with (but passing) the slower marathon runners. (You run more slowly when you have 26.2 miles to complete as opposed to just 7.4.) I calculate that this affected my time by over one minute. Or at least I'd like to think so.
The course was a pretty straight shot- just down one road and back. It was pretty close to the ocean and it was nice and flat. Even the 30-second downpour at the second kilometer didn't bother me. It felt like the fastest hour of my running career. Megan and Clarisse got some really good photos/video of the stadium and of me finishing. As soon as I get them (if and when we get around to exchanging photos) I'll try to post some here.
After the race, we acted as tourists and walked through the gibralfaro (a castle with a good view of the city), the Picasso Museum (just pay to see the Picasso stuff or not at all. But then again, I'm not artsy.) and to see the beach. In fact, we ate on the beach at a chiringuito. We wanted paella, but they said it was going to rain so there was no sense in making it (that's really what the waiter said). So we settled for a shared salad and other random entrees. Again, the food didn't come out all at once. We waited about 20 minutes for them to bring out 1 of the 3 entrees we ordered. This situation follows us wherever we go in Spain. Everyone's food is never brought out at the same time. The bottom line, though, is that we ate on the beach on my birthday in December. You can't beat that.
For dinner we had tapas, ice cream and hot chocolate (all at different places in the center of the city- near Larios street). I also (accidentally) tried a muscatel (wine). It was really sweet and tastes like raisins, but I liked it. My favorite tapa is now the Ensalada Malagueña. It has potatoes, green olives, onions, oranges, and cod in olive oil and vinegar. You might think it sounds completely disgusting, but I swear that it will not disappoint you if you try it.
On Tuesday morning I got up early and ran to the beach we didn't get to see before: el Palo. It was nice and quiet in the morning and in the winter. It had a nice path along the water/beach/restaurants. It felt like a movie set. The sand itself seemed kind of dirty though- like it was full of garbage. Maybe it's a winter thing or perhaps a city beach thing.
For breakfast we ate churros and hot chocolate at a café near our hostel (as recommended by our Malaguenan Friends).
(You'll notice we only have 2 cups for three people. Once again, the third person's food didn't come with the first 2 people's. I told you it followed us everywhere.)
We dropped our bags off at the front desk of the hostel and shopped for the rest of the afternoon before heading back to the train station and back to Sevilla/Alcalá.
The first weekend in December was a 'puente' or long weekend. We had off from Friday afternoon until Thursday of the next week. Why? Because December 6th is Constitution Day (a National holiday for Spain since 1978) and the 8th of December is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.
So, we spent Friday and Saturday in Sevilla/Alcalá and hopped on a train bound for Málaga on Sunday afternoon. It was about a 2.5 hour train ride. What I really noticed about the train is how quiet it is. No one talks (very odd for Spain) and the train itself doesn't make much noise. (There were also no movies, headphones or snacks provided.) Upon arrival at the Málaga train station, which could easily have been mistaken for an airport because of the attached mall and modern design, we walked to our hostel, dropped our bags and figured out how to get to the race packet-pickup location (el Estadio de Atletismo) before 9 PM (it was about 3 when we got to Málaga).
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| Packet Pick-up Location |
The packet pick-up process wasn't any different than it is in the US: get your number, get your shirt, check to make sure that your chip works. However, unlike the US, there weren't a bunch of booths selling you all the best running gear available at a special marathon/12K runners rate. I think there was just one booth and it wasn't offering a discount as far as I could tell (I assume this because no one was at the booth).
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| Cathedral in Málaga |
The race started at 9 AM on Monday, so we tried to get on the bus about 7:45. We (including a few other runners) got on the bus around 8 AM. The ride took about a half hour, so we made it in time. I had enough time to use the port-o-potties twice, which is really unheard of at a marathon with 2,000 people and six port-a-potties. I discovered later that there were real bathrooms inside the stadium.
Anyway, the race started in the stadium. We ran about halfway around the track at the beginning and end. The 12K runners were told to line up behind the marathon runners. I obeyed this rule, but I shouldn't have because we ran the entire 12K race along with the marathons. They 'dropped us off' at the stadium to finish and they kept going. So I ended up way in the back of the pack running with (but passing) the slower marathon runners. (You run more slowly when you have 26.2 miles to complete as opposed to just 7.4.) I calculate that this affected my time by over one minute. Or at least I'd like to think so.
The course was a pretty straight shot- just down one road and back. It was pretty close to the ocean and it was nice and flat. Even the 30-second downpour at the second kilometer didn't bother me. It felt like the fastest hour of my running career. Megan and Clarisse got some really good photos/video of the stadium and of me finishing. As soon as I get them (if and when we get around to exchanging photos) I'll try to post some here.
(I cross the finish line at 15 seconds into the video- behind the person in black pants. I'm wearing turquoise shorts.)
After the race, we acted as tourists and walked through the gibralfaro (a castle with a good view of the city), the Picasso Museum (just pay to see the Picasso stuff or not at all. But then again, I'm not artsy.) and to see the beach. In fact, we ate on the beach at a chiringuito. We wanted paella, but they said it was going to rain so there was no sense in making it (that's really what the waiter said). So we settled for a shared salad and other random entrees. Again, the food didn't come out all at once. We waited about 20 minutes for them to bring out 1 of the 3 entrees we ordered. This situation follows us wherever we go in Spain. Everyone's food is never brought out at the same time. The bottom line, though, is that we ate on the beach on my birthday in December. You can't beat that.
For dinner we had tapas, ice cream and hot chocolate (all at different places in the center of the city- near Larios street). I also (accidentally) tried a muscatel (wine). It was really sweet and tastes like raisins, but I liked it. My favorite tapa is now the Ensalada Malagueña. It has potatoes, green olives, onions, oranges, and cod in olive oil and vinegar. You might think it sounds completely disgusting, but I swear that it will not disappoint you if you try it.
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Ensalada Malagueña
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For breakfast we ate churros and hot chocolate at a café near our hostel (as recommended by our Malaguenan Friends).
(You'll notice we only have 2 cups for three people. Once again, the third person's food didn't come with the first 2 people's. I told you it followed us everywhere.)
We dropped our bags off at the front desk of the hostel and shopped for the rest of the afternoon before heading back to the train station and back to Sevilla/Alcalá.
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| Train Station in Málaga |
Friday, December 3, 2010
Switches and Tricks
We live on the fourth floor of our apartment building. When you walk into the building you are on floor zero. So to get to our piso, you need to walk up four flights of stairs (not like in the US where you would only walk up three). It is fine during daylight hours, but when the sun is down, it's quite dark. There is a light switch on every floor that is on a timer, and generally it gives you enough time to get up to the next level to turn on the next light. However, the light seems to be designed to illuminate the doorway/elevator area rather than the stairs. Each flight of stairs consists of two sets of stairs that makes a 'v' shape to the elevator door. So you go up maybe 10 steps and then make a sharp left and go up 10 more to get to the next floor. And if you turn on the light by the elevator on one floor, you'll get up the first set of stairs and make a left turn to go up the second set, but the light will blocked by the stairs. And since the light is on a timer you have a limited number of seconds to feel your way up the second flight of stairs to the light switch on the next floor. I live in fear of 'timing out' before I can get to the next light switch. Here's why: on both sides of the elevator there is a piso (two per floor). Each piso has a light switch and a doorbell. The light switch is the one closest to the elevator, but the switches look exactly the same:
Speaking of transportation (an elevator is a form of transportation, right?), it has been brought to our attention that as of December 15th the buses from Sevilla to Alcalá (and vice versa) will be cut in half. That is to say that they will only travel half the distance they usually did and with half the frequency. They will run every half hour (instead of every 15 minutes) and instead of the buses going from the center of Alcalá to the center of Sevilla, they will go from the center of Alcalá to the edge of Sevilla. If you want to get to the center of the city (where we most often go), you will have to get off the bus and get on the metro (for an added fee) to get to the center. This means that our 3-step weekend travels to the bus stop will now be 4 steps. The reasoning behind this switch is as follows: there is so much construction in the city center that traffic cannot move smoothly, so by removing the Alcalá buses from the center area there will be more space for cars and thus traffic will be lighter. We are lucky that we only go to Sevilla a few times a week. For those teachers and students that live/work in Sevilla and take the bus to Alcalá everyday it is a huge hassle (and slightly added expense). For us it is just more exercise.
Speaking of exercise, since this weekend (well, Monday actually, but still...) I will be running a race, I am tapering my workouts right now, so I went 'running' with my camera today. Here are some shots of my route:
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| By a field |
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| Along the river |
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| The track/soccer fields |
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| More along the river |
And I am not ungrateful or oblivious to the fact that it is December. I absolutely appreciate the clear (snow-less and ice-less) paths that I run on. More than that I appreciate the temperatures and appropriate running attire for them: shorts and a t-shirt (for me, I have seen people running in long pants and a long shirt. I guess I will have a problem with what to wear when it gets a little hotter, but for now, it's perfect). I have to admit that even today as I was running up a hill I caught myself comparing it to the hill on the River Road in St. Paul (the one that takes you up to Summit). You can take the girl out of St. Paul, but you can't erase her memory of and fondness for her morning River Road runs. In fact, just to prove to myself that I could do it, I got up at 6:30 AM and went running (I left the house around 7) before class twice this week. I can still do it. I feel better knowing that. Getting up early to go running is my trademark move.
Another one of my trademarks is wearing shorts as pajama bottoms year-round. I can't do that here. It might sound unbelievable, but since there is no central heating and no carpet or insulation to hold in the heat, it is rather chilly here at night. I sleep in a t-shirt, sweatshirt, pants and socks and I am still cold most nights. I never would have believed it if you told me this would be the case. We were totally spoiled with a heater in our room and down comforters for our beds the last time we lived in Spain. (Now I know what you went through Kelly and Meaghan- I am living a heater-less, down comforter-less, squeaky-bed and pet-rabbit-in- the-house-life. I don't have any Swedish roommates though.)
Here's a little story about my private English lesson: today I attempted to explain the phrase 'they didn't bother to do it' to him. It was in reference to the his students that didn't bother to come to his office hours for extra help, even though they didn't understand the (math) problems he gave them and thus failed the exam. He wanted to know a synonym for the word 'bother' in this case. I tried to think of one and started my explanation out with 'Es como...'. Is it a good sign that even though our entire conversation was in English (he is in the Advanced class, so he speaks very well) that my brain automatically started to explain in Spanish? I'd like to think so, but all other signs point to the fact that both my Spanish and English may actually be getting worse. Take, for example, when I try to say a Spanish 101 phrase like 'That shirt is more expensive than this shirt.' and I say 'Esa camisa es more cara que esta camisa'. ('More' is an English word- it should be 'más' instead.) My brain just switches languages at whim.
And since this may be the last time I get to say it without lying: I'm in my twenties.
Another one of my trademarks is wearing shorts as pajama bottoms year-round. I can't do that here. It might sound unbelievable, but since there is no central heating and no carpet or insulation to hold in the heat, it is rather chilly here at night. I sleep in a t-shirt, sweatshirt, pants and socks and I am still cold most nights. I never would have believed it if you told me this would be the case. We were totally spoiled with a heater in our room and down comforters for our beds the last time we lived in Spain. (Now I know what you went through Kelly and Meaghan- I am living a heater-less, down comforter-less, squeaky-bed and pet-rabbit-in- the-house-life. I don't have any Swedish roommates though.)
Here's a little story about my private English lesson: today I attempted to explain the phrase 'they didn't bother to do it' to him. It was in reference to the his students that didn't bother to come to his office hours for extra help, even though they didn't understand the (math) problems he gave them and thus failed the exam. He wanted to know a synonym for the word 'bother' in this case. I tried to think of one and started my explanation out with 'Es como...'. Is it a good sign that even though our entire conversation was in English (he is in the Advanced class, so he speaks very well) that my brain automatically started to explain in Spanish? I'd like to think so, but all other signs point to the fact that both my Spanish and English may actually be getting worse. Take, for example, when I try to say a Spanish 101 phrase like 'That shirt is more expensive than this shirt.' and I say 'Esa camisa es more cara que esta camisa'. ('More' is an English word- it should be 'más' instead.) My brain just switches languages at whim.
And since this may be the last time I get to say it without lying: I'm in my twenties.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Team Work on T-Day
During the past decade, I have spent the majority of my Thanksgivings serving food to others who were celebrating the feast of food, while I myself neither celebrated nor ate as I was too busy working. This year I did work, but only for three hours.
Thanksgiving dinner was a team event. At 10 AM Clarisse, Jose and I met in the living room/dining room and walked together to the grocery store. We planned on making turkey, cranberry sauce,stuffing, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes and apple crisp (Grandma R's recipe). Jose was in charge of the sauce, stuffing and turkey. I had the casserole and apple crisp and Clarisse had the potatoes. We went to four different grocery stores looking for all of the ingredients we needed (most stores do not carry turkey in any other form than sandwich slices and cranberries are not very prevalent either.). But, we found turkey drumsticks, dried cranberries and a cousin of brown sugar you find in the US (it was in larger crystals like table sugar but brown). We brought everything back to the piso and got to work. I peeled and sliced the apples for the crisp and then breaded and fried the onions for the green bean casserole. Clarisse cut the bread and veggies for the stuffing while Jose worked some sort of magic with the cranberries to make a sauce and prepared the turkey for the oven.
Once everything was prepped we headed off to school for a few hours. When we returned, we finished cooking the turkey, Clarisse whipped up the potatoes (from a packet) and Megan directed the green bean casserole process (since I had never actually eaten nor made a green bean casserole). The challenge with the green bean casserole was that we didn't have a can of cream of mushroom soup (you know, the 10.5 ounces of cream that keeps the shape of the can once you dump it out). We only had a packet of cream of mushroom soup, which was too watery for this recipe. So, we made the packet of soup and Megan stirred, and stirred and stirred (by the way, 'to stir' in Spanish is 'remover'. Which could be, as an English speaker who might not have seen that word in Spanish before, confusing the first time you read the directions on the soup packet: put the contents of the packet in a liter of water. Remover la sopa (soup). That could be difficult...). She stirred it until it was reduced down to the correct consistency. That resulted in only about a quarter cup of soup. But somehow we made it work.
Here is our (Spanish) Thanksgiving table:
While we enjoyed our fine meal, the apple crisp was baking in the oven. It turned out perfectly (it must be the recipe). We even added our own special touches to it- ice cream (of course) and the leftover cranberry sauce.
We ate at 10:30 PM and we went to bed around 2 AM. I think I like this side of Thanksgiving dinner better than the working side.
Thanksgiving dinner was a team event. At 10 AM Clarisse, Jose and I met in the living room/dining room and walked together to the grocery store. We planned on making turkey, cranberry sauce,stuffing, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes and apple crisp (Grandma R's recipe). Jose was in charge of the sauce, stuffing and turkey. I had the casserole and apple crisp and Clarisse had the potatoes. We went to four different grocery stores looking for all of the ingredients we needed (most stores do not carry turkey in any other form than sandwich slices and cranberries are not very prevalent either.). But, we found turkey drumsticks, dried cranberries and a cousin of brown sugar you find in the US (it was in larger crystals like table sugar but brown). We brought everything back to the piso and got to work. I peeled and sliced the apples for the crisp and then breaded and fried the onions for the green bean casserole. Clarisse cut the bread and veggies for the stuffing while Jose worked some sort of magic with the cranberries to make a sauce and prepared the turkey for the oven.
Once everything was prepped we headed off to school for a few hours. When we returned, we finished cooking the turkey, Clarisse whipped up the potatoes (from a packet) and Megan directed the green bean casserole process (since I had never actually eaten nor made a green bean casserole). The challenge with the green bean casserole was that we didn't have a can of cream of mushroom soup (you know, the 10.5 ounces of cream that keeps the shape of the can once you dump it out). We only had a packet of cream of mushroom soup, which was too watery for this recipe. So, we made the packet of soup and Megan stirred, and stirred and stirred (by the way, 'to stir' in Spanish is 'remover'. Which could be, as an English speaker who might not have seen that word in Spanish before, confusing the first time you read the directions on the soup packet: put the contents of the packet in a liter of water. Remover la sopa (soup). That could be difficult...). She stirred it until it was reduced down to the correct consistency. That resulted in only about a quarter cup of soup. But somehow we made it work.
Here is our (Spanish) Thanksgiving table:
While we enjoyed our fine meal, the apple crisp was baking in the oven. It turned out perfectly (it must be the recipe). We even added our own special touches to it- ice cream (of course) and the leftover cranberry sauce.
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Granada Means Pomegranate
It also means hand grenade. But we'll get to those later. Granada with a capital 'G' means a city in southern Spain (isn't grammar fun?). And that's where Megan, Clarisse and I went November 19th-21st. It was my fourth trip to Granada and my third trip inside the Alhambra (always buy your ticket ahead of time if you actually want to get inside, right Rachel?).
After our two-hour English department meeting on Friday, Clarisse and I stopped by the piso to pick up our bags and went through the three-step process to get to the bus to Granada (bus to Sevilla, 40 minute walk across Sevilla with suitcase to bus stop #2, bus to Granada). Megan was at the station waiting for us. To our surprise, the 'deluxe' bus ticket didn't just cost extra because it left at a much desired time. It cost more because each rider received a bag of goodies: a bottle of water, a cookie, peanuts and earphones (so that you could listen to the movie they were showing during the ride). I don't know what it is about free stuff, but no matter what it is that you get for 'free' or unexpectedly it always makes you feel more satisfied about spending money. 'I'll pay 7 extra Euros ($9.80) for your bus ticket if you give me a bottle of water and some snacks. Whaddaya say?'. If you think about it logically, you'll figure out that a bottle of water, cookies and peanuts will cost you only 1.5€ (at most) and you already have your own headphones. But we put that minor detail out of our minds and tore into our bag of treats almost immediately.
The bus ride was two hours and I have no idea what movie they showed. At first I thought it was a Twilight movie, but then I realized that none of the characters were vampires, so I had to eliminate that from the possibilities. The three main characters just reminded me of the three main characters I thought were in the Twilight movies (I'm the one person in the US that hasn't seen them.).
Anyway, upon arrival in Granada we took the city bus to the closest stop to our hostel and followed our trusty directions there. We had reserved a 4-bedroom room for two nights. Actually, I should say that we reserved three beds in a four bedroom room. That is to say that the 4th bed was available for 'a friend we hadn't met yet'. The room had three rooms: a bathroom, a room with a bunk bed and a heater and a room with a kitchen and two beds. Megan and Clarisse took the bunk bed room and I decided to stay in the kitchen room since I would be getting up to run and I would disturb them less in that room. I'm not going to say I regret that decision, but I will say that I moved my bed into the doorway of the bunk bed room (it didn't fit through the doorway) so I could feel some heat. Anyway, I'm getting ahead of myself.
We left our bags in the room and went downstairs to see if we could join the Tapas Tour that was being led by the hostel. For one Euro a guide would take us around to four different tapas bars. Granada is known for giving out a free tapa with each drink ordered. So, if you want to be technical, we went on a Four Drink Tour that happened to include FREE tapas. (Free tapas make you feel better about spending so much money on drinks, don't they?) At the first two bars the tour guide came around and collected money from everyone to pay for the drinks. For some reason he missed us at the third bar. We watched him collect money from the rest of the group, pay the bill and head outside. What could we do? It's almost impossible to track down a waiter/waitress in Spain and we didn't want to get left behind, so we started to head out too. But, being the responsible young ladies that we are, we flagged down the bartender to ask if the bill for the group had been taken care of. He assure us that the guide had paid for everyone. That's all we needed to hear. We headed out the door.
The 4th bed was empty the first night, so we rested comfortably, somewhat. I was a little chilly (as I mentioned previously) and Clarisse, who was sleeping directly under the heater, had some sort of allergic reaction and her eye got really puffy. But it just gave us tales to tell. After a lovely run along the river (for me), we went to breakfast at a nearby cafe. We had bread with a tomato jam and ham. It's good. Try it (with or without ham- bread with fresh tomatoes and olive oil is also a delicious option).
Next we walked up the hill to the Alhambra (a palace built with Islamic architecture- there's a lot more to know, but I'll leave the research up to you). We had tickets to enter the palace at 2 PM, but we got there a little early just in case there was a line. When your tickets say 2 PM, it means you have to be at the entrance to the palace at 2. But to get to that line, you have wait at the main gate until 1:45 when they let you in the palace grounds. Then you walk maybe half a mile to the palace entrance. They will only let you into the palace and the grounds at your assigned time. This is because the Alhambra is such a popular tourist destination (even Bill Clinton has been to the Alhambra).
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| Granada |
The bus ride was two hours and I have no idea what movie they showed. At first I thought it was a Twilight movie, but then I realized that none of the characters were vampires, so I had to eliminate that from the possibilities. The three main characters just reminded me of the three main characters I thought were in the Twilight movies (I'm the one person in the US that hasn't seen them.).
Anyway, upon arrival in Granada we took the city bus to the closest stop to our hostel and followed our trusty directions there. We had reserved a 4-bedroom room for two nights. Actually, I should say that we reserved three beds in a four bedroom room. That is to say that the 4th bed was available for 'a friend we hadn't met yet'. The room had three rooms: a bathroom, a room with a bunk bed and a heater and a room with a kitchen and two beds. Megan and Clarisse took the bunk bed room and I decided to stay in the kitchen room since I would be getting up to run and I would disturb them less in that room. I'm not going to say I regret that decision, but I will say that I moved my bed into the doorway of the bunk bed room (it didn't fit through the doorway) so I could feel some heat. Anyway, I'm getting ahead of myself.
We left our bags in the room and went downstairs to see if we could join the Tapas Tour that was being led by the hostel. For one Euro a guide would take us around to four different tapas bars. Granada is known for giving out a free tapa with each drink ordered. So, if you want to be technical, we went on a Four Drink Tour that happened to include FREE tapas. (Free tapas make you feel better about spending so much money on drinks, don't they?) At the first two bars the tour guide came around and collected money from everyone to pay for the drinks. For some reason he missed us at the third bar. We watched him collect money from the rest of the group, pay the bill and head outside. What could we do? It's almost impossible to track down a waiter/waitress in Spain and we didn't want to get left behind, so we started to head out too. But, being the responsible young ladies that we are, we flagged down the bartender to ask if the bill for the group had been taken care of. He assure us that the guide had paid for everyone. That's all we needed to hear. We headed out the door.
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| Bar #3 |
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| One of the tapas. Essentially it was a grilled ham & cheese sandwich. |
Next we walked up the hill to the Alhambra (a palace built with Islamic architecture- there's a lot more to know, but I'll leave the research up to you). We had tickets to enter the palace at 2 PM, but we got there a little early just in case there was a line. When your tickets say 2 PM, it means you have to be at the entrance to the palace at 2. But to get to that line, you have wait at the main gate until 1:45 when they let you in the palace grounds. Then you walk maybe half a mile to the palace entrance. They will only let you into the palace and the grounds at your assigned time. This is because the Alhambra is such a popular tourist destination (even Bill Clinton has been to the Alhambra).
By the time we got back to the hostel from the Alhambra it was about 5. It was too late for lunch and too early for dinner. We tried to find a restaurant that was open for dinner (other than just a cafe), but only the Chinese restaurant opened at 8:30. So we walked around and waited. And at 8:30 we went to the Chinese restaurant and ate a 4 course meal for something like 12 €. When it came time for dessert, we had four options: coffee, flan, ice cream or cheesecake (I think). The waiter/owner asked what we wanted for dessert and I answered 'helado' (ice cream). He looked at me and said, 'café, flan o tarta de queso' (as in those are your three choices). I didn't want any of them. I wanted ice cream. I told him that I didn't understand. So he moved onto Megan, but gave her all four choices. She chose ice cream. I said 'I don't understand. I told you I wanted ice cream, but that wasn't an option for me.' I thought he was going to punch me. Apparently it came off quite rude in my Spanish and his understanding of Spanish. Woops. In the end, we all enjoyed chocolate ice cream. I still wonder if mine was laced with something or if maybe he just spit in it.
We did have a 4th roommate the second night. She was Spanish and explained that she was in another room the previous night, but there had been a robbery so she moved rooms. She said she had a class at 8 in the morning, so she would be leaving early and would not disturb us. She seemed really nice, but we didn't really get to talk to her after that. She left at maybe 9 PM and she got back at about 7 AM and went to bed. When I got back from running at around 9 AM she was gone. You might be expecting some sort of punch line here like - 'and so was all of our stuff!', but luckily there is no story to tell.
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| Not our hostel |
The next day (Sunday - aka the Day When Nothing is Open), we ate breakfast at the same cafe, and walked around the outside of the city's Cathedral.
We also walked up to the mirador, which provides a scenic view of the Alhambara. Bill Clinton said something about it being the most beautiful place in the world to watch the sunset. We weren't there at sunset and it was a cloudy, rainy day, but the view was still pretty nice.
On the way up, we saw some people protesting about the states in the US that impose the death penalty. They had a huge sign with a map of the US that listed all of the states with the death penalty and how many people have been killed in that state. We walked by carefully, quickly and without speaking with a Texan accent. I think my actual words were, 'Oh Canada! Our home and native land...'.
When we arrived at the mirador, there were quite a few people there- tourists enjoying the view and/or chatting and people selling craft items. Clarisse, Megan and I were taking photos and looking around ourselves. All of a sudden, the craft people stopped, grabbed their stuff and ran away (I mean RAN). It was as if they had a sixth sense of an impending danger and speed was so essential that they couldn't take the time to warn the tourists. I felt like I was in a movie or on Candid Camera. Then we saw the police. Apparently the craft sale at the mirador is not a legal operation. I really wish I would have been videotaping instead of taking pictures at that moment because my description could never do justice to the eeriness of the situation.
When we got back down to the main part of the city, we drank extremely delicious hot chocolate (which I think was actually just a melted chocolate bar) at another cafe to waste time before our (non-deluxe) bus came. And this bus did play a movie as well (Inventing the Abbotts)- but you had to have your own headphones.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Water, water everywhere
Look, desperate times call for desperate measures. I couldn't very well go to my private English class in a two-day showerless state of reek (that was exacerbated by Sunday morning's run). I had three options:
1. Take a cold shower
2. Cancel the class at the last minute
3. Heat water on the stove and get clean Laura Ingalls-style (at least I think this would be Laura Ingalls-style. I don't remember reading any of her books (someone else was always reading them and really, when was I going to need to know anything about pioneer life? Nicki, is this how Laura took a shower?).
I chose option 3. I was a little over zealous in making sure I had hot water, but after burning my leg I let the water cool and ultimately felt satisfied that I was clean.
I went to my private lesson and then afterward headed straight to the bank to pay for the 5-hour pool pass. I had to wait maybe 15 minutes (I was 3rd in line), but after I paid I headed home, grabbed my swimming attire and headed (up the hill and down the street) to the pool.
When I arrived and handed in my paperwork for the pool pass, the pool worker discovered they were out of pool passes. Luckily they had some from 2009 that they decided would function just fine (here's hopin'). Then I was told I couldn't go swimming until 5 PM. I think they thought I was coming for a class or something. When I told her I just wanted to lap swim she said I could go in right away! So to make a long story finally end: I got to go swimming today! And I was the only one in the pool (there was another pool full of older adults doing water aerobics of some sort, but no one else in the lap swimming pool). And although the water was about 10 degrees warmer than I am accustomed to, I am glad I FINALLY got to go swimming. (And Judy, I sneezed a bunch of times, of course. One sneeze on my way home from the pool was so loud that a man on the other side of the street was startled and asked if I was going to be alright.) And guess what? When I got back to the piso I discovered we have hot water again! Maybe you can trust Monday, Monday after all...
1. Take a cold shower
2. Cancel the class at the last minute
3. Heat water on the stove and get clean Laura Ingalls-style (at least I think this would be Laura Ingalls-style. I don't remember reading any of her books (someone else was always reading them and really, when was I going to need to know anything about pioneer life? Nicki, is this how Laura took a shower?).
I chose option 3. I was a little over zealous in making sure I had hot water, but after burning my leg I let the water cool and ultimately felt satisfied that I was clean.
I went to my private lesson and then afterward headed straight to the bank to pay for the 5-hour pool pass. I had to wait maybe 15 minutes (I was 3rd in line), but after I paid I headed home, grabbed my swimming attire and headed (up the hill and down the street) to the pool.
When I arrived and handed in my paperwork for the pool pass, the pool worker discovered they were out of pool passes. Luckily they had some from 2009 that they decided would function just fine (here's hopin'). Then I was told I couldn't go swimming until 5 PM. I think they thought I was coming for a class or something. When I told her I just wanted to lap swim she said I could go in right away! So to make a long story finally end: I got to go swimming today! And I was the only one in the pool (there was another pool full of older adults doing water aerobics of some sort, but no one else in the lap swimming pool). And although the water was about 10 degrees warmer than I am accustomed to, I am glad I FINALLY got to go swimming. (And Judy, I sneezed a bunch of times, of course. One sneeze on my way home from the pool was so loud that a man on the other side of the street was startled and asked if I was going to be alright.) And guess what? When I got back to the piso I discovered we have hot water again! Maybe you can trust Monday, Monday after all...
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| The pool passes. |
Sunday, November 14, 2010
You can smell the chlorine but you can't have a swim.
That was until this week, when my knee reminded me that cartilage doesn't grow on trees, so I should probably find something else to do to get my heart pumping. So, I limped my way up the hill and down the street (about a mile) to the public pool. I got information on pricing and hours. If you are 'empadronado'- aka registered in the city as a citizen, then you pay 16.48 € for 5 hours of pool time. If you are not, you pay 24.98 € for the (same) 5 hours of pool time. I inquired with the locals as to what that means and it turns out I am (not surprisingly) not a person who is an 'empadronada'. It requires official registration and paperwork of some sort that I am not even sure I could prove and that also seemed like a lot of work just to use a public swimming pool. But, I wanted to swim so I thought I would just pay the more expensive price, try it out for 5 times to see how it went and then go from there.
So on Friday I packed my swimming bag and limped my way back up the hill and down the street to the pool. When I arrived, I was happy to see that there were few cars in the parking lot. But, I thought it could mean a couple of things: either the pool was closed on Fridays at 3 or I came at a good time to swim. I entered the front door and told the woman behind the front desk that I wanted to buy a card for 5 hours of pool time. She said 'ok' and reached for a form while I reached for my money. 'Woah, pardner! What are you doing flashing your money around these parts like that? Pools don't take money, banks take money. Take this form, limp down the street and hill to the bank and give them the money. Then, limp back up the hill and down the street with the stamped form (that shows you paid) and we'll let you swim at the public pool.' (I took some creative liberties with my translation of what she said.) It doesn't sound like much trouble at all (right?) until you consider that I went to the pool at 3 PM on Friday and banks close at 2 on Friday and don't open again until Monday at 8:30. I realized this in an instant and could see another swim-less weekend laid out before me. I was so desperate to swim that I forgot I am kind of shy. I asked the lady if I could just swim today,just to try it out. She denied my request. So,with my shoulders slumped and head hung low I limped down the street and hill back home to rest my knee until Monday when I could swim.
Then, I had a great idea. I thought that on my run on Saturday I would run to the gym (about 1.5 miles away) and get their form that I would have to take to the bank. I was so proud of myself for thinking ahead like that so I would have everything I needed right when I was ready to sign up for the gym. Nothing would delay my gym membership. I had it all figured out now. When I got there (sweaty and smelly) on Saturday morning and declared my certainty and readiness to become a gym member, I was told that they would need the 100€ (membership fee and first month) in cash that day. That's right. They handle the money, not the bank. Lesson I learned: I have not figured Spain out yet. Touché, Spain, touché.
Other Adventures:
Thursday brought the end of our gas cylinder (bombona) that heats our water. José called to get another bombona, but unfortunately it is not available until Monday. So, I have taken a cold shower the past three days. Today I refused to freeze myself to death again. I'm traded 'fresh and freezing cold' for 'stinky and warm'. What I will do tomorrow before the gas gets here will be the big decision. I have my private English lesson tomorrow at 9 AM, surely before the gas will get here, so it looks like one more cold shower is in my future. If only I had swimming pool access and could have showered at the pool, right?
Thursday night I ate, for the very first time, food that was delivered right to my piso in Spain. Megan, José, Clarisse and I got sandwiches delivered and had a nice dinner at home. So nice, in fact that the man downstairs was upset that he wasn't invited. We met him in person for the first time the next day (Friday) when Clarisse and I got home from school. We got on the elevator and pressed '4'. The man got on behind us and pressed '3'. When he saw our floor selection he said, 'Oh, you must be the people who live above me. What were you doing last night- moving furniture? There was all this noise about 12 or 1 o'clock. What did you move- the couch, the table, or something?' We apologized and confessed to moving both. (We had to move the furniture so that we could all fit at the table and eat.)
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| The bus to Sevilla |
On Saturday we took a trip to Ikea (pronounced 'eee kay uh' in Spain). How do you get there? Well, step one is to take a one-hour bus ride to Sevilla. Step two is walking across town to another bus stop/station. Step three is getting on a bus to Castilleja de la Cuesta and getting off at the nearest stop to Ikea. Step four is walking approximately half a mile there. Our objective in going there was to find a comforter for 'winter' but we ended up getting other things instead like food storage containers and a set of two potholders for just 10 cents! I had my camera but didn't take any photos. If you want to get a extremely good idea of what Ikea in Spain looks like, please visit your local Ikea. Just covert all the prices to Euros and speak Spanish to the people around you to experience the magic of Spanish Ikea.
More photos of Alcalá:
I have declared this the most dangerous place on my running routes. It is a part of Alcalá where several lanes of traffic come together at a curve in the road. Here are the lanes from a distance:
Every time I run here I cross my fingers that no other pedestrian is coming from the other direction. (It has actually happened and I have lived to tell you about it.)
Sunday, November 7, 2010
What I am is what I am AND what YOU are...
In two of the level 4 classes I had a discussion about what Spanish people think of Americans and what Americans think of Spanish people. I was really interested to hear another country's perspective on the US. The first class was really into the discussion and had a lot of good questions and comments about the US. The other class was less involved and will probably go down as one of my most painful teaching moments. I have never wanted to leave a class so badly in my life. I was sweating profusely and my flight or flight response was SCREAMING - "Fly, fly, fly!" because I was doing such a bad job of getting the students involved in the discussion and then of teaching them vocabulary words (and they were doing a bad job of pretending to be interested). I might have to coax them with candy or money the next time I teach their class. Anyway, between the two classes I did manage to get some insight into how the rest of the world views our country:
1. Everyone in the US eats hamburgers. I informed them that although I do not eat them, hamburgers are widely available in our country.
2. Every US citizen owns a gun. I said that was false. On average every US citizen owns TWO guns. (HA) They did bring up a good point, however: if we do not all own guns why are there so many movies about the US where people do have guns? And if they visit Minnesota why will they see signs on almost every store, restaurant and other business' front door warning people that such-and-such business 'Bans guns on these premises'. What kind of message is that sending? To attempt to answer the question, I gave the class a short history lesson about our Constitution and the second Amendment that gives us the right to bear arms. I cited it as a possible reason that guns are so prevalent in movies- we want to remind the world that we have the right to bear arms, even if the majority of us don't really do it.
3. The US doesn't know about the world/geography beyond our country's borders. While that might be true for the general population or what our high school students' geography scores tell us, I wonder if it's not the same for Spain as well.
4. We are immature. I asked for more clarification on this, but didn't receive it, so interpret it as you wish.
5. We are afraid of all Arab/Middle Eastern people after 9/11. I said that we probably are more quick to judge people from that particular culture after 9/11, but that we are also aware that you can't judge a book by its cover.
6. Every little boy plays baseball. I gave a lame answer that was something like, "Yes, a lot of little boys do play baseball and even some girls, but it's not a requirement that you must play baseball in order to be a male US citizen."
7. We drink more than we study when we attend a University. Once again I gave a lame answer about how some people do and some people don't, but in general I would say that your studies at a university will probably involve drinking too much at some point.
And apparently we are also well-known for Tennessee Whiskey because in the past week two Spanish people have commented about how good it is. (This was outside of the classroom though.)
And Spain wanted you to know this:
1. They do not all love bull fights nor have all of them seen a bullfight. Actually only one or two people in each class actually supported bullfighting as a sport or an art.
2. They do like to drink wine, as Spain has some really good wines, but they also like to drink beer. I witnessed this first hand last night when I was out with a group of about 30 Spaniards. I was the only one who ordered wine.
3. Siestas are only supposed to last for 30 minutes at the most. And most Spaniards do not take a siesta, even though stores/banks close people do not sleep during this 'break' time.
4. Spain ≠ Mexico. You might eat this for dinner in Spain:
Random comment about Euros:
In the US, if you plan to pay for your dinner with the coins in your pocket, you are surely not going to make any friends at that restaurant. It may be best to stay home and defrost the mystery meat that has been in your freezer since you moved in. This is what I my brain tells me here too; if you only have coins in your pocket, you should stay home. However, Euro coins are:
1 cent
2 cents
5 cents
10 cents
20 cents
50 cents
1 Euro ($1.40)
2 Euro ($2.80)
No need to skip lunch just because your only option is to pay with coins. Just be careful about what coins you use, as sometimes the same rule does apply (obviously): I paid my (1.05 €) bus fare with .20, 10, .05, .02 and .01 coins and the bus driver swore.
Here are a few more photos of Alcalá:
Melissa/Missy
1. Everyone in the US eats hamburgers. I informed them that although I do not eat them, hamburgers are widely available in our country.
2. Every US citizen owns a gun. I said that was false. On average every US citizen owns TWO guns. (HA) They did bring up a good point, however: if we do not all own guns why are there so many movies about the US where people do have guns? And if they visit Minnesota why will they see signs on almost every store, restaurant and other business' front door warning people that such-and-such business 'Bans guns on these premises'. What kind of message is that sending? To attempt to answer the question, I gave the class a short history lesson about our Constitution and the second Amendment that gives us the right to bear arms. I cited it as a possible reason that guns are so prevalent in movies- we want to remind the world that we have the right to bear arms, even if the majority of us don't really do it.
3. The US doesn't know about the world/geography beyond our country's borders. While that might be true for the general population or what our high school students' geography scores tell us, I wonder if it's not the same for Spain as well.
4. We are immature. I asked for more clarification on this, but didn't receive it, so interpret it as you wish.
5. We are afraid of all Arab/Middle Eastern people after 9/11. I said that we probably are more quick to judge people from that particular culture after 9/11, but that we are also aware that you can't judge a book by its cover.
6. Every little boy plays baseball. I gave a lame answer that was something like, "Yes, a lot of little boys do play baseball and even some girls, but it's not a requirement that you must play baseball in order to be a male US citizen."
7. We drink more than we study when we attend a University. Once again I gave a lame answer about how some people do and some people don't, but in general I would say that your studies at a university will probably involve drinking too much at some point.
And apparently we are also well-known for Tennessee Whiskey because in the past week two Spanish people have commented about how good it is. (This was outside of the classroom though.)
And Spain wanted you to know this:
1. They do not all love bull fights nor have all of them seen a bullfight. Actually only one or two people in each class actually supported bullfighting as a sport or an art.
2. They do like to drink wine, as Spain has some really good wines, but they also like to drink beer. I witnessed this first hand last night when I was out with a group of about 30 Spaniards. I was the only one who ordered wine.
3. Siestas are only supposed to last for 30 minutes at the most. And most Spaniards do not take a siesta, even though stores/banks close people do not sleep during this 'break' time.
4. Spain ≠ Mexico. You might eat this for dinner in Spain:
Random comment about Euros:
In the US, if you plan to pay for your dinner with the coins in your pocket, you are surely not going to make any friends at that restaurant. It may be best to stay home and defrost the mystery meat that has been in your freezer since you moved in. This is what I my brain tells me here too; if you only have coins in your pocket, you should stay home. However, Euro coins are:
1 cent
2 cents
5 cents
10 cents
20 cents
50 cents
1 Euro ($1.40)
2 Euro ($2.80)
No need to skip lunch just because your only option is to pay with coins. Just be careful about what coins you use, as sometimes the same rule does apply (obviously): I paid my (1.05 €) bus fare with .20, 10, .05, .02 and .01 coins and the bus driver swore.
Here are a few more photos of Alcalá:
It's Sunday evening (about 6 PM) in these photos, so that's why the streets are empty.
Hard right view from our balcony.
Slight right view from the balcony.
Looking down at the street below from our balcony.
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| Woop, there it is- between the jewelry and shoe stores. |
Melissa/Missy
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Spanish Steps
This week I came several steps closer to becoming a temporary Spaniard. First, I picked up my ATM card from the bank and confirmed that, indeed, I have money, or should I say, EUROS, in my account! (Now if only I can keep some there until the beginning of December.) Next, I had my second appointment to get my TIE card. I was told to come to the office for an appointment from 3:30-6:30. I arrived around 3:15, got a number and sat and waited. An Argentinian man who was also there getting his identity card spoke to me while we waited. For the most part I had no idea what he was saying. I know the general idea of what he was saying, but he used the 'vos' form of Spanish (an alternative for the 'tu' form used in other countries) and had an accent that was really hard for me to understand. The good news is that I got to practice saying 'No entiendo'. After maybe 30 minutes my number was called. I only had to hand the man at the office my papers, photos and passport and then give him one fingerprint. I barely said a word. Step three for the TIE is to wait 45 days and then go and pick it up (in person). Let the count-down begin.
Step three in become a Spaniard is dressing the part. This week I bought a shirt (the arms are a little tight, so I just can't button them), pants (straight leg because I'm not yet ready to try to sport tapered-leg jeans), a couple of scarves (only 2 Euro each!), a purse and a pair of boots. When I was packing to come here, I thought long and hard about bringing my two pair of boots, but I told myself I would never wear them and that it was a waste of valuable suitcase space. They will be the first things I'll put in my suitcase to take back when I return to the US for Christmas. Boots of all lengths are quite popular here in Spain and they are worn outside your pants. This is probably the style in the US too, but I pay less attention there for some reason. At any rate, I can now look (more) Spanish for at least one day.
It feels like school/work actually started this week. I have activities to do in each class, I have English conversation classes for which I have to have activities created, and I have private conversation classes 3/4 days a week with a man who is a mathematics teacher at a university here in Sevilla. He has applied for a grant to study in Germany starting in February and wants to be able to speak English so he can communicate when he is there. He is really good at English so basically he just talks for an hour and I correct little errors in word choice or pronunciation and teach him some vocabulary. It's pretty easy, but at the same time it's really interesting to gain insight into what things a native Spanish speaker has trouble with in English. I'm sure it will help me plan lessons and understand what speakers are trying to say in the future.
I have also set up an intercambio (exchange) with two other students from the 5th year class (the highest level). We agreed to speak in Spanish half of the time and English half the time so that we can each practice our second languages. I really need to practice speaking. At home (as in most other places) I tend to let the more vocal people talk as I am content to listen. Being in a smaller group with these students will force me to talk. That is the only way I will improve. I am determined to leave this country speaking Spanish much better than I do now.
Yesterday I had my first discussion with the 4th year students about stereotypes that the Spanish have about the US and vice versa. It was really informative and the students were so involved that we didn't get to the rest of the lesson. We spent one whole hour discussing stereotypes. I have another 4th year class tonight, so I'll compile all of the stereotypes they have about Americans and post them in another entry.
For your viewing pleasure, a photo of Alcalá and some of the trails I run on:
Hasta pronto,
Melissa/Missy
Step three in become a Spaniard is dressing the part. This week I bought a shirt (the arms are a little tight, so I just can't button them), pants (straight leg because I'm not yet ready to try to sport tapered-leg jeans), a couple of scarves (only 2 Euro each!), a purse and a pair of boots. When I was packing to come here, I thought long and hard about bringing my two pair of boots, but I told myself I would never wear them and that it was a waste of valuable suitcase space. They will be the first things I'll put in my suitcase to take back when I return to the US for Christmas. Boots of all lengths are quite popular here in Spain and they are worn outside your pants. This is probably the style in the US too, but I pay less attention there for some reason. At any rate, I can now look (more) Spanish for at least one day.
It feels like school/work actually started this week. I have activities to do in each class, I have English conversation classes for which I have to have activities created, and I have private conversation classes 3/4 days a week with a man who is a mathematics teacher at a university here in Sevilla. He has applied for a grant to study in Germany starting in February and wants to be able to speak English so he can communicate when he is there. He is really good at English so basically he just talks for an hour and I correct little errors in word choice or pronunciation and teach him some vocabulary. It's pretty easy, but at the same time it's really interesting to gain insight into what things a native Spanish speaker has trouble with in English. I'm sure it will help me plan lessons and understand what speakers are trying to say in the future.
I have also set up an intercambio (exchange) with two other students from the 5th year class (the highest level). We agreed to speak in Spanish half of the time and English half the time so that we can each practice our second languages. I really need to practice speaking. At home (as in most other places) I tend to let the more vocal people talk as I am content to listen. Being in a smaller group with these students will force me to talk. That is the only way I will improve. I am determined to leave this country speaking Spanish much better than I do now.
Yesterday I had my first discussion with the 4th year students about stereotypes that the Spanish have about the US and vice versa. It was really informative and the students were so involved that we didn't get to the rest of the lesson. We spent one whole hour discussing stereotypes. I have another 4th year class tonight, so I'll compile all of the stereotypes they have about Americans and post them in another entry.
For your viewing pleasure, a photo of Alcalá and some of the trails I run on:
Hasta pronto,
Melissa/Missy
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Meet New Friends. Stay awhile. All Together Share a Smile.
It has been just over a month since I arrived in Spain Spain
I, for one, am completely shocked to be feeling this way. Before I got here, I was positive that I would get to Spain Spain
And then I met the teachers at my school. Those that live in Alcalá offered their phone numbers in case I ever needed anything, wanted a ride somewhere, or just wanted to go out for a drink or some other social activity. The students are just as kind, asking me where I live and offering their phone numbers for if I ever need anything or want to hang out in Alcalá. Just a few days ago Clarisse and I were at the grocery store and I was in the produce aisle selecting a melon when one of my students came up to me and starting talking. A few aisles later I met up with another student, who introduced me to his daughter and wife. A few minutes after we parted, he found me in the store again and he offered me his phone number in case I ever needed to know about anything here in Alcalá. I have one student for private lessons too, who also offered his Alcalá wisdom. The other American teacher at the school (who lives in Sevilla instead of Alcalá) is also always around and ready to eat lunch, go shopping or do whatever. Suffice to say, I am very far from being alone.
I am also far from being bored. I have lots of stuff to do. For example, Clarisse and I made a trip to the bank and got ourselves our own bank accounts. Since she is only 22, she got an account that doesn’t cost anything. The man at the bank tried to set me up with a young person account too, but when he entered my birth year, the computer stopped him. He asked me if there was an error on my passport because there was no way I could be as old as it says. He thought I was 22 or 24 tops. I was flattered, but told him that my passport wasn't lying. It is true that I am an old lady. And that meant that I had to get a big-girl account where I pay about 1.25 Euro per month as a processing fee as well as a 1 Euro per-month charge to have and use an ATM card. It’s the price you pay for being a big-girl. The whole bank account experience took about 2 hours, but the man at the bank was very kind to us, speaking to Clarisse a little in French and speaking to me little bit about Tennessee whiskey (I have the face of a whiskey-lover), whether Kansas was near Minnesota and telling me that another American came to that very bank the day before to get an account. To his dismay, I did not know her, even though she and I are from the same country (according the information he showed me, she is from Pennsylvania).
PHOTO OF THE PHOTO:
PHOTO OF THE PHOTO:
Clarisse’s birthday was on October 21. I made her a banner that said, ‘Feliz Cumpleaños’ and hung it up in the living room on her birthday. José and I were co-conspirators in the rest of her birthday celebration plans. It really came in handy that we could make the plans in English so she wouldn’t know what was going to happen. We got her a chocolate cake, a birthday card, a Spanish cookbook (which had to be purchased in Sevilla because Alcalá has a cookbook store deficiency), gloves (for ‘winter’ in Spain
CAKE, TAPAS AND DARTS:
We had so much fun that we decided that we will make Thursday nights a weekly occasion.
And the fun did not stop there. Megan, Clarisse and I went to Cádiz as another way to celebrate. We took the bus from Sevilla in the morning and arrived in Cádiz after about an hour ride. Our first stop was the tourist office, where we found a map/tour guide. The city had several different color-coded routes for us to take. You simply follow the corresponding colored line on the ground to arrive at the designated tourist attraction. We spent the day in Cadiz following the lines.
(Notice the purple line on the right.)
And I of course, in my spare time, I go to class. I am assigned certain activities in each class, some of which require preparation. Then there are the conversation classes I have throughout the week for which I need to plan activities, as well as private lessons 3-4 times per week (which, truth be told, haven't really started yet; I've only done one so far).
I've also fit in a couple of trips to the Festival of Nations in Sevilla (a bunch of outdoor booths with food and or craft/clothing items from different countries) and a shopping trip this past weekend. I tried to find some jeans and other clothes, but to my dismay my calves did not fit in the jeans and my upper arms did not fit in shirts. You can't make this stuff up.) After shopping we (Megan, Clarisse and I) went to a movie- Rumores y Mentiras (Rumors and Lies) (Why yes, Deb. Amanda Bynes is in that movie). It was dubbed in Spanish, but it's a movie that is pretty easy to understand, even if you miss some of the lines.
I'm sure I've forgotten to tell you about a lot of exciting things, such as how we came to have two home phones, one that doesn't ring and the other that rings, but is more of a challenge to dial since it is a rotary phone. Or how last week I had to give a demonstration on how to carve a pumpkin in front of the entire school while wearing an apron with a cow on it and being videotaped. Or about our amazing oven that cooks things, but for some reason they come out of the oven cold. Or about my plans to run a half marathon in Morocco in January. Or about no matter how hard I try, people do not call me Missy. I am known as Melissa. But hey, I've only got seven months left in Spain. I don't have time to tell you everything.
Melissa/Missy
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