It's been another slightly boring week. It's been 'cold' here- it even got down into the 30's one night. But I would like to reiterate the fact that there is NO HEAT in the piso. You would turn on your heat if it got down to 38 degrees where you live. And if you didn't have heat (like I don't) you would break down and buy another blanket for your bed (like I did) (it was 6,95 € or about $9.45). It was the best $9.45 I've spent this year. Aside from the stifling heat of the swimming pool locker room, last night is one of the few times I remember being comfortably warm here in Spain in the past few months. I look forward to another toasty rest when night falls today. This morning at school I was struck (special thanks Shunter Synonym Services for finding the perfect word to convey my thoughts here) by the crispness of the air inside the building. The students were huddled around the coffee machine awaiting their turn for a warm beverage. I think they are tougher than they themselves or any stereotype gives them credit for. They survive 'winter' (the equivalent of a MN/WI fall) without heat and sultry summer temperatures without the air conditioning in every room and every store that we have grown accustomed to. The temperature at school is teetering on the line of comfort for an indoor space. I would guess it was about 55/60 degrees. The floors are marble and and the walls are white (which makes it seem colder somehow) and bare. The school is just not built to hold heat. I will be thankful for this in a few months. For now though, I dress myself in a tank top, a sweater, a jacket (an overcoat, you might call it) and a scarf when I go to class. With body heat and the electric radiator I'm usually ok in the classroom. My hands get cold, but really that could happen anywhere.
This past Saturday it was too cold for my roommate to leave the house. So, I went to a movie (También la Lluvia) alone. It was a little harder to understand than the last movie, but I still got the gist of what was happening. Though, during the part where the Australian was speaking (in English) I had to use the Spanish subtitles that were provided. My ear is tuned to understand British English and English with a Spanish accent.
But back to it being too cold to leave the house- I disagree with this, of course, but a few mornings I have found myself wondering 'Is it too cold to run because I don't have the proper clothing?' Then I have a little talk with myself that goes like this: It is 45 degrees outside. You will be fine in a long-sleeved t-shirt and pants. You could even wear shorts if it is not windy. You are going running. Don't be ridiculous.
Class Story:
I had another run-in with the 'y' and 'j' sound differentiation in class today. The advanced students were talking about what they did as children. One student said that he played in the 'jar'.
'Jar?' I asked. 'A little glass container where you keep food?'
'No,' he said, 'Jardín, patio'.
'Oh, YARD' I said.
Switching subjects completely (again), my roommate and I went shopping yesterday (when I bought the blanket). On our walk home, I was surprised when Clarisse said, 'Sometimes I just stop and think to myself, I'm in Spain. I'm living in Spain. I am doing my grocery shopping in Spain. And sometimes I am having a conversation with someone and I stop and think how amazing it is that the other person is speaking in Spanish and I can understand what they are saying. I am having a conversation in other language.' I was taken aback and a little creeped out because she completely read my mind. I had that exact same thought as we stood in line at the grocery store just a few minutes before this conversation. And those weren't her exact words, of course, I am translating because she said this all in Spanish. I think about this sometimes too: how everything she knows about me and everything I know about her has been explained by one of us via the Spanish language. There have been times where I've been speaking to José or Megan or a student and I've asked myself, 'Were we talking in Spanish or English?' and most of the time I can't be 100% certain. (Most likely it was both. I probably in English while the other person spoke in Spanish. Or I said the 'easy' words in Spanish and the rest in English.) Somehow my brain works it out.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Thursday, January 20, 2011
It's been one week
I've been back in Spain for one week, eh, a week and a half now- going on two. When I got back to Spain that Sunday, I went to sleep for 4 hours, got up and went running, ate dinner and went back to bed. That entire 24 hour period of rest really did a number on me and I've needed the past week to recover from it. I've had to take naps and get up at 10 instead of 8. I think I'm back on track now with my 8/9 AM - 12 AM schedule (and no naps or 'siestas', as you might call them).
My missing suitcase reappeared after an apparent (unplanned?) trip to Barcelona. It was delivered to my piso at around 9 PM on Tuesday (after getting home on Sunday). So that means that I owe Spain an apology: I'm sorry that I ever thought my suitcase would be lost forever and that you wouldn't deliver it right to my house (although a Spaniard did tell me that I'd have to go pick it up, so that one isn't entirely my fault, however, I still apologize for believing it.). I got a call from the airport telling me that someone would deliver my suitcase the next day. I had class in the morning, but my roommates were home until I got back. I waited from 2 PM-8 PM at my piso but by 8 I couldn't wait any longer so I left to go running. My roommate was home just in case that my suitcase showed up while I was gone. Shortly after I left she got a call from the person whose suitcase was dropped off before mine letting her know that mine would be arriving soon. Since we technically live on a pedestrian-only street (that allows exceptions for deliveries, mail vehicles and motorized vehicles in parades), the driver himself called soon after to say that he couldn't deliver it to our piso because of this restriction. He requested that she meet him in a plaza (that he didn't know the name of) so she could pick it up. My roommate (who is quite brave), told him that it wasn't her suitcase, she wasn't going to change out of her pajamas and back into street clothes to meet him at a plaza he didn't even know the name of and that he should just drive down the street like every other 'confused' person or delivery truck does. That was all the convincing he needed. I met up with him outside our building's main door at the end of my run just as he was leaving. My (filthy) suitcase and outraged roommate were waiting for me upstairs. My suitcase had a TSA lock on it and it didn't look like it had been open so therefore everything was accounted for. My packing job , however, was lacking: I don't need half of the clothes I packed (so I just left them in the suitcase to send home later) and somehow I grossly underestimated the number of pairs of underwear I'll need and grossly overestimated the number of pairs of socks I'll need. Don't worry though. I have a plan.
These past two weeks at school have been really boring. The students haven't come to conversation classes so I have even more free time. There's a new teacher at the school that I have four classes with. She's currently my favorite teacher (in the non-roommate category, of course). Unfortunately she is just a sub and thus will not be teaching here for very long. The first teacher for those classes, who taught from Oct-Dec was actually the sub for the sub (the second runner-up, if you will). The real teacher is on sick leave and the sub was pregnant so they brought in the sub for the sub. So now the sub is back from maternity leave and will pass on the teaching duties in March when the real teacher returns from sick leave.
Yesterday in class some 4th year students and I were discussing creative punishments for criminals. There was a question of what to do with teenagers who 'paint grafitti all over walls in a small town'. The first reaction from the students was to ask 'Well, what kind of grafitti? Is it nice? Is it art?'. They were very lenient in their punishment for these private-property-destroying hooligans. Based on their reaction, you might expect Alcalá to be covered in tagged buildings and to smell of aerosol paint, but I don't think there is more grafitti here than in any other city.
Another interesting moment came in one of my second year classes. Out of nowhere a student asked me (in Spanish), "Can you say the words for 'jefe' and 'autobus' in English?" So I said (not knowing where this was going), "Boss, bus". Ah, ha! There it is. Those words have just a slight difference in vowel sounds. Slight but important.
To show you just how messed up my brain is between the two languages here are two examples:
1. My roommate asked me a question like 'Why is everyone so loud?' My answer was 'Because estamos en España'. She just looked at me and said, 'Because?' And it took me a minute to realize that A.) she was saying an English word and she generally only speaks French and Spanish and B.) that there was anything wrong with my response. All the words made sense to me. I didn't notice that there were two languages in one sentence.
2. A student was speaking (in English) and didn't know a word so I offered 'bother' as a possible fit for what she was trying to say. She asked if I could write it on the board. So I went up to the board and wrote 'molestar'. Before I turned around I realized my mistake and added '= to bother'.
Although it may sound like I am completely capable in both languages, the truth is that I am not. My roommate is much more talkative than I am and has improved by leaps and bounds. I'm convinced more than ever that speaking is an extremely important part of learning a language. And it is exactly what I haven't done in the past 18 years that I have studied Spanish. So, I'm signing up for Spanish classes at the University starting in February. I am here and I am going to speak Spanish before I leave if it is the last thing I do (or the only thing). Plus, since my 3-day-a-week private lesson student is leaving for Germany for nine months, I will have a few extra hours on my hands each week.
Other exciting happenings this week:
- Went to 'The Tourist' with Clarisse. We liked it and best of all- understood it!
- Went to Sevilla to get the right size t-shirt for Jim. I didn't see it on the shelf in the store, so I asked the clerk if there were any XLs in blue (my Spanish speaking practice for the day). He walked over, looked at the shirts and said, 'No, I don't have any XL'. He then recommended that I go to their other store (that I didn't even know existed). He gave me a map and directions (and insisted it was easy to find). When I walked into the second store the clerk asked me if I was the girl that was there for the XL t-shirt. I said I was. Needless to say I was there on a Monday afternoon. You wouldn't get that kind of service on a Wednesday evening I bet.
- Went out for tapas with the Thursday night crew.
- Learned that they say 'marshmallow' in French. I was talking about the ingredients in Rice Krispie Treats and I didn't know the word in Spanish. I said they were white and looked like little pillows and she said, 'marshmallows?'
- Got a photocopied guide for Marrakech from my private-lesson student.
And if that all sounds boring to you, remember that I'M IN SPAIN.
My missing suitcase reappeared after an apparent (unplanned?) trip to Barcelona. It was delivered to my piso at around 9 PM on Tuesday (after getting home on Sunday). So that means that I owe Spain an apology: I'm sorry that I ever thought my suitcase would be lost forever and that you wouldn't deliver it right to my house (although a Spaniard did tell me that I'd have to go pick it up, so that one isn't entirely my fault, however, I still apologize for believing it.). I got a call from the airport telling me that someone would deliver my suitcase the next day. I had class in the morning, but my roommates were home until I got back. I waited from 2 PM-8 PM at my piso but by 8 I couldn't wait any longer so I left to go running. My roommate was home just in case that my suitcase showed up while I was gone. Shortly after I left she got a call from the person whose suitcase was dropped off before mine letting her know that mine would be arriving soon. Since we technically live on a pedestrian-only street (that allows exceptions for deliveries, mail vehicles and motorized vehicles in parades), the driver himself called soon after to say that he couldn't deliver it to our piso because of this restriction. He requested that she meet him in a plaza (that he didn't know the name of) so she could pick it up. My roommate (who is quite brave), told him that it wasn't her suitcase, she wasn't going to change out of her pajamas and back into street clothes to meet him at a plaza he didn't even know the name of and that he should just drive down the street like every other 'confused' person or delivery truck does. That was all the convincing he needed. I met up with him outside our building's main door at the end of my run just as he was leaving. My (filthy) suitcase and outraged roommate were waiting for me upstairs. My suitcase had a TSA lock on it and it didn't look like it had been open so therefore everything was accounted for. My packing job , however, was lacking: I don't need half of the clothes I packed (so I just left them in the suitcase to send home later) and somehow I grossly underestimated the number of pairs of underwear I'll need and grossly overestimated the number of pairs of socks I'll need. Don't worry though. I have a plan.
These past two weeks at school have been really boring. The students haven't come to conversation classes so I have even more free time. There's a new teacher at the school that I have four classes with. She's currently my favorite teacher (in the non-roommate category, of course). Unfortunately she is just a sub and thus will not be teaching here for very long. The first teacher for those classes, who taught from Oct-Dec was actually the sub for the sub (the second runner-up, if you will). The real teacher is on sick leave and the sub was pregnant so they brought in the sub for the sub. So now the sub is back from maternity leave and will pass on the teaching duties in March when the real teacher returns from sick leave.
Yesterday in class some 4th year students and I were discussing creative punishments for criminals. There was a question of what to do with teenagers who 'paint grafitti all over walls in a small town'. The first reaction from the students was to ask 'Well, what kind of grafitti? Is it nice? Is it art?'. They were very lenient in their punishment for these private-property-destroying hooligans. Based on their reaction, you might expect Alcalá to be covered in tagged buildings and to smell of aerosol paint, but I don't think there is more grafitti here than in any other city.
Another interesting moment came in one of my second year classes. Out of nowhere a student asked me (in Spanish), "Can you say the words for 'jefe' and 'autobus' in English?" So I said (not knowing where this was going), "Boss, bus". Ah, ha! There it is. Those words have just a slight difference in vowel sounds. Slight but important.
To show you just how messed up my brain is between the two languages here are two examples:
1. My roommate asked me a question like 'Why is everyone so loud?' My answer was 'Because estamos en España'. She just looked at me and said, 'Because?' And it took me a minute to realize that A.) she was saying an English word and she generally only speaks French and Spanish and B.) that there was anything wrong with my response. All the words made sense to me. I didn't notice that there were two languages in one sentence.
2. A student was speaking (in English) and didn't know a word so I offered 'bother' as a possible fit for what she was trying to say. She asked if I could write it on the board. So I went up to the board and wrote 'molestar'. Before I turned around I realized my mistake and added '= to bother'.
Although it may sound like I am completely capable in both languages, the truth is that I am not. My roommate is much more talkative than I am and has improved by leaps and bounds. I'm convinced more than ever that speaking is an extremely important part of learning a language. And it is exactly what I haven't done in the past 18 years that I have studied Spanish. So, I'm signing up for Spanish classes at the University starting in February. I am here and I am going to speak Spanish before I leave if it is the last thing I do (or the only thing). Plus, since my 3-day-a-week private lesson student is leaving for Germany for nine months, I will have a few extra hours on my hands each week.
Other exciting happenings this week:
- Went to 'The Tourist' with Clarisse. We liked it and best of all- understood it!
- Went to Sevilla to get the right size t-shirt for Jim. I didn't see it on the shelf in the store, so I asked the clerk if there were any XLs in blue (my Spanish speaking practice for the day). He walked over, looked at the shirts and said, 'No, I don't have any XL'. He then recommended that I go to their other store (that I didn't even know existed). He gave me a map and directions (and insisted it was easy to find). When I walked into the second store the clerk asked me if I was the girl that was there for the XL t-shirt. I said I was. Needless to say I was there on a Monday afternoon. You wouldn't get that kind of service on a Wednesday evening I bet.
- Went out for tapas with the Thursday night crew.
- Learned that they say 'marshmallow' in French. I was talking about the ingredients in Rice Krispie Treats and I didn't know the word in Spanish. I said they were white and looked like little pillows and she said, 'marshmallows?'
- Got a photocopied guide for Marrakech from my private-lesson student.
And if that all sounds boring to you, remember that I'M IN SPAIN.
Monday, January 10, 2011
Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car
"But it wasn't a dream. It was a place. And you and you and you...and you were there."
In 2.5 weeks I saw almost all of my immediate family members and friends (sorry to those who missed a photo opp.). It made me realize exactly what it is that I am missing here. (But not for long-I'll have several visitors over the next three months! Let me know if you'd like to be added to that list.) Being back, I jumped quickly back into the American way of thinking, like expecting things to be resolved immediately. Take my lost luggage, for example. I expected it to be at my HOUSE the very next day. Here in Spain my baggage is also missing and I'm having a hard time accepting the fact that there is NO information on it after over 24 hours and three flights from Lisbon (where I arrived from the US). And when there is information I will have to go PICK up the suitcase from the airport. This will require a 1.5-2 hour bus ride (one way and not including wait time). I find myself thinking that this is completely ridiculous. But it is not ridiculous for Spain. It is normal. As my roommate said, 'tu- paciencia' (You - (have) patience.) A week or so will be a normal time frame for my bag reappear.
I also find it disappointing that stores are not open here. I asked my mom how late the grocery store was open (I really wanted some grapes at 9 PM). When she said 'all night' I couldn't believe what I great country I was born in. I could buy grapes at any time during the day or night!
The little taste of freedom I got from having my very own car to drive wherever I wanted whenever I wanted (like to the grocery store, Noodles, Dairy Queen and friends' houses) was hard to leave too. (Although brushing the snow off my car off and scraping my windows part I could do without). My feet and the bus system here can take me places, but it requires more time and patience.
Central heating is one of the best things about the US. I wasn't ever as cold there (inside or outside) as I am inside my piso here. I actually have to go outside to warm up (the sun is shining!). And along those lines I love the clothes dryer. It makes washing clothes so much less of a commitment. You don't have to plan how many days it will require to dry the clothes and whether or not you have that time to live without them.
What wasn't hard to leave was the accent we all have. I was very sensitive to our whiney, nasaly 'a'. Sometimes I wanted to stop talking because I couldn't make my accent or the burning in my ears go away.
I also won't miss the store clerks constantly nagging (a word we can say with our accent) me to open a credit card account and save 10%, helpfully suggesting a car wash with my gas purchase, just reminding me that if I find 2 shirts that I like I can get one free, holding out a sample for me take or calling out 'excuse me, can I ask you a question?' as I walk through the mall. I much prefer the Spanish way- being silently stared down by a clerk or ignored completely while they talk to their coworker or friend.
And I won't miss looking like an ad for Tommy Barlett's Exploratory when I take off my winter hat. My skin and hair did not like the lack of moisture in MN and WI in the winter. My skin was scaly and my hands full of hangnails.
And what can we learn from this, boys and girls? That the grass is always greener on the other side and that absence makes the heart grow fonder.
Class dismissed.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
The Fruits of My Labor
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.
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.
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.
 | ||||
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.
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