When a little rouge doesn't go a long way

Friday, January 15 2010

Today, we celebrated Diego’s 20th birthday. His actual birthday is at the end of December, but as everyone had already left for vacation, we decided to celebrate late. In keeping with the birthday tradition that has developed, we had to do botellon (buying alcohol and drinking with a group of friends rather than at the bars) in our apartment and bake a cake.

Diego and Kathleen came by and we headed to Mercadona to buy some food and booze. On the way, Ionut met up with us and we stopped at Diego’s mom’s pub to say ‘hi.’ As in typical Spanish fashion, we ended up staying for a few hours. During a second round of pool, suddenly I remembered a bet that Ionut and I made the last time we played. The terms were: if he won, I had to help clean his car for two hours; if I won, he had to dress like a woman one night. Incidentally, we both lost a game and both had yet to fulfill our end of the bargain. This seemed like a good night for a transvestite.

After a quick run to Mercadona (finally), and the gang at my apartment – Alex, Charlotte, Kathleen, Diego, Ionut, and even Drew- the festivities commenced with drinks, home-made tapas, and cross-dressing. A very reluctant Ionut followed Diego and me into my room to change. And we really took advantage: dress, bra stuffed with socks, tights, boots (the only shoes of mine he could fit into), jewelry, scarf, and make-up, the whole nine. We could not stop laughing. He was a real trooper: posing for pictures, letting us go all the way with the make-up (I’m talking eye shadow, mascara, lipstick and all). The thing was, I think he got a little into it. Icing on the cake: after I rubbed his cheeks with blush, he took one look in the mirror and said, “but you can’t really see it.” My lord, the blackmail I could do with the photos we took…

A few days before, Alex and I got the bright idea to make Diego special brownies for his birthday. Great idea, in theory. Unfortunately what transpired was not theoretical. A short time after munching on some hot delicious, brownies, I realized we had munched our way through the entire pan. Uh oh. The short version: after an incessant bout of giggles followed by a voracious appetite, came a seemingly-unending and intense full body experience (or out-of-body experience?). Some drama, philosophical talk, more drama, and fifteen hours of sleep. Buenas noches, Albox.

Te voy a llevar al huerto, chato!

Thursday January 14, 2010

My favorite class to work with is still my first grade class. But how well each lesson goes can be a crapshoot, depending on my students’ behavior. Today was a pretty good day, though. This week, we’ve moved on to a different unit: family. I don’t know if it’s an easy theme, or if the kids are beginning to learn more quickly, but they seem to be catching on to the family vocab at a fast pace. I like seeing their faces light up when I ask a question and they actually know the answer. Andres always gives my favorite reaction: it’s like this moment of realization right before he spits out a word; you can see his eyes get really big like he’s going to explode the response “grandpa!” And I love Jose Maria’s pronunciation: sometimes I have to bite my lip to keep from laughing. He stares at my mouth when I talk to try and imitate my pronunciation. He’s always so close, but no cigar. Example: Me, “sister”. Jose, “Shistow.” Que mono…

And then there are always the stinkers: I really have no idea what to do with Pedro and Josefina. Pedro just does whatever he wants whenever he wants. When I countdown “5, 4, 3, 2, 1, quiet,” Pedro adds, “yeah, quiet!” Uh, that includes you, Pedro. Josefina just never listens. I swear, Arancha will chastise the kids in a five minute rant about sitting down, and there she is standing by her desk sharpening a pencil. -??-
Half the time we don’t know whether to laugh or fume; so we usually settle for eye rolling from across the room.

Anyway, the day is Thursday. Which means I anticipate tapas at el Mirador followed by copas at el Laberinto. This day especially; it was the first week back after almost a month of vacation, and I hadn’t experienced a Thursday at the Mirador in too long.

Lo and behold, we’re not going to Mirador. Tonight is Sandra’s last night in Albox (she works with all of the other professors at Martin Garcia Ramos) before transferring schools. To celebrate, we head to a restaurant called La Zaranda – I only remember the name because it sounds like Sarandon, as in Susan Sarandon. (Hey, you do what you have to in order to keep random Spanish words from flying in one ear and out the other). It’s good to finally see all the professors again: Sylvia, Maria Angela, Gustavo, Aurora, Luis, and of course Sergio.

Thirst-quenching cerveza: check. Delicious food: check. Raucous behavior and inappropriate table conversations: check. Halfway through dinner, as usual, we begin exchanging how-to-says in our respective languages. ** Quick preface: earlier in the week, Alex and I made a bet to see who could recall the most Spanish idioms and use them nonchalantly in conversation with our Spanish friends.** So, I’m talking about how clumsy I am (as I spill salad all over my lap), and Alex is trying to explain “bromance” to Gustavo in English. Somewhere the conversation turns to a more promiscuous topic, and we learn the expression, Te voy a llevar al huerto, chato! Translation: I’m going to take you to the orchard, baby (to, you know…). Or: I’m going to have my way with you. So, in a quiet moment, Alex shouts to Sergio, “Te voy a llevar al huerto, chato!” for all to hear. Damn, point for Alex.

All in all, a great dinner - Croquetas (fried breading filled with cheese-kind of like mozzarella sticks but way better), salad with goat cheese, bacalao (which I recently learned is Cod fish), mmmmm. But it still left me wanting more. At el Mirador, the food is better, and less than half the price. There’s something inexplicable about the environment; it’s smokey, loud, and cramped from having to shove four tables together and squeeze in the corner. There’s really no menu so it’s always a surprise what food comes to the table. And I love it. I like the familiarity of a weekly ritual, a common meeting place where the waiters know us and I recognize other regulars. Until next week…

After la Zaranda, el Laberinto. Unlike the norm, this week it’s not packed full of people. I guess after the holidays, fewer people have it in them to make it to the bars. Bueno, a few copas, lots of laughs (I love drunk Sergio), and even some philosophical conversations (although, Lyndsey if you’re reading this, I’m sure you’re thinking that the latter is a common occurrence with me). Had a heart-to-heart discussion with Gustavo about religion. He confessed that I’m the first Jew he’s met, which is kind of a strange sensation since my world is so full of Jews back home. I hope I can represent our people well (yeah right, great Jew I am after eating a ham-filled dinner…). Another great Thursday in Albox, buenas noches.

As part of my New Year's Resolution, I present a MUCH needed update

January 10, 2010
Ok, so I FINALLY returned to Albox after what seemed like a very long travel home. I just got back from Christmas vacation with my dad and Sue. We had a great time on our vacation, which started in Madrid on December 31, and just ended in Barcelona on January 9th. I left for Albox from Barcelona, and the result was an entire day-and-a-half of traveling. More on this later.
Anyway, one of my new year’s resolutions is to be better about blogging. It’s obvious that up to this point, I have been terrible. I really couldn’t have neglected my blog any more than I did, seeing as I wrote roughly two or three posts the entire first three months of my stay here in Spain.
So, I will now attempt to recount and summarize my experiences up till now, while at the same time continue to write about my life as it occurs in ‘real time’ (umm, relatively…). Buenas suerte

January 11, 2010
First day back at school after winter vacation. It was hard to get up, but I was excited to see all the students and teachers. Everyone greets each other with two kisses, one on each cheek, and a cheerful “feliz año.” It was really good to see everyone again. My kids greet me with hugs, and “hello, teacher” which is great. Just as usual, they’re like bouncing balls of energy. But it seems as though nothing has changed in the ways of behavior. I suppose it’s normal kid stuff: first day back after a holiday, and everyone is still in “break” mode. No one listens or pays attention. Arancha and I spend more time castigating than actually teaching. After school I almost lose my voice from yelling “5, 4, 3, 2, 1, Time!” a million times.
Later, everyone came over to our house just like old times. Kathleen arrives first to use the internet. It’s so great to see her. Then Diego arrives and finally Ionut. We’re all huddled in my room, the seven of us including Charlotte and Alex, with the calefactory blowing on high. Everyone shares stories of their holiday adventures. Of course, it’s Spain, and the electricity can’t handle more than one thing, so the power keeps going out because we’ve got the calefactor on at the same time as the light… oh Spain.
Took a shower at night, and at first it felt great. I was standing there in the hot water thinking, “Oh this feels fantastic, finally we’ve got hot water that works.” Guess I spoke too soon. Mid-shower, the water pressure begins to wain, until finally it’s just a few drips and then… nothing! Se fue el agua! The water went out. While I was in the shower. With shampoo in my hair. What the fuck to I do now?!
I call Alex and he comes back in a few minutes to tell me that the dueña says the water is out in the whole building. Of course. And, we don’t have any more bottled water. Of course. Luckily, Christelle has a small bottle, so I’m standing over the sink, wrapped in a towel, while Alex pours freezing water over my head to rinse the shampoo from my hair. Oh Spain…. buenas noches.

January 12, 2010
I felt sick today. I think all of the traveling with little sleep has finally caught up with me. It’s Tuesday, but I skipped the Mercado (still have no food) and just slept. Oh siestas, I love you.
Today seemed like a day for new beginnings. I started the re-application process to do the Auxiliares program another year. Everyone seems curious as to whether I’ll repeat the program and come back next year. Good question. I still have no idea what I’ll be doing with my life at this time next year. But hey, that’s the exact position I was in at this time last year, and look where I am now…
I figure for now, I’ll at least apply. I have nothing to lose by applying. Then, I can decide later if I want to accept or not. So far, I’ve enjoyed the program; and not just the teaching part. I love the culture, the people I’ve met, the experiences I’ve had. Part of me would love to do it again (but if I do, it’s got to be in a bigger city. Sorry, Albox). But the other part of me is thinking, why ruin a good thing by trying to repeat it?
Anyway, another beginning: I worked out today for the first time in probably 3 weeks! Afterwards, I felt so energized and happy. It’s amazing what a little exercise will do. Still hoping Sergio will teach me to play squash soon…
Still no water in our apartment. After the gym, I went to Kathleen’s house to shower. It was a pain having to trek all the way over just to shower. But, I got to see Gema and Marie Carmen. We sat around the heater table and talked like normal Spain-fashion. I learned a new word, too: Pica Piedras, which means The Flintstones! Funny context: We were joking about how primitive we all seem to be living; water that’s rarely hot and sometimes fails to work at all, houses that maintain a colder temperature inside than the actual temperature outside, and faulty electricity. Gema and Marie Carmen said something about Pica-Piedras. Kathleen and I had no idea what they were talking about. After about 5 minutes of explanation and looking on the internet, we realized that’s the name for Flintstones.
Tonight, Alex had to sleep in the extra bed in my room. Apparently, our power can’t handle both heaters; when Alex and I both use our heaters in our rooms at the same time, the power goes out. Temporary solution: sleep in the same room and use one heater. Emphasis on the temporary, because this isn’t going to work for the rest of the winter. Buenas noches…

Arrival In Spain

Well, I have finally arrived in Spain! After a VERY long and tiresome journey (and at times very stressful), I’m here at last. As I write this, I’ve already been here for over a week. So much has happened in that short time, but I haven’t had the chance to blog yet. So, I’ll try to squeeze in my most memorable experiences into a few blog posts all at once. Here goes…

Wednesday September 30 2009
As for my travel experience – that is, getting from St. Louis to my tiny town of Albox – where to begin? Here’s what was supposed to happen: leave on Tuesday midday and fly to Madrid through US Airways, with a connecting flight in Pittsburgh. My flight should have arrived in Madrid around 8am (Spain time, which is 7 hours ahead), giving me 2 hours to get my bags, go through customs, change airlines (to Iberia) and catch my final flight to Almería. Once I arrived in Almeria around 11am, I would have been picked up by Sergio, a teacher (who I met through facebook) who works at another school here in Albox. He lives in Almeria and commutes.

Here’s what really happened: Both flights through US Airways went relatively smoothly. I even sat next to another Auxiliary on the flight to Madrid (auxiliary means assistant teacher – that’s our job title). Her name is Amy, and she’s placed in Oviedo, in northern Spain [ever seen the movie “Vicky Christina Barcelona”? If not, you should; it’s excellent. Oviedo is where much of the movie takes place]. Hopefully I’ll get to visit her sometime soon.

Anyway, things went sour once I arrived in Madrid. We landed about 20-30 minutes late. If you remember, I had a short layover in which I had a lot to do. Now, being the capital of Spain, Madrid’s airport is a huge hub for both international and domestic flights. Lucky for me, my plane landed at the farthest position possible from Iberia, and my next flight (8 Km away, to be exact). So, long story short, by the time I arrived at the Iberia check-in counter, I had ½ hour left until boarding time.

As I’m checking in, the woman at the counter tells me that I can only check one of my bags. The policy in the US is different than in Spain and much of Europe. The US permits 2 checked bags up to 50lbs each, while Spain limits the amount checked to 23 Kilos total (that’s about 50 lbs). She says I can take my smaller bag with me on the plane. So I’m thinking, ok fine. I lug my bags all the way through security, and at the last second one of the employees tells me that I can’t bring the previously-checked bag with me on the plane; It’s too heavy and there are liquids. I explain what the woman said earlier, but he said no way, go back and re-check it. [I’m thinking,?!!??].

So I go ALL the way back to the check-in counter [tick tock…], and give an exasperated explanation to another employee. Now SHE tells me that it’s too close to the flight’s departure time: basically, I can get on the plane but not my luggage. So, I had a choice: leave an entire bag and catch my flight, or surrender the flight and keep half my stuff. Hmm, shitty choices, but I elected to buy another plane ticket for a later flight (luckily the ticket was only €50).

The news gets even better. The next flight isn’t until 4:30 pm, so I had 6 hours to kill. At that point, I was exhausted, hungry, frustrated, scared, and alone in a foreign country. Oh yeah, I also had no phone or internet, so I had no way to contact Sergio and tell him what happened. Finally, I found a café where I could pay to get WiFi and Skype Sergio. A few hours later, I decided to find the departure gate.

Here’s the next issue with the airport in Madrid: the gates aren’t numbered. I was given a plane ticket and all it said was “K.” Once I got to the “K area” – whatever that means - suddenly there were a gazillion options, from K 20 to K 94. So, which gate was it? I look on the departure board, and the flight to Almeria is labeled Gate K 84. Of course, I get to gate K 84 and the sign says the flight is going to a city called Santander. [??!?] So I wait, figuring that I’m just too early and it’ll change to Almeria in a while. Nope. Finally, it’s after 4pm and I’m getting nervous. I look up again and the sign has suddenly changed to “Almeria” and says final boarding call.

Shit! I ran up and explained that this was my flight, and the gate employee refused to let me on the plane. But the sign was labeled the wrong city the entire time up until the last second! Oh well, not his problem. He told me to go to information and they’ll change me to the next flight. I was really pissed. I’m thinking I’m-about-done-with-Spain-and-I’ve-been-here-all-of-7-hours.

The people over in information were just as rude. They almost refused to let me get the next flight to Almeria because I had already missed 2 flights. Finally I got on the plane at 5:30, and arrived in Almeria an hour later. I dragged my feet to the baggage claim, exhausted but glad to have finally arrived. Lo and behold, I’m left standing by the conveyers and my bags never came. Just an endless rotating conveyer belt with nothing on it. Of course, my bags are lost! Icing on the cake. But thank goodness, Sergio found me. He helped me describe my bags, and assured me the whole time that I would get them soon [It’s an interesting ordeal, trying to describe the looks of your luggage in another language while half-asleep and crying uncontrollably]. Anyway, I got to his parent’s house around 8 pm, 9 hours after I was due to arrive.

They were all so sweet. Sergio’s mom is such a typical Spanish mother [or any mother, really]. She kept offering me food and drinks; “come, come” (eat, eat). No one could fathom that I wasn’t at all hungry. Anyway, I took a shower and went straight to bed. An entire day of traveling will do that to you.

How I Got This Position

For a while I had been thinking about taking a "gap year" from school, but I wasn't really sure what I wanted to do. At the beginning of second semester of my senior year in college, I started to really think about what I wanted to do with my life after graduation.

I've always loved traveling, and I thought it would be amazing to get paid to work abroad. I had just completed my Spanish minor, and I really didn't want to lose my Spanish knowledge. I'd contemplated applying to some sort of teaching program abroad, but never gave it serious consideration.

Just as everyone does a semester before they graduate, I found myself talking a lot with peers about my post-college plans. My friend and co-worker Tim, who was a French exchange student, suggested that I check out the study abroad fair that day where he'd be working at a booth; maybe I would find some info on teaching abroad.

I ended up meeting a girl there who had just returned from teaching in France. We talked for a long time about her experience there, and she suggested I search the internet for similar programs in Spain. Her only word of advice: go with a program sponsored by the government, most of the private programs take your money rather than paying you.

So I went home and started my search that night. I Googled "teach English in Spain" and looked for anything that looked like an official Spanish government site (ah, the power of Google). Lo and behold, I found the Ministry of Education website and discovered 1.) I actually qualified for the position and 2.) the due date was still a few months away. After perusing their page for a while, reading about past participants' experiences and what my role would be as a cultural ambassador, I started to get really excited! I decided to apply, and so my vague fantasy-of-an-idea to live abroad started to seem like a tangible possibility.

After a lengthy and complicated application process, and an endless wait for my acceptance, I'm glad I went through it all. I know it's going to be an amazing experience (frankly, I still can't believe I'm doing it) that I can't wait to begin!