Halloween in Spain

This past week has been full of festivities! First the week started off with going to a Real Madrid basketball game. Maggie's school gave her tickets to the game and luckily they had extras for Justin and I. It kind of felt like a little taste of America- even the half time show felt like America, with a Thriller dance put on by the cheerleaders. They played against a team from Milan and ended up winning! It was a lot of fun! Next, we need to go to a Real Madrid futbol game... And then Cristiano Ronaldo can propose to me.

As you all know, this week is also Halloween. This holiday isn't really celebrated in Spain but since I work at a bilingual school the English assistants were responsible for putting on Halloween. We had the classes take turns doing a craft of making trick or treat bags, going into a haunted house that we made and then dancing to halloween songs.Then we went around to each class and let them get a taste of trick-or-treating. We would just go to a classroom and they would have to line up and say trick or treat to get candies or stickers. They were like little ducks the way they all flocked to me waiting for goodies! At the end of the day we had a Halloween parade on the black top and we awarded one person from each class for the best costume. Which kind of backfired because the 1st grade girls kept coming up to me and asking why they didn't win. For the rest of the afternoon they played music and we just danced and played with them. The cha-cha song came on so I decided to dance along to what it says (slide to the left, slide to the right, hop 3 times, etc...) Next thing I know, several of the girls are lined up next to me dancing along with me. They were all so impressed that I knew the dance but I never told them that the lyrics told you what to do haha.

Here is a picture of the haunted house with two of my amazing co-workers! (Also English Language Assistants) Unfortunately, I can't post pictures of my students but you can just trust me that they are adorable! :)

Later that evening, we went to a Halloween party at the Vice Principal's house. Our principal and some other teachers were there. They taught us some Spanish drinking games and then we taught them some American ones! It was a fun night and I keep feeling more and more fortunate to be working at such a great school!

I hope that everyone is having a great Halloween weekend!! I love seeing everyones pictures of dressing up and I wish I could celebrate with you all!

Picture Update! :)

Our Apartment:

I will have to get used to this:

Retiro Park:

Roommates at Plaza Mayor:

The City:

Fall has fallen!

The weather is finally cooling down and it's starting to feel like fall in Madrid! I'm really looking forward to the season change but I think that this will be the coldest winter I've experienced!

Life in Madrid continues to be wonderful! The people are so hospitable and great. My co-workers have taken me in and make me feel right at home. Even when they are speaking Spanish lightening fast at lunch, they still take a moment to keep me in the loop.
A teacher at Maggie's school was so sweet to write out a list of places for me to go to for gluten free food. She even called one of the bakeries and told them to expect an American girl coming in. Spaniards do not walk the streets with big grins on their faces and making small talk with strangers, like Americans. But once you are let into a Spaniard's circle of friends, they treat you like family and you see that they are some of the most caring and sincere people you will ever meet.

After a month of being in Spain, life is getting easier and more comfortable. But one thing I am still struggling with is communication. Since I speak English all day at work, I really have to make an effort after school to practice my Spanish. So unfortunately, my Spanish is weaker than I would like at the moment but with time hopefully it will get better - poco a poco, as the Spaniards say. (little by little) Not only is it hard to speak Spanish but also English. According to the teachers, my English is very difficult to understand due to my accent. Who knew I had an accent?! haha So I need to work on speaking slower and not using certain phrases. Some phrases that we use all the time are very difficult for foreigners, for example:

"How are you doing?" -- the verb doing seems to throw them off and makes them answer as if the question is "What are you doing?"

"How come?" -- they often get confused and think that the question is how we are coming

It's interesting to see things from a different perspective, especially things that have always come so natural to me such as the English language.

The kids at school are still keeping me entertained- there is never a dull moment! But I must say, I have never seen so much nose picking in one day- it's like a sport for them!
I spend most of my time with the 3rd grade class and they are starting to catch on to me knowing Spanish. THey have begun testing me to see if I answer their questions that they ask in Spanish. So looks like I will have to be more careful and play dumb! On the other hand, one of the 2nd grade boys today thought it was imporant to try and teach me some Spanish.
Since we are in Europe, the English that these kids are learning is British English. So there have been some differences in grammar and vocabulary such as rubbish for garbage. But my favorite vocab change is that they call erasers, rubbers. So in 1st grade today we had to sing a song that said "We have 3 rubbers so we are ready for school!" And I will never get used to hearing a child ask for a rubber...

Today after school, two of my co-workers, my roommates and I went to my school's neighboring town, Alcalá de Henares. It is a cute, little town that is exactly what you would think of when you think of Spain. It is also the birth place of Miguel de Cervantes, the author of Don Quixote so there were lots of monuments dedicated to him. It was nice to walk around, enjoy some drinks and tapas and to soak up the relaxed Spanish atmosphere that can sometimes be lost in a bigger city.

Well, I'm off to start my weekend! Until next time...

A week of immersion

This past week Maggie, Justin and I have tried immersing ourselves in the culture as much as we could.

Last Wednesday was a holiday, Día del Virgen Pilar, so we had the day off from school. That morning there was a huge parade through the city. It consisted of soldiers, army tanks, fighter planes and men parachuting with the Spanish flag. The parade came to a close with the King driving through and waving to everyone. THe best part experiencing a tradition of the Spanish culture and seeing the immense amount of partiotism the citizens had as they walked around with Spanish flags draped over their backs.

Last Thursday I had my first side job. The 3rd grade teacher, Miriam, who I work with a lot asked me to work with her son. Angél Luis is only 2 years old so all I do is play with him and speak to him in English. He is so cute and it amazes me that at only 2 years old he is already spouting out Spanish AND English words!

On Saturday, I went out to see one od my co-worker´s band perform at a bar in the neighborhood, Malasaña. It was really fun to be involved in the Spanish atmosphere and to listen to live Spanish music. They were really good! After the performance we all went out to other bars and ended the night at a salsa bar. It was so fun and I am now determined to learn how to salsa!

I am still really enjoying being in Spain and I am so happy! One of the teachers even told me that she can tell that I am very happy to be here. But there isn´t a day that goes by where something makes me think of of my friends and family. Miss you all so much!!

Back to school!

I´ve completed my first week of teaching and could not have asked for a better situation! I absolutely love the students and teachers at my school-they have all made me feel so welcome! I have been assigned to teach English and Science to grades 1-6. And I actually get to prepare my own lessons, not just assist!

The first day of school I walked into the classroom and all the children just stared at me and then started asking ´Quien eres?!´ (who are you!?)
I then felt a tapping on the back of my leg and I look down to see a little 6 year old boy with big eyes looking up at me ánd ask who I was. And before I knew it there were several first graders swarming me like a bunch of excited little puppies.
The kids then had the chance to ask me questions and I got a lot of ´What is your favorite food/color?´, ´Do you have a boyfriend?´, but my favorite was ´Do you have any babies?´I can tell already that these kids will keep me very entertained.
The way that the school is having us teach English is by having us speak only English with them, regardless of their level. The kids were told that we don´t know any Spanish. Often times the kids will speak to me in Spanish but I will answer them in English. It´s like magic because they never catch on that I understood their Spanish.
The kids that I work with are sooo cute and affectionate. They will just come up to me in class and hug on me or hold my hand when walking from one class to another.

In addition to working with the students, I have been assigned to work with the teachers once a week. But we get to conduct these classes at the local bar because they said their English is much better after a few drinks. Sounds like a good deal to me! The teachers I work with are great also! They have gone out of their way to make me feel included and I have already gone out with them after school. It´s nice to get to know native Madrileños who can help you out.

Maggie and I have begun doing intercambios (intercambios are a language exchange where we meet with a native and for the first half of the meeting speak in English then switch to speaking in Spanish). Our Spanish is very weak and rusty right now but hopefully with practice we will be speaking great real soon! But it has been nice to have someone correct our Spanish and show us around the city.

I feel so content to be in Madrid. It is such a beautiful city, full of life and culture. I look forward to what the future holds!

(Pictures coming soon-- still waiting for internet)

I made it!

I am in Madrid and finally almost settled in completely! These past two weeks have been great but definitely not easy.

Once Maggie, Justin and I reunited in the Madrid airport, we set off to our hostel which is what we called home for our first few days. Due to teh large amound of baggage and small room, we were forced to push our beds together to even be able to fit. Needless to say, we kept our time in the hostel limited.

The next day we started our apartment search. Appointment after appointment with the idea of soon being homeless looming over our heads, we finally found our dream piso. We are now happy residents in the Goya neighborhood of Madrid. The area is cute and trendy, with only a short walk to the wonderful Parque del Buen Retiro.

Once we found a home, it then became time to think about work. So last Friday Maggie and I ventured out to my future school. When I got to the school´s secretary she gave me a puzzled look as she called me Jimmy and told me how difficult my name is. She then had Maggie and I sit in a room for 20 minutes, occasionally peeking back in looking more confused each time. Finally, a man came in and spoke to us which is when we realized that we were at the wrong school!
After two hours of searching for my school, accidentally walking along a freeway and having people exclaim ´joder!´ (the Spanish equivalence to the F word) when we told them where we had to wealk to, we finally gave in and flagged down a taxi.
The principal of my school, Consuelo, is wonderful! She showed me around the school and introduced me to the staff. Many of the teachers donñt know any English, so hopefully my Spanish will improve! Once our meeting was over, Consuelo had someone excort us to the bus station so we wouldn´t get lost again :)

Living abroad had been glamourized in my head before I got here- but it is a lot of hard work! it is difficult trying to negotiate in another language, find your way around in a huge foreign city and acclamate to a culture different from your own. But at the same time, those little frustrations are what keep life exciting, makes for good stories and turns you into a stronger person. Plus, it is all worth is to be in Spain!

I apologize to everyone at home who I have been unable to keep in good contact with. Our apartment is still without internet and as our landlord told us, ´Spain doesn´t move fast´.´So hopefully I will be able to catch up with you all very soon!

Miss you all more than you even know! Hasta luego!