I.E.S. Alba Longa: First impressions

This past Thursday I had my first experience at the school where I'll be helping teach English this year, I.E.S. Alba Longa in Armilla. At 11:00am I made the commute from Granada to Armilla for a brief meet-and-greet with my boss, a woman named Lourdes Soto Páez. She's both one of the directors of the bilingual program and one of the school's English teachers.

This is my commute to work every day; it only takes about 30 minutes to get from door to door!

I arrived at the school just as the morning break was ending; luckily, I didn't have to loiter about at the main gate for very long because all of the teachers were returning from having coffee. They were able to let me into the building and help me find Lourdes. She's very nice; we spoke mostly in English about the school, the bilingual program, my future responsibilities, etc. (she wanted me to know that I'm going to speak very little Spanish while at the school, esp. with the students!) The school is basically the Spanish equivalent of a middle/high school and the students are aged 12-18. I'll be working with the students in the first and second year of the bilingual program, the equivalent of 7th and 8th grade. These students have half of their classes in English and the other half in Spanish. I'll be working in the technology, science, math, physical education and English classes, all of which are taught in English. My schedule still isn't set yet, but I'll most likely work 4 hours a day, Monday-Thursday, both in the classroom with the students and out of the classroom with the teachers, helping them plan, practice their English, etc. For next Friday, my first day of "teaching," I have to prepare a PowerPoint presentation about myself, my friends and family, my hometown, my interests, etc. After I introduce myself, we'll do activities about the students themselves, their families, hobbies, etc. I'm pretty excited to start! Below is an aerial shot of the school:

The school is highlighted in red. My bus stop is located at the rotary, right next to the school. What luck! 

Lourdes took me on a brief tour of the school and I met lots of the other teachers, including those with whom I'll be working this year. Everyone was really friendly and seemed eager that I  begin working with them. I met the secretaries and headmaster and received keys to both the front gate and language teachers' lounge. I should be all set to go for next Friday and just have to prepare my presentation! Overall, I'm really excited about working at I.E.S. Alba Longa and I think it's going to be a great experience :)

Later that night, Ana, John and I met up with some of the other students from GRIIS at a bar for karaoke. The place was packed but we still managed to sing a few great songs before heading over to another bar for some (free!) drinks and more dancing and singing. At 4:00am, we finally returned home because the others had a trip to Madrid at 7:00am the next day... next time I'm sure we'll all make our way over to a discoteca, instead :) I really need to acclimate myself to being out so late on the weekends (and Wednesdays... and Thursdays...)! I'd forgotten just how different the Spanish "schedule" is from the one back home! At home, bars and clubs all close around 2:00am; here, you don't go out until at least 10:00pm and don't even think about going to a club until at least 2:00 or 3:00am! The next afternoon, Friday the 24th, Ana and I went to Padul for the town's feria, a festival with lots of delicious food, dancing, vendors, contests, activities, carnival rides, etc. We were out until 3:30am, dancing, drinking, riding the rides... it still amazes me how EVERYONE stays out late in Spain, from the most elderly to the youngest of children (a.k.a. babies), too. When we went home for chocolate con churros, practically the whole town continued dancing and drinking. I asked what time the festivities usually ended and got the answer, "What do you mean, end? Everyone will be here until 6am or 7am tomorrow morning! And then at 9:30am there'll be breakfast!" Silly me, what was I thinking asking that question? Oh Spain, you know how to party unlike anywhere else :) It looks like I'd really better get accustomed to taking a daily siesta!

After such a busy weekend, I'm pooped. I really didn't do much today but lounge around the house. Tomorrow through Tuesday I have CIEE orientation in Sevilla... I don't really feel much like going, but oh well... it's just two days!

Back in Granada and loving life...

Walking along the Río Genil.

Greetings from the lovely Granada, Spain, everyone! I'm happy to report that I made it to Spain safe and sound (although definitely tired from a night without sleep...). After a short delay in Madrid, I landed in Granada at 12:45pm Sunday afternoon after some 14 hours or so of traveling. What's great is that all my luggage made it, too! And what's even better is that my host mom, Ana, and her daughter, Anais, (technically, Ana, but it'll be less confusing to talk about the two if they have distinct names...) were waiting to ambush me with huge smiles and big hugs as soon as I left the baggage claim area :) Shortly thereafter, they introduced me to my "host brother" for the semester, John, a junior year foreign language major at Boston College. So, it was into the car we went with my 1,000s of pounds of luggage to make the quick trip home! First, we stopped at a bakery to purchase piononos and other pastries for that afternoon's snack. After we got home we ate lunch, I took a quick shower and I threw all of my things into my bedroom and left them to deal with the following day. All I wanted to do was catch up with Ana and Anais and explore the place that I had been missing so much since I last left in late May of last year. I resisted the urge to nap that afternoon and instead of eating dinner at home, John, Anais and I went out for tapas. We went to four different bars in the city; I had three delicious glasses of tinto de verano and a cold Alhambra beer :) After returning home around 11:00pm or so, it was bedtime for me!

A pionono, a popular pastry in Granada.

Monday morning I started my day with my favorite breakfast, tosada con tomate, and a small coffee. Ana and I watched a little bit of the news before I headed with John to his class with GRIIS at 11:00am. I not only wanted to meet this semester's GRIIS students but I also wanted to "surprise" Amalia with a quick visit! (Amalia, for those of you who don't know, is the director of GRIIS, the program through which I studied abroad last spring. She's a wonderful woman and has two daughters, Paula, 15, and Amalia, 12, whom I tutor in English and will be tutoring again this year.) The group for GRIIS is small this semester, just 10 students, but they all seem really nice and happy. I briefly introduced myself to them, explained a little bit about what it is that I am going to be doing this year and encouraged them to take advantage of everything there is to do in Granada! Amalia and I spoke for bit after class and made plans for us to meet in her house the following day to visit with her daughters.

John and I returned home for lunch and after taking a quick siesta, Anais and I did what we girls do best... walk around the city and shop! (Actually, come to think of it, we've been doing a lot of shopping these past few days... I'd better start earning some money, stat!) After a few hours wandering the streets and meandering through stores, we returned home with our many purchases in hand, ready to pick up John and head over to a bar called Hannigans for Pub Quiz, a Monday-night favorite. There, we met up with a few of the other students from GRIIS and I'm happy to say that our team came in third place, earning us the reward of a few free cocktails!

Tuesday morning, Anais and I looked up the bus schedule from Granada to Armilla and tested out what will soon be my daily commute to and from work. We discovered that I can make it from door to door in just about a half an hour... how great is that?! The walk from our apartment to the bus stop is under ten minutes and after boarding the bus it's only a ten minute ride until I reach a stop practically right next to the school. Next week, I'll buy a rechargeable bus pass and then I won't have to worry about having to remember to always have a few euros on me. Later that afternoon, I went to Amalia's home where we visited for a little while. Teresa, her assistant, was there too and it was great to see her after so long! They invited me to participate in whatever GRIIS activities, trips, lessons, etc. that I should want to and told me that I was always welcome to join their plans; I assured them that I would definitely be participating in some of the activities! I feel so welcome and at home here in Granada, it's fantastic :) A little while later, Amalia's daughters and I went to a cafe for a cola cao where we caught up on all that had happened during our summers, etc. I'll begin tutoring them next Wednesday evening and I'm looking forward to spending two evenings a week with them again! Later that evening, Anais, John and I took a stroll through Parque Garía Lorca before dinner and a night at home.

Yesterday I went with John to his curso intensivo to have myself a bit of a Spanish grammar review with Amalia and the rest of the class. After class, we returned home for lunch and a nap. Later that afternoon, we all went to Padul to visit a friend of Ana's and her two small children. Padul is the pueblo in which Ana grew up; they still have a family home in the town. It's a short distance from Granada; it takes only about 20 minutes by car. Isabel, the mother, is a very friendly, warm-hearted woman and her two children, Claudia, 6, and Samuel, 3, are adorable! I met them last year and they're just wonderful! After a cafelito and a small snack, Anais, John and I played with the kids and I got to use all the cute kid-lingo that I love to say in Spanish. Samuel was particularly playful, wanting to play swords, play catch and jump up and down over and over again. I love little Spanish kids... too cute! After our visit, we came home for dinner and a relaxing evening.

Alright, time for lunch! I'll post again later this weekend and let you all know about my first impression of the school where I'll be teaching!

Finally... I'm on my way!

Bye-bye, USA... see you next July!

Hola, España... ¡cuánto tiempo sin verte!

It's getting down to the wire!

I can't believe it... only four more days until I board Iberia flight 6166 to Madrid! If all goes according to schedule, I'll depart from Logan Airport at 6:20pm on Saturday and land in Madrid at 7:10am on Sunday morning. I have a bit of a layover in Madrid (my flight to Granada doesn't take off until 11:50am) but it'll give me plenty of time to find my next flight's terminal, relax, wake up?, eat something, etc., etc. Then come 12:50pm Sunday afternoon, I'll land in Granada! So far meteorologists are predicting good weather and clear skies Saturday into Sunday in Boston but scattered showers in Madrid- let's just hope my second flight isn't delayed!

This year I had a really great summer... while it went by really quickly, I feel like I did a lot (and not just related to preparing for Spain). Most importantly, I was able to spend lots of time with my family and friends. There were lots of extended family dinners and visits, I made it to Massachusetts a few times to visit college friends, I took a family vacation to Maine with my Dad and brothers and, most recently, I had an amazing "last weekend in the USA" camping with friends on Cape Cod. I even got to visit NYC and Boston a few times... all in all, I'm really content looking back on the past four months :)

So... how am I going to pass this last week Stateside? Well, yesterday I had a plethora of doctors, dentist, etc. appointments and thankfully my passport (complete with my visa attached!) finally arrived at my house thanks to UPS. Since all that I have left to do is pack, I now have a few days to relax (and minorly freak-out about the upcoming year, haha)! After having spent the past four consecutive years away at Stonehill, I haven't been home to enjoy the start of fall in Ellington. Driving all over town these past two weeks as the fall foliage starts to appear and the days and nights grow chillier and breezier has reminded me just how much I love the start of fall in my little town. I love the way the air smells and noticing the first traces of orange, red and yellow emerge in the trees. Everything about fall in New England just says "cozy." Not to mention that fall means two of my favorite things: 1) Thanksgiving and 2) the start of football season (GO STEELERS!). Now, while I absolutely love fall, I'm happy to be able to escape the cold and dreariness of the New England winter this year! The winter will (should!) be much milder in southern Spain and to that I say, AMEN!

Later this morning I'm going to run some last-minute errands before having lunch with my grandparents. Afterward, I'll head over to Brookside Park to watch Kevin play (goalkeeper) in his first game of Ellington High's soccer season. Tomorrow I'll just lounge around and then Thursday I'll visit Joey at UConn before spending some time with my friend Jamie and her family (basically my second family) at their home. Friday three of my closest girlfriends (Katie Cummings, KK Rice and Jamie) are going to come over after dinner to spend my last night in the States with me- I can't wait to see them! Then it's off to Boston mid-Saturday!

If you ask me, I couldn't ask for a better last week at home :)

Just a quick update...

Hi again!

I don't know about any of you, but I just can't get over how quickly this summer flew by... can you believe that it's already September? I can't! This week is my last week of nannying for the two boys that I've been watching all summer. They've been really fun to watch-- we've done a lot of day trips and other activities these past three months!-- and I can't believe that next week instead of watching them, I'll be running all over town getting last minute things ready to go back to Spain!

So, the biggest thing that I have left to do really isn't anything that I can do myself. What I mean is that I'm anxiously awaiting the NYC Spanish Consulate's letter with my passport and student visa inside. At my consular appointment last month, I was told that I could expect them anytime between late August and early September. With 16 days left in the States, I'm not exactly worried yet, but I will be much more relieved when they arrive in the mail.

I'm excited to enjoy a three-day weekend for Labor Day. I'm going to see some friends over the course of the weekend and I'm looking forward to relaxing and enjoying what's left of the warm, summer weather. But come next Tuesday, I'll be very busy what with going to various appointments and completing some last-minute "travel" preparations. I've got a doctor's appointment, a dentist appointment and a haircut scheduled. I've got to call my credit/debit card company and inform them of my travel plans and take a trip to AAA to renew my driver's license (it expires this November and I don't want to be running around for eight months with an expired I.D.). I've started contemplating just how I'll pack my suitcases (two suitcases and a carry-on for ten months?!?! I need a miracle! Ha!) but Lord knows I won't start packing until the night before I leave :)

Last but not least... and this is the thing that I've been purposefully procrastinating on... is figuring out how to apply for deferment on my student loans. I have two loan providers, MEFA loans and Federal Direct loans. It shouldn't be hard to defer the FDLs, but the MEFA ones will be another story. Oh well... I'll take a look at all that paperwork, etc. next week when I have more time and can sit down and (attempt to?!) understand it all.

So... I've got just about two weeks left in the States until sometime next summer! What a crazy thought! I'm very excited but now my nerves are starting to act up, too. I'm nervous about my Spanish skills after so long without real practice, about starting my new "teaching" position, about opening a Spanish bank account and applying for a "permiso de estancia" once I arrive in Granada... I don't know, just everything's making me a little nervous as the day of my flights gets closer. (Not to mention the fact that I HATE flying!) Thankfully, my excitement still outweighs my nerves at this point and I have a feeling that it'll stay that way. I've already made up my mind that on my first full day back in Granada, September 20th, I'm just going to walk around the city, taking in all the familiar sights, sounds and smells and enjoying them to the fullest... plus: tapas! I want lots and lots of tapas :) And tinto de verano... and tostada con tomate... and cola cao... and chocolate con churros... and ... well, you all get the idea. I've got a lot of eating and drinking ahead of me, it seems :)

¡Hasta luegito!