...that I am completely in love with Spain :)
All the hassles I had to deal with this past summer preparing for the trip, all the stress, all the money spent... totally worth it. Returning to Spain for the year was the best possible decision that I could have made and I see that so clearly now, even if I had my doubts at times before. Thank you, everyone, for supporting me and for encouraging me to come back to Granada! Everyday I feel a little bit more at home, a little bit better at my job, a little bit more fluent in Spanish.
Do I really have to leave next summer?
Un limonero en Granada.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
A trip to la Alpujarra: Pampaneira and Bubión
Last Saturday, I went along with John and the rest of GRIIS to la Alpujarra, a region of small mountain villages nestled away in Granada's Sierra Nevada. In February of 2009, when I was studying abroad with GRIIS, I went on a day trip to la Alpujarra. However, it was really chilly and gray as it was still the middle of winter. This time, being the middle of October, it was warm, sunny and full of wonderful, bright colors. I can't even explain how beautiful the region is. It's a completely different world altogether from Granada and is very peaceful, tranquil, quiet, relaxing... There are some 50-or-so small villages in la Alpujarra and their whitewashed houses with flat roofs and mazes of narrow streets date back to Moorish times, some five centuries ago. These villages were the last stronghold of the Spanish Muslims, or Moors, after the Reyes Católicos took back the city of Granada from the Muslims in 1492. Soon thereafter, all the area's Moors were forced to convert to Christianity; those who refused fled to the mountains, thus settling the remote, inaccessible area now called "La Alpujarra." As the years passed, more and more Christians went to la Alpujarra and now, very few people living in the villages can trace back to their Muslim roots. The villages, however, remain excellent "links" between the past and the present and transport visitors (like me!) back in time...
We took a bus from Granada to Pampaneira and then hiked from that village to Bubión. Here are some pictures from our day-trip!
I'd love to go back to la Alpujarra next spring and rent an apartment in one of the villages for a peaceful, relaxing weekend outside of the city. Hopefully I'll be able to!
On another note: Today, October 19th, marks my first full month back in Spain! Unbelievable... it feels like just yesterday it was the middle of July and I was still counting down the months I had left to wait!
Miss you all back home, sending lots of love your way!
¡Besos!
We took a bus from Granada to Pampaneira and then hiked from that village to Bubión. Here are some pictures from our day-trip!
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| Pampaneira |
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| Walking through the village. |
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| A view from a terrace. |
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| Starting the hike from Pampaneira to Bubión; a view of Pampaneira. |
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| Hiking! |
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| The group, minus Teresa and Damien. |
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| Bubión |
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| La plaza de la iglesia, Bubión. |
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| Walking along the streets. |
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| The definition of beautiful. |
On another note: Today, October 19th, marks my first full month back in Spain! Unbelievable... it feels like just yesterday it was the middle of July and I was still counting down the months I had left to wait!
Miss you all back home, sending lots of love your way!
¡Besos!
Sunday, October 17, 2010
I love my job!
I can't believe that I've already had my first two full work-weeks at Alba Longa! I'm happy to say that I love my job, my "co-workers" and my students! As you all already know, I work Mondays-Thursdays with students in 1° ESO and 2° ESO, the Spanish equivalents of 7th and 8th grade. I technically work 12 hours a week, with eight of those hours being split in the classroom between 1° ESO and 2° ESO and the remaining four hours being individual meetings with the teachers of the classes to talk about our classes, etc. However, I'm actually in the school about 16 hours a week, spending a little extra time planning my lessons, printing materials, preparing presentations, talking with the other teachers, etc. I help out in the bilingual program which means that the students that I teach have half of their classes in English and the other half in Spanish. My classes are English, Technology, Physical Education (which here is more than just a gym class, it's actually a mix of biology, health and gym), Math and Natural Science. Here's my schedule:
Monday: Physical Education with 1° ESO
English with 1° ESO
Natural Science with 1° ESO
Tuesday: Meeting with Rosa, the math teacher
Wednesday: Math with 1° ESO
Technology with 2° ESO
Math with 2° ESO
English with 2° ESO
Thursday: Meeting with Javier, the technology teacher
Meeting with Manolo, the physical education teacher
Meeting with Ramon, the natural science teacher
Natural Science with 2° ESO
(Lourdes is the English teacher; since she's my "boss," we don't have a weekly planning period, we usually talk about our classes together over coffee during one of the two daily "recreos" in between classes or by email.)
I really can't complain about any of my classes; truthfully, I like them all! I really like my English classes, my Physical Education class and my Math classes. For technology and natural science, I've found that I, too, need to study just like the students because it's been ages since I've studied the material myself! A lot of what I do in Technology and Natural Science is translation between the terms and ideas in Spanish into English and vice versa. Many times, Javier or Ramon have asked me "And this? Katie, how do we explain this in English?" and I have to say "Umm, let me get back to you tomorrow; I've got to look it up!" Things like mechanical pencil, t-set squares, measuring density using the metric system- all these things are new to me in Spanish let alone translating from one language to the other!
The kids are awesome; todos son encantos. They're at a good age where they're not bratty and yet they still have a lot of energy and want to learn. They're fun because we can joke around in English and Spanish, and yet they know enough about when to listen and pay attention. Maybe it's because they're excited to have a "foreign" assistant, maybe it's because it's only been two weeks- all I know is that they're really good, nice kids so far :) I know that I shouldn't have "favorites," but I do... in 1° ESO, a boy named David and a girl named Alexandra are particularly cute, always asking me millions of questions both in and out of class about my weekend, my hometown, how to say specific things, etc. The call me "teacher" and say thank you after everything... adorable! There are also two girls who are not in either of my classes (they're not part of the bilingual program) who make it a point to run into me everyday in the hallways. They always say hello and want to speak with me in English about anything in general. They're both 13 and one says that she wants to be an English teacher one day.
The teachers at IES are great, too! I was really nervous before starting work that I wouldn't feel accepted, that I'd be on the outside, etc. but all that negativity has gone completely out the window. The five teachers that I work directly with are super nice and very interested in my input, background, etc. I'm constantly asking them about Spanish grammar, etc. and they, too, always ask me to correct their English! Except for my technology class, which follows a stricter syllabus, I am able to have a lot of say as to what lessons I want to cover while I'm in the classroom. I can take as active of a role in the day's lesson as I want, which is wonderful. I do most of the talking in my English and Math classes while I play more of a supporting role in the Natural Science, Technology and Physical Education classes. I'm sure my role will continue to develop and change as the year goes on but for now, I'm pretty content. I get along with everyone really well... who knew that as an International Business and Spanish major I'd like being a teacher so much?! :)
The teachers at IES are great, too! I was really nervous before starting work that I wouldn't feel accepted, that I'd be on the outside, etc. but all that negativity has gone completely out the window. The five teachers that I work directly with are super nice and very interested in my input, background, etc. I'm constantly asking them about Spanish grammar, etc. and they, too, always ask me to correct their English! Except for my technology class, which follows a stricter syllabus, I am able to have a lot of say as to what lessons I want to cover while I'm in the classroom. I can take as active of a role in the day's lesson as I want, which is wonderful. I do most of the talking in my English and Math classes while I play more of a supporting role in the Natural Science, Technology and Physical Education classes. I'm sure my role will continue to develop and change as the year goes on but for now, I'm pretty content. I get along with everyone really well... who knew that as an International Business and Spanish major I'd like being a teacher so much?! :)
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| Cristina, me and Anais. Are my host sisters beautiful or what?! |
¡Hasta luego!
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
An afternoon in Padul...
Yesterday, October 12th, was a national holiday here in Spain, just like it was back home in the States. Therefore, I had the day off from work to celebrate the "Fiesta Nacional de España." Like our Columbus Day, the Fiesta Nacional commemorates the exact date when Christopher Columbus first set a foot in the Americas. I've heard that there's usually a big parade in Madrid but plenty of smaller celebrations take place throughout the rest of the country.
Since none of us had work or class, Ana, Anais, Cristina (my other host sister, who's studying for the year in Scotland, is back in Granada for a week!), John and I went to Padul to have lunch with Ana's mother, Ana, her sister, Gema, and Gema's husband, Elías. Padul is a suburb of Granada and it's maybe a half an hour ride by car from our apartment to the town. We went to the family's cortijo (country house) to have paella for lunch and to spend some time walking around enjoying the countryside. Before eating, Elías, Cristina, Anais, John and I went for a walk. It's so lovely here... the southern Spanish countryside is just completely unlike anything in New England. Yesterday was warm and sunny (hard to believe that it's the middle of fall!) and I was able to take some great pictures of Padul and the Sierra Nevada.
After we walked for about an hour, we returned to the cortijo for lunch. Ana was preparing pinchitos as her mother prepared the bread, salad and paella. We all sat down to eat on the patio and, as always, the food was delicious. We ate until we couldn't possibly take another bite... it was a wonderful afternoon!
Since none of us had work or class, Ana, Anais, Cristina (my other host sister, who's studying for the year in Scotland, is back in Granada for a week!), John and I went to Padul to have lunch with Ana's mother, Ana, her sister, Gema, and Gema's husband, Elías. Padul is a suburb of Granada and it's maybe a half an hour ride by car from our apartment to the town. We went to the family's cortijo (country house) to have paella for lunch and to spend some time walking around enjoying the countryside. Before eating, Elías, Cristina, Anais, John and I went for a walk. It's so lovely here... the southern Spanish countryside is just completely unlike anything in New England. Yesterday was warm and sunny (hard to believe that it's the middle of fall!) and I was able to take some great pictures of Padul and the Sierra Nevada.
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| A neighbor's cortijo. |
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| Aren't the views of the Sierra breathtaking? |
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| Me and John. |
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| I love this picture! |
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| Olivos (Olive trees) |
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| Anais with a saltamontes (grasshopper). |
After we walked for about an hour, we returned to the cortijo for lunch. Ana was preparing pinchitos as her mother prepared the bread, salad and paella. We all sat down to eat on the patio and, as always, the food was delicious. We ate until we couldn't possibly take another bite... it was a wonderful afternoon!
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| Pinchitos (pork skewers). |
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| Paella de pollo (rice, chicken and vegetables). |
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| Leche frita (a sweet dessert, I don't know how better to describe it!) |
Upon returning home, I prepared a PowerPoint presentation for one of my classes that I had today. After I finished my work, John, Cristina, Anais and I watched a "horror" movie in Spanish about a virus that swept through an apartment building in Barcelona, turning the residents into human-eating zombies. Needless to say, it wasn't the scariest movie that I've ever seen, but it was fun nonetheless. Tonight's another movie night at home but after work tomorrow it's the weekend! I'll post again on Sunday... until then, ciao!
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Una semana atareadisíma...
It's been such a crazy busy week that I haven't had a chance to update my blog until now... oh well, as they say, más vale tarde que nunca (better late than never)!
Last Monday and Tuesday I had orientation for CIEE in Sevilla. At first, I really didn't have any desire to go but I ended up enjoying the two days. First and foremost, I met a lot of great people at orientation and now know a handful of really nice people also teaching in Granada! I took the train from to Sevilla (a trip that only took three hours, not too bad at all) with two girls named Jillian and Lauren; both are from the States and are teaching in Granada. Upon arriving at the station, we only had about a 15 minute walk to reach the hotel where CIEE had purchased us all rooms. (I had written down directions from googlemaps which turned out to be a total waste of time seeing as we could hardly find "street signs" anywhere... lucky for us, however, there were "Hotel Hesperia this way!" signs every few streets that led us to our hotel and we found it no problem!) We got to the hotel a few hours before our orientation was set to start, so we headed up to our rooms to drop off our stuff before meeting back downstairs 15 minutes later. (We were starving and wanted to find a nearby cafe.) One of my roommates, a girl named Lindsay (from Longmeadow, MA... what a small world, right?!) was in the room and she came along with us to grab some food and walk around the city. We found a restaurant with outdoor seating a short walk away from the hotel and as we were eating our croquetas and arroz con verduras two guys stopped by our table and asked us if we were with CIEE, too. They joined us at our table and we learned that they were both assigned teaching placements in Córdoba. The six of us finished our food and then walked to a nearby park where we sat and chatted until returning to the hotel for 7:00pm. When we got back, I was so surprised at the actual number of Americans in the Teach in Spain: the Basics program... I think that there were around 110 of us in total! For some reason, I was expecting a smaller number, maybe around 60-70 or so... needless to say, we took up the whole lobby. We had a quick "welcome to orientation" session that lasted about an hour and then... free all-you-can-eat tapas and free all-you-can-drink wine and beer... awesome. While we were all eating and drinking, everyone was walking around and mingling among the others, trying to find people teaching in the same location. I met a few more people teaching in Granada and some others teaching in Sevilla, Córdoba, Málaga, Cádiz, etc. Everyone was on the same page; excited to be in Spain, a little unsure about how the teaching experience would go when we finally began work. Around 10:30pm, I went upstairs to get ready for bed. I was a little sick with a sore throat and cough and figured I should take my meds and try to get a good night's sleep.
The next morning, we had breakfast in the hotel before having a day-long orientation. They went over a lot of topics that I really didn't need to hear (about how to get a Spanish cell phone, about how to go about finding an apartment to rent, about setting up Internet, etc.). However, after lunch we went over applying for one's non-resident ID card, opening a Spanish bank account, teaching strategies for ESL, etc. That portion of the orientation was definitely important and I'm glad I was there to hear how to go about handling those things. At 4:00pm that afternoon, I headed back to the hotel to grab my things and await the shuttle that would take us to the train station for my 6:00pm train to Granada. I got into the city around 9:15pm and was back home at 10:00pm. I went home knowing a lot more people in Granada and having a lot more information about how to take care of all my paperwork that I need to do to work abroad... overall a good orientation experience in Sevilla.
On Wednesday, September 29th, there was a General Strike (Huelga General) throughout Spain "protesting" some of the country's current working/economic/social conditions and governmental policies. (Don't ask me details; here's a link with more information if you're curious about la Huelga General.) Public transportation was practically nonexistent for the day, many hotels and offices were only offering "minimal services" and a lot of businesses and stores were closed. I didn't really notice anything other than the lack of transportation and the cut business hours where I was in Granada and I didn't see any protests or marches or anything of the like. However, in bigger cities like Sevilla, Madrid and Barcelona there was a lot more upheaval with loud demonstrations, protestors, picketers, police forces, etc.
Thursday I really didn't do much but walk around the city as it was my last "free" day before starting work officially the next day on Friday, October 1st. I arrived in Armilla at 11:00am on Friday to meet with Lourdes again before meeting the students for the first time. I am teaching two groups of students, 1º de E.S.O. and 2º de E.S.O., which are the equivalents of 7th and 8th grade in the U.S. That first day, I met with the students for their English classes. We spoke a little bit about where I was from, my life back home, my family, etc. I love the kids! They're great! They're really energetic (and loud!), always telling me some little story or asking me some question. We speak an even mixture of Spanish and English... here's how it usually goes: the students will ask me something in Spanish and I'll pretend that I can't understand what they're saying. Then they'll attempt to ask me in English. I'll answer them in slow, simplified English and if they're still having trouble understanding, I'll explain it once more in Spanish. Already the student are asking me, "Teacher! Do you have Facebook?! Do you have Tuenti?!" (Tuenti is the Spanish Facebook)... Too funny. So, I've been teaching at the school the past few days and I love it :) I'll talk more about what I actually do in the classroom in a later post; as this is the first week, the teachers and I are still developing my actual role and duties in the classroom.
Last weekend was really fun! On Friday, Anais and I went out for tapas with Lindsay, Danielle and Lauren (a few of the American girls that I met at orientation). Jillian wasn't feeling well so she stayed home for the night. Lauren's boyfriend, Pablo, is from Granada so she brought him along, too. The next day Ana, Anais and I went to Padul to have coffee with Ana's mother, sister and brother-in-law. Later that same night, Lauren and Pablo had a "piso-warming party" (think Spanish apartment-warming party) and they invited us all to their apartment. After meeting some of their Spanish friends as well as a few more Americans, we went from the piso to botellón, which is basically a huge group of young people drinking outside for a few hours before heading over to the clubs around 3:00am-4:00am. Needless to say, Sunday I was completely dead and didn't do much more than rest and prepare for my first "full" day teaching at Alba Longa!
So... I'm about to go tutor two Spanish girls in English and after that, I've got a few things to prepare for tomorrow. Tomorrow is going to be another long one; a full day at Alba Longa and a few hours tutoring in the afternoon. After that, though... three-day weekend! I'll post again soon, promise!
Last Monday and Tuesday I had orientation for CIEE in Sevilla. At first, I really didn't have any desire to go but I ended up enjoying the two days. First and foremost, I met a lot of great people at orientation and now know a handful of really nice people also teaching in Granada! I took the train from to Sevilla (a trip that only took three hours, not too bad at all) with two girls named Jillian and Lauren; both are from the States and are teaching in Granada. Upon arriving at the station, we only had about a 15 minute walk to reach the hotel where CIEE had purchased us all rooms. (I had written down directions from googlemaps which turned out to be a total waste of time seeing as we could hardly find "street signs" anywhere... lucky for us, however, there were "Hotel Hesperia this way!" signs every few streets that led us to our hotel and we found it no problem!) We got to the hotel a few hours before our orientation was set to start, so we headed up to our rooms to drop off our stuff before meeting back downstairs 15 minutes later. (We were starving and wanted to find a nearby cafe.) One of my roommates, a girl named Lindsay (from Longmeadow, MA... what a small world, right?!) was in the room and she came along with us to grab some food and walk around the city. We found a restaurant with outdoor seating a short walk away from the hotel and as we were eating our croquetas and arroz con verduras two guys stopped by our table and asked us if we were with CIEE, too. They joined us at our table and we learned that they were both assigned teaching placements in Córdoba. The six of us finished our food and then walked to a nearby park where we sat and chatted until returning to the hotel for 7:00pm. When we got back, I was so surprised at the actual number of Americans in the Teach in Spain: the Basics program... I think that there were around 110 of us in total! For some reason, I was expecting a smaller number, maybe around 60-70 or so... needless to say, we took up the whole lobby. We had a quick "welcome to orientation" session that lasted about an hour and then... free all-you-can-eat tapas and free all-you-can-drink wine and beer... awesome. While we were all eating and drinking, everyone was walking around and mingling among the others, trying to find people teaching in the same location. I met a few more people teaching in Granada and some others teaching in Sevilla, Córdoba, Málaga, Cádiz, etc. Everyone was on the same page; excited to be in Spain, a little unsure about how the teaching experience would go when we finally began work. Around 10:30pm, I went upstairs to get ready for bed. I was a little sick with a sore throat and cough and figured I should take my meds and try to get a good night's sleep.
The next morning, we had breakfast in the hotel before having a day-long orientation. They went over a lot of topics that I really didn't need to hear (about how to get a Spanish cell phone, about how to go about finding an apartment to rent, about setting up Internet, etc.). However, after lunch we went over applying for one's non-resident ID card, opening a Spanish bank account, teaching strategies for ESL, etc. That portion of the orientation was definitely important and I'm glad I was there to hear how to go about handling those things. At 4:00pm that afternoon, I headed back to the hotel to grab my things and await the shuttle that would take us to the train station for my 6:00pm train to Granada. I got into the city around 9:15pm and was back home at 10:00pm. I went home knowing a lot more people in Granada and having a lot more information about how to take care of all my paperwork that I need to do to work abroad... overall a good orientation experience in Sevilla.
On Wednesday, September 29th, there was a General Strike (Huelga General) throughout Spain "protesting" some of the country's current working/economic/social conditions and governmental policies. (Don't ask me details; here's a link with more information if you're curious about la Huelga General.) Public transportation was practically nonexistent for the day, many hotels and offices were only offering "minimal services" and a lot of businesses and stores were closed. I didn't really notice anything other than the lack of transportation and the cut business hours where I was in Granada and I didn't see any protests or marches or anything of the like. However, in bigger cities like Sevilla, Madrid and Barcelona there was a lot more upheaval with loud demonstrations, protestors, picketers, police forces, etc.
Thursday I really didn't do much but walk around the city as it was my last "free" day before starting work officially the next day on Friday, October 1st. I arrived in Armilla at 11:00am on Friday to meet with Lourdes again before meeting the students for the first time. I am teaching two groups of students, 1º de E.S.O. and 2º de E.S.O., which are the equivalents of 7th and 8th grade in the U.S. That first day, I met with the students for their English classes. We spoke a little bit about where I was from, my life back home, my family, etc. I love the kids! They're great! They're really energetic (and loud!), always telling me some little story or asking me some question. We speak an even mixture of Spanish and English... here's how it usually goes: the students will ask me something in Spanish and I'll pretend that I can't understand what they're saying. Then they'll attempt to ask me in English. I'll answer them in slow, simplified English and if they're still having trouble understanding, I'll explain it once more in Spanish. Already the student are asking me, "Teacher! Do you have Facebook?! Do you have Tuenti?!" (Tuenti is the Spanish Facebook)... Too funny. So, I've been teaching at the school the past few days and I love it :) I'll talk more about what I actually do in the classroom in a later post; as this is the first week, the teachers and I are still developing my actual role and duties in the classroom.
Last weekend was really fun! On Friday, Anais and I went out for tapas with Lindsay, Danielle and Lauren (a few of the American girls that I met at orientation). Jillian wasn't feeling well so she stayed home for the night. Lauren's boyfriend, Pablo, is from Granada so she brought him along, too. The next day Ana, Anais and I went to Padul to have coffee with Ana's mother, sister and brother-in-law. Later that same night, Lauren and Pablo had a "piso-warming party" (think Spanish apartment-warming party) and they invited us all to their apartment. After meeting some of their Spanish friends as well as a few more Americans, we went from the piso to botellón, which is basically a huge group of young people drinking outside for a few hours before heading over to the clubs around 3:00am-4:00am. Needless to say, Sunday I was completely dead and didn't do much more than rest and prepare for my first "full" day teaching at Alba Longa!
Piso-warming party! (I stole this picture from Lauren; I forgot my camera that night!)
So... I'm about to go tutor two Spanish girls in English and after that, I've got a few things to prepare for tomorrow. Tomorrow is going to be another long one; a full day at Alba Longa and a few hours tutoring in the afternoon. After that, though... three-day weekend! I'll post again soon, promise!
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