Well, almost.
We had a bout of snow like I said last post and since then has been a bit warmer with a THICK fog. I had been wearing light jackets for the last week since it hadn't been freezing, what is this, Texas? Looking at the weather forecast this week looks like it will once again be cold.
On Friday we had a Christmas Cookie party. It was pretty fun using different utensils to try and make shapes with cookies. We used cups, wooden chopsticks and even a pizza cutter to try and make different shapes. I made a gingerbread man and kept saying "Not my gumdrop buttons!" from Shrek. Virginia made an Asian man, and a Yoda, both interesting...
Mike bought some milk (but we also had some beer on hand) so it was a good combination. We were going to watch Rudolph but somehow ended up at our favorite bar - Tubos. They had great tapas that night! I love that place.
Saturday was pretty relaxed, finished up some Christmas shopping and went to Ciudad Real with Mike, Virginia, and Virginia's parents. It was a great opportunity to practice some Spanish. Virginia's Dad speaks very "La Mancha" meaning his voice is semi-throaty, if that makes sense. We had a few tapas and wine there (wine was DELICIOUS) and meandered through the streets of Ciudad Real. They have all of their Christmas lights up so it was very pretty and decorative. I was a little overwhelmed by all the people there which was a good thing since I only bought a purse and didn't have any energy to look for/try on clothes.
Sunday was very relaxed, I worked a bit on my knitting (picture of progress soon) and just relaxed.
This week I am giving a lot of Christmas lectures, showing videos of Christmas Lights and some pictures from ICE! I have gotten a positive response so far since they don't really decorate their houses in lights. Also funny to note: Santa climbs up through the window (in Texas Santa would be shot for doing that haha) so some people have decorations of Santas climbing through their windows, I'll have to find a decent picture of that because I think it is hilarious.
Until Next Time
Tori
Monday, December 13, 2010
Saturday, December 4, 2010
First Snow
We had our first snow yesterday. It was just a light dusting. Mike and I had to take a train to Ciudad Real for some official business. So the view of all the fields in snow was so pretty. That being said, I have never been so cold in my life. I must invest in a down jacket and a face mask that can cover my nose and mouth. This is why I live in Texas, it only gets this cold at night when I am indoors and can cover up with a blanket and sit by the heater and not move.
We have a small holiday this week for Constitution Day and some Catholic Holiday, so we are off until Thursday! I think I am going to Rudiera again to sit by the fire and knit (I am learning and my scarf is coming along. It isn't perfect, but that is okay!)
Next week I will be doing Christmas lectures, I need to choose what I will talk about because there is just SO much! I love Christmas!
I remember Christmas as 60-70 degrees and sunny outside (except two years ago when we had piles of snow and ice)
I'm sitting outside in the cold, so I am going to go now.
Until Next Time
Tori
We have a small holiday this week for Constitution Day and some Catholic Holiday, so we are off until Thursday! I think I am going to Rudiera again to sit by the fire and knit (I am learning and my scarf is coming along. It isn't perfect, but that is okay!)
Next week I will be doing Christmas lectures, I need to choose what I will talk about because there is just SO much! I love Christmas!
I remember Christmas as 60-70 degrees and sunny outside (except two years ago when we had piles of snow and ice)
I'm sitting outside in the cold, so I am going to go now.
Until Next Time
Tori
Monday, November 29, 2010
Tramposos
I had class solo today, many of the English teachers are still out.
I had a class with 1 Bach. which is the older kids (16 or 17). Apparently they had a test in history after my class, so most of them were studying. SOME of them were CHEATING by writing on their desks, or they had small sheets of paper with notes on them. I was FURIOUS. I hate liars, and especially cheaters.
Instead of playing a game in class, I gave a lecture on cheating (and again, how much I HATE it). I let them study for the period, which I thought was pretty nice. Some of them explained to me that cheating is normal in class (HA!), so I told them how dishonest it is, and how unfair it is to those who studied and didn't cheat. I was just appalled.
One boy had a HUGE paragraph of notes written, so I waited until the end of the period and licked my finger and erased them all. Probably a 'bitch' move, but I gave them a whole extra hour to STUDY. Honestly, it isn't that hard! He told me he always forgets things, well, shoot, I had that problem a few times on a test but I didn't cheat over it, I took the grade (unhappily), but that is life. He also told me that I have yoga with his mother and to not tell her (which made me laugh).
Oh the adventures of teaching...
I had a class with 1 Bach. which is the older kids (16 or 17). Apparently they had a test in history after my class, so most of them were studying. SOME of them were CHEATING by writing on their desks, or they had small sheets of paper with notes on them. I was FURIOUS. I hate liars, and especially cheaters.
Instead of playing a game in class, I gave a lecture on cheating (and again, how much I HATE it). I let them study for the period, which I thought was pretty nice. Some of them explained to me that cheating is normal in class (HA!), so I told them how dishonest it is, and how unfair it is to those who studied and didn't cheat. I was just appalled.
One boy had a HUGE paragraph of notes written, so I waited until the end of the period and licked my finger and erased them all. Probably a 'bitch' move, but I gave them a whole extra hour to STUDY. Honestly, it isn't that hard! He told me he always forgets things, well, shoot, I had that problem a few times on a test but I didn't cheat over it, I took the grade (unhappily), but that is life. He also told me that I have yoga with his mother and to not tell her (which made me laugh).
Oh the adventures of teaching...
Thanksgiving
Dia de Gracias here was a nice second to being home. The whole week last week and even today, I have to give a presentation on Thanksgiving, which really made my mouth water the whole time! I talked about the history of Thanksgiving, and about the Pilgrims and the Indians (which is hard to explain what a Native American is...some of them don't even understand slavery but that is another subject). I talked a lot about the food and how my Mom makes many desserts on this day. This year she made a Pumpkin Pie, Cheesecake, brownies and TWO Apple Pies (one of which my dog Bandit enjoyed). I went in to detail about how the sweet potatoes are made (with cinnamon and marshmallows), mentioned cranberry sauce, and in one class had to talk about how to stuff a turkey (without getting too graphic). I also talked about the football games (Oh how I miss football!) and the Thanksgiving Day Parade, I even showed a video of it. And the last thing I talked about was of course, Black Friday. Many of them were stunned that stores would open at 5am, and how people CAMP OUT to be the first in line. They thought I was crazy. Stores here open no earlier than 10am, close from 2-5, and open again 5 to 8:30, except Saturday, when stores only open from 10-2, or Sunday when literally the whole town shuts down and NOTHING in open (Okay, maybe the gas station is open on Sunday, but for limited hours...
Mike had to special order a turkey, since they do not have those on hand here. And, after surveying my class, not many people here have even HAD turkey before (aside from sandwich slices). He also made a homemade pumpkin pie, which turned out to be DELICIOUS. We had some mashed potatoes with a plethora of butter and garlic (yum). And an assortment of Spanish dishes brought by the Spanish attendees. It was a huge success, we even got to watch some of the Macy's parade since it was on 3pm our time. I haven't seen the parade in years given it comes on early in the morning usually, so it was nice to see it in the afternoon!
I was able to Skype with my family, and since my Grammy was in town, I even got to speak to her! It made me a lot less homesick.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Mike had to special order a turkey, since they do not have those on hand here. And, after surveying my class, not many people here have even HAD turkey before (aside from sandwich slices). He also made a homemade pumpkin pie, which turned out to be DELICIOUS. We had some mashed potatoes with a plethora of butter and garlic (yum). And an assortment of Spanish dishes brought by the Spanish attendees. It was a huge success, we even got to watch some of the Macy's parade since it was on 3pm our time. I haven't seen the parade in years given it comes on early in the morning usually, so it was nice to see it in the afternoon!
I was able to Skype with my family, and since my Grammy was in town, I even got to speak to her! It made me a lot less homesick.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Friday, November 26, 2010
Sintra
I. Love. Sintra.
I wish I had more time there. I could have spent a few days there even (people say it is just a day trip town). I went to Quinta da Regaleira which is this huge park in this pretty dense forest area. They had caves everywhere and tunnels. There is also this well that goes pretty far down:
I wish I had more time there. I could have spent a few days there even (people say it is just a day trip town). I went to Quinta da Regaleira which is this huge park in this pretty dense forest area. They had caves everywhere and tunnels. There is also this well that goes pretty far down:
You can go down it, and I went down a few levels then FREAKED out because I saw a huge spider web. Yeah, I am 23 and not above climbing down farther into a hole because of a huge spider. I also felt a water droplet hit my head and I RAN back up the stairs. I'm sure anyone watching me would have laughed. I spent some time walking up the steep cobblestone walkways. It was kind of calming and there were some great viewpoints to it. Same thing with the caves, I would "hear" and "feel" things so I would RUN out (possibly yelling some sort of obscenity.)
I was a little pressed for time, so I left the park sooner that I wanted, and headed to the next thing. I had to skip the Moor castle because I wanted to see the Pena Palace ( and I went to the castle in Lisboa). It is beautiful, and is painted a lot of colors.
I headed there to take some pictures, and go inside. I saved so much money with my Carnet Joven! I spent some time there and got lost in the Pena Park on my way out. I was a little freaked because there was NOTHING around, and NO ONE could be seen, I felt so alone. Lots of green, lots of trees, and no people. I looked at the map, which was NO use when you are surrounded by trees and no signs to tell you where to go. I knew I needed to go DOWN (because the climb up was a bitch) only cobblestone roads at an almost 90 degree angle. Almost to the point where if you didn't run you would tumble backwards.
I finally made it out of the woods (haha) and made my way to the bus to take me back to the bottom of the mountain.
I wanted to go to Cabo da Roca which is the farthest western point on the European continent. By the time I got there, it was pretty dark, but it was neat to just BE there. It was super windy and cold, but I managed a few pictures before the last bus came for the night. I made it back to Lisboa by 8pm (and boy was I TIRED). When I got back to the hostel I made some yummy pasta and watched a movie.
I would definitely go back to Sintra if I had more time and money at the end of the year. Portugal was amazing!
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
3 Hours on a Stairmaster
Saturday I wanted to go to the big market close to the Alfama district of Lisboa. I hopped on a tram (so convenient) and away I went. The plan was to go to the market, walk through the Alfama district (which is made up of windy little streets with great architecture), through the city viewpoints to the Cathedral. Then take a tram or bus up to the Castle on the top of the hill.
It started off alright, I went to the huge market, my mom would have loved all the crafty things they had, like Mainstreet Days on steroids. The weather was great, and I didn't even need a jacket. I reached the end of the market and found the street marked on the map so I headed that way, then nothing looked right and streets were not matching up, so I turned around. I was looking at the map while walking and of COURSE I step in dog poop (Europe just lets their dogs go where ever, even if it means in the middle of the sidewalk. VERY Unnerving.) I was so frustrated because the ONE time I'm not looking at the sidewalk and that happens. , I regressed and finally I stopped and asked for help. The Portuguese are some of the nicest people in the world. Always willing to help.
Unfortunately one person lead me to the river, which was the exact opposite of where I wanted to go. Thus, I walked about a million stairs through Alfama district up to the top of the hill to the castle It took me a good2 hours 45 minutes and I thought I was going to die. So many stairs and uphill cobblestone walkways to get to my destination. It was worth it, and I have some great pictures and I did have a great workout.
I got back to the hostel around 4 or 5 and I had to take a nap.
It started off alright, I went to the huge market, my mom would have loved all the crafty things they had, like Mainstreet Days on steroids. The weather was great, and I didn't even need a jacket. I reached the end of the market and found the street marked on the map so I headed that way, then nothing looked right and streets were not matching up, so I turned around. I was looking at the map while walking and of COURSE I step in dog poop (Europe just lets their dogs go where ever, even if it means in the middle of the sidewalk. VERY Unnerving.) I was so frustrated because the ONE time I'm not looking at the sidewalk and that happens. , I regressed and finally I stopped and asked for help. The Portuguese are some of the nicest people in the world. Always willing to help.
Unfortunately one person lead me to the river, which was the exact opposite of where I wanted to go. Thus, I walked about a million stairs through Alfama district up to the top of the hill to the castle It took me a good
I got back to the hostel around 4 or 5 and I had to take a nap.
No international Incident
Meaning, I didn´t hurt anyone with my karaoke skills (or lack there of). We had karaoke night here in the hostel. I was heavily persuaded to join, and after hearing some heavy Portuguese accents sing some classics, I decided I wouldn´t be so bad. I was saddened to see that Don´t Stop Believing by Journey was not on the list so I did the next best thing: Livin on a Prayer by Bon Jovi. hahah - don´t you wish you were there for that? I ended up contributing a lot. Song selections included Backstreet Boys, Queen, Men at Work, Ace of Base and of course some Celine Dion. There was an Australian that did a solo to Aerosmith, Don´t wanna miss a thing. It was hiliarious, he even did all the high notes. It was actually pretty fun, and the Alcohol provided helped.
Friday, November 19, 2010
Portugal
Hello from Portugal!
I am taking a break from walking all over the city. I am not used to the one hour time difference and I am starving. I´m going to have to make dinner pretty soon. I am hungry! My hostel is awesome. Everything feels safe and the staff is super helpful. I have many questions, and they helped me plan my weekend! It is a bit difficult because the NATO talks are going on right now so the city has a bit of chaos to it.
I have seen numerous protests against NATO, last night there was a huge parade of protesters chanting. The police are everywhere. No shenanigans here. You never know when things will be blocked off, which can be unfortunate. Today I was surprised when I was leaving Belem, they were setting up a ton of guardrails, and police were out in full force. That and it took the trolley about an hour instead of a scheduled 20 minutes...which was fun.
Today it rained. Which put a cloud over some of my plans. I had a wonderful breakfast cooked FOR ME. So I had some great scrambled eggs and toast. Tomorrow I think I will try the pancrepes with nutella. So good.
I went to Belem and saw the great big Monastery. Took the scenic walk around it, which ended up not being so scenic but I got some exercise. I then went to the contemporary art museum which was perfect timing due to a downfall of rain. They had some really neat things and some artists I recognized, which was nice. They also had some weird house exhibit. Hard to explain but it was set up pretty neat, it was kind of like a maze. Unfortunately the Warhol exhibit wasn´t quite set up yet, it looked like it would have been neat.
It was still pouring rain after I left the museum so I went to Pasteis de Belem, a famous bakery in Belem. There was a huge line out the door when I got there, so I decided to get a table and just have a waiter come to me, saved time and my patience! I ordered two of the famous custard tarts and a cappuccino. I added some powdered sugar and cinnamon to the tarts and they were to DIE for. SO good, and warm. I could have eaten 20 in one sitting. I was in heaven - no other way to describe it, guess everyone is going to have to come to Lisboa and try one...just saying.
After the rain let up I walked to the Disoveries Monument on the Tagus River. I took many pictures, sometimes I miss having a travel buddy - taking pictures of myself trying to get whatever in the background can be a challenge. I walked along the river for a while (VERY windy) and made it to the Belem Tower which was built to fortify the city. I took many pictures and walked all the way up it (by the time I got to the top I was quite dizzy. All spiral staircase!) It was neat reading about all the history since I feel like the only things about Portugal I know are based on their relations with Spain since I know a lot of Spanish history.
I did a lot of walking today. I got off the tram a bit early so that I could just walk back to my hostel. Lots of wind and rain today - hopefully tomorrow is better. I saw two FULL rainbows (no gold), but it was a huge fat rainbow and I could make out all the colors, which made me feel recharged a bit.
There is Karaoke tonight, but I don´t know if I want to subject anyone to my singing. I may check it out...I don´t want to cause an international incident.
Until next time,
Tori
XOXO
I am taking a break from walking all over the city. I am not used to the one hour time difference and I am starving. I´m going to have to make dinner pretty soon. I am hungry! My hostel is awesome. Everything feels safe and the staff is super helpful. I have many questions, and they helped me plan my weekend! It is a bit difficult because the NATO talks are going on right now so the city has a bit of chaos to it.
I have seen numerous protests against NATO, last night there was a huge parade of protesters chanting. The police are everywhere. No shenanigans here. You never know when things will be blocked off, which can be unfortunate. Today I was surprised when I was leaving Belem, they were setting up a ton of guardrails, and police were out in full force. That and it took the trolley about an hour instead of a scheduled 20 minutes...which was fun.
Today it rained. Which put a cloud over some of my plans. I had a wonderful breakfast cooked FOR ME. So I had some great scrambled eggs and toast. Tomorrow I think I will try the pancrepes with nutella. So good.
I went to Belem and saw the great big Monastery. Took the scenic walk around it, which ended up not being so scenic but I got some exercise. I then went to the contemporary art museum which was perfect timing due to a downfall of rain. They had some really neat things and some artists I recognized, which was nice. They also had some weird house exhibit. Hard to explain but it was set up pretty neat, it was kind of like a maze. Unfortunately the Warhol exhibit wasn´t quite set up yet, it looked like it would have been neat.
It was still pouring rain after I left the museum so I went to Pasteis de Belem, a famous bakery in Belem. There was a huge line out the door when I got there, so I decided to get a table and just have a waiter come to me, saved time and my patience! I ordered two of the famous custard tarts and a cappuccino. I added some powdered sugar and cinnamon to the tarts and they were to DIE for. SO good, and warm. I could have eaten 20 in one sitting. I was in heaven - no other way to describe it, guess everyone is going to have to come to Lisboa and try one...just saying.
After the rain let up I walked to the Disoveries Monument on the Tagus River. I took many pictures, sometimes I miss having a travel buddy - taking pictures of myself trying to get whatever in the background can be a challenge. I walked along the river for a while (VERY windy) and made it to the Belem Tower which was built to fortify the city. I took many pictures and walked all the way up it (by the time I got to the top I was quite dizzy. All spiral staircase!) It was neat reading about all the history since I feel like the only things about Portugal I know are based on their relations with Spain since I know a lot of Spanish history.
I did a lot of walking today. I got off the tram a bit early so that I could just walk back to my hostel. Lots of wind and rain today - hopefully tomorrow is better. I saw two FULL rainbows (no gold), but it was a huge fat rainbow and I could make out all the colors, which made me feel recharged a bit.
There is Karaoke tonight, but I don´t know if I want to subject anyone to my singing. I may check it out...I don´t want to cause an international incident.
Until next time,
Tori
XOXO
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Odds and Ends
I haven't updated in a while, things sometimes move slow here in Manzanares, just ask Michael Feighner (he has such an uncanny way of describing it).
I've learned a few things from my students lately. I always think I know EXACTLY what they are going to say when I ask an opinion, but I am always surprised when their opinion is something different - something I hadn't thought of. For example, when I was talking to a class about when stores here open vs. when the ones in the USA open - I asked their opinion about the "ciesta" time they take and what they thought other Countries thought of it. In my head I had "lazy", and when a girl said "jealous", I was thrown off my guard! I had never thought of it that way!
Then, the other day, we were playing a game where they draw out an english word and have to describe it and the other students guess what it is. It is a mix of countries, colors, body parts, etc. The color Red came up and the girl started describing the internet. It is called "red" here, or network. I looked at her a bit puzzled and whispered that it was a color. Another group quickly knew what it was because of the internet clue. haha.
The other night Mike made a pizza. I jokingly asked if he was going to put anything weird on it (I was not too fond of the carrot/avocado mix he tried one time), and he joked back saying he was going to put an egg on it...Next night, we went to an Italian place. The man across from me ordered some sort of pizza...WITH A FRIED EGG ON IT. I about lost my drink from laughing so hard. Has anyone else SEEN anything like that? Another note about that place: we were at a bar with some friends and they said "let's go to Casa de Maria!" I assumed it was someone named Maria's house...when in fact that was the name of the restaurant we were going to. I kept asking who Maria was, and everyone looked at my strange and laughed...
I think my Spanish is improving a bit. I have been thinking in phrases and not just words. Mike suggested a cutoff date for English in the apartment, I'd have to concur. Speaking English is becoming a bad habit. It is nice though to have someone if I can't think of what exactly to say in Spanish help me out a bit. Bea and Mike are really patient with me when I am speaking Spanish, sometimes conjugations can be a bitch. I did have Mike go with me to the Bank this morning to help me figure out my credit card. I think with Money I don't want to mess around. I'd rather have someone who knows more help me with that.
Mike proposed a game night on Thursday nights, I'm really looking forward to something like that as it will help my Spanish pop culture. I think I learn best by going out with people and being surrounded by it all. The other night I was trying to say something to Virginia and needed some help...Mike was about to help me and Virginia made me do it on my own - WHICH I DID! I just sometimes need some encouragement.
I leave for Portugal on Thursday. Of course I have to stay in a hostel in Madrid the night before in order to make my flight on time. What a freaking hassle. I miss Barca and the 30 minute train ride it took to get to the airport...Here it is a 2 hour train ride and almost an hour metro ride to the airport. Better to be safe than sorry!
Until next time:
Tori
XOXO
I've learned a few things from my students lately. I always think I know EXACTLY what they are going to say when I ask an opinion, but I am always surprised when their opinion is something different - something I hadn't thought of. For example, when I was talking to a class about when stores here open vs. when the ones in the USA open - I asked their opinion about the "ciesta" time they take and what they thought other Countries thought of it. In my head I had "lazy", and when a girl said "jealous", I was thrown off my guard! I had never thought of it that way!
Then, the other day, we were playing a game where they draw out an english word and have to describe it and the other students guess what it is. It is a mix of countries, colors, body parts, etc. The color Red came up and the girl started describing the internet. It is called "red" here, or network. I looked at her a bit puzzled and whispered that it was a color. Another group quickly knew what it was because of the internet clue. haha.
The other night Mike made a pizza. I jokingly asked if he was going to put anything weird on it (I was not too fond of the carrot/avocado mix he tried one time), and he joked back saying he was going to put an egg on it...Next night, we went to an Italian place. The man across from me ordered some sort of pizza...WITH A FRIED EGG ON IT. I about lost my drink from laughing so hard. Has anyone else SEEN anything like that? Another note about that place: we were at a bar with some friends and they said "let's go to Casa de Maria!" I assumed it was someone named Maria's house...when in fact that was the name of the restaurant we were going to. I kept asking who Maria was, and everyone looked at my strange and laughed...
I think my Spanish is improving a bit. I have been thinking in phrases and not just words. Mike suggested a cutoff date for English in the apartment, I'd have to concur. Speaking English is becoming a bad habit. It is nice though to have someone if I can't think of what exactly to say in Spanish help me out a bit. Bea and Mike are really patient with me when I am speaking Spanish, sometimes conjugations can be a bitch. I did have Mike go with me to the Bank this morning to help me figure out my credit card. I think with Money I don't want to mess around. I'd rather have someone who knows more help me with that.
Mike proposed a game night on Thursday nights, I'm really looking forward to something like that as it will help my Spanish pop culture. I think I learn best by going out with people and being surrounded by it all. The other night I was trying to say something to Virginia and needed some help...Mike was about to help me and Virginia made me do it on my own - WHICH I DID! I just sometimes need some encouragement.
I leave for Portugal on Thursday. Of course I have to stay in a hostel in Madrid the night before in order to make my flight on time. What a freaking hassle. I miss Barca and the 30 minute train ride it took to get to the airport...Here it is a 2 hour train ride and almost an hour metro ride to the airport. Better to be safe than sorry!
Until next time:
Tori
XOXO
Friday, November 5, 2010
Cordoba
Yesterday I was able to go on the Religion trip to Cordoba. I. Love. Cordoba. I went when I was studying in Barcelona - it was ridiculously cold then. Yesterday, the only way to describe the weather: perfect. In Cordoba, the Jewish, Christians, and
Muslims live together in peace – how crazy is that?! It is just a city of peace and it is gorgeous. I could see myself living there.
I don't know if I have ever really
expressed just how much I love La Mezquita. It is such a symbol of
peace. I love the musulmana (muslim) architecture. The double arches,
the red and yellow colors, and of course the history of it all. When
Cordoba was conquered by the Christians, it was turned into a
cathedral. It is really interesting because it is this great hall of
arches and wooden planks at the ceiling and then BAM! Cathedral. It
has all the likings with a Gothic style, large arches, huge columns
instead of the muslim style of the skinny arches that get wider and
form a shape at the top. It is all white, leaving the heavily
decorated arches behind. There is a pulpit and two huge organs, and
of course a TON of gold. The outer structure looks mainly musulmana
style, and later the tower was built from the Christian era. The
courtyard has three distinct fountains and it has the aroma of sweet
citrus, mainly because it is filled with orange trees. It is one of
my favorite places.
Later we went
to the Synagogue there. There was a rabbi there doing sacraments. He
had a mini torah on his head, a prayer shawl, and then he did
something that cut off his circulation in his arm (I'll have to do
some research on this since I am curious about the ritual, and what
exactly he was doing and what it symbolizes).
Then on the tour we went to the Calle
De Flores. It is a beautiful part of the city. They hang these
beautiful red flowers from the white washed walls. From there, you
can see the tower of La Mezquita (pictured right). It smells
beautiful there, very peaceful.
After that it was lunch time. All of
the students split off and I went with the other professors for
lunch. It was nice not to eat at Burger King – we had an authentic
Cordoban lunch. We had the menu of the day, so it was several
courses. We started off with some wine and cheese. Then Salmorejo.
Which is a thick dip. It consists of tomato, lots of garlic, ham and
eggs. Tasted better than it sounds...haha. Then I had a mix of ham,
mushrooms and eggs with rabo de toro sauce (Rabo de toro is the bull
tail, and it is very typical of Cordoba). Again, tasted better than
it sounds! Then we had a thick chocolate mousse dessert, I could only
eat half. I also had a beer with lunch so I was so FULL! Arrta. That
is the word for full, make sure you roll that RR! Then of course cafe
to refuel for the rest of the day.
After taking 2 and half hours for lunch
we went on a leisurely walk through the city. Went to the square, I
feel like I was there with my trio from Barcelona there taking
multiple pics at the fountain.
Lastly, we went to the Alcazar, or the
Palace of the Kings. There were many steps to climb up and down, I
don't know how I didn't trip! We took many pictures and had a great
time there. There are huge fountains and ponds, slowly in my head I
said “Don't fall in the water”, luckily no one did. But it did
make me think of a story about my Grandma Zosia repeatedly saying
“don't fall in the water”, and then she fell in the water. I made
sure not to get to close, as I was sure I would have fallen in the
water.
Many of the students wanted a picture
with me, I always feel so loved by them, and I do love them. Many of
them asked me questions, made sure I liked everything, asked me my
favorite part. They can understand my sometimes broken Spanish, and I
can understand their sometimes broken English. It is a beautiful
thing.
Until Next Time,
XOXO
Tori
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Official
I'm starting to feel official here.
I opened up a bank account today (with a LOT of work and help from Mike). It was a process, they said no, again. Then Mike helped and they let me open one. I only needed 5 sources of ID, and my Mother's cousin's brother in-laws name. Okay, so that was sarcasm, but it took a long time and they did say No at first. Mike knows how to work the system.
Then we went to the plaza for me to register. I am officially registered in the city of Manzanares. That let's me go do other things, like save money because I am under 25. Woo.
I get paid for the first month on Wednesday.
I have to pay rent by Friday.
Need to keep tabs on my spending. It is harder than you think when you go to the grocery store pretty much everyday. I love fresh bread, what can I say?
So far no one has signed up for classes with me this week, I'm sure Thursday/Friday I will have a full day, so tomorrow I will come in around 9:30 to see what's up.
Time change has me messed up. Last year in Barca, we didn't "spring forward" for another week after the US, but apparently we all "fall back" at the same time. So I woke up extra early on accident this morning. Now I have no idea what time it is in Texas and I don't want to text my parents at 5am instead of 6am. Who knows if my computer automatically changed or not. I am so thrown off!
I opened up a bank account today (with a LOT of work and help from Mike). It was a process, they said no, again. Then Mike helped and they let me open one. I only needed 5 sources of ID, and my Mother's cousin's brother in-laws name. Okay, so that was sarcasm, but it took a long time and they did say No at first. Mike knows how to work the system.
Then we went to the plaza for me to register. I am officially registered in the city of Manzanares. That let's me go do other things, like save money because I am under 25. Woo.
I get paid for the first month on Wednesday.
I have to pay rent by Friday.
Need to keep tabs on my spending. It is harder than you think when you go to the grocery store pretty much everyday. I love fresh bread, what can I say?
So far no one has signed up for classes with me this week, I'm sure Thursday/Friday I will have a full day, so tomorrow I will come in around 9:30 to see what's up.
Time change has me messed up. Last year in Barca, we didn't "spring forward" for another week after the US, but apparently we all "fall back" at the same time. So I woke up extra early on accident this morning. Now I have no idea what time it is in Texas and I don't want to text my parents at 5am instead of 6am. Who knows if my computer automatically changed or not. I am so thrown off!
Monday, November 1, 2010
All Saints Day
Halloween here was rather uneventful. Mike, Bea and I watched some Castilla-La Mancha short films. Some had a scary element. I re-watched some today with English subtitles, changed some of those movies completely for me since some of them I didn't always understand the translation!
Thursday, October 28, 2010
First Aid
I woke up late this morning, I don't think I set the alarm correctly. Luckily Vivi was giving me a ride to school and her house is about a 3-5 minute walk. I had to meet her at 8:25am (it was 8:05 when I woke up). I rushed to get ready, running around like a chicken with my head cut off. Why is it that silly things happen when you are in a hurry to slow you down? Is that Murphy's law? I don't remember. Anyways, I was grabbing something out of my make-up bag and I ended up finding a razor and slicing the tip of my thumb in two places. (1. Why was a razor in my make-up bag? 2. Why wasn't a cover on it?) So I asked Karlyn for a band-aid (she is Ms. First Aid in our piso), so I put it on still gushing blood since I was in a hurry. After my first class, it was apparent that that wasn't going to suffice me the whole day, so I asked the secretary for a band aid...this is what I got:
It looks so much worse than it really is! It was quite interesting, he put on surgical gloves and everything! So, I have to leave this sucker on for 3 days before I take it off.
Interesting way to start the day.
Tori
It looks so much worse than it really is! It was quite interesting, he put on surgical gloves and everything! So, I have to leave this sucker on for 3 days before I take it off.
Interesting way to start the day.
Tori
Monday, October 25, 2010
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Cheers
"Where [almost] everybody knows your name..."
That pretty much has summed up life here in Manzanares so far. I'll be walking and I hear my name being yelled all the time. I have about 600 students, so I am bound to see a couple everyday! I'm still not used to seeing my students in a bar. Something weird about drinking and seeing high school kids that you have a professional relationship with...
Last night I stayed out until 5:15 with Mike and Virginia. We went to a tapas bar for a few drinks, then went to another place, Monsturo (I'll need to check the spelling on that), but it translates to Monster. It is a place where they have concerts and it is a hang out place. I saw all of the punk rock life congregate last night. It was pretty fun, we just stayed for a drink and left. When they sing rock in Spanish is sounds a lot like British punk, it reminded me of some shows I went to years ago. It reminded me of this video of "hard core dancing" and how one of my friends just got a good laugh out of it all. Then we went to another bar called Deja Vu - it was pretty neat, they played a lot of older American Rock, then yet to another bar called Shaman which played a lot of metal. It has permanent Halloween decorations there, and proved to be a great place to people watch. We finally ended up at the one and only disco in Manzanares. It was pretty busy there (note it was almost 4am when we got there) We met some of Virginia's friends and found a place on the dance floor. They played a lot of Spanish music (including Flamenco) and towards the end they played a lot of American hip hop hits. Some Lady Gaga, some Katy Perry, some Ke$ha, which I had a lot of fun with. It was interesting, many people on the dance floor weren't dancing...As people started to thin out...some of my students came up to me and said hello. Little awkward for me because I was probably dancing like a fool and it was 5am! It was tempting to ask them why they were up past their bedtime...haha. We left around 5:15, and as I was leaving one of my students kept asking me why I was leaving already! Needless to say, I accidentally slept in until 1pm today, so I feel a bit lazy today (I did get some laundry done and I did cook my own lunch if that counts as accomplishments of the day)
I think my Spanish is improving. Going out with people from Spain is very helpful (and I am glad I have Mike to help me with some words) Last night I also went on a historical tour of Manzanares. I didn't understand a lot of it, but I hope to go on another one and maybe keep practicing. It is a lot of new vocabulary and all. So I think it was beneficial, nice to know a lot about the city. It was founded in the 8th century!
That pretty much has summed up life here in Manzanares so far. I'll be walking and I hear my name being yelled all the time. I have about 600 students, so I am bound to see a couple everyday! I'm still not used to seeing my students in a bar. Something weird about drinking and seeing high school kids that you have a professional relationship with...
Last night I stayed out until 5:15 with Mike and Virginia. We went to a tapas bar for a few drinks, then went to another place, Monsturo (I'll need to check the spelling on that), but it translates to Monster. It is a place where they have concerts and it is a hang out place. I saw all of the punk rock life congregate last night. It was pretty fun, we just stayed for a drink and left. When they sing rock in Spanish is sounds a lot like British punk, it reminded me of some shows I went to years ago. It reminded me of this video of "hard core dancing" and how one of my friends just got a good laugh out of it all. Then we went to another bar called Deja Vu - it was pretty neat, they played a lot of older American Rock, then yet to another bar called Shaman which played a lot of metal. It has permanent Halloween decorations there, and proved to be a great place to people watch. We finally ended up at the one and only disco in Manzanares. It was pretty busy there (note it was almost 4am when we got there) We met some of Virginia's friends and found a place on the dance floor. They played a lot of Spanish music (including Flamenco) and towards the end they played a lot of American hip hop hits. Some Lady Gaga, some Katy Perry, some Ke$ha, which I had a lot of fun with. It was interesting, many people on the dance floor weren't dancing...As people started to thin out...some of my students came up to me and said hello. Little awkward for me because I was probably dancing like a fool and it was 5am! It was tempting to ask them why they were up past their bedtime...haha. We left around 5:15, and as I was leaving one of my students kept asking me why I was leaving already! Needless to say, I accidentally slept in until 1pm today, so I feel a bit lazy today (I did get some laundry done and I did cook my own lunch if that counts as accomplishments of the day)
I think my Spanish is improving. Going out with people from Spain is very helpful (and I am glad I have Mike to help me with some words) Last night I also went on a historical tour of Manzanares. I didn't understand a lot of it, but I hope to go on another one and maybe keep practicing. It is a lot of new vocabulary and all. So I think it was beneficial, nice to know a lot about the city. It was founded in the 8th century!
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Pavos Reales
I've been super busy this last week. I've had lots of classes this week. I'm almost done giving my presentation about myself and am moving on to other lessons in class. Last week I had a class where I had the students interview each other about hobbies, what they don't like, and their favorite food -then they had to present the person to the class. It worked out pretty well and the teacher said I did a good job. Then at the end of the week I had class with the older more advanced students, so I had to pick a social issue that was a bit controversial. So I picked gay rights - which I thought would be totally controversial since I know it is a big topic in the U.S. However, it was not as controversial as I thought it would be - gays can get married here and a lot of the younger generation doesn't care - you can marry whomever you want. I presented things about Don't Ask Don't Tell policy in the US military, I talked about marriage benefits, I talked about privatized insurance vs. public. So I asked their opinions on it all - which is difficult to do when trying to say it in English for them. At the end I had them in groups of 3 or 4 to talk about their opinion on gay adoption. Many said it was okay, one group did point out that if a baby has two dads, it can't breastfeed. I laughed, I had NEVER heard anything like that before, but it was an interesting thought to say the least!
On Thursday, we had the Teacher luncheon. One of the teachers from last year came and made a HUGE thing of migas. I. LOVE. Migas. It is like stuffing kind of, and it has ham, chorizo, and grapes in it. It is delicious. As appetizers we had olives, ham, chips with mussels (didn't eat any of those), bread with tomato and tuna (didn't eat that either), and prawns - which I ate one that was already peeled. I can't stand the thought of tearing somethings head off and then eating it. I had one and they wanted me to try it with this white dip - which turned out to just be mayo. (Side note: my parents and I have a joke about me and mayo - I once thought that rice and mayo would be a good combination, I was mistaken. So we like to joke about that, so prawns and mayo was especially funny for me.) It was nice to mingle with all of the professors and work on my Spanish. Everyone has been so nice to me, and Vivi said everyone is impressed and thinks I am really kind. Good to have some feedback :)I've been suckered into more private lessons. My ability to say no to things is really a hindrance on my schedule. I have added 3 lessons on top of already having 7, so now I have 10. One is with a 3 year old. He reminds me of my brother when he was younger. Blond curly hair and one of the most adorable kids I've ever seen. We will probably play games and learn colors - he was very nice and isn't scared of me. One more girl wants lessons but I don't know where to fit her in. I have at least one lesson a day, usually two a day. Friday seems to be the day when everyone wants lessons, I have 4 lessons back to back on Friday. I get so drained on Fridays! Usually a full day of class, then 4 hours of lessons, then going out with friends. For the most part I enjoy staying busy in small town.
On another note, the 2 year old I'm working with is starting to not be afraid of me, he even shared his bag of chips with me. He still tells his mother 'no' when she asks him to say hello to me, but it will be a work in progress (besides isn't every 2 year old's favorite word 'no'??)
On Thursday, we had the Teacher luncheon. One of the teachers from last year came and made a HUGE thing of migas. I. LOVE. Migas. It is like stuffing kind of, and it has ham, chorizo, and grapes in it. It is delicious. As appetizers we had olives, ham, chips with mussels (didn't eat any of those), bread with tomato and tuna (didn't eat that either), and prawns - which I ate one that was already peeled. I can't stand the thought of tearing somethings head off and then eating it. I had one and they wanted me to try it with this white dip - which turned out to just be mayo. (Side note: my parents and I have a joke about me and mayo - I once thought that rice and mayo would be a good combination, I was mistaken. So we like to joke about that, so prawns and mayo was especially funny for me.) It was nice to mingle with all of the professors and work on my Spanish. Everyone has been so nice to me, and Vivi said everyone is impressed and thinks I am really kind. Good to have some feedback :)I've been suckered into more private lessons. My ability to say no to things is really a hindrance on my schedule. I have added 3 lessons on top of already having 7, so now I have 10. One is with a 3 year old. He reminds me of my brother when he was younger. Blond curly hair and one of the most adorable kids I've ever seen. We will probably play games and learn colors - he was very nice and isn't scared of me. One more girl wants lessons but I don't know where to fit her in. I have at least one lesson a day, usually two a day. Friday seems to be the day when everyone wants lessons, I have 4 lessons back to back on Friday. I get so drained on Fridays! Usually a full day of class, then 4 hours of lessons, then going out with friends. For the most part I enjoy staying busy in small town.
On another note, the 2 year old I'm working with is starting to not be afraid of me, he even shared his bag of chips with me. He still tells his mother 'no' when she asks him to say hello to me, but it will be a work in progress (besides isn't every 2 year old's favorite word 'no'??)
Monday, October 11, 2010
Feliz Cumple
I had a great birthday weekend- even with all the rain! Friday Mike made a homemade pizza, and Virginia came over and we had a delicious dinner with all the roommates, it was relaxing and super fun! Virginia is a psychology major so we played a game that started with us thinking about a cube in the desert, then went on as we created a story of our own - then she analyzed it and translated what everything meant...I don't remember it all, but it was amusing for everyone. Saturday, before I got out of bed, I thought about what my birthday at home would have been like. My dad would have made homemade blueberry pancakes and scrambled eggs (farm fresh eggs of course), and bacon, along with coffee. In my mind it was super delicious. I got out of bed and made some sauteed veggies mixed with a scrambled egg and instant coffee with orange juice, still a pretty good breakfast - even if it wasn't Dad's blueberry pancakes.
It was a slow moving morning. Bea made cous-cous (spelling?) along with my suicidal eggs that jumped out of the fridge and broke. Karlyn and I went to the grocery store to get some stuff for bocadillos (she picked up more veggies while I went for more sandwich meat). I saw some of my students in the store and they said "Happy Birthday" to me. It was one of the warmest feelings ever. They remembered and even took time to say that to me. I can't really put in to words the emotion I felt and how overcome with joy they stopped to say that. We got back and made sandwiches and got ready to head to Ruidera. It is about an hour away. Bea's father has a house there, so we took a scenic drive and got out to take a lot of pictures:
It was a really relaxing day. We had a fire and ate lunch together, and then even took a nap! We all went on a mini hike too. Rosemary grows everywhere there, so it smelled really pretty and we picked some to take back with us. We all had churros con chocolate in place of a birthday cake. (I missed having my Mom's red velvet cake for my birthday though, so this was a great substitute!)
Sunday was filled with doing laundry, cleaning, and watching movies and the Big Bang Theory. I was able to talk to my parents on Skype (the internet is out thanks to ChocolateMonster, my dog, for chewing the cable), so it was nice to hear from them and fill them in on life here.
I am happy here. Everything is going so well and I am enjoying every day. I am working on a lesson for Thursday and Friday creating somesort of debate. I need to find some articles to present, the topics can be: animal rights; the environment; war & terrorism; developing world; fashion; television & cinema; etc. So I need to get some research done and see what I can use. I have a holiday tomorrow, so hopefully I can find a place and get it done.
It was a slow moving morning. Bea made cous-cous (spelling?) along with my suicidal eggs that jumped out of the fridge and broke. Karlyn and I went to the grocery store to get some stuff for bocadillos (she picked up more veggies while I went for more sandwich meat). I saw some of my students in the store and they said "Happy Birthday" to me. It was one of the warmest feelings ever. They remembered and even took time to say that to me. I can't really put in to words the emotion I felt and how overcome with joy they stopped to say that. We got back and made sandwiches and got ready to head to Ruidera. It is about an hour away. Bea's father has a house there, so we took a scenic drive and got out to take a lot of pictures:
It was a really relaxing day. We had a fire and ate lunch together, and then even took a nap! We all went on a mini hike too. Rosemary grows everywhere there, so it smelled really pretty and we picked some to take back with us. We all had churros con chocolate in place of a birthday cake. (I missed having my Mom's red velvet cake for my birthday though, so this was a great substitute!)
Sunday was filled with doing laundry, cleaning, and watching movies and the Big Bang Theory. I was able to talk to my parents on Skype (the internet is out thanks to ChocolateMonster, my dog, for chewing the cable), so it was nice to hear from them and fill them in on life here.
I am happy here. Everything is going so well and I am enjoying every day. I am working on a lesson for Thursday and Friday creating somesort of debate. I need to find some articles to present, the topics can be: animal rights; the environment; war & terrorism; developing world; fashion; television & cinema; etc. So I need to get some research done and see what I can use. I have a holiday tomorrow, so hopefully I can find a place and get it done.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Relax
Monday, October 4, 2010
First Weekend in Manza
It has been awhile since I lack internet at the moment. Manzanares is supposed to have city-wide internet in November - which will be provided by the government (that may say something about the quality, we shall see). The last couple of days have been a blur.
I WAS able to get my bank card back pretty easily, it was just a pain, and I was worried until I had the card in my hand again. I tried the atm again and everything worked out fine, so minor glitch, and I will know what to do next time...I have to choose a bank here for my paychecks here to be deposited in. Caja Madrid is right below my apartment building and is SUPER close - then again everything here is 'close'. I'm also thinking BBVA since I know there is one in Texas, maybe I can access my funds there when I leave here, also Santander has a pretty good presence in Europe...all of that will need to get done after I get my Alien card...apparently it is a scavenger hunt. I know I need to go to Ciudad Real, but apparently there are numerous buildings one has to go to in order to obtain such a card...and then a few days later you have to make the venture back to pick up the card. Sounds like an adventure. I've been feeling pretty awful, I'm thinking allergies or a cold (hopefully the kind that doesn't turn into strep throat), so I've been taking vitamins, resting, getting plenty of water and still, nothing seems to help. Most people here know a doctor or have a relative that is a doctor - Vivi said she would take me to see a doctor if I got worse. I don't have my insurance yet (gotta have that Alien card!) - but here they still treat sick people for pretty cheap, so I am not too worried about it. I'd rather not get worse though :)
I tried to stay relaxed this weekend since I need the rest, but of course couldn't resist going out at least ONE weekend night! I had my first set of private lessons - I ALWAYS forget the Spanish word for that, and have Mike remind me, I should make a flash card for it . The first group was of 3 girls at the age of 11. No one here tells you what they expect you to do. So basically I tested out what their skill level was, going over some basics. Then I had them tell me their names, ages, and what they like to do. Handball came up, so I had them explain that to me which was a trip! I would love to see this game played, Manzanares has its own HANDBALL team! Then we talked about where they had been and where their favorite vacation places were. I would stop them occasionally and go over some vocabulary. It was pretty fun and I picked up some vocabulary as well. The next hour I worked with 2 girls that are 8 years old. They have a ton of energy, so it was hard to keep them focused at first. We talked about their names, and music they like...I was losing them pretty quick, so I gave them a word-search I made and went over some vocabulary. I'm going to look for songs to sing next week, and I know I will show them Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer when it gets close to Christmas.
The piso is great! The view is so beautiful! I'll have to post pictures soon! I had been at lessons until about 9:30 at night and was pretty worn out. When I got back to the piso (apartment), Karlyn was already asleep (she was experiencing jet-lag), and Mike was ready to go out for canas (smaller sized beers). Clearly the choice was to go out! I love that tapas come with your drink, and every drink you get, you get a new tapa, always something different to try. Everyone should come here for that at least! We met up with Chapi - Mike's old roommate. Then we moved to another bar called Sapi to meet up with more people. Going out is a GREAT way to practice my Spanish - why not do it with a beer and tapa? Sapi has these HUGE tapa platters. I need to get a picture sometime. It comes with fried eggs, chicken, pork and bread - and it is delicious. We left around 2 I think? Everyone else went to the park to keep the fiesta going, but I compromised with my body and went to sleep.
Saturday was so lazy! Partly because I didn't feel well. I don't know if I even did anything productive, I might have just watched some Big Bang theory. I cooked some pasta and that was pretty much my day. I decided not to go out Saturday because of how bad I felt. I maybe watched a movie - nothing too thrilling.
Sunday I still didn't do anything :) a lot of places are closed on Sunday here - even the grocery store! I watched Fantastic Mr. Fox, and then the Book of Eli with Karlyn. We went out to watch the futbol games at a disco, so I treated myself to ONE beer. We got back a little late, so Bea made an omlette for everyone and we just hung out until we were all tired.
**Side note**, the whole day our kitchen smelled like gas, so we kept turning the gas off as soon as we were done using it. It controls the hot water, stove, etc.
So Karlyn took a shower - so she turned the gas on. I was about to go to sleep, and had to go into the kitchen to get some more water. I noticed some blue and orange light coming from the water heater in the kitchen...I pondered a moment, and then realized it was FIRE. My fight/flight didn't necessarily kick in, and I froze. I didn't even yell "fire" my immediate response was to go wake up Mike so he could figure it out. I'm just glad our floor didn't explode! The landlord had someone fix it today, but it was definitely an experience!! After no one was injured, it is just an interesting story!Today we had orientation in Ciudad Real. I don't know if I got anything out of it. I still don't feel well. Maybe I got about 1/3 of what they were saying. I wrote down some words I didn't know so that I can look them up, and I got some ideas for doing private lessons with young kids. Again, still confused about the Alien card.
So, I turn 23 on Saturday. I feel old. However, this is the first time I get to be the 'baby', because all of my flat mates are older than me! I think Saturday I am sharing a fiesta with another girl I met, Virginia will be 25, so another reason to feel young! I am glad I have made enough friends to make my Birthday something special. :)
I WAS able to get my bank card back pretty easily, it was just a pain, and I was worried until I had the card in my hand again. I tried the atm again and everything worked out fine, so minor glitch, and I will know what to do next time...I have to choose a bank here for my paychecks here to be deposited in. Caja Madrid is right below my apartment building and is SUPER close - then again everything here is 'close'. I'm also thinking BBVA since I know there is one in Texas, maybe I can access my funds there when I leave here, also Santander has a pretty good presence in Europe...all of that will need to get done after I get my Alien card...apparently it is a scavenger hunt. I know I need to go to Ciudad Real, but apparently there are numerous buildings one has to go to in order to obtain such a card...and then a few days later you have to make the venture back to pick up the card. Sounds like an adventure. I've been feeling pretty awful, I'm thinking allergies or a cold (hopefully the kind that doesn't turn into strep throat), so I've been taking vitamins, resting, getting plenty of water and still, nothing seems to help. Most people here know a doctor or have a relative that is a doctor - Vivi said she would take me to see a doctor if I got worse. I don't have my insurance yet (gotta have that Alien card!) - but here they still treat sick people for pretty cheap, so I am not too worried about it. I'd rather not get worse though :)
I tried to stay relaxed this weekend since I need the rest, but of course couldn't resist going out at least ONE weekend night! I had my first set of private lessons - I ALWAYS forget the Spanish word for that, and have Mike remind me, I should make a flash card for it . The first group was of 3 girls at the age of 11. No one here tells you what they expect you to do. So basically I tested out what their skill level was, going over some basics. Then I had them tell me their names, ages, and what they like to do. Handball came up, so I had them explain that to me which was a trip! I would love to see this game played, Manzanares has its own HANDBALL team! Then we talked about where they had been and where their favorite vacation places were. I would stop them occasionally and go over some vocabulary. It was pretty fun and I picked up some vocabulary as well. The next hour I worked with 2 girls that are 8 years old. They have a ton of energy, so it was hard to keep them focused at first. We talked about their names, and music they like...I was losing them pretty quick, so I gave them a word-search I made and went over some vocabulary. I'm going to look for songs to sing next week, and I know I will show them Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer when it gets close to Christmas.
The piso is great! The view is so beautiful! I'll have to post pictures soon! I had been at lessons until about 9:30 at night and was pretty worn out. When I got back to the piso (apartment), Karlyn was already asleep (she was experiencing jet-lag), and Mike was ready to go out for canas (smaller sized beers). Clearly the choice was to go out! I love that tapas come with your drink, and every drink you get, you get a new tapa, always something different to try. Everyone should come here for that at least! We met up with Chapi - Mike's old roommate. Then we moved to another bar called Sapi to meet up with more people. Going out is a GREAT way to practice my Spanish - why not do it with a beer and tapa? Sapi has these HUGE tapa platters. I need to get a picture sometime. It comes with fried eggs, chicken, pork and bread - and it is delicious. We left around 2 I think? Everyone else went to the park to keep the fiesta going, but I compromised with my body and went to sleep.
Saturday was so lazy! Partly because I didn't feel well. I don't know if I even did anything productive, I might have just watched some Big Bang theory. I cooked some pasta and that was pretty much my day. I decided not to go out Saturday because of how bad I felt. I maybe watched a movie - nothing too thrilling.
Sunday I still didn't do anything :) a lot of places are closed on Sunday here - even the grocery store! I watched Fantastic Mr. Fox, and then the Book of Eli with Karlyn. We went out to watch the futbol games at a disco, so I treated myself to ONE beer. We got back a little late, so Bea made an omlette for everyone and we just hung out until we were all tired.
**Side note**, the whole day our kitchen smelled like gas, so we kept turning the gas off as soon as we were done using it. It controls the hot water, stove, etc.
So Karlyn took a shower - so she turned the gas on. I was about to go to sleep, and had to go into the kitchen to get some more water. I noticed some blue and orange light coming from the water heater in the kitchen...I pondered a moment, and then realized it was FIRE. My fight/flight didn't necessarily kick in, and I froze. I didn't even yell "fire" my immediate response was to go wake up Mike so he could figure it out. I'm just glad our floor didn't explode! The landlord had someone fix it today, but it was definitely an experience!! After no one was injured, it is just an interesting story!Today we had orientation in Ciudad Real. I don't know if I got anything out of it. I still don't feel well. Maybe I got about 1/3 of what they were saying. I wrote down some words I didn't know so that I can look them up, and I got some ideas for doing private lessons with young kids. Again, still confused about the Alien card.
So, I turn 23 on Saturday. I feel old. However, this is the first time I get to be the 'baby', because all of my flat mates are older than me! I think Saturday I am sharing a fiesta with another girl I met, Virginia will be 25, so another reason to feel young! I am glad I have made enough friends to make my Birthday something special. :)
Thursday, September 30, 2010
What is one of the worst things that can happen to someone abroad? I'll TELL YOU.
Let's start with the bad and move to the good so that I leave the blog on a high note here. Long story short, the ATM ate my debit card and won't give it back. WHY? I don't know, probably my credit union being over-protective, which is this case left me screwed. I paid for my hotel this morning, which was a pretty big purchase, and then this afternoon I tried to get money out of the ATM to pay for my piso (apartment), and it took my card. Banks here close early, and the help number on the machine lead to an answering machine, leaving me hopeless to get my card back. I thank Mike for keeping me pretty calm (Meaning, I didn't burst into tears like I normally do), I think I'm more upset than anything and it is just an inconvenience. He called my director Vivi (she knows EVERYONE or is related to anyone important), so she will help me tomorrow. Just to double check, Mike was able to still use his card, so oh yay, I at least didn't break the machine, and my card won't randomly pop out. Hopefully I get it fixed tomorrow, or it will be a long weekend, I may need to beg for bread outside the grocery store on Saturday if I don't have any money. We move in to our apartment today and I need sheets/groceries/etc for that, and well, I have limited funds since I don't have my card. I was able to borrow some sheets from Bea, the other roommate for now, and I have some fried rice left overs in the fridge, so at least I'll have dinner tonight?
Last night I went out with Mike and Virginia for Canas (smaller drinks) and tapas. It was a lot of fun and gave me a chance to practice my Spanish (listening an speaking). Her birthday is close to mine, so we should have a grand fiesta!
Ok, on to my first day! I created a mini-powerpoint about myself, just random things - about my family, what I like to do, my favorite food (tex-mex), football, things about Texas etc. I also made a word search, which I thought was pretty neat and creative. The teachers sometimes don't give a lot of feedback, so I have to guesstimate how I did. I relaxed before class, that helped keep me calm and go in with a lot of energy and excitement and get into what I was doing. The first class was a science class (I will be teaching the scientific method next week!). The kids were pretty shy, so I had to really try to get them involved. I asked them questions from my powerpoint, and then when someone answered I gave out some Sheriff Stars from the Convention and Visitors Bureau in Fort Worth - like a charm - kids wanted to answer more questions. (I KNEW prizes would motivate them!) I even explained what a Sheriff is and about the cowboy police in Fort Worth. There were about 10 minutes left in class, and the prof went over the lesson...DIMENSIONAL ANALYSIS! How haunting! I remember that from my sophomore year in high school. I don't know how I passed PreAP chemistry because I sucked at that portion - and here it is, following me! I'm going to have nightmares for weeks.
Then I had an english class with older kids, I'm making some changes to my plans - the word search will be even harder (!). They were a little more talkative, just shy. I had them go around the room and say how old they were and what they like to do. David (the prof), wants me to think of another game to play. I'm racking my brain for something...hopefully it will come to me before 8:20am tomorrow. I am not a morning person, so we will see where this goes. I have 3 classes with him tomorrow.
Vivi also set me up with more private lessons...I have 3 private lessons on FRIDAY. One with a boy, then two with groups of girls. I will need to think of some songs we can all sing...I also have lessons on Monday, 2 on Tuesday, and one on Thursday. I also have one I need to reschedule. Yikes.
Last night I went out with Mike and Virginia for Canas (smaller drinks) and tapas. It was a lot of fun and gave me a chance to practice my Spanish (listening an speaking). Her birthday is close to mine, so we should have a grand fiesta!
Ok, on to my first day! I created a mini-powerpoint about myself, just random things - about my family, what I like to do, my favorite food (tex-mex), football, things about Texas etc. I also made a word search, which I thought was pretty neat and creative. The teachers sometimes don't give a lot of feedback, so I have to guesstimate how I did. I relaxed before class, that helped keep me calm and go in with a lot of energy and excitement and get into what I was doing. The first class was a science class (I will be teaching the scientific method next week!). The kids were pretty shy, so I had to really try to get them involved. I asked them questions from my powerpoint, and then when someone answered I gave out some Sheriff Stars from the Convention and Visitors Bureau in Fort Worth - like a charm - kids wanted to answer more questions. (I KNEW prizes would motivate them!) I even explained what a Sheriff is and about the cowboy police in Fort Worth. There were about 10 minutes left in class, and the prof went over the lesson...DIMENSIONAL ANALYSIS! How haunting! I remember that from my sophomore year in high school. I don't know how I passed PreAP chemistry because I sucked at that portion - and here it is, following me! I'm going to have nightmares for weeks.
Then I had an english class with older kids, I'm making some changes to my plans - the word search will be even harder (!). They were a little more talkative, just shy. I had them go around the room and say how old they were and what they like to do. David (the prof), wants me to think of another game to play. I'm racking my brain for something...hopefully it will come to me before 8:20am tomorrow. I am not a morning person, so we will see where this goes. I have 3 classes with him tomorrow.
Vivi also set me up with more private lessons...I have 3 private lessons on FRIDAY. One with a boy, then two with groups of girls. I will need to think of some songs we can all sing...I also have lessons on Monday, 2 on Tuesday, and one on Thursday. I also have one I need to reschedule. Yikes.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
I feel like I am hitting the ground running. I went to school on Tuesday and got set up with some notebooks, pens, and even my own calendar book! Most of you know I am obsessed with school supplies (I even got my own white-out!). I waited at school for a couple hours, took notes on some places to live, and really just observed most of the morning. I'll have a blank time-table in which teachers can sign up for me to lecture in their class.So every week will be a bit different. Thursday I have a class with the science teacher - I will be giving a lecture about myself, and next week I will be talking about the scientific method. I have one English class tomorrow as well, giving an introduction about myself and Texas. I have some things I can give out, hopefully it will evoke participation. (I know I LIVED for knowing answers in order to get cool stuff) Then Friday, I will have 3 more English classes giving a presentation about myself. I'm working on a worksheet, and hopefully if I can figure out powerpoint on Google or Free Office, I'll have something for that as well.
I am also set up for private lessons. I have one on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday now, and more want to sign up. One of the groups is a 3 and 5 year old, so I am thinking of songs from when I was younger - I have been successful at getting Head, shoulders, knees and toes in my head for the last couple hours. I'm sure more will follow.
Mike helped a lot as far as ideas and examples of things to do. I feel so lost some times, but I am sure I'll get the hang of it. I haven't even had orientation yet!
Today was semi-uneventful. I had to go look at the piso this morning. It is very bright, and I can't wait to take some pictures. It needs some "character" (Mike's term), but I'm sure that will happen once we move in. Bea seems pretty artsy and is the yoga instructor and one of the places- maybe I can get into that while I am here. I went and got churros con chocolate for breakfast (SUPER healthy). It brought back memories of when Divya, Aarushi, Blaire and I would go one a weekly basis for Chai and Churros. I miss Barca and I miss them. I am hoping to go back to Barca while I am here, I think Aarushi is planning some sort of trip, that could be neat!
I went back to the Meson de Toro for lunch/tapas. I had a bocadillo (sandwich) with cerveza (beer) and it came with a tapa (snack). The tapa was stuffing-like and had grapes and ham in it, it was pretty good. I can get used to getting cheap beer with a snack on a daily basis...
Ok, back to the grind, I need to finish my worksheets before I go out. I am going to go meet Mike and some of his friends at 9, more Spanish practice! Then more work as a teacher - I have a big day tomorrow: Moving AND teaching. Such responsibility when you become an adult. Learning as I go.
Keep in touch, I'll finally have an address by the end of the week!
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Manzanares (keep the lisp!)
I made it to Manzanares. I should start using the lisp when I say it - I'd fit in better.
The Train station was a trip, I am glad I was super early. There are several places for "departures" and no directions on which one is correct. I aimlessly walked for a few minutes and asked some security guards, which pointed me upstairs. (Mind you this is where I came from and getting my suitcase on the escalator is a bit challenging). So I go upstairs and get in line, and the woman informs me that I was in the wrong place. My spot was DOWNSTAIRS. So I again felt like a lost sheep. I walked to the next "departure" area on the ground floor. The woman there tells me I'm not in the right spot and kind of brushes me off. She said I needed to go back to the right...where I had JUST come from. So I had to ask another security guard - her accent was heavy and I almost cried because I didn't know where to go and I couldn't understand her!
FINALLY I found where I needed to go - FURTHER downstairs! There were 4 gates there and none of them listed "Manzanares", again confused and it was getting close to the time for my train to leave. I found a man in line and just happened to ask where his ticket was for, and the train numbers matched, So I knew that is where I needed to be! Getting on the train was a task. I threw up my purse and backpack and then attempted to haul my suitcase up (Thankful that someone helped me!) I had to put my purse and backpack in a chair, then drag my suitcase sideways. I'm sure people thought I was crazy! I kept checking the time because they don't announce the stops and I was super nervous of missing my stop. I went through the same process to get out of the train car, Getting of the train was harder because people kept trying to get on, it is a pet peeve of mine. Let everyone off, then get on. So someone was able to help me again and Michael was there to meet me.
The Train station was a trip, I am glad I was super early. There are several places for "departures" and no directions on which one is correct. I aimlessly walked for a few minutes and asked some security guards, which pointed me upstairs. (Mind you this is where I came from and getting my suitcase on the escalator is a bit challenging). So I go upstairs and get in line, and the woman informs me that I was in the wrong place. My spot was DOWNSTAIRS. So I again felt like a lost sheep. I walked to the next "departure" area on the ground floor. The woman there tells me I'm not in the right spot and kind of brushes me off. She said I needed to go back to the right...where I had JUST come from. So I had to ask another security guard - her accent was heavy and I almost cried because I didn't know where to go and I couldn't understand her!
FINALLY I found where I needed to go - FURTHER downstairs! There were 4 gates there and none of them listed "Manzanares", again confused and it was getting close to the time for my train to leave. I found a man in line and just happened to ask where his ticket was for, and the train numbers matched, So I knew that is where I needed to be! Getting on the train was a task. I threw up my purse and backpack and then attempted to haul my suitcase up (Thankful that someone helped me!) I had to put my purse and backpack in a chair, then drag my suitcase sideways. I'm sure people thought I was crazy! I kept checking the time because they don't announce the stops and I was super nervous of missing my stop. I went through the same process to get out of the train car, Getting of the train was harder because people kept trying to get on, it is a pet peeve of mine. Let everyone off, then get on. So someone was able to help me again and Michael was there to meet me.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Jet Lag is Inevitable.
Have I mentioned that the weather here is perfect? 73 degrees, sunny. I say that but I had to come back to my hostel to change into pants for the evening.
I also love Spanish fashion. I can't wait to wear something "in fashion", I'm sure my mother would give me a look and my dad would say "You're wearing that?!?" and mean it. I could throw on all the clothes in my suitcase and it all be okay. I saw one girl wearing plaid tights with plaid shoes, it was awesome!
Yesterday I went to Retiro park (Re-TI-dough), it is gorgeous and relaxing. You see many people picnicking, sleeping, or just hanging out. The memorial for Alphonso XII is there and there was a man playing saxophone, so I just sat around and listened for a while and relaxed. I would like that kind of lifestyle, work til 3 or 4, then hit the park and chill.
I met some other Americans and we went out to a cervezaria that was PACKED. It was nice to go out with some people, I'll admit my inverted and awkwardness really comes out in these type of situations. We may try and find a bar that is playing college football tonight, a lot of irish pubs do that. (Frogs won btw, looking for a Boise loss)
I went walking today and went to the Columbus plaza, just walked around aimlessly. The Reina Sofia museum was free today, so I took advantage of that. LOTS of stuff to see there, lots of walking. They had some great exhibits. Hans-Peter Feldmann had this one installation called 9/12. It featured 150 newspapers with the headlines having to do with 9/11 here. I couldn't read most of them because they were in different languages, it made me become emotional, so the piece did it's job.
I was able to sneak a picture with Guernica in the background, they don't allow photography. I did this for my Art History teacher too! It really is a statement piece!
I also love Spanish fashion. I can't wait to wear something "in fashion", I'm sure my mother would give me a look and my dad would say "You're wearing that?!?" and mean it. I could throw on all the clothes in my suitcase and it all be okay. I saw one girl wearing plaid tights with plaid shoes, it was awesome!
Yesterday I went to Retiro park (Re-TI-dough), it is gorgeous and relaxing. You see many people picnicking, sleeping, or just hanging out. The memorial for Alphonso XII is there and there was a man playing saxophone, so I just sat around and listened for a while and relaxed. I would like that kind of lifestyle, work til 3 or 4, then hit the park and chill.
I met some other Americans and we went out to a cervezaria that was PACKED. It was nice to go out with some people, I'll admit my inverted and awkwardness really comes out in these type of situations. We may try and find a bar that is playing college football tonight, a lot of irish pubs do that. (Frogs won btw, looking for a Boise loss)
I went walking today and went to the Columbus plaza, just walked around aimlessly. The Reina Sofia museum was free today, so I took advantage of that. LOTS of stuff to see there, lots of walking. They had some great exhibits. Hans-Peter Feldmann had this one installation called 9/12. It featured 150 newspapers with the headlines having to do with 9/11 here. I couldn't read most of them because they were in different languages, it made me become emotional, so the piece did it's job.
I was able to sneak a picture with Guernica in the background, they don't allow photography. I did this for my Art History teacher too! It really is a statement piece!
I leave for Manzanares tomorrow. Onward to more adventures. I'm again anxious/excited/nervous and still a little tired...
Until next time,
Tori
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Leaving Status Quo
September 22nd.
Mood: Anxious/Tired/Nervous
Leaving was bittersweet. I can’t believe I am leaving. I was glad that when we took off I was able to see Simuflite and my neighborhood., gave me a sign of reassurance really, one last goodbye before I embark on my trip. I am blessed with amazing and caring friends, means a lot to me that so many made a big deal about me leaving. Good to know I have a solid support system.
Mom and Dad accompanied me to check in, and said bye as I placed a zillion of those stupid trays. One for shoes, one for my computer out of the case, one for liquids, one for my purse, and my last bag didn’t need one.
In the waiting area before my flight, there was a screaming child. What is worse than a screaming child? One that is screaming in a confined space a couple thousand feet above the ground. Not like I was going to pull a JetBlue and pull the slide or anything, but I was glad to have some earplugs, they sat two rows in frot of me. That family was so high maintenance. They kept asking to break rules, the flight attendant was nice though. They wanted warm water before the plane took off, they wanted to use their phone on the plane, there was also the part where their kids wanted something special to drink, and of course they didn’t have it, so then it took like 7 minutes to decide so everyone had to wait for them to decide, maybe this was the first time they have ever been on the airplane? But I thank the nice flight attendant Jillian for being super nice and having a smile the whole time! I got in one last Dr. Pepper before Europe.
Now I am in NY, sad I don’t get to see the city. I was going to grab something small to eat, but the last place I went in wanted $8.39 for a sandwich the size of my middle finger and about as round as a quarter. I don’t think I am starving enough to spend that kind of money. I may sacrifice my back pain and grab all my stuff and walk back for a bit.
Mood: Anxious/Tired/Nervous
Leaving was bittersweet. I can’t believe I am leaving. I was glad that when we took off I was able to see Simuflite and my neighborhood., gave me a sign of reassurance really, one last goodbye before I embark on my trip. I am blessed with amazing and caring friends, means a lot to me that so many made a big deal about me leaving. Good to know I have a solid support system.
Mom and Dad accompanied me to check in, and said bye as I placed a zillion of those stupid trays. One for shoes, one for my computer out of the case, one for liquids, one for my purse, and my last bag didn’t need one.
In the waiting area before my flight, there was a screaming child. What is worse than a screaming child? One that is screaming in a confined space a couple thousand feet above the ground. Not like I was going to pull a JetBlue and pull the slide or anything, but I was glad to have some earplugs, they sat two rows in frot of me. That family was so high maintenance. They kept asking to break rules, the flight attendant was nice though. They wanted warm water before the plane took off, they wanted to use their phone on the plane, there was also the part where their kids wanted something special to drink, and of course they didn’t have it, so then it took like 7 minutes to decide so everyone had to wait for them to decide, maybe this was the first time they have ever been on the airplane? But I thank the nice flight attendant Jillian for being super nice and having a smile the whole time! I got in one last Dr. Pepper before Europe.
Now I am in NY, sad I don’t get to see the city. I was going to grab something small to eat, but the last place I went in wanted $8.39 for a sandwich the size of my middle finger and about as round as a quarter. I don’t think I am starving enough to spend that kind of money. I may sacrifice my back pain and grab all my stuff and walk back for a bit.
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