Tuesday's Halloween lesson was less successful in my opinion because I changed things for the advanced level but they weren't participating. It is very hard to teach when no one wants to talk and you are struggling to keep the class interesting. I have a new found respect for my past teachers and professors. The students seemed to enjoy everything but, (Idiom alert!) it was like pulling teeth to get any of them to talk about Halloween. SIDEBAR: Before this experience I never would have considered myself a person who spoke with a lot of idioms or colloquial expressions, turns out I was wrong. I wore the witch hat again but since the lesson wasn't going well it just made me feel more uncomfortable in front of the classes.
Tuesday, I had my second English conversation class during the break and there were MORE students so the good word must be spreading. We'll see how the weeks progress, I am still skeptical.
Wednesday I took the 11 a.m. bus into Zaragoza and my tutor offered to pick me up and have me stay at her house again for the 2 nights of the course. Ana really is too kind to me, but I am so thankful that she is my tutor. (I have heard negative stories from other language assistants about their tutors and it makes me even more thankful.)
The course was very informative and I only wish they had given us this course back in Madrid. It would have taken more time but I wouldn't have had (Idiom alert!) to run around like a chicken with my head cut-off the days I tried doing paperwork. The informative lesson was Wednesday night and on Thursday night they had a teacher from a High school come and talk to us about different methods we can use in the classroom with our students. It was geared more toward primary and secondary schools ages 6-16 but I found I could adapt some activities for adults. But, I found I learned more about the English level in primary and secondary schools. The presenter had great English, but some of the tutors present did not have the English level I would expect them to have. I know that the English is not as high as what is found in Official Language Schools but it still surprised me. Again, more things that make me appreciate where I was placed, though I am sure I could adapt to whichever school I was assigned. At the first meeting they were encouraging us to sign up for another year and I did consider it but I would want a language school and I would want to have the same tutor. Plus, I really do need to find a job that pays enough for me to pay some of my bills, haha.
On Friday, Ana drove back to Tarazona for our meeting of me teaching them different and interesting things about American English. This week I wound up talking about rednecks, (Tia E...you and Uncle Tod should appreciate that!) I told them I will show them a video next time "You might be a redneck if....."! But, I always have fun with the professors, they have me constantly laughing because some of the American English language is quite ridiculous when you say things out loud and I laugh when I try to explain them.
I have (Idiom alert!) been feeling a little under the weather so I don't think I will be doing anything for this holiday weekend. (All Saint's Day is a government holiday here) I have plans to straighten up my papers because next Friday Ana will go with me to apply for my N.I.E. which is basically a national identification card, in Zaragoza. I have been hoping I get over this sickness without having a full-strength cold because I need to be able to speak clearly for my classes and I am in Spain so I don't want to be sick! The professors ask me how I am sleeping and I say I sleep all the time here, I think it is just the atmosphere. Too much fresh air, good food and they have black-out blinds here so I never know what time it is if I wake up and don't look at the clock. I said also, this feels like an 8 month vacation, not a job!
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Results
The first day of the Halloween lesson was yesterday and it went surprisingly well in my opinion. The activities I planned weren't long enough but it was ok. I have the advanced group tonight so I have to plan a more challenging activity. Oh and for all the lessons I wore a witch hat. People seemed to like it or at least be surprised in a good way. I also was able to find typical Halloween candy at El Corte Ingles! Some people asked me if it was American candy I said no sorry it's from Spain, but they said it was tasty.
The big surprise last night was that when I got home I had Internet! So now I can chat on skype whenever you see me on. Though tomorrow I go to Zaragoza for the course.
Also, my paperwork is working out. I'm not worried anymore. Though you would think they might have an easier process for language assistants, but they don't. Everyone here says the bureaucracy in Spain is terrible I said it is the same in the States. You have to talk to at least 5 different people before you can get any useful information. But, my tutor is helping me so I know it will all get done.
Today I have the second day of the Halloween lesson and I am starting to learn the technical part of phonetics. I am very excited to learn the language of phonetics and I think it would be good for me if I do decide to try teaching ESL back home. Also, today is my second conversation class so we will see how many show up!
And to answer Tia E....the order of po dunk towns is always East Greenbush at the bottom, Tarazona, State College then West Chester. But, Tarazona offers more culture, history and intrigue to me so I like it best regardless of it's ranking! Plus, I can go into the city of Zaragoza whenever I want and it's only an hour and fifteen minutes away.
The big surprise last night was that when I got home I had Internet! So now I can chat on skype whenever you see me on. Though tomorrow I go to Zaragoza for the course.
Also, my paperwork is working out. I'm not worried anymore. Though you would think they might have an easier process for language assistants, but they don't. Everyone here says the bureaucracy in Spain is terrible I said it is the same in the States. You have to talk to at least 5 different people before you can get any useful information. But, my tutor is helping me so I know it will all get done.
Today I have the second day of the Halloween lesson and I am starting to learn the technical part of phonetics. I am very excited to learn the language of phonetics and I think it would be good for me if I do decide to try teaching ESL back home. Also, today is my second conversation class so we will see how many show up!
And to answer Tia E....the order of po dunk towns is always East Greenbush at the bottom, Tarazona, State College then West Chester. But, Tarazona offers more culture, history and intrigue to me so I like it best regardless of it's ranking! Plus, I can go into the city of Zaragoza whenever I want and it's only an hour and fifteen minutes away.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
More pictures!
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| The basillica at night. |
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| More basillica. |
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| The ancient Roman theater located in downtown Zaragoza. |
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| Front door of the Cathedral. |
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| The flowers are in the plaza right in front of the basillica. (How cool? too bad the USA doesn't have this) |
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| More beautiful flowers. |
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| La Virgen del Pilar. |
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| Parliament!!! It is attached to the Aljaferia Palace. |
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| Beautiful garden inside the Aljaferia Palace. |
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| Me looking like a hot mess in front of the majestic Aljaferia Palace. |
More updates
I just relaxed at the apartment, which is very nice. My only complaint is that they turn the heat off at night so when I wake up in the morning I am freezing. When I put my feet down on the tile its like stepping on ice. Hopefully this will change as winter comes otherwise I need to start wearing socks to sleep.
Speaking of the change of season, next week in classes we are doing Halloween! I am very excited about the lessons since I have to think of fun activities that all the levels will enjoy. I am always nervous before class but after the first 5 minutes I'm O.K.
On Tuesday I ran around trying to get all my paperwork done so that I can stay in the country legally. I thought everything was O.K. till I got back to the apartment and realized all the papers say 4th floor apartment while I am on the 3rd. Pedro says if the mailman is "listo" he will realize the typo and deliver the mail properly. We will see, I am not worried at all because this is a small tranquil town where almost everyone knows who I am. When I was going around to the different offices people left and right were saying "Hi Paige" and Pedro said "You know the whole town." Hopefully today I will have everything straightened out.
Needless to say everyone is extremely nice, I really can't say that enough. The teachers are especially wonderful. I was not worried about coming here but I had reservations about how I would be received because the reputation of Americans in general is not positive. In the orientation meeting for Americans that I mentioned earlier, they warned us that we had to overcome the negative stereotypes and be ambassadors for our country. But, all the people I have met here have been nothing but lovely to me, of course I try to be considerate to everyone as well. Hospitality is a huge part of the culture here and I have been taking full advantage and I feel terrible about it, as I wrote in my last post. I just can't express to them what it means to me that they are so kind.
After talking with the professors and students here and experiencing American culture while in Spain, I can understand the terrible stereotypes about Americans. The trashy movies, music and other things that are exported to other countries, that at home we dismiss as trash, does nothing to help our image. Unless a person has been to the United States they have only this trash to form an opinion about our culture and way of life. While I don't think the United States has a culture to idolize I don't think it is as bad as the movies and popular tv shows make it out to be.
Also, on Tuesday I lead my first English conversation class. On Tuesdays I talk with any Intermediate level students who want to come practice with me during the 45 minute break. The classes are designed to help the students prepare for their oral exam that comes at the end of the course. They have to speak for at least 3 minutes with correct pronunciation, grammar, and at a normal speed about a prompt given by the teacher. This is extremely hard, I said I would have a hard time doing it in English let alone if I were forced to do it in Spanish. There were 5 students in class this first week which I was told is a good turn-out. I asked the students how much they understand me and I was a little depressed to learn that they only understand about half of what I say. I think it is the difference in accent between British /American but I remember when I was living with my Jamaican roommate it took about 4 weeks but eventually I could understand her perfectly. On Wednesdays I have conversation class with the Advanced level students. There were only 2 students in the first class, but we had a good converstion which was encouraging. I am hopeful that as the year goes on I will have more students once people find out about how great I am ..... HAHAHA! (If I lose students since I might be crap and my classes are non-compulsory I won't be posting more about them!)
Next week I have the Halloween lesson plan Monday and Tuesday and on Wednesday and Thursday, I am going to Zaragoza to take a special course for language assistants. I am nervous because I am going bymyself, Ana, my tutor, wants to come with me but the course is scheduled 6-9 p.m. so it is not possible. It is strange to me that the government made it so that virtually none of the language assistants or tutors who work in official language schools are able to go to the course. In my opinion people who want to learn the most English at the best level go to language schools because they have the best program. But, since language schools are non-compulsory education they get over-looked. I got special permission to miss teaching on Wednesday with the condition I take very good notes and come back and tell them everything I learned. I am nervous because I think it is totally in Spanish, like the orientation. While my listening and speaking have improved, I still don't feel very confident. Though when I speak with people no one has outright laughed at me, so that is a good sign, though I think people are just being kind to the poor American girl.
Hopefully when I come back to Tarazona next Friday morning I will have internet and can do another blog entry, no promises though.
I am not sure if this blog is interesting enough. I think I am writing about interesting things but of course it is my blog. If there is anything that you want to ask message me so that I might answer it in the next post. And, to answer my mother, I can't take pictures of the professors, students, etc. without seeming creepy and weird. I will have occasion to take their picture in the 7 1/2 more months that I am here I hope, but I am not going to go from the nice American language assistant to the weirdo with the camera! By the way.... they really do think that I am nice and I said I need to record all the nice things they say about me so that my parents can hear!
Speaking of the change of season, next week in classes we are doing Halloween! I am very excited about the lessons since I have to think of fun activities that all the levels will enjoy. I am always nervous before class but after the first 5 minutes I'm O.K.
On Tuesday I ran around trying to get all my paperwork done so that I can stay in the country legally. I thought everything was O.K. till I got back to the apartment and realized all the papers say 4th floor apartment while I am on the 3rd. Pedro says if the mailman is "listo" he will realize the typo and deliver the mail properly. We will see, I am not worried at all because this is a small tranquil town where almost everyone knows who I am. When I was going around to the different offices people left and right were saying "Hi Paige" and Pedro said "You know the whole town." Hopefully today I will have everything straightened out.
Needless to say everyone is extremely nice, I really can't say that enough. The teachers are especially wonderful. I was not worried about coming here but I had reservations about how I would be received because the reputation of Americans in general is not positive. In the orientation meeting for Americans that I mentioned earlier, they warned us that we had to overcome the negative stereotypes and be ambassadors for our country. But, all the people I have met here have been nothing but lovely to me, of course I try to be considerate to everyone as well. Hospitality is a huge part of the culture here and I have been taking full advantage and I feel terrible about it, as I wrote in my last post. I just can't express to them what it means to me that they are so kind.
After talking with the professors and students here and experiencing American culture while in Spain, I can understand the terrible stereotypes about Americans. The trashy movies, music and other things that are exported to other countries, that at home we dismiss as trash, does nothing to help our image. Unless a person has been to the United States they have only this trash to form an opinion about our culture and way of life. While I don't think the United States has a culture to idolize I don't think it is as bad as the movies and popular tv shows make it out to be.
Also, on Tuesday I lead my first English conversation class. On Tuesdays I talk with any Intermediate level students who want to come practice with me during the 45 minute break. The classes are designed to help the students prepare for their oral exam that comes at the end of the course. They have to speak for at least 3 minutes with correct pronunciation, grammar, and at a normal speed about a prompt given by the teacher. This is extremely hard, I said I would have a hard time doing it in English let alone if I were forced to do it in Spanish. There were 5 students in class this first week which I was told is a good turn-out. I asked the students how much they understand me and I was a little depressed to learn that they only understand about half of what I say. I think it is the difference in accent between British /American but I remember when I was living with my Jamaican roommate it took about 4 weeks but eventually I could understand her perfectly. On Wednesdays I have conversation class with the Advanced level students. There were only 2 students in the first class, but we had a good converstion which was encouraging. I am hopeful that as the year goes on I will have more students once people find out about how great I am ..... HAHAHA! (If I lose students since I might be crap and my classes are non-compulsory I won't be posting more about them!)
Next week I have the Halloween lesson plan Monday and Tuesday and on Wednesday and Thursday, I am going to Zaragoza to take a special course for language assistants. I am nervous because I am going bymyself, Ana, my tutor, wants to come with me but the course is scheduled 6-9 p.m. so it is not possible. It is strange to me that the government made it so that virtually none of the language assistants or tutors who work in official language schools are able to go to the course. In my opinion people who want to learn the most English at the best level go to language schools because they have the best program. But, since language schools are non-compulsory education they get over-looked. I got special permission to miss teaching on Wednesday with the condition I take very good notes and come back and tell them everything I learned. I am nervous because I think it is totally in Spanish, like the orientation. While my listening and speaking have improved, I still don't feel very confident. Though when I speak with people no one has outright laughed at me, so that is a good sign, though I think people are just being kind to the poor American girl.
Hopefully when I come back to Tarazona next Friday morning I will have internet and can do another blog entry, no promises though.
I am not sure if this blog is interesting enough. I think I am writing about interesting things but of course it is my blog. If there is anything that you want to ask message me so that I might answer it in the next post. And, to answer my mother, I can't take pictures of the professors, students, etc. without seeming creepy and weird. I will have occasion to take their picture in the 7 1/2 more months that I am here I hope, but I am not going to go from the nice American language assistant to the weirdo with the camera! By the way.... they really do think that I am nice and I said I need to record all the nice things they say about me so that my parents can hear!
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Fiesta de La Virgen de Pilar
This past Saturday marked the start of the fiesta and I wrote a little about that but today, Tuesday was the main event. The history of the Virgin is that she appeared on a pillar to St. James who was sleeping on the banks of the Ebro River in 40 AD. Little known fact is that this is the first church dedicated to the Virgin Mary and Pope John Paul II has visited the basillica twice and named La Virgen de Pilar the mother of all Hispanic people since her feast day coincides with El Dia de La Raza or Columbus Day. Today's festivities were marked by traditional dress of the Spanish people as well as the many people from Latin America, Central America and South America who came to pay tribute to La Virgen. Here is a picture of the Basillica from the river (more pictres are to come):
The celebration lasts 9 days. Today, Sunday there is a huge finale with fireworks and other typical celebratory events.
I started this blog last weekend but did not publish it because I do not have internet at my apartment. I share my apartment with two teachers from the high school. They are very nice and cooked for me the first two days I was there. I went to school on Wednesday as usual and then went and unpacked all of my items from my huge suitcases. Thursday, I went shopping for hangers and food and other items that I realized I forgot to pack.
On Friday we had our first meeting (this is where I am supposed to tell interesting phrases or idioms common in English to the teachers). They are all very nice and I feel that I am useless to them because their levels are so high. But, I found some interesting topics to talk about that they did not know, but for the future I must do research! If my readers have any idioms or phrases that are funny/helpful/interesting please post them in the comments section for my next meeting. After the meeting my tutor, who is the director of the department offered to take me into Zaragoza to help me find some winter apparel since it is already extremely cold here. We went to her house which was so beautiful with a style that we lack in the United States. I love the apartments here because they use bright colors for the walls and they have many interesting pieces of artwork. All of the apartments I have been to have been interesting to look at, unlike at home where everything is a shade of beige, tope or off-white! Okay, back to my story....her home was lovely and her family were so nice to me. I feel like I am a bother most of the time, but they all say what a joy it is that I am here. On Friday night, we went walking in the city center and ate a delicious dinner. The sights at night are so beautiful because they are all lit up with different colors etc. With better internet I will post more impressive pictures.
On Saturday another teacher who lives in Zaragoza came to eat the delicious lunch at her house. The three of us then went to watch a movie in Spanish which was good for my practice. It was getting close to 8:30 (the last bus) so we went rushing to the station only to see the bus drive away. Armen was so nice and we went to a birthday party for one of his friends where we ate tapas and I practiced my Spanish listening skills even more. Today, we went and got breakfast and sightseeing materials in the Plaza de Pilar and later went to the famous Arab castle, but the name escapes me now.
Overall, I am having a great time and the teachers from the school are helping me so that I do not feel lonely. They are really going out of their way for me. I have been insisting that they come to stay with me in New Jersey very soon so I can reciprocate their kindness.
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| This is the view of the basillica from the bridge going over the river. |
I started this blog last weekend but did not publish it because I do not have internet at my apartment. I share my apartment with two teachers from the high school. They are very nice and cooked for me the first two days I was there. I went to school on Wednesday as usual and then went and unpacked all of my items from my huge suitcases. Thursday, I went shopping for hangers and food and other items that I realized I forgot to pack.
On Friday we had our first meeting (this is where I am supposed to tell interesting phrases or idioms common in English to the teachers). They are all very nice and I feel that I am useless to them because their levels are so high. But, I found some interesting topics to talk about that they did not know, but for the future I must do research! If my readers have any idioms or phrases that are funny/helpful/interesting please post them in the comments section for my next meeting. After the meeting my tutor, who is the director of the department offered to take me into Zaragoza to help me find some winter apparel since it is already extremely cold here. We went to her house which was so beautiful with a style that we lack in the United States. I love the apartments here because they use bright colors for the walls and they have many interesting pieces of artwork. All of the apartments I have been to have been interesting to look at, unlike at home where everything is a shade of beige, tope or off-white! Okay, back to my story....her home was lovely and her family were so nice to me. I feel like I am a bother most of the time, but they all say what a joy it is that I am here. On Friday night, we went walking in the city center and ate a delicious dinner. The sights at night are so beautiful because they are all lit up with different colors etc. With better internet I will post more impressive pictures.
On Saturday another teacher who lives in Zaragoza came to eat the delicious lunch at her house. The three of us then went to watch a movie in Spanish which was good for my practice. It was getting close to 8:30 (the last bus) so we went rushing to the station only to see the bus drive away. Armen was so nice and we went to a birthday party for one of his friends where we ate tapas and I practiced my Spanish listening skills even more. Today, we went and got breakfast and sightseeing materials in the Plaza de Pilar and later went to the famous Arab castle, but the name escapes me now.
Overall, I am having a great time and the teachers from the school are helping me so that I do not feel lonely. They are really going out of their way for me. I have been insisting that they come to stay with me in New Jersey very soon so I can reciprocate their kindness.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Only 2 days of teaching and already I am a natural
My fears about teaching adults were completely unnecessary. All of the students are great and seem to be genuinely interested in learning about my life, the United States and just getting my opinion on all things Spanish. I have my official schedule.... Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday 4 till 9. I offered to teach on Thursdays as well but my director said she doesn't want me to get tired of teaching. I assured her that I do not think of teaching as a burden, it is truly a gift to work so little and still get to experience this amazing place. I also have a 2 hour meeting with the teachers every other or every third Friday so that the teachers can work on their English with me. I told them all that it is not necessary as their English skills are great, but they want to learn as much as they can from me.
I think that I have found an apartment, I will be sharing with a teacher from the high school so that I can teach him English while he helps me with my Spanish. The rent is a good rate so I can do as much travel as I want.
Yesterday I went into Zaragoza because it is the festival of La Virgen de Pilar. There was a parade, fireworks, music and plenty of drinking. I thought that I would make the last bus to Tarazona last night but I did not so I stayed in the bus station with some other auxiliares till my 8 a.m. bus this morning. I think I will be staying in Tarazona tonight but I haven't made up my mind, the night is still young.
I think that I have found an apartment, I will be sharing with a teacher from the high school so that I can teach him English while he helps me with my Spanish. The rent is a good rate so I can do as much travel as I want.
Yesterday I went into Zaragoza because it is the festival of La Virgen de Pilar. There was a parade, fireworks, music and plenty of drinking. I thought that I would make the last bus to Tarazona last night but I did not so I stayed in the bus station with some other auxiliares till my 8 a.m. bus this morning. I think I will be staying in Tarazona tonight but I haven't made up my mind, the night is still young.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Finally some pics
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| The view of the street where my hostel is located. |
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| The old bullring, made up of 8 townhouses. |
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| The highest church tower in the town. |
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Tarazona es muy bonita!
This will also be a long post so get comfortable.....
At the end of my last post I was not sure if on Sunday I would try to go to Tarazona or stay in Zaragoza, where I knew a safe hostel and that my surroundings were safe. In the end, I chose to stay in Zaragoza until I caught the bus to Tarazona today. A few more words on Zaragoza....
It is a very beautiful city with almost 1 million inhabitants, I am glad I am so close so that I am able to visit as often as I want, to site-see and just experience the city life. With that being said, if you ever come to visit do NOT make any days you visit a Sunday. Why you ask? The easy answer is that NOTHING is OPEN! On Saturday night the city was full of life with some sort of festival going on, because while we ate dinner in the plaza we saw no less than 8 married couples walk past with the men in tuxedos and the women in beautiful wedding dresses. The next morning I got up and went out and the only things open were the churches and the Chinese bazaars. Don't get me wrong, the churches are beautiful and I love the Chinese bazaars because you can always find odds and ends that you need at really great prices. But, if you come on a short visit make sure to avoid having one of the days be a Sunday because the churches and bazaars are open everyday of the week!
Okay, onto my big adventure today. Last night I had planned to wake up at 5 a.m. and walk to the bus station with my bags to catch the 7 a.m. bus to Tarazona. At the last minute before I went to sleep I wanted to check what time the ticket counter opened at the bus station just to cover all of my bases. I am glad that I did because it is so typical of the Spanish to have a 7 a.m. bus when the ticket counter does not open until 7:30! I would have been steamed to arrive there then have to wait 3 hours till the 10 o'clock bus. Oh and for those of you wondering why I would walk to the bus station with my bags instead of just taking a taxi, it is because I hate taking taxis! Since I have been here 90% of the money I have spent has been on taxi fare, the reason I have been taking taxis is because I have two rolling bags one of which weighs 54 lbs., a backpacking backpack and a great shoulder bag (thanks to my cousin Margie). It is too many bags to safely walk through the metro or even the streets because we were warned that the criminals here target non-natives (which is something I already knew since it is obviously common sense). The only time I am scared to travel here in Spain is when I have to deal with my bags, overall I find that if you make the attempt to blend in and aren't outlandishly American (i.e. wearing white sneakers and an American flag somewhere on your body) people will assume you are a local and treat you as such. But, in my case I can't really help that I have an outrageous amount of baggage because I will be here for 8 months straight. I got a little off the topic but gave all of you reading this some good info if you want to come to Spain!
I was able to take the 10 a.m. bus and on the way saw beautiful scenery as well as hundreds of windmills! My blog background of a windmill with a field of flowers is not a coincidence. Spain has had a long and comical history with the windmill since the 1500s, those of you who have read Don Quixote already know to what I am referring. I thought it was a tribute that fit the whole theme of my travel here, a fantastical adventure through Spain. We arrived in Tarazona around 11:15 and I got to the Escuela de las idiomas just before noon. They helped me put up fliers that said I am looking to share an apartment with someone who can help me improve my Spanish while I teach them English. They also helped me get to the only hostel in town which is more like a hotel, I have my own room with a bathroom, needless to say the price reflects the great accommodations! I also learned that tomorrow is the feast day of the patron saint of the town, San Atilano, so I have off tomorrow and the whole town is having a party! I rested for a bit this afternoon and went back to the school for 3:30 to get more information about my schedule and meet more of the English professors I will be working with. The school where I will be teaching is not required learning by the Spanish education system, the students have to pay for classes, so they are extremely motivated to be there. All the students are 16+, many of them are adults in their 40s, 50s and 60s. The hours of the school are 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. to accommodate the students who have full-time jobs during the day. The hours allow me to site-see and have a siesta all before going to work! All of the teachers at the school could not have been nicer, they are extremely helpful and very patient with me. After today my anxiety has practically disappeared.
As always, ask questions in the comment section or just comment.
At the end of my last post I was not sure if on Sunday I would try to go to Tarazona or stay in Zaragoza, where I knew a safe hostel and that my surroundings were safe. In the end, I chose to stay in Zaragoza until I caught the bus to Tarazona today. A few more words on Zaragoza....
It is a very beautiful city with almost 1 million inhabitants, I am glad I am so close so that I am able to visit as often as I want, to site-see and just experience the city life. With that being said, if you ever come to visit do NOT make any days you visit a Sunday. Why you ask? The easy answer is that NOTHING is OPEN! On Saturday night the city was full of life with some sort of festival going on, because while we ate dinner in the plaza we saw no less than 8 married couples walk past with the men in tuxedos and the women in beautiful wedding dresses. The next morning I got up and went out and the only things open were the churches and the Chinese bazaars. Don't get me wrong, the churches are beautiful and I love the Chinese bazaars because you can always find odds and ends that you need at really great prices. But, if you come on a short visit make sure to avoid having one of the days be a Sunday because the churches and bazaars are open everyday of the week!
Okay, onto my big adventure today. Last night I had planned to wake up at 5 a.m. and walk to the bus station with my bags to catch the 7 a.m. bus to Tarazona. At the last minute before I went to sleep I wanted to check what time the ticket counter opened at the bus station just to cover all of my bases. I am glad that I did because it is so typical of the Spanish to have a 7 a.m. bus when the ticket counter does not open until 7:30! I would have been steamed to arrive there then have to wait 3 hours till the 10 o'clock bus. Oh and for those of you wondering why I would walk to the bus station with my bags instead of just taking a taxi, it is because I hate taking taxis! Since I have been here 90% of the money I have spent has been on taxi fare, the reason I have been taking taxis is because I have two rolling bags one of which weighs 54 lbs., a backpacking backpack and a great shoulder bag (thanks to my cousin Margie). It is too many bags to safely walk through the metro or even the streets because we were warned that the criminals here target non-natives (which is something I already knew since it is obviously common sense). The only time I am scared to travel here in Spain is when I have to deal with my bags, overall I find that if you make the attempt to blend in and aren't outlandishly American (i.e. wearing white sneakers and an American flag somewhere on your body) people will assume you are a local and treat you as such. But, in my case I can't really help that I have an outrageous amount of baggage because I will be here for 8 months straight. I got a little off the topic but gave all of you reading this some good info if you want to come to Spain!
I was able to take the 10 a.m. bus and on the way saw beautiful scenery as well as hundreds of windmills! My blog background of a windmill with a field of flowers is not a coincidence. Spain has had a long and comical history with the windmill since the 1500s, those of you who have read Don Quixote already know to what I am referring. I thought it was a tribute that fit the whole theme of my travel here, a fantastical adventure through Spain. We arrived in Tarazona around 11:15 and I got to the Escuela de las idiomas just before noon. They helped me put up fliers that said I am looking to share an apartment with someone who can help me improve my Spanish while I teach them English. They also helped me get to the only hostel in town which is more like a hotel, I have my own room with a bathroom, needless to say the price reflects the great accommodations! I also learned that tomorrow is the feast day of the patron saint of the town, San Atilano, so I have off tomorrow and the whole town is having a party! I rested for a bit this afternoon and went back to the school for 3:30 to get more information about my schedule and meet more of the English professors I will be working with. The school where I will be teaching is not required learning by the Spanish education system, the students have to pay for classes, so they are extremely motivated to be there. All the students are 16+, many of them are adults in their 40s, 50s and 60s. The hours of the school are 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. to accommodate the students who have full-time jobs during the day. The hours allow me to site-see and have a siesta all before going to work! All of the teachers at the school could not have been nicer, they are extremely helpful and very patient with me. After today my anxiety has practically disappeared.
As always, ask questions in the comment section or just comment.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
A pat-down at the airport is not a good sign
Ok so this is going to be a long one... Just a warning.
So at Philadelphia they must have the metal detector setting at the most sensitive level. I set it off no less than 7 times and finally the chick got tired of telling me to walk back and forth and just sent me to the glass box. The TSA agent was nice enough to explain how she was going to grope me since it was the underwire in my bra that kept setting it off. After that I went on my merry way and for once I made small talk in the airport with a guy on my flight who was going to Barcelona. I again made small talk with the girl next to me, she and 5 others are on a mission trip to Madrid to fix up some church.
I got a taxi from the airport to the hotel around 9 o'clock a.m and my taxi driver had a couple close calls where he saw fit to curse and flip other drivers off.
At the hotel I was exhausted but was in orientation by 9:30 only half an hour late. The morning session was uneventful and I went to my hotel room and slept during the lunch break. I felt much better after my nap. The afternoon sessions were interesting because first was the region meeting where I met other people traveling to Zaragoza the next day. After that meeting we had the best meeting of the day....the one for the auxiliares de Los estados unidos! So in the meeting we had 3 people from the embassy came to talk to us. The first speaker was a guy with a military background who told us about the petty crime here in Spain. He wasn't that interesting but the next speaker was woman who told us that they are seeing a lot more violent crime in Spain. Just recently she said a woman was visiting her son who was here studying abroad; she went home with a strange guy from a bar who murdered and dismembered her body. The meeting sounds like it wasn't fun but it was! They told us it's probably best if we don't drive while we are here and that we DO NOT have to pay US taxes or Spanish taxes on what we make. (did you get that M&D)
After that I went on a walk around the hotel and then went back for dinner which was at 8 p.m because that is the normal dinner time here. I went to bed after that and slept till 10 a.m. Got up had breakfast and went to the bus station to catch the 1:00 bus to Zaragoza. The group of 5 of us got to the hostel around 6 p.m. and then went walking around the city.
All in all it has been fine though I am nervous about getting to the town tomorrow. I will be contacting my director by email and try her phone.
That's all for now. Sorry no pics yet! xoxo
So at Philadelphia they must have the metal detector setting at the most sensitive level. I set it off no less than 7 times and finally the chick got tired of telling me to walk back and forth and just sent me to the glass box. The TSA agent was nice enough to explain how she was going to grope me since it was the underwire in my bra that kept setting it off. After that I went on my merry way and for once I made small talk in the airport with a guy on my flight who was going to Barcelona. I again made small talk with the girl next to me, she and 5 others are on a mission trip to Madrid to fix up some church.
I got a taxi from the airport to the hotel around 9 o'clock a.m and my taxi driver had a couple close calls where he saw fit to curse and flip other drivers off.
At the hotel I was exhausted but was in orientation by 9:30 only half an hour late. The morning session was uneventful and I went to my hotel room and slept during the lunch break. I felt much better after my nap. The afternoon sessions were interesting because first was the region meeting where I met other people traveling to Zaragoza the next day. After that meeting we had the best meeting of the day....the one for the auxiliares de Los estados unidos! So in the meeting we had 3 people from the embassy came to talk to us. The first speaker was a guy with a military background who told us about the petty crime here in Spain. He wasn't that interesting but the next speaker was woman who told us that they are seeing a lot more violent crime in Spain. Just recently she said a woman was visiting her son who was here studying abroad; she went home with a strange guy from a bar who murdered and dismembered her body. The meeting sounds like it wasn't fun but it was! They told us it's probably best if we don't drive while we are here and that we DO NOT have to pay US taxes or Spanish taxes on what we make. (did you get that M&D)
After that I went on a walk around the hotel and then went back for dinner which was at 8 p.m because that is the normal dinner time here. I went to bed after that and slept till 10 a.m. Got up had breakfast and went to the bus station to catch the 1:00 bus to Zaragoza. The group of 5 of us got to the hostel around 6 p.m. and then went walking around the city.
All in all it has been fine though I am nervous about getting to the town tomorrow. I will be contacting my director by email and try her phone.
That's all for now. Sorry no pics yet! xoxo
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