week fourteen: thanksgiving in spain.

Lots to be thankful for this year.

Atenea. My school has been a great blessing for me. First, they always have snacks during break. Second, they are being extremely patient with my progress (or lack thereof), Spanish. Third, the students are always excited to see me (even if some of them, for some reason, call me Christine). Fourth, for immediately throwing me into running all my science lessons after they learned I was a teacher (never one boring day). Fifth, the English speaking students who assist when the class just isn't getting it. Lastly, the fourth grade teacher who team teaches with me (definitely showing me an awesome model of bilingual teaching).

School presentations. Told Thanksgiving stories (Five Little Turkeys or I Know an Old Lady who Swallowed a Pie) and gave another prezi (see below) to all 16 classes. The students responded really well to the stories. For some reason the younger students thought the pictures of turkeys was hilarious and one even fell out of his chair from laughing so hard. The older students really liked the old lady who swallowed a pie (the pictures of her ballooning from all the food definitely helped). Students didn't know too much about Thanksgiving so I taught them about Thanksgiving break, volunteering/service, (American) football, Macy's parade, dinner, the wishbone, and Black Friday. They definitely had big reactions when they learned American students didn't have school (while they already have so many puentes here in Spain). They were so curious about everything which made it so enjoyable to teach. And then of course I ended the presentation with either doing the turkey dance (yes, it does exist) or watching an awesome Thanksgiving short.

Thanksgiving in Spain. Is it crazy to say that my Thanksgiving here has been, by far, my most American Thanksgiving ever? Delicious food. Chicken adobo (just learned to make!). Cornbread (but not cornbread). Delicious cherry tomatoes. Risotto. Mashed potatoes. Gravy. Turkey (carved and everything). Dessert assortment (soooo good). Holiday environment. YouTube fireplace video. Holiday music. (American) football. Stuffed (me, not the turkey). Singing songs on the beach (why not?). Party in the USA. Anchorman with Spanish subtitles. Getting to watch the Lakers game (first road win of the season!). Leftovers in the morning. 21 jumpstreet. More leftovers.

thanksgiving in malaga. singing on the beach. youtube fireplace.

Thankful. Skype (keeping me connected to home). Skype dates (you know who you are!). Anyone who pushed me to go through with coming to Spain (seriously, I cannot thank you enough). Grad school, Children's Center, and student teaching (teaching me what I know about teaching). Discount airlines (traveling!!!). Disneyland (miss you!). Banyan (who? what?). Family (their good health and safety). Liwanag (always). My school. The view. The roommate (keeping each other sane for sure). Friends I've made here. Family I've made here (we're real like who?!).

skyping with these crazies. liwanag. family. disneyland. spanish family.

week thirteen: barcelona.

Welcome to Catalan. Different language. Different region.

Gothic Quarter (Barri Gothic). free tour. tour guide jaime. start in plaça catalunya. flashbacks of summer 2010 (birds, shopping, allergic reactions). learn about dali. plaça de sant felip neri. "Always remember the victims of fascist regimes". vicky, cristina, barcelona. jewish quarter. la seu cathedral. gargoyles. performing skeletons. riots during huelga. people stacking contests. learn about catalan vs. rest of spain. street art. picasso's old art school (paint tossed in protest). white sangria. asking the tour guide appropriate (and inappropriate) questions. begin the lunch quest.

the cathedral. plaça catalunya. street art. hanging socks. dancing skeletons.

Exploring the city. barcaloneta. lunch at la fonda. fancy lunch. fried fish on a plate. paella. tiramisu. "have you heard of beauty and the beast?". crazy old who? boats with interesting names. arc de triompf. fountain show at mont jüic. hearing "payphone". awesome music sets (top hits, jazz, 80s). my under 5’5" partner in crime. little girls rockin out. shotgunning. jonah galifianakis. zach hill. ping pong balls. not making it out of our (awesome) hostel. apollo. cover charge (what?!). 80s spanish music. techno. kenny and john. losing people. staying awake. meeting other hostelers (HARTemis Fowl and stephanie who gave pringles).

barcaloneta pier. jonah galifianakis. munchkins. favorite part of the trip.

A city to get lost in (literally). a starbucks kind of morning. starbucks name: crij (catalan?). sagrada familia. audio guides. gaudi. colorful stained glass. tree-like structures. where'd everyone go? (what happened?). trek to parc güell. attempt to find everyone #2 (unsuccessful). hanging out at the benches. mosaics. longest benches ever. head back to the hostel. fb messages. reunited (after 3+ hours). disappearance theories. play pool. broken table. tapas for dinner. delicious and fancy hamburgers. "have you heard of arranged marriages?". love on top. annie's challenge for the night. upside down and inside out. staying up till our flight.

sagrada familia. solo at parc güell. gaudi´s impressive work. last night in barcelona.

definitely need to come back to barcelona.

week twelve: seville, gibraltar, and morocco.

back to seville. reunited and it feels sooooo good. catching up on the bus with kendrea. tinto de veranos upon arrival. plaza de armas. the river. actually knowing where to go. sin mapa. the living roof hostel.walking aimlessly and eating. losing weight and gaining hair. considering standing in front of CLIC (what nerds!). "window" shopping. someone recognizing you (like being home). KENDREA. SAM. LAUREN. unplanned halloween costumes (katniss, little red, highlighter, angelina jolie). making it to our rooftop. fancy tapas. inappropriate waiter behavior. free wine (siiike). sweeping up salvador. buddha. wobbling. cupid shuffle. arguing about street cleaners. being real like j.lo and ja. oh seville. 

love love love seville. view from our rooftop. tapas. buddha. wandering the city.

gibraltar. wake up to shaggy. traveling with study abroaders (uhhhh). pit stop with feesh-squeezed oj. sleep. getting to gibraltar. europa point. awesome playgrounds. st. michael's cave. distinguishing between stalagtite and stalagmite. cave concert hall (echoooo). ape's den. monkeys. keeping distance. study abroader getting sandwich stolen. monkeys jumping on heads (feels like a pillow being thrown at you). fish&chips. euros, dollars, or pounds. comfy ferry ride. beginning of delirium. middle name: houston. planning to row in umbrellas. quoting that 70's show, friends, mean girls. sleepy babies. waiting at the border. best tour guide ever (amanda dealing with the study abroaders). music charades. loopiest dinner ever. clean plate club. dirty plate club (population: me). poopies (puppies). k.o. after day one.

europa point. st michael's cave. monkey friends. sleepy much?!

morocco. leave for chefchaouen. rain. super precious tour guide (couldn't understand a word he said except FILIPINA!!!). surrounded by blue (my kind of town). shopping. tag-team bartering like maniacs. getting THE pants. everyone owing everyone. being spoken to in japanese (?!?!). tetuan. prince ali-esque type of entrance to lunch. expressionless musicians. yummy delicious moroccan food (soup, kebabs, a crunchy-wrap looking dish, mint tea). pharmacy stop similar to the home shopping network. awkward massages. stress-relieving oils. color-changing lipstick. trying to stop shopping. taking myspace mirror pictures. dance party for two. WiFi break. walmart-type store in africa (spain needs one). converting dirham to euro to usd (struggling). getting left behind for dinner. dinner show. sweaty (but really rained on) boys. so much food. being the old table. moroccan family portrait. buying fezes (shot girl!). dancing next to the hotel. limbo with kendrea's scarf. the oldies bringing the party (of course). pants party. impromptu pool party (at 4am). freezing water. concierge and amanda yelling. janky bathtub (wonder why?!). impromptu sleep over with my girls.

blue city. my tour guide buddy. traditional moroccan restaurant. family portrait aka the oldies.

camel ride home? chocolate-filled breakfast. sam and lauren's adopted donkey and child. kendrea jumping on a donkey. baby camels. (solo) mean muggin with camels (thanks shea & dan). jumping pics. short camel ride (as promised). hands in the air. happy old lady riding a camel. cave of hercules. awesome viewpoint. being cave people. heading back to the ferry. (one of) the best (and most intense) conversations. soothing voices. "life is crazy". pistachio yogurt. fancy ferry. leather recliners. k.o. instantly. hugs all around. back to malaga. 

camels. mean muggin. cave of hercules. fancy ferry. awesome peole.

wouldn't have this weekend come out any other way.

week eleven: halloween in spain.

Halloween in Spain does not equal Halloween in America. Not even in the slightest. Spaniards have come to embrace the "trick" rather than the "treat", redefining October 31st.

For the entire week of Halloween all my lessons were devoted to teaching my students about the holiday as it is celebrated in America. I would read a story (Go Away Big Scary Green Monster for my younger students and The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything for my older students) which was followed by a presentation of my Halloween (see Prezi below). Students participated (the shoes went CLOMP CLOMP and the shirt went WIGGLE WIGGLE). Some students even asked questions about my presentation. Their questions helped me gain some insight on their versions of Halloween.

Clarisse´s Halloween on Prezi

One student asked about our costume choices (trust, they were only given PG examples of costumes). They didn't understand why people were dressed as M&Ms or princesses or Rubik's cubes. I explained that Halloween allowed people to be anything they wanted. Then I learned that the only costumes worn by Spaniards dealt with blood and gore-regardless of age or gender. Curious.

school decorations.

Then another student asked if we threw eggs at homes or played other tricks on people. I said no then began a mini lesson on what was vandalism and destroying other's property. The same student explained how he and his brother bought 250 eggs the previous year and threw it all at one house. Curious.

Halloween day rolled around and sure enough 99% of the student body was dressed as something dying or dead. I only spotted one Spiderman and one pumpkin. All the teachers were dressed, the halls were decorated, and Halloween music replace the school's bell. This school took Halloween to a level higher than any of the schools I've been to in the states. They even had a food contest and a school-wide performance set to the Ghostbusters theme song. 

Definitely an interesting experience seeing another country's take on a holiday from your home country.

week six-ten: settling down.

here's a little update on the past month in:

after 1 month here i'd like to believe that i've finally settled down.

Apartment hunting. Planned on living with Spaniards. Went to first apartment viewing. Could not speak with said Spaniard. Decided to live with another teacher from my program. Found the perfect apartment. Had some troubles with the landlords (already!). Got the apartment. Have our own rooms: check. Close to beach: check. Love it: check.

me and the roomie! our barney kitchen. living room with a (great) view. blue bathroom. welcome to our humble abode.

It's all a process. So much paperwork. Signing contracts. Getting WiFi (going to Burger King twice a day just to get WiFi). Signing up for Spanish classes. Getting bank accounts. Applying for residency cards in the city. Fortunately (or unfortunately depending on how you see it) being helped by people who spoke English.

Exploring Torremolinos. Lots of Brits tanning on the beaches. People assuming you don't know Spanish (which i guess is true). Lots of beaches. Lots of hotels. Chiringuitos everywhere. Where are you nightlife?! La Nogalera (hmm). Getting yelled at by bus drivers. Finding a delicious chinese restaurant (Jumbo Chino). Adventurous weekends with friends ("nothing in spain is awkward"/tearing out bushes/pimp master/making messes).

friends visiting for all the memorable adventures.

Exploring Malaga (the city). Meeting up with friends. Trying to gain bearings ("make three lefts"). Going to cafés where it's "impossible" to order two small sandwiches. Seeing the waterless river. Walking along the Port of Malaga. Dreaming of going on cruises. Seeing a boat called "The Banyan". Figuring out the public transport. Going to an Irish bar in Spain to meet with American friends (hmm). Getting Taco Bell (but sadly no chalupas). Going to Picasso's birth home. Seeing another Magritte (grotesque exhibit). Analyzing Picasso's art (does the woman have two faces?!). 

just hanging with pablo. cruise ships. grotesque exhibit. malaga's winding streets. art along the river. sad days in the roman markets.

Exploring Malaga (the province). Going to Torre Del Mar (feels a lot more Spanish than Torremolinos). Yummy tapas. Watching european basketball (i spy sasha and farmar!). Relaxing on a terrace in the rain. Going to Nerja. Games to and from. Not making it to the caves (best detour ever). The all-white clothing store. Cat guardians of the beach. Ominous weather. Complete relaxation. Day pictures! More yummy tapas. Exploring without direction.

crazy cats. mountains. the sea. ominous surroundings. nerja.

  

week three-five: seville.

The last three weeks in Seville have gone by so fast. Here are a few highlights:

Weekend trip to Granada. Bus rides (always fun). Comfortable hotel with a breakfast buffet (yum!) and a rooftop pool we didn't get to swim in. Lots of walking of course. Amazing views of the city and the Alhambra. Bazaars. Shopping on a budget. Sushi. Not understanding the Spanish tour. AUDIOGUIDES (in English!). Exploring the Alhambra (AMAZING). Getting left by the group. Not knowing how to get back to the center. Eating on a budget. "Finding" 5 euros. Taking 30 minutes to figure out what to do with the 5 euros (ice cream + water). Success.

The Alhambra. Casas sin gente, Gente sin casas. Audioguides. Bazaars.

Intercambios. Can you say memorable?! Eye-opening (how much do you know about the world around us?). Definitely entertaining. Spanish practice. English practice. Meeting new people. 3 hr conversations. Finding out your ability to converse is more than you thought. "Mejor sola que mal acompañada". "No game". "FOMO".

Our intercambios: Irene y Antonio.

Classes at CLIC. New students from Australia, Belgium, and Germany. New teacher (hasta luego Vicky y hola Reyes). Learning A LOT. Getting super competitive during games. Playing ¨Guess Who?¨. Having entire conversations in Spanish. Watching Spanish films. Field trips. Chocolate con churro.Walking around Sevilla.

Class fieldtrips. Eating. Exhibitions.

General wanderings. Late nights at the river. Discotecas. Celebrating birthdays. Being a tourist. Finally making it to the Cathedral. Casa de Pilatos. Jazz night at Naima. Getting lost (but not as often!). Feeding fish. Picnic at Plaza España. Falling in love with Sevilla.

Views from the Giralda and the Setas. Matalascañas Beach. Picnic at Plaza España. Nights by the river.

See you soon, Seville. It´s been amazing.

week two: seville.

dos semanas down. many more to go (yes...appreciate the spanglish).

successes of the week: getting my bearings of central seville. "cooler" temperature. being in an awesome (level 1) class. having an awesome profesora. saying my first whole spanish sentence in conversation: mi amiga esta enferma (thanks for getting sick Lauren hehe). pronunciación class. distinguishing between the different spanish sounds. understanding most of a spanish movie (paloma de papel). getting to the spanish movie. first beach trip in cuesta maneli, huelva. borrowed my first book in spanish (el gran libro de charlie brown!). videochatting back home. using the bus. understanding pieces of conversation with my senora and her mom.

views from: "my" rooftop, the marketplace, spanish class, and the walk to school.

struggles of the week: spanish placement test (wrote my name and phone number but more amusing than struggle). broken shoe from first shopping trip. trying to fight the mega tax increase. attempting to decipher descriptions on necessities (shampoo = champú). coming home at given times for meals (time gets confusing when the sun goes down at 9). remembering all content from spanish class (is it estar or tener or ser?!). losing our awesome profesora ('ta luego, Vicky). understanding the spanish but automatically responding in choppy french. adapting to spanish nightlife. missing the bus. getting overcharged by taxidrivers. getting bitten by mosquitos. trying not to touch the mosquito bites. finding hot cheetos.

highlights from: the roman ruins of italica, plaza de toro, and the beaches of heulva.

(some favorite) words/phrases of the week: baloncesto (basketball), hambre vs. hombre (note the difference: hungry vs. man), tener calor vs. tener caliente (really note the difference: feeling warm from the heat vs. very inappropriate comment), viajar (to travel), tres mil trescientos treinta y tres (3,333 because i like the number 3),

 que pasa? (what's up or what's wrong with you), palabras (words), y chinos (discount shops run by...people of chinese descent).

curious of how spanish will be with our new teacher. excited for next week's events (granada, museos, and a class on the culture of the flamenco (taught in spanish!)).

week one: seville.

highlights through the week. includes orientation, the metropol parasol (or mushroom), the alcazar, paella, homestay, shopping, and the cathedral. 

one week down. many more to go.
previous spanish knowledge: zero (unless hola and bueno count).

successes of the week: getting to spain without delays or losing luggage. ordering food (by pointing and nodding). not getting heat stroke with the 110+ temperatures. somewhat communicating with my host mom. 4-wk immersion group. getting a cell phone. shopping (always a success). SIESTAS.

struggles of the week: barely understanding what anyone is saying (charades anyone?!). moving around with luggage. getting lost around the center of seville. spanish (re)view. the heat. having UK plugs instead of EU plugs. slowing the pace of life down. overcoming jet lag. eating schedule.

words/phrases of the week: tinto de verano (wine plus juice or soda). voy a reventar (eating so much you want to explode). vale (expression used to confirm or say okay).

definitely excited to start spanish classes tomorrow. it'll be exciting to be able to communicate with words!