Julie's Blog: Out with the Mayor

Hey Folks!

Sorry it has been a while since I have updated, I just didn’t have too much to say or when I did, I wasn’t at a place to sit down and write.

I have not traveled the world since Málaga but I have enjoyed my current home in Vera, Almería. I have made some friends and come accustomed to siesta and café. I even tried these rice/corn puff things all the children have been eating daily only to find out they are mind blowingly delicious! I devoured the whole bag (which is normal with kids, normally they eat 2-3 bags) and I felt like I had taken a new step into the Spanish culture. The six Americans located in Vera have all met the same Spanish friends and we have enjoyed numerous nights out for cañas (beer) and tapas. We have also used them to our benefit and solely speak Spanish which has been going very well! They sometimes do have to be our translators as a few of them know a little English. We have even met their parents! The culture here is unlike the U.S. It is normal to live with your parents well into your late 20’s and even early 30’s! They are not kicked out after college and it is not looked down upon. I feel like the relationships between parents and their children are very strong here as well due to the fact that they live with each other for so long and even if they don’t, they both normally live in the same city, allowing for them to go out together for a family social gathering.

During one of our gatherings I have tried many different tapas at our prime location “Bandi”. Here are just a few tapa items I have indulged in: clams, mussels, blood sausage, quail eggs w/ tomato paste and bread, calamari and many others. You have to be open to new things when living in a different culture/country and hence I have actually taken a liking to a few different types of shell fish such as clams. Mussels are a little too big and chewy for me.

This past Thursday was “San Teacher”. Thursday nights all the teachers go out for bebidas and have a good time. I was invited to meet up with all the teachers from my school. We all sat at a large table and talked. It was great and a great way to use my Spanish! If they heard anyone speaking English they would say Spanish Only. Some tapas, drinks and many toasts we all decided to leave the bar. Apparently a few teachers were not ready to go home yet … hence I hoped in a teacher’s car and we all drove to a new place. There were about 15 or more of us! I then realized once we got to this new bar that I had NO idea where we were and didn’t know which way was home … Oops! However at this bar I realized that one of my favorite guys from school and who has a great sense of humor is the MAYOR of Vera!!! I had drinks and tapas with the MAYOR and he talks to be daily at school and is soooo nice! I was shocked when I found out his status. I don’t quite know what he does at our school or if he just walks around from school to school during the day but this was definitely a shock and a great time! He was also making sure everyone was having a good time, had a drink in their hand and was very welcoming! How many people can say they drink, eat, and regularly talk with the Mayor!?!?! Anywho … I also indulged in a few games of pool, thinking I can get lucky with this game sometimes so I’ll give it a shot. Well … needless to say the rules in Spain are quite different from the U.S. and I still have no idea how to play! Here are a few things I learned … 1. If you scratch, the other team gets two turns in a row, 2. If you scratch on the 8 ball it doesn’t matter, 3. You have to get the 8 ball in the opposite pocket that you got your last ball into, 4. Ask them if you should hit it “fuerte” (hard) or “suave” (soft). This pointer was the best one I got … and that is eventually how I played rather than trying to get balls in because once there was only the 8 ball left I had nooooo idea what was going on! My college degree didn’t teach me this in Spanish!

Moving onto Friday, I went out with a few Spaniards and my roommate. We once again stopped at Bandi because I was craving some clams and then went on to El Palmeral. It was fun but nothing too exciting!

Saturday morning I got up and decided to check out the market that occurs every Saturday in Vera. This market was a LOT bigger than I expected and slightly overwhelming but very interesting non-the-less. They had everything such as cloths, toys, jewelry, fruit, vegetables, fish, meat, candy and nuts. I walked around for an hour and a half and weaved through the streets of Vera which I had not explored. I was on a mission to find a pumpkin to carve for Halloween and to bake pumpkin seeds. While on my mission I stopped to get some delicious grapes and green beans. Being a veggie-acholic, this market with so many fresh vegetables could be dangerous for me! However, my mission to find a pumpkin failed … kind of. I found a few and a lady told me there was a story over by the grocery store that sold them in all sizes. I walked that way and went into a Frutería that had a pumpkin in the window. She told me I could have it for 20€ … I said no way! Hence I never found this pumpkin store, and didn’t get a pumpkin but did enjoy the atmosphere and my fruit and veggies. Later that night I went over to one of the American’s house and we decided to go look for pizza. We found a little pizza joint near by that had amazing pizzas! I got the veggie pizza without cheese! The others got pork, veggies, spicey sausage and another one. They were delicious and we will definitely be returning. After that we chatted over wine and bananagrams. Good relaxing evening!

Recently, I have picked back up on knitting (hacer punto). Another girl here knits as well and is going to teach me other things to make besides scarf’s. Hence, today I took my knitting up to the top of the mountain that overlooks the surrounding area including: Vera, Garrucha, Mojácar and the Mediterranean Sea. It was very relaxing up there in the sun and the view was stunning.

The View from the top. Vera is to the left and cut off but you can see the Sea~

Me and Vera in the background :) And my school!

I am looking forward to starting my FIFTH week of work. I have been given a few projects to do such as posters to decorate the classroom, games to come up with for Halloween and a few other activities. I do not have a huge creative mind when it comes to activities and games but I am enjoying the work they are giving me as it keeps me busy during my “Prepare Materials” time and as well as during the week when I do not have work.

Next weekend I will be heading back to my original home in Spain, Madrid. I am traveling with the same girl I went to Málaga with. I am very excited to return to Madrid and explore it again! Until next time … Hasta luego!

Besos

Here are a few pictures from Malaga!

The cathedral

In Spain, they often run into many ruins mid construction. Thus, they have to stop and leave the site as is so people can come in and investigate them. The construction workers than have to find a new location no matter how far along they are in their work. This is a picture of ruins in a construction zone.