The wonders of the big city and the little pueblo towns!

¡BOO! … I never realized how much fun teaching the students about Halloween could be!  The week before Halloween all the teachers got in to the Halloween spirit and that’s all the kids learned about (more or less) for that week!  I had originally thought that Spain didn’t celebrate Halloween but apparently they do; although it is quite different.  I printed a text about Halloween for the students and made a poster.  Later in the week we played Halloween Bingo.  Before they all got treats they had to say “trick or treat” and then I explained why they had to do this, because that’s what we say in the States when we go door to door.  They also had their own form of Halloween.  The 6^th and 3^rd grade classes went outside and made a “potion” and had a feast.  Basically they added sugar, apples, oranges, and coffee (don’t ask) to pineapple juice and while they did this one of the teachers was reading a story.  It was fun!  We were outside for this and I saw all the 3-5 year olds dressed up in costumes running around the “patio”.  It was so cute!  Here in Spain people do not dress up like we do, they only dress up in scary costumes like witches, vampires, ghosts etc … No princesses, ballerinas, cowboys or things like that.  It was definitely a fun week! 

That weekend I returned to my first Spanish hometown, Madrid.  Though I did not do any sightseeing or tourist activities, I had fun none-the-less.  I ventured to Madrid on an 8 hour bus ride that left Vera at 7 am.  We traveled throughout Spain going from Vera to Murcia to Alicante and finally settling in Madrid.  Some of the bus stops along the way seemed a tad bit “shady” but I managed to survive. 

Once I arrived in Madrid, I felt at home as I headed to my hostel on the Metro; which I now tend to love due to the lack of a [big] Metro in Sevilla and other cities that I have visited.  I never realized how handy it was until I returned to Spain for the second time.  This time I have been on my own without the planned coach buses shuttling us from place to place as I had while studying abroad.   Moving on from my tangent … I arrived at our hostel (Way Hostel) and it was very nice compared to some that I have stayed in.  I was in a Mixed Dorm with 8 beds.  Sadly I was not placed in the same room as my friend, but it worked out anyways as I made friends with people in my room and everyone was very friendly.

It was raining when I arrived and thus we decided to head to Gran Vía to do some shopping and make a pit stop on the way at our favorite restaurant [Cien Montaditos], for a mid day snack; which was of course delicious!  After that we ventured onto the enormous street of Gran Vía on a mission for some warmer cloths.  Warmer cloths you might say?!  True, I have experienced a fall day here in Spain, gloomy and windy but I still happen to be wearing a t-shirt or a light sweater, definitely not the same as in the States.  However, the nights here tend to get VERY chilly!  I often find myself wearing sweats, socks, sweatshirts and my hood to bed even with a quilt and blanket.  Granted we do not have any type of heating.  But when I do head to school at 9am I could use a sweater a bit heavier or when I venture out onto the buses at 7 am.  I will also be traveling to Italy and Portugal over winter vacation and the weather could be a bit chilly. 

After stopping in at a few stores and purchasing some new cloths, we found some outrageous hats that would add to our lack of a Halloween costume. 

We both had been caught up in teaching Halloween at our schools that we forgot Halloween costumes for ourselves.  Some Americans we are for not representing the holiday wildly celebrated in the US.  We went out to dinner that night on a small side street for pizza.  It was delicious and we also had patatas bravas (fried potatoes with brava sauce).  After that we headed to an Irish Pub, O’Connell’s, one of the two I normally hung out at while I was in Madrid.  The bar was all decorated with spider webs, pumpkins and other festive decorations.  This was Saturday night (the night of Day Light Savings in Spain).  We hung out for a bit and mingled with a group of Spaniards who had 8 people in the same costume.  I’m not sure if it’s someone from Scream or I Know What You Did Last Summer.  They were in black and had that weird scary mask on.  It was pretty funny.  We also ran into someone being Beetlejuice, although he didn’t know the name of his character. 

The next day it was still raining.  We managed to walk around Sol, stop in at Cien Montaditos for lunch and venture to a few shoes stores.  Nothing too out of the ordinary.  Came back after lunch and shoe shopping for a shower and to relax.  After that we decided to have a relaxing night by making pasta at the hostel over a bottle of wine, even though it was officially Halloween.  We did end up walking around Sol and looking at all the people dressed up in costumes and taking pictures.  It was fun!  After that I decided I wanted to get to bed for we had to be up early to catch the bus.  I then met some Brazilians in my room who were studying in London.  They were getting ready to go out for the night and had never celebrated Halloween before.  They were really funny and kept asking me if their face painting was scary enough.  It was fun.  The next morning I departed for Vera on another 8 hour bus ride.  Good trip over all!

The next week flew by as usual and I honestly can say I love my job!  The kids try to lock me in the classroom and put up a ninja front because they don’t want me to leave!  I forgot how much I adore kids!  The teachers are also so nice we I went out with them again on a Thursday night for tapas and beers!  I was brave a ate pigs ear that one of my teachers had ordered as a tapa.  I definitely could feel the cartilage but it didn’t taste bad otherwise (not that I would ever order that on my own).  

Saturday morning as I might have mentioned before, Vera has a very large street market.  This time I decided to buy more veggies.  I first bought yellow peppers, potatoes and zucchini and it was so cheap!  I was so shocked that I had a field day and bought more such as ½ kilo of green beans, green onions, parsley and one or two other vegetables and this all cost me under 5€!  It was simply amazing!  I am from now on getting my fruit and vegetables from the market as they are fresh and cheap!  Saturday night me and another girl at my school went out with the teachers again to Garrucha and Mojácar.  We stopped in Garrucha for tapas and beers.  We then proceeded to another bar where they have free salsa classes on Thursday nights.  After this around 2:30 am we FINALLY headed to Mojácar to the dance club Mandala.  It’s crazy how late they stay out!  One of the teachers said that if we had gone earlier there would have been no one there.  Around 5 am after dancing and warding off some Spanish men who my teacher said are “octopus’s” she noticed us getting tired and took us home.  Although she said that her and her husband normally stay out until 8 am!  I was EXHAUSTED by 5am!  That will only happen once in a great while! 

Since then I have caught up on some school projects, cleaned the house and now updated my blog.  My roommate and I have also had a few dinners over at our house.  We have made some delicious dishes and love any company that would like to visit :) 

 Meluza with onions, garlic, steamed spinach and peas -- before baking in the oven

Patatas Pobres -- Potatoes, Onions, Peppers all fried up in olive oil

I have some visitors coming in the next month, along with celebrating Thanksgiving in Spain.  I will definitely be back to update!  I hear it’s been slightly warmer in the States!

Un besito,

Julie

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.

 View from the Castillo

 Me at the Alcazaba

 View on the walk up to Castillo.  The Plaza de Toros with the city of Malaga and the Med. Sea in the back ground.  Doesn't get much prettier!

Primer Viaje!

Hello Everyone!

This past weekend was a 4 day weekend due to the “Fiesta National de Espana” (National Festival in Spain) and thus I decided to take my first trip outside of Almeria.  Me and another girl from orientation who is teaching in Chipiona (by Cadiz)met in Malaga, Spain.  

She had Friday off and I still had to teach, hence I arrived late at night after 7 hours on a bus!  We went to one of our favorite restaurants, Cien Monteditos (100 Sandwiches).  They have 100 different types of sandwiches that are from 1-2€ a piece.  It is delicious and cheap!  You also get a large beer for 1€ if you order a sandwich.  I got 4 sandwiches (they are small) and a drink.  We have decided that on future trips, we will always have to have a meal at Cien Monteditos if there is one in that city.  After that we hung out at the hostel until bedtime.  Our hostel was very cheap and we were in a room with 8 other beds but only two were filled that night.  In the middle of the night one of the girls cried/screamed for about 5 seconds and I jolted up because it scared me.  However, she seemed to just have been dreaming … needless to say it was an interesting night sleep.

The following day was rainy L However; we proceeded to walk around the city after buying umbrellas.  Couldn’t let a little rain stop our vacation.  We went to the Picasso Museum and the Cathedral before eating tapas at a few different restaurants for lunch (although this is normally done in the evening, tapas).  The Cathedral was very similar to the one in Sevilla and once again I might be getting Cathedral-ed out.  They all start to blench together after a while and look the same.  However, I tried to appreciate it.  At the Picasso Museum, I also am not one to understand art but it was interesting to see over 150 different pieces of his work.  We also made friends with a Germany woman who was in Spain for 2 weeks. 

After the Picasso Museum and Cathedral, we walked around looking in the different souvenir shops but not yet buying anything.  We then went to “Café Central” for dinner.  A place suggested in the Lonely Planet book that was pretty good, although for dessert I was craving “Churros con chocolate” and they some how did not have churros even though they advertised them.  Lol.  I was slightly disappointed. That night it rained all night but we woke up to the sun !

The following day it was sunny little cwe visited the Alcazaba and Castillo de Gibralfaro.  Alcazaba was an old palace for a Muslim governer.  It was beautiful to walk around the outsides and the many gardens that flooded the building.  Castillo de Gibralfaro was also a castle that acted as a lighthouse and a military barracks.  However nothing remained of the inside so we simply wandered around the walls outside.  It is placed VERY high on the top of the mountain and overlooks the entire city as well as Alcazaba.  There were many gorgeous sights from these heights!  The climb up to the walls was very steep and I could definitely feel it in my knees the next morning.  

After our walking journey’s through the castles of Málaga and its history, we decided to enjoy a little sun on the beach even though it was around 4pm.  First we stopped at Corte Ingles (the famous store that has everything!) to grab a bottle of wine.  We finally made our decision on some cava and began to move on to the snack section … less than 2 minutes after we left the wine section we heard this loud clank and the sound of water flowing everywhere and bottles falling.  We ran back to the wine section and saw that right where we were standing not even 2 minutes ago, the ceiling from above had fallen through due to a pipe bursting or something like that as water was flowing from the ceiling all over the place and knocking bottles over!  The smell was AWFUL and we decided next time we need to make faster decisions so ceilings don’t fall!!! 

We then proceeded to the beach before heading back to the hostel to change for dinner.  The day before while wandering around the small streets we found a restaurant with a flamenco show on Sunday nights and decided to go.  That night we had dinner at a yummy restaurant and watched a flamenco show!  Good meal/end to our vacation.  Later that night we headed back to the hostel to enjoy some cava while we chatted with some people in the hostel from Scotland.  They were very nice and I liked hearing them talk as their choice of words are so different.  For example …. “a wee bit” and “toilets” instead of bathroom/washroom.  The following morning my friend left real early and I had to get up with her because I had turned off my phone and thus didn’t have an alarm.  I then headed off to a café where I had a cortado and tostada con tomate.  I have come to love tostada con tomate.  This is toast with a tomate paste that seems to be mashed tomates and olive oil.  Very yummy and good!  I then walked to the bus station and waited for my bus for two hours and then headed off back to the town of Vera.

Today is the National Festival in Spain and hence nothing is open so I went to the beach this morning and now simply trying to figure out what to do with my time!  That was my first weekend trip and I am excited to begin another week of work!!  Love the little kids and them saying “hola sena” “Hello teacher” all the time J

Besos,

Julie

PS.  Pictures are not uploading correctly ... will hopefully have them up soon!  Sorry!

Some pictures!

 The view outside my windows :)  Plaza del Hospital

 Living Room ... yes the couches need to be covered

 Hallway to bedrooms

 Here is the puppy I want to adopt and named  Pico (I nibble) -- He always nibbles on my shirt to get my attention

 My room (I got the good view/window )

 Plaza de Toros en Vera

 First night in Vera -- sunset

 Med. Sea

 Women dancing at the festival

Ruins that we passed on the train ride through Almeria, Spain.

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¡Estoy viviendo en Espana!

I have been in Spain for just over a month now.  It has flown by when I look back but at the same time the days seem to drag on.  It is hard to imagine that when I studied abroad, I was already ¼ the way done; now I am only 1/9^th the way done.  I have also started to indulge in the Spanish tradition of café.  Many people drink “café con leche” which is just coffee and milk, but with my lactose in tolerant self I result to “café cortado”, which is café with just a splash of milk and then proceed to add lots of sugar.  The coffee here is VERY strong and the first time I tried just plain coffee I was almost knocked over!

I arrived in my province on September 25^th.  The first night reminded me of my Spain excursions as we went to the grocery store and bought cheese, chorizo, bread and 1.5€ wine.  Then we proceeded to sit on the beach just down the road from our hotel and watch the sunset and get our first glimpse of the Spanish beach culture … topless people.  However, tourist season and summer has officially ended and so there were only a few people, not too many.  The following days all blur together as I set off on a mission to find a place to live.  Due to the fact that this town is so small, one literally has to walk around to obtain numbers for apartments “se aquila” (for rent).  Then began the nerve-racking and tedious process of calling these people and trying to ask about their apartment and set up an appointment all in Spanish.  Needless to say I could use a few conversation classes to improve my confidence level in the area of speaking Spanish.  The next few days numbers, money amounts and rooms all gathered in this little notebook of mine. 

Before long I ran into a place located in Garrucha that was rented by an L&C A (Language and Cultural Assistant) like myself.  The landlord knew English and was the receptionist at my hotel.  She gave me a ride to view the apartment and the deck overlooked the Mediterranean Sea and was gorgeous.  The apartment was small but that seems to be the style here.  The washing machine was on the deck outside of the “master” bedroom.  Later that night I went with a few girls from the program to the festival that was being held in our school town, Vera.  Bea (the landlord of the first place and the receptionist) told us it was a great experience to feel the ambiance and indulge in Spanish tradition.  We walked around the different venders, drank cerveza (beer), and  ate two different meals plates.  One consisted of chicken (or rabbit, not sure), peppers and patatas.  The other was blood sausage (I did not try), pork, patatas, fried egg and a few other meats.  Following that we arrived at a stage and saw that something was going to start and thus proceeded to stick around.  There were men playing different types of guitars (or whatever they are called here) and then women walking out in traditional dresses of some sort with baskets.  The men played music and the women began to do a dance of some sort.  Very interesting.  Then afterwards came out to the audience with their baskets which were filled with unknown fruit.  After this there were many carnival rides that would most likely have been illegal in the US!  They had the swinging ship but with standing cages on the end.  People were standing and going perpendicular to the ground!  It was fun and crazy.  We then decided to stick around later to see what the dancing was all about that people said started happening around 1 am.  Was stuck around until 3 while dancing a bit and listening to the latest songs in Spanish.  We all soon figured out about the unreliable transportation in Vera.  We waited for an hour after calling four times for a taxi and having one finally arrive.  I also learned that the busses were not very punctual either.  This is when I decided I had to look else where besides Garrucha for an apartment if I wanted to get to work on time. 

After looking and asking for prices I finally found one in the small pueblo of Vera.  The city is pretty much like a ghost town from Oct-March when the beaches are not in season.  However this is my new home and I will make due!  Long story short, I have a wonderful apartment in the heart of the city!  My new home definitely gives off a Spanish vibe as it overlooks “Plaza de Hospital” (which does not have a hospital but just a library and I think a church) and a cute littler restaurant on the corner that I have been to three times!  Patatas alioli are my favorite!  There are small floor to ceiling windows with small railings.  The furniture and appliances are all old and worn but it’s the Spanish way.  The apartment came with cooking utensils but I have had to buy my own sheets, towels etc … 

I also have a roommate that is doing this program as well whom I met the day he moved in.  Very nice and we get along well.  We also are both interested in cooking different Spanish dishes and are beginning to only speak Spanish to each other.  We had “Arroz a la Cubana” the other day for lunch and it was delicious.  This is rice with tomato sauce and an egg on top.  We also had breaded eggplant.  Yummy!   As some of you might know, all you buy here is whole fish … fillets are rare to come by.  Hence, me and my roommate are going to attempt to cook a whole fish later this week … yikes!  We will see how it goes! 

Now … I started work on Friday and we were only there for an hour but I am SO excited!  Everyone (meaning the teachers and staff) were so welcoming and excited to have native English speakers in their school.  They have to speak English to us and we have to respond in Spanish.  I got many kisses that day!  Then we walked around to the classrooms and all the kids said hello.  I will be teaching mostly 4^th,5^th and 6^th graders.  I have Monday’s off and half a day on Tuesdays.  I am so excited to begin my experience!  I hope to get to know some of the teachers and have them show me around the town and introduce me to some Spaniards! 

The internet is hard to come by here and I have to go to the Plaza outside or in the library in order to get it.  Hence being in the plaza I have met an abandon puppy.  He has an underbite and is so cute.  Every time I sit on the bench he comes and snuggles with me and tries to nibble at my shirt to get my attention.  Hence I named him Pico (I bite/nibble).  I hope he does not have fleas as I have been petting him and he has been laying on me but I guess we will find out!  Haha.

That is my past week or so experience here in my new residence for the next 8 months!  I am both excited and nervous!  Now that things are settling down and I don’t have so much to do I have started to get homesick but hopefully once school picks up I will find myself with more to do and less time to think about the US … I mean I’m living in Spain!  How much better could it be?!?! 

Hope everyone is enjoying my blog!  Time to eat some lunch and possibly go to the beach J

Besos,

Julie