Last night, my aunt and I stayed up late watching American-dubbed-in-German, movies on TV. First of all, I have come to realized that I appreciate English movies so much more when I watch it in German. The first movie I saw in German (also here in Munich, 5 years ago) was Notting Hill. I saw Notting Hill before that and I hated it!!! Then I watched in German and I loved it! I did not understand a word but I loved it. The past two nights, I've been watching movies dubbed in German and I've really enjoyed it. I don't know why??!!! Are some movies just so horribly written that you can enjoy them without knowing exactly what's going on? Or am I just a weirdo and enjoy listening to people speak a language I don't understand??? Probably both...who knows??!!!
But I digress. The point of this post is that while watching the movies, I saw something nightmarish. Just like in the States, German channels start to air 1-800 type ads after a certain time late at night. The only difference is that here, they really show nudity in the ads! I mean girls with their boobies and asses and whatnot, and I can only assume they are telling people to call a number . Thankfully, they don't show their va jay jays!
Anyway, all of a sudden the ad shows a shot of a grandma showing her huge hooters!! I am not kidding you! She was this old lady with big grey hair, like Barbara Bush hair! She was old!!! It was disgusting! I was disgusted and amused at the same time. My aunt and I couldn't stop laughing, but I felt so grossed out at the same time. I didn't want to go to sleep because I didn't want to have nightmares about it.
Old woman, giant-after-having-had-so-many-babies, wrinkly boobs! WTF!!!
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Feliz Navidad!
Merry Christmas everybody!!! I went to bed last night and thought, man I just wrote a really cheesy, unjolly Christmas blog. So I´m sorry if I just depressed you all on Christmas day!
My Christmas is actually awesome so far. We had a Christmas eve dinner at my aunt´s house and my Tito Peter´s sister and her family came. It was a very, very lovely dinner. Then we all grabbed some kind of musical instrument, played and sang Christmas songs. It was awesome! I´m totally making my family do that every Christmas. After our sing along, we opened Christmas presents. Everyone was great enough to give me a gift...it was so sweet I almost cried!
After some coffee and cookies, we all went to Midnight mass. Yup, I went to church! Thankfully, god did not strike me with lightning. But I´m sure he/she/it was very surprised to see me there. It was all in German so I didn´t understand a word.
It´s traditional for Germans to drink gluwine during Christmas. Gluwine is like wine mixed with, I believe, spices and juice. It´s a hot drink so they love drinking it during cold weather. So each year after midnight mass, all the church-goers gather outside the church, in the freezing cold, to drink gluwine. Since I don´t do well with wine, I was hesitant to drink it at first. I didn´t want to get drunk on "holy" ground. But when in Germany! I didn´t really like it but they all made me finish my drink. I haven´t felt that much peer pressure since high school. These guys here are hilarious!
Well, now it´s officially Christmas! I hope everyone has a very nice, happy Christmas!!! I hope you enjoy the company of your love ones. Regardless of where you are or who you´re with, it´s definitely great to have wonderful people around you. It´s also great to have Skype (the most awesome invention!) because you get to talk long distance for free and see everyone´s beautiful faces...and hear your three year old niece sing, see your one year old twin nieces walk, and see your new nephew´s cute little yawn. I miss the babies :(
To make up for the last few annoying and nauseating sentimental posts, click on the link below. I got this from my awesome old boss, Deirdre, and it definitely put a smile on my face.
Enjoy...
http://www.thecompassgroup.biz/merryxmas.swf
My Christmas is actually awesome so far. We had a Christmas eve dinner at my aunt´s house and my Tito Peter´s sister and her family came. It was a very, very lovely dinner. Then we all grabbed some kind of musical instrument, played and sang Christmas songs. It was awesome! I´m totally making my family do that every Christmas. After our sing along, we opened Christmas presents. Everyone was great enough to give me a gift...it was so sweet I almost cried!
After some coffee and cookies, we all went to Midnight mass. Yup, I went to church! Thankfully, god did not strike me with lightning. But I´m sure he/she/it was very surprised to see me there. It was all in German so I didn´t understand a word.
It´s traditional for Germans to drink gluwine during Christmas. Gluwine is like wine mixed with, I believe, spices and juice. It´s a hot drink so they love drinking it during cold weather. So each year after midnight mass, all the church-goers gather outside the church, in the freezing cold, to drink gluwine. Since I don´t do well with wine, I was hesitant to drink it at first. I didn´t want to get drunk on "holy" ground. But when in Germany! I didn´t really like it but they all made me finish my drink. I haven´t felt that much peer pressure since high school. These guys here are hilarious!
Well, now it´s officially Christmas! I hope everyone has a very nice, happy Christmas!!! I hope you enjoy the company of your love ones. Regardless of where you are or who you´re with, it´s definitely great to have wonderful people around you. It´s also great to have Skype (the most awesome invention!) because you get to talk long distance for free and see everyone´s beautiful faces...and hear your three year old niece sing, see your one year old twin nieces walk, and see your new nephew´s cute little yawn. I miss the babies :(
To make up for the last few annoying and nauseating sentimental posts, click on the link below. I got this from my awesome old boss, Deirdre, and it definitely put a smile on my face.
Enjoy...
http://www.thecompassgroup.biz/merryxmas.swf
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| Christmas 2007 |
Monday, December 24, 2007
I´ll be home for Christmas...in my dreams :(
Christmas is my favorite holiday of the year. I mean, I really really love Christmas. I know it´s gotten a bad reputation the past 5, 10 years b/c Christmas isn´t really what it used to be - basically I think people have forgotten the real meaning of Christmas, which is family, and giving (real giving...not IPOD giving), and love, joy, etc. But for me, Christmas is still the best. I guess I´ve been lucky enough to have a really close family that still know how to enjoy Christmas.
This year is my first time away from my family on Christmas. I knew I would have trouble with this before I moved here, but I was hoping I´d get over it. Apparently, I am not.
As happy as I am to have my relatives in Germany to spend Christmas with, I have also been very sad about this Christmas. I really miss my family and I wish I could be with them too. It also doesn`t help that I was supposed to spend Christmas with a good friend, and that plan just completely and surprisingly (and painfully) fell through. So that just made want to go home more.
For some reason, I find myself sad (and sometimes crying) a lot this holiday season. I usually listen to a lot of Christmas music, but sometimes they just seem too happy. So I`ve been listening to a lot of depressing music instead. As horrible as this may sound, it´s nice to know other people are more sad than I am. I don´t why I just can´t get over it. It makes me angry at myself for being such a baby about it. But I just can´t help it.
This year is my first time away from my family on Christmas. I knew I would have trouble with this before I moved here, but I was hoping I´d get over it. Apparently, I am not.
As happy as I am to have my relatives in Germany to spend Christmas with, I have also been very sad about this Christmas. I really miss my family and I wish I could be with them too. It also doesn`t help that I was supposed to spend Christmas with a good friend, and that plan just completely and surprisingly (and painfully) fell through. So that just made want to go home more.
For some reason, I find myself sad (and sometimes crying) a lot this holiday season. I usually listen to a lot of Christmas music, but sometimes they just seem too happy. So I`ve been listening to a lot of depressing music instead. As horrible as this may sound, it´s nice to know other people are more sad than I am. I don´t why I just can´t get over it. It makes me angry at myself for being such a baby about it. But I just can´t help it.
Pictures and address
I know I´ve been slow with the picture taking since I´ve gotten here. And some people have been asking about it. Well, I finally do have some pictures. I just don´t know how to post them yet. The pictures are in my computer and I can´t hook my computer up to the internet here. So you all will just have to wait to see my pretty face in January.
As for my new address, I will not be posting it here in fear that some stranger will send me something (Whatever happened to the unabomber??? Did he get put to sleep, or is he just in prison???). If you would like my address b/c you want to send me awesome packages full of goodies and love, please email me and I will be more than happy to share that with you.
Oh also, I don´t know if I ever mentioned on here that I also have a spanish cellphone. It starts with the country code +34. You gotta figure out the rest...hahaha...kidding. If you want that too because you miss hearing my high pitched voice, also email me.
As for my new address, I will not be posting it here in fear that some stranger will send me something (Whatever happened to the unabomber??? Did he get put to sleep, or is he just in prison???). If you would like my address b/c you want to send me awesome packages full of goodies and love, please email me and I will be more than happy to share that with you.
Oh also, I don´t know if I ever mentioned on here that I also have a spanish cellphone. It starts with the country code +34. You gotta figure out the rest...hahaha...kidding. If you want that too because you miss hearing my high pitched voice, also email me.
Wilkommen to Munich, Germany!
Because I couldn´t afford to go home and my original plans for Christmas in Ireland fell through, I have decided to spend Christmas and New Years with my German relatives in Munich. I love coming to see my family here. They are ridiculously awesome. They feed me, they tease me (gotta love my Tito Peter!), they offer me lots of alcohol, and most of all, they are just the nicest, most welcoming people I know. The minute you walk into their house, you immediately feel at home. This is my third time visiting them (the last one was five years ago), and I still love it!
I arrived late friday night. Tito Peter picked me up at the airport with a bag full of winter accesories. My Tita Mary Ann knew I had barely anything to survive the German winter, so she wanted to make sure I wouldn´t freeye. And of course, Tito Peter had a bar of chocolate for me (I´m telling you, these guys are awesome!). We took the train to Haupbanhof, Munich`s Central Station, and met with my cousin, Stefan, and his girlfriend, Kathi. After feeding me with some pretzel sandwiches, we took another train to Wolfratshausen. They live close to Wolfratshausen, just outside of Munich.
Saturday, I took a very very long hot shower! I didn´t want to get out. Then we did some grocery shopping (Tita Mary Ann got me Nutella) for dinner because we were having a fondue style meal. I can`t remember what it`s called but basically you have this portable looking stove in the middle of the table. Each person gets a miniature pan where you can put as much cheese and vegetables and meat as you like. Once your mixture gets all cooked, you put it on some bread or pretzel. It was pretty freaking awesome. Natania, it was like random cheese everywhere!!!!
Side note: My aunt just called me from downstairs b/c she just baked some cookies...at 2 in the morning!!!! Man, she is awesome!
Today, we went to Regensburg, a tiny town about 2 hours from Munich. The Reidl´s wanted to take me to a real Kriskindlmarkt. The market is located in the town´s royal palace grounds, and it is known to be beautiful at night when the entire palace is lit up. So to kill time, we walked around the city. We looked at the Cathedral and saw the Danube river. It was the classic German town and every scene was something out of a postcard.
However, the weather was not so great. It was super super cold. I thought my fingers and toes were going to fall off. At first I was frustrated for not being able to handle the cold. I`m from Chicago for god`s sake! And then I realized the difference between Chicagoans and Germans. In the winter, Chicagoans drive everywhere and stay indoors as much as possible. Germans, on the other hand, walk everywhere!! All I kept thinking about was sitting on the couch with a blanket, watching a cheesy romantic comedy, and sipping on hot chocolate with marshmallows. I just couldn`t believe how many people were walking outside!!! I was cold for myself and everyone else!
Finally, once it started getting dark, we walked to the Kriskindlmarkt. It was awesome of course. There were lots of handcrafts and all sorts of other stuff being sold. I didn`t buy anything due to a lack of funds...and really what would I do with a glass plate??? It´s pretty and all, but it really would just collect dust. I did find these wonderful warm boots for kids. I really wanted to buy it for my nieces and nephew, but it was something the parent´s should buy for their kids and not their poor aunt.
I arrived late friday night. Tito Peter picked me up at the airport with a bag full of winter accesories. My Tita Mary Ann knew I had barely anything to survive the German winter, so she wanted to make sure I wouldn´t freeye. And of course, Tito Peter had a bar of chocolate for me (I´m telling you, these guys are awesome!). We took the train to Haupbanhof, Munich`s Central Station, and met with my cousin, Stefan, and his girlfriend, Kathi. After feeding me with some pretzel sandwiches, we took another train to Wolfratshausen. They live close to Wolfratshausen, just outside of Munich.
Saturday, I took a very very long hot shower! I didn´t want to get out. Then we did some grocery shopping (Tita Mary Ann got me Nutella) for dinner because we were having a fondue style meal. I can`t remember what it`s called but basically you have this portable looking stove in the middle of the table. Each person gets a miniature pan where you can put as much cheese and vegetables and meat as you like. Once your mixture gets all cooked, you put it on some bread or pretzel. It was pretty freaking awesome. Natania, it was like random cheese everywhere!!!!
Side note: My aunt just called me from downstairs b/c she just baked some cookies...at 2 in the morning!!!! Man, she is awesome!
Today, we went to Regensburg, a tiny town about 2 hours from Munich. The Reidl´s wanted to take me to a real Kriskindlmarkt. The market is located in the town´s royal palace grounds, and it is known to be beautiful at night when the entire palace is lit up. So to kill time, we walked around the city. We looked at the Cathedral and saw the Danube river. It was the classic German town and every scene was something out of a postcard.
However, the weather was not so great. It was super super cold. I thought my fingers and toes were going to fall off. At first I was frustrated for not being able to handle the cold. I`m from Chicago for god`s sake! And then I realized the difference between Chicagoans and Germans. In the winter, Chicagoans drive everywhere and stay indoors as much as possible. Germans, on the other hand, walk everywhere!! All I kept thinking about was sitting on the couch with a blanket, watching a cheesy romantic comedy, and sipping on hot chocolate with marshmallows. I just couldn`t believe how many people were walking outside!!! I was cold for myself and everyone else!
Finally, once it started getting dark, we walked to the Kriskindlmarkt. It was awesome of course. There were lots of handcrafts and all sorts of other stuff being sold. I didn`t buy anything due to a lack of funds...and really what would I do with a glass plate??? It´s pretty and all, but it really would just collect dust. I did find these wonderful warm boots for kids. I really wanted to buy it for my nieces and nephew, but it was something the parent´s should buy for their kids and not their poor aunt.
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| Regensburg |
My piso!
I finally got mz first Spanish apartment. As alwazs, I do everything last minute and did not start looking for apartments until last week. I was determined to find one b/c I had to leave for Munich on Friday, the 21st. I promised myself to get an apartment so that I could have a place to staz after the holidays. I didn´t want to impose any further on Juan...he´s done enough for me and I just feel bad...he´s probably so sick of me.
In Spain, there are a few ways to find a piso (flat or apartment): through an agency, or through websites, or through something else I can´t remember at the moment. I chose the website route. I posted an ad on www.easypiso.com and on www.loquo.com. Loquo is like the spanish equivalent to Craigslist. After putting my ad on loquo, I got a lot of responses. I had to weed some of them out due to horrible location.
I saw three flats total. First, I saw Juan´s friend´s apartment. Pros: nice, clean, had an oven; Cons: too far south and the guy smokes. Second was an apartment with two boys. Pros: nice, clean, oven, two bathrooms, two balconies, very cute and sweet future roommate; Cons: too far from the Center and both boys smoke too. The third apartment was also with two boys. Pros: nice, very clean, a balcony with an amazing view of a basilica and Palacio Real, very nice roommate, smoke-free, great location; Cons: I would have to get up 5 minutes earlier to get to work and no oven. And the winner is...number three!!!! (A2Her`s: remember when I put that picture of a monument as my wallpaper on my computer??? Before I changed it with the Ghana picture? I didn´t even know what that was...it just looked pretty. Well, that is about 10 minutes from my apartment! It was meant to be).
I am very excited to have a place that I can call my own...at least for a little bit. Once I get back to Madrid, I am definitelz going to Ikea so I can get some things to make my room a little homey. Yay!
In Spain, there are a few ways to find a piso (flat or apartment): through an agency, or through websites, or through something else I can´t remember at the moment. I chose the website route. I posted an ad on www.easypiso.com and on www.loquo.com. Loquo is like the spanish equivalent to Craigslist. After putting my ad on loquo, I got a lot of responses. I had to weed some of them out due to horrible location.
I saw three flats total. First, I saw Juan´s friend´s apartment. Pros: nice, clean, had an oven; Cons: too far south and the guy smokes. Second was an apartment with two boys. Pros: nice, clean, oven, two bathrooms, two balconies, very cute and sweet future roommate; Cons: too far from the Center and both boys smoke too. The third apartment was also with two boys. Pros: nice, very clean, a balcony with an amazing view of a basilica and Palacio Real, very nice roommate, smoke-free, great location; Cons: I would have to get up 5 minutes earlier to get to work and no oven. And the winner is...number three!!!! (A2Her`s: remember when I put that picture of a monument as my wallpaper on my computer??? Before I changed it with the Ghana picture? I didn´t even know what that was...it just looked pretty. Well, that is about 10 minutes from my apartment! It was meant to be).
I am very excited to have a place that I can call my own...at least for a little bit. Once I get back to Madrid, I am definitelz going to Ikea so I can get some things to make my room a little homey. Yay!
Oh the joys of working abroad!
NOTE: I am currently using a German computer and the kezboards are even crazier than the Spanish ones. So if you happen to see some strange mispelling (like y´s as z´s, or vice versa) or characters (like Ö or Ä), just go along with it.
Last week, I started my first teaching job in Spain. I taught from Tuesday to Thursday. I haven´t worked for almost two months now since I quit my job at the end of October. It was kind of strange getting up at 6 in the morning again and getting ready to work. All I wanted to do was hang out with Andrea and Andrew before going away for the holidays. It didn´t help that thez were both not doing anything but fun Madrid stuff. I wanted to do the same...not take an hour bus ride to teach for 5 hours straight.
Alas, I had to do what I had to do. I have to start making money somehow. I really don´t want to end up in Calle Montera, which is what I call the prostitute street (this will be another blog on another day). And not having any incoming cash flow is going to really bite me in the ass soon.
I found myself very sleep deprived last week. Every night, I would go and hang out and, for once, have a nice lovely dinner. By the time I get home at around 11, I had to staz up for a few more hours to create my lessons. Now I know why they recommend that teachers only work for 25 hours a week...I did about an extra 10 hours of lesson preparation.
Classes were great. I really like my students. There are about 15 of them, and they range from late twenties to earlz fifties in age. Although some of them have had some English lessons, there are a few that are very very beginners. So I´ve decided to keep it easz the first three days and get down to business when we start again in Januarz.
I thought everything was great and I had established good rapport with my students. Then Friday came (my day off) and my boss at the language school called me, all freaked out, at 9 AM. Apparently, the coordinator at the training center heard from the students, or student, that I told them I didn´t have any experience teaching. I made the mistake of telling them about my old job, which obviously was not teaching, and did not mention anything about teaching ESL, training people at work (which is considered teaching), etc. The coordinator was concerned b/c she wanted someone with 2 years experience and she thought I had that. So she basically was asking my boss if it was necessary to change teachers. Unbeknownst to me, the coordinator has never seen my CV (resume). Because no one in the training center speaks any English, they just depend on the language school to give them the teacher they ask for. Eventually, my boss convinced them that it was probably just things getting lost in translation and that I meant it was my first time teaching in Spain.
Moral of the story is that I can´t tell students anything about me anymore! Which totally sucks b/c most students are really interested to hear personal stories about living in English speaking countries. When they start to look bored, they always perk up once I personalize the lesson.
So, I guess I still have my job. But now I´m nervous that it´s going to be awkward...but I guess I always have the option of quitting whenever I want to. Lastly, I can just add this on to my list of challenges to overcome while I´m here. This will just motivate me to be a better teacher, just so I can prove them wrong!...Bitches!
Last week, I started my first teaching job in Spain. I taught from Tuesday to Thursday. I haven´t worked for almost two months now since I quit my job at the end of October. It was kind of strange getting up at 6 in the morning again and getting ready to work. All I wanted to do was hang out with Andrea and Andrew before going away for the holidays. It didn´t help that thez were both not doing anything but fun Madrid stuff. I wanted to do the same...not take an hour bus ride to teach for 5 hours straight.
Alas, I had to do what I had to do. I have to start making money somehow. I really don´t want to end up in Calle Montera, which is what I call the prostitute street (this will be another blog on another day). And not having any incoming cash flow is going to really bite me in the ass soon.
I found myself very sleep deprived last week. Every night, I would go and hang out and, for once, have a nice lovely dinner. By the time I get home at around 11, I had to staz up for a few more hours to create my lessons. Now I know why they recommend that teachers only work for 25 hours a week...I did about an extra 10 hours of lesson preparation.
Classes were great. I really like my students. There are about 15 of them, and they range from late twenties to earlz fifties in age. Although some of them have had some English lessons, there are a few that are very very beginners. So I´ve decided to keep it easz the first three days and get down to business when we start again in Januarz.
I thought everything was great and I had established good rapport with my students. Then Friday came (my day off) and my boss at the language school called me, all freaked out, at 9 AM. Apparently, the coordinator at the training center heard from the students, or student, that I told them I didn´t have any experience teaching. I made the mistake of telling them about my old job, which obviously was not teaching, and did not mention anything about teaching ESL, training people at work (which is considered teaching), etc. The coordinator was concerned b/c she wanted someone with 2 years experience and she thought I had that. So she basically was asking my boss if it was necessary to change teachers. Unbeknownst to me, the coordinator has never seen my CV (resume). Because no one in the training center speaks any English, they just depend on the language school to give them the teacher they ask for. Eventually, my boss convinced them that it was probably just things getting lost in translation and that I meant it was my first time teaching in Spain.
Moral of the story is that I can´t tell students anything about me anymore! Which totally sucks b/c most students are really interested to hear personal stories about living in English speaking countries. When they start to look bored, they always perk up once I personalize the lesson.
So, I guess I still have my job. But now I´m nervous that it´s going to be awkward...but I guess I always have the option of quitting whenever I want to. Lastly, I can just add this on to my list of challenges to overcome while I´m here. This will just motivate me to be a better teacher, just so I can prove them wrong!...Bitches!
Monday, December 17, 2007
Partying like a Madrileño...kinda...not really...
As I have mentioned before, Madrileños are known to start the night very, very late. Because I've been so busy with classes, I really haven't been able to go out in Madrid. So I decided to try it out this weekend...and I'm pretty sure I didn't pass the test.
Friday night, my class celebrated our last day of classes. Our teacher took us to El Tigre, the tapas bar I went to on my first day here. Again, that place is just ridiculously awesome. I mean, with 5 euros, I was able to get a good buzz and lots of food. They just don´t stop feeding you!!! After overdosing on croquettas and patatas bravas, we finally went to a cafe bar and got some coffee, wine and more cervezas. We just sat there for hours talking about bloody shit and mormon sex...it was quite an interesting night. We all wanted to go dancing, but considering we started the night at 6 and festivities do not start till midnight around here, we just couldn't quite make it. So I walked home at about 12, just when the Madrileños were finishing dinner and getting ready to party.
Saturday night, I thought I would give it another shot and really party like a Madrileño. We got back to Madrid from Toledo around 8, and I went home for a delayed siesta...I knew I needed to really prepare myself before going out so late. At about 11:30, I left to meet up with Andrea, Andrew and Sara to go dancing. Andrea met a british girl who is friends with a girl who, through the internet, invited all these random people (locals and foreigners) to meet at a bar and hang out. Basically, it was like a social networking type of gathering. Well, the three cups of coffee and the two hour nap didn't help. After walking to Banco de España, I realized I was supposed to go to Plaza de España, which is on the opposite side of the city center.
So I hurriedly got on the Metro (in heels mind you!), and finally arrived at the right place. We went salsa dancing at the "Tropical House". I was intimidated at first because people were awesome dancers, but I actually had a lot of fun. The British girl was telling us that you basically just stand around the dance floor, and a guy will come and ask you to dance. I was just not drunk enough to be making a fool out of myself (the drinks were ridiculously expensive so I decided to stick to one drink), so I didn't stay too close to the dance floor. But after a while, you can't help but get closer, just so you can watch these people dance so well. And in the back of my head, I thought, "shit, I'm in Madrid! I want to dance with a cute boy!"
But then this old man started talking to me (of course, I attract the freaks or the elderly!) and was telling me about his friend. Thankfully his friend was not that old and spoke some English. This friend, Carlos, asked me to dance and I felt so awkward at first. My body really was only made to booty dance, not to do salsa or merengue or manchata. And I usually just like to dance on my own and not have to depend on someone leading me! Nonetheless, Carlos was nice enough to teach me and I started to get the hang of it after a while...I am definitely taking some kind of dance lesson while living here.
By three, we were tired and hungry. Andrew, Andrea and I decided to go food hunting. Surprisingly, it was very difficult to find food! We were starting to get really pissed. It was cold, cabs were all taken and not even Burger King was open! You would think in a city where people are partying until the wee hours of the morning, somebody would be savvy enough to think that having a late night pizza/hot dog/burger joint would be a very lucrative business. But no, we just couldn't find it, not even in the busy areas...or maybe we were just ignorant American's and didn't know where to look. The only thing we could find were Chinese people selling drinks, and snacks and bocadillos from a box on a street corner. Call me a snob, but I just didn't feel comfortable buying a sandwich from a box from a random person on a street corner (sorry, Juan!).
Finally, we found this tiny little dive bar in Chueca and saw people eating outside. So we went in and got some hot dogs. They were very interesting hot dogs (Andrea's was slathered with about half a jar of mayonnaise...gross!), but we were so desperate that we inhaled them. As we sat there and snacked on a big cup of french fries (it was a combo of super hot and semi frozen ones), I noticed these two guys totally making out. I just thought, wow, I'm totally jealous. Here I am stuffing myself with food I'm not so sure of, and other people are getting some. That's when I knew I needed to go home.
The sad thing is that as we were walking home, people were just starting to line up for the clubs. I just couldn't believe it! It was almost 4 and I was deliriously tired. And yet, people were just starting their night. Just when I thought I was doing better on my second night out, I failed again. But I am determined to adjust to this Madrileño style of going out! I will not give up.
As for Carlos, he asked for my number and I foolishly gave it to him. I mean he was nice and cute, but I have a feeling he's a lot older (like mid 30-ish...definitely older than my brothers!). I just don't know how I feel about that. I was hoping he wouldn't call, but he texted me tonight to go dancing...again! I just had to say no. I mean really, it's Sunday! I know I don't have to go to work tomorrow, but two nights in a row and a weeknight is just too much for me.
I guess adjusting to the Madrileño social habits will just take me a little longer.
Friday night, my class celebrated our last day of classes. Our teacher took us to El Tigre, the tapas bar I went to on my first day here. Again, that place is just ridiculously awesome. I mean, with 5 euros, I was able to get a good buzz and lots of food. They just don´t stop feeding you!!! After overdosing on croquettas and patatas bravas, we finally went to a cafe bar and got some coffee, wine and more cervezas. We just sat there for hours talking about bloody shit and mormon sex...it was quite an interesting night. We all wanted to go dancing, but considering we started the night at 6 and festivities do not start till midnight around here, we just couldn't quite make it. So I walked home at about 12, just when the Madrileños were finishing dinner and getting ready to party.
Saturday night, I thought I would give it another shot and really party like a Madrileño. We got back to Madrid from Toledo around 8, and I went home for a delayed siesta...I knew I needed to really prepare myself before going out so late. At about 11:30, I left to meet up with Andrea, Andrew and Sara to go dancing. Andrea met a british girl who is friends with a girl who, through the internet, invited all these random people (locals and foreigners) to meet at a bar and hang out. Basically, it was like a social networking type of gathering. Well, the three cups of coffee and the two hour nap didn't help. After walking to Banco de España, I realized I was supposed to go to Plaza de España, which is on the opposite side of the city center.
So I hurriedly got on the Metro (in heels mind you!), and finally arrived at the right place. We went salsa dancing at the "Tropical House". I was intimidated at first because people were awesome dancers, but I actually had a lot of fun. The British girl was telling us that you basically just stand around the dance floor, and a guy will come and ask you to dance. I was just not drunk enough to be making a fool out of myself (the drinks were ridiculously expensive so I decided to stick to one drink), so I didn't stay too close to the dance floor. But after a while, you can't help but get closer, just so you can watch these people dance so well. And in the back of my head, I thought, "shit, I'm in Madrid! I want to dance with a cute boy!"
But then this old man started talking to me (of course, I attract the freaks or the elderly!) and was telling me about his friend. Thankfully his friend was not that old and spoke some English. This friend, Carlos, asked me to dance and I felt so awkward at first. My body really was only made to booty dance, not to do salsa or merengue or manchata. And I usually just like to dance on my own and not have to depend on someone leading me! Nonetheless, Carlos was nice enough to teach me and I started to get the hang of it after a while...I am definitely taking some kind of dance lesson while living here.
By three, we were tired and hungry. Andrew, Andrea and I decided to go food hunting. Surprisingly, it was very difficult to find food! We were starting to get really pissed. It was cold, cabs were all taken and not even Burger King was open! You would think in a city where people are partying until the wee hours of the morning, somebody would be savvy enough to think that having a late night pizza/hot dog/burger joint would be a very lucrative business. But no, we just couldn't find it, not even in the busy areas...or maybe we were just ignorant American's and didn't know where to look. The only thing we could find were Chinese people selling drinks, and snacks and bocadillos from a box on a street corner. Call me a snob, but I just didn't feel comfortable buying a sandwich from a box from a random person on a street corner (sorry, Juan!).
Finally, we found this tiny little dive bar in Chueca and saw people eating outside. So we went in and got some hot dogs. They were very interesting hot dogs (Andrea's was slathered with about half a jar of mayonnaise...gross!), but we were so desperate that we inhaled them. As we sat there and snacked on a big cup of french fries (it was a combo of super hot and semi frozen ones), I noticed these two guys totally making out. I just thought, wow, I'm totally jealous. Here I am stuffing myself with food I'm not so sure of, and other people are getting some. That's when I knew I needed to go home.
The sad thing is that as we were walking home, people were just starting to line up for the clubs. I just couldn't believe it! It was almost 4 and I was deliriously tired. And yet, people were just starting their night. Just when I thought I was doing better on my second night out, I failed again. But I am determined to adjust to this Madrileño style of going out! I will not give up.
As for Carlos, he asked for my number and I foolishly gave it to him. I mean he was nice and cute, but I have a feeling he's a lot older (like mid 30-ish...definitely older than my brothers!). I just don't know how I feel about that. I was hoping he wouldn't call, but he texted me tonight to go dancing...again! I just had to say no. I mean really, it's Sunday! I know I don't have to go to work tomorrow, but two nights in a row and a weeknight is just too much for me.
I guess adjusting to the Madrileño social habits will just take me a little longer.
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| TEFL course |
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| Salsa Dancing |
Toledo
Saturday, me and my friends, Andrea and Andrew, went to Toledo. With classes being over, we thought we deserved to go on a day trip...Toledo is just a 30 minute train ride from Madrid and it is this gorgeous town situated on a mountain. Toledo was once the capital of Spain until King Philip II moved it to Madrid. So for being a small town, it has lots of history. Also, the Cathedral, the mosques, and the Jewish area were definite signs that many different people have lived here.
We had pretty bad timing on this trip. We arrived in Toledo at about 11. None of us had any breakfast so we decided to enjoy a nice desayuno. By the time we actually started going to see the town, it was already around 12:30. We first went to Museo de Santa Cruz and looked at a very small collection of art. We then went to Alcazar (an old fort/castle), but it was closed for construction. We wanted to see the El Greco paintings, but the Casa-Museo de El Greco was also closed that day. By the time we got to the next tourist spot, it was already siesta time. Even the mosques and synagogues we wanted to see were closed for siesta. So our options were very limited. In the end, we just walked around and got lost in the narrow streets of Toledo. It was very cute and romantic...except I was with a girl and a gay guy.
Despite our bad luck, Toledo was still great. It felt good just to get out of the city. It was nice just walking around the entire city, soaking in all the tourist sites...and the freezing cold (I really wish I brought a jacket!). Plus, I love train rides and small towns in Europe. It reminds me even more that I am in Europe.
I finally took some pictures of Spain. When I can, I will definitely post them on here. Hopefully, I'll know how to do it!
We had pretty bad timing on this trip. We arrived in Toledo at about 11. None of us had any breakfast so we decided to enjoy a nice desayuno. By the time we actually started going to see the town, it was already around 12:30. We first went to Museo de Santa Cruz and looked at a very small collection of art. We then went to Alcazar (an old fort/castle), but it was closed for construction. We wanted to see the El Greco paintings, but the Casa-Museo de El Greco was also closed that day. By the time we got to the next tourist spot, it was already siesta time. Even the mosques and synagogues we wanted to see were closed for siesta. So our options were very limited. In the end, we just walked around and got lost in the narrow streets of Toledo. It was very cute and romantic...except I was with a girl and a gay guy.
Despite our bad luck, Toledo was still great. It felt good just to get out of the city. It was nice just walking around the entire city, soaking in all the tourist sites...and the freezing cold (I really wish I brought a jacket!). Plus, I love train rides and small towns in Europe. It reminds me even more that I am in Europe.
I finally took some pictures of Spain. When I can, I will definitely post them on here. Hopefully, I'll know how to do it!
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| Toledo |
Don't laugh but I am officially a teacher!
Some of you might be asking about the new job. It is located in El Molar, which is a northern suburb of Madrid. To get there, I have to take a train and then a 45 minute bus ride. I went there on Thursday and it's definitely in bufu. It's a super small town in the mountains. I will be working for 5 hours, Mondays to Fridays, and I will have the job until June. I will be teaching at a training center for people who are currently unemployed and are trying to be reintegrated back to the workforce. The center is government funded, so this is basically part of their unemployment benefits. I am a little bit nervous about it because I will be teaching beginners...I haven't had good experience with beginners. No one speaks any English, not even my contact person. Also, the 5 hours will not be broken into a few classes. I will be teaching the same 10 to 15 people for 5 hours straight. I'm not quite sure how that would work yet. I don't know if I'm capable of keeping people that interested and attentive for that long. So it will definitely be a challenge.
Although it seems like a work and a long commute, people have been saying it's a pretty good deal. Most English teachers here have to travel a lot to get to the teaching sites. Most teachers also teach at multiple places so they end up traveling even more. Having this one job will make things less stressful for me. I might try and pick up a few more hours somewhere else just to supplement my income a little more, but we'll see. Our trainer suggested that 25 hours a week is good because with all the preparation involved in teaching, more than that would be too stressful. But I personally feel like working 25 hours a week seem weird. I'm so used to working so much more. So I think I'm going to test it and get some more hours. I can always quit whenever I want.
I really can't believe I'm going to be a teacher (Ma, can I hang up my certificate next to my diploma?!). The thought kind of freaks me out a bit. I am literally responsible for people's learning...creepy! I'm assuming it's like having a baby...except I get to leave them after several hours (thankgod!). I really hope they learn something. I'm going to feel like ass come June when all they can say is, "Hello, my name is Maria!"
Well, next on the to-do list: get an apartment!
Although it seems like a work and a long commute, people have been saying it's a pretty good deal. Most English teachers here have to travel a lot to get to the teaching sites. Most teachers also teach at multiple places so they end up traveling even more. Having this one job will make things less stressful for me. I might try and pick up a few more hours somewhere else just to supplement my income a little more, but we'll see. Our trainer suggested that 25 hours a week is good because with all the preparation involved in teaching, more than that would be too stressful. But I personally feel like working 25 hours a week seem weird. I'm so used to working so much more. So I think I'm going to test it and get some more hours. I can always quit whenever I want.
I really can't believe I'm going to be a teacher (Ma, can I hang up my certificate next to my diploma?!). The thought kind of freaks me out a bit. I am literally responsible for people's learning...creepy! I'm assuming it's like having a baby...except I get to leave them after several hours (thankgod!). I really hope they learn something. I'm going to feel like ass come June when all they can say is, "Hello, my name is Maria!"
Well, next on the to-do list: get an apartment!
Happy One Month Anniversary To Me!
I have officially survived my first month in Madrid and I'm still loving it. You're all probably sick of me saying that, but I really do love it here. In one month, I have earned a certificate in teaching English as a foreign language; I have made a few friends (both Spanish and foreigners); I know a few more words in Spanish, and; I got a job. Yes, I miss a few things from home: my family, my friends, Joy Yee's, Burrito House, Kitsch'n, a long hot shower, a coat, etc. But for the most part, Madrid has been very good to me. I can't really complain. I think I will like living here for a while.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
A Day in the Life of Fran (Teacher in Training Version)
My day starts at about 8:30-ish, when I start to wake up because I hear Juan moving around. But I actually don't get off the futon until about 9. Then I run around the house so I can be ready in twenty minutes. By the time I am actually ready, it's about 9:30. I then take a 5 minute walk to the Metro Stop. My stop is called Alonso Martinez and on my way to Linea Diez (10), I smell the wonderful smell of pastries (yes, there is definitely a bakery in the Metro). I am always tempted to stop, but I'm always running late so I don't.
After a 5 to 7 minute train ride, I get off Nuevos Ministerios. I walk through this stop for about 10 minutes (it's a big ass metro stop!) just so I can exit on Calle Orense. Once I emerge from the underground of Madrid, I take a 5 minute walk to my class at EBC.
At 10, teacher training class begins. We talk about language skills, grammar, vocabular, etc. We take a ten minute break at around 11:30. This is usually my favorite part of the day. Me and my new friends usually go to Bar Delfin and get coffee. We've become such regulars at Delfin that they don't even ask for our orders anymore. I love it!
At 1, we break for lunch, my biggest meal of the day. (NOTE: Lunch is typically the biggest meal for Madrileños. Breakfast is very little, and dinner, at 9-ish, consists of tapas). We try to switch it up everyday, depending on how much money we want to spend. There are days when we reward ourselves and indulge, and then there are days when we realize we are poor and need to save. Lunch is about an hour so we usually end it with more coffee. Of course, you just can't end a meal here without coffee. Sometimes, I just like to take a walk so I can check out the hot men in suits. The area where my school is located is the financial district of Madrid.
So I'm pretty much in class from 10 to 5. Everyday is pretty similar except we practice teach on Thursdays and Fridays. My nights are pretty boring. I go home, work on my lessons, eat whatever I can find for dinner, talk with Juan, maybe do a sing and dance with Juan, and I go to bed at about 1.
And there you go. Hopefully, my life gets a little bit more exciting once my class ends. Two more days!!! Yay!!!
After a 5 to 7 minute train ride, I get off Nuevos Ministerios. I walk through this stop for about 10 minutes (it's a big ass metro stop!) just so I can exit on Calle Orense. Once I emerge from the underground of Madrid, I take a 5 minute walk to my class at EBC.
At 10, teacher training class begins. We talk about language skills, grammar, vocabular, etc. We take a ten minute break at around 11:30. This is usually my favorite part of the day. Me and my new friends usually go to Bar Delfin and get coffee. We've become such regulars at Delfin that they don't even ask for our orders anymore. I love it!
At 1, we break for lunch, my biggest meal of the day. (NOTE: Lunch is typically the biggest meal for Madrileños. Breakfast is very little, and dinner, at 9-ish, consists of tapas). We try to switch it up everyday, depending on how much money we want to spend. There are days when we reward ourselves and indulge, and then there are days when we realize we are poor and need to save. Lunch is about an hour so we usually end it with more coffee. Of course, you just can't end a meal here without coffee. Sometimes, I just like to take a walk so I can check out the hot men in suits. The area where my school is located is the financial district of Madrid.
So I'm pretty much in class from 10 to 5. Everyday is pretty similar except we practice teach on Thursdays and Fridays. My nights are pretty boring. I go home, work on my lessons, eat whatever I can find for dinner, talk with Juan, maybe do a sing and dance with Juan, and I go to bed at about 1.
And there you go. Hopefully, my life gets a little bit more exciting once my class ends. Two more days!!! Yay!!!
Friday, December 7, 2007
Week 3 (The Icky Week)
Week 3 has not been so good to me. I had to deal with some personal bullshit and then I got sick (fever, cold, cough - you name it, I got it). Everyone in my class was sick and I was the last one to get the virus. I tried to do a preemptive strike and went to the farmacia to get some drugs recommended by everyone. It was called Frenadol. It's like Emergen-C, except it's purely medicinal and it tastes like ass. So I drank one packet and almost vomited after every swallow. Within 20 minutes, I felt the effects. It was a really bad legal high I did not expect - and being legally high is just not as fun as being illegally high...except when you're in Amsterdam. That stuff knocks you out. I fell asleep at 9 and woke up 12 hours later. It was pretty disgusting. I vowed never to take it again. Result: preemptive strike did not work...just like Iraq.
So, I'm gonna be all Tom Cruise on this one and not take any drugs. I have, however, been drinking a lot of tea, which is very very unusual. I feel very Asian...maybe I'll re-discover my Asian roots here in Madrid. Who knew adding a little honey in tea makes it taste like candy. Hopefully, this natural thing will work.
But despite all this, the fact that I'm in Madrid makes me forget all my problems (emotionally and physically). If I was in Chicago, I'd probably be a horrid beast, especially with the snowstorm... that did not sound fun. And thankfully, my classes went well. Apparently, I teach a lot better when I'm sick. Go figure!
So now I am spending my Friday night getting some rest and drinking some good ol' chicken noodle soup...mmm! I really wanted to watch movies or some 30 Rock and Office reruns, but NBC.com and Netflix creepily knows that I am not within the 50 states and would not let me watch anything! Bastards! Big Brother has got to go!
So, I'm gonna be all Tom Cruise on this one and not take any drugs. I have, however, been drinking a lot of tea, which is very very unusual. I feel very Asian...maybe I'll re-discover my Asian roots here in Madrid. Who knew adding a little honey in tea makes it taste like candy. Hopefully, this natural thing will work.
But despite all this, the fact that I'm in Madrid makes me forget all my problems (emotionally and physically). If I was in Chicago, I'd probably be a horrid beast, especially with the snowstorm... that did not sound fun. And thankfully, my classes went well. Apparently, I teach a lot better when I'm sick. Go figure!
So now I am spending my Friday night getting some rest and drinking some good ol' chicken noodle soup...mmm! I really wanted to watch movies or some 30 Rock and Office reruns, but NBC.com and Netflix creepily knows that I am not within the 50 states and would not let me watch anything! Bastards! Big Brother has got to go!
Sunday, December 2, 2007
RCD Espanyol vs. FC Barcelona
This weekend I went to Barcelona to hang out with Kevin and his friends. On Saturday, after hiking up what felt like multiple mountains all day (in non hiking boots, mind you!), we decided to go see a futbol match.
It was never planned of course. We walked up to Park Montjuic and proceeded to check out the Olympic Stadium (Barcelona held the '92 summer games). As we walked around we noticed that people were lined up to get tickets. The game was going to be pretty big because it was two Barcelona teams playing. None of us have ever been to a European futbol match and we knew it would be an experience of a lifetime. We hesitated at first because it was a bit expensive (I will not even disclose the amount b/c I myself can´t believe I paid that much for a game), but we just had to do it. How often are we in Barcelona????
So we found a British scalper from Manchester who sold us tickets at face value. Of course I was freaking out because I thought it´d be fake or just really crappy seats. When we got in the stadium, I could NOT believe we ended up on the 2nd row! It was pretty amazing. Here I am sitting on the 2nd row in one of the coolest Olympic stadiums ever watching one of the biggest games of the season. It couldn´t get any crazyier than that!!!
Oh but it does! I have to say I have never been to such an intense sporting event like this one. Granted the sporting events I´ve been to only includes Loyola Rambler games, a few MLB games,, and a couple of MLS games, but I think it is safe to say nothing is ever as ridiculous as watching a European futbol match.
Let me just set up the scene for you a little. The Olympic Stadium is home to the Espanyol, so of course the entire stadium is full of Espanyol fans (we were sitting among them so of course, we became Espanyol fans as well...no one really wanted to be killed that night). On the upper bleachers across the stadium from us was a section of Barcelona fans. In one corner section (Puerta 8), there were about 30 to 40 Espanyol fans surrounded by a fence (almost like they were caged in). These people seemed really hard core. I can only assume that they are the ¨hooligans¨. At one point, they raised a sign that said, ¨No discriminacion a Puerta 8¨. It just made all things more interesting.
Minutes before the game began, a mini fire started in the Barcelona section. All these security guys in neon green vests started running around with buckets of water. About 3 minutes into the game, about 20 feet above us, a screaming match began somewhere in the crowd. I´m assuming there was a Barcelona straggler that somehow ended up on the wrong section. Then Barcelona makes a goal! The Barcelona section goes crazy and the mini fire erupts again. More buckets of water. Twenty minutes later, we see something being thrown from the Barcelona section to the Espanyol fans sitting below them in the lower bleachers. What did they throw you ask? A flaming piece of something...a stick, a flare, who knows??? But it was on fire! The crowd gets even crazier and people start throwing shit at each other (not in my section at least). Puerta 8 fans start running towards up the stairs and I assume they were running to go to the Barcelona section. In seconds, you see riot police come out and surround the Barcelona section. Darn, no more flaming projectiles!
And all throughout the projectiles (flaming and non-flaming) and all the fans going nuts, the game just kept going. It almost seemed like it was all so normal. Because of the police presence, everything became relatively calm. But things were still pretty intense. You constantly here the words, Puta!!!, being said or sung or whatever. Even the ten year old girl behind me was singing Puta ole ole blah blah (whatever they were chanting)! So I started shouting puta (when in Rome, right?)!
I don´t quite understand all the futbol rules, and yet when you´re at one of these games you can´t help but get so into it. I didn´t even know either team (I was initially gonna go for Barcelona just because Ronaldinho plays for them and he was the only one I recognized), but by the end of it I was rooting for Espanyol. And in the end, they tied the game...woohoo!!!
It was amazing!!! I am officially a futbol fan! I can´t wait to go to a Real Madrid game! PUTA!!!!
It was never planned of course. We walked up to Park Montjuic and proceeded to check out the Olympic Stadium (Barcelona held the '92 summer games). As we walked around we noticed that people were lined up to get tickets. The game was going to be pretty big because it was two Barcelona teams playing. None of us have ever been to a European futbol match and we knew it would be an experience of a lifetime. We hesitated at first because it was a bit expensive (I will not even disclose the amount b/c I myself can´t believe I paid that much for a game), but we just had to do it. How often are we in Barcelona????
So we found a British scalper from Manchester who sold us tickets at face value. Of course I was freaking out because I thought it´d be fake or just really crappy seats. When we got in the stadium, I could NOT believe we ended up on the 2nd row! It was pretty amazing. Here I am sitting on the 2nd row in one of the coolest Olympic stadiums ever watching one of the biggest games of the season. It couldn´t get any crazyier than that!!!
Oh but it does! I have to say I have never been to such an intense sporting event like this one. Granted the sporting events I´ve been to only includes Loyola Rambler games, a few MLB games,, and a couple of MLS games, but I think it is safe to say nothing is ever as ridiculous as watching a European futbol match.
Let me just set up the scene for you a little. The Olympic Stadium is home to the Espanyol, so of course the entire stadium is full of Espanyol fans (we were sitting among them so of course, we became Espanyol fans as well...no one really wanted to be killed that night). On the upper bleachers across the stadium from us was a section of Barcelona fans. In one corner section (Puerta 8), there were about 30 to 40 Espanyol fans surrounded by a fence (almost like they were caged in). These people seemed really hard core. I can only assume that they are the ¨hooligans¨. At one point, they raised a sign that said, ¨No discriminacion a Puerta 8¨. It just made all things more interesting.
Minutes before the game began, a mini fire started in the Barcelona section. All these security guys in neon green vests started running around with buckets of water. About 3 minutes into the game, about 20 feet above us, a screaming match began somewhere in the crowd. I´m assuming there was a Barcelona straggler that somehow ended up on the wrong section. Then Barcelona makes a goal! The Barcelona section goes crazy and the mini fire erupts again. More buckets of water. Twenty minutes later, we see something being thrown from the Barcelona section to the Espanyol fans sitting below them in the lower bleachers. What did they throw you ask? A flaming piece of something...a stick, a flare, who knows??? But it was on fire! The crowd gets even crazier and people start throwing shit at each other (not in my section at least). Puerta 8 fans start running towards up the stairs and I assume they were running to go to the Barcelona section. In seconds, you see riot police come out and surround the Barcelona section. Darn, no more flaming projectiles!
And all throughout the projectiles (flaming and non-flaming) and all the fans going nuts, the game just kept going. It almost seemed like it was all so normal. Because of the police presence, everything became relatively calm. But things were still pretty intense. You constantly here the words, Puta!!!, being said or sung or whatever. Even the ten year old girl behind me was singing Puta ole ole blah blah (whatever they were chanting)! So I started shouting puta (when in Rome, right?)!
I don´t quite understand all the futbol rules, and yet when you´re at one of these games you can´t help but get so into it. I didn´t even know either team (I was initially gonna go for Barcelona just because Ronaldinho plays for them and he was the only one I recognized), but by the end of it I was rooting for Espanyol. And in the end, they tied the game...woohoo!!!
It was amazing!!! I am officially a futbol fan! I can´t wait to go to a Real Madrid game! PUTA!!!!
Week 2
My second week in Madrid was a pretty long one. Fun but long. So I´m going to break it up a bit and write a few posts in one day.
School is starting to get a bit easier. I am starting to get the hang of this teaching gig. It´s still pretty challenging (I´m starting to run out of good ideas), but I didn´t panic as much as my first week. My class on Thursday was awful. I found myself looking at students who looked back at me with ¨confused¨ written all over their faces. If they had tomatoes, they probably would have thrown them at me. Nevertheless, it was a learning experience and my Friday class was a lot, A LOT, better. My last two weeks at school are going to be pretty tough. I have to write 16 lesson plans total. It´s going to majorly suck and I can´t wait for it to be over.
There are 5 people in my class. November is apparently the low month for TEFL courses. No one wants to come here right before Christmas...I wonder why. I´m really glad it´s a small class. It makes the class more fun. There are 3 1/2 Americans and 1 1/2 British (one boy is half and half). There are two of us girls, and three boys. I really like all my classmates. They are all fun and super nice. Not to be stereotypical or anything, but they are the type of people I expected to meet - very well traveled people. One of the things I love about traveling is meeting people that are from all over the world and so different from each other, but somehow we all bond because of our love for traveling. I can listen to all of them all day about their experiences. One studied in Jordan and another has visited every continent but Antarctica. Just really cool, amazing people!!! I love it!
Everyday, I feel more and more at home here in Madrid. I survived my first trip to the market. I was a bit confused at first because I didn´t know what I was doing and people just got more confused with my broken spanish. But in the end, I got my huevos, my queso, my pan, and a copy of Juan´s apartment keys. I also have a cellphone now...and it´s a cellphone I can actually text with! Having a Spanish phone with a Spanish number has definitely made me feel more settled.
Next on the to-do list: getting my own apartment!
School is starting to get a bit easier. I am starting to get the hang of this teaching gig. It´s still pretty challenging (I´m starting to run out of good ideas), but I didn´t panic as much as my first week. My class on Thursday was awful. I found myself looking at students who looked back at me with ¨confused¨ written all over their faces. If they had tomatoes, they probably would have thrown them at me. Nevertheless, it was a learning experience and my Friday class was a lot, A LOT, better. My last two weeks at school are going to be pretty tough. I have to write 16 lesson plans total. It´s going to majorly suck and I can´t wait for it to be over.
There are 5 people in my class. November is apparently the low month for TEFL courses. No one wants to come here right before Christmas...I wonder why. I´m really glad it´s a small class. It makes the class more fun. There are 3 1/2 Americans and 1 1/2 British (one boy is half and half). There are two of us girls, and three boys. I really like all my classmates. They are all fun and super nice. Not to be stereotypical or anything, but they are the type of people I expected to meet - very well traveled people. One of the things I love about traveling is meeting people that are from all over the world and so different from each other, but somehow we all bond because of our love for traveling. I can listen to all of them all day about their experiences. One studied in Jordan and another has visited every continent but Antarctica. Just really cool, amazing people!!! I love it!
Everyday, I feel more and more at home here in Madrid. I survived my first trip to the market. I was a bit confused at first because I didn´t know what I was doing and people just got more confused with my broken spanish. But in the end, I got my huevos, my queso, my pan, and a copy of Juan´s apartment keys. I also have a cellphone now...and it´s a cellphone I can actually text with! Having a Spanish phone with a Spanish number has definitely made me feel more settled.
Next on the to-do list: getting my own apartment!
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Juan's Apartment
I've been living in Juan´s apartment for the past week. Yes, it was weird at first because I've never lived with a boy (except my dad and my brothers but they dont' count). And you know you're in a boy's house when there is no trash can in the bathroom. Thankfully, he grew up with sisters so he puts the seat down.
Well besides having to adjust to some things, Juan has been pretty fun to live with. Here are my favorite things about living with Juan:
1) He can spend all day playing his guitar, which I like listening to.
2) We can have a little pity party and talk about our boy/girl problems.
3) He talks to me in Spanish so I learn and stop feeling like an asshole when I speak English in a Spanish-speaking country.
4) He tells me about his neighbor always being able to "make a woman scream" so I am aware when I hear banging noises.
5) His obsession with jazz and classical music and when he feels the need to tell me all about it like I really want to hear (My favorite was when he went on and on about how sad it is that Mozart died so young).
6) We constantly bust out singing lame yet awesome rock ballads together.
7) We share a great appreciation for Michael Jackson and dance to his music.
8) He trusts me to water his plants even after I repeatedly told him I accidentally kill living things (animals and plants, not humans!)
9) We can have a long ass conversation about history and social issues...we are losers!!!
10) He plays me a happy song when I get all upset (Hakuna Matata!)
Well besides having to adjust to some things, Juan has been pretty fun to live with. Here are my favorite things about living with Juan:
1) He can spend all day playing his guitar, which I like listening to.
2) We can have a little pity party and talk about our boy/girl problems.
3) He talks to me in Spanish so I learn and stop feeling like an asshole when I speak English in a Spanish-speaking country.
4) He tells me about his neighbor always being able to "make a woman scream" so I am aware when I hear banging noises.
5) His obsession with jazz and classical music and when he feels the need to tell me all about it like I really want to hear (My favorite was when he went on and on about how sad it is that Mozart died so young).
6) We constantly bust out singing lame yet awesome rock ballads together.
7) We share a great appreciation for Michael Jackson and dance to his music.
8) He trusts me to water his plants even after I repeatedly told him I accidentally kill living things (animals and plants, not humans!)
9) We can have a long ass conversation about history and social issues...we are losers!!!
10) He plays me a happy song when I get all upset (Hakuna Matata!)
I'm in love...
...with Madrid. No, not a boy! Here are my favorite things about Madrid thus far:
1) I can get coffee, European style: at a bar, standing up or sitting down, after every meal, in a little tiny cup with real sugar!
2) Tapas! I heart croquettas...and tortilla (an omelet)... and patatas bravas...and migas...and so much more!
3) The people are so nice and friendly. I've only had maybe two instances where people were not nice to me, but I think they were just the kind of people that can never be happy.
4) The very efficient and clean Metro (totally beats the El).
5) Parque del Buen Retiro - my refuge.
6) The fact that I can sit at a restaurant for hours, and no one would bother me until I ask for my check.
7) Pigeons are few and far between, even in the plazas.
8) Zara everywhere!
9) The SUN!
10) Cañas y claras!
1) I can get coffee, European style: at a bar, standing up or sitting down, after every meal, in a little tiny cup with real sugar!
2) Tapas! I heart croquettas...and tortilla (an omelet)... and patatas bravas...and migas...and so much more!
3) The people are so nice and friendly. I've only had maybe two instances where people were not nice to me, but I think they were just the kind of people that can never be happy.
4) The very efficient and clean Metro (totally beats the El).
5) Parque del Buen Retiro - my refuge.
6) The fact that I can sit at a restaurant for hours, and no one would bother me until I ask for my check.
7) Pigeons are few and far between, even in the plazas.
8) Zara everywhere!
9) The SUN!
10) Cañas y claras!
Saturday, November 24, 2007
My first night out
After a very long week of classes, it was time for me to have some fun. Earlier in the week, Juan had asked me to see a show, and I thought why the heck not. I could use some good live music, a few cañas, and some new Spanish friends. And then last night he said the show starts at 11. In Madrid, dinnertime is usually around 9 and people go out for the night after that, then stay out until morning. Yesterday, my classmates and I went to dinner after class at 5 and we were the only ones in the restaurant for the next two hours. They had to warn us that because it wasn't dinnertime, not everything on the dinner menu was available. They still had the merienda menus out on the table. I know this is the one thing that might take a while to adjust to...my stomach starts talking at about 4.
So it sounded all good to me when I first said I would go. But after today, all I wanted was to catch up on sleep. Nonetheless, I knew I could not go. After all, one of my goals for this move is to make myself young again. I know I am still young but I have definitely felt old the past couple of years - always choosing the couch over the bar, only being able to stay out until midnight, etc.
After taking a two hour delayed siesta, I got ready and met Juan at the bar. I do want to point out how safe I feel in this city. It was already 11 and I did not at any moment feel like I was in danger. If I was walking anywhere in Chicago at 11, I probably would be with someone else or just take a cab.
Anyway, the show was amazing. A jazz band was playing (Juan's really into jazz) and they were really good. I believe jazz is pretty big here in Madrid. And despite the fact that I was the 9th wheel - I was there with 4 couples!- I had a really great time. Everyone was so friendly and welcoming and did not hate me for being so ignorant of their language. I did get to practice some Spanish and learned a lot when I was speaking with Juan's friends. One of them is actually learning English, so we are going to meet once a week and teach other our languages.
I was also very proud of myself for not acting like an obnoxious drunk American. Although I really wanted to get drunk tonight, it was just not the time and place for it. One of the many great things about Madrid is that people do not necessarily drink to get drunk. So, I made sure that I was not going to make a fool of myself tonight....eh well, maybe tomorrow I'll get drunk...hahaha.
Tomorrow I will be moving to Juan's apartment where I will be living for the next three weeks. I also hope to get a cell phone tomorrow, so I will let you know about that when I get one. Lastly, I don't have any pictures to post on here yet because I have not taken one single picture. I wanted to make sure I soak it all in first...I always feel like I miss something when I'm too busy taking pictures. I will definitely post them as soon as I have some.
So it sounded all good to me when I first said I would go. But after today, all I wanted was to catch up on sleep. Nonetheless, I knew I could not go. After all, one of my goals for this move is to make myself young again. I know I am still young but I have definitely felt old the past couple of years - always choosing the couch over the bar, only being able to stay out until midnight, etc.
After taking a two hour delayed siesta, I got ready and met Juan at the bar. I do want to point out how safe I feel in this city. It was already 11 and I did not at any moment feel like I was in danger. If I was walking anywhere in Chicago at 11, I probably would be with someone else or just take a cab.
Anyway, the show was amazing. A jazz band was playing (Juan's really into jazz) and they were really good. I believe jazz is pretty big here in Madrid. And despite the fact that I was the 9th wheel - I was there with 4 couples!- I had a really great time. Everyone was so friendly and welcoming and did not hate me for being so ignorant of their language. I did get to practice some Spanish and learned a lot when I was speaking with Juan's friends. One of them is actually learning English, so we are going to meet once a week and teach other our languages.
I was also very proud of myself for not acting like an obnoxious drunk American. Although I really wanted to get drunk tonight, it was just not the time and place for it. One of the many great things about Madrid is that people do not necessarily drink to get drunk. So, I made sure that I was not going to make a fool of myself tonight....eh well, maybe tomorrow I'll get drunk...hahaha.
Tomorrow I will be moving to Juan's apartment where I will be living for the next three weeks. I also hope to get a cell phone tomorrow, so I will let you know about that when I get one. Lastly, I don't have any pictures to post on here yet because I have not taken one single picture. I wanted to make sure I soak it all in first...I always feel like I miss something when I'm too busy taking pictures. I will definitely post them as soon as I have some.
Friday, November 23, 2007
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!
It's half past midnight and I find myself again still doing school work. Who knew this teaching gig can be so time consuming??!! No wonder there is a low supply of teachers - they all get paid shitty to do more work than most people. It's only been my 4th day in class and I am tired. My brain is fried and ready to explode at the same time. I'm totally running out of ideas on what to teach next and how to teach whatever topic I decide to do. Whoever created the English language sucks!!! He (and I'm sure it was a man!) must have had a lot of time in his hands and thought, "oh let me just come up with as many complicated rules as I can for this language and confuse the hell out of people - even the people that speak it naturally!" I totally hate that guy right now.
Today I taught my first class and it actually went better than I expected. My theme was Chicago and I think I've just convinced 5 more people to come and visit. One funny comment I received today was when I was talking about how you can get Chicago hot dogs for cheap. And this cute little Spanish lady goes, "With French fries?? No salad???" That was pretty hilarious! But now I have to do my second class tomorrow and I've given up. I've used too much time and energy on the first one that I just don't give a shit about tomorrow. Those damn students are going to have to deal with listening to me talk about parts of the kitchen (exhilarating)!!! I can't wait for tomorrow night. I am in major need of several los can~as (that ~ is supposed to be above the n, but I still can't figure out how to do that). They're like miniature beer...very cute.
As for my Spanish immersion, it has taken a step back the past few days since all I've been doing is school, and then straight home to do homework. Although I definitely feel like I've been here forever. Granted I still have no idea what people are saying to me, but for the most part I am really liking this city. It's weird to think that I was just in Chicago last week. It seriously feels like I left ages ago. I am trying as much as I can to work on my Spanish (I'm already used to saying the c or z with the th sound, and I already know how to order uno cafe con leche para llavar por favor all by myself!), but apparently I have to re-learn English first! Oh well, Spanish lessons will have to wait until I get a job.
Have an awesome Thanksgiving everyone!!! Eat lots of sweet potato goodness for me...mmm.
I am sorry I have been slacking on the blogging - I'm sure you're just dying to hear my next one - but I will try and do it as often as I can.
Coming up on Hola, Madrid: After listening to some great live music at a local bar, Fran realizes she has had too much canas, has lost Juan, and cannot find Calle dela Luna.
Today I taught my first class and it actually went better than I expected. My theme was Chicago and I think I've just convinced 5 more people to come and visit. One funny comment I received today was when I was talking about how you can get Chicago hot dogs for cheap. And this cute little Spanish lady goes, "With French fries?? No salad???" That was pretty hilarious! But now I have to do my second class tomorrow and I've given up. I've used too much time and energy on the first one that I just don't give a shit about tomorrow. Those damn students are going to have to deal with listening to me talk about parts of the kitchen (exhilarating)!!! I can't wait for tomorrow night. I am in major need of several los can~as (that ~ is supposed to be above the n, but I still can't figure out how to do that). They're like miniature beer...very cute.
As for my Spanish immersion, it has taken a step back the past few days since all I've been doing is school, and then straight home to do homework. Although I definitely feel like I've been here forever. Granted I still have no idea what people are saying to me, but for the most part I am really liking this city. It's weird to think that I was just in Chicago last week. It seriously feels like I left ages ago. I am trying as much as I can to work on my Spanish (I'm already used to saying the c or z with the th sound, and I already know how to order uno cafe con leche para llavar por favor all by myself!), but apparently I have to re-learn English first! Oh well, Spanish lessons will have to wait until I get a job.
Have an awesome Thanksgiving everyone!!! Eat lots of sweet potato goodness for me...mmm.
I am sorry I have been slacking on the blogging - I'm sure you're just dying to hear my next one - but I will try and do it as often as I can.
Coming up on Hola, Madrid: After listening to some great live music at a local bar, Fran realizes she has had too much canas, has lost Juan, and cannot find Calle dela Luna.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
All By Myself
Today, I thought I'd discover Madrid on my own. I was a bit nervous at first. I really didn't quite know what to expect and I was afraid I'd get lost and run into trouble (I have a very crazy imagination). Thankfully, I have mad navigation skills. This is what happens when you don't drive: you get really good at reading maps. Although I did let myself get lost a few times, I always found my way back. There was never a time when I felt I was in danger. I think this city is pretty safe for the most part.
First on the agenda was to locate my school so I know where to go tomorrow. It was pretty easy to get there and it is in a nice neighborhood. I believe it's the financial district. There were lots of big buildings and shops and restaurants. I got really hungry by the time I got there so I thought I'd get food. Because it is Sunday, most places are close. I'm also not confident enough with my Spanish, so I was just too intimidated to go into the restaurants that were open. So I went to Starbucks. Yup, I'm a loser and went to Starbucks in Madrid. I butchered the little Spanish I know and thankfully the cashier was nice enough to help me out a bit.
Next, I decided to find a cellphone store recommended to me by Erica. It's in Chueca. From what I've heard Chueca is the new up and coming neighborhood. It's also the gay neighborhood...I was super excited to go. When I got there though, there wasn't much going on...maybe because I went on a Sunday. So after I went to the cellphone store, which was closed, I took a walk down Paseo del Prado and proceeded to Parque de Retiro. So far, the park is my favorite part of the city. It is amazingly beautiful. I could have stayed there forever. There are lots of greenery, a big pond, huge statues, fallen leaves...it was very cute and romantic. A makes- me-want-to-have-a-boyfriend type of place, but not super cheesy. I sat for a while and listened to a street musician play the saxophone. After a few minutes, a huge group of friends came and a few of them were carrying bongos. The saxophonist walked over to them and they started playing together. Then the girls and a boy from the same group started flamenco dancing. It was awesome!!! I was just happy...really and truly happy. Good music and dancing in a beautiful park - what more could you ask for??!!!
Finally I had to tear myself away from the show and start heading home. (Side note: Elaine, I found a Topshop on my way home!!!) I really needed to get started on my homework for tomorrow. Right when I was about to start, my doorbell rang. I was like who the hell could that be??? I was a bit hesistant to open the door, but I did it anyway. A Spanish guy was standing on the other side and he says are you Fran?? Ummm yes? I'm Juan. Oh Juan, my future Madrileno friend. I had gotten his contact information from Amanda (yay!) and I've been trying to contact him since yesterday, but I didn't know how. I totally forgot that I emailed him my address last night. After knocking on random people's door, he finally found me. So we went out to get a drink. First, he showed me his very nice apartment in Chueca. He's got lots of books, so he's obviously a reader. He also has a guitar and he plays it very well. Then we grabbed a beer at a nearby bar. We just talked about random stuff - from the Hapsburg family to Magellan to girls and relationships - and it was great. I totally forgot about my homework. Then he walked me home so I didn't run into hoodlums.
And now I REALLY have to do homework....boo. I'm not liking school already.
First on the agenda was to locate my school so I know where to go tomorrow. It was pretty easy to get there and it is in a nice neighborhood. I believe it's the financial district. There were lots of big buildings and shops and restaurants. I got really hungry by the time I got there so I thought I'd get food. Because it is Sunday, most places are close. I'm also not confident enough with my Spanish, so I was just too intimidated to go into the restaurants that were open. So I went to Starbucks. Yup, I'm a loser and went to Starbucks in Madrid. I butchered the little Spanish I know and thankfully the cashier was nice enough to help me out a bit.
Next, I decided to find a cellphone store recommended to me by Erica. It's in Chueca. From what I've heard Chueca is the new up and coming neighborhood. It's also the gay neighborhood...I was super excited to go. When I got there though, there wasn't much going on...maybe because I went on a Sunday. So after I went to the cellphone store, which was closed, I took a walk down Paseo del Prado and proceeded to Parque de Retiro. So far, the park is my favorite part of the city. It is amazingly beautiful. I could have stayed there forever. There are lots of greenery, a big pond, huge statues, fallen leaves...it was very cute and romantic. A makes- me-want-to-have-a-boyfriend type of place, but not super cheesy. I sat for a while and listened to a street musician play the saxophone. After a few minutes, a huge group of friends came and a few of them were carrying bongos. The saxophonist walked over to them and they started playing together. Then the girls and a boy from the same group started flamenco dancing. It was awesome!!! I was just happy...really and truly happy. Good music and dancing in a beautiful park - what more could you ask for??!!!
Finally I had to tear myself away from the show and start heading home. (Side note: Elaine, I found a Topshop on my way home!!!) I really needed to get started on my homework for tomorrow. Right when I was about to start, my doorbell rang. I was like who the hell could that be??? I was a bit hesistant to open the door, but I did it anyway. A Spanish guy was standing on the other side and he says are you Fran?? Ummm yes? I'm Juan. Oh Juan, my future Madrileno friend. I had gotten his contact information from Amanda (yay!) and I've been trying to contact him since yesterday, but I didn't know how. I totally forgot that I emailed him my address last night. After knocking on random people's door, he finally found me. So we went out to get a drink. First, he showed me his very nice apartment in Chueca. He's got lots of books, so he's obviously a reader. He also has a guitar and he plays it very well. Then we grabbed a beer at a nearby bar. We just talked about random stuff - from the Hapsburg family to Magellan to girls and relationships - and it was great. I totally forgot about my homework. Then he walked me home so I didn't run into hoodlums.
And now I REALLY have to do homework....boo. I'm not liking school already.
Saturday, November 17, 2007
First day in Madrid
After a long flight, I´m finally in Madrid. I had a two hour lay-over in Munich and it was cold as hell. I might have to get a coat before I go there in December. I arrived in Madrid at about 11:30 AM. Sara picked me up and god bless her for being so nice. She helped me carry my bags, showed me how to get Metro tickets and just gave me a basic orientation. We went to my apartment for the next week or so and it is awesome. I reserved a studio and for some reason I got a one bedroom. I can have like 4 more people in there. It´s clean and it´s got a balcony overlooking the plaza outside. I love it! Then, we met her friend Erica at Plaza del Sol and we all just kinda walked around. This city is amazingly beautiful. When I was flying in, it hit me that I did not know anything about the city. And I thought to myself, why did I pick Madrid???
But it has been great so far. I have a feeling I´m gonna enjoy walking around the city a lot. There´s a bit of a surprise in every corner. We went to a tapas bar for lunch and that was an experience. It was super crowded and there were just lots of people drinking and smoking. But not drinking to get wasted, just to chill. The food was free. Basically, you just order a drink and they give you free tapas. It´s seriously the best deal ever! You get all this food for a price of a drink!! I love it!
Also, as I write this, there is a potential riot going on outside the internet cafe (which is on Puerta del Sol, the city center). All day long, everywhere we walked, there were cops in riot gear just hanging out. Apparently, there is some big protest happening that involves two radical groups and one of their members getting murdered last week...or something like that. Sara and Erika reassured me that this is very, very rare. Most of the time the protests are very peaceful. I personally think it´s just me. This is the third time I´ve been in a foreign country in which I have encountered police in riot gear. Maybe they´re looking for me...
Well, I´m gonna head back and get some bread and Nutella I can eat for the rest of the week. Then hopefully I can take a nice long nap until tomorrow.
But it has been great so far. I have a feeling I´m gonna enjoy walking around the city a lot. There´s a bit of a surprise in every corner. We went to a tapas bar for lunch and that was an experience. It was super crowded and there were just lots of people drinking and smoking. But not drinking to get wasted, just to chill. The food was free. Basically, you just order a drink and they give you free tapas. It´s seriously the best deal ever! You get all this food for a price of a drink!! I love it!
Also, as I write this, there is a potential riot going on outside the internet cafe (which is on Puerta del Sol, the city center). All day long, everywhere we walked, there were cops in riot gear just hanging out. Apparently, there is some big protest happening that involves two radical groups and one of their members getting murdered last week...or something like that. Sara and Erika reassured me that this is very, very rare. Most of the time the protests are very peaceful. I personally think it´s just me. This is the third time I´ve been in a foreign country in which I have encountered police in riot gear. Maybe they´re looking for me...
Well, I´m gonna head back and get some bread and Nutella I can eat for the rest of the week. Then hopefully I can take a nice long nap until tomorrow.
Friday, November 16, 2007
Pre-Boarding
T-minus 2 hours and 20 minutes and I feel sick to my stomach. What the hell have I gotten myself into??!! I don't really know. I know in the end I'll be happy and things will be fine, but right now I feel nauseous. I don't know if it's a symptom of my anxiety, or if I ate something bad (that cappucino blast last night might have been a bad idea), or if it's "woman's trouble" (sorry, don't mean to be too graphic), or if it's my stomach telling me to feed it. The only thing that's making me feel better is that I can bitch about it here (thankgod for wireless internet) and listening to the girl next to me talk on the phone about holocaust and masturbation. She must be smart...she's using really big words and referencing books.
Anyway, I think I just need to get to Madrid so I can stop thinking about it. The anticipation is killing me. I just want to get there and get it over with. I've said way too many goodbyes the past week. If there's one thing I hate, it is saying goodbyes. I always get emotional and cry like a baby. If you had seen me after I said goodbye to my parents and my sister, you would have thought I was a freak. It was seriously pathetic. I was just walking around the airport crying uncontrollably. It was like Dwight in the Office, minus the horrible sounds. And just writing about it is making me cry again. Maybe this isn't helping after all.
But there is no turning back. I've got a one way ticket, a place to stay, and a class to take. And I would completely hate myself if I don't do this. I'll be back at a desk job and totally miserable.
Ok, I'm gonna go cry myself out before boarding so whoever sits next to me doesn't think I'm crazy...God, I hope he/she is not a talker or smelly. Or maybe I'll just go get People Magazine. Looking at the Sexiest Men Alive will probably make me feel a whole lot better.
Anyway, I think I just need to get to Madrid so I can stop thinking about it. The anticipation is killing me. I just want to get there and get it over with. I've said way too many goodbyes the past week. If there's one thing I hate, it is saying goodbyes. I always get emotional and cry like a baby. If you had seen me after I said goodbye to my parents and my sister, you would have thought I was a freak. It was seriously pathetic. I was just walking around the airport crying uncontrollably. It was like Dwight in the Office, minus the horrible sounds. And just writing about it is making me cry again. Maybe this isn't helping after all.
But there is no turning back. I've got a one way ticket, a place to stay, and a class to take. And I would completely hate myself if I don't do this. I'll be back at a desk job and totally miserable.
Ok, I'm gonna go cry myself out before boarding so whoever sits next to me doesn't think I'm crazy...God, I hope he/she is not a talker or smelly. Or maybe I'll just go get People Magazine. Looking at the Sexiest Men Alive will probably make me feel a whole lot better.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
I guess I gotta start somewhere...
After weeks of procrastinating, I've finally found the courage to start this blog. I don't consider myself a good writer; I'm neither eloquent or articulate. I always have a hard time putting my thoughts into words...unless I'm writing a very angry ten page letter to someone. However, I have already mentioned this blog to many people. I have also already taken the time just setting this up (and we all know how much I hate figuring things out on the computer). I really have no choice but to get this going. Plus, I don't want to disappoint my fans...I've got so many! With that said, please bear with me and let me know if I completely suck. I can handle criticism (unless it's really mean and unreasonable...then you might get a ten page letter from me).
So for my first blog ever (!), I've decided to answer your most frequently asked questions. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Fran's own FAQ (add applause)...
Why the hell are you moving?
There are actually many many reasons for this (and they are in no particular order). One, why the hell not??? I'm relatively young, I'm single, and I got no babies! If I fail, I only fail myself. Second, I've always wanted to do it. It's a huge challenge for me. If I can survive out of my comfort zone for at least a year, I can add that on to my very short list of accomplishments. Three, I needed to get out of the "real world". No one really tells you in college how much sitting in a cube from 9 to 5 (or 8 to 6 for most of the time for me) is really not that fun. Four, I love to travel and seeing new places, meeting new people. What better way to experience a culture than to completely immerse yourself with the people, the language, the food (!), and everything else in it. I have many more reasons. I have it all written down in my real paper journal (my paper blog, I guess, which is a lot juicier), and frankly I don't feel like sharing it all. So I'll leave you to yourself to wonder what those other reasons are.
Why Madrid, Spain?
Honestly, it just happened to be my backup plan. Obviously, plan A didn't work. What's plan A you ask? Well, it was to work in Japan. I applied for the JET Programme (Japan's exchange teaching program) last December. I went for an interview at the Embassy in February and found out in April that I was on the waiting list :(. Before I got the email, I was pretty much starting to lean towards Madrid. Japan would mean leaving in July and missing Natania's wedding. And I just knew that I would never be mentally ready by July. So when I got my waiting list email, I pretty much took it as a sign that I'm meant to be in Madrid. I decided to forgo my chances and sent my decline letter to JET (apparently most people on the waiting list still get to go). The only disadvantage to Madrid as oppose to Japan is that I would have to do everything myself: look for housing, look for a job, get insurance, pay for my flights and all transportation. The more I thought about it, I got more excited about the challenge. The idea of "winging" it, just made it more attractive. And the best part is that, I can learn Spanish and I get to go back to Europe! And so far, I have no regrets about not going to Japan.
Where are you going to live?
I will be living in a studio apartment for the first week. Then I'll figure out the rest once I get there. I'll make sure to post my address as soon as I have a permanent one. I know how you are all dying to send me packages :)
What are you going to do?
Hopefully I will find a job teaching English by January. I am taking a course for the first four weeks that will give me certification to teach English as a second language.
What are you going to bring? How will you pack?
Well, I am leaving in two days and I'm still not packed. Today, I looked at the pile of clothes I am thinking of bringing, and it just gave me a headache so I walked away. I don't really know what to bring. All I know is that I don't want to carry a lot of s--t (sorry, Mom, but I have to swear sometimes). So the plan so far is to put as much as I can in a big ass backpack (thanks Brie!), a medium size duffel bag, and a school size backpack for my carry on. I feel like this packing thing is really my first big challenge: which shoes do I bring; will I freeze if I don't bring a thick coat; are seven pairs of jeans enough; will I have room for some chocolate and snacks? I really just don't know!!! Can I hire someone to pack for me???
Are you excited? Nervous?
This is an interesting question actually. From the moment I decided to do this, I've never really been nervous. The past 6 months, I've felt really good about my decision. It was just time for me to go. I mean, it's just moving. It's no big deal. I've done it at least ten other times. Then came Monday when I had my first real anxiety attack. I think it finally sunk in. I've been unemployed for over a week and I haven't done s--t. I have so much cleaning, organizing, packing, and music downloading to do! Besides that, crazy thoughts were consuming every part of my little brain: what if I can't find a job; what if I can't find friends; what if all the Madrilenos hate me; what if I end up poor and broke and living on the streets and forced to sell my body; what if I have to go home; what if I get super homesick; what if I get lost in an unfamiliar area and get killed??? But alas, there's no turning back. I'm going to have to just calm myself down the next two days, cry my eyes out when I say goodbye to my family (b/c I haven't done enough crying already), and dive right in on Saturday when I get in Barajas Airport. I got no other choice, right?
Alright, I'm getting tired and this is getting long and stupid...I'll be impressed if you made it this far. This blogging thing is a bitch, but I gotta persevere. Till next time...
So for my first blog ever (!), I've decided to answer your most frequently asked questions. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Fran's own FAQ (add applause)...
Why the hell are you moving?
There are actually many many reasons for this (and they are in no particular order). One, why the hell not??? I'm relatively young, I'm single, and I got no babies! If I fail, I only fail myself. Second, I've always wanted to do it. It's a huge challenge for me. If I can survive out of my comfort zone for at least a year, I can add that on to my very short list of accomplishments. Three, I needed to get out of the "real world". No one really tells you in college how much sitting in a cube from 9 to 5 (or 8 to 6 for most of the time for me) is really not that fun. Four, I love to travel and seeing new places, meeting new people. What better way to experience a culture than to completely immerse yourself with the people, the language, the food (!), and everything else in it. I have many more reasons. I have it all written down in my real paper journal (my paper blog, I guess, which is a lot juicier), and frankly I don't feel like sharing it all. So I'll leave you to yourself to wonder what those other reasons are.
Why Madrid, Spain?
Honestly, it just happened to be my backup plan. Obviously, plan A didn't work. What's plan A you ask? Well, it was to work in Japan. I applied for the JET Programme (Japan's exchange teaching program) last December. I went for an interview at the Embassy in February and found out in April that I was on the waiting list :(. Before I got the email, I was pretty much starting to lean towards Madrid. Japan would mean leaving in July and missing Natania's wedding. And I just knew that I would never be mentally ready by July. So when I got my waiting list email, I pretty much took it as a sign that I'm meant to be in Madrid. I decided to forgo my chances and sent my decline letter to JET (apparently most people on the waiting list still get to go). The only disadvantage to Madrid as oppose to Japan is that I would have to do everything myself: look for housing, look for a job, get insurance, pay for my flights and all transportation. The more I thought about it, I got more excited about the challenge. The idea of "winging" it, just made it more attractive. And the best part is that, I can learn Spanish and I get to go back to Europe! And so far, I have no regrets about not going to Japan.
Where are you going to live?
I will be living in a studio apartment for the first week. Then I'll figure out the rest once I get there. I'll make sure to post my address as soon as I have a permanent one. I know how you are all dying to send me packages :)
What are you going to do?
Hopefully I will find a job teaching English by January. I am taking a course for the first four weeks that will give me certification to teach English as a second language.
What are you going to bring? How will you pack?
Well, I am leaving in two days and I'm still not packed. Today, I looked at the pile of clothes I am thinking of bringing, and it just gave me a headache so I walked away. I don't really know what to bring. All I know is that I don't want to carry a lot of s--t (sorry, Mom, but I have to swear sometimes). So the plan so far is to put as much as I can in a big ass backpack (thanks Brie!), a medium size duffel bag, and a school size backpack for my carry on. I feel like this packing thing is really my first big challenge: which shoes do I bring; will I freeze if I don't bring a thick coat; are seven pairs of jeans enough; will I have room for some chocolate and snacks? I really just don't know!!! Can I hire someone to pack for me???
Are you excited? Nervous?
This is an interesting question actually. From the moment I decided to do this, I've never really been nervous. The past 6 months, I've felt really good about my decision. It was just time for me to go. I mean, it's just moving. It's no big deal. I've done it at least ten other times. Then came Monday when I had my first real anxiety attack. I think it finally sunk in. I've been unemployed for over a week and I haven't done s--t. I have so much cleaning, organizing, packing, and music downloading to do! Besides that, crazy thoughts were consuming every part of my little brain: what if I can't find a job; what if I can't find friends; what if all the Madrilenos hate me; what if I end up poor and broke and living on the streets and forced to sell my body; what if I have to go home; what if I get super homesick; what if I get lost in an unfamiliar area and get killed??? But alas, there's no turning back. I'm going to have to just calm myself down the next two days, cry my eyes out when I say goodbye to my family (b/c I haven't done enough crying already), and dive right in on Saturday when I get in Barajas Airport. I got no other choice, right?
Alright, I'm getting tired and this is getting long and stupid...I'll be impressed if you made it this far. This blogging thing is a bitch, but I gotta persevere. Till next time...
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