Despite my best efforts, fiercest determinations, and well-laid plans, I remain—
Able to breathe best, feel most peaceful, think clearly—
Outside city limits.
Able to breathe best, feel most peaceful, think clearly—
Outside city limits.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Now, how about that.
On Saturday we took a bus up to El Escorial which is much closer to the mountains. We went to a HUGE monastery/castle. Lots of artwork, architecture, and also wind. We tried to play Frisbee but it was actually, “Aaah! Run quickly after that disc rolling across the courtyard before it knocks over a small child.”
We also saw several dead kings, which Amber felt to be the real selling point of the trip. This is the 3rd museum-ish that I’ve been to so far and it was my favorite. The rooms were different enough to keep my attention. In other places, you can really only look at so many pictures of the 
crucifixion/the disciples/ugly male rulers before they all start to look the same. That happened at the Prado. My brain was numb. And I only made it through probably 15% of the Prado. The monastery had some paintings/tapestries I recognized as famous, but the Prado had more…like this one.
But my favorite one?
Oh yes. I walked around the corner and almost ran into this. I lau
ghed out loud. Involuntarily. And then I read the info box to see what the joke was, but there’s no joke. It’s real. Whoops.
crucifixion/the disciples/ugly male rulers before they all start to look the same. That happened at the Prado. My brain was numb. And I only made it through probably 15% of the Prado. The monastery had some paintings/tapestries I recognized as famous, but the Prado had more…like this one.But my favorite one?
Oh yes. I walked around the corner and almost ran into this. I lau
Anne, remember when I ate the leg off your gingerbread man?
Hark. I bloggeth this day to tell thee of my life. So during weekdays, my life consists mostly of lesson planning, teaching, making flashcards, and cooking. For some reason I seem to make a lot of flashcards. I don’t really have responsibilities on Fridays, so I run various errands/have fun that day. This Friday I went shopping for boots. Some of you have had the horror of shopping with me before and know my deep indecision especially when spending more than 9 dollars. Boots cost much more than 9 dollars. This is the second time I’ve been looking and I still haven’t made any decisions. I just look like a creeper walking back and forth in front of the same store windows. Friday evening, I went out with some friends to a “Mexican” restaurant. I put that word in quotations because the Mexican with us said she’d never seen half the stuff we paid exorbitant prices for. It was one of those gatherings where you invite a few people who invite a few people and you end up with a big hilarious group. I talked more to the people I met that night than the people I came with and a good time was had by all.
Thanksgiving is coming up in a few days and I hope you all have a beautiful holiday with the people you love. I’m not sure what I’ll be doing…there’s a party/potluck with Canterbury, but who knows. For Christmas, I believe Astin’s friends Kristin and Jeremy will be staying with us over the holiday since they have a 5 day layover on their way home from Africa. It should be good times—we already have sugar cookie schemes.
Thanksgiving is coming up in a few days and I hope you all have a beautiful holiday with the people you love. I’m not sure what I’ll be doing…there’s a party/potluck with Canterbury, but who knows. For Christmas, I believe Astin’s friends Kristin and Jeremy will be staying with us over the holiday since they have a 5 day layover on their way home from Africa. It should be good times—we already have sugar cookie schemes.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
I now have facial hair.
Yes, it's true. I now have a beard. I knew Madrid was a surprising place, but I did not expect to sprout man-hair on my chin.
Things that I like here:
-Recycling, the metro, how I can hear music all over (in the metro station, on the cars, on the streets, at the museums, in my neighbor's apartments), how everything isn't in the same place (I go one place for bread, one place for fruit, etc.), gorgeous old buildings, sunshine, boots, the sandwich lady, walking, learning Spanish (although I haven't learned much), finding new places.
-More later.
What?
Today I ran into a pole. Hard.
In my defense, it was a very short pole. Ironically, it left a very large bruise. That was probably the low point of the day. Other points of varying heights included: taking the final exam of the TEFL course, our teacher not showing up for said exam, finding lower-priced groceries, etc.
Now that the course is over, I will have more time for fun and for essential things like earning an income. I’ll also have more time for lesson planning—like for the hilarious 6 and 8 year old sisters I teach. I went to their house on Tuesday and was all prepared to start the lesson, even though they were completely engrossed in something on the older one’s hand. I start talking only to be interrupted by an insistent, “Looooook!!!” as the oldest one shoved her thumb near her my face. I notice some skin is missing and in my best “adult-who-needs-to-show-proper-horror-at-miniscule-child-wound” voice say, *gasp* “What happened?!” and she replied, solemnly, “The poop.” I withheld my laughter explosion to wait for the rest of the joke, but it didn’t come, so I repeated, “The poop?” to make sure I had heard correctly, and she replied, with a nod, “The poop.” At this point, I am staring at her, and she is staring at me and the wheels are turning in my head. I notice that the missing skin is the approximate shape and size of a blister and the light flashes above my head. “Ooooohhhhh,” I say, “It popped?” Yes, she said, “It popped.” Rest assured, world population, no birds with acidic feces are flying over Madrid, dropping dangerous matter on the thumbs of eight-year-olds.
In my defense, it was a very short pole. Ironically, it left a very large bruise. That was probably the low point of the day. Other points of varying heights included: taking the final exam of the TEFL course, our teacher not showing up for said exam, finding lower-priced groceries, etc.
Now that the course is over, I will have more time for fun and for essential things like earning an income. I’ll also have more time for lesson planning—like for the hilarious 6 and 8 year old sisters I teach. I went to their house on Tuesday and was all prepared to start the lesson, even though they were completely engrossed in something on the older one’s hand. I start talking only to be interrupted by an insistent, “Looooook!!!” as the oldest one shoved her thumb near her my face. I notice some skin is missing and in my best “adult-who-needs-to-show-proper-horror-at-miniscule-child-wound” voice say, *gasp* “What happened?!” and she replied, solemnly, “The poop.” I withheld my laughter explosion to wait for the rest of the joke, but it didn’t come, so I repeated, “The poop?” to make sure I had heard correctly, and she replied, with a nod, “The poop.” At this point, I am staring at her, and she is staring at me and the wheels are turning in my head. I notice that the missing skin is the approximate shape and size of a blister and the light flashes above my head. “Ooooohhhhh,” I say, “It popped?” Yes, she said, “It popped.” Rest assured, world population, no birds with acidic feces are flying over Madrid, dropping dangerous matter on the thumbs of eight-year-olds.
Kisses and Insolence
Apparently, the word “sick” is difficult for non-native speakers to say. The man can be sack or suck, but he is never sick except for the first time the word is repeated. Then, and only then, is he sick.
I play Go Fish a lot. Sometimes I use regular cards, and sometimes I use cards made from vocabulary flashcards. One of the 6-year-olds (p.s. I believe this phrase is actually six-years-old) I teach struggles with like/have and word order. So we play like this [pronunciation included], “Kaeet, joo laeek a seben?” “No, I do not have a seven, go fish.” Feelings (i.e. happy, sad, hot, cold, etc.) Go Fish took an ironic turn when one girl correctly said, “Kate, do you have a hot man?” This was perfect use of the new vocab adjective and I replied, very truthfully, “No, I do not have a hot man, go fish.” Oh child, little do you know!
Other funny stories including the 6&8 year old sisters—The first day, they were under the impression that I spoke very little Spanish. While this is somewhat true, I understood everything they were saying. Each of us was drawing a picture of our families. When the younger one (I’ll call her Sarah) began to draw her older sister (I’ll call her Helen), the older sister’s eyes landed on the page and she realized that she has been drawn roughly the size of a medium-range dog. They begin talking in Spanish. “Sarah, why did you draw me little?” “I just did.” “Draw me bigger.” “No.” The oldest one then slides her hand across the table and leans in with her best no-nonsense adult voice and taps the table, “Sarah you know that I am older than you, now draw me that way.” [arguing from the younger sister] “SARAH, I’m older than you, and you know it. Draw me that way!” The youngest one resentfully turned the figure into a representation of her infant brother. The size comparison still worked.
As with many younger sisters, however, Sarah was plotting revenge. I saw her narrow her eyes and smile wickedly. She then held up her drawing and said (with a little bit of a taunting voice), “Helen. Whoops. I drew you with a third leg.” I look over for the reaction and notice that a small inferno seems to have ignited in both of Helen’s pupils. To deactivate the situation, I said loudly and in English, “Hey, look, I have a third leg, too.” This startled both of them out of their fight as they tried to figure out what to do with this new weird teacher. Then I decided to draw myself with a fourth leg because three looked awkward. So, Sarah drew a fourth leg on Helen and then gave me the picture. Now, I have two pictures of families where the oldest daughter has four legs. Awesome.
I play Go Fish a lot. Sometimes I use regular cards, and sometimes I use cards made from vocabulary flashcards. One of the 6-year-olds (p.s. I believe this phrase is actually six-years-old) I teach struggles with like/have and word order. So we play like this [pronunciation included], “Kaeet, joo laeek a seben?” “No, I do not have a seven, go fish.” Feelings (i.e. happy, sad, hot, cold, etc.) Go Fish took an ironic turn when one girl correctly said, “Kate, do you have a hot man?” This was perfect use of the new vocab adjective and I replied, very truthfully, “No, I do not have a hot man, go fish.” Oh child, little do you know!
Other funny stories including the 6&8 year old sisters—The first day, they were under the impression that I spoke very little Spanish. While this is somewhat true, I understood everything they were saying. Each of us was drawing a picture of our families. When the younger one (I’ll call her Sarah) began to draw her older sister (I’ll call her Helen), the older sister’s eyes landed on the page and she realized that she has been drawn roughly the size of a medium-range dog. They begin talking in Spanish. “Sarah, why did you draw me little?” “I just did.” “Draw me bigger.” “No.” The oldest one then slides her hand across the table and leans in with her best no-nonsense adult voice and taps the table, “Sarah you know that I am older than you, now draw me that way.” [arguing from the younger sister] “SARAH, I’m older than you, and you know it. Draw me that way!” The youngest one resentfully turned the figure into a representation of her infant brother. The size comparison still worked.
As with many younger sisters, however, Sarah was plotting revenge. I saw her narrow her eyes and smile wickedly. She then held up her drawing and said (with a little bit of a taunting voice), “Helen. Whoops. I drew you with a third leg.” I look over for the reaction and notice that a small inferno seems to have ignited in both of Helen’s pupils. To deactivate the situation, I said loudly and in English, “Hey, look, I have a third leg, too.” This startled both of them out of their fight as they tried to figure out what to do with this new weird teacher. Then I decided to draw myself with a fourth leg because three looked awkward. So, Sarah drew a fourth leg on Helen and then gave me the picture. Now, I have two pictures of families where the oldest daughter has four legs. Awesome.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
About life in Spain
Dear loyal followers,
Aloha. You may be confused as to why I am using a Hawaiian word when I am Spain. The answer is that I have actually moved to Hawaii. Ha. Just kidding.
I have been converted into a Germ Vacuum Cleaner. Apparently (as is its custom) my body has decided to go around sucking up loose germs and distributing them throughout my system. Thus, Astin and I are both a bit under the weather (hey, sharing is caring, right?). To combat this problem, I have made my special concoction of vinegar, honey, and water. No, it’s not as bad as it sounds. It’s worse. But it changes the pH balance of your body so that the germs have a hard time surviving. Scroll up or down (I’m not sure where I’ll post it) and you’ll find the gag reel (gag being used in a literal sense here) of when we drank the nasty liquid. [Author’s note to Erin – This is TWICE that I have done this within 24 hours, Erin, that’s TWICE.]
Classes have begun. Actually, I should say private tutoring sessions. I don’t have any group classes yet. I go to kids’ houses and teach them the finer nuances of the English language, such as the word “a”. I use advanced methods like Go Fish and “Here, Draw Your Family on This Paper.” Although I’ve been pretty nervous for each class, they’ve all gone well so far. This may be due, in part, to my musical sessions beforehand. While walking 9,000 miles from the metro to a house in high heels, I sing “I Have Confidence” from The Sound of Music. Only, I change the words from, “A captain with seven children, what’s so fearsome about that?” to “A Spaniard with two small children, what’s so fearsome about that?” This seems to work pretty well for me.
I also celebrated a high point last night. It was my first night to sleep on…sheets! Yep, on Friday Astin, Amber, and took the metro way the heck out to IKEA. IKEA is located in a rather desolate part of the Madrid outskirts where, Amber and I agreed, it smells like someone pooped and then threw up on top of it. (I totally just got a visual for the face my grandma made if she read that.) We picked up frivolous items like sheets and pillows and blankets and cereal bowls. Astin and I had a “that girl is kind of weird” moment when I chose to buy a plant and candles rather than a big blanket like she did. Hey, I already have a sleeping bag, but we needed some light. Our apartment still isn’t set up yet, but rest assured, when it is we will post pictures.
This week will be pretty hectic. I take TEFL courses in the morning and afternoon (although it is all technically considered morning here), do prep in the afternoon, and teach in the evenings. Friday is the big test to see if we pass the TEFL course and then Monday our adult class lesson plans are due. After that, we only have to complete 40 hours of practice teaching (it’s real teaching and it’s paid, you just have to turn in a lesson plan for each class) and then we get our certificates. I’m thinking of marketing myself privately because I just don’t make very much money through my current organization. 13 euros an hour seems like a lot, but they take forever to get you classes. If I market myself, I can charge more and be pickier about my clients. I’ll cross that bridge when I get there.
I hope you all are having a wonderful month. I love getting e-mails about how you’re doing even if I don’t respond immediately. Also, if you are dying to send me some postal mail (Anne.) let me know and I will e-mail you my mailing address. Postal mail is the greatest thing in the world, almost. TTFN.
Aloha. You may be confused as to why I am using a Hawaiian word when I am Spain. The answer is that I have actually moved to Hawaii. Ha. Just kidding.
I have been converted into a Germ Vacuum Cleaner. Apparently (as is its custom) my body has decided to go around sucking up loose germs and distributing them throughout my system. Thus, Astin and I are both a bit under the weather (hey, sharing is caring, right?). To combat this problem, I have made my special concoction of vinegar, honey, and water. No, it’s not as bad as it sounds. It’s worse. But it changes the pH balance of your body so that the germs have a hard time surviving. Scroll up or down (I’m not sure where I’ll post it) and you’ll find the gag reel (gag being used in a literal sense here) of when we drank the nasty liquid. [Author’s note to Erin – This is TWICE that I have done this within 24 hours, Erin, that’s TWICE.]
Classes have begun. Actually, I should say private tutoring sessions. I don’t have any group classes yet. I go to kids’ houses and teach them the finer nuances of the English language, such as the word “a”. I use advanced methods like Go Fish and “Here, Draw Your Family on This Paper.” Although I’ve been pretty nervous for each class, they’ve all gone well so far. This may be due, in part, to my musical sessions beforehand. While walking 9,000 miles from the metro to a house in high heels, I sing “I Have Confidence” from The Sound of Music. Only, I change the words from, “A captain with seven children, what’s so fearsome about that?” to “A Spaniard with two small children, what’s so fearsome about that?” This seems to work pretty well for me.
I also celebrated a high point last night. It was my first night to sleep on…sheets! Yep, on Friday Astin, Amber, and took the metro way the heck out to IKEA. IKEA is located in a rather desolate part of the Madrid outskirts where, Amber and I agreed, it smells like someone pooped and then threw up on top of it. (I totally just got a visual for the face my grandma made if she read that.) We picked up frivolous items like sheets and pillows and blankets and cereal bowls. Astin and I had a “that girl is kind of weird” moment when I chose to buy a plant and candles rather than a big blanket like she did. Hey, I already have a sleeping bag, but we needed some light. Our apartment still isn’t set up yet, but rest assured, when it is we will post pictures.
This week will be pretty hectic. I take TEFL courses in the morning and afternoon (although it is all technically considered morning here), do prep in the afternoon, and teach in the evenings. Friday is the big test to see if we pass the TEFL course and then Monday our adult class lesson plans are due. After that, we only have to complete 40 hours of practice teaching (it’s real teaching and it’s paid, you just have to turn in a lesson plan for each class) and then we get our certificates. I’m thinking of marketing myself privately because I just don’t make very much money through my current organization. 13 euros an hour seems like a lot, but they take forever to get you classes. If I market myself, I can charge more and be pickier about my clients. I’ll cross that bridge when I get there.
I hope you all are having a wonderful month. I love getting e-mails about how you’re doing even if I don’t respond immediately. Also, if you are dying to send me some postal mail (Anne.) let me know and I will e-mail you my mailing address. Postal mail is the greatest thing in the world, almost. TTFN.
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