Two Days of Training

For the last two days I was at training for my position as an Auxiliar de Conversacion. The first day was pointless. Typically trainings and orientations are by definition rather boring, but when the ladies in charge of the program began to explain the application process to a room of people who had been accepted I got the feeling this would be no different. We went over the duties, rights and responsibilities of an Auxiliar; they include working no more than 16 hours per week, not (officially) grading children, always speaking in English and justifying absences. The highlight of day one was the free steak lunch, even if it was a little more rare than I like. The low light was waiting around for an hour and a half for them to pass out the health insurance information, only to find the cards missing.

Day two was surprisingly more interesting. This time we listened to presentations by a director of one of the bilingual schools outside of the city and another man who teaches in a different bilingual school. The first presentation included many examples of projects previous Auxiliares had done to teach rhymes and stories to little kids. She did a great job explaining how to make things interesting to kids, but at the same time I felt slightly ill-prepared. No where along the preparation process did it come up that I should bring things from home, yet in these orientation sessions the idea of showing the kids things from your home country was repeated. Great, now where am I going to find pictures of Oregon or Washington DC. Sure the embassy did say they had a few resources, but I doubt that Oregon is an in-demand topic... though this might change since Rudy Fernandez now plays for the Trail Blazers. I smell a lesson plan brewing...

The second session went over more of the methodologies of teaching English. While rather technical it did provide some great insights about how Spanish kids really respond to physical praise like a pat on the head or shoulder as opposed to just telling them "good job". This notion really stirred up our class, as those of us with previous experience working with kids in the states were shocked at being encouraged to touch the kids. I remember when i started working at Boys & Girls Club we were encouraged to avoid most physical contact with kids, por ejemplo (for example in Spanish) when the kids try to hug you front-on you were supposed to slide them over into a side-hug, just to avoid any possible allegations of sexual touching. Here some of the kids kiss their teacher good-bye at the end of the day. This is going to take some getting used to.

Tomorrow is my first day of work, and in typical Spanish style I had to pry information about start times out of my coordinator. I emailed him yesterday, pointing out that Wednesday would be the first day of work and I didn't know where to meet him or even what time to be there. In even more typical Spanish style he responded with

For the first day, you shouldn´t worrry very much about the time you should be at school. Take your time to get used to the public transport you have to take everyday to get to the school. We start our classes at 9 am, and we have our break from 11 to 11.30 am, thats a good time to arrive to school. You can ask for Eduardo at the entrance of the school, there are 2 people at conserjería and they will tell you where to go. We will have a meeting at 12, midday. Hasta mañana.

Really? between 11 and 11:30? meeting at 12? I wonder what the full time schedule is going to be; Show up when you feel like it?! Oh well, it could be worse, they could ask me to be there at 9 am sharp, wearing a business suit. I get the feeling this is going to be a relaxed position. Now if only I could find some side teaching gigs to support my extravagant Coca Cola Light and Principe cookies habits...

My First Piece of Mail!

Today was probably the best Saturday ever. I slept in late, lounged around until a little before 2, when my roommates and I tried to go to an open air market (even though we know everything closes at 2 for lunch, we still dawdled and missed the whole thing), I voted, then went to pet some puppies in Retiro park.

Yep, you read correctly, I voted today. Back in August I sent away for an absentee ballot but never received confirmation that my request was processed. As time passed I grew fearful that I wouldn't get to vote in this election; just to check, I emailed the county yesterday and they said my ballot was mailed the 19th. On the way to our failed market adventure, I peeked in the mailbox and saw a white envelope. I made a mental note to check the mail on the way home, sure enough it was my ballot. I can say that in this election I really didn't need to see the debates, my mind was pretty well made up when John McCain picked Sarah Palin. Clearly he is an idiot.

After I finished voting, I met up with my friends Theresa and Meagan to go to the fourth annual pet adoption fair in Retiro park. This is an event brings together organizations that help abandoned and homeless cats and dogs find homes and people looking for a pet. Little tents were set up along one of the main paths through the park with a few puppies in each pen. I tried to pet them, but was only successful a handful of times. Yes, the idea of homeless animals makes me sad, but this event was uplifting because many of the name tags on the pens said adoptado (adopted in Spanish). I was glad to see these little guys had homes. If only one of them could live with me...

One of my favorite pens was filled with 7 or 8 puppies, all of them about two months old. The first time I went to their pen (yes, i went back!) they wiggled and jumped around trying to get attention from the throngs of onlookers. When I put my hand in the pen the older, I assume mother of some of the puppies, dog came over and I got to give her a few pats on the head. Upon my return to take a photo, the pups had tuckered themselves out and were all sleeping. Hopefully even the iciest of hearts can be melted by their cuteness!

1 Week down, 40 to go!

A few minutes ago it officially became my 7th day here in Madrid. Last Friday around 11:20 my flight touched down at Barajas airport and I began a very interesting adventure. I'm not talking about negotiating large amounts of luggage into tiny taxis, but rather a year of living and working in my favorite foreign country. Time and again I have admitted that I did this program because I didn't know what else to do after graduation, plus the time to do "crazy" things like this when you're young.

While ridiculously exciting, there have been some trying times (posts about the bank and at&t). This time around things are generally easier. Sure, it frustrates me when the bank stops working at 2, but thanks to my prior time in Spain, I was in some way prepared for this. Even with my history in Spain one thing that will constantly challenge me is the Spanish insistence on mumbling and/or speaking quickly. As much as it kills me to admit it, it is tan obvio (Spanish for "so obvious") that my native language is not Spanish. Yet I have experienced several instances where people continue to mumble or rush through what they have to say. Under no circumstances do I want them all to speak English and accommodate me (in fact it bothers me when people automatically revert to English instead of giving me a fair crack at Spanish), but rather I would like some recognition that I am trying with their language and that it would be helpful for them to speak clearly. In a few weeks, maybe even days, my listening skills will improve and this will be less of a problem.

In much better news, Monday is my first day of orientation for my job! I'm excited to get going and to have something to do most days, other than wander my neighborhood. Last night I met up with one of the other girls who will be working at the same school as me. Eimear and her friend Blair met me in Sol and we shared some tapas. We sat and chatted about prior times in Spain, about Washington DC (they attended Georgetown) and various other topics. Both girls are very nice, though I could tell that Eimear was stressed about apartment hunting. I can understand how that process would suck horribly, which makes me even more grateful for the place MariCarmen hooked us up with.

So, in summary, things are happening. Stay tunned for updates! Also, the picture is of my street, you can't really see my door, but I live about a half a block in.

Some Things Never Change

Last night I was feeling a little restless, so I went for a walk around the neighborhood. About a block from my door a lady asked me for directions. Unfortunately for her, I did not know where the street she was looking for is located. This encounter reminded me of my first week of classes 2 years ago. Whilst in the metro I was asked for directions several times, I guess my host mom had taught me how to use the metro so well that I looked like a local. My other theory is that I just have a friendly face, and people think I am approachable. Either way you look at it I take it as a great complement. Being asked for directions became a common activity in my life in Spain, by the end of that semester I was really good at giving directions and helping people in the metro. It is nice to know that this fact didn't change, hopefully in the next few months I will be just as good at directions as I used to be.

Now on to the ranting portion of this blog post. Remember how I had such problems with the less than efficient way Spain conducts business? I found out why they move so slowly! The computers shut down at 2 o'clock for lunch. Care to find out how I learned this? Let me tell you about my trip to Santander Bank...

This afternoon my roommates and I went to pay September's rent. My mom suggested that I bring it in traveler's checks, which was a very good idea, until they had to be cashed and couldn't be handed over as-is. I went around the corner from the office where we were paying to a Santander Bank. I got in line at about 1:45, after fighting with the door for a good three minutes (it kept telling me to put my weapons in the boxes outside the door, and since i don't carry weapons in my purse I was very confused...). Soon after I got in the 6 or 7 person line I realized that it was moving incredibly slowly, but I figured that was OK because I was in line and they would clear the line before taking lunch. When it was finally my turn I told the teller that I wanted to exchange the travelers checks for dinero efectivo (Spanish for cash) and she just started shaking her head no.

No? What did she mean "no"? I had just seen her finish another man's transaction! The inside of my traveler's check envelope said they were a "fee-free partner"! How on Earth could she be telling me no?

When she finally interpreted my blank stare as utter confusion, she explained that at 2 o'clock the computer no longer is capable of doing those types of transactions; effectively that the computer takes a lunch break, and that I should come back tomorrow between 8:30 and 1:45. When I tried to explain that I needed the money for rent, she called the manager over and he re-explained that the bank computer could not, under any circumstances, process my request. When I gave him the same blank stare he asked if I understood him. I asked him to repeat it, not really because I hadn't processed the vocabulary, but more the concept that even though I was in the bank at 1:45 I couldn't do my transaction. I told him I understood and even thanked him for explaining it again.

Luckily, when I returned to the office it was no big deal that I couldn't pay right then. Maite told me to come back when I had the cash. She was obviously familiar with the computer's lunch break.

In other news, Maite told us that she could probably work out private English lessons with some of the students at Mosiac (the school she works at and the AU classes are now based out of) at a rate of 15 euros per hour. I hope she can find people! I would love a few extra euros, plus the school could easily be on my way home from my CEIP Rosa Luxemburgo. I've been keeping track, and it looks like the pay from the program is going to leave very little wiggle room, so a side job of some kind will be necessary.

Telefono Móvil

Get ready for a rant!
Ok, so this time I would like to discuss how much I hate at&t. While I recognize that it would have been much easier to get this done in the US I still don't think the process of unlocking a cell phone to put an international SIM card in should take 5 days.

Day One, Friday September 19th: I call at&t and tell them I want to unlock my phone to put an international SIM card in. They ask for the last four digits of the Social Security Number on the account; since the account is in my mom's name I must contact her for the number, wait for a reply then try again.

Day Two, Saturday September 20th: I call at&t and tell them that I would like to unlock my phone so I can put a different SIM card in. The fist call gets dropped, but when I finally connect with someone they tell me there is "a past due balance on the account and customer service will probably reject my request" this individual suggests that I pay the bill first then try to unlock the phone. I contact my mom and she tells me the bill was due on the 18th. Yep, 2 days late and they will reject your request. Payment is posted on the bill.

Day Three, Sunday September 21st: I call at&t and tell them I want to unlock my phone so I can put an international SIM card in. The guy asks if I have the phone, and I tell him that I am talking to him on it. He tells me that I will need to hang up, press a series of keys and write down the number that pops up, then call back with said number so they can help me. I follow his instructions and call back. I explain to a new person what I want to do, and give her the number i collected. She takes my mom's email address (since it is technically her account) and tells me the code i need will be texted to my phone and sent to that email address.

Day Four, Monday September 22nd: I wait most of the day for a text from at&t, i'm guessing because of the time difference they didn't start working on my claim until mid-day Spain time.

Day Five, Tuesday September 23rd: 2 AM i get a text from at&t that my claim has been resolved, but it does not include the unlock code. Next I email my mom to see if they emailed it to her. Nope. She said she would call them and get back to me. In the afternoon I checked my email, but there was nothing from Mom. So I called the international customer service center for the billionth time. The woman who answered the phone told me the code had been emailed, but it was sent to the wrong email address. Thankfully she could give it to me over the phone. I stayed on the line with her until I knew my phone was unlocked and had accepted the Spanish SIM card Molly had given me.

The moral of this story is that I was an idiot and didn't take care of this simple task whilst in the US, which made it turn into a big freaking deal. Also I have a cell phone in Spain. My Spanish number is (including international dialing codes from the US) 011 34 634 011 413.

The First Couple of Days

Alright everyone. While I really have nothing of great significance to report, I have a feeling a few of you are itching for more information. Let me recap the past 4 days for you...

Day 1: Friday.
Arrived in Madrid, got the keys to our apartment and picked bedrooms. Oddly enough there was no fighting over rooms and it all just fell into place. I have a room with an extra little alcove/nook that really isn't big enough to be of significance. I think I might find some floor pillows or something and turn it into a little reading spot... or I'll just keep the hamper in there. We'll see. After we picked rooms we took about a 2 hour siesta then walked around a little bit and found a small market to buy some food. Came home, ate the food, went to bed. Like I said no big deal.

Day 2: Saturday.
We ran some errands, like finding groceries to put in our cute little fridge. While at El Corte Ingles for Melanie to grab a hair dryer we asked if there was a market around, and the ladies asked what kind of food we wanted to buy. We explained that we wanted it all, fruit, meat, everything. They said no. This was a major lie, as we soon found out. After eating a quick sandwich we crossed the street to the other half of El Corte Ingles, and found a supermarket in the basement. Yep, a supermarket. The kind of place you could buy fruits and cereal and meat all in one stop. Needless to say we were kind of peeved by the "no" we had received earlier.

After stocking up on stuff we went to dinner with our friends Meagan and Theresa. They also were on our abroad semester and are in the same program. They actually live on the same street, just at number 103, which is supposed to be a 15 minute walk. We went to the Cuban restaurant that was popular among our abroad friends. A few things have changed, like they now have an English speaking waiter and a woman in a "traditional" cuban style dress as the server. I would be more pissed about the de-authentication if the food wasn't so fabulous.

After dinner Meagan and Theresa went home to battle their jet-lag but the three of us raged on.
We found a beer bar with a few hundred beers on the list, mostly German and Belgian. Because I went to the International Beer Festival in Portland this list wasn't near as scary as it could have been. We sat and drank and chatted for a little. Then moved on to see what we could see, we ended up at a second bar and continued chatting and whatnot. When we left the second place, Melanie realized that we were near a place we had gone when we were here 2 years ago. Sure enough a few blocks away was this bar. We went in, but it was way crowded and we only stayed about 30 minutes. It was at this point that we called it a night and walked home. The walk was pretty manageable, I think that our piso(Spanish for "apartment") is in a great location.

Day 3: Sunday.
I was rather lame and did not get up until about 1 in the afternoon. Then I proceeded to bum around my apartment until about 7 when the three of us went to an Irish pub to attempt to catch an American football game (Melanie is a New England Patriots/sports fan). We walked to this bar also, which was way further than the internet lead us to believe, but still a manageable walk. This was uphill, so it felt way worse going than it did coming home. We ended up watching the Real Madrid fútbol match. Just as one would expect, the bar was full of Spaniards who love the home team. For the majority of the match there was just a murmur of conversation, but when Real got close to scoring you could hear the fervor building until, finally, "GOOOOOAAAAAALLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!" then a few minutes later things would be back to normal.

I tried to go to sleep early so I didn't waste the day sleeping, but it was probably the worst nights sleep I've had in a long time. I lightly slept from midnight til about 2 or 3, then I was up and stayed up through a thunder storm until about 5. I woke up at 11:45 and had some breakfast, but then went back to sleep for another hour.

Day 4: Monday
Like I said, last nights sleep was awful. I got ready to go out and get a few things, but as I was walking out Melanie was coming in and she told me that it was raining pretty heavily. Just as she finished telling me about the great locations she scouted out for us I could hear a downpour begin. I waited it out, then ran my errands. These were to buy an umbrella since the weather report indicated rain for the next week, and to get my Coca-Cola Light craving satisfied. Both were accomplished, but the second I walked out of H&M with my umbrella the rain had cleared and it was actually sunny. I guess that is the way these things work, when you don't have an umbrella you need one, but when you have one you don't need it.

So that is the excessively long report on what I have been up to. I'm pretty sure that once I've started working in the school there will be less time for these drawn out posts, along with probably having more interesting things to post about. Until then you can read about my errands! I hope to get out to IKEA sometime soon; I need to replace my desk lamp and the sheets on my bed. Plus who doesn't love some good Swedish design?

Pictures part 3

These are of my little room in Spain. It is quite tiny, but will be cute; I want to get my own sheets and some wall art, but that will wait until I've been here a little while and can find an IKEA that is metro accessable.

Pictures part 2

These are the bathroom and our living/dinning room.
Please note that every room really is as tiny as it looks.

Pictures part 1

These pictures are of our front door (for those who are worried, please notice the 3 locks) and the kitchen.

Layover, eh?

I am writing this from my layover in Toronto. The flight from Philly to Toronto was good, not too bumpy and fairly short.

I've been in Canada for about an hour and have learned that Canadians are probably the nicest people. Aside from the boarder security person (who I think are required to be less than friendly in every country) my experiences with Canadians have been wonderful. For example, I had a window seat and a disgustingly large/heavy carry on, when we landed the fellow in the isle seat offered to get my bag down and moved his stuff so that I could place my gargantuan bag on the seat. He might have also used the stereotypical "eh" at one point, which made my day.

Adding to my love of Canada is the fact that I have this free wifi access thanks to AirCanada. I don't know if I could have gone the whole layover without some email action, especially since Maite, the lady who has my keys because MariCarmen is in Athens with the AU kids, emailed me today to ask about arrival times. While I totally appreciate that she wants this info to be able to track/organize us, in typical American fashion I wish that she would have done it earlier! Seriously, I checked my email an hour and a half before leaving the house, subtract the time it took me to respond in Español and we're left with about an hour for her to read, understand my now feeble Spanish, and come up with a response. Needless to say, this did not happen. In fact I am still waiting on her response. Hopefully it arrives in the hour and a half I have left on my laptop battery.

The only down side to Canada, so far, is that I can't find an outlet to save my poor little apple. Oh well, I should count myself lucky to have free internet at all!

The next post will be from Madrid!

P.S. I've spotted some pretty awesome Eurotrash hanging out in the airport, which makes me all the more excited to go back to Spain. Any attempt to describe this cultural phenomenon will just fall short; think t-shirts with grafiti, aviator sunglasses and a ridiculous "too cool for school" attitude... I think later on a photo post with explanation will be necessary for this term.

One Week to Go!

Just a quick update: One week from this very moment I will be in Madrid. Yep, just 7 short days. For the majority of the summer I kind of thought of moving to Spain as a cute party story or a pet project to keep me occupied, but now it is becoming real.

Many things need to get done before I leave, but true to this whole process I'm just going to assume that they will fall into place. Yes, I recognize that my suitcase is not self-packing nor are insurance companies self-calling, but these things will get done because they have to. But for now I have decided to spend my time hanging out with my friends and enjoying these last couple days in Oregon.