Spring Break

Spaniards take Semana Santa very seriously, processions all over Spain & families taking advantage of the time-off to travel. The main dish is Bacalao and for dessert Torrijas which are delicious.

Derick & I went with a couple of friends to Reinosa, Cantabria to ski and sight see. I was hoping that it would rain on saturday because I didn't really want to ski but I did want to visit all the tourist stops. It didn't r

ain on saturday so we went to ski, I tried my best but I think sports & I don't mesh well at all. I ended up sitting with a beautiful view to the mountains: camera was not working so no pictures from my side but a friend forwarded some. Due to sitting outside, my nose got burned bad and to this day (April 19th) it is still a bit reddish. Drove up to Santander & had tapas! Love Cantabria but bummed out about my camera not working!!

Went to Salamanca for two days alone because Derick had to work and I wanted to take advantage of my vacation time. The weather was cool but gloomy from time to time. Salamanca is a beautiful city with a lot of history and culture. On the day of arrival, I managed to see the whole city in five hours but kept a few things for the next day because I had to use my time wisely. Loved the New & Old Cathedrals, University and Casa de Conchas.

London

Derick & I headed to London on December 28th to January 7th. I loved London & Oxford!

It was raining, snowing and too cold for a Californian chick but nonetheless we managed to have a great time. London had a vibe, it felt as though I was back home but with an European flair. Ate at

Prat a Manger everyday, 'bueno, bonito y barato' Spanish saying

that translates to 'good,nice & cheap'.

Spent a couple days in a hotel and then with Daniel who

is one of Derick's friend. Daniel made us feel right at home and also met Carina, his girlfriend. At first Carina & I had difficulty understanding each other (Carina is from London), same language but diffe

rent. Derick & I thought about spending New Year's in front of the London Eye; we bought food, wore the appropriate clothes but it was too cold to wait for five hours to hit midnight. Daniel & Carina saved the day by calling us to spend New Year's with her family. We tried but ended up having a great time with her family with food & fireworks.

Last trip in our itinerary was Oxford, the whole town is the University & it is beautiful. I bought my Oxford sweater, yes I didn't go there but it was a nice souvenir that I will cherish it.

I will always remember having Afternoon Tea in the Orangery which is right next to Kensington Palace, that was one of the many highlights from our London trip.

January 7th: we had to catch a flight in Luton to Barajas Madrid but there was a problem, it was snowing! In t

he beginning, our airline kept on delaying our flight due to the snow for six hours and finally it got cancelled. Ok, by this time I was starting to feel anxious and sad but got a bit happy because it was going to be the first time being stuck in an airport with Derick. Thousands of times asking when the first flight was leaving to Madrid, getting use to the cold floor and knowing that I would have to sleep there all night was getting to me. I would like to thank Derick for putting up with me those 12+ hours jeje.

Life in Madrid

I'm slowly but surely getting use to life in Madrid: the food, transportation, the streets, the smells and the way of life. Food is a very big part in my life & glad to be in Spain. Jamon Serrano is my favorite, tortilla de patata and tapas oh, I can't forget the wine! I can't get enough of churros y chocolate :). There is a dish called Cocido which has to be eaten in parts if you want, first part is the soup & the second is a combination of meats, sausages, veggies and garbanzo beans: so good!

My first soccer game was Real Madrid v's Alcorcon, Madrid won by 1-0 & they played really bad according to the people in the stadium who left & next days newspaper!
Traveling to Avila, El Escorial, Cuenca, Alcala, Aranjuez, Sevilla & Manzanares El Real have made me look at Spain differently, the views amaze and never disappoint me. Granada, Salamca and the north of Spain are next!

Experience as an Auxiliar

Working in a bilingual school has been eye opening and nice. There are a couple of things that caught my eye; calling teachers by their first name, constantly talking even know the person was told to be quiet & having two hours for lunch. I grew up calling my teachers by their last name, found out first name until college, I shut my mouth when was told and only had an hour or less for lunch. I have to constantly tell myself that it’s a different culture and that I just have to go with the flow & enjoy this time in my life.
I teach English and science in English for first to fourth grade and about 45 minutes with kindergarten which is a waste of time because they don’t pay attention at all & it’s right after lunch: I would be daydreaming! First grade is nice but the difficult part is that they are learning Spanish at the same time and they tend to get confused or not bother learning English. Second and third grade have to be my favorites because they do follow orders (some!!) and are eager to learn. I do come across kids who do not want to learn at all because they don’t have an interest or no support at home from parents to learn. The kids that loose interest due to lack of support tend to be children of immigrants who have been born in Spain, in my experience. I can put myself in their shoes because I’m an immigrant who grew up with two cultures & two languages. Yes, I understand that once a family finds a new home they will want to settle and live comfortably but the reality of an immigrant is to emerge and look towards the future. The kids will be trilingual if Spanish is not their first language and imagine the possibilities with those tools in life. Learning how the school system is really interesting as well because everything is based on points.

During orientation we were told that the Spanish teachers who teach Spanish, math and religion would be a little distant from us, the auxiliares & I was a bit worried. Luckily it didn’t turn out that way, I would start conversation with whoever managed to drop in the teachers lounge & soon enough they opened up.

The kids are starting to open up slowly also, the second graders tend to be more welcoming.
Kids in Spain do not believe in Santa Claus but in the Three Kings, I ran into a third grader & asked if he has done his gift list for Santa and what I got was an awkward face and a big fat: no!
My school ended up winning the Nativity prize in the Madrid schooling community! It is all made from recycling paper and other products.