Ronda, Spain

Who would have thought that an hour and a half away from the flat, urban terrain of Sevilla, the capital of Andalucía, there was this tiny, yet breathtakingly beautiful city. The city of Ronda is situated on a mountain with the Guadalevín running through to separate it into two parts. Ronda is a city in the Málaga province which is a province best known for its beaches along the Mediterranean. 


Since we are broke teachers living and working in southern Spain, my roommate Carolyn and I decided to take the 21 euro round trip bus ride out to Ronda where we spent the day wandering through the streets and taking pictures of the amazing views. This city is a perfect example of why I love Spain so much. There are mountains and there are beaches. There is the new and the old, and often times, the new is combined with the old. There is Muslim, Christian and Jewish influence. There is the south or as we like to say Andalucía which is completely different from the middle and northern parts of the country. And there is so much history that it continues to blow my mind with every new city I travel to.


So as I said before, being broke teachers, this was the perfect trip for us. It was 21 euro to take the bus from Sevilla's Prado de San Sebastian to the center of Ronda. The best part about Ronda is that if you want to do activities, there are places to go like the Plaza de Toros, various scenic view spots that cost about 4 euro to get into, Arab baths, the former town hall and various churches. But if you travel for the day on a budget like Carolyn and I did, it was very easy to keep the trip cheap. With the 21 euro bus, 3 euro for toast and coffee for breakfast and 8 euro for a glass of wine and tapas, the trip was a very affordable 32 euro.


So what was my favorite part? The Puente Nuevo of course or the "new bridge." The Puente Nuevo separates the new part of the city from the old part of the city and stands 390 feet above the floor of the canyon below. The breathtaking sights of the mountains surrounding the city and spending the day getting lost in Ronda's "pueblos blancos" or "white towns" was enough for me. It reminded me how diverse Spain really is in culture and geography as well. The trip was also a nice break from the hustle and bustle of el Centro in Sevilla.


I give Ronda two thumbs up and if you ever find yourself in Andalucía, the inexpensive trip to Ronda is well worth it for its breathtaking views!

Rollercoaster

One day, a group of students are staring blankly at you, wondering what you are saying. On that same day, it rains for the first time in over a month, you forget how to speak Spanish (and English for that matter), and everything goes wrong. You question your decision. So many small problems could have easily been fixed if you would have just stayed in your country, speaking English and living the day to day life you have always known.

Other days, the students are laughing and having a conversation with you, your English and Spanish are both perfect and you understand what everyone is saying. The bus arrives on time, the Spanish people are helpful and you never, ever want to leave Sevilla.

Sounds about right. Yes, life here is in fact a rollercoaster. As the saying goes, you really do learn something new every day. In my experience here during study abroad and now, I think I have learned more about life than I have ever learned in a classroom. Here, I struggle with something every day whether it is something big like speaking to Spanish parents about why their child might not be understanding something in one of my classes to remembering the word for "chicken breast" when I go to the butcher. When I struggle, I sometimes think, "This would be so much easier in the United States!" Or "If that person would just speak English, my life would be a lot easier!" But then I think about how much I need this experience for myself, for my future. Because, after all, life is what you make of it.

So after the whole "rollercoaster" lead into this blog post, I will finally get down to a day in the life of a Language and Culture Assistant in Spain.

My week here begins on Monday mornings and ends on Thursday. I take either the 8:15 or 9:15 bus in the mornings depending on my schedule. I have three classes a day, four days a week. Sounds easy, right? Yes, I love where I work and I love my schedule, but it is far from easy. I spend about six of those hours in the classroom. I teach English conversation courses in the high school and I teach lessons in the "Trasnporte y Comercio" ciclo of the school. What is a ciclo? Well a ciclo is basically equivalent to a 2 year college or an associates degree. People who are in the ciclo have completed high school (even though the ciclo classes are in a high school) and they will go straight to work after the two years or attend the university to continue their studies. So I have a mix of classes and topics and students with so many different levels of English. When I am not in the classroom, I am working with English professors to help them improve their reading, writing and speaking abilities. Oh, and my whole day consists of speaking. Speaking, speaking and speaking. Whether it be English->Spanish, Spanish->English, all English with some people, all Spanish with others, and Spanglish. Oh beautiful, wonderful, Spanglish. It works wonders.

When I return home for siesta (the mid day break for lunch, resting, etc.), I eat lunch and run, relax or prepare lessons for the week. Around 7 pm, my day picks up again. Mondays through Thursdays, I teach English in an after school club in my neighborhood. The classes are from 7:30-8:30 pm, and as in the high school, my students are on so many different levels which is challenging. At 9 pm, I am usually back in my house, eating dinner and getting ready to go out to grab a drink with friends, or recently, just finishing lesson plans and going to bed.

Sounds pretty uneventful, right? But I have actually really been enjoying this experience because each day is sooooo different. Honestly, not one day here has been the same. Yes, my routine is the same more or less, but you never know what kind of questions the teachers and students are going to have for you or completing tasks you know you SHOULD do but have been too LAZY to do. For example, today, I FINALLY went to get a library card. It was a pain having to go do it and learn all the rules about the library from a Spanish librarian, but it opened up so many new resources for me like free wifi and teaching materials. There are also copy machines and printers (like most libraries) which is good because I do not have access to those resources in my piso, where I live.

All in all, everything is one big rollercoaster. I wake up knowing that the day I am about to experience will definitely not be like any one I have ever experienced before. But that's what makes this whole thing so great!

How to Survive as an American in Sevilla

No matter what part of the world you are in, some things will always be the same. For example, there are going to be places to buy food, clothing and additional necessities in most of the countries you travel to. There are going to be buildings, homes and people, churches, famous sites and schools. So why is surviving in a different country so hard?

1.) The language barrier. Try to know some words in Spanish and always keep a dictionary on hand. As long as you make an effort to try to talk to the Sevillanos in Spanish, they will work with you. If you expect to walk in, speak English and expect that everyone should accommodate you...think again. This is something I learned very quickly. Yes, in Madrid and Barcelona, and even in Rome, you can expect to find many people who speak English. But Sevilla is different. It takes a while to be able to express yourself and more often than not, you will find yourself using a million different words to describe the one word you want to use, but speaking the native language will be beneficial to your experience.

2.) The older Señoras have opinions...and they are not afraid to share them. You are a 22 year old American coming from a part of the country where the winters last from November to March. So as soon as 75 degrees hits in the spring, it is shorts and sandals time. In Sevilla, 75 degrees is still chilly. So you will find the older ladies shaking their finger at you and telling you to put on a coat. They do not care who you are, where you come from or what your background is. If they think you are dressing inappropriately, they will tell you. The same goes for the grocery store and other public places. There can be a line of 50 people, but it doesn't matter. Those ladies will make it to the front, and without shame, cut directly in front of you with much poking and pushing involved. In my opinion, stand your ground on this one. Many people are told to "respect your elders" when they are growing up. Forget that here. Those ladies will beat you to everything so when they push, push back.


3.) It sometimes works to your advantage to use the excuse "Oh but I do not speak English." For example, people come up to you and try to talk to you about money or some cause they are promoting, just stand there and say "I do not speak Spanish!"


4.) Do not take any plants from anyone. The gypsies around the touristy areas will offer your rosemary, you will not know exactly what it is, why it is being offered to you, or what to do. One second later, they are putting it in your hand and hounding you for the money you "owe" them for taking the plant. Oh and if you see anyone pretending to drop a baby, they baby is made of wood, you will run to try to help it, and the gypsies will steal your things. Get it? Got it? Good. Stay away from the gypsies or the "bargain" trip you thought you got from your travel agent or social club can turn into not such a bargain after a few run ins with these people. 


5.) Frutarias = best friends. Often times in the United States, specialty stores charge more than they should for items you can find for cheap in your local grocery store. There is a produce store by my house in the U.S. that charges an arm and a leg for their locally grown tomatoes. Of course they are delicious, but after a few runs to get "local" tomatoes, it starts to put a dent in your wallet. So a piece of advice for broke teachers or students like myself who are living or working abroad, avoid the grocery stores when it comes time to buy fruit, meat or fish. Fruterias are the stores that sell fruits and vegetables in Spain. I was able to get 4 bananas, one very large head of romaine lettuce, 3 very good sized tomatoes, 2 green apples and an onion for 3.80 euros. In the grocery store, that would have been double. 


6.) Do not be afraid to bargain hunt in another country. Always keep your eyes peeled. If you want to buy something, but you think it is too expensive, you WILL be able to find it for cheaper somewhere else. If you were in the United States and saw a pair of $500 shoes that you absolutely love, most people my age would not go and drop $500 just for that pair of shoes. You would search TJ Maxx and Marshalls to find a look alike for A LOT cheaper. It is the same for shopping in Europe. First off, the euro is more expensive than the dollar so keep that in mind before you buy. Second, just because you are in a foreign country doesn't mean you have all of a sudden lost all of your bargain hunting skills. Try to stay away from the touristy areas where things will be more expensive and head of the beaten path. You will find stores and restaurants that are so much cheaper than the ones you saw by your hotel in the center of the city. It might take a little more time, but it will be worth it!


I will keep updating this one post as I think of things since I am learning new tips everyday living as an American here in Sevilla! 

Language...it's "curioso"

Everyone knows that every native Spanish speaker on this planet can roll their r's. I cannot. Still working on that. But did you know how hard it is for native Spanish speakers to say their y's without making them sound like j's? I guess you can say we all have our own difficulties learning how to speak a second language. So far, I think the most rewarding part of teaching English is recognizing my students' desire to learn. Even the professors who I work with are working so hard to improve their English. I love the mentality the professors in my school have. I feel like sometimes people think they are too "old" to learn a language or never studied it in school so therefore they should not even try. But these professors amaze me everyday. They try so hard and it is so rewarding to see them get excited when they are able to speak and understand English because they know whatever knowledge they gain from me, they can continue to teach to their students after I am gone.

Then there are the students. I am still working on trying to get them to speak because it is hard for them to speak English in front of a classroom of students who might have traveled to an English speaking country. I need them to shake the mentality that they might not be "as good" at English as their classmates so they can just speak, but it is a challenge. Then there are the students who I tutor. Many of them are good at English because they grew up learning the language. Here in Spain, it is now mandatory for a student to begin learning a second language by age 5 at the latest. So many of the students I tutor have been learning English since they were born. But even with their English level being decently high for their age, they are still kids and still try to pull the same punches that American children do. For example, today during tutoring, my two students thought it was hilarious to try to trick me into saying "Me gusta la pasta penne." "I like penne pasta." Well I knew very well that "penne" is pronounced the same way as the Spanish word "pene" which is of course the Spanish word for a certain male reproductive organ. Let's just say they did not get away with it.

But overall, I think language has been fascinating me more now than ever before. Today I was working with one of the professors from my high school who is learning English. She was telling me about her trip to the United States a few years ago. She told me she "pass" through Pennsylvania and I corrected her by saying "passed." She then wanted to pronounce the word "passed" correctly because it is often hard for native Spanish speakers to say the -ed ending of past tense verbs. Once she finally got that down, she was still frustrated that she couldn't say "passed" like I do. After repeating the word a number of times, she finally asked why she could not say the "a" like me. And then it hit me. I am from outside of Philly. The way I say my "a's" in words like "passed," "basketball," "fast," etc. is different from most native English speakers. I just thought that was so funny and so interesting that just like the Spaniards down south here in Andalucia have an accent, I have an accent as well.

Also, since England is so close, many of the English teachers here are from England or have studied in England. Many of my students have studied in England or Ireland as well because the United States is difficult and expensive to get to. So the English here that is used by the schools is British English. Imagine my surprise walking into my classrooms and hearing my students asking each other to borrow "a rubber" (an eraser) when I am thinking they are talking about a contraceptive. Like what?! You're 14...wait a little longer please! Then having them tell me that they "have got" two brothers or they "have got" a dog makes me want to scream because that is taught to them as the correct way of saying "to have." Well how can this be when every paper I have ever written would have had a billion points deducted if I used grammar like that? I've got...pshhh. Then there are words like "flat" vs. apartment and "trainers" vs. sneakers...you get the point. It is very interesting to hear these differences but hey England...stop messing with my American English!

Today, one of my students also asked me why Americans say "I'm gonna go" instead of "I am going to go." Or "I wanna eat a snack" instead of "I want to eat a snack." And I thought the Andalucians eating their letters was bad. This experience really has been teaching me how difficult English can be and how I can better help these students because I, too, am learning language. Sometimes learning and understanding Spanish is easy, while other days, I cannot even understand "Hola! Que tal?" Let me just say learning and teaching English is hard. Learning and teaching Spanish is hard. But when you're going back and forth between English and Spanish all day, by the time the day ends, you're speaking a horrible mess of Spanglish and you might as well just head to bed because you cannot make any sense after midnight anyways.

Bottom line is every day is a new adventure...from talking about the economic crisis in all parts of the world and stocks and Wall Street and the difference between traders and brokers (my father would be proud) and greed and corruption and all life's issues in English (like I did on Monday) to teaching the basic a,b,c's and 1,2,3's of English and reading childhood storybooks...it really has made me realize that language is very "curioso."

There's No Place Like Home

And I'm not talking about the United States. There are times when I am out and about, running errands or going to and from work, and I say that I am "going home" after. Before, I would just say I am "going home" because my piso here in Spain is technically "my home." But now when I say it, I mean it. Spain...my neighborhood...everything is "my home." I know I am from the United States and my family and friends are there but there is no rule that says you cannot have two homes. The second I left Spain to go back to the United States in 2010, I knew I had left a piece of me in Sevilla. My goal this time around was to go back to Sevilla, pick up the piece of me that I lost, bring it home and continue on with life. Well, I need to face the truth. Family and friends...do not get worried. I will be in the Philly airport in June. But I know a piece of me will remain here although my intention was to come here to bring it back with me. So I guess you can say I found my second home here. And even though it is very early on in my experience, I am sensing another difficult end to this journey.

Why did all of this came about today? I was asking myself the same thing. But as I walked to the bus station on my way to work, I realized I finally had a routine down. Wake up, walk across the Puente de Los Remedios, look to my left and see the Torre del Oro and Giralda standing tall among the palm trees that line that Guadalquivir river, head towards the university which just so happens to be an old tobacco factory that was operating before my country was colonized, turn to go to the bus stop, hear the little stop and go crosswalk lights chirping at me and telling me to cross as the motos fly down the typical European style streets, take the bus to work, and proceed with my day. This is where I live. This is my home for the next eight months. I am lucky to have this experience.

Then I realized I am going to have good days and I am going to have bad days. The good days are my motivation to push through the rough times. Yes it is true that my Grandmother passed away on Wednesday, my computer crashed on Thursday and my Blackberry broke on Friday, but I discovered quickly (and I discovered the hard way) that life goes on. And that it did. Life went on. And what better place for life to move on then in my new home.

Remembering someone special

There is not one special memory I have that does not involve my grandmother (Gram). She never missed a birthday or a sacrament. She never missed a graduation or a school play. Every season she came to watch a game of a sport that I was playing at the time that meant sooooo much to me (or so I thought). But of course, I never ended up pursuing that sport for more than a season or two. To Gram, it did not matter how big or small the event was...she was there.

I will always remember Christmas with her on Goshen Road when I was very young, lunches and poolside afternoons at Hershey's Mill, daily chats on our family vacation at Lake George, and the "Gram-isms" she would say to make me feel better if I was feeling down. She always knew what to say and she always made sure I knew that "God will never give me more than I can handle." After talking to her, I always left the conversation feeling comforted and ready to handle whatever life had to offer. Sometimes, Gram would even relate what I was going through to something she experienced with one of her seven children when they were growing up. Sometimes the stories were funny and made me laugh while others made me realize I am not the only person who experiences their bumps in the road. Most importantly, Gram made sure I knew whatever I was going through, I would never have to go through it alone because she was there for me.

Gram and her beloved husband, my Pop, are the reason I am here today and living the wonderful life I have. Gram and Pop were married for 58 years, raised seven amazing children who went on to have me, my brother and sister and my seven cousins. Growing up, I knew that being a "Higgins" meant understanding the importance of God and the importance of family. When I was young, I always thought having uncles, aunts, parents and cousins who all got along with each other (for the most part ;) ) was normal. It was not until I was a little older that I realized my family was special. And all of this began with two people...my grandparents. I know it was not always easy for them, but with a little (ok a lot) of help from God and with the support of each other, Gram and Pop were able to instill in every single one of us a sense of family.    

As you all know, I am living and working in Spain. Leaving home in September was hard but I knew I would never forgive myself if I did not take this opportunity to teach and live abroad. I was lucky to have everyones' support when I made this decision. The people who were the most supportive in addition my parents and siblings were my grandparents. When I studied abroad here in the Spring of 2010, Gram asked if I was going to be keeping a journal. I did and when I returned, Gram borrowed my journal for a week and read the whole thing. She knew I had fallen in love with this city and when I told her I was returning, she was thrilled for me. She told me, "Bridget, I read that journal and I know how much you love it there. You are young so go do this while you can." And that was Gram. She always put other peoples' best interest before her own. I knew as well as she did that anything could happen while I was here, but she never once made me feel the least bit of guilt about leaving.

I knew that Gram was sick when I left, but as far as I was concerned, it was nothing a little medicine could not fix. That was why I was shocked to receive the news, three days after I landed in Spain, that she needed open heart surgery. The first thing I did was call Gram's hospital room. She was amazed that I could call her from Skype and I ended the conversation by saying, "Hang in there Gram, I love you, and do not worry because I will see you at Christmas."

I was shocked to find out that a couple of weeks after the surgery, Gram was not going to make it. She could not recover. This past Thursday, I awoke at 2 am to a phone call from my mom. She told me that on Wednesday night, six hours behind my time in Spain, Gram had passed.

At first I thought, how is my family doing, especially my father who is Gram's son and how am I going to get through this without my family. Then I realized I do have someone helping me through this and that person is Gram. She always made sure everyone was taken care of and she put everyone first. I have no doubt she is up in heaven and she is taking care of me from up there. She knows I am sad and I have been through some really rough times since Thursday, but when I woke up this morning, I felt like I was ready to handle this. It just took me a few days to realize that Gram never left and she never will leave me. I have another angel looking down on me and if anything, my experience here in Spain is going to be worth it because she is up there guiding me through it. I also feel lucky because I can remember Gram as the strong and proud woman that she was when I left her. I never had to see her suffer. I am happy my last memory of my grandmother was seeing her in her house before I left for Spain, excited for me and ready to hear about my stories from abroad.

My last words to Gram were "I love you, see you at Christmas." And I am happy they were my last words. In Spain, the people here do not like to say "Adios" because it is so permanent and signifies that you will never see that person again. So instead they say "Hasta luego" which in English means "See you later!" So Gram, coming from your granddaughter, I would like to say "Hasta luego" because I know that when my time comes, I will meet you in heaven and I will see you again! I love you.

Beginning to understand...

I cannot believe it is only Wednesday because I feel like I have done so much since Monday. I have taught two classes entirely on my own, found tutoring jobs, conversed with teachers at my school (in English and Spanish), met around 20 of the 150 teachers at my school (ask me their names and I would probably be able to name four). I have also done my commute for the fourth time since I have been here as well as lived my daily life here in Sevilla. 

Let's just say I am finally beginning to understand the Spanish education system and get a glimpse of what my year will be like here in Sevilla. I cannot explain how excited I am to see where the year will take me. The teachers at my school are all wonderful. Yesterday I had four teachers surrounding me. They were so interested in my background and my life in the United States. Unfortunately there are so many English teachers who want a native English speakers in their classroom, and since I am the only one in the school, it is hard for my coordinator to fit me into all of the classes. I am just so amazed at how much the English language is valued here. Not only do I have my students listening to me while I teach, but I have the teacher listening to me because they want to learn as well.

The main goal of my classes is to get my students to talk. I tend to put them into small groups and have them discuss their family life and interests with each other. All of the classes are in English but I feel weird pretending that I do not speak any Spanish. The teachers told me they want my students to think I speak absolutely no Spanish. So yesterday, when one of my students asked me what a neighborhood was, I heard whispers going through the classroom saying "barrio, barrio!" which means neighborhood in Spanish but I couldn't say "Yes! Yes! Barrio! That is correct!" because I am not supposed to understand Spanish.

So far I think my students like me! I ran into some of the students I had on Monday and they asked me why I haven't been in class since Monday and I told them it's because I have to go to so many different classes. They told me they would ask my coordinator if I can be in their class every day. That made me happy. It made me feel like I was doing my job right. My coordinator also told me he thinks I will do very well at the school because I am outgoing and not afraid to talk to people. I hope he is right!

First Day!

After completing the round trip bus ride out to Alcalá de Guadaíra (the town where I teach...10 km from Sevilla centro) on Friday, I felt pretty confident going out there this morning. The bus ride was very smooth and I met two more auxiliares who were repeating the program and headed to my same town! I bought my bus pass yesterday which is good for all city transportation but I did not realize I had to tell the bus driver he had to type in double credit for my card. I thought it just took the exact amount but because I am going outside of the city, I had to be charged the extra fee. One of the auxiliares who was in his second year helped me out with the whole situation so I could avoid a bunch of angry Spaniards cursing me out for holding up the line. As it turns out, this auxiliar attended both undergrad and grad school at Virginia Tech (my sister Monica would be so happy)! It really is a small world.

I had to depart from the other two auxiliares a few stops before because my school is on the very edge of the town. So I walked to school and saw my coordinator in the teachers' lounge. He told me to go with him and the only thing I had to do was get the students to talk. Well, I walked into the classroom and my coordinator sat down with the students and I taught everyone. My first day...standing in front of the class...running the WHOLE class! I thought there might have been a time where my coordinator stepped in and said thanks Bridget, I will take it from here. But no. It was just me. I actually enjoyed it though! The only difficult part about the day was that I discovered that all of my students were on different levels with their English. I had some students who looked at me like I had two heads when I spoke while others knew exactly what I was saying. I was a little nervous but my coordinator was very happy at the end because I got everyone to say something in English. I did not really look at it as that big of an accomplishment because all I was doing was having a conversation with them along with some speaking activities, but to the Spanish students and their professors seemed very happy to have me there.

After an hour or so my coordinator told me I could go home which I thought was weird. That's it? Work is over for the day? I do not think it will be like this every day because my coordinator is still getting my schedule together but I was shocked I was done.

So I guess overall it was successful. I even got two students to tutor out of it! It was so easy that they came to me so I don't have to go soliciting around town. I was so surprised at how much the people in Spain value the English language. Everyone seemed so fascinated by my culture and language. I envy them because they are fluent in Spanish and they are fascinated by me because I am fluent in English. I guess the saying is true that the grass is always greener on the other side!

I really do think this will be a challenging yet very rewarding and enjoyable year. I am excited to see the progress my students will make throughout the year as well as watch them achieve their personal goals. I know some of them are planning on taking the English test for the university and want all the help they can get and I really want to do my best to prepare them and watch them succeed.

Oh and if anyone was wondering, I did get a "Were there large parties at your university with lots of beer?" question asked by one of my students. I did not know how to explain Penn State's social scene to him without thinking I was a raging alcoholic, but I did not lie. I told him those parties exist, but we like to join clubs, go to class and attend sporting events as well ;)

All I Want is Good, Italian Tomato Sauce!

Today I would like to discuss the differences between grocery stores in Spain and grocery stores in the United States. Positives and negatives. Ok. So I went shopping at Mas. Mas is a relatively cheap grocery store about two blocks from my house. About 13 euros at Mas can get you some pretty decent meals for a couple of weeks (and by decent meals I mean basically vegetarian...eggs, cheese, lunch meat, fruit, potatoes, cereal, etc.). But I am not a really a big meat eater so it does not really bother me to not have it. Though one of these days I will buy chicken and I will have to buy it in grams and kilograms...scary thought!

When I went to the grocery store today, I was in Spanish mode and thought it would be fun to start making some Spanish food (beginning with tortilla) for some of my meals. Pretty easy...just eggs, onion, potatoes, salt, pepper, olive oil and you've got a meal. BUT the eggs were not refrigerated. And side note...neither is the milk. I knew about the whole non refrigeration of various foods, but when you actually have to go buy it yourself, it is a little unsettling. I did learn to get a Spanish-English dictionary on my Kindle though so if I do not know a food in the grocery store, I whip out my Kindle and type it in (thanks to my wonderful boyfriend...I didn't know it would be useful for more than just reading)! 

Then I found some cheese stuffed tortellini. And I thought, "Good meal...pasta is always good!" It comes prepackaged...kind of like how they sell it at Wegmans. But then I spend at least 10 minutes wandering around the store. All I kept thinking was, "All I want is good, Italian tomato sauce!" But there really is no such thing. Basically all they have in the stores are thicker versions of tomato soup that you can heat up and pour on the pasta. Some have chunks of tomato in it. But actual basil, garlic, chunks of tomatoes all cooked together in a pot and later put in a jar does not exist here. Or at least does not exist in my grocery store. It was an adventure...let me tell you!

And then as I got in line, I listened as the two Señoras in front of me we arguing over paying for two bags of potato chips. The one offered to pay for both but the other wasn't having it. So I stood in line for 5 minutes as the cashier and I looked at each other laughing as these Señoras argued over paying. I think the Señora who offered to pay for both ended up winning.   

Another interesting fact about the grocery stores is that they charge you 30-60 cents for each plastic bag you use. So whenever I go to the store, I always have to remember to bring my recyclable bag! And I have found that every day in the grocery store is a new adventure!

Sunday Funday

Or Sunday do absolutely nothing day. Getting adjusted to this tranquilo lifestyle is killing me...kind of. I am an American. I was born and raised to be on the go every second of every day. I am used to stores being open when I want them to be open and viewing Sunday as any other day. But that is not the case here.

I woke up and went for a run. The most convenient trail for me just so happens to be through Parque Maria Luisa, past Plaza de España (my favorite place in Sevilla) and the Universidad de Sevilla in El Centro. Then I ran past the Torre Del Oro, over the river and back to my barrio. What a shame...not. Let me tell you, it's no West Glen/Pleasant Grove trail (my neighborhood at home...not knocking it...just saying). I swear one of these days I might fall on my face from staring at everything around me...and the saying "I need to pinch myself to make sure I'm actually here," yeah I've been doing a lot of pinching.

After I got done my run, I got a bus pass! Which I thought would be hard but it turns out all you have to do is go to a metro stop and put money on a card. As the money starts to die, you just keep adding more. Typical I know, but I never had to take public transportation at home. The Cata buses around campus at Penn State were always free! So I guess I am all set to get to school tomorrow and the bus driver will not give me any dirty looks when I ask for change.

I also planned my first lesson for tomorrow! It is just a basic "Where do you live? What do you like to do during your free time?" kind of conversation lesson just to get the students talking. The teachers at the school did say that they do not know how much teaching will be done in the first day because the students will probably ask me a lot of questions about my life and the United States.

And now I am just sitting here in my piso...writing and listening to the sounds of families gathered in the apartments around me laughing and eating together. It makes me miss mine. One thing Spain could never replace are the wonderful family and friends I have at home.

As for a quick wrap up of the weekend, I went to some old haunts from when I studied abroad here. For example, Demo bar on Calle Betis. We also took a walk to Plaza Alfalfa and got some 5 euro big azz mojitos. They tasted great as usual :) . And last night my friend Fidel came over and saw that we were eating canned lentejas and grilled cheese for dinner so he decided to take us to the grocery store and show us a really easy chicken recipe. It tasted amazing after being deprived of meat (because we don't really know how to buy it here...I like to order in pounds not kilos). So anyways, it was good to see him and practice some Spanish.

As for today...it really is a lazy day here. People are not expected to do anything. As I said before, it is kinda nice...but for this chica americana, it's going to take a little getting used to!