Aside from submitting some paperwork for my more permanent visa (beyond 90 days) and opening a bank account, I am officially living and working in Spain. I feel fairly comfortable here already and sometimes have to stop and visualize myself standing on a map of the world to remember where I am.
I’m living in a neighborhood of Malaga called Pedregalejo. I’m about two blocks from a grocery store and about 15 minutes walk from a pretty major shopping center so convenience is an asset to my location. I’m living in what was probably at one time a huge house lived in by one family. Now, about 15 occupants live here. It’s funny, I specifically did not want to live with an American and it turns out that I am living right next to a guy named Cody from San Francisco who is also an auxiliar. We have taken a vow to speak Spanish to each other all the time, and have been doing pretty well for the most part. That’s not to say we don’t cheat, sometimes it’s nice to be able to speak English to a friend. Aside from Cody, I am living with one person from England, four people from France, two people from Belgium, one from Italy, two from Finland… you get the idea. Our common language is Spanish so we speak Spanish in the house and help each other with our grammar.
My room is about the size of a dorm room. A thin layer of thatched roof shelters the stoop of my door, and a fountain that probably hasn’t seen water flow in years sits in the center of the courtyard. To be honest, this house feels like a dorm. There are a lot of young people around all the time, you have to take a shower caddy with you to the bathroom, and we’re all hanging out in the common areas constantly. It definitely has its upsides though. I’ve made instant friends and never feel truly lonely. However, I have to say, I miss you all dearly! There is something magical about the relationships I have back home and I can only hope to find a glimmer of that here.
School is fantastic. The pictures above are of the school itself and the neighborhood across the street. To the south, I walk down a pathway to the bus with a view of the ocean. I’m teaching ages 12-16, more or less, which is way more like middle school that high school. I had my first day teaching yesterday. Pepe (pay-pah) and Andres are the heads of the English Department at the school and my supervisors. Pepe is my specific guardian, so I have her to go to for anything that I need (see Mom, you have nothing to worry about). For the first day in class I introduced myself and let the students ask me questions and then I gave a presentation on the school system in America and the life of students in America. I’m not sure how much the kids understand, but I think it’s good that they are getting to hear English every day. I spend a lot of time clarifying information when I get blank stares, miming, and writing on the board (it takes a lot of energy!). I will be giving the presentation and introduction for the next week and then I will begin seeing the kids in small groups of 7-8 in a special classroom set aside for me. I’m looking forward to putting together lesson plans and leaving the teachers materials that will be helpful to them in the future.
The kids are great for the most part. Friday afternoon they were a little testy, but that’s to be expected. They’re all trying to get me to speak Spanish. Andres told me I had to ONLY speak English ALL the time, because if they find out I speak Spanish they won’t respond to me in English. Makes sense, but it’s going to be hard to do! Overall, they ask great questions, and seem to take a genuine interest. I thought it was incredible that every class asked me about the election in America. They all wanted to make sure I was voting for Obama. One class even wanted me to explain the voting system in America to them. How great! I am really looking forward to developing relationships with the kids. I think if I’m engaged and make it interesting it will be a great year! I also got another job as an English tutor for one of the teachers and her sister that are taking English exams at the end of the year.
You may notice my English getting increasingly worse over the next few weeks. That's because I've started thinking in Spanish and most of the time the English running through my head has an accent so writing is pretty difficult sometimes. And yes, it is even more difficult when I'm trying to teach. Hasta luego!
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