Different Air

I have moved. Yes, I actually did it. I came back from my travels in England and Spain to find out that my room had been rented and that I had a day to move out. I didn't waste time and was finished packing that night. When I walked in the door I felt such a sense of relief. I can't even describe the feeling I had walking into my new apartment and being greeted by my new roommates while knowing that this was a place I could call my own. I feel like I'm seeing the city with someone else's eyes. How interesting that a little move up a hill can do that to you. I don't mind that I now live farther away from work or the university, in fact i've started enjoying my 'commute'. I guess I just feel more apart of live here now that I have to walk 20 minutes to work. I like it. The first day that I had to 'commute' I let myself stop at a little bakery to get a little morning treat. It was wonderful. I can set my own schedule. I can relax in my room or in the apartment in general. It's just....better. At school two days after I had moved, one of the teachers came up to me and said, "you look so much happier"- I'm glad it showed.

I had to contract internet here but got an amazing price (under 20 euro a month for 20 megas) and it only took me a week from completion till installation- interesting especially since it's with the same company that my old roommates contracted with and it took them 7 weeks! Today my router came in the mail so I am officially connected.

I do however have a cold (one of my new roommates gave one to me), so I am going to wrap up this entry and get some rest. Spain had ANOTHER four day weekend last week so I went with some friends to Gibraltar and Ronda (a small, traditional town in Spain). Ronda was beautiful and I saw old torture devices from the inquisition and in Gibraltar a monkey jumped up on me and sat on my arm.

Now I think I can actually mean it when I say that I will be in contact from now on.

Annnnnd in case you wanted to write me a little letter or something:

Irene Lilly

Avenida de Granada, 15 planta, 2A

Jaen, Jaen, 23001

Less talk, more rock.

Well after much talking and no action I have finally started the moving process. I found an apartment that is on the boarder of the new part and the old part of town. I gave up on trying to find a place in the old part- I realized no one rents those out. But from the new apartment, walk two blocks up and and you are surrounded by historic buildings. I told my roommates today that I was moving. I was so scared but I think they seemed relieved. Perhaps we all just realized that we just don't live well together.

The apartment is the same one I told you about before- the one with the teeny tiny room. I didn't jump on it before, but I suddenly decided to text the girl who I meet with before to see if the room was still available. She told me that it was not, but that she just got a job offer in Monaco so here room was open now. A shame because she was very nice and spoke some English so if things got a little too complicated we could speak in Spanglish. However yesterday I went and meet with all the roommates (old and new) and the landlord. I just got a really good feeling when I was there. They were so talkative and friendly and kept telling me, don't worry you will learn a lot of Spanish here and also want to practice their English with me. I never understood that about Victoria. She studied abroad in England and told me that she wants to move to Ireland but never utter one word in English or showed any interest in learning. The one time we went out together as an apartment the only thing they talked to me about was American TV shows. They just wanted me to list all of the American TV shows that I could and they would tell me if they had heard of them. Funny how our entire time together has been built around tv. Anyway the people in the new apartment are so sweet. They were patient and kept making sure that I was following and corrected me when I spoke. Like I told Danny, I feel like my Spanish improved more in the four hours I was with them than in the entire seven weeks that I've been here. I just overall feel like this will be a good move for me. I hope. Like I said the room is literally the size of a twin bed with a bedside table next to it. But in the beginning of February one of the girls is moving to live with her boyfriend, so I will take her room. Also the apartment has free heat! Oh thank god! I am moving from a place with no heat to free heat! And you don't have to light a bombona every time you want hot water- furthermore we don't even have to pay for hot water, only for the amount of water we use. Man, living in luxury! Another plus- I just found out that I am living in the second worst neighborhood in Jaén, so you know, moving somewhere less dangerous will be nice- haha.

Since I last wrote I have done two day trips. One weekend to Cordoba, and another to Baeza (a small old town in Jaén provence). Lise wrote on my facebook wall that for someone who finally has internet I sure haven't been using it. And she's right- I've had internet for almost a week and no updates. The truth is, I've been spending as little time as possible in my apartment. No excuse for not keeping up, but a reason.

I have all next week off for Patron Saint of Jaén day. I'm going to liverpool with some Americans, and a British girl who is from that area, then traveling around Northern Spain. As you've probably guessed that also means another week without updates. There is no way I'm taking my computer out of my apartment- haha.

Also, during one of my classes one of my students said to the teacher "Vas a la Mierda!". She said, "what did you say to me?" and he said again louder "VAS A LA MIERDA!". So she went with him to the principles office and I had to conduct class. The students were trying to explain what would happen to the kid to me but didn't have the vocabulary to ask me in English. So instead they would turn to the 'best English speaker' in class and say "tell her blah blah blah". I let this go on for about five minutes when I finally said, "Sabía que hablo Español?" (You guys do know that I know Spanish). Their faces dropped and they all got super embarrassed while some fell down laughing cause they felt so stupid. Apparently they had no idea that I could understand them this whole time and then they wanted me to speak to them in Spanish so they could hear me. All in all I feel like I got closer to the students. They also told me how some student got suspended for posting pictures on facebook of a teacher. Apparently there were bad/crude comments. That explained why there were signs up everywhere saying that no pictures taken of people who work in the school or any pictures inside the school are allowed to be posted on the internet. At least that mystery is solved.

Day 46

Joy of joys- due to, or what I believe is due to, cloud coverage I am able to get a weak wifi signal coming from my school. That should tell you how close I live to school.

Halloween in Jaén was, well, kinda what I expected. Oh Jaén- of all the beautiful, historic cities in Andalucía how did I end up with you?

My friend Sarah and I went searching for pumpkins last thursday, we walked far but finally we found some pumpkins that came with a carrying case. People gave us strange looks as we walked down the Gran Eje with our pumpkins in hand. We carved the pumpkins, roasted the seeds, and then cut out some of the pumpkin pulp. It was very strange to be carving pumpkins, while explaining what we were doing in Spanish, and with the illuminated castle in the background. We roasted the pumpkin seeds that night and when offering some for my roommates to try they sad, no (typical). This is how I feel like most of my interactions with my roommates go. I say, "hey i'm going to this bar tonight, do you want to come?". There is no politeness in their response just "no tengo ganas" (translation: No, I don't want to) and they continue watching tv. I was excited though because they said that on Halloween they would come out with us. I thought it would be nice to see them out of the apartment and a chance to hangout WITHOUT the tv. However, come Halloween, I ask them if they are going to come with me. The response: No. Even though one of them was painting her and her boyfriends faces. I also have to call if I'm not going to be home for lunch or if I'm going to be late- the same for dinner. And when I'm gone for the whole day they look at me and say where were you. Not in a friendly tell me about your day where were you, but very why weren't you home. Anyway, enough of childish complaining about roommates. While I really like one of the girls, I'm seriously considering moving. I've looked at an apartment already that is farther up the hill (closer to the old part) and tonight I am going over there to meet the other two roommates. The one girl I met was so sweet, if they are all that way it'll be a no brainer. However one downside to this apartment. The room is as big as a twin bed with just enough room for the door to open. I'm not even kidding. The desk is attached to the wall and can fold down, because there isn't space to have a desk. So tonight I think i'm going to sit in the room with the door closed and see if i feel horribly claustrophobic or if I'm fine. If I feel fine, then I'll change. I would rather have nice and compatible roommates than a big room.

Anyway- back to Halloween. Sarah and I found costumes for under a euro at "bazar china". I was a pirate. It wasn't a bad costume for throwing it together in ten minutes. Sarah and I walked up the hill to this restaurant called "Casa de Cordoba". The American apartment lives right around the corner from casa de cordoba and have risen above a regular and practically integrated into the family. They go to soccer games, they went to a birthday party, etc. However this does come with its advantages for me. For example, it's traditional in Jaén that when you order a drink you get a free snack with your drink, called a tapa. However at Casa de Cordoba you practically get an entree. After we went to the Irish Pub, because that just felt like the place to be on halloween and drink cider- strongbow.

So here I am- not super emotional like the last two weeks, but not content either. I'm just in a 'meh' stage if you know what I'm saying. I just gotta ride this out and hope that I come back with a new sense of confidence and strength (and also complete Spanish proficency).

Day 39

I´m thinking about moving. I really don´t like my neighborhood, and I would prefer to move to the old part of town- if I can find anything. My roommates are nice, but they NEVER, I mean NEVER, except for classes, leave the apartment. Not even on the weekends. It´s depressing to me. While they are nice, I think I need to find a more positive and engaging place to live.

I think I´m facing some phychological effects of being robbed. I haven´t been doing well lately, and honestly if it keeps up like this I don´t think I will come back to Spain in January. This last week has been horrible- I think everything just piled up: going out into the real world, leaving college, moving to a foreign country, leaving everyone behind, being sick, getting robbed, and then having food poisoning. I was already pretty sensitive to begin with.

I´m taking a free spanish class at the university. The good of that is that I placed into the second highest level on the European Union scale of languages (or something like that). I like having classes, it gives me something to do, challenges me, and I feel like I always come away with better spanish. I think I need to find something else to do with my time though. An hour and a half class three times a week is not enough to keep me occupied. I´m trying to find some kind of class, but I haven´t been able to find anything other than English schools. Maybe I´ll join a gym.

Day 31

I had the worst food poisoning of my life. I lost 8 pounds- although I doesn´t look like it so that´s kind of confusing. Went to the doctor, didn´t have to pay a cent which was liberating. All he gave me was a gram of Tylenol. At least it´s not swine flu.


Come on Jaén, throw me a bone here.

Day 28

Some kid was running behind me today and I freaked out. He was just out going for a run, but the sound of someone running behind me was enough to send me into panic. I'm a little shell shocked.

positive attitude....

Gitanos, os odio

I was sitting outside my school yesterday, in broad daylight right next to a busy street. I had just closed the top of my laptop, still on my lap, still looking directly at it and two 16 year old gypsies ran up, grabbed my laptop and ran up the hill. I screamed my lungs out- now I have a cough from the screaming- ran up the hill but lost them. It's been a horrible 24 hours. Have filed a police report. Am using a friends computer. There are 3 fortunate things though:
1. I have my computer backed up
2. It was not a crime against me, it was purely just something to snatch and sell
3. The Programs travel insurance covers the cost of the stolen item

Whenever I think about that moment I do freak out and panic though. I'm fine though. Just here. So there will probably be a longer wait for the next real post.

mmmmyyyy nnnaaammmeee iiiiissss..

Man just finished my three classes for today- I never thought it was possible to speak English so slowly! I noticed myself not using proper grammar to help them understand things easier- I need to stop this. They were sooooo interested in the American Schedule- Iĺl talk more about this later but for now I would like to get some lunch. (ugh look how formal that sentence was, welcome to my English life-haha).

I just wanted to say that I forgot to update my phone number. I switched cellphone carriers for various reasons so now my new number is: 622 274 329 (I do not know what you have to dial before that though). Like I said in my Málaga blog, if you start noticing that my English getting strange, don´t worry, that´s a good thing!

First Class

Well here I am, at the high school. I just had my first class with 15-16 year olds. I talked about where I was from, what I studied in College and about myself. Then I asked them questions and got everything from, do you have a boyfriend (a girl asked this, thankfully) to what is your favorite food. I answered all the questions as basically, yet thoroughly, as I could while speaking very very slowly. It´s strange, the English teachers can barely understand me, but said that it was because of my American accent. Although I did expect better English from English teachers. But everyone is trying. I then asked them what they thought of when they thought of America. The first response I got was ¨when the airplanes crash into skyscrapers¨. I was pretty shocked, and said, ¨You mean September 11th?¨ and they said yes. I find it fascinating that 8 years later, this was their first response. What does this say about us? I doubt that when we think about Spain the first thing most of us think about is the train bombing on March 11th by terrorists. The first response to what do you think when you think of America was September 11th. Take a second and think about what this implies. It´s incredible really- has our presence in the world been narrowed down to this single event? Sad, tragic, yet fascinating. The next things were baseball, big houses, expensive cars, parties, hamburgers and Obama (after which a student made like an entry into heaven noise). There was one section of students that sat to one side and kept talking in Spanish to each other. The teacher told me that these were students who were not as smart as the other students and in all classes they had lower expectations- I´m guessing it´s some kind of ill formed special ed program? She told me that while she´s teaching the class I might be working with these students. I have two more classes today. I don´t have internet at my apartment yet, hence the lack of posts. Alright going to get some pan con tomate at the cafeteria.

orientation take two

Ed requested a post, so here it is. There is not much to report though. From 9-6 or 7 i'm in orientation workshops preparing us for our job. Nothing special- how to open a bank account, how we will get paid, how to get a temporary resident card, ideas for teaching culture, review of spanish school system etc.

It's strange, the people I'm 'hanging out with' are not in Jaen, which makes me nervous because I haven't been able to really connect with the people who I will actually see after this week.

I also found out that I'm only going to be teaching for 12-15 hours a week. While some may like this I'm worried that excessive free time will lead to loneliness.

They took us to a flamenco show tonight. I felt so calm and at ease there- it centered me and refocused me in a way the made me remember my original goals for coming here: for the language and the culture. I can't let myself loose sight of that when I return to Jaen.

Orientation

I'm at Orientation in Sevilla. It's nice to have working internet, I don't feel as disconnected from my world- how strange is that? When I went to check in the girl next turned out to be a CC grad from '08- she's very nice and we went out for coffee and a snack. Anyone know a Megan Quinn? Too bad she'll be on the opposite end of Andalucia. My 'roommate' hasn't really talked much. She will also be in Jaen. It's disappointing since Megan and her roommate are already making travel plans. They did tell me though that I could always meet them at the airpot which was very comforting to hear. I'm anxious to meet the other people from Jaén. But now i'm going to find a vodafone store to figure out how to get credit on my cell phone. Everyone is sleeping so it seems like a good thing to get out of the way.

I still can't believe I'm here. It always seemed so far away when I talked about it before....

First official day

Well I wasn’t able to get the last post online in time (I'm on the train to Sevilla and had internet while waiting at the statoin) but seeing as I have a power outlet on the train I thought I’d catch up on my blogging.

Apartment: My apartment is medium size. The kitchen is long and narrow, only about one person wide. One of my roommates loves cooking so apparently if we just buy our share of the meal and sit with her as she cooks we get meals made for us (Man did I get lucky!). The living room is large with two couches, a dining room table and chairs. On one end of the room are dark brown built in cabinets which look purely decorative to me however is does hold the tv (which is always on during meals. I don’t mind this right now because it takes the pressure off of me to speak during meals. Also Family Guy in Spanish is strange….). Off of the living room is a balcony big enough for a table and a drying rack. One of my roommates is a smoker so I’m very grateful for the balcony seeing as she only smokes out there and the smell does not enter the apartment. When looking out at the balcony there is a perfect view of the old castle (will have to learn more about this) and the mountain. It’s strange to look out my window and see a different mountain than pikes peak. There is a long hallway that goes from the kitchen, along side the living room and ends at my door. Off of the hallway is the bathroom and three bedrooms. It’s nice that we each have our own space. My room is nice, tiny about the size of a slocum single, but has a window that looks out to the street, a desk, shelf, armoire, strange round table thing with long drapey fabric on top of it and a twin bed. And here ends the tour folks-haha!.

Hot Water: Alright now let me tell you about the hot water situation. When you turn on a faucet or the shower only cold water comes out. In order to have hot water you must first turn on a tank of gas, then turn a knob halfway on a box above. Then you take a match and light two parts and turn the knob the rest of the way slowly. Let the water run for a minute or so and you have hot water! I didn’t think this was that bad until I realized that if you wanted to wash dishes with warm water or wash your hands with warm water you would have to go through this entire process each time. I’ve decided everything besides showering will be done with cold water. My main problem is forgetting to turn off the entire ‘heating until’ (I have no idea what it’s called. I believe it’s bombilla in Spanish, but I could be wrong).

However back to my first day. After I sat down my bags they took me out to their friends apartment. There were three people and were all very nice to me. They joked with me and my poor Spanish. They were eating this chorizo type meat and I wanted to know what it was called because it was delicious. So I pointed to the meat on the plate and asked them what is was called. One responded “plate” as a joke. Perhaps you had to be there. Also they were talking about an actor and I couldn’t recognize who they were talking about. I asked them and they said that he was an American Actor. Turns out it was Tom Hanks but they were saying it like tmmmmm hannnns. When I said, ‘Oh Tom Hanks!” they were stunned by how I said his name. After that roommates and I returned to our apartment and ordered pizza for delivery. While waiting we were watching some pop culture type news show and one of the anchors had a shirt with the blue and red Obama change poster from the elections. I thought that was so interesting and strange at the same time. I asked my roommates, why is she wearing a shirt with Obama on it, and they replied ‘because it’s in style right now and he is very popular”. Not sure how I feel about this, but I can say that this is completely different attitude to the American government than when I was in Malaga. Last time if was not hard to find anti-Bush graffiti or signs back in 2007 so it was easy to assume that the Spaniards hated all forms of American Government. Now, with Obama, it’s completely different and very strange. It made me see the what our reputation could be like, something last time I didn’t think was possible. On the Monday night news the only mention of America was a clip of Obama on Letterman (?) saying that a lot of people do not understand that he was black before the election. I think that this was the only news that they reported from the US speaks volumes. I wonder how much they understand race relations in the US. I definitely want to explore this Obama phenomenon more, especially with my students and fellow teachers.

Yesterday I spelt in which I needed to catch up on sleep (I know you can’t technically do that). Got woken up by my roommates knocking on my door at 2:30 and asking if I wanted to eat lunch with them. Again, it was pretty amazing that I could just wake up and have lunch already prepared for me. After lunch I began to unpack my bags and shower. I must say that the water can get surprisingly hot! I forgot to turn off the heater and left it on for about a half hour after I showered. I hope no one noticed because I bet that gas is expensive, I felt badly. I finally decided to go out and explore Jaen. The streets are so confusing, some are a block long and aren’t on the map, others curve and become different streets. Needless to say I was lost for two hours, but it did help me get my bearings. I think I must live in the newer section of the city for the buildings are fairly stark and modern. The streets are dirty here, way dirtier than Malaga. I think the Spaniards must have a different outtake on littering than we do, I don’t know. There were plenty of people walking around which was a relief since I thought that it would be empty. I’m hoping that the other end of the city is more beautiful and historic. Oh all streets are on a slop so I’ll definitely be getting in shape walking around the city. I searched for about two hours for a cell phone store and when I finally found one they told me that they couldn’t sell me a phone without my passport. UGH. My roommates told me I should carry my passport with me at all times because they police may stop me and ask for identification- I opted not to because I was nervous to carry around my passport with me, I always heard you should not do that. Besides, it seemed fairly reminiscent of that scene in Casablanca (“where are your papers?”). Walked back to the apartment and got my apartment and finally got a phone. I couldn’t just buy a SIM card so I had to also buy a 20 euro phone. I think I will just put the Vodafone SIM in my AT&T phone. However they forgot to put credit on my phone so after two minutes of talking it cut out. Need to figure out how to get more credit. In case you would like to call me (hint hint) my number is +34 666 67 49 93. When I heard what my number was I told the sales person ‘omgosh 666 that’s the devil’s number!’. She laughed and luckily the devil has the same number in all countries or I would have gotten some very strange looks.

Well that about sums up my experience so far. I’m still uneasy and lonely but hopefully time will take care of that. And I must say watching Jon and Kate plus 8 at night is oddly comforting (Shush! I like it and it comforts me so no comments!)

Two more hours left in my train ride to Sevilla. I have a feeling I will be very sad to leave Sevilla and have to return to Jaén, it’s such a beautiful and vibrant city.

Oh I forgot, I noticed yesterday that my apartment definitely has graffiti on it. Not sure how I feel about this…. The neighborhood feels residential and safe though. Maybe graffiti doesn’t have the same stigma here? Only time will tell.

(don’t worry though, I’m safe. I don’t walk by myself at night and if I have to I have Mace!)

I'm Here

Well the time has come. I'm in Jaén. I've decided I'm not going to lie in this blog and that I will express all the emotions I feel, unlike my previous one from 2007. And to be quit honest I can't say I'm happy to be here. The day i had to get on the plane I could not imagine setting foot on it, I thought 'I can't possibly be leaving. I emotionally and physically can't leave". Somehow though my foot did step on to that plane however it was not a smooth journey (and no I'm not talking about the terrible turbulence that made me almost sick, haha). I was terrified the whole way. The flight from Minneapolis to Amsterdam was the easiest. The lady next to me moved to be next to her friend giving me two seats to stretch out on. Also on Delta transatlantic flights everyone has a personal tv that they can control. There were games, movies, and a route map to choose from- excellent for keeping my mind off of the terrifying journey ahead of me. Sidenote: 17 Again is sorta cute while My Life in Ruins will make you hate yourself for wasting 1.5 hours on that movie. Arrived in Amsterdam and had a 3.5 hour layover which was occupied by hacking into the KML lounge wifi (they had their internet code on display, come on now!) and going through passport control. Flight from Amsterdam to Madrid was relatively short but the transfer to the train station was the problem. Let me just say that it's pretty hard to walk a train station for 3 hours with two suitcases and a backpack and that it is also very hard to load said suitcases when boarding the train with people shouting behind you because the doors are about to close. Train from Madrid to Jaén was four hours of panic. That's when it sunk it that I was in Spain, and that there was no turning back. I think that's what made me so nervous, the feeling that if it all went wrong that I was stuck (although I now realize that I can just quit and go home). Got off the train (a thousand times easier to unload suitcases by the way) and started walking. As I got off the train I noticed two girls who seemed to be about my age standing there. I wondered if they were perhaps my roommates but figured that they would spot me with all the suitcases and well I'm sure I looked very American. They did not move though so I proceeded to walk outside until I heard someone behind me say, "Irene?". Those girls were indeed my roommates. Very sweet girls and brought me right back to the apartment. Put my bags down in the room and learned how to heat the water (an interesting task I will describe another day). Uff Da it's late and I have to catch a train at 7:30 tomorrow morning to Sevilla. I'll finish it up later but to sum up my roommates are very sweet and nice and I'm still feeling uneasy. *sigh* This is all normal though......

Jaén

Jaén. That is where I will be teaching. Jaén is a provence of Spain, and I will be living in the capital, Jaén City. It seems to be a smaller city, about 100,000 people live there, and not a tourist destination at all. The city is located on the foothills of the mountain (read: there will be snow) and like every good Spanish town has a huge cathedral that that are incredibly proud of. Moorish remains can be found in the city as it was a once dominated by Arabs becoming one of their strongholds against the Castillians. It is said that the city is surrounded by olive groves and is the world's leading producer of olive oil. There is also a university in the city. And that is really all I know about the it.
I have found an apartment and am in the process of trying to figure out of to pay my last months rent while in the US.
I'll be sharing an apartment with two girls, Ana and Victoria, who are both from the city of Cadiz, attend the university, and are 21 and 22. They seem to be very warm and welcoming, already mentioning that I can go to their house during some school breaks. Other people from my program are all trying to get apartments with other Americans, and while that would not be as scary as moving in with two spanish girls, I know I would greatly regret that decision. So I took the plunge and spent a lot of time surfing the internet for bedrooms to rent. Perhaps it will be nice; I can have 'American' apartments to go to while still being fully immersed in the culture by living in mine and hopefully meeting people through the girls.
My job. I have no idea what's going on with that. I've been emailing one of the teachers at the school and he mentioned that I will be teaching math and social studies. There was no mention of teaching English however, classes would be taught in English. I'll be teaching 12 year-olds, and I am thanking god that middle school math were my peak of math comprehension. I also don't know if I'll be teaching the class by myself, or if I'll be just a teacher's aid. That's the Spanish for you, no details and last minute planning. So for now, I wait. I don't know what these next nine months will hold, but I do know that they will be exciting. I'll be posting everything in this blog: observations, cultural difference, language barriers, sights, feelings, people, teaching experience, travel anecdotes... everything So stay tuned...