School's Out For Summer!

HELLO!!

I considered making a final summary entry about the school and all the expectations vs. realities.  I’m going to save it, though, for the end of the summer because I want to use it as platform for what I want to do in order to make some changes with the school, personally and professionally.  So, stay tuned for that at the end of my stay in the states. 

My NIE experience, for the time being, is finished… this is how it went…

I had to catch the 8:00 bus to Jaen and then wandered around for a couple hours before I could even go to my appointment.  I went in a bit early and recognized a girl from the beginning of the year who I knew was there for the same reason as myself.  I chatted with her briefly and then it was time to make our way through the office to the very last table where we were to complete our application.  Whew... gotta say that I was nervous, of course, but I wasn't as nervous as my previous trips to the rabbit hole.  I knew I had all of the proper documents and all of that, so I was genuinely prepared for this one.  Jill went first so I was able to watch the process so that when it was my turn I had everything in order for him.  This guy was super nice and super accomodating.  That makes everything a bit more relieving.  I got everything completed and, since I am going to the states over the summer, I am required to ask for an 'authorization for return.'  I asked the nice man if I could get started on that to which he informed me that it would only be valid for 60 or 90 days.  And they'd need a week to process it.  Well, that means, if I would have applied for it that day (30th), then I would have been required to be back in Spain by August 30th.  Possible, I suppose, but I have plans already booked at the end of August and I want more time with my family.  Even if I were planning on being back then, there wouldn't have been enough time to process the application before I was leaving Spain.  Anyway, I informed the nice man of my summer plans and that I had no intention of being back in Jaen at all until I returned in September.  He, very generously, called his boss and even inquired about the options for me, to which I was super grateful.  But, unfortunately, there is nothing they can do.  Since I am going to be back in Spain at the beginning of July (although in the north... not the south...), I have to find a way to get back to Jaen TWICE.  Once to apply and again a week later to pick it up.  That means Clint & I have to alter some of our Spain plans, but it has to be done, so I hope he's okay with that.  :)  I was hoping I would have been done with all that crap when I left the office, but that is not the case.  Bummer, but I gotta deal with it. 

I was genuinely hoping to catch the 12:15 bus back to the village so I wouldn't have to wander the streets of Jaen anymore and I could have made it had a few things gone differently.  We were able to get in at our appointment a bit early, so I was super hopeful.  After I had submitted the application, I had to go pay a tax that had to be paid within 10 days or my entire application would be void, so I ran/walked to the nearest bank (a few blocks away).  At this point, I had 25 minutes to do all of this and catch my bus.  Of course, there is a line of 6 people in front of me.  I'm constantly checking my watch and it seems that the tellers could not have been going any slower.  And then they'd start having conversations about a pamplet thing some lady had.  I was seriously like that person that was checking their watch, sighing, transferring weight from one leg to the other and just generally acting annoyed that it wasn't moving any quicker.  Didn't work.  Eventually, I got up there and got my tax taken care of.  The tax was 16.32 and I gave the lady 21.32.  Pretty simple math, right?  She stared at that money like it was a foreign currency and she didn't know what she was doing.  She slowly put the coins in the tray.  I was obviously still standing there waiting for my change and she looked up and said, "Thanks."  I was like, "Ugh... no.  I need my change."  She fumbled around and gave me a 5, but it was as if I messed up her whole routine.  HaHa... anyway... I took off back to the rabbit hole.  At this point, I had 12 minutes to catch my bus.  I got to the office and went back through the maze of desks to the nice man's table.  He was working with another language assistant, but was on the phone.  I chatted with this nice girl from Ohio.  All the time, staring at my watch because the nice man had put his finger up telling me to "wait a minute."  I had time to tell her all of the things she needed to do after filling out the application and find out that her brother was getting married that summer, etc.  Eventually, the nice man got off the phone and said, "Just a minute, I'm going to call my boss to check again."  Ok... Well, he did that and it provided the same results as the last phone conversation, so I said thanks and jetted outta there.  I had 3 minutes to catch my bus and it was probably 6 or 7 city block away.  In my head, I knew I wouldn't make it, but I tried anyway.  All the streets I had to cross, of course, were all on the "Don't Walk" sign for the longest time and cars wouldn't let pedestrians walk, etc.  I made into the bus station TWO minutes after my bus had left.  TWO.  I guess the good thing I can get from all of this is the Spanish bus system is on time.  :)  So, I went to a little cafe and had some beer and tapas while I waited for the 2:00 bus.  Tapas, in my opinion, are one of the GREATEST inventions ever.  :)  Anyway... after all that mumbling, that's my trip to the rabbit hole part duex (or three?).  I'm losing count now.  :)

I can’t believe that I am writing that my time here is over (for this school year anyway).  It’s went by crazy fast.  I’ve met some very cool people and hope to expand our friendships through the next year.  I look forward to taking advantage of the second chance I’ve been given and I hope to not let it slip through my fingers.  Don’t get me wrong, I have gained immensely during this stay and am grateful beyond belief for the opportunity.  I just look forward to doing things a bit differently next year. :)

My last week was spent translating a Spanish recipe book into English.  56 pages of Spanish recipes into English... NOT fun.  I didn't go to a single class this week because of it and I'm still not sure if it'll even be used.  Our 'goodbye' was quite disappointing.  No one really even acknowledged that we were leaving and it was our last day.  Joanne had to go in and say goodbye to people since she is leaving tomorrow for good.  I told them I'd stop by Monday and say farewell officially.  I didn't expect any grande gestures, but I was kind of thinking people would, you know, wish us well and say nice to meet you, etc.  And maybe they did for Joanne, haha, but no one said anything to me.  Kinda disappointing.  Oh well.  And since I didn't go to class all week, I haven't been able to say bye to the kids.  I guess I'll see 'em again in a few months.

Here shortly, Clint and I are going to take off on our European adventure.  I am quite excited and I think (hope) that he is, too.  I wanted to take this opportunity to let you all know that I am going to do my very best to keep my blog updated throughout our journey, even if they are brief and only of photos.  I’m quite sure we’ll run into wireless internet all over the place.  I just don’t know how much time we’ll be wanting to spend online, haha.  I imagine we’ll have some downtime some of the evenings where we can Skype with our families and I’ll take the quick opportunity to update my blog.  While I make no promises in regards to posting, I DO promise that I will TRY.  :)  If I am unable to do so, I promise that I’ll be keeping a personal journal so that I can remember details and all that for when I am able to post.

I hope that this finds you all well and your summers have began well!  I am looking forward to starting mine!  Cheers to a fantastic summer!!  Speak to you all soon, hopefully!! 

Let me UPdate ya

Hola!

I have an NIE update, so I thought I’d take the opportunity to let you all know. J I have an appointment officially set for next Wednesday, the 30^th, to submit my application for renewal. I’m assuming that there won’t be any reason for them to decline the application. I have a ton of paperwork that I have to bring again, as expected, and for the most part, I’ve got it all gathered and completed. I am really, really hoping that there isn’t some issue with them messing up what school I will be at. I’m hoping I walk in with all my documentation and they give me a temporary card and I’m done. It sucks that I will have to take the 8 a.m. bus to Jaen (arrival at 9:00) and my appointment isn’t until 11:30. I hope it is quick, too, so I can catch the 1:00 bus back to the village. Anyway… you’ll hear all about it after it’s all said and done. Cross your fingers that it goes smoothly (for the first time in this country!). J

I have also decided that I am going to stay in the house that I am currently living in. I kind of fought with the decision for a couple weeks, but ultimately, it comes down to saving some money. The only negative about the house that I am in now is how freezing cold it is. And everyone tells me we had a mild winter this past year, so I could be in for a rude awakening. However, I will be fully stocked on hot water bottles and I will figure out the fire. I also intend on purchasing a heat blanket either in the states over the summer or in Jaen. Dad has always said, “You can survive anything for a little while.” Well, one way or another, I bet I survive. J Another thing that helped me decide… I HATE MOVING! I hate packing. It will be nice for me to just have the place ready for me upon my return. So… that decision is made and it’s nice to know that it’s one less thing to worry about before I get this summer started. J

Anyway, I thought I’d update you on a few of my decisions. I’ll close with a few more pictures… ENJOY!

6th graders playing during 'recess'

Some of the younger kids playing during recess.  They use an empty plastic bottle to play soccer (football) with.  I'm not sure if they aren't allowed to play with the school's sports equipmen or if it's just something they've made up along the way.  There is usually 2 or 3 games of this going on at once

Paqui, Clara, and Gema in the 6th grade English Club

The 6th grade during our field trip to Jaen.  This is at the University of Jaen. (We went to see an English play)

Some of the kiddos in my 4 year old class

Ubeda and Baeza (field trip)

Things are winding down for my current stay in Spain. After today (Wednesday), I have one week of classes. That translates to 5 days of work. It’s really crazy that it’s over already. I genuinely feel like time has FLOWN by. 

NIE Update: As you know, I’m trying to get my NIE renewed while I am in Spain so I don’t have to do the whole Visa crap again. My current card expires on the 31^st of this month. I am told that I have to have an appointment to extend my expiration date BEFORE the 31^st. However, I am also told that it is not my responsibility to make this appointment and that I have to rely on the program director (like of the entire program-the one in Madrid) to make the appointment for me. (Great. Because things have gone SO smoothly so far with the things I cannot control.) I did receive an e-mail this week with all of the paperwork I have been waiting on. And guess what?! They messed it up. Yep. Of freakin’ course. On my contract, instead of putting my current school, they put the OTHER primary school in the village. Isabel has contacted the director and all that I am being told is, “Don’t worry.” Do they even know me AT ALL?! And Isabel is going to be gone this entire week! Don’t worry? You’ve got to be kidding me. Of course I am going to worry. I just hope that it works out. I’m ready for this headache to be over so I can kick back & enjoy my summer. Rest assured that regardless of how this NIE thing turns out, I will NOT let it affect my summer.

Anyway… Joanne and I went to Ubeda with the 6^th grade last week. It was a HOT day. HOT HOT HOT! And long, too! Technically, we went to Baeza AND Ubeda. Our first stop was at a museum about olive factories. It was pretty boring, to be honest. I think the kids felt the same way, haha. That was just outside of Baeza. Then, we went into the town of Baeza and took a little tour around their town. We saw some of the older parts of the town and learned a bit about its history. These were all walking tours in a heat wave, I must say. I think I went through 4 or 5 bottles of liquid throughout the day. J After that, we moved on to Ubeda. They dropped us off at a park where we ate and the kids played. It was a really nice park. Again… hot as hell! Ha!

Eventually, a little train came up that was going to take us on the next part of our day. It was a tourist train that took us around to all the monuments in town and provided a little history. It was nice break to ride for awhile instead of walk to all these places. Things were quite spread out. They dropped us off where we went to a church and then a synagogue before heading back to our bus. This day started at 8:45 a.m. and we arrived back in the village around 8:00 p.m. LONG day. I can’t speak for Joanne, but I know I was worn out and these kids definitely drain it out of you. The bus ride back to the village was non-stop screaming and yelling and singing from all the kids. Headache? Yep. Headphones to drown it out? Yep. It was an interesting experience, but I would definitely say that the other trips I have been on were far better.

After Baeza waiting for the bus in the park

Some of the beautiful flowers in the park

Our break in the park in Ubeda. The look on Joanne's face says about how exciting the day had been up to that point.  :)  Pedro, Encarna, and Joanne (Encarna is one of the teachers I work with regularly)

Joanne, Encarna, and myself had a coffee break

Our train ride through town :)

Since my last entry about the wedding was quite a lengthy one, I will keep this one short. I have more to write, but I’ll save it for the next entry. I hope that this finds you all well.

T-minus 14 days until Clint arrives in Europe!!!

Viva los novios!

Before entering the church, the beautiful bride!

My first Spanish wedding experience. I gotta say, I didn’t come to Spain with “witness a Spanish wedding” on my list of things I wanted to accomplish. To be quite honest, I feel very lucky that I was able to meet such a genuine person in Stef and through her, her now husband, Juan. It just happened to be my lucky year in more ways than one as she was engaged to be married during my stay in Spain. I feel super fortunate that I was able to spend their day with them and also meet some very cool people along the way.

Let’s just do a little background of information for a moment. Stef has been planning this wedding since I met her, but in the last few months, obviously things had to be stepped up a notch as the date approached (quite rapidly in hindsight). We tried to meet once a week for coffee to catch up on events and I watched this girl’s level of stress rise at an alarming rate. Many things contributed: future in-laws, wedding dress drama, shoes, a mis-matched broach, photos… SO many things. A couple times I got to be a witness at some of these bumps in her road. I’m not going into too many of these details, they aren’t important, but just know that they contributed to her sky-high stress level. She was seriously thrown many blows through this whole thing and I don’t know if I’ve met someone as strong as her that could have handled this. A primary adjustment, from my point of view, was the requirement of the Spanish cultural and religious aspects that she needed to incorporate into everything in order to marry into Juan’s family. The traditions and customs that go along with a Spanish wedding within the catholic church were constant reminders of how things ‘should be’ and kept Stef’s blood pressure right up there in the danger zone. Anyway, I just say this because this girl has been through the ringer a few times over and to see the result of all of the stress she endured come out in wedding form, albeit a wedding of organized chaos, was something I am absolutely honored to be a part of.

The wedding event began by her family joining the bride at her house. This is a typical Spanish custom, I am learning. She asked some friends to be there to walk with them since obviously a lot of her family and friends weren’t able to get to Spain for the wedding. I was one of these friends. I felt unbelievably special that she allowed me to be a part of her ‘family’ to walk with her to the church. HaHa, I don’t know if it was anything special to them, maybe they just wanted some reinforcements since Juan’s family is so grande! J At any rate, it made me feel very special and I am grateful for the opportunity.

The tradition is, I believe, that the bride walks with her family from her house through the streets of the village to the church. This allows spectators to line the streets and marvel at the bride. Many throw compliments toward her and share in her celebration in whatever way they can. Stef’s escort would normally have been her father, but he passed of cancer. Juan’s father, instead, was the lucky escort. We, ‘the family,’ followed behind the bride and her escort through the streets of Valdepeñ as. The streets aren’t obviously the most clean, despite the best efforts given by most old ladies to get that dust off the street, haha. We had some issues with her veil catching trash along the road and it became quite dirty. When her mother tried to fix it and save the dirty veil, she was told that it was tradition to let it hang properly and to just let it be, so she did. This dress and veil were not in the cheap category, either. Quite the opposite, to be exact. Anyway, we followed Stef to the church, probably 10-12 blocks, where another group of people were waiting for her outside. Once we arrived at the church, they got her veil situated properly behind her for her entrance into the church where Juan was waiting at the door.

I like this photo because it is Stef's mom and sister holding hands behind Stef.  Notice the people waiting for her arrival.  :)

The ceremony was really nice. It seemed a bit chaotic as a spectator, but as I said, organized chaos. It wasn’t a wedding where you were escorted in by ushers, but instead, took your own seats wherever you wanted as Stef stood at the end of the aisle with Juan’s dad while Juan and his mom were behind them. The priest did a really good job. He did the ceremony primarily in Spanish, but did his best to translate some of the important stuff into English for Stef’s guests. He made it light-hearted and fun at times, but also brought tears to many eyes in a few spots. It lasted about an hour, hour & a half. It was formal, but it was also very free. During the ceremony, I was amazed at all the guests that just walked up to the sides of the altar to take pictures of the bride and groom. Like it was no big deal! I was hoping I could SNEAK pictures, but apparently, you are free to wander as you must to get good photos. I never got out of my seat, but I did snap a few good photos from my angle. There wasn’t (what we would call traditional) bridesmaids and groomsmen. The people standing and sitting at the alter were Stef’s mom, Juan’s dad, Stef, Juan, Juan’s mom, and Sabrina (Stef’s sister). Sabrina read a passage once and a few of Juan’s family members spoke, too. It was definitely a different experience, but very beautiful.

Stef's sister at the podium.  I don't know... I just liked this photo. :)

I now pronounce you...

After the ceremony was completed and the marriage license signed, the couple came out of the church to a massive amount of rice, confetti, and a nice display of fireworks. They greeted many guests and then took their place on the street where all of the guests and spectators had lined the sides to get a view. Again, we took our place behind them and then began the walk down main street. This time, the majority of the guests followed the bride and groom. We walked a couple blocks down the main street where a bar had set out a small table with a cold bottle of champagne, glasses, and chocolate. Here, the bride and groom shared a sip of champagne with Sabrina and Sue (Stef’s sister and mother). Juan’s nieces and nephew ate most of the chocolate. J (Currently, I don’t know if there is some significance in this particular bar having the champagne ready or if this is part of Spanish tradition, etc… I will ask when I get a chance) We continued on for a bit where they had a bus waiting to transport the guests to the reception hall just a bit outside of town, maybe a half mile or so.

Shortly after the rice and confetti shower

Wedding guests following the bride and groom down the main street

 
The cocktail hour should have been an indication of how fancy the night was going to be, but I still don’t think I could have been prepared. We walked to the other side of a gas station/restaurant area where there was apparently a reception hall. This can’t be seen from the road, so I didn’t even know it existed. And let’s be honest, you say the reception is going to be near the gas station, you don’t think real classy, right? HaHa! I’m a bit familiar with Stef, so I was knew it wouldn’t be something like “Grab a coke from the cooler and some snacks off the shelf. My treat!” HaHa! Anyway, we made our way to the other side of the building where you go up a small, winding driveway where the cocktail hour had begun. There was a massive awning over tables and chairs. There were plush black sofas with white cushions spread throughout. There was a red carpet covered in flower petals. A bar was on the opposite side and a person cutting some ham on the other. (Cutting the Iberian ham is an art form) They immediately had waiters dressed perfectly in uniform with matching white gloves approach with fancy silver platters of beer (with or without alcohol) and sodas. Not too much later and they were walking about with hors d’oeuvres of a large variety. All of what I tried was delicious. We stayed outside and just chatted while the rest of the guests arrived. It was probably an hour munching and sipping before they put up a piece of ‘red tape’ (like a red streamer) across the entry to the inside of the hall. Stef and Juan had to break this ‘tape’ before anyone could enter. They did this to some of the Spanish guests singing a song. I don’t really know the significance, but the presentation was very entertaining. J During cocktail hour, guests were able to look on a board where it had a seating chart as to where and with whom you were sitting once inside.

A photo of the cocktail hour

I was seated at the “English speaking table.” J Stef’s cousin and her husband sat with me in addition to Dougie and Nicola (the Scottish couple I rent the house from), Amanda & Pedro (Amanda was a language assistant here before me), Fernando, and Rafa (two really nice Spanish friends of the couple that do not speak English well). Anyway, it was primarily an English-speaking table. J We arrived at our table to more food.: meat and cheese plates, nuts, and a salmon and salsa plate. Upon arrival, our waiter tended to our beverage needs, all of which were free for the duration of the night. We snacked and made conversation as the rest of the wedding guests made their way to their seats. During this time, Stef and Juan were posted up at the head table (in seats fit for a king and queen-literally) watching as the guests filed in.

The reception hall

After a bit, we were served our first course, shrimp on a bed of lettuce. There were 8 or 9 massive shrimp on each plate. I should mention that the first course began around 10:00 p.m. They served the table a bottle of wine (that kept refilling itself throughout the night). Most courses were accompanied by great conversation and quite a bit of entertainment from Pedro. I was able to spend a little time talking to Amanda about her experience working in the village (at the same school) and vent a bit about some of the frustrating aspects of Spanish life and school politics.

Obviously people eat at their own paces and finish at varied times. In between the courses, guest wandered from table to table and outside for some fresh air. The bride and groom also walked around the room making conversation with many of the guests as they ate or talked.

A moment to kiss for the crowd

The second course was baked cod with a salsa topping and a crouton and egg to the side. It was a bit salty and chewy for me, but the overall taste was pretty good. After this course, they served a mojito flavored pallet cleanser (the first time I ever had one of those!) that was a tasty cool treat before beginning the third course. The third course ended around midnight and was two delicious pieces of pork wrapped in smoked bacon in a creamy sauce and some patatas a la pobre (poor man’s potatoes), which are essentially sliced potatoes with garlic and onions in olive oil. THIS was MY favorite course. J It was sooooo good! The amount of food they served was amazing (as I am sure the price probably was, as well). It was very difficult to finish all of my plates (and I didn’t), but I did my best.

Dessert was served after they cut the cake. They cut the cake, I must add, with a sword. Yes, a sword. It wasn’t like the cakes I am used to. I’m not sure exactly what type of cake you’d call it, but it was definitely Spanish. J Alongside the cake, there was a chocolate wafer bowl with two scoops of ice cream in it. The one I tried was rum raisin ice cream and I nearly gagged. I’d heard of it, but never tried it. It was like taking a bit of, literally, rum ice cream. It was a straight rum flavor with a raisin in the midst. It was gross. I was immediately turned off from the rest of the ice cream, haha. So, that wasn’t my favorite, but I had clearly had plenty to eat prior to this, so I was in no state of hunger, by any means. J

See... with a sword!

Somewhere in the midst of all the courses of delicious food, they had created a slideshow of Stef and Juan. It was super cute. It showed them both from childhood growing up individually and then brought them together and showed pictures of them throughout their relationship. Also, at some point, the couple went from table to table giving gifts to everyone in attendance. The men all got little miniature ties and all the women got a set of small candles. It was a very kind gesture.

After nearly 4 hours of eating and drinking, they began to clean off some of the center tables to clear out room for a dance floor. Overhead lights went dim and the dance ball lights began along with the music. It was a mixture of English and Spanish songs. They did the traditional first dance, but there was no ‘dollar dance’ or chicken song or wedding train that you may see where I come from. Anyway, it was quite warm in the venue, so many people, including many from our table, were seeking refuge outside to cool down. Relaxing on the comfy furniture outside with a beverage in hand was quite nice. I didn’t do much dancing as I did not get to that phase of drinking. Yes, I now feel like I am one of those people that only dances when she drinks. And lately in my life, I don’t really drink anymore. I can’t say I’m sad about that either. Anyway, I wasn’t big on the dancing, but the dance floor usually had a good amount of people on it. I’m a big fan of people watching and they definitely made it entertaining for me. J

Their first dance

I spent the majority of the end of the night (you know, 3:00 in the morning on…) outside. It was about 3ish when I saw some of the staff bringing out full, unopened bottles of alcohol and sitting them on a table. There were 3 or 4 bottles of each kind of liquor. Then, I saw another waiter setting up glasses to one side of the table. (Glass, glass… not plastic beer cups) Another brought out a bowl of ice for the table and another brought out crates of mixies (Coke, Fanta, etc) and set them on the ground in front of the table. I assumed maybe they were making a bar outside to accommodate the guests, which they were. However, they were setting up for a SELF-SERVING bar. At 3:30 in the morning after the guests had been drinking for hours and hours. That is, quite simply, something you would NOT see where I come from. Giving drunk people free reign to their drinks and trusting them with glassware? Not a chance! I must say, though, that the Spanish seem to hold their alcohol far better than most I’ve ever witnessed (and as a bartender, I have witnessed a few drunk people in my life… and have been one on occasion myself, haha). There weren’t people falling all over the place. There was no puking off to the side. It was genuinely just a bunch of people having a really good time celebrating their friend’s marriage. It was really, really nice. I later was told that the couple had purchased X amount of bottles of each type of booze and if they weren’t used, they still had to pay for them. They built the bar outside so that guests could use as much of the already purchased alcohol as they could.

I was at the bar about 4:30 a.m. getting another beer for myself when the waiter comes out with another platter of food! Seriously!! They had even prepared for that late night (early morning) hunger pang and had hot (temperature) chorizo sausages in a massive bread bowl for all of the remaining guests. Delish!  And I should mention, they also had a massive chocolate fountain with tons of delicious treats to bathe in chocolate. They spoiled their guests!!

The couple had organized a bus service to and from town to ensure that guests get where they need to be without driving under the influence. A fantastic thought! Some of us decided it was time to leave around 5:00 in the morning, so we waited outside for the bus. It never came. Juan and Stef tried to get ahold of the bus driver, who apparently, in the last drive back to town had to drop a few of the guests off at the pub and decided he was going to stay and drink with them. J It was kind of a hectic 30 minutes in trying to figure out how to get everyone home. I was content with walking (although my shoes, at this point, were no longer my friends) because there was only so much room in the ‘rescue’ vehicle that Stef’s mom, sister, and cousins needed to have first dibs. Understandable. Eventually, an SUV showed up to take Stef and Juan home and they offered me a ride. I tried to insist I was okay with walking as I felt like it was a bit inappropriate that I was catching a ride with the newlyweds, but eventually, I gave in. And I’m grateful for that ride! J It turns out, there was still confusion in getting people home and Stef’s family was out in the parking lot. After some changing of cars and moving of people around, a caravan of vehicles headed back into the village. We were dropped off at Stef’s house where we soon realized we were without a key to get in. We only sat a bit before Juan came to the rescue. I said my goodbyes and walked to my house. Got in at 6:00 a.m. J I’ve since talked to Stef who said that Juan’s cousins came to the house and made them go to the pub with everyone, so she didn’t get home until 10:30 a.m. What a trooper!

So, I know I went into a lot of details and some of you just may not care about it, but maybe there’s a couple people that do. I don’t know, haha. I’m hoping you aren’t too bored, but I wanted to be as descriptive as possible and as my memory allowed. The wedding was amazing. The people were really great. The food was delicious. And the fairy tale begins. J

Congratulations, Stefania and Juan, and may your life be filled with all the best! Thank you for letting me be part of your day; it’s a memory that I’ll take with me forever.

Viva los novios!

Zip-a-dee-doo-da

Hello, hello!

It has been a very uneventful first week of May.  Therefore, I do not have a whole lot of news to report.  The first week of the month was another 'puente,' which is another small vacation, I guess.  It technically means 'bridge.'  At any rate, my break was very uneventful, for once.  :)  I decided to save some dough and spend it in the village.  I've also been battling a cold (another one), so it was good timing in having a break.  I swear that I have never had as many colds in my life as I have since I've been here.  One of the teachers pointed out that I may have allergies?  I haven't had any allergies before, but I suppose it's a possibility that I am allergic to something here that isn't in the states.  Anything is possible!  :)

I genuinely can't believe we only have 3 weeks of school left.  Time has flown by!  I remember crying and being so scared about how long it was going to be away from everything I knew and now it's nearly over.  It's crazy.  I swear time has went at a warp speed since I've been here.  There's so much I want to change and improve on for next year, but I'm going to save that for a future entry.  :)

Right now, my biggest concern is getting my NIE card renewed for a second year BEFORE I go back to the states.  If I am able to do this, then I won't have to bother with the awful visa process again.  It makes much more sense to me, I think, to renew it while I am here.  If I have to do the visa thing, I would have to send my passport to Spain to get the visa and then have them send it back.  Don't you think it would be much better just to get it done while I am here?  I think so.  So far, I have been quite unable to get answers from anyone.  I shouldn't be surprised, probably, but I'm still frustrated.  Today, I finally got my tutora, Isabel, to speak with the director of the program.  He informed her that there are many people asking the same questions and it seems that they are going to set up an appointment for me at the Foreigner's Office (the rabbit hole, if you'll remember).  BUT, before that, they have to complete official documentation for me that they HOPE to get done by the 31st.  I have to have my renewal submitted BY the 31st for it to be legit.  Trust me, I am going to ask these people every day starting next week what the status is.  I NEED to get this done before I leave.  I've really thought about everything and if I have to do the whole visa process again, I just don't think I'll come back for a second year.  It takes forever to get all the documentation rounded up for a visa and then I'd have to fly to Chicago again (TWICE) before I could even come back.  It would take more time than the two months I have in the summer, too.  Nothing is set in stone, of course, I am just being up front about where my thoughts are.  I WANT to come back, but I don't want to spend my summer stressed to the max.  I'll keep you posted on all that.  I am hoping to have answers 'tomorrow.'  (Since everything is always tomorrow here) :) 

I think that's going to be all for now.  Another short entry!  I'm on a roll!  :)  I hope this finds you all well.  I would like to take a little time to express my sadness for my Uncle Vestal who passed away last weekend.  My thoughts are with Aunt Lois and the rest of the family & I wish I could be home for situations such as these. And please keep my cousin, Tina, in your thoughts as she continues her battle with sarcoma.  Love to all!

Preview: Summer 2012

I thought I’d take the opportunity to go into a little detail about the summer trip. I’ve been finalizing some of the stuff we decided to book in advance.  About 32 days until Clint arrives in Europe! (I'm not counting or anything) I cannot wait for him to get off that plane in Granada! I can’t wait to see a familiar face! And I also can’t wait to get this summer trip started that we’ve been waiting a very long time for! J I don’t recall how deep I’ve went into our travel plans and I hope this isn’t repetitive, but I thought I’d just share a bit about our plans. In all honesty, we’re doing our best not to make plans. We kind of want to just go with the flow and let the trip happen to us. We’ve done a little research and know general places we want to visit while we are in each country, but we’re mainly just doing our best to have an open mind to the whole adventure. Neither one of us want to have a “be here at this time, be there at that time” kind of summer schedule. We want to be relaxed and go with the flow. Our schedule of countries is set, however, as we had to book flights from place to place. We considered getting a EuroRail ticket as our way of traveling and take trains everywhere, but the price for all of our flights combined was less than what the EuroRail ticket would have been. Not to mention, the amount of time we’ll save by flying from place to place rather than taking a much lengthier journey via train. It freed up so many days for us to do other things, so the benefits were quite numerous. Anyway, we will begin our journey with a brief stay in Malaga on the southern coast of Spain. We decided to go to Ronda while in the area so we can focus on other regions of Spain when we return in July. We depart from Malaga and head to Ireland. We fly into Cork in southern Ireland. We have a week in Ireland and must make our way up to Dublin as our flight to Greece departs from there. Greece is the next country on our list and we’ve allowed a little less than two weeks to spend in Greece. From Athens to the islands to Mt. Olympus in the north, we’ve got plenty of time to take in Greece. From there, we head to The Netherlands. Amsterdam, to be exact. We’ll be spending a little under a week in Amsterdam. Here, we have tickets to see Pearl Jam, one of the few things we have booked solidly on our trip. After Amsterdam, we fly to Italy. We’ll specifically be staying in the Rome area for a little under a week. Clint’s birthday will be spent in Rome as well as the 4^th of July. J If Rome is anything like Venice in beauty, I cannot wait to see it! After Rome, we head back to Spain for the final two weeks of our journey. We’ll begin in the northern region with San Fermin. Translation: The Running of the Bulls in Pamplona. That is also one of the few things we have booked solidly on our trip. We are actually camping near the beach in San Sebastian and catching a bus to Pamplona early, early in the morning. J Clint is planning to participate in the running while I plan on manning a video camera and a cerveza. We’ll have a little less than two weeks to then make our journey around Spain before ending up in Granada to catch our flight back to the states. Like I said, we don’t have anything really planned out outside of the flight plans. That’s not really normal for me, haha, as I tend to like all things planned out, but this laid back Spanish lifestyle is rubbing off on me and I am quite alright with that. J

Rest assured, you’ll hear plenty about our travels. Many places will come equipped with Wi-fi, so I will do my best to keep you up to date. We’ve got a really great opportunity in front of us and we plan on taking FULL advantage of it. J

If any of you have suggestions on places to visit or ideas of things to do, we are always open to new ideas!  Please feel free to comment here or send me an e-mail!  I would love to hear personal experiences or suggestions, for sure. 

Besos! 

My life. Your entertainment.

I’ve been trying to think of some material to include in my blog and I thought I’d write a little bit about the funnier side of things and maybe a few interesting anecdotes. J I don’t think I’ve included the stories and, at the moment, I just don’t have the patience to look through all of my past entries to verify, so I apologize if there’s any repetition. J  
Interesting #1: You know how I like to take pictures? Well, the photo catchphrase in the states is, what? “CHEESE!” Right? I have learned that is not the case here in Spain. The catchphrase here is, “PATATAS!” (translation: potatoes)

Interesting #2: Up is down and down is up. Light switches, that is. J They are backwards here. (Well, backwards by my terms, haha)

Interesting #3: There are no handles on toilets. They are ‘buttons’ on the top of the back of the toilet that you push to flush. Or, in some cases, there’s a knob that you pull. And in other cases, there are chains that you pull that are on the wall above the toilet. Interesting? I thought so, haha.

Interesting #4: The student’s translation of what we are trained to say as, “May I go to the restroom” is “Can I go to the toilet, please?” It may only be me that finds this difference interesting, but I find it funny that they term it so bluntly, I guess. “Can I go to the toilet?” Just me? HaHa! Sorry! When they ask us, in Spanish, to go to the bathroom, they say, “Puedo hacer peepee” which translates into, “Can I make (or do) pee pee?” Instead of just generally asking to go to the bathroom, they ask if they can do… whatever it is they have to do, haha. Pee or, in many of the younger kids cases, they ask, “Puedo hacer caca?” I think the translation is pretty easy there. J

Funny #1: Kids will be kids, right? Well, my 4 year old class provides me with plenty of entertainment. We regularly use a second room with a computer, projector, and interactive screen to help teach materials in a fun way. Anyway, the other teacher took the class down to that room and I stayed back with the stragglers to make sure everyone got there. I was out in the hall and went into the classroom to double check that it was empty and there was one student left in there. This one little boy had his pants (skivvies) around his ankle and was using a wetwipe to wipe his bottom. I think I stood there frozen for a moment. When he was done wiping himself, he put the used wetwipe on the table and went to pulling up his pants. I refused to touch the wipe (obviously, haha) and just kind of suggested he throw it away and for us to get on our way to join the rest of the class. HaHa… awkward. Only for me, I’m sure. I doubt he thought anything of it. J

Funny #2: Same class of 4 year olds. We split the class up and I took a group down to the second room with the interactive screen. It’s stressful enough to try to maintain 15 four year old kids by myself. It’s impossible to keep eyes on all of them at the same time. I have two or three of them running around the entire room, rolling on the floor wrestling, or trying to crawl under the chairs, tables, and benches. Then, I caught a mini love triangle. One little boy (future player in the making) was sitting between two little girls and holding both of their hands. No big deal, kids are cute. I had to then tend to a couple other kids who were playing with the markers they use to write on the board and you know, just generally playing with everything they could get their hands on. I turned around to the love triangle and see one of the little girls cupping this boys face and she’s kissing him. I mean, it looks like a full on movie makeout scene. They pull away from each other and this little boy takes the back of his arm and wipes his mouth/face off, clearly cleaning up the sloppy kiss, haha. Then, the girl on the OTHER side of him grabbed his face and kissed him. A quick one, though. I tried to stop them and get them split up, but by that point, a few other kids required my attention who were messing with some of the computers in the room. Seriously, an hour of running around trying to maintain these children really wears you down. I’m typically ready for a beer directly after. But, I can’t cause I’ve got another class to go to. A much less dramatic class, though! J

Funny #3: Translation is a funny thing. When trying to translate, a problem I have is making a literal translation. It doesn’t always work. It works both ways, though. When people try to speak English or when I try to speak Spanish. I’ll just highlight a few of my top stories. J First, when I recently got my hair chopped off, I went to school the following day. The teacher I am with, Encarna, made the comment, “You don’t look strange.” HaHa! I started laughing and was like, “Thanks? I think?” To which she started laughing and said that short hair looks good on me and that I looked pretty, haha. J Second, we were at Pub Guli one evening a couple months ago to which I was telling a few friends that I thought the bartender was hot. I said it in Spanish, but I said it literally using ‘caliente’ as ‘hot.’ They all started laughing and I didn’t know why. They quickly explained that ‘caliente’ in that way meant something beyond ‘good looking’ and bordered onto a bit, well, racy. Get the picture? HaHa! I quickly corrected myself and said that that was not the case, but that I thought he was good looking. Thirdly, and most funny, happened while I was in Madrid. Annie & I were walking with Albert & Luna through Plaza Mayor and Luna, unfortunately, stepped in some doggy do-do. We made it to the yogurt shop where we were going to get a snack and she braced herself against the building to see if she’d gotten it all cleaned off and said to us, “Look at my poop!” Annie and I burst into laughter immediately. Once we were able to stop long enough, we explained to her that it was not HER poop, haha. It was a good laugh, that’s for sure. It might be one of those, “You had to be there moments,” but I’m trying to make you feel as if you are here, haha… so that’s the best I can do. J