Thanks to Christopher Colombus, Dia de Hispanidad, and another unsuccessful day with immigration (yay broken intranet), I barely have even worked this past week. It's a nice, warm Sunday afternoon here in Huelva and I'm finally home from a very eventful weekend eating a delicious mango and trying to get going on my studies and prep for english teaching this week.
Here's some thoughts from the week:
I still don't know how things ever actually get done in this country, there is a ridiculous number of differences between British and American English, salmorejo is more of an art than a food, monologues read in a cockney accent are amazing, isla cristina is a beautiful coastal town, spain has so much more pride since winning the world cup, Portuguese sounds a little creepy, shopping, don simon, and skype can be great therapy for home sickness (I was REALLY missing some people earlier this week), my dreams here are incredibly vivid and very much in spanglish, i really want a bike and need to go hiking in some mountains asap, huelva actually has some fun night life, i love nerdy spaniards, the ten day forecast is sunny and 75ish everyday, i have another 6 page paper to write and better get going.
Much love from across the pond, the world, or the Iberian peninsula, wherever you are reading from. Until next Sunday...
17 octubre 2010
10 octubre 2010
The Rain in Spain
Yes, I said it.. In both Sevilla and Huelva the weather this weekend has been a crazy mix of warm sunshine, clouds, then torrential downpours, and I've secretly enjoyed it. I just got back from running, and one of the random spurts of rain (that probably consisted of more water pressure than the usual spanish shower) began. And honestly, I enjoyed it. Running in the rain always reminds me of those crazy days of cross country running during high school in Alaska, except that today was a warm 70F degrees, not 45. Yes, I was repping my Washington State tshirt.
What else have I been up to lately??
Last week was my first week in the classroom, and to my surprise it went really well. I'm assistant teaching in English language classes, as well as a few math and technology classes taught in English. My students are between 11-17 years old and I think its going to be a great year working with them. This week in the classroom mostly consisted of me giving a short presentation on my life/Alaska/AMERICA, drawing some pictures/maps, and answering questions. How old are you? Alaska es frioooo? Do you have a boyfriend? Do you like the Spanish boys? Do you speak the Spanish? I lied a little. It was fun.
I've been rotting away at my computer as well, enjoying the wonders of online classes, followed by the distractions of Skype, gmail, cnn.com, bejeweled blitz, and facebook. This past week hasn't been to full of deadlines, so I've actually been a lot more distracted by books, new friends, and exploring Huelva. One of my coworkers showed me the collection of books in English that's been compiled at the the high school, so I grabbed a few and spent the next few days sitting on my balcony drinking tinto de verano (made with extra classy boxed wine, of course!) and indulging in some great stories.
I've finally gotten to know Huelva pretty well, and have made it a point to discover every park in the city. Last weekend I went to Parque Moret with an amigo who showed me a man made pond with rowboats you can take out for free. It was a fun afternoon, and the park is huge and hilly, I loved it. I also noticed on my map of Huelva that there was a park on top of a hill above downtown, so one evening on my way into the center to meet up with some friends for a drink, I took a beeline to the left. I wandered up to the park entrance and discovered you can see the entire city if you climb a little..
Besides that, I've gone out a few times to discover the umm night life of Huelva, which definitely doesnt compare to Sevilla's, but is still fun enough, and a great way to meet more people. And dance. Lately I've hung out at home indulging in Spanish television, hanging out with the dog, my roommate and her friends, and am slowly learning how to cook more spanish foods. I also enjoy the wonder of life without dryers, hanging my clothes outside, anxiously awaiting for them to dry, then ironing.. Yes, I secretly miss dryers and their fluffiness.
I better get going and finish my homework, which I always leave for Sundays, and is the reason I'm not still in Sevilla. Pero, bueno, eso es la vida. No me puedo quejar. Hasta luego.
What else have I been up to lately??
Last week was my first week in the classroom, and to my surprise it went really well. I'm assistant teaching in English language classes, as well as a few math and technology classes taught in English. My students are between 11-17 years old and I think its going to be a great year working with them. This week in the classroom mostly consisted of me giving a short presentation on my life/Alaska/AMERICA, drawing some pictures/maps, and answering questions. How old are you? Alaska es frioooo? Do you have a boyfriend? Do you like the Spanish boys? Do you speak the Spanish? I lied a little. It was fun.
I've been rotting away at my computer as well, enjoying the wonders of online classes, followed by the distractions of Skype, gmail, cnn.com, bejeweled blitz, and facebook. This past week hasn't been to full of deadlines, so I've actually been a lot more distracted by books, new friends, and exploring Huelva. One of my coworkers showed me the collection of books in English that's been compiled at the the high school, so I grabbed a few and spent the next few days sitting on my balcony drinking tinto de verano (made with extra classy boxed wine, of course!) and indulging in some great stories.
I've finally gotten to know Huelva pretty well, and have made it a point to discover every park in the city. Last weekend I went to Parque Moret with an amigo who showed me a man made pond with rowboats you can take out for free. It was a fun afternoon, and the park is huge and hilly, I loved it. I also noticed on my map of Huelva that there was a park on top of a hill above downtown, so one evening on my way into the center to meet up with some friends for a drink, I took a beeline to the left. I wandered up to the park entrance and discovered you can see the entire city if you climb a little..
Besides that, I've gone out a few times to discover the umm night life of Huelva, which definitely doesnt compare to Sevilla's, but is still fun enough, and a great way to meet more people. And dance. Lately I've hung out at home indulging in Spanish television, hanging out with the dog, my roommate and her friends, and am slowly learning how to cook more spanish foods. I also enjoy the wonder of life without dryers, hanging my clothes outside, anxiously awaiting for them to dry, then ironing.. Yes, I secretly miss dryers and their fluffiness.
I better get going and finish my homework, which I always leave for Sundays, and is the reason I'm not still in Sevilla. Pero, bueno, eso es la vida. No me puedo quejar. Hasta luego.
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