New Year, New Me - Bigger, Bolder, Banana Style

I know it's been six year since my last post and also since I inevitably moved back to the US. 

*cricket cricket*

Is anyone out there? 

Since that time, I finished my Bachelor's degree and went on to work several jobs. After five years of working full-time desk jobs of varying types to pay the bills and live my American life, the urge to get back out there and travel became too overwhelming to stay at a job that was a major strain on my mental health. 

So, I quit! (After a few years of financially preparing to live off my savings for a bit)

Follow my new adventure peeling around as an unexpected banana as I explore the Pacific Northwest and maybe even the world: Adventures with Banana 

Yes, Spain is definitely part of that plan. I will always love you (cue Whitney Houston).

Let's GOOOOO!

dirty spanish

I'm about to begin a new blog about my latest journey 6 years into my new life in America and came across this gem that I never hit post on back in November of 2012..  enjoy! (distant echoes- is anybody out there??)

I've been back on this side of the Atlantic for five months now and still, not a day has gone by that I haven't thought about Spain. It feels like I've gone through a horrible breakup and it's taken a long time to get over the life that Spain gave me. I wonder if it's too soon to call, if we can just be friends, is it too soon to visit and talk about it, let Spain know it's not them, it's me, that I had to move on with my life, etc. etc. Ok, I'm mostly joking, but the separation really has had many symptoms of a bad breakup.

My return home has not been the greatest and I think that's made things harder to get over. Let's just say I'm glad to be alive and finally back in decent health after a long battle with an intestinal parasite followed by the onset of the super-bug, c. difficile. I  have health insurance, but have still accumulated thousands in medical bills thanks to the ferociously expensive health system in the US.

On a lighter note, I'm set to graduate with my bachelor's in Spanish in June. It's fun now to look back and reflect on how my Spanish has grown over the years, and all the horrible/hilarious mistakes I've made. Spanish is something I have definitely learned a golpes -the hard way.

Here are some of the mistakes I may never forget and am feeling the need to share today:

tengo ganas de comer alitas de polla- saying something very dirty about my craving for chicken wings to my host mom on the way to the bar, she almost fell in the street laughing so hard trying to explain to me the difference between pollo and polla 

exponer los senos- this is what the oral surgeon told me was a big risk if we took out my upper wisdom teeth, who knew we also had senos in our nose?

ah, Katya tiene el caballo más largo: spotting my friend in the plaza and pointing her out to my other friend, accidentally exclaming her 'horse' and not hair was longer than the last time I saw her. I was made fun of for awhile.

los pies ya no tienen sentimiento- my feet as well as my brain were numb when I burnt them horribly in the sand last June

estoy caliente - a classic one, but it seemed like everyone in that tiny gym stopped and stared after my friend announced how caliente she was

If anyone still reads this abandoned blog, please feel free to share any memorable mishaps you've had in learning a language, be it Spanish, English, Chinese, lo que sea!

The teaching experience.

Over the past two years I've heard so many language assistants talk about how they don't really like what we do, that their school either uses and abuses them or rather ignores them. It's unfortunate because there's so much we can do to help at our schools if not out of personal interest, then certainly for the sake of the English language not being butchered. I feel so lucky that I've really enjoyed my job here. If I didn't, I never would have spent a second year in the province of Huelva. Although this year, living in Ayamonte, I've realized more and more that Huelva Province isn't all that bad.. it's got some of the best beaches in Spain, la pata negra, gambas, Portugal, la sierra, hiking trails, bike routes, excellent weather, etc. And the fact that it's not really a touristy destination and that very few people speak English has made it all the more of a cultural experience.

Working at IES R.R. of Cartaya has been an interesting, fun, hilarious, cultural, enlightening, even warming experience. I would say it is my favorite job that I have had so far (at the age of 23 I've already been a papergirl, supermarket cashier, tourist trapper, cook/waitress/delivery girl at a pizza joint, receptionist, gone postal with the post office, line inspector/veggie packer at a factory, office assistant, math tutor, private English teacher..we start working young in Alaska). Unlike most of my other gigs, this job has been more than just a paycheck to me, especially since I don't earn that much.

I have really enjoyed (most) of my students and fellow teachers, I don't think I've made it through a day of work without having some sort of hilarious moment or learning something that made me really think about the differences in our cultures/languages. I have taken advantage and picked up a lot of Spanish vocabulary through teaching subjects and not just English langauge. I have loved teaching math and science though I really haven't been so much for plástica and tecnología. At the end of the day, though, that hasn't mattered because the students made it fun for me, and the awkward moments of our lives lost in translation has always kept things interesting.

The school has gotten me involved in its happenings and always made me feel welcome being the token guiri and all. I've gone on many field trips (a very cultural experience spending all day with 25-100 teenage Cartayeros), Portugal, the mines of RioTinto, hiking in the wetlands of Ayamonte, Isla Mágica theme park, Itálica Roman ruins and Greek plays, Colombus's boats, a fake Police concert, plays at the theatre, and more! I've played judge on a panel for a singing competition, gone out boating, judged a Halloween competition, dressed up for theme days, gone out to the bar every morning at 1130 (for coffee, of course), been to countless festivities with the teachers and made some incredible friendships. The inside jokes from these past two years will always stick with me as well, and I will always miss the Spanglish I have spoken.

Why not dress up in purple to celebrate a Wednesday

Since I've never actually lived in Cartaya I've almost always gone to work by car with other teachers, which besides sparing me a ton of time, money, and creepy experiences by catching the autobus, has been a great experience in getting to know more of my coworkers better and having to speak Spanish when my eyes will barely stay open at the dark hour of 8am (Spain is definitely in the wrong time zone). Fernanado, Arantza, Miguel Angel, Emma, Manolo and Raquel have not been thanked enough for driving me around the past two years.

Last Friday I went into work for one last goodbye and was surprised to be showered with gifts and thanks for the two years. They even made me a book filled with pictures and notes about the last two years and well-wishes for the future from the teachers and my students. The morning at school was followed by a goodbye party at the beach with delicious seafood, plenty of sangria, and mojitos until sunset. We danced and laughed and there were a few tears. I'm am going to miss these wonderful people and my Spanish life ridiculously bad.

I already have a new job lined up for the summer when I get home (in just a few days). I'll be working at the office of a busy transport company in my hometown, Sitka, Alaska and I know there are going to be days when I miss my simple Cartayera life and all of the good, ridiculous, interesting days I spent at the Rafael Reyes Instition of Secondary Education. Although, with the situation in Spain, I feel that I'm leaving at the right time. It is hard to go, but at the same time I am so excited to be with my friends and family again and have that security of being in my own country. I have never felt so bittersweet in my life, in just 48 hours I'll be on a plane.. no parece real.

The profes at a 'jamón' en el campo

.

The North

Llanes, Asturias

  After finding a 5€ RyanAir flight from Sevilla to Santander for June 7th, I decided it was finally time to see more of Northern Spain and visit a friend who had moved up there from Sevilla. Besides being unseasonably chilly, the North did not disappoint. I spent a few days in Santander, went to the Picos de Europa mountains, and then to Llanes and Oviedo, Asturias. After living for two years in Andalucía, going to the North gave me a bit of culture shock: it seems like a totally different country. The culture , accent, food, scenery, climate, were so distinct from Andalucía, yet there were little similarities that reminded me that both belong to Spain. I have always loved the North of Spain and now have been able to see Galicia, Castilla Leon, Asturias, Cantábria, Each of them is unique in their own way and I would love to explore more of those regions when I get the chance to return to Spain.

Saying goodbye

 My two years at the high school in Cartaya City came to an end yesterday, and it was really hard to say goodbye. There were awkward, beautiful speeches, many tears, photo opps,  the cutest gifts, surprise parties, Sevillanas dancing, and so much more. My students and coworkers have been such a great part of my time here in Spain and it's hard to express all the emotions of leaving this and heading into the uncertain future of my life back in the States. I have learned so much and had such a wonderful experience here on the Costa de la Luz and I know I will be back to visit in the years to come. For now, I have a trip to Cantábria and Asturias planned, then passing back through here for two more goodbye parties and a flight home on June 19th.

My don Quijote statue.  Love it.

 

Things are heating up

 In one day it seems we went from winter to summer here in Ayamonte. Today is only day four of the heat wave and it has been glorious. The beach, kayaking adventures, beautiful warm evenings and sunsets, non-stop good times. Today is the Romería de la Bella in Lepe and some 100,000 people are off to honor the virgen and march out to the country side (well, really, they'll just get dressed up and drink for a few days). I was planning on going, but with this hot weather, I think I'll be more content relaxing on the beach and not being around that many sweaty, drunk  (but beautiful) people. I've only got three hours to make up my mind...

'Captain Cody' and 'First Mate Mario' arrive to the Int'l Bridge

Tragedy

All you see are blue skies in the background, so, why is it raining you ask?

It's because I did my laundry, and everytime I do so, a black cloud rolls in over Ayamonte.

Sigh. I will be back in the land of dryers and bounce static control in no time. 

Complaint over. Back to enjoying life in Spain.

Things to look forward to

In less than 2 months, I'll be getting on a plane in Faro, Portugal bound for the other side of the pond and I've finally realized there is a lot to look forward to over there in the US of A:

1. Seeing family and friends, some that I haven't seen in 9 months, others that I haven't seen in 5+ years. This is definitely what I'm looking to most.
2. Modern world conviences like hot water, heating/air conditioning, internet that works, an oven, dryers, customer service, banks, etc. that are open after 2pm
3. My first summer in Alaska since I was a toddler: outdoor activities galore, 20 hours of daylight, catching up with my hometown that I left nearly 6 years ago.

Home sweet Sitka, Alaska

 4. A decent paying job, saving money for future endeavors.
5. Not being the token foreigner in social situations.
6. Driving.. if I can remember how.
7. Gearing up to move to Bellingham and finally finish my degree by next June.
8. Starting a brand new post-Spain chapter of my life, for better for worse.

Das Leben ist zu kurz, um Deutsch zu lernen

 

Beautiful Prague, Czech Republic

 
 This spring has been a busy one with travels and well, the occasional four day work week. A definite highlight  has been my 8 day road trip with friends through Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and the Czech Republic. It was a cold, beautiful, cultural experience, and so much more. I've officially been to 11 countries now, but at the end of every trip I take I always end up with the same feeling: there's no place like home. Or at least my home for only two more months, eSpain.

When road trips go wrong

An atypical day

Or, a typical Monday-Thursday in eSpain for this Alaskeña

7:00 Alarm goes off (then again at 7:05,7:10, 7:19)
7:20 Really get up, make coffee, shower, eat toast, grab bag, run out the door.
8:02 Meet with Manolo/Raquel for ride to work
8:26:30 Get to Cartaya, grab photocopies, etc. Go to class.
8:30 Shout good morning at 25ish half asleep Spanish faces, attempt to teach them math or science in Engrish.
9:30 Repeat with another class/ free hour to prepare class / study / wander the pueblo
10:30 Meeting to revise materials/ more class
11:30 Jaywalk highway to the bakery bar with other teachers, drink a manchado, talk about the universe.
11:52 Run back across the highway, try not to get hit by old men on tractors or young men on motos
12:00-2:00/3:00 More meetings/ class/ messing around/ chit-chatting
2:30-3:30 Get back to Ayamonte, cook, eat some lunch
4:00-6:30 Celebrate siesta, sunbathe on the terrace, go to the beach, read, watch tv, do cleaning, meet with friends, grocery shop, merendar.
6:30-9:00 Weight lifting classes/swimming at gym, biking, or Portuguese class
9:15 or later, Get home, make dinner, prepare stuff for next day, answer emails, bond with the roomies
between 11pm and 1am: sleep again, dream in Spanglish





I'm going to be sad to say goodbye to this glorious time in my life, Father Time, please don't tick away too quickly, there's so much more Spain and I have got to do.
To start off, in the past three weeks I've taken two big trips: one roadtrip through Eastern Andalucía (La Alpujarra, Almería, Mini-Hollywood, Guadix, and Graná again) and a whirlwhind weekend in Madrid.
Next weekend is looking like a goodbye party for our German roomate, a quick trip to Sevilla, then off to Germany on the 31st for 8 days!!

'Taking' decisions

Over the past month I've been comtemplating a decision I really didn't want to make: to stay in Spain another year or go back to the US (and when, June, July, September?). 

After much careful thought and weighing out of the options, I see myself getting on a plane bound for the other side of the pond much sooner than I had expected.

It's looking like June 19th is the day I'll be taking off from Portugal in route for New York to visit friends for a few days, then to Seattle to see the family, and a few days later, my hometown, Sitka, Alaska. My heart wants to be in both Spain and Alaska, but seeing that by staying here I'd be breaking even every month and in Alaska I could possibly save a few thousand dollars to go back to school, logic has made the decision for me.

So, suddenly I only have 100-some days left here and well, all I can say is that they are going to be taken advantage of. I want to see and do as much as I possibly can on my little 700€ monthly budget and more importantly, spend as much time as possible with all the wonderful people I've come to know in my two years here. This time I'm getting a one-way ticket out of here and sadly, I don't know when I'll be back.

au se eu te pego do inferno

Pego do Inferno

Who knew that in the middle of these orange and lemon farms in the Portuguese algarve, you could find this:

 

The water was cold.. but that didnt hold this Alaskeña back

dos mil doce

Soooo, in case you didn't already know, 2011 is gone and 2012 is here!

To sum up 2011, I'd say it was an interesting year, full of adventures, mis-adventures, my first time being 'deported', new friends, new languages, falling in and out of love with America and Spain over and over again. It was the year that brought me to Ayamonte, and for that I am a very happy chiquilla. 

2012 is off to a beautiful start. I rang it in with some of my best friends from Sevilla here at my house in Ayamonte and the weather has been ridiculously beautiful. I'm on vacation until the 9th and want nothing more than to be here enjoying the sunshine and vida ayamontina with friends, though tomorrow I am taking a biking day-trip to Tavira, Portugal (hooray for living next-door to the Algarve!!) 

I am so excited to see what this year brings, even though coming along with it is the looming decision of what to do when the summer and fall come around: return to Washington State to finish getting edumacated and make myself a 'real' teacher or stay in Spain and keep living the good life as long as I have work. It hurts everytime I think about it. After two years here, Spain has come to be home for me.

So, I'm not making any decisions yet, just doing paperwork to keep options open on both sides of that big Atlantic pond.

Wishing my friends and random readers a happy 2012 full of good health, happiness, and adventure.

 

Un coche, dos alemanas, y esta alaskeña

Road trips have to be one of my favorite things to do on any given 3-day weekend in any country. Life here without a car actually isn't bad, but when I find out about cool, new places to visit (or want to buy groceries, or go to work, or go to Lepe city, etc) deep down I wish I had my own set of wheels. However, when my monthly expenses do not include insurance, gasolina, oil changes, repairs for that maldito transmission replacement, etc, I am glad to navegate this country by foot, friend's cars, or ever-so-thrilling public transportation.

Anywho, this weekend I found myself with two German friends, 4 wheels, and lots of great sight-seeing, hiking, and adventure, that took us from castles in the Sierra in Portugal, to waterfalls and lakes, to hiking the Flecha de El Rompido, sunsets at the beach, and more. I sure love this little rincón of Andalucía.

Salto de Lobo, Guadiana River

Mértola, Portugal, enchanting pueblo in the Valley of the Guadiana

Sunsetting over El Rompido

Good times hiking in the sand dunes..

They can't be speaking English

In spite of being sick for the past few weeks, I took my trip to Ireland to visit the one and only, Samantha Sanders, in the little city of Limerick, which can be known for the silly poems or more commonly for the ridiculous number of stabbings that happen there. The weather was chilly and rainy the whole time, but we still ventured out to see many sights in the South of the Emerald Isle. I think the highlights of this trip are best shared through pictures...

A 50€ round-trip ticket from Faro-Dublin

A visit with a good friend from home

Amazing castles

Visits with another good friend from home

Not getting hit by cars driving on the wrong side of the road

Hiking through some beautiful terrain

Charming little towns

Fall foliage in the woods

Breath-taking scenery


.

My first paletilla

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas..

10 Oddities of Cartaya

This is my second year teaching in the Cartaya, a town of roughly 16,000, just 5 miles from the Atlantic Coast of Spain. Fortuately, this is also my second year commuting to work because living in there has never felt like an enticing idea. Some mornings when I have a free hour from teaching and bilingual meetings, I like to take a walk through the town or sometimes even grab a coffee and take a seat. I have to admit, the people watching is top notch in Cartaya City.
Here are some of the things I have noticed over my time there, things that would really make you go hmmm if you saw them happening in the US of A.

1. Abuelas mopping the sidewalks outside their humble abodes as a part of their morning routine
2. Being asked if I'm an immigrant from Poland who came here to pick strawberries for a living.
3. Old men decked out in their Sunday best on a Wednesday morning, sitting on a bench and arguing what year it is.

   

   Cartaya's 'Round' Plaza

4. Paying 1.50€ at any bar for the breakfast of champions: café con leche and a half toast with tomato and olive oil.
5. Castles and cathedrals older than my country are simply part of the landscape.
6. The main plaza in the town is called "Round Plaza" when it is definitely a square, or perhaps, a trapezoid.
7. It is not uncommon to hear locals blaming their bad hair day or bad weather on the economic crisis.
8. It is totally acceptable for the entire student body of the high school to skip class the days after the local fair and pilgrimage because they are hung over.
9. If you can understand the older folks of the pueblo, you can give yourself a pat on the back and bask in the glory of how well you have mastered Spanish. Or at least, the Cartayero 'dialect' of Andalú
10. How good it feels to work a second year in this white-washed pueblo of Huelva, but how equally nice it feels to take off for Ayamonte everytime that last bell chimes through the halls of the good ole IES.

La vida en la frontera

Ayamonte by night

It's been a month since I arrived back to Spain and to say the least, Ayamonte has not disappointed. I've been more active than ever (future blog might feature the amazing running and biking routes along the wetlands, river, and beach) and since it's my first year off college I have so much more motivation to study. To improve my Spanish, I am going back to high school! This year, I am sitting in on advanced math and Spanish language and literature classes with the oldest students. I'm at the high school all day anyway most days of the week, and it's a free opportunity, so why not?

On top of that I wanted to take advantage of the language school here which offers German, French, English, and Portuguese classes. Seeing my English is already pretty good, I don't want to offend the French speaking their language, and the German classes were full, I've started learning Portuguese. It is rather convenient since Portugual is just a 5 minute drive or 10 minute ferry ride from here. I already understand a lot of the language since it's so similar to Spanish, but speaking it is veryy difficult. My goal is to change that.

Las compañeras en la terraza

Above is a  picture of my roomies and me on our terrace on a typical weekday night. The lights in the background are from the Portuguese town on the other side of the Guadiana River, Vila Real San Antonio. Our house is a diverse mix of girls and I'm so glad I found them, although our girl from Kansas City dyed my hair a very chocolately color and I had to tolerate an entire day of my students voting rather they liked me better as a rubia or morena.. gotta admire the brutal honesty of the Spanish people.

Ayamonte tiene un color especial

Somehow or someway everything went over smoothly this summer and on Monday, as planned, I got on my plane in Seattle, touched down in DC to sprint to my next plane, and landed in Madrid to see the Spanish sunrise early Tuesday morning. I spent a few days with amigos in Sevilla before I made my way down to Ayamonte, my new pueblo on the border of Portugal- a pleasant change from the un-fresh airs of Huelva. I'll be spending another year working at the same high school and I have returned with ganas. It feels great to be back and I am so content with my new town, new piso, and new roommates.

The view from our terrace: Portugal, La Guadiana, and the Atlantic Ocean.
I have a good feeling about this new etapa in my Spanish vida.

Labor Day again

This weekend marks the second time I've got to have a long weekend for Labor Day in four months. Why would Spain feel the need to observe this holiday in May, while America in September? Either way I am not complaining. I have been immensely enjoying three days off of my ridiculous summer job. Nights out, shopping in Portland, floating the river in the hot sun, and more... life is good.


Oh yeah, I got a job at a frozen vegetable factory. I work 7-4 most days of the week boxing corn cobs, sorting packages, throwing bad vegetables, and meeting all kinds of new characters. When all is said and done, I'll definitely put working this job as a 'good life experience that I do not desire to repeat'. It has its positives though: I have good hours, get paid to exercise, make decent money, practice Spanish most days, and have met some bizarre people I may never forget.


But work is only so many hours of the week and there has been so many more to fill up with adventures, embracing America, and quality time with the family.There's been spontaneous road trips, baseball games, bbqs, lazy days at the lake, fireworks, bonfires, hiking, beaching, nights in, nights out at the dirty, small-town bars, the culinary amazing-ness of American pizza, Mexican food, and Chinese, fun dates, speaking English, listenin' to country, waking up at 6am to run because that's what we do in America, reuniting with old friends to find nothing has changed, seeing my family every day and knowing I will miss them so much when I leave for Spain again. You get the picture.. in spite of having all my plans for summer in Spain thrown out the window, everything has fallen together oh so nicely and maybe there is a reason I had to go home for awhile.

 

This year I did NOT miss out on the annual family pig roast. 

My visa paperwork has been all done and sent out to my consulate so now I'm just playing the waiting game. I am set to take off in a short three weeks for Spain again.. I'll admit it's almost bittersweet to see this summer come to an end, but I'm excited for one more year of international adventures.