América in a new light

Last week in a matter of a few days, everything I had planned out for the summer- work, travels, etc was all thrown out the window. After various phone calls, emails, and visits with the extranjería, delagación, bilingual coordinator, embassies, and consulates, I found out Spain wasn't going to accept my application to renew my residency for next year even though I already have a work or 'study' contract. I was told I had to go home to get a new visa 5 days before my 2010-2011 residency expired.


It was Friday when I got the news, so I did what any good Americana in Spain would do and went up to Sevilla for a despedida o, es decir, hasta luego fest. I returned home Sunday morning and packed, cleaned my apartment, met with the landlady, got my deposit, and headed to Lagos, Portugal with a good friend who was visiting me at the time. I bought a ticket to fly home Wednesday and tried my best not to think about how everything I had spent months planning out was taken away. Might as well try and enjoy my sudden last few days of vacation.



Jackie in Lagos, Portugal.


I left Tuesday at midnight for the 30 hour trip. Passing through customs in NYC, the only questions asked in my half-asleep, drained of everything state: are you ok? do you speak english? STAMP-STAMP. 'Welcome home.' Got to love America.


I landed in Seattle feeling alive again and more than thrilled to see my family. During my 30 hours in transit I realized, maybe this is a good thing. I've been hit a little by reverse culture-shock, but for the most part it just feels good to be home surrounded by my family here in Washington.


Some observations after a year away:
-There's a lot of English spoken here, and I cannot speak Spanglish. I'm trying hard to speak like a normal American.
-It's freaking cold.
-Wal-mart is simply too much to handle.
-There is an entire aisle of cereal, an entire aisle of bread, an entire aisle of pickles, etc., etc.
-Coffee is weak. So. Weak.
-FRIENDLY waiters/waitresses/customer service (maybe too friendly)
-Driving takes a lot more thinking than it used to.
-And it's pretty much impossible to do anything without a car.
-There's fast food everywhere.
-People are a lot bigger.
-are the past two points linked?
-Houses are big and carpeted and COZY.
-Everyone has a smart phone now.
-Living in the woods without street noise/drunken idiots in streets at night is simply wonderful.
-The fridge is huge and has automatic ice and water. ¡de lujo!
-I thought I was cool because I didn't have 'jet lag' in spite of the nine-hour time change. 3 days later, and 2 days full of naps, I found out that is impossible.


So here I am, without a plan, fighting jet lag, working on visa paperwork, family and friends all trying to convince me to stay with them for the summer and I feel the love. But for now, I'm off to fill out more applications!

Going home?

This email could mean I'll be home this month to get a new visa. Hasta pronto America? Nothing else to say. Only in Spain.


Subject: Renovaciones de auxiliares
>
> Por fin puedo escribiros para deciros algo definitivo de esto y no son
> buenas noticias.
> Se han recibido en las Subdelegaciones del Gobierno de las diferentes
> provincias de toda Andalucía, instrucciones precisas desde el Ministerio
> para que NO SE HAGAN RENOVACIONES DE TARJETA A LOS EXTRANJEROS, en
> general, que no puedan demostrar la justificación de su permanencia por
> motivos de estudios o trabajo. Incluso en las provincias donde ya se
> habían empezado a tramitar, han sido paralizadas y denegadas.
> Nuestros auxiliares que tienen la confirmación de la renovación de su
> puesto para el curso próximo, al no tener estudios o trabajo demostrado
> desde mayo hasta octubre en nuestro país, no podrán renovar sus tarjetas.
> Es decir, se tienen marchar a EEUU y empezar a tramitar otro visado,
> porque sino, no llegarán a tiempo para Octubre. Aún así, será complicado.
> Se que ellos no lo comprenden, pero es lo que hay. Se ha intentado desde
> diferentes organismos y personas apelar a la compresnión del ministerio
> y ha sido en vano.
> Así pues, os lo digo para que lo sepáis y para que podáis decírselo
> también a ellos.
> Ana
>
> --
> Ana Mª Calatayud Tenas
> Responsable Provincial de Plurilingüismo
> Servicio de Ordenación Educativa

Las montañas

Aracena. The mountains in the far-off corner of Huelva, and unsuspecting land of the infamous Pata Negra, some of the best jamón in the world.

Tapita de jamón. Riquisimo.

View from the Castillo.

Pedro.

A wonderful excursion to kick off my one month vacation with a friend is headed back to the States way too soon.

Itinerary for the month:

Sevilla

Playas de Huelva

Portugal

Galicia

Camino de Santiago (starting in Asturias)

Soria's San Juan festival

Madrid

¡A currar! in Castilla la Mancha

Coming soon: a blog about how to become a legal immigrant.. I'm a little scared to fly seeing my tarjeta de residencia expires in 10 days and the extranjería fails at communication. I'm headed back there Monday morning to try and resolve this mess.

I hate despedidas.

This week is full of goodbyes as the year wraps up for us auxiliares de conversación, and it's left me feeling rather bittersweet. Last night was a goodbye dinner in Sevilla with friends, and today the only reason I went to work was for the 'despedida' of my lovely co-assistant and myself (even though I'll be back to Cartaya for round two in the fall). I'm looking forward to some summer adventures with my new job, travels, América, and the Camino de Santiago, but I sure am going to miss some of the great people I got to meet this year. Living abroad is such a wonderful experience, but the coming and going of people makes it so much harder.

A little gift from Rafael Reyes high school--- Cartaya city, hand-crafted by 'Rafael' himself.



I'm so glad today was just an hasta luego and not a real adiós.

Fall into place

After a long time of pondering if I'd go home or stay in the new country I call home for the summer and a good amount of worrying and debating both options, everything just sort of fell into place. During Semana Santa I found out I got a job teaching at a summer camp outside of Madrid and it was then that I realized that was what I wanted all along. I will be living and working in the monastery of Uclés teaching English to a group of Spanish niños. (And of course spending a lot of time at the pool...).



Uclés summer home(pic from Forenex)

El tiempo pasa volando.

Time really has been flying by since I moved to Punta Umbría. Sometimes I don't know how or where it goes, but between work, studying, extra private classes, beach time, and weekend outings, it goes fast. It's Sunday morning and for once, I am not suffering from 'Sunday Angst' thanks to the fact that in Spain, the whole week before Easter is a vacation. Thank you Semana Santa. A couple friends from Sevilla are coming down to spend the week with me at the beach and I'm stoked! Biking, beaching, and going out are all in works and I'm thinking about buying a blow-up pool for the roof terrace... could be some good times.

The cultural outings that come along with living in a foreign land..


Who doesn't love a good wine tasting?



Huelva Recreativo.. lower division magic!

After vacation I only have 5 weeks left at the high school and then it's summer break for me! Jackie will be visiting for two weeks and then I might be up on the Camino de Santiago hiking like a pilgrim again. Work plans are still up in the air, but I've got many possibilities of English teaching plus the back-up option of going home to see my family and friends and practice English. I am so glad I renewed my contract because I am not done with Spain yet, not even close. Hasta la próxima...

That Spring Thang

I love it...

whether it's a little carnaval adventure in the mountains


Goin' out with amigos in Sevilla



or a long walk on the beach after work.