Back to school

Hola amigos!

I officially am a horrible blogger. I forget I have this so I don't bother to update and adding pictures when my internet is so sucky (but free, so I can only complain so much, right?) that it frustrates me and I am anti-frustration.

Anyway, let me divulge the fascinating events that have transpired lately. Winter in Spain: winter in Galicia = rain. Fortunately while I was back in KS I missed the bulk of it, yay! Then we get to the Christmas season, which is decorated pretty similar to American-style. Lights on the streets and Santa Clauses everywhere. Since the faculty is muuuuch larger than in Monforte, we didn't have a special faculty Christmas dinner and I seemed to miss the class' Christmas dinner with the students.

Then I went back home. It was awesome. I lounged around WITH WORKING INTERNET AND TV WITH MORE THAN TWENTY CHANNELS and enjoyed CONVERSING WITH PEOPLE I LIVE WITH and was able to have fancy drinks when I went out. And drive. All really important things.

So I went back to Vigo on the 9th, just before the huge storm that closed or delayed the airports or flights. Phew. Especially since it is such a long journey anyway, I don't need any extra delays. BUT WAIT! I still got there late and had to wait forever in the Madrid airport - but this time I didn't get pickpocketed, yay! - and then the flight to Vigo was delayed which means that I would miss the bus that goes to the city. Super. Anyway, I put on my social face and started talking to the group of people waiting and complaining about the plane being delayed and got to talking and met an old couple and they invited me to share a cab with them instead of getting one by myself. Yay! Then I showered and went to sleep because the next day I had class.

Speaking of class, this is the penultimate round of classes with advanced students before I am moved to intermediate level. This essentially means that I can repeat all the lectures I've done so far, yay for no more 'lesson plans'! This weekend there was a British birthday party (the birthday part was just convenient I think for the day, no one actually knows whose birthday it was) and it was like a UN conference: Greeks, Germans, Iranians, Afghanis, Austrians, Brasilians, every kind of Brit, and me and Luc rounded out the North American continent. Oh and someone from Spain, just for variety's sake. Next next weekend we are planning a Kansas day celebration since it is the sesquicentennial of Kansas, and there are a lot of us here in Galicia and Spain!, so it should be really fun to meet the other Kansans and catch up with those I already know.

That's about it. Just trying to readjust to being back here. After an incident involving spices TRAGICALLY falling into my ravioli and something else involving pants, I miss home and how pleasantly spoiled I am there. OK, I think that is enough of an update. I think once I get photos on facebook, I will set up a link and that way I won't stress out and you can see more than 10 photos at a time. Win win!

xoxo

Happy Thanksgiving!

I thought I would take some time out today -- EVEN THOUGH I AM WORKING, SPAIN, WHY DO YOU NOT RECOGNIZE THIS AMERICAN HOLIDAY, TOO -- to update my blog!

I am thankful for having internet even if it doesn't work super super awesomely because now they have blocked facebook at the school. And I am thankful for the friends I've made in Vigo because my roommates are kind of lame. And I'm thankful for Manu and his sister so it's kind of like family on Thanksgiving day. I am also thankful that the weather here is still pretty good. I'm mega thankful that there is a grocery store literally across the street and I can get my chips, yogurt, cookies and juice there for super cheap. And I'm thankful that EVEN THOUGH I HAVE TO WORK TODAY that I really only 'work' for like barely any part of the week. Also I'm thankful that although each time I update and say that I will include photos and then I end up not, no one has tried to find me with torches and pitchforks to 'inspire' me to add photos.

I'm thankful for other stuff, too, but sometimes it isn't as funny or interesting as aforementioned things: like my family, getting my stuff done for grad school, the new harry potter movie, etc. etc.

In other news, a few weekends ago I went to Santiago to see the Pope. It was mega lame. Everything was gated off so you couldn't GO anywhere and it was so crowded I couldn't SEE anything. But there was a protest and tv screens so I could see the Popemobile and the bazillions of people there.

I hope everyone is having a fantastic Thanksgiving and Thanksgiving break and I look forwarding to seeing everyone Dec 15!

xoxo

And back!

Sorry I have not written sooner. I know my legion of loyal fans have been anticipating the day when I would update this xD but, what can I say. I'm almost busy and still adjusting to my new city and job, well 'job'. And I don't have internet in my apartment so it's been kind of annoying getting online if I'm not at the school and it's closed on the weekends.

Anyway, I thought I would do a quick compare-and-contrast about last year and so far this year! See, the simplification of English process has taken root and I make little diagrams to explain things. It's an epidemic!!

Things that were more awesome in Monforte/Ourense:
I had internet in my apartment
I had awesome roommates
The teachers gave me photocopies of activities to do in class so I didn't have to plan anything

Things that are more awesome in Vigo:
My apt is walking distance from the school, and super super close to the train and bus station
When I prepare a lesson, I use the same thing for two weeks, so I only have to do some preparation once every two weeks!
My roommates are barely there so it's not like we are fighting for space (except for how I don't have any space to put food in the freezer)
I made quick friends with the French teacher (who speaks English) so if my brain needs a break from all the Spanish I just go hang out with Luc.
I have a TV AND SOFA IN THE LIVING ROOM!

Most of what I've been doing if I haven't been in school talking about myself for 24 classes has been going out at night. I'm getting pretty hip on the cool places to go, there are a few 'going out zones' so you sort of have to figure out how all of it works. But it's tons of fun! And I'm meeting lots of new people.

The craziest thing that has happened relating to Kansas: one of my students studied at Bishop Miege high school for a year about 12 years ago!! That is nutty. One of the teachers went to KU and married a guy from Wichita, but that isn't so strange since KU-Santiago have an exchange program, but Bishop Miege?! What a small world!!

Ok, well I will try to update later. I want to show everyone some pictures of Vigo and all the crazy statues that are here, which are fun to see everywhere, so it will be like a taste of my reality. But that will have to wait until I get a better internet connection, haha.

Until next time!
xoxo

Look at this! Two posts in one month! Could be considered a record. Unfortunately, I have been feeling really rushed all the time for no particular reason so am feeling too rushed to put pictures up. But, I finished the Camino! Which means very little. I got this sweet little certificate thing though and I can say that I've walked over 200 kilometers (120-ish miles), so I will put that up on my 'accomplishments you might say at an interview to prove something but you won't actually put on your resume'. Other things like that are the marathon and reading the entire Harry Potter series in Spanish. Also I can do summersaults.

Currently I have been going to the beach in the afternoons and have slightly dimmed the blinding reflection my bare stomach causes and going for lots of walks around the town and stuff. There was an international jazz fest recently and I went up and talked to the jazz group afterward, they are from Detroit and one of their next stops, after some other Spanish town and Paris is Helsinki, Finland. Also I met the mormons here. Then I kept running into them. July is like Americans in Galicia Month! Who knew!! I didn't even get an invitation so I would know what to bring!

In annoying news, getting my residency card is becoming a big pain in the behind. I have made three trips to Ourense (the first one being a bust since I was misinformed of when I should be there and the bus was late, bad combo) but yesterday it FINALLY went through. So when I come back to Spain I can just go over there and pick it up and be all like legit. Hurray! I also tried looking for an apartment, no dice. Fortunately, the people at the school in Vigo will help me when I get there so I am not too panicked.

This is also my last post! When I was not in Ourense this week, I went to a barbecue party at a beach house and finally jumped in the frigid Atlantic waters because it has been mega hot here recently. Additionally, today is Peñas which should be quite the fun fun time! I would think about adding some words of wisdom here, but since I will be back in two months time it doesn't seem necessary as a finality or anything. So I'll just leave this as my last post, hopefully during the summer break I can post some pictures of what I'd been doing recently. Cross your fingers! See everyone soon in Kansas!

xoxo

So, ironically, even though I have been on vacation since June, I have not put in the time to update this blog. Well, maybe not ironically, it IS summer and everyone is a little lazy during summer break. But my summer break is like 4 months, so tsk tsk me for not being on the ball.

As everyone IN THE WORLD knows, Spain won the World Cup. What does this mean? Very little, except for the huge people gathering to watch the last few games and celebrate downtown. Oh, and typically non-patriotic Spaniards have been chucking up the Spanish flag all over the place, so everything is littered in red and yellow. And they win like $30 million, which all the economists - with the excitement and increased tourism and drinking in bars/restaurants - claim will get Spain out of their economic crisis. Which is kind of laughable, but I guess positive thinking doesn't hurt? But it was fun watching and seeing the spectacle and how famous Pulpo Paul has become! Yesterday I was watching TV (omg, finally a tv, don't judge) and it was kind of like when KU won the national championship. There was a huge welcome home rally and parade and they were up on stage and giving speeches. Except more singing and dancing and fun little Spain cheers. Anyway, I'm considering offering my OBVIOUS talent for being in the place where a team WINS IT ALL to the highest bidder. So, professional sports teams, please get in touch and we can work out a fair and advantageous contract for both parties.

As another update, I moved out of Ourense and am bumming around in friends' apartments until I fly back to Kansas for two months. It sort of complicated my running schedule because Ourense had the perfect trail and I knew all the distances, but change is good even if I have to use more math. And now I'm using a different super market, so it's both exciting and frustrating all at once! It's more expensive but there are some new fun things to try in these last few weeks. This week Manu and I, and hopefully some of our friends, will be finishing the Camino de Santiago. We will be starting where we left, in Baamonde, but it would be much appreciated if everyone could do the rain dance where they are so it doesn't follow us on the pilgrimage, thanks. xD Also, hoping it won't be mega hot. My sleep schedule is typical summer (wake up after 11), so adjusting to wake up early to walk in the cool dawn will be trying at best.

In other news, I met a group of Texas Tech med students who are doing a course/practicum in Santiago. It was hilarious. They didn't speak much Spanish so when a group of Catalans came by wanting to talk with AMERICANS, they had me translating a lot. And didn't even buy me a drink for all that work! Texans. xD Actually, they were mostly really nice and didn't glare at me when I kept giggling at how they said y'all the entire time. Well, I guess that's it. I spend most of my day reading, watching tv, running and buying gummi candy (I've moved on from zaps and it seems to have transferred to things like gummi ham hocks, which don't taste like ham but instead a juicy piece of heaven) so nothing too particularly crazy happens. Next time I feel inspired, I'll put up some pictures of Ted's and my trip through Spain and some summer photos. Until next time!
xoxo

May-June happenings

So after temporarily quitting the Camino, my life went back to normal. I would play squash on Wednesdays, occasionally go for a run, have conversation classes in Ourense, and then you know, actually go teach classes in Monforte. I fill my time watching some of my favorite movies and bad tv shows online and read on trains. I went to a 5.5k race in Santiago for women and against breast cancer and I placed pretty well! I sort of have a horrible sleep schedule on the weekends after getting back to the apartment around 7am and then recuperating that day or the next. There aren't tons and tons of things to do, especially without a car, but I have kept myself active and entertained.

May was a month of tension at the school. And I mean tension. Suffice it to say, I am more than content to not have to go there and sit in the teachers' lounge while people are purposefully not talking to each other to avoid a repetition of a screaming match.

Oh, speaking of match! USA hasn't lost yet! U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!

At the end of May, my brother came to visit me all the way from Kansas! I bussed down to Madrid to pick him up because maneuvering the subway system can be slightly difficult and no need to cause extra stress. We work our way through the metro to the bus station again and then head off to Seville! Seville is one of the prettiest cities ever. There is almost always a cloudless, blue sky and the tiled roofs add a nice touch. Shade from trees and buildings is a godsend, this place was like Kansas but in July or August. In May it is just nuts! After visiting the typical tourist things, the Real Alcazar, the Cathedral and the Tower of Giralda (you will notice the resemblance next time you are at the Plaza in KC and glancing at the Cheesecake Factory), we tried to do less typical tourist things, but sometimes luck just didn't go our way. The hostel we stayed in was nice, although on the street where they were doing a neighborhood block party each night that was kind of killing the sleep-ability.

After Seville, we went to Granada. Granada is one of my favorite cities in Spain because it is so college town-y. So you can eat cheap and stay cheap and there are always lots of people in bars. Since the only real tourist thing to do there is the Alhambra and the viewpoint thereof in the gypsy barrio, and flamenco, but that's in the gypsy barrio also. We were able to walk around a bit more and enjoy the eats. At the gypsy cueva, it was THE SAME GYPSY TROUPE AGAIN! I do not know how all their information gets to every hotel I've been at, but seriously, that is ridiculous. The third performance I've seen. On the bright side, the angry old lady was smiling at a kid this time and wasn't death-staring anyone who held up a camera. Also, it's kind of weird to see how the young girls have aged. Doubly weird is that now I could understand what they were saying!

After Granada, we tried to go to Córdoba. This is where things got annoying. We missed the bus by literally 1 minute, after waiting in line for 30. So we had to stay at the bus station and wait for the next bus, 2.5 hours later... Which meant that we missed the check-in time for the hostel/hotel. So I was on the phone with the guy and updating him every few hours so that he wouldn't close and lock us out. We finally got there, showered, then looked to get something to eat. Except at 11.30 pm, apparently all the kitchens were closed! A wave of panic hits as I realize I am going to starve. WHO IN SPAIN CLOSES AT 11.30!!!!! Seriously, that is like a crime against humanity. Here I am all adjusted to eating late and now they are closing the kitchens. So we go to bed so we can wake up to have breakfast. Thank Allah (hey, we are in southern Spain) for breakfast. We visit the Mosque-Cathedral and then spend most of the time in the hotel (with a tv!) and go out to eat. Since we don't have a map and my navigational skills, while they have been greatly honed on this trip are still not a GPS, we don't wander too far so that means many places with food are kind of tourist traps so we hit up a mom and pop grocery store. The next morning we get to the train station to go to Seville. From Seville we bus to Madrid. From Madrid we get on the train to Ourense. Let me tell you, the worst is the overnight train. You have to be ready to be awake at 4:45am to get off the train at 5:00am, and there are no announcements about where you are.

Once in Galicia, we spent the first day or two recuperating. Now that I'm old (24 as of last week!) I needed to recuperate. Also I had internet withdrawal. Don't judge me. Then we went to Vigo to go to Isla Cies, a world-renowned beach. From there we walked around the island than laid out in the sun. I tried to go in the water but it was pretty much glacial and I decided it would be less than fun to be in a wet swimsuit on a 45 minute ferry then a 2 hr train ride. The boys, Ted and Manu, did not think the same. The beach was gorgeous and the fact that there were trails to go around the island was amazing! The water was cold, so I feel like the Caribbean islands win in water temperature while they lose in the lack of walkable trails.

We also went to Santiago where Manu gave a fabo tour of the city, while trying to avoid the rain, and we went through the Cathedral and hugged/kissed the saint or whatever there. Like every time I've ventured near the Cathedral this year, there has been a huge line. Holy year. We walked around Ourense, but because there is only the thermal fountain and thermal springs way far away, we opted for a bit of nightlife with my roommates. It's nice to see a difference between what tourists do and then what locals do, since we didn't do tons and tons of local stuff while in the south.

And that's about it! Ted went back to KC, my responsibilities in Monforte are over, no more conversation classes in Ourense... After recovering from my vacation, then recovering from my birthday week, I have about 2 weeks left in Ourense. Trying to really start my pre-training for my next marathon, thinking about the night marathon in Bilbao! It came highly recommended to me - well, going to the city, obviously not doing a marathon - from other teachers at the school and some students, for being a really uniquely beautiful city. And it's at night, so we get glow-y, reflective gifts! Unfortunately, my plans for a summer camp were basically DESTROYED! by people changing schedules and then people deciding that it really won't be an English camp but a crafts camp or beach camp. Very convenient.. but on the bright side it will give me more time to be lazy but get some running in, I've gotta start now to be ready for October!

Next time I'll post some pictures of our trip to southern Spain and around Galicia, so you all can sit there salivating for the next post! haha.

xoxo

Camino de Santiago

So, one of the best things about working/studying in Spain is all of the vacation days! After spring break in February, there was another one at the end of March! Hurray! For this spring break, Easter week, everyone travels so it is mega expensive. Instead, opted to go on the Camino de Santiago. It's a pilgrimage to the Cathedral in Santiago and since this is a 'holy year' then it is like, important or something. Anyway, started in Ribadeo and ended in Baamonde (not quite Santiago) and walked over 60 miles in 4 days I think.

Ok, you have to read this backwards. Sorry, I fall prey to this everytime. The first 4 pictures are while on the pilgrimage. You can see the muddy river trails (this is actually a really wienie one, you can see grass!) and how I became one with nature (with cows) and the signs so that we wouldn't get too lost. And a picture of scenery with my should-be-patented Anti-Wind/Rain hat (just add water to a rain hat and sunglasses!). Then comes pictures of the Praia das Catedrais (Cathedral Beach) in Ribadeo. That's pretty much the only thing in Ribadeo, but how amazing is it!

Never 'actually' 'made' it to Santiago, stopped in Baamonde because the weather was being particularly disagreeable. But what I could see (in the midst of torrential rains, near hurricane winds and borderline Siberian temperatures) was a gorgeous landscape, abandoned villages and tons of farm animals. ALSO! While escaping muddied impassable trails, ducked through pastures avoiding cows and electric fences - not always as successfully as I would have liked - and swinging on trees. It was like an adventure!

Then at night we stayed in albergues, traveler hostel things, especially for the pilgrims (those who do the pilgrimage, not the settlers of New England). These were about as minimal as possible: bunk beds, no sheets. But they had bathrooms that you shared with anywhere between 12-92 people and a kitchen.

After abandoning the Camino, it was essentially Easter! I'm not going to put any pictures of it right now because it frustrates me, but next time I'll reveal some photos of the creepy ceremonies I saw (if you have a Confederate flag, get it ready!). Ok, enjoy what few pictures I'm posting now and next time there will be more fun things!

xoxo