Happy Independence Day!

I love Spain, but I'll always be American.

La Copa Mundial

Every 4 years the World Cup rolls around and though I'm not really interested in soccer, I watch (mostly for the players).

America and Spain, baby!

Maybe it's because I live in a small town

One thing I really like about here is how living in a small town really allows teachers to form closer relationships with their students. I remember when I was a kid, I would avoid talking to teachers outside of the classroom at all costs. Actually, I distinctly remember doing that even when I was in college. However, here the students aren't embarrassed. Just the opposite. I always feel strange when we run into each other in bars or nightclubs, but they take it like champions, saying hey and smiling. Undoubtedly, it is me who probably makes a bigger deal about it than they do. I'm veering off subject though.

As I mentioned earlier, I do like how living in a small town allows you to forge closer relationships with your students. And one of the ways this closeness is shown is that students in the last year of high school (segundo de bachillerato) invite the teachers they like to lunch and or dinner on their last day of class. It's is something that I would never have thought to have done when I was in school and I suppose it would have been quite difficult to arrange since my class was about 500 strong in comparison to 15 or so here. I'm not sure if this is a tradition everywhere in Spain, or if it's just something that goes on in the pueblos around here, but I thought it was a nice gesture and worth mentioning.

An Incredible Lightness of Being

Lately, I've been walking around with the sort of freedom that only knowing that you're leaving soon never to return again can grant. I don't mean the freedom to be mean to people who have upset me or anything. Quite the contrary. I mean the freedom to be completely content and to express it without worrying about what other people think.

There's a certain lightness and gaiety to my step and an extra watt to my smile because I know that I've enjoyed being here and I intend to leave with the best memories I can take away.

All good things...

Must come to an end.

Well, I know definitively that I won't be back in Spain next year. I was bummed at first, but now I've taken on a more zen like attitude towards the whole thing. As my father reminded me, I knew coming into this that it was only going to be for 9 months. And well, time's almost up.

Anyway, I took a day to dwell on the news and feel sorry for myself. After that, I started looking for things to do next year. School? Look for work (even though there are no jobs)? Travel (even though I have no money)? What to do?

Ideally, I'd find another teaching gig outside of the country or stumble across the opportunity to travel on somebody else's dime. Something tells me that's not going to happen though. I have no desire to go back to Miami, but if I have to return, I have to return.

Well nothing more needs to be said except that as I am sure you can figure out, these past few months here have been fantastic. The best present ever!

I realized this a little late

That I hadn't written anything about the customs/traditions of my town or Spain. There's so much to tell. Expect a post on that.

Lo pasamos bien aqui, verdad?

As I mentioned, things are winding down here with the summer coming and all. We had our merienda-cena for yoga today. Good company, good food, and good weather. Does one really need anything else in life? As usual, I'm not in the photos, so don't bother looking. = )







And so with my stomach full and my spirit content, I said adios to those members of my yoga class who were present. A ver si el ano que viene tendre suerte estar aqui otra vez.

Carbarceno

Friday, I went to Carbarceno (in Santander), a zoo that resembled a safari, with the kids from the colegio. We had a great time. It had been a while since I had been to a zoo and even though I'm not a fan of encaging animals, or making them perform in spectacles, I had a great time. I forgot how cute little kids were even when they're annoying. I also love how they show how excited they are as opposed to me who just keeps it inside. Unfortunately, I left my camera at home so you'll have to look on the internet for pictures. It's things like these and days like this that are going to make it hard to go back to Miami.

What living in Spain does...

1. Killed any sense of grammar I previously had

2. Sent my spelling to the dogs

3. Messed up my intonation in English

4. Made my head hurt. So much new information in such a short amount of time.

5. Helps you develop a taste for lambrusco rosado and vino blanco.

6. Makes you reconsider the taste of olives. Perhaps they're aren't so bad, but only in olive oil.

7. Makes you believe the saying that Spaniards work to live while Americans live to work. How many days have we had off of school for fiestas?

8. Nothing for my abhorrence of running.

9. Made me realize that I didn't know as much about the American school system as I should.

Soria, ni te la imaginas!

As my time in Spain draws to a close, I really will try to write down all that I've experienced in these 10 months. Part (well, most) of my hesitation to keep this blog up to date is because of my laziness. However, the other part of it is that nothing I write will fully capture the magnificence of my time here. I truly love Spain and working at the high school. I couldn't have asked for a better year, a better pueblo, and better people to be surrounded by.

But anyway, back to the title. Soria, ni te la imaginas is the theme song of this province. You hear it every time there is an ad for Soria, during "fiestas del pueblo," on buses full of elementary school children returning from a field trip, etc. Roughly, the title translates into Soria, you can't even imagine it. And it's true! Before coming here, I had never heard of Soria and when I received the letter in the mail telling me to which school I had be assigned, I thought I was going to be in some backwater part of Spain hours away from any major city. I was kind of right. If we take backwater to mean an isolated (relatively) peaceful region, then yes, I think San Leonardo would classify as that. Here, I'm surrounded by mountains, pine trees, plains, and lakes. It's lovely, really. And if I need to go to a city, Soria capital is 1/2 hr a way, Burgos, an hour, and Madrid 2.5.

Even though I'm a big fan of cities, I find myself quite content to pass my weekends and free time here in Soria--Castilla y Leon. So far, I've been able to explore the Laguna Negra, a lake whose depths still haven't been discovered. I've been lucky enough to have been in the Canon de Rio Lobos a few times now. The canyon boasts a nature reserve and several caves worth exploring. In the center of the canyon sits a small chapel which was built some time in the 13th century. Also worth noting are the several pueblos such as Molinos de Duero, Navaleno, and Casarejos that form part of this province.

Of course these places would be nothing if it weren't for the people who inhabited them. Simply put, they're pretty great.

I once knew a guy who went to Spain during a year abroad. He didn't leave for another year more. I now understand why.

Spain has its charm, and Soria more so.

Here's to a great 8 months. Hopefully the last one will be equally as awesome.

Spain not foreign enough?

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article7031371.ece

Dare I say

That I'm starting to make friends here?

Setting goals

So I've been living here long enough to say that I feel comfortable here. Things to accomplish before I leave Spain.

1. Run run run

As I mentioned in a previous post, I detest running. However, it's one of the best kind of exercises out there, it's free, and I see results. Sooo, I'm making it a goal to go running at least three times a week for no less than 30 minutes each time and to enter into another race. Today I started on my running kick, and really surprised myself by running 45 minutes or so. Dare I say that I rather enjoyed that run.

Extra motivation: My sister lost 13 lbs and is putting me to shame.

2. Go to a concert (featuring a Spanish artist)

I'd really like to go to a Dani Flaco concert, but I don't know if that's possible. That just means that I'll have to find another artist that I like who's having a concert. I wouldn't mind seeing Julio de la Rosa.

3. Go to Galicia

I don't know why, but I'm dying to go there.

4. Go to Portugal

Another place that is calling my name.

5. Go to Morocco

Methinks that I just want to be able to say that I've been to Africa. Seriously though, I've heard that Morocco is cool and I would like to determine that for myself.

6. Learn Spanish

This is perhaps the most important goal of mine. How will I determine that I've learned Spanish? Why I can understand all the slang that the kids are using. Also, when I fully participate in conversations around me. Aaaaand, when 95% of the verbs I use are conjugated correctly. And, when I reduce my American accent.

7. Find something to do for next year that allows me to pay off student loans, live outside the country, and be happy.

Right now, this one seems like a tall order.

Geez Louise

I like Spain so much more than I imagined. Now, if only I could find a way to extend my time here...

Halloween

Boo!

Well I had fun with the students yesterday. We (2 other teachers and I) decorated part of the high school the day before . The next day was dedicated to playing Halloween related games with the English classes. I think the kids enjoyed themselves. I did.

We didn't really find mushrooms...

But I found this:






Oh the carnage!

Two weeks ago--Burgos

2/4 of my hosts and what great hosts they were.
Someone shares my dislike for taking pictures.
My other host.





I went to Burgos, which if I understood correctly, is competing with several other Spanish cities to be considered the cultural capital of Spain.

Anyway, I was invited there by a very nice family that I had met the weekend before. They housed me and took me around the city.

Stand out things:

The architecture
There are tons of examples of old European architecture. If you're interested in Roman, Gothic, Baroque, or neo classical architecture, then Burgos would definitely be one the places to visit.

The shops
I needed a sweater and some gym things. I found them and more for a reasonable price.

The food
Burgos is famous for it's morcilla, or blood sausage.

The cathedral
They say it's the most beautiful cathedral in Europe.

The castle
The castle has this cool map of the city engraved in the metal encircling the look out point of the castle. See the first picture.

And most importantly, if I'm not mistaking, Burgos was the home of El Cid, an almost mythical figure in Spanish history.

Joder! Spain might have to deport me.

There are just some sounds que no me salen

I totally sympathize with my students. Just like they have problems pronouncing God, and other word that I can't think of at the moment, I have the hardest time pronouncing:

--madre/padre

--luego

--agua

--drama

--aire

--any word with double Rs

--any word with a final r.

Thus I have a long list of things that I need to improve. Poco a poco, no.


Switching topics, I spent the afternoon trying to find exercises to teach the kids English vowels. Since English has 11 vowel sounds and Spanish has only 5, it's natural that they find some sounds both difficult to distinguish and produce. Any ideas about how to go about teaching them?

Spain Spanish kills me

In a good way.

I just didn't think that making the lisp sound would be so hard.

Today, I spent an hour reading out loud to my housemate and having her correct my pronunciation. Without a doubt the hardest words for me were the ones with -gua (ie agua) and the ones with that infamous Spanish lisp: presencia, imprescindible, incandescente. Major props to the Spaniards who actually do the ceceo. My mouth can not move fast enough to pronounce these words and have them sound good. Either I forget to do it, or there is something about having an /s/ in the word that bars me from creating that sound. In any case, sigo intentando. Tomorrow is my Spanish class, so hopefully my teacher will practice these sounds with me. I will speak fluently if it kills me (and it just might).

I love the Spanish accent. It's so crisp. I especially love how the older men talk because they tend to stress the latter part of an utterance in a way that seems uniquely Spanish. Before, I used to claim that my favorite Spanish accent was either that of Cuba, the DR, or PR, but the Spanish one has superseded them all, followed by the Argentinian which is just so melodious.

So as it stands, the differences I've noticed between Spain Spanish and Latin American Spanish are:

-Vale, hombre, vaya, gilipollas, hostia, de puta madre, capullo, menudo, la madre que me pario, madre mia, estar en el quinto pino, majo/a, joder, tio/a

- Dimunitives: In Latin America, diminutives seem to be much more widespread ie playita, camita, mihijito, etc.

- Different terms of endearment: I have yet to hear a Spaniard utter mijo/a. Instead, it's carino.

- Juice is zumo not jugo here. Bocadillo is sandwich, tarta is cake, torta is a slap.

- z and s do not sound the same. The former is an unvoiced interdental fricative like the -th of
thin. The latter sounds the way it does in English.

- Word final d --> unvoiced interdental fricative ie Valladolid --> Valladolith; verdad--> verdath

- Intervocalic d in past participles formed by -ado is usually is lost. Cuidado--> cuidao; dejado--> dejao

- -gua approximates an English w. I do not care what my housemate says.

Oh, and Spaniards seem to talk with the front of their mouth much more than Americans. I'm not sure if this is a Spanish thing, or this is truth in all Spanish speaking places.

That's all I've noticed so far apart from the obvious use of the vosotros in Spain.