Halloween....you poor, misunderstood holiday

At school I was asked to plan some activities to teach the students about Halloween and how it is celebrated in the U.S. I spent hours making this killer power point to later find out that its not compatible with their computer system. I also tried to find a pumpkin to carve but alls they have here are these little green pumpkins. Oh well, I taught them "trick or treat smell my feet" instead which was not, by the way, my idea. I didn't think it was appropriate to teach them "I'll pull down your underwear" in English but the other English teacher who's from Cordoba sure thought it was a great song to teach them.

On the other hand, what I discovered while teaching about Halloween, is that their idea of what Halloween means seems a little off. Their understanding of this American holiday is not entirely accurate. When I would ask each class what they thought Halloween was, they always answered with something about dead people and spirits. And when I asked if anyone was dressing up for Halloween, about 1/3 of the class raised their hands and said they were being either a demon, dracula or a dead person. I explained to them that Halloween is much more than celebrating death and spirits and that people don't usually dress up in those types of costumes so much anymore. I told them how its popular to be characters from TV shows and movies or dress as celebrities and that there is a huge variety of different costumes. I taught them about pumpkin carving, trick or treating, the candy, the haunted houses and the parties but they still had this obsession with it being about death and spirits. I tried. Its one of those things that they would need to experience to understand. Anyhow, I think they had fun learning about it and getting a break from regular school work. We also had a school wide coloring contest to see who could color the best Halloween picture for each grade. And guess who took them all home this weekend to judge? Yep, yours truly. All the kids will get a peice of candy but the top 3 from each grade will get a big candy bar or bag of candy as their prize and have their art work displayed on the walls. They definately got into to THAT once I said there was a prize involved. Nothin like good ol fashioned competition to get the kids goin. Especially when you dangle the idea of candy in their faces. So, now here I am with hundreds of pictures spread throughout the apartment trying to figure out which ones are better than others. Not as easy as it sounds. They are good in their own ways. Some are better at staying in the lines, some used better color combos and others actually drew in extra characters, words and designs into their pictures. I've got to say, these Spaniard children are exceptional colorers...maybe better than American kids.

Another thing that got me feeling like Halloween is misunderstood here is that I went to church this morning with Juliana. Its is a babtist church and seemed pretty normal. But then, a gentleman got up to speak in front of the congregation. He talked about how with this being the weekend of Halloween with lots of horrible, satanic things happening, that there needs to be extra prayer and vigilance. He mentioned something about them staying up through the night to pray during these critical hours where horrible things are taking place. He talked of human sacrifice and cutting off limbs. Maybe I am naive or maybe their imaginations have gotten ahold of them. I am not sure which. Maybe we are both guilty. I just don't think of Halloween in that way. And I think there is a way to celebrate it that is harmless and fun. Aside from Thanksgiving it is my favorite holiday. I wish I could scoop them all up and take them to the U.S. just for tonight so that they could experience the sights, sounds and smells that I know Halloween to be. I, personally, do not associate Halloween with satanic rituals and dead people. I think of the fall leaves, the crisp air, the funny and creative costumes, the pumpkins and smell of spices, the decorations, the candy and trick or treating, and fun costume parties and contests. Isn't THAT what its all about?

Good Morning To Me

This is what I woke up to this morning. I have been so amazed by the sunsets here but didn't realize that the sunrises can be equally amazing.

Random Jessey Thoughts

Don't buy the cheap chocolate. It tastes like wax with a hint of caramel. All the sudden I am getting lots of invites from the women at work. They must have gotten together and had a talk about how they could take turns taking the foreigner under their wing. So now I have a few coffee and lunch dates which is kinda fun. Tonight I will go order my guitar I think. Don't know which color tho; black, blue or red????? No se. The dust here is outta control. My furniture is black and so is my laptop and it shows everything. I am starting to feel pretty comfortable here tho. The lifestyle is very laid back. People don't put so much pressure on themselves it seems. THIS is good for me I believe. I am starting to feel my creativity surge a little. It seems like I always have a song in my head whenever I walk through the streets of Cordoba. And not a song thats been written, a new song. Thats why I have to buy a guitar. I have to take advantage of this unique time in my life where I am in a foreign land with LOTS of time on my hands. The kids at school are becoming cuter and cuter to me. Today I used stickers to bribe them to do their work in my afternoon class. After I gave them the stickers (pegatinas), they wouldn't leave my side. The stickers were all pretty feminine like flowers, fish and hearts but the boys didn't seem to mind, in fact some even picked the flowers out on their own. Thats different. Maybe they have novias. Everyday that I have my afternoon classes I feel like I have no supplies to teach with, no resources. It kinda sucks. I have no printer and when I get to the school in the afternoon to print off activity sheets or assignments, the computer room and office are locked. Sometimes there's no chalk in the classroom and then I'm really screwed. The school is an old palace which is cool SOMETIMES and other times its awful because it echoes like crazy. If there is any noise at all, I can't hear the students and they can't hear me. Nevermind the fact that I am speaking a foreign language to them and they are speaking one back to me. Also, a word to the wise....carry toilet paper in your purse. You'lle need it. Everywhere. Even at the school they don't put toilet paper in the bathrooms. They keep a roll, that always seems to be almost empty, in the classroom. When the kids have to go, they tear off some squares and head to the bathroom. But I always forget. So, now I just carry some in my purse which makes life a lot easier in Spain. I can't wait to get paid so I can travel a little. The English teacher that I work with the most, Lola, helped me compile a list of all the places that I shouldn't miss in Spain. She listed Barcelona (obviously), Burgos, Salamanca, Toledo, Madrid (been there), Granada (hopefully this weekend), Asturias, San Sebastian, Santiago de Compostela, Las Islas Canarias (Tenerife most specifically), and Cadiz (for the beaches). I also really want to go to Portugal and see Lagos as well as Lisboa. With that being said, I am gonna need some more money. I have started some of my clases particulares this week. Last night I taught three boys which will be 2 times a week for an hour at 21€ an hour. If I add maybe 2 more classes a week, I should be fine. I don't want to fill up too much of my schedule with English speaking because then my brain kinda stays in English rather than forcing it to be in Spanish for long periods of time. Now, the weather has been changing a bit lately. It is getting pretty cold at night so I started sleeping with a comforter rather than sheets last week. The afternoon is still quite warm tho. In the morning on the way to school I have to wear a jacket but in the afternoon I am too hot and have to take it off. In the sun its in the mid seventies I would say. In the shade tho it's a bit chilly. Do you think its unsafe to travel alone in Spain? I am contemplating it. I want to go to so many places but don't want to have to depend on someone else all the time to decide if I can go or not. Maybe I should just go. I am a grown woman. Why not? At first I felt scared and paranoid when I arrived but now I am feeling quite safe. Don't know if that's good or bad. Both I suppose.

Random Pics

Patatas Bravas


tapas



fire dancer in la corredera

my roomates' girlfriend spelling names with her cell phone on our roof. pretty sweet eh?

Una Pasteleria en Cordoba

Jogging in Cordoba

I started jogging today. The weather is starting to cool a little, so I thought it would be a good time to start the jogging routine back up. Its probably 75 degrees or so mid-day now but bright and sunny. I jogged across one of the bridges and around in a little abondoned park. There are some beautiful palm trees in this area. Then, I took the Roman bridge back across and saw a few tourists, an electric violinist and a girl playing the acordian. Its not half bad to be able to jog across a bridge built by the Romans while a girl plays the acordian. I kinda felt like I was in Italy for a minute. Once on the other side of the bridge is the Mezquita in all its glory. I ran past the Mesquita and through the Jewish quarter. Quite a few more tourists here. It got a little congested. I ran past many little fountains and catholic alters adorned with gold and candles. Quite a charming little jog, especially since my eyes are still new.

The Spanish Way of PDA

I was invited to my first dinner party today. I felt super excited at my first opportunity to really mingle with the Spaniards on a more personal level. Angela picked me up on a street corner near my house because its hard for cars to get to my house due to the narrow, cobblestone, one-way streets. I know she invited me out of sympathy, but once again.. I'll take it. When we arrived, no one was home. But soon the amigos began to pour in. I am still amazed at how affectionate everyone is here. They hug and kiss eachother constantly. I kinda like it though. Its nice that people can be affectionate without people thinking strange things and questioning their sexuality. What I noticed is that everyone there was intellectual. They talked way over my head in terms of my Spanish ability and everyone had a degree already or one in the works. 3 of the 7 were working on forestry engineering degrees. My new friend Angela told her roomate that I was interested in an intercambio because I had told her that I wanted to learn to play the guitar, especially that of the flamenco nature. She said he might be interested in practicing his English and thus an intercambio was born. He can't start til the 15 of November but I am looking forward to that intercambio because he is in a band and teaches flamenco guitar already. So....we will do a half hour in English and then a half hour of guitar lessons after that. Now, I just need to buy a guitar. Man am I gonna be poor. But it will pay off later when my Spanish improves and I am playing flamenco style acoustic. He also said something about electric guitar. Okay!!! Anyhow, I hope THAT works out. These people are all very interesting with most of them having spent time living abroad in other countries. And its so funny how affectionate they are. I just love it. I hope I can learn from them. The U.S. is so stuffy and cold and put off by PDA or showing any kind of affection. Here they ALWAYS give the dos besos when you meet someone or say hello or goodbye. They go left to right, ALWAYS to prevent the accidental lip lock. And then girlfriends hug each other forever like they haven't seen each other in years and the men always grab each other by the head and pull in for a big hug even if they saw each other last week. Its really endearing. Kids walk hand and hand with their parents, old ladies walk arm and arm with each other. Old couples always walk hand in hand down the street as if ther;re still in love. Everyone is VERY touchy feely. In fact, I sense that they sense my coldness. I've had lots of people ask me if I am okay with the dos besos or tell me "no handshake here" or ask me if its okay to hug me since I am american. They know that americans are distant. We have a reputation for being cold and not spending time with our children apparently. But I can't say that they're wrong. I am trying to come across less icy but its hard when its so engrained to be weirded out by affection. But its not a weird affection that they show. Its kind of like how children are...they lay on each other, the hold hands with the same sex, they put their arms around each other, they hug for a long time. I think it is a natural way of feeling and being. I think we have just gotten away from it for some reason in the U.S.



Another thing that I thought was interesting was that we all sat around a little table full of food and ate out of the same dishes. Nobody had plates. They asked me, the americana, if I wanted one because they know our way of doing things but I said "no" that I didn't care. And we all had a fork and bread and ate out of the same big dishes of potato salad, a scramble, a cheese plate, chorizo, garbanzo and spinach dish, etc. We all just took forkfulls as we felt like from whatever dishes, germs and all. I ate ,but mostly sat and observed. I wanted to participate but they were talking so fast and with that Andalucian accent that I couldn't keep up. I have been here a month and I almost feel as though my Spanish is worse. How can that be? I really don't know. Maybe an overload of information, maybe intimidation, I have no idea but its true. I feel like a shy, pathetic, little, helpless child right now and I am thankful for any sympathy and help that I can get. I just can't wait to start feeling more confident. God speed.

Its not a purse, its a european carry all and the men here really do carry them.

Flamenco Drag, Sevilla

Un Dia Redondo

So, as most of you know, Tony and I split up and he left me here in Spain to head back to what he wants in Ellensburg. After nearly a week of hardly any sleep, lots of crying and a whole pack of cigarettes ( I don't really smoke), I was ready to stop the self-loathing. I started by going out for tapas last night with Irene and Juliana. We went to a really delicious little place here in Cordoba. We had patatas bravas (fried potatoes with 2 sauces, 1 spicy and the other creamy, poured over the top), roasted red pepper stuffed with white fish(again with a sauce poured over the top), fried anchovies (yuck!), ensaladilla russa(russian potato salad), and jamon iberico(cured, shaved ham). What's great is that I am starting to finally find the good food in Spain. It started out a little rough since I didn't know where to go or what to order. Things are looking up in the Spanish food department. I came home, played around on the internet and then took a much needed sleeping pill.

When I awoke well rested at 10 am, I went up on the roof which is my new place to ponder things. I brought my notepad and began writing....a song...yes people, a song. In 20 minutes, I had written an entire song. I sent it to my brother Anthony and hopefully he can compose something on the guitarra.

Then, Irene's parents showed up from Huelva and invited me to lunch. I said I didn't have money and they said "in Spain when someone invites you to lunch that means they are paying." I said I needed to change and then we could go. I have been in Spain for exactly one month and this was the first time I rode in a car. Kinda funny, but you don't need a car here at all. In fact I think its almost more of a hassle to have a car in Cordoba because there are such narrow cobblestone streets and they're filled with people all the time.

They took me to a really charming traditional looking Spanish restaurant. We had beers, tapas, a main course, dessert and sherry. For tapas, we had a big dish of Salmorejo, a cold tomato type soup with boiled egg crumbles and olive oil drizzled on top. Then, I had the Morcilla con Arroz which is like a chicken blood sausage thats black and seasoned with cumin and other spices. I know right? Irene's parents orded a huge plate of little heads of lettuce quarted and topped with raw, smoked salmon and black fish eggs sort of like caviar. Also, there were slices of green tomatoes interspersed and, of course, garlic and olive oil drizzled on top. Then, for the main course I had Lomo con Tomate which is pork in a tomato sauce with fries all around it and I dipped my fries in the sauce. But I couldn't for the life of me finish all my food. Oh and I can't forget dessert...two types of flan and a glass of sherry on the house. I got a to-go box which used to be an embarassment to Spaniards but now in la crisis (economic chrisis), apparently its now acceptable to get a to-go box.

After lunch we walked around the Juderia looking at silver jewelry for Irene's mother. She bought a pretty silver floral necklace and seemed happy as a clam. They talked of wanting to find an Arabic tea house in that area. We stumbled upon a place and went in to sit and have tea. As we sat there sipping hierbabuena we noticed that it looked more Egyptian than Arabic but very cool nonetheless. Its was so relaxing there that I felt as tho I could fall asleep right there on the Egyptian couches. Afterwards we hit the narrow cobblestone streets of Cordoba again. This time we stopped in a unique shop that had a really cool old patio with draping jasmine. We smelled the jasmine and looked at all the neat trinkets. They had tons of leather stuff, things you wouldn't expect to be made from leather like bowls and clocks and interesting jewlry. Irene's parents asked if they could buy me a leather bracelet as a gift. I think they felt really sorry for me after hearing about me and Tony. They wanted to take me under their wing and I let them. I picked out a turquoise, textured, wavy, leather bracelet. After that we stopped AGAIN at a cool arabic looking bar and they ordered coffee and coca cola so that we could use their bathroom. Then, we headed back to the car. How nice of them to take me out for the day!!! On our way to the car, Irene's mom said it was a dia redondo (basically a well-rounded day). I like that description... dia redondo.

When I got home I went up to my roof again, this time to watch the sunset with a view of the whole city. I drank a beer, watched the bats flutter around in the dusk and thought to myself...I am in the RIGHT place right now. Here in Spain, regardless of recent personal hardship, I am in the right place. This is where I am supposed to be right now. I know this.

Happy Birthday Dad!!!!

pics of Sevilla

Sevilla Video 10/12/10

Ya take the good, ya take the bad, ya take em both and there ya have...

As far as this blog is concerned, my goal is not to get on here to complain and be negative. Because I know that I am one lucky girl. On the other hand, I want it to be an honest account of my experience living abroad in Spain. There are certainly some glorious and enriching aspects of living in another country but there are also the bad days.

Today I felt all kinds of weird emotions from exhausted to helpless to annoyed and most of all hopeless. Why all these negative feelings might you ask? Well, let me explain a little.

Often I get more exhausted here even though I am only working about 15 hrs a week. Because I am learning so much everyday, my brain reaches its threshold pretty quickly. The Andalucians are famous for their difficult to understand accent and people talk quite quickly here on top of it. They don't fully pronounce most of their words so I am always straining to understand. I must say that on the bright side, I do feel like my ears are tuning in a bit better.

Today at school I felt very helpless because we are seperated into 2 schools a couple blocks away from each other and instead of just giving me directions they had to walk me over and back from the other building because they thought I wouldnt understand. I pretty much have to have someone walk me to every single class that I teach because its an old palace and the rooms aren't numbered or labeled.

Then, I had to take the city bus after school to the police station to register as a foreigner with temporary residency in Spain. I had to take one bus across town then transfer to another bus to go north. Well, on the second connection I got on the right bus number but not going in the right direction. So, I ended up at the station at the southern end of town and asked the bus driver if I could just stay on to go the way that I was supposed to go in the first place. He said everybody has to get off the bus here. So, I thought "Well okay, I can do that. I will just get a transfer so that I don't have to pay again, get off and then right back on the same bus and go back in the direction I came from." But when I asked about a transfer he said I couldn't have one, something about having to change bus lines within an hour in order to get one??? And because I was taking the same bus I had to pay AGAIN. WTF!!! Anyhow....I did what I was told and rode all the way back to the north part of town.

I got off at Avenida Meditarreneo and walked over to the police station. When I got there, there was a large, authoritative looking man in street clothes standing out front blocking the entrance way. He asked what I needed and I told him that I needed to get an appointment to turn in my paperwork to get a Numero de Identifacion Extranjero and a Tarjeta de Identificacion Extranjero. He said "Come back tomorrow between 8:30 and 9am." And I said "I don't need an appointment then?" And he said "Yes, you come tomorrow between 8:30 and 9am to get your appointment for another day". For the love of God!!! Why does everything need to be so complicated? I was just so sick of running all over town just to do this one simple task of making a bloody appointment.

And now to end on a hopeless note like all good writers....I feel like I could actually be here for 9 months and never become fluent in Spanish. I know its only been three weeks but man this learning a second language thing is HARD. There are so many different ways of saying things but yet I always seem to choose the wrong one. My brain is so hardwired to speak English that I am constantly trying to say things the way I would in English. But thats not the way Spanish is spoken. It has reflexive verbs, the subjunctive mood, the preterite and the imperfect....14 verb tenses for the crying out loud. That is 2 more than in English. I cannot, for the life of me, get my brain around when to use and when not to use these 2 other verb tenses...BECAUSE THEY DON'T EXIST..in the language center of MY brain. It is too abstract for me to understand right now. AND I didn't think this would be a problem but for some reason I am also now mixing up my feminine and masculine when I use adjectives. I am also now messing up my 3rd person with my 2nd person or my singular verb conjugations with my plural conjugations...things that didn't used to happen to me in class.

What I've also come to understand is that when you are learning another language and are living it that target country you become two people rather than one. One person who is the self that you've come to know so well with your witty comebacks, good storytelling abilities or way with words. Then, there's the new part that can't even begin to compete with the former self. So, for now I am shy, have no sense of humor and can't explain my way out of a wet paper bag. Of course I don't like this new self, she sucks!!! Nobody could like her. So, I must find some way to emerge as the endearing foreigner who doesn't care what anyone thinks of her and has all sorts of diarrhea of the mouth with a rediculous accent to boot. I have to accept that I will be Fez from that 70s show for the next 8 months...and own it.

So, what I am hoping is that I can look back and laugh at this post. I hope I can say "wow!! you've come a long way baby. I can't believe you used to have that much trouble with the language cuz now its flowin like the sangria." Thats why I HAD to write this negative or not. Just to have record of it and to give hope to others who read my blog and are struggling with language or transition abroad like me. Its not all rainbows and unicorns people.

Gypsy Pirates and Tapas, La Corredera

My new apartment in Spain, not the best recording

Grocery Shopping in Spain

Here are a few fun facts about grocery shopping here in Spain, thus far.......Sorry no pictures yet because I am working from a slow old computer in the Civic Center until we get our internet hooked up. The mañana rule applies to Spain as well apparently. Okay, here we go.......

1. The biggest sections of the grocery store here are the ham and cheese sections. There are hundreds of varieties of each. Very confused on which to buy.

2. There are tons of good wines under $2.

3. Olives galore!!! Especially the green ones but they taste a little different here. Super good!!! Stuffed with all sorts of things, the most popular being anchovies.

4. The red peppers here are 3x the size and 1/3 the price, so .50 for a hug red pepper.

5. The variety of food is very limited here compared to the U.S. where we can get all sorts of foreign brands and foods. Not the case in Spain...mostly ham and cheese.

6. For the most part, prices are very similar to the U.S.....for food at least. But yet everything is smaller...except the hams.

7. You bag your own groceries here. And it gets very interesting when you have a lot of groceries and thereś a long line behind you and you are trying to pay while bagging your own groceries and people are scowling at you cuz your not fast enough.

8. They sell Layś Potato Chips everywhere BUT they are almost all ham or chorizo flavored. Tried the chorizo the first day I was here....not a big fan.

9. You weigh and mark your own produce in Spain which I didnt know until the 2nd week when a checker seemed pretty pissed off about it and I learned my lesson the hard way.

10. What would be a large bottle of olive oil in the U.S. is a small bottle here and goes for about $2.00. Craziness!!

11. There is also a hug canned meat section for all you canned meat lovers out there.

P.S. Dont worry Dad, pictures will come soon.