Marrakesh, Morocco

4 June 2012

It was a real struggle to get up this morning in order to see the sunrise in the desert. This was due to a number of factors--staying up late, but also the peacefulness of the desert. In South Dakota, it's pretty easy to go out into the wilderness and be the only person for miles. However, it's never quiet. There's always the noise of crickets, birds, and leaves rustling. In the desert, it was completely silent, and I slept like a baby. It didn't help that the first alarm that we set to wake us up either didn't go off or someone immediately shut it off.

 Thankfully, as the sun was just getting ready to peek over the mountains, I woke up again and got up in time to watch the sunrise--truly one of the most spectacular things I have ever seen. The peace and beauty of the desert left me feeling rejuvenated....

 Which lasted until we had to get back on the camels to head to Zagora. Let me just say that riding a camel the second day was shear agony. Every movement of the camel hurt my already sore body. Eventually, I just felt numb.

Back in Zagora, we stopped a shop to look at Berber carpets. They were extremely beautiful. I wanted to buy one, but had neither the money nor the space (or home!) for such a thing.

 We continued our journey back to Marrakesh--stopping to enjoy the views as well as the city of Ouarzazate. Like Ait-Ben-Haddou, it's been used as an international movie studio for movies such as Lawrence of Arabia, Kingdom of Heaven, Daughter of the Nile, and Babel. The picture above is the kabash--fortifications.

 After a long day of traveling, we made it back to the city of Marrakesh, and promptly ran into some people that we know! We knew that some friends of ours were going to be in Marrakesh, but we didn't expect to run into them on the streets. Later, we met up with them to eat at a restaurant near the central plaza. I wasn't really hungry so I ate a soup called harira--a tomato and lentil soup.

Eventually, we headed back to the hostel and hung out with our friends and the new friends we made at the hostel. It was an interesting group of people--from Germany, the US, and Australia! Every had cool stories to share about their experiences traveling the world!

Desert Dunes

3 June 2012

This morning dawned bright and early. To be honest, too bright and early for me! I find it difficult enough to get up at 8 AM each morning for school--so 7 AM was a bit of a struggle.

However, it was well worth it! A lovely breakfast was made fresh for us by one of the guys that works at the riad. We had little pancakes that were a spongier form of crepes, and a thicker pancake that reminded me of frybread from my home state, South Dakota. We also had freshly squeezed orange juice!

Before arriving in Morocco, we found a company that would take us out to the desert (on camels) to see the sunrise over the dunes. This morning, our Berber guide picked us up from our riad to begin our two-day trip to and from the desert. Our guide, Kamal, was extremely nice and knowledgeable. Since we had a private guide, we were able to ask questions about basically everything from the Berber nomadic lifestyle to the educational system in Morocco (a particular interest of mine) and from Morocco's climate to its history. We wouldn't have had this same opportunity if we'd gone on a generic large group tour.

As I've mentioned an interest of mine is the educational systems in different countries. Many of the people I'd spoken to in Morocco (so far) spoke excellent English. Some admitted that they were self-taught, but I was curious what the system is like in Morocco. In Spain, students can go to school starting at age 3--though it isn't obligatory until age 6. In Morocco, students start school at age 7. There are even some schools (sort of like boarding schools) where students who live in more remote areas live while attending school. Moroccan children start by learning French and Arabic and when they are older (around 14 years old) they start learning English. This really surprised me because it can be more difficult to become fluent in a language at that age.

We spent approximately 7 hours riding in a car out to Zagora. Of course, we stopped periodically to take in the amazing views and learn more about Morocco. One of the places we stopped was a women's cooperative where they sell products with Argan oil. This oil comes from a plant native to Morocco and is known for it's medicinal and beauty properties. We saw how the women take the pits (that goats don't eat) and crush them in order to release the oil. The oil is combined to make different kinds of spreads--one of which tastes like peanut butter. It's also used in beauty products--like soaps and chapsticks.

Here is a Berber village. Approximately 40% of Moroccans are Berber--though more probably have Berber ancestry. Berbers have traditionally been a nomadic people. They tend to herd animals--with the women using the wool from the animals to make products like Berber carpets.

This is the ancient city of Ait-Ben-Haddou. Historically, it was an important stopping point for caravans--especially considering it took 52 days on camel to reach Timbuktu. More contemporarily, many movies have been shot here--such as The Mummy, Prince of Persia, Kingdom of Heaven, basically any movie with a desert setting.

Another beautiful view in the High and Little Atlas Mountains...

Later, we reached Zagora--where we would be taking camels into the desert. Riding the camels definitely added something to the experience--although I started to get uncomfortable 5 minutes into the journey. This just goes to tell you that I wouldn't have made it during the 52 day camel journey to Timbuktu.

The ride to the desert camp at sunset was breathtakingly beautiful--though the picture below maybe isn't the best representation of that. It's quite difficult to take pictures from a camel.

At the camp, we met two fellow travelers and our guides in the camp. For dinner, they made us an amazing tajine. After all that we had to eat that day, I had hardly any room for any more food!

Then, we took turns playing drums and other musical instruments. My "theory"was that our terrible playing was meant to scare away wild animals.

All too soon, I decided to go to bed in order to get a couple hours sleep before waking up at 5 AM to see the sunrise!

Bucket List: visit Morocco. Check!

2 June 2012

Throughout this year that I've lived in Spain, I've had the opportunity to travel to a lot of amazing cities throughout Europe. Each one has had something that made it unique. However, European cities are all basically built the same. Each city has a main plaza, a central cathedral, a castle/palace, a large park, etc. I love seeing palaces/castles as much as the next--especially since there is a dearth of castles in the United States--but I've become tired of seeing the same thing everywhere I go.


As I've traveled throughout Spain, I've seen many examples of Islamic-influenced architecture and art in cities like Granada, Sevilla, Zaragoza, Córdoba, and I've found it all fascinatingly beautiful. I've been interested in traveling to northern Africa in order to see how the original compares to how this style has manifested in Spain. 


This morning, I caught the bus to Valencia, met up with some American friends at the airport, and flew to Marrakesh, Morocco. 


After a slightly harrowing flight, we were met at the airport by a taxi driver who took us to our riad. A riad is a combination between a bed and breakfast and a hostel. They are usually pretty small. 




Our riad was located inside the medina--the historical part of the city. We were glad that we took the taxi since finding anything in the medina (at least the first time) can be extremely confusing. 


In no time, we were graciously ushered into the riad and offered tea on the rooftop terrace. In Morocco, hospitality is extremely important. It's customary to offer guests tea, and it's considered rude to refuse such an offer. 

On the terrace, we met 6 of the riads "pets." Six turtles wander aimlessly around the terrace--taking shelter during the worst of the heat and sniffing (?) and climbing over guests' feet the rest of the day. 










As we enjoyed our tea, we also took in the view our terrace had to offer. The roof had an amazing view of the rest of the medina. We could see into the souks and the mosque in the distance.

After settling down a little, we decided to leave the riad to find a place to eat dinner and explore the city a little more.




Our first stop was the souks--the open-air market located in the center of the medina. In the souks, people haggle for clothing, spices, food, and other items. A couple of my friends stopped and haggled for lighter clothing that will be more appropriate for our ride into the desert tomorrow.


Next, we walked into the main square--which was full of activity! There were vendors selling food and fresh orange juice. There were performers with monkeys and snakes. Once the sunset, there were also circles of people playing music.















For dinner, we went to a restaurant recommended by the man in our hostel. I had chicken couscous--which was pretty delicious. Later, we returned to the hostel in order to get some sleep before leaving at 7:30 AM to travel to the desert!

End of the Year Lunch!

1 June 2012

Since today is the 1st of June, the school day has officially become shorter! Instead of having class from 9 AM to 12:30 PM and 3:30 PM to 5 PM, we now just have classes from 9 AM to 1 PM. The Comunidad Valenciana  is the only community in all of Spain to have this odd schedule change. However, the director at my school is hoping that this will change next year, and they'll have the same, continuous schedule all year. 

In order to take advantage of the shorter school day, we had the teacher's end of the year lunch. As always, it was really fun to get together with all of the teachers to eat delicious food!

Of course, one of the main topics of conversation was the upcoming Hogueras (Fogueres in Valencian) which is the holiday celebrated for the feast day of Saint John.

I mentioned to a small group of teachers that I have a secret dream of wearing one of the traditional dresses that girls wear for this holiday. It's been my shameful secret all year since I saw one of these dresses at the Hogueras museum. I just love the skirts on the dresses--they're like bells that sway back and forth!

News travels quick. Not even two minutes after I had said this, another teacher from across the room approached me and was telling me how they were going to make this happen for me. I guess the idea of the americana in the traditional alicantina dress was something everyone wanted to see.

Over the course of the lunch, this became the inside joke.

One teacher told me that in order to wear the alicantina dress I was going to have to master a few skills. First, she asked if I had the wave down--so I showed her my best princess/Barbie wave. Then, she asked about my hips movement. I assured her that I could swing my hips and twirl the skirt of the dress to make it look like a bell. Lastly, she asked me if I knew the art of using a fan. Shamefully, I had to admit I didn't know how to use a fan and another teacher was "enlisted" to instruct me.

I'm not sure if I'll actually get the opportunity to wear one of these dresses, but I know that the teachers are doing their best to make that dream happen!

Tauromaquia

31 May 2012

There is still (at least) one controversial topic that I haven't yet written about in my blog--bullfighting.

It's been a prevalent topic in the news in the last week because a famous bullfighter, Julio Aparicio, rectnly retired from bullfighting. Two years ago, he was gored by a bull during a bullfight. Apparently, Aparicio slipped, and as he fell, the bull's horn pierced his throat. The bullfighter was rushed to the hospital, and doctors did their best to save him. The reconstruction surgery went well, and Aparicio was able to fight again. In fact, he fought again just 10 weeks after the accident.

Two days ago, after a bad fight, Aparicio asked one of his fellow toreros to cut his ponytail/braid in order to mark the end of his career as a torero.

Particularly in recent years, tauromaquia (the art of bullfighting) has become more and more controversial in Spain. This sometimes surprises people because when they think of Spain they stereotypically think of flamenco and bullfighting. But contrary to what outsiders might believe, the average Spaniard isn't a fan of bullfighting. 


I've talked to a number of Spaniards about the topic. The general consensus I've heard is pretty neutral. They appreciate the historical value that the tradition of bullfighting has in Spain. They can also see the beauty and art in the way that toreros fight. However, they also recognize that it is a cruel and violent sport in which the bull basically doesn't have a chance.  

Historically-speaking, bullfighting has always been more popular in the south than in the north of Spain. This is evidenced by the fact that bullfighting was actually outlawed in the community of Catalonia a few years ago. While I was in Barcelona in December, I saw that the bullfighting ring in the center of the city has since been turned into a shopping center.

Famous!

30 May 2012

Today, with my 6th grade classes, we played a game that I'm temporarily calling "Famous!" I don't really like the name, and I'm hoping I'll think of something a little catchier soon!

For this game, I wrote down a list of famous people on a sheet of paper. I tried to write down a variety of people as well as names of people that the kids would know. I picked actors/actresses, sports players, politicians (like Obama), inventors, scientists, singers, etc. I cut the names out into individual slips or paper.

I divided the class into two teams. One person from each team had to go to the board to write. I read the name of the famous person, and they had to write a sentence saying why the person is famous--using the past tense.

I reviewed all sorts of verbs with them before playing. However, we mostly ended up with "He was a famous ______." So I think next time I'll make a rule that they can't repeat verbs.

There were also people that I took for granted that the kids would know (or would know based on my American pronunciation) like Charles Dickens, Thomas Edison, Mozart.

The economic crisis in Alicante

29 May 2012

I've written various posts about "la crisis" (the crisis) here in Spain. The conservative government led by Rajoy is making cuts across the board in order to bring Spain out of the economic crisis.


However, I haven't written as much about the cuts being made here in Alicante and the Comunidad Valenciana. The government in Alicante has been doing everything possible to save money--some of these measures are a little strange.


A few months ago, the government announced that they were going to shut down fountains throughout the city as a way to save money. All the fountains in the city are only allowed to be on for one hour each day. So if you see a fountain running, it's your lucky day. This has been sad for me because there is a lovely fountain around the block from my apartment that I never see running anymore. Though I haven't read any figures about how much this is saving the government, I suppose shutting down fountains is better than firing someone--especially since Spain has the highest unemployment rate in Europe.


More recently, a second measure has been put in place--shutting down unnecessary traffic lights. I'm not sure how the government decided which traffic lights are unnecessary, but they've shut down a number of traffic lights (on one way streets) near where I live. The traffic light in front of my school was shut down for a number of days--though I'm not a 100% sure if it was due to this measure or just broken. Thankfully, there is usually a policeman around to direct traffic before and after school, but it was still alarming to think that there wasn't a traffic light working in a student zone. 

Make-up Day

28 May 2012

Since I'm going to missing a day next week (because I'll be in Morocco!), I went to school today to make it up. However, before going to my school, I stopped by an American friend's school in order to observe some of the similarities and differences between our English programs.

My friend was a Fulbrighter last year and continued working at the same school this year with the Ministerio de educación (Ministry of Education) program. She's invested a lot of time and energy into this program and I was curious to see what sorts of results she's had.

Her school's English program is rather unique in the Alicante-area. It's a English immersion program targeted at reading. However, the program starts in preschool--when the students are only 3 years old! These students are learning how to read in English before they ever learn to read in Spanish!

Furthermore, I would argue that they are learning to read even earlier than most American kids. When my sister was in kindergarten, she was learning to read simple sight words--like "cat," "the," "a," etc... However, these Spanish kids are learning to sound out some more difficult words. I think this is partially due to a difference in educational practices. In Spain, students learn to read at a younger age because reading in Spanish is straightforward. Each letter grouping only has one pronunciation--not like in English with words like "tough," "thought," "though," "through."

I had the chance to see the kids in action, and they were incredible!

The 5-year-olds were able to read books to me--even reading more difficult words like "caterpillar" and "butterfly." Their reading comprehension was also impressive.

There were a couple things that I noticed that did intrigue me--though these observations are based on just a short amount of time with the kids. First, I noticed that the kids tended to sound out everything and that they knew fewer sight words--like "the" and "a." I figure that part of this is due to the fact that their native language is still Spanish even though they are in an English immersion class. Second, the students do a lot more code-switching than my students. For example, when one student was asked if the book was too hard, she replied, "El libro era too hard." In some cases, the students use some phrases more in English than they do in Spanish, and so I heard phrases like, "Vienen de huevos like the dinosaurs." 


Later, I went to the 4-year-old classroom--where I got to see how it all works. At this school, they teach the kids to read using Jolly Phonics. The English language has 42 phonemes or distinct sound combinations. With Jolly Phonics, each phoneme has a little song and gesture to help remind the kids of how to pronounce the phoneme. They use these songs/gestures to help kids sound out words.  

Visiting my friend's school was an interesting contrast because my students are never taught how to read in English. This is part of the reason why even in 6th grade I hear the most appalling pronunciations like "bow-at" (boat) and "ga-may" (game).

I wish there were some way to combine these programs! I think that my students would benefit from a crash course in reading in English. I often hear from students, "Se escribe de una manera y se pronuncia de otra." (English is written one way and pronounced another). However, the real problem is that they don't view English reading and pronunciation as separate from Spanish. I've contemplated going to school one day and pronouncing everything in Spanish as if it were English in order to help them get the idea that English and Spanish reading and pronunciation are two completely different things.

Alicante: Día del alicantino de adopción

27 May 2012

Today, Alicante is celebrating día del alicantino de adopción with festivities in the Parque de Canalejas. The fiesta is meant to celebrate the diversity of the people living in Alicante, and the fact that Alicante's residents come from all parts of Spain.

El día del alicantino de adopción started at 12:30 with a parade. Later, when the festivities convened in Canalejas, there were different parts of the park dedicated to different regions in Spain--like Galicia, Castilla-Leon, Asturias, Murcia, etc.

Unfortunately, I missed the whole celebration due to some misinformation about the time and location of the event.

Instead, I went to a friend's apartment for lunch--where we enjoyed a rico Indian dish called chole saag. 

Alicia en el país de las maravillas

26 May 2012

I forgot to mention that yesterday my students performed the end of the year play! They performed an abridged version of Alicia en el país de las maravillas  (Alice in Wonderland). It was really quite amazing! I didn't realize how many of my students were little actors/actresses in the making!

One of the moms (or an after school theater teacher?) introduced the play in her role as a fairy, but the kids carried the rest of the show.

At the beginning of the play, some of the younger students--who played the flowers and cards--came on stage, danced, and sang a little about their role in the play. They looked so excited to be on stage in front of their classmates. One boy in particular is incredibly quiet in class. I hardly ever hear him talk. However, on stage, he couldn't stop smiling and giggling at the antics of the Mad Hatter!

The older girls did a great job in the roles of the Mad Hatter, the White Queen, the Red Queen, and Alice. The Mad Hatter was a good combination of funny, dispistada (absent-minded), and frantic movement. The Red and White Queen played the roles of two squabbling sisters perfectly. Alice was very sweet and peaceful.

The kids obviously worked really hard on the play! I'm really glad that I got the chance to see this artistic side of them!  

Bankia asks for another loan...

25 May 2012

The already troubled bank, Bankia, today asked for yet another loan from the Spanish government. Bankia said that it would need another 19 billion euros ($24 billion) more than it had originally anticipated.

This is much more than the Spanish government had expected to have to pay when they stepped in and partially nationalized Bankia earlier this month.

Part of the problem stems from the fact that Standard & Poor's (the credit rating agency) recently demoted Bankia's rating--basically giving it a junk status. Consequently, Bankia is having trouble borrowing money in order to stabilize the bank because no one wants to loan them money.

Unfortunately, now that the Spanish government has partially nationalized Bankia (and taxpayers now own 45% of shares in Bankia), the government can't let Bankia go under. The government has too much invested in the bank and the Spanish government doesn't want to appear unstable to investors or the European Union.  

However, the problem with Bankia is leading many in Europe to worry if Spain can resolve the banking situation without a EU bailout.

Spanish and American games...

24 May 2012

During my intercambio (language exchange) today, we talked about games that we used to play in Physical Education class as well as on the playground. It was interesting to find out how many games we have in common and which ones are a bit different.

We started by discussing ways in which team members are chosen or who goes first. Like in the United States, more often than not a team captain is chosen for each team, and they select members for their teams.

However, what interested me more is how they choose who goes first. In the United States, we often use choosing rhymes to decide who goes first. Everyone puts one (or sometimes two) feet in, and one by one people are eliminated. We use rhymes like: 
Eeney meeney miney moe, 
Catch a tiger by its toe, 
If he hollers let him go, 
Eeney meeney miney moe 
My mother told me to pick the very best one,
and you are not it. 


They also use another method for choosing who goes first. Two people stand a few feet apart. They have to walk towards each other--but with every step their heels must touch their toes. The last person who can take a full step is the winner. 


As in the United States, kids play games like Tag/Freeze Tag(juegos de pillar), Cops and Robbers (Policías y Ladrones), Hide and Seek (Escondite), and jumping rope (saltar la comba). 


I still need to ask the girls at school what sorts of rhymes they use for jumping rope, but I promise to write about it soon!

Tapas therapy

23 May 2012

Some days, you just need to unwind after a difficult day. Today, I definitely needed some tapas therapy with my friends.

My day wasn't actually that trying until after school.

Every Wednesday, I head to a café near my school--mostly to have a little down time and to plan some lessons. There, I have my merienda (snack), and I chill out for an hour and a half watching a program called Sálvame. This show is a cross between a talk show like The View and Jerry Springer.

The show mostly focuses on celebrity news (they seem to have a particular fondness for the bullfighter Jose Ortega Cano; they haven't stopped discussing his son's relationship with a woman 15 years his senior) as well as the lives of the personalities on the show.

I have to confess that the first time I saw the show I thought it was pretty ridiculous--admittedly I still feel that way. However, it's become part of my Wednesday routine.

My troubles began after I left the café and was promptly run down by a 5-year-old on a bike. I'm not exactly sure how it happened, but this kid had either terrible steering or terrible sight because he just ran into me. Afterwards, I asked him if he was alright, he nodded, and biked away without a word or apology.

On the tram ride into the city center, I was reading a book and heard a noise that sounded like a gunshot. It turned out that someone had thrown a rock at the tram. It cracked a window, but thankfully the glass didn't break and no one was hurt.

I got home to my apartment and was ready to chill for the night. Unfortunately, I walked into the kitchen and found the typical mini-disaster that someone decided to leave for me to fix. Not everyone I live with is like this, but I do live with a couple of people who don't really know what to do when there is a problem so they pretend like it never happened. It's left to the rest of us to resolve these problems or call the landlady when it's a bigger problem. 

While these may not seem like big problems, after a long day at work, I felt like I was hecho polvo (beat). Hanging out with my friends and going out for tapas (Spanish appetizers) seemed like the best way to make the most of a bad night!

La educación no es un gasto. Es una inversión. No a los recortes!

22 May 2012

As I mentioned last week, teachers in Alicante are striking for 6 days this month in order to protest cuts being made in education. Today marked the 3rd day of said striking and it has been by far the most successful. When I arrived at school today, it was virtually deserted. The only people who were there were the teachers that had to be there to offer minimal services for the students who came to school. Neither of my host teachers came today so I used the time to finish up some projects that I'd put off.

For the first time, educators from all levels (from preschool to university) from nearly every Comunidad (Spain is divided into 17 comunidades) banded together to protest cuts being made in education.

Various forms of protest have taken place all over the country.

University and high school students in various communities staged sit-ins on their campuses. They brought sleeping bags with them and camped out overnight. In Catalunya, students were able to convince Ferrocarrils to not allow any trains to stop at the University of Barcelona until 11 AM. Of course, there were also many large protests in bigger cities such as Madrid (80,000 people), Barcelona (150,000 people), and Valencia. Alicante also held a protest against cuts being made in education.

The teaching unions estimate that an average of approximately 80% of teachers participated in today's protest. In Alicante, it's estimated that 60% of educators (55% in primary schools, 65% in secondary schools, and 50% at the university) and 80% of students are striking.

For the most part, the protests have been peaceful. However, there have been students and educators that have been detained.

It's estimated that around 7.5 million students were effected by the strike--with 6 million of those students being primary or secondary students.

Spanish banking woes...

21 May 2012

After the partial nationalization of Bankia earlier this month, the Spanish government was hoping that the banking crisis was going to turn around.

However, on Friday, the credit rating agency Moody's downgraded 16 of Spain's banks. Among these banks are two of the largest banks in Spain--Santander and BBVA. According to Moody's, the agency doesn't believe that the Spanish government has the resources necessary to provide adequate stability for Spanish banks at this time. They stated that during the 1st quarter of 2012 the Spanish economy was back in a recession and they did not expect this status to change (at least this year).

Bucket list: Learn to make a good paella... Check!

20 May 2012

Today, I had yet another opportunity to cross an item off my bucket list. Since I'm living in the Community of Valencia--home of paella--I've been wanting to learn how to make a good paella. Especially since there will be a dearth of paella when I get back to the States.

When I mentioned my desire to learn how to make a paella a couple of weeks ago, my language exchange partner told me that his mother would probably be willing to teach me.

So today we went out to the country so I could learn how to make a paella! It's a time consuming process and you have to have a lot of patience. However, it's definitely worth it!

I can't share the secrets of all that I learned. I'm hoping that with some practice I can make a paella that tastes like the one we ate today!

Bucket List: La isla de Tabarca... check!

19 May 2012

For a while now, I've wanted to visit an island located off the coast of Alicante. This weekend, some of my American friends and I finally went to the island of Tabarca. The ferry (the only one of the day until June) left Alicante at 11:15 AM and it only took us around 45 minutes to arrive on the island.

The island is technically part of the city of Alicante, and at last count, it has 68 inhabitants. Even so, this makes it the largest inhabited island in the Community of Valencia. According to our waiter at lunch, there can be thousands of people on the island during the summer, and during the winter there are typically only around 10 people (mostly older folks) who stick around.

Throughout the centuries, the island has served as a haven for pirates--such as the Barbary pirates. In the 18th century, the island was conquered by the king of Tunisia. He imprisoned all of the inhabitants of the island. However, they were later freed by Carlos III of Spain. Most of the inhabitants stayed on the island and Tabarca was converted into a military post.









The island was beautiful! The water is exceptionally clear and so you can see everything in the water. This is one of the reasons that Tabarca has been designated as a marine reserve. There are various protected species that live around the island such as sea bass, grouper, conger eel, gilthead.  

Since the waters are so clear, we wanted to go snorkeling to see what types of fish we could see. Unfortunately, the water is still a little too cold to be in for a long time, and we didn't have the right gear. However, I'm sure that we'll come back some other day to check it out.

Selectividad

17 May 2012

During my language exchange in the last several weeks, we've been comparing the Spanish and American university systems. One of the topics that has come up in these sessions (as well as one I've heard about from parents at school) has been Selectividad. Selectividad is the Spanish version of the ACT or SAT, and the test date is fast approaching.

Selectividad is taken by students who have finished instituto (high school) and plan to attend university. It consists of six 90 minute tests which are taken over the course of three days in either June or September. I remember taking the ACT and the SAT, and I thought those were bad! But Selectividad is almost three times as long!

The test consists of two parts. The first part is required of all students who take Selectividad and it tests all subjects covered in school--such as Spanish, English (or the foreign language that they took in instituto), history, Valencian/Basque/Galician (depending on the region), and whatever subject you want to specialize in. The second part (and non-compulsory) allows you to choose 2 to 4 specific subject tests. These tests can help students to increase their final score.

Before, students were graded on a scale of 1 to 10--as is common in the Spanish schooling system. The final score was the average of all of the tests combined. Now, scores are weighted depending on what the student plans to study at university.

I don't know much about the exam itself, but I've been looking at old English tests.

The English part of the exam is completely focused on reading and writing. The first part of the exam is reading comprehension. Students must answer some multiple choice questions, short answer, and true and false questions about the text that they are given. Then, they write a short response of 100-150 words about topics related to the text.

From what I've heard, the test can be a bit tricky because the texts that are chosen are a little random. I've read a few of the texts used in previous years and I found that the texts use language that is a little awkward. It's all technically correct (and from native English sources) but would be more challenging for a non-native speaker.

Such as the following quote: "I'd say myself that Glasgow is a crazy football city; there aren't many Glaswegians who don't support one or other of our two big professional teams, Rangers or Celtic. And the football results in the evening papers are a lot more important to many people that what's happening in the rest of the world.... Well, when the two clubs were founded they both had religious connections, which probably sounds a funny thing for football."

Huelga en educación

16 May 2012

Teachers here in Alicante are still fighting for an end to the cuts being made in education. Today, the teachers held the first of six days of strike this month.

In the fall, it was first announced that the teachers wages would be cut. Teacher's salaries are going to be cut by approximately 200 euros a month. They have to work more (since class sizes are also increasing) but get paid less. The government is also essentially freezing salaries. Before, teachers could take enrichment classes and attend conferences in order to eventually get a raise.

Considering teachers make around 1800 euros a month, this is a significant cut. In order to protest these cuts, in the fall, teachers decided to stop offer extra services such as field trips (with the exception of the trips at the end of the cycle). Parents were upset by this and (at least some) started to also participate in the teachers' weekly protests.

Since nothing has come out of these measures, the teachers decided to step it up and begin striking. Not all of the teachers are striking each of these days--since the will lose 200 euros from their salaries for each day that they strike! Today, around half of the teachers were out on strike and most of the teachers who did come to school were only offering minimal services (aka the kids played on the playground all day).

We'll see if these strikes have the desired effect.

More than anything, I feel bad for the kids. They are the innocent victims in this whole tragedy. I understand that the teachers are unhappy about the cuts--I would be too. Unfortunately, the Valencian government just doesn't have any money and so money has to be cut somewhere. I'm not saying it should come from education. In fact, I think that education and health care are the last two places cuts should ever be made.

However, it's the kids who are losing out on activities and class days.

Skyping with the States: Part II

15 May 2012

As I mentioned last week, my other 6th grade class had the chance to skype with a class in the US today! Thankfully, it went much better because I learned from our errors in the first session.

Last week, I wrote about logistical concerns with such an activity. However, I'd also like to write about what I think this activity did for the students because I think this was an activity that they will never forget.

First, it gave the students a chance to practice English with someone other than their English teacher and me (and the cassette). It's great for students to hear a variety of accents and speech patterns so that they can develop a good ear for understanding spoken English. That, and I've learned that as Americans we have "lazy accents" and we "eat a lot of sounds." So instead of a crisp "twen-ty," Americans say "twen-y." I honestly didn't realize that there was such a profound difference between British and American accents until I arrived in Spain, and people told me that I was difficult (almost impossible) to understand.  

My students have made great strides in being able to understand me. At the beginning of the year, I mostly got blank stares. Now, they more or less understand everything--which, of course, meant that I needed to have them hear other American students.

Furthermore, skyping with an American class was a great way to get the students motivated to speak in English. It was remarkable which students decided that they wanted to respond and ask questions. There were the students I expected to talk because they always participate. However, there were also students who never talk and try to avoid participation that wanted to try. They wanted to ask questions about football (soccer) and what their favorite teams were. They wanted to ask about food and whether they like pizza. They shyly approached me to ask "How do you say que Barcelona es el mejor equipo?"

They also got to see how much they have in common with the American students. They talked about food, sports, and activities. They discovered that everyone universally likes pizza. The American students learned a little about typical Spanish foods--such as paella and horchata. The students learned that they all like to play soccer (football) and basketball--though the Americans also like to play American football. Even though they live on two different continents, I think they realized that they have more in common than they expected!

Small differences.... Handwriting

14 May 2012

Even though I don't typically work on Mondays, I went to school today to prepare my students for their skype session with the US tomorrow and to give them their pen pal letters from their American friends. This led to an interesting discussion about things that they've noticed about their letters.

Some of their observations are the things you would expect (like "have got" versus "have" and "football" versus "soccer"). However, there were also little differences that you take for granted as being the same everywhere--such as handwriting.

First, a number of students were a little annoyed that their American friends had spelled their names wrong--though I assured them there were an equal number of letters I sent to the US with American students' names spelled wrong. I asked them if they had any difficulty reading their pen pal letters or if they noticed any differences in how letters were written. One student noted that a lot of the American students write in print--while the Spanish students write in cursive.

A number of students said that they thought that some of the letters were written differently, but they had trouble pinpointing which ones. I told them that when I read their work I often have trouble with the letters: r, s, k, h, and the vowels. It's the reason why I sometimes have to ask them to tell me how they've spelled something because I can't decide which one it is.

One student was particularly put out about how his name was spelled in his letter. I told him that he should tell his friend that he misinterpreted his name and that he should write his name VERY clearly in his response to his friend. A little while later, he turned in his reply to me. I start reading the letter and immediately notice he's butchered his American pen pal's name. I asked him if he did it on purpose (you never know!), but he told me that was how his friend wrote his name in his letter. In looking at the original letter, I could see how the Spanish student could misinterpret his American friend's name, and I helped the student to see how it was actually written. It seemed to drive home the idea that just as he couldn't read his American friend's name his American friend might have trouble with his name.

Eventually, I got the chance to sit down and read the rest of the letter. Unfortunately, my Spanish student didn't write his name any clearer this time and I could see exactly why the American student interpreted his name wrong.

Nationalization of Bankia

13 May 2012

Last week, the Spanish government intervened and nationalized the Spanish bank Bankia.

In 2010, due to government-initiated bank reforms, Bankia formed as a merger of seven Spanish banks--with the majority of the shares held by Caja Madrid. As of this year, Bankia was the 3rd (or 4th depending on the source) largest bank in Spain (following Santander and BBVA) and held the majority of real estate assets (around 38 billion euros). These real estate assets are no doubt a part of the root of the problem for the bank. When the Spanish real estate market crashed, the bank ended up with a lot of debt.

However, in late-March, Bankia approached the Spanish government about a bail-out. Originally, the government denied the request--telling Bankia that they need to have more measures in place.

It was announced on Wednesday that the Spanish government will give Bankia the bail-out they have requested (of 4.5 billion euros)--gaining the Spanish government a 45% majority share in the bank.

Since the partial-nationalization of Bankia, the Spanish government has taken other measures to try to assure people (probably also to placate the rating companies) that they can trust in the stability of the Spanish economy. The Spanish government now requires that all banks have an extra 30bn euros (in addition to the 54bn euros the government required of banks in February) so they can cover bad loans.



*Disclaimer: I'm not an economist, and so I'm only explaining the situation to the best of my understanding.

Las americanas (y las italianas) and the Chocolate Factory

12 May 2012

This morning, we finally made the trip to Villajoyosa to tour the Valor Chocolate Factory!

The tour started with a short video about the history of Valor chocolate. The video was strange to say the least, and that's all I'm going to say about it.

Next, we walked through the museum. We saw different advertisements for Valor chocolate over the years. This one is a personal favorite. From left to right it says: before drinking Lopez's chocolate, after drinking Lopez's chocolate, and after drinking Lopez's chocolate twice a day. I only wish this were true because I would look like the woman on the far right!

We also learned about the process for making Valor chocolate. Valor chocolate gets cocoa beans from various parts of the world--including Ghana, Panama, and Ecuador. First, the cocoa beans are cleaned. Then, they are roasted and ground into small pieces called nibs.

We were allowed to try these nibs. They were extremely bitter--though this makes sense since they are 100% pure chocolate.

This hose is only for sugar

Next, the nibs are ground even further until a paste/liqueur can be removed from the cocoa. The cocoa is taken to be refined into a fine powder while the liqueur is pressed until they can extract cocoa butter--which is used later in the chocolate making process.

The powder is placed in a machine (with sugar, cocoa butter, and milk) that warms and churns it for hours until a perfect consistency is reached. Then, the chocolate is placed into molds and allowed to cool.

 

After touring the tasting chocolate at the factory, we walked down to the beach for lunch. We got to see the beautiful colored houses down by the beach front.

During a tour at the archaeological museum, I learned that the houses were colored so that sailors could quickly recognize their own houses. People used to put flags in the windows to signal a birth or a death. So if you lived in the green house next to the red house, you could look at the windows and easily be able to tell if anything had happened while you were away.

Some phrases just don't translate...

11 May 2012

In the 8 years I've been studying Spanish, I've learned that there are just some phrases that don't translate or are false friends--meaning they don't mean what you expect them to mean. I wanted to share a couple I came upon while reading rough drafts of pen pal letters, others I've heard about from other people's stories, and some that I've misunderstood when I heard them.

I'm also going to share a couple words that don't have a direct translation. Also, I think it's interesting to consider why some words translate better than others and what this might say about culture.

pesado/pesada. While reading pen pal rough drafts, I was trying to figure out why all of the girls were writing "Is your sister as heavy as my sister?" This seemed a little rude. Spaniards tend to be more direct than Americans, but they are extremely rude. I'll admit I had to think about this question for nearly 45 minutes before I figured out what the problem was. The girls wanted to use the word "pesada" which means both heavy and annoying. Unfortunately, they translated the word wrong and asked about how heavy their sisters are instead of how annoying they are.

constipado/constipada. For your information, this does not mean constipated. It's actually used to mean "stuffy" or "congested" as in "My nose is stuffy." I think it throws everyone off the first time they hear it in Spanish.

awkward. While you can translate awkward into Spanish as uncomfortable, this just doesn't fully capture the full essence of the meaning of the word awkward. I'm 100% sure that the fact that the word awkward doesn't exist as such in Spanish doesn't have anything to do with the lack of awkward situations in Spanish. I assure you the awkwardness is a universal problem.

feeling hot/cold. These should not be directly translated. In Spanish, you have cold (tengo frío) or you have hot (tengo calor). If you use the Spanish verb for "to be," it will have a sexual connotation. One girl on my first trip to Spain learned this the hard way when our guide just laughed at her.

procrastinator. There isn't a single word for this in Spanish. I asked my language exchange partner about it a week ago because I wanted to describe myself that way in Spanish. However, you can basically only call yourself  "alguien que deja todo hasta el último momento."

quirky. I had a conversation about this word with my language exchange partner. I explained that a quirk is something a little funny/goofy that someone does for no real reason, but that usually it's seen as a positive or funny thing. He told me that the translation would be "manía," but I'm not sure that captures the positive side of the word "quirky."

embarazada. This is a false friend. It doesn't mean embarrassed. It means pregnant. I know someone who once said that she was "embarazada" to her host parents in order to say that she was embarrassed about something. They looked at her stomach strangely and only later did she realize her error.

Skyping with the States

9 May 2012

For many months, I had been considering organizing a skype session with a class in the United States for my 6th grade students. I was a little hesitant because I wasn't sure if they could really handle it--both behavior-wise and linguistically. Ultimately, I thought it would be good to expose them to other accents and give them the opportunity to practice English with people other than their English teacher and me.

Our experience on the whole was positive. We have a skype session schedule for my other 6th grade class next week. After that experience, I'll write about what I think the students got out of the experience. However, today, I'd just like to talk about what I discovered the hard way because my students were much worse behaved than they normally are.

• Setup is important. Before the actual skype session, it's important to do a practice call. However, there are many factors that go into this setup. 
• Try to have a couple students with you while you do the practice call. When I did the practice call, the American teacher could hear me perfectly. However, when we did the actual call, the American class had difficulty hearing the Spanish students' voices. 
• Think about how you want to arrange the classroom. All of the kids are going to want to be seen by the camera so be sure that you test the camera view ahead of time. Also, make sure that there are pathways so students can easily approach the microphone to ask questions and quickly sit down.
• Preparation and follow up. It's important to talk to the students about the experience before and after.
• Talk to the students about impressions. Ask the students what type of impression they want to give and how they can go about achieving it. 
• Preparing questions ahead of time. Be sure to ask them to write 2-3 questions ahead of time. I guarantee most of them will not be able to think of anything in the moment.
• Give students tasks. I assigned different students various tasks to keep them on track. Two students were secretaries, and one student called on other students to ask questions. I should have had one student be the photographer because I ended up without any pictures of our experience!
• Remind students that they need to speak slowly and clearly. 
• Ask students about their reactions. It's interesting to hear what their first reactions to the experience were. I heard someone say how surprised he was that the American students were all so blond. Another student complained that they spoke too fast (though I told them they do the same in Spanish, but they protested). Some of them noticed differences in language usage.
• Lay down some ground rules. The kids were very excited--which incidentally led them to misbehave. It's hard to be mad at them for this, but you'll lose a lot of time if you can't get them to quiet down. So consider how you are going to deal with misbehavior and understanding checks. 
• Organization. Talk to the other teacher about how you'd like to organize the skype session. We ended up having the students start by introducing themselves (so everyone had a chance to participate). They all had to say their names and their favorite activity. Then, we took turns asking questions. We also agreed to leave the last 5-10 minutes for my Spanish students to teach the American students a little Spanish. 
• Be ready for the end of the call! All of the students are going to rush the camera to wave at the other kids! Give them the chance to do this, but stay close to the computer so you can stop the call when it gets to be obnoxious! 

Positive Reinforcement: Stars

10 May 2012

I've written before about various methods of positive reinforcement that I've tried here in the classroom in Spain. Using positive reinforcement is something that I think that all teachers struggle with, but it's something that makes a huge difference. If a student is accustomed to being yelled at, the student becomes in a way immune to it. However, give that student some encouragement for the things he/she is doing right, and the student will try harder because every student just wants a little bit of praise.

I've already written about using the Star of the Day with my 1st grade classes. However, I wanted to take that idea and give more kids the opportunity to get stars.

Today, at the beginning of class, I wrote the word "names" on the board. I stood next to the board observing the usual chaos of the first five minutes of class when the students are handing out folders and pencil cases. I was waiting to see who would be the first to open his/her folder to take out his/her books and open them to the right pages.

I wrote the names of the first two students to do this on the board and put a star by their names. Of course, all of the students noticed and immediately asked me what was going on. They wanted to know if these kids were in trouble or something. I explained to them that these were the best behaved students in the class and I told them what I liked that they did. They sat down quietly, opened their books, and waited for class to start....

Within seconds, all of the kids had everything ready and asked me if I would put their names on the board. I told them I was only going to put the names of the students who had good behavior, who were trying to speak in English, who were working hard, etc.

Of course, they had a million questions--like how many stars they could get, if they could lose stars...

This method of positive reinforcement turned out to be "teaching magic." All the kids were really well-behaved that day--even the ones that usually toe the line. All of them were eager to show me what they were doing and how hard they were working.

However, the most amazing part was the type of students for whom this was working. Some of the students who dislike working on English activities were actually working!

Support for International Exchange Programs

8 May 2012

Congress will be voting on May 22nd regarding funding for international exchange programs like Fulbright. If you would like to support these types of programs, you can write a letter to you senators at the following website: http://capwiz.com/fulbright/issues/alert/?alertid=61299626&queueid=[capwiz:queue_id]

International exchange programs like the Fulbright are essential in promoting cultural understanding and giving the world a more positive view of the United States. If you've read my blog, then you know that my students here in Spain as well as the students in the United States are benefiting from my experiences in Spain.

My students get to hear and speak to a native speaker on a daily basis--strengthening their language abilities. I also have the chance to talk with them about what the United States is really like. They have a lot of stereotypes of the United States from what they hear and see on TV and from other figures in their lives. I get to explain to them that no, we don't eat hamburgers every day in the United States. No, not everyone is fat in the United States. No, unfortunately, we don't eat pancakes and bacon every day for breakfast.

My students are also making friends with students in the United States. Through our pen pal project, students in both the United States and Spain are getting to know students from another country. They are learning that there aren't really that many differences between them. In Spain, they call it football. In the US, they call it soccer. However, in both places, they play sports with their friends at school as well as after school. Furthermore, they are learning about some of the differences between these two countries--such as the typical foods, the school schedules, etc.

Just the other day, I was proofreading a letter from one of my students to an American student. She writes in her letter (unedited), "Can we be (*Julia of your class, *Adriana of my class, and you and me) best friends?"   Isn't this the purpose of international exchange programs? Building positive relationships between countries?

For me, personally, I'm learning a lot about Spanish culture and I'm improving my spoken Spanish. This is all knowledge that I will eventually bring to the table when I teach in a Spanish classroom. However, it's also been an experience for personal growth. I've done something that scared me last year--living by myself for a year in a foreign country. And I'm a better and stronger person for it. I've learned a lot about myself and how I want to live my life.

Things that will confuse me when I get back to the United States...

7 May 2012

With less than two months before I leave Spain (and less than three months before I´m back in the United States), I´ve been thinking about what re-entry will be like. I´ve studied abroad before and going back is always a bit of a challenge. However, after being away from the United States for nearly a year, I´ve been reflecting on the things that will confuse me when I get back to the States.

Here´s the list (in no particular order):

1. Reading dates: Here in Europe dates are written day-month-year, and in the States they are written month-day-year. For some dates, it´s obvious because it couldn´t possibly be the 23rd month. Other dates are trickier, and I´ll have to try to remember which way I´m supposed to be reading the date. 
2. Reading calendars: Most US calendars are written starting with Sunday, but here most calendars start with Monday. It makes sense. Sunday and Saturday are part of the weekEND. So logically they should be at the end of the week. 
3. Temperatures: Europe uses Celcius instead of Fahrenheit. At this point, I´m using a mixture of the two. I know some key temperatures in Celcius--like 0, 20, -28 (to describe the South Dakota winter), 30. Other than those temperatures, I have no idea.
4. Leaving tips: Having worked in a food service job, I usually try to leave decent tips because I know what it´s like. In Spain, it isn´t customary to leave a tip because the bill already includes the tip. If you have been someplace and felt like you had a good time, the food and service was good, you might leave a 1€ tip. This just means when I get back to the US I´m going to seem like a cheap jerk because I´ve forgotten to tip. 
5. Metric System: After a year of figuring out the metric system because no one knows what 10 pounds, 1 gallon, or 5 feet means, I´m not sure what I´ll do.
6. English: Here the kids are learning British English--which makes sense since England is closer than the United States. However, it means that I've been using some British-isms with the kids--such as "have got," "rubber," "jumper," "lorry," and my personal favorite "lollipop lady." Who knew that a "lollipop lady" is a crossing guard?  

Rastrillo fail.

6 May 2012

I had seen various advertisements for a rastrillo (sort of like a flea market) in the center of Alicante. I was pretty excited to check it out. Rastrillos are like treasure hunts--you never know exactly what you'll find.

In Madrid, there is a famous market called the Rastro. It's open every Sunday and each public holiday. For the market, they close down several city blocks to house all of the stalls. It's really fun to visit, but it can be extremely crowded and overwhelming if you go during rush hour (11 AM).

The Rastrillo in Alicante was really tiny--comprising less than 10 stalls. It was actually really disappointing. However, this just means that I need to get up early on a Saturday morning to go to the larger open-air markets here in Alicante. Apparently, there are two, and they have a pretty good selection.

In order to compensate for the rastrillo fail, we went to a new frozen yogurt shop called Yo Yo. They have a bunch of different flavors and you can choose from a lot of toppings. Instead of ordering a sundae, you can put whatever you'd like in a dish, and you pay by weight. This is both good and bad. It's great because you can put whatever toppings you want on, but you also end up consuming more calories due to the candies and sweets you put on top.

Cinco de Mayo and moonlight frolicks!

5 May 2012

This morning, I went shopping with a friend--to find some outfits that will keep us cool when we head to Morocco in June. On our way out of the mall, we started talking about the fact that it's Cinco de Mayo today and we didn't have plans for celebrating it!

So, in a very impromptu fashion, we decided to make Mexican food for dinner and invite a few of our international friends. For a last minute dinner, everything ended up tasting pretty delicious--which is not to say that we didn't have a few fracasos (fails).

First, we accidentally broke a glass lid--which ruined the wonderful smelling black beans. I guess the pressure and heat was too much for the lid and so it cracked and sent slivers of glass into the black beans.

Next, some things just require more forethought than others. We tried to make guacamole, but the avocados we got at the store were not ripe enough to make guacamole. We tried to make it anyway, but it was basically a lost cause.

After dinner, a friend and I headed out to the beach to check out the supermoon. Ideally, I think we would have been able to see the difference in size better if we had gone while the moon was still raising. As it was, it started out fairly cloudy, but eventually cleared up. We had a fun time gazing at the moon, running through the water on the beach, and cartwheeling around.

For your Cinco de Mayo enjoyment, here is a video that's a parody of a Mexican soap opera called Qué hora es?.  

Scandal with the Spanish Royal Family. Part II

4 May 2012

I wrote a couple weeks ago about the various scandals that have plagued the Spanish Royal Family this year. I briefly mentioned the case with Urdangarin--the king's son-in-law. The fraud case being brought against him has been in the news throughout this year so I thought that I should explain in more detail what's going on.

Iñaki Urdangarin is the son of an important Basque family. When he was younger, he had a career as a professional handball player--playing in several Olympic Games. It was actually at the Olympic Games that he met the Infanta Cristina--the youngest daughter of King Juan Carlos. They eventually got married and had four children.

In the last year, Urdangarin has been accused of embezzling funds from his non-profit Nóos Institute.

Urdangarin is accused of using his position to get contracts (from small regional governments) and money for his company--which was supposedly a nonprofit--to organize sports related conferences. The work that the "nonprofit" was contracted out to for-profit companies that Urdangarin controlled and the work was either never was completed or ridiculously over-budgeted. It's estimated that between 2004-2006 he received nearly 6 million euros or $8 million for these "projects." That money then ended up in overseas tax havens in Belize and the United Kingdom. 


Since the scandal started in November/December 2011, the Royal Family has cut off ties with Urdangarin and not allowed him to attend functions with them. In his Christmas speech, the king mentioned that "justice is for all" effectively abandoning Urdangarin to his fate. 

A few days ago, rumors are circulating that Urdangarin and his business partner Diego Torres have offered to plead guilty and return all the money they embezzled in exchange for no prison time. These men will have to return 3.5 million euros--though it's not certain who will have to pay the majority of that quantity. However, Urdangarin denies that there will be a plea bargain.

This is yet another embarrassment for the Spanish Royal Family this year. The Spanish people are understandably upset. The unemployment rate is one of the worst in Europe and is nearly 50 percent amongst Spanish young people.

What to talk about during a language exchange (intercambio)...

3 May 2012

One of the best features of Blogger is that you can see what search terms people have used to find your blog. Intercambios and what to talk about during an intercambio has come up a number of times so I thought maybe I should take a post to address this issue.

If you are looking for a language exchange partner, there are various ways to go about doing it.

First, you can let the people you are working with/studying with know that you are looking for someone. The grapevine works pretty well. Both of the groups of people I am doing an exchange with found me through people we know in common.

You can also look for posters at the university. Usually, there are places where people will put postings for language exchange partners.

Also, there are websites that help to facilitate finding a language partner. I haven't used any of these websites, but I have a friend who used Tus Clases Particulares here in Spain.

I'm by no means an expert on intercambios (language exchanges), but I'll share a few pieces of advice based on my experience.

1. Formal versus Informal. An intercambio can be as formal or informal as you want it to be. If you don't want to share your life story with your exchange partner, you shouldn't feel obligated to do so. However, finding out the things that you have in common can be a great way to make friends--which is nice in a foreign city.
2. Topics of Conversation. Conversations about interests is a great way to get to know someone and cover a wide range of vocabulary. Ask about favorite movies, books, sports, music, hobbies, etc. You can also talk about current events. It's an interesting way to learn a bit more about how people feel about what's going on in the country. 
3. Culture. An intercambio is also a great time to ask all your burning questions about culture--if you think your exchange partner is open to it. It's nice to have someone who is learning just like you and who is curious just like you. It makes it easier to ask questions that you are afraid might offend someone if you ask them the wrong way. 
4. Colloquial phrases. It's also a great time to ask questions about colloquial phrases or the ways in which people really use language. You already know that what you've been taught in school about Spanish (French, Arabic, German, etc...) isn't always exactly how real people use the language. Now is your opportunity to find out! 
5. Weaknesses. Everyone has one (or two. or three) in their second language. I confess that I sometimes have problems using subjunctive and preterite/imperfect in Spanish. My exchange partner and I are finding ways to incorporate them into conversation so I have more of an opportunity to practice them with someone who can give me feedback.
6. Change it up! Sometimes it's nice to change the location where you have your intercambio because it will help you expand you vocabulary. I've had meetings in cafés and restaurants. We've gone to the mall to shop. I went with my exchange partners on a trip. You can go to museums and exhibitions in your city. There are a million things that you can do--so keep it interesting by doing different things!

Benefit Concert for Guillermo

2 May 2012

Today, I ended up going to a benefit concert with my new language exchange partner. The concert was for a little boy from Alicante named Guillermo.

Guillermo was born with a lesion in his brain (specifically the cerebellum and cerebral cortex). Due to this lesion, Guillermo's development has been delayed. He's had difficulties with his vision, hearing, and motor skills.  He began life as a happy and calm baby. Now, he has little control over his body. He can barely hold up his head and has seizures frequently.

Since his family could find no one in the public medical system to help him, they have had to look to specialists in the private sector. He's currently undergoing treatment in a private clinic in the other side of the country. His parents need help to pay for these medical expenses.

The family is doing its best to raise money for the costs of his treatments.

They are collecting tapones (plastic caps) at various sites throughout Alicante and other cities in Spain.

Today, they had a benefit concert featuring Marina (a singer from Alicante) and Juan Dorá. Marina had an amazing voice! Most of the songs she sang were covers of songs in English--which was good for me since it meant I understood all of the songs! Juan Dorá sang some covers from his first album as well as a few songs that he has written for his second album. He also had a very powerful voice. I was worried that I'd have trouble understanding the lyrics to the songs because songs tend to be more difficult to understand in Spanish. However, I actually didn't have any problems.

At the end of the concert, there was a drawing for a few tickets to a Hércules basketball game, signed CDs from Juan Dorá and.... a jersey signed by the whole Hércules team!

Today must have been my lucky day because I ended up with a signed CD from Juan Dorá! I got the chance to talk to him for a minute, and he seemed really nice.

If you want to know more about Guillermo or you feel moved to make a donation, you can do so at: http://www.ayudaguillermo.es/

No School! European Union Labor Day!

1 May 2012

Today, we don't have school since it is European Union Labor Day. I had a long weekend (4 days) and considered going on a trip since this is the last long weekend I have until we finish at the end of June. However, after traveling EVERY SINGLE weekend in April, I decided that I deserved a little bit of a break.

However, it does make me sad to know that I'm missing May Day in the US. I know that not all parts of the States have special May Day traditions, but in my town, we make May Day baskets. We take these baskets to our friends houses, ring their doorbell, leave basket, and run. If the person catches you, according to tradition, you have to kiss each other.

Instead of celebrating May Day, I went with my friends out to eat. We ended up going to a terrible place. We had probably the worst service that I've ever had here in Spain. We ended up waiting forty minutes before anyone would even take our order. We did get fed up and tried to pay for our drinks and leave, but they promised that it would just be a moment before someone took our order. The food wasn't that great either.

Later, I had an intercambio (language exchange) with a new partner. It was super interesting because I've found that we talk about different topics than I talk about with the two teachers from my school. It also gives me another perspective. Not everyone uses the same vocabulary or speaks in the same way so it's nice to have a variety of experiences.

I learned a few of the following phrases:

ponerse las botas--to eat a ton

vas a tu bola--do your own thing

pan comido--It's as easy as pie or it's a piece of cake. 

Wait... Her students are too what?!?!?!

30 April 2012

Today, I read an article that I found to be really surprising. Before I explain what happened, I want to preface that Spanish teachers--like American teachers--just want the best for their students. They want their students to learn, discover, and succeed. What I'm going to write about is an administrative issue--which is a whole 'nother ball game.

There was a Spanish teacher working in a Spanish school in Andorra (If you aren't familiar with Andorra, it's a tiny country between France and Spain). She had a really good year with her students. They can now add, subtract, read, and almost write. Did I mention that they are 4 years old?

Spanish children learn things like reading and writing a lot earlier that American children, but most don't know how to do all of these things when they are four. Admittedly, Spanish is an easier language to learn to read and write since it's written exactly as it is pronounced.

A Spanish official thought that this was too much. He said that the students have "too high a level for a public school" and recommended that the teacher be removed from her current position.

Of course, this has caused an outrage with the students' parents, parents in general, and teachers.

You can read the full article here.

Chiggers are no fun.

26 April 2012

So it turns out that while I was in Scotland, I was bitten by chiggers or something very similar. After I went up Carlton Hill, I took a nap in the grass while listening to the musical practices for Beltane. During, this time, some sort of bug similar to chiggers bit me. I noticed the itch an hour or two later while I was eating a scone in a café, but didn't think much of it.

At this point in the week, it has gotten to epic proportions. I have bites all over my arms, neck, and lower back. They are nearly unbearably itchy and incredibly large. I mean some of these bites have gotten so swollen they are bigger than quarters. I went to the pharmacy early this week, but whatever they gave me didn't do much.

Pharmacies are a little different here in Spain than they are in the United States. In fact, I think that the United States is maybe one of the few places in the world that is not set up like the pharmacies in Spain.

Here, when you go to the pharmacy, you typically talk to the pharmacist about your symptoms and you take what they give you. It's not like in the States where you just pick up whatever you need. This is both a good and bad thing. It's good because the pharmacists usually know a lot and can give you exactly what you need based on your symptoms. However, it's also a drag when you want to do something in the least embarrassing way possible.

For example, my picaduras (bites) were looking pretty terrible. All the kids at school were asking me what was wrong with me. They asked me:
Qué te ha pasado?
Some insects bit (bite gesture) me.
Te pican mucho?
Yes, they are super itchy (mime scratching)!

During my planning period, I sneaked out of school (because I was too embarrassed to have the other teachers see me) to go to the pharmacy. Once there, I asked for a cream with hydro-cortisone. The pharmacist asked me what I wanted it for--since I guess they don't sell hydro-cortisone creams here without some valid reason. As explanation, I showed her my arm and she gasped. She turned around, grabbed a cream, and assured me that the cream would start working right away.

I wasn't sure if I should be proud or scared that I surprised the pharmacist. I'm quite certain that they see just about everything there is to see. So I'm not sure it's good if it's something they've never seen...

Unfortunately (or fortunately), I didn't take a picture of the bites at this stage. I'm not sure that I want to remember quite how bad my arms, neck, and lower back ended up.

Lesson learned. Don't sleep in the grass.