Seeing as I take at least one mode of public transportation every day, I have developed a few pet peeves. Most of them concern entering and exiting the metro/trains (most entering).
So we are waiting at a station, and the train finally pulls onto the platform, yay! When you can see people need to exit, get out of the way. The sooner they get out, the sooner you get in! It really is not a difficult concept to understand. Also when there is a crowd of people trying to get on and off, let's give the people exiting more space then a single file line. Once again, it makes you, the people entering, have to wait longer.
So we have gotten to the point where everyone has exited! Congratulations. Now, when you get on the metro/train, continue to walk past the doors allowing the herd of people behind you to enter as well. Don't just stop. I understand you'd like to be by the door, or that standing in the isle is not as convenient, however you chose to push your way to the front of the line which means you now have to be the furthest from the door. That's how it works. Which is why sometimes, I let everyone pass me so that I get on last and thus have the ability of standing next to the door. If you enter before me, I should not be forced to shove myself past you.
We have officially gotten on the metro/train and now the doors are closed and we are moving! Please refrain from listening to your music out loud or so loudly with your headphones that I can hear every single word. Also, if you choose to play a game on your phone, TURN OFF THE SOUND! No one wants to hear how much candy you are crushing.
And at no point within the metro/train's perimeter (station, stairwells, elevators, the train itself) should you decide to make it your personal bathroom. No one wants to see you relieving yourself and we certainly do not want to smell it.
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Teaching and Favorite Students
We had another orientation for the Auxiliares program. Apparently several people have just come to Spain to start this program (I think some auxiliares left and then I'm sure some people were just receiving their assignments because this program is not always quite on top of everything, but it is a massive program so it's understandable). So I thought the orientation was going to be geared towards them and essentially be a repeat of the October orientation. Thankfully it was not. They had two teachers present about teaching in a bilingual classroom. The first teacher I could tell was an amazing teacher. She showed us the lesson plans she creates for each class/topic. She explained that since English was not the students' first language some concepts are very difficult for them to understand, thus very hands-on and kinesthetic learning is necessary. Try teaching/learning sound (tone, pitch, etc.) in a language in which you aren't fluent. (It reminded me of when I took French in Ecuador, aka I was learning another language in a classroom that did not speak my native tongue). Not only do the students have English classes, but they learn science and art in English at my school (at some schools, even more subjects are taught in English). Comparing the English and Science books, you can tell there is a different level of English being used and a different 'language' so to speak. The science books use a very scientific language (an igneous rock consists of materials formed within the earths surface, blah blah blah verses he's got a sweater). So without taking this into account, students can become very frustrated because they do not understand what the text is saying because the English they are taught is conversational/functional English rather than scientific English. Therefore, the hands-on learning is integral to their learning.
The second teacher was a little more on the odd side, but still interesting. However, she did tell us we needed to speak clearly and with as little of an accent as possible. I don't quite know what she is reffering to because in theory that means I should try for a British accent...(which is still an accent), or does she mean I should try for what I've been told is accent-less English aka the Midwestern English I already speak. This is also the exact opposite of what the previous teacher said. She enjoyed different accents because that is what happens in the real world and it is actually helpful to the kids she believes.
One of my favorite students said I looked pretty today. It's not surprising she's one of my favorites! I was just wearing black leggings, a white shirt, and a black sweater, but several of the girls said I was looking beautiful that day. I'll have to remember that outfit!
The second teacher was a little more on the odd side, but still interesting. However, she did tell us we needed to speak clearly and with as little of an accent as possible. I don't quite know what she is reffering to because in theory that means I should try for a British accent...(which is still an accent), or does she mean I should try for what I've been told is accent-less English aka the Midwestern English I already speak. This is also the exact opposite of what the previous teacher said. She enjoyed different accents because that is what happens in the real world and it is actually helpful to the kids she believes.
One of my favorite students said I looked pretty today. It's not surprising she's one of my favorites! I was just wearing black leggings, a white shirt, and a black sweater, but several of the girls said I was looking beautiful that day. I'll have to remember that outfit!
Saturday, January 18, 2014
Excuses and Clean Rooms
Yesterday one of the professors and I were discussing a new student who joined our school. She is in fourth grade and still doesn't know how to read or write in Spanish. I find this crazy. But she is not alone. There are several gypsy kids in our school who are illiterate. It's heartbreaking to see for me, but it's also fairly common place. Then the professor told me that a student's dad came in the other day and informed the school that his daughter hadn't been in school for the past month because it was too cold outside to travel to school. I don't understand how this is a valid excuse for truancy, but apparently it flies here. Perhaps this is why so many gypsies cannot read or write, they don't come to school because of trivial things like the weather being a little brisk (it's certainly no polar vortex here!).
I had a private lesson at my apartment today so I cleaned my room up a bit more than usual. Raquel saw this and came in with a big smile and said "Oh, how beautiful. So much better than I can do!". I reassured her that was not the case. I'm not quite sure how to take this; perhaps she thinks I'm a slob and was surprised by how clean it now was. However, my room is generally fairly clean. Maybe making my bed makes all the difference!
I had a private lesson at my apartment today so I cleaned my room up a bit more than usual. Raquel saw this and came in with a big smile and said "Oh, how beautiful. So much better than I can do!". I reassured her that was not the case. I'm not quite sure how to take this; perhaps she thinks I'm a slob and was surprised by how clean it now was. However, my room is generally fairly clean. Maybe making my bed makes all the difference!
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Indian Food and Kids Being Weird
Clark and I often get Indian food. There is a neighborhood near my apartment that has at least 10 Indian restaurants to choose from, making it very convenient for me to met him. I hadn't been in a while, but we went back to our regular spot and the server recognized us. He also has a 6 month old baby who's name I cannot pronounce, but she is beautiful and full of laughs. Victoria (the other auxiliar at my school) joined us as well, and it was her second time every eating Indian food so that was a treat! As always the food was delicious and for 9.95€ I got a drink (Fanta), an appetizer (mixed pakora), an entree (chicken madras), naan, and a dessert (well I opted for an afternoon coffee)! After a very satisfying lunch, Clark and I headed back to my apartment and looked up flight information for the weekends up until our spring break. We are trying to fit in as many trips as possible without breaking the bank! We already have a trip to Lyon, France planned for the last weekend in January, so we were looking at options after that. We have tentatively settled on a couple of destinations that happen to be a little cheaper than normal including Paris and Dublin! Hopefully we will be able to get everything planned soon!
Moving on to the topic of school, a while back I taught some of the first graders how to play thumb wars. They loved it! However, now every time I walk into class, at least one of them wants to thumb war with me. In retrospect, maybe not my brightest idea, but at least they enjoy it! Also they learn the British version of rock, paper, scissors which is scissors, paper, stone. I thought it was so neat to see a few second graders playing it while they were waiting for the teacher. They were even using the English version!
Lately I've noticed a lot of kids picking their noses. There are several things kids do that make me wonder if they realize people can see them and this is one of them. And if they aren't picking their noses, half of them have buggers sliding out their nostrils. And speaking of noses, two kids had bloody noses today. I thought that maybe the air was super dry, but it has actually been rather rainy the past few days. So perhaps it was just a coincidence. But when the second student got a nose bleed, the teacher had him bend over and put his head between his legs. It was exactly the opposite of what I would have recommended, but I'll have to give it a try. Maybe it works better! And after the kid got tired of this, he just shoved a tissue up his nose for the rest of the day!
The first graders were learning a difficult topic today. So after several attempts the teacher let me hand out stickers to all the students for their hard work. Juan (the troubled first grader I've mentioned before) first tried to convince me I hadn't given him a sticker. But eventually he revealed the sticker. A few minutes later, I saw him eat it. These kids are an odd bunch!
Moving on to the topic of school, a while back I taught some of the first graders how to play thumb wars. They loved it! However, now every time I walk into class, at least one of them wants to thumb war with me. In retrospect, maybe not my brightest idea, but at least they enjoy it! Also they learn the British version of rock, paper, scissors which is scissors, paper, stone. I thought it was so neat to see a few second graders playing it while they were waiting for the teacher. They were even using the English version!
Lately I've noticed a lot of kids picking their noses. There are several things kids do that make me wonder if they realize people can see them and this is one of them. And if they aren't picking their noses, half of them have buggers sliding out their nostrils. And speaking of noses, two kids had bloody noses today. I thought that maybe the air was super dry, but it has actually been rather rainy the past few days. So perhaps it was just a coincidence. But when the second student got a nose bleed, the teacher had him bend over and put his head between his legs. It was exactly the opposite of what I would have recommended, but I'll have to give it a try. Maybe it works better! And after the kid got tired of this, he just shoved a tissue up his nose for the rest of the day!
The first graders were learning a difficult topic today. So after several attempts the teacher let me hand out stickers to all the students for their hard work. Juan (the troubled first grader I've mentioned before) first tried to convince me I hadn't given him a sticker. But eventually he revealed the sticker. A few minutes later, I saw him eat it. These kids are an odd bunch!
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
Change, it's not quite welcomed
Since being in Spain, I have noticed that many of the students do not like change. The minute something is different, they are quick to point it out and then complain if it is not changed back to the original way. Maybe it is because I haven't had to deal with kids for a while, so perhaps all children are like this. However, I feel as if Spanish kids take it to a whole other level. This is not the most extreme example I've encountered but this incidence reminded me of how my students don't seem to quite comprehend that changes happen and sometimes they're a good thing.
First period today a new girl joined the first grade class. Two students were late so the professor had the new girl sit down in Catalin's seat until they rearranged the seats to include her. Of course five minutes later, Catalin comes waltzing into class. I've noticed before that Catalin seems to live in his own little world. But he noticed that someone was occupying his desk so the teacher told him to sit in Lucia's seat for today. He walked around the room with the most confused look on his face until he finally got to his new seat. Even once seated, he still seemed completely perplexed as to what was going on. I found it hilarious. And then Lucia showed up (her mother overslept and her father failed to notice anything was out of order), and she thankfully was not quite as baffled by the ordeal.
Also during this class Sara's desk had been moved next to Juan's. Juan is not the best student. He is part of a gypsy family which includes "the worst kid in the whole school". His older brother is in one of my classes and he is a lot to handle. Unfortunately, I think because Juan's brother is so difficult, most teachers have basically given up on Juan as well. However, it is very difficult to get Juan to pay attention and to not disturb the rest of the class. So I understand why sometimes the teachers sacrifice his learning to ensure the other students are able to have a functioning class. For me, it's very hard to see someone who might have some potential given very little opportunity. But he is a special needs student and Spanish schools can only do so much for these students. And according to one teacher, Juan's parents do not care how they do in school. Apparently no matter what they do, they will still have a bad life. Coming from the USA, where the American dream states almost the opposite (if you work hard, you can better your situation), it's difficult to witness this. Anyways, obviously Sara did not want to sit next to Juan. I cannot blame her, he is very distracting. But I then felt bad that Juan had to repeatedly hear that Sara did not want to sit next to him. However, he did not seem to be phased by it and then continued to go about on his own.
First period today a new girl joined the first grade class. Two students were late so the professor had the new girl sit down in Catalin's seat until they rearranged the seats to include her. Of course five minutes later, Catalin comes waltzing into class. I've noticed before that Catalin seems to live in his own little world. But he noticed that someone was occupying his desk so the teacher told him to sit in Lucia's seat for today. He walked around the room with the most confused look on his face until he finally got to his new seat. Even once seated, he still seemed completely perplexed as to what was going on. I found it hilarious. And then Lucia showed up (her mother overslept and her father failed to notice anything was out of order), and she thankfully was not quite as baffled by the ordeal.
Also during this class Sara's desk had been moved next to Juan's. Juan is not the best student. He is part of a gypsy family which includes "the worst kid in the whole school". His older brother is in one of my classes and he is a lot to handle. Unfortunately, I think because Juan's brother is so difficult, most teachers have basically given up on Juan as well. However, it is very difficult to get Juan to pay attention and to not disturb the rest of the class. So I understand why sometimes the teachers sacrifice his learning to ensure the other students are able to have a functioning class. For me, it's very hard to see someone who might have some potential given very little opportunity. But he is a special needs student and Spanish schools can only do so much for these students. And according to one teacher, Juan's parents do not care how they do in school. Apparently no matter what they do, they will still have a bad life. Coming from the USA, where the American dream states almost the opposite (if you work hard, you can better your situation), it's difficult to witness this. Anyways, obviously Sara did not want to sit next to Juan. I cannot blame her, he is very distracting. But I then felt bad that Juan had to repeatedly hear that Sara did not want to sit next to him. However, he did not seem to be phased by it and then continued to go about on his own.
Friday, January 10, 2014
Trying to post more frequently, aka I have no idea for a title
I'm not one to really make New Year's resolutions. I actually can't recall ever making any. Maybe it's because I try to improve myself throughout the year, not just at the beginning. More than likely it's because I'm a procrastinator and contemplating and writing a list by a certain date does not quite fit in my schedule! But one thing I will be trying to do is update this blog a little more consistently, so my parents know I'm alive and everyone doesn't have to think that maybe my blog isn't working for them since the last update they can see is from over a month ago!
A few interesting things have happened this week. As I was walking a group of students back to the classroom, the music teacher stopped me and had me follow him into a classroom to see one of the first graders dance to Michael Jackson's "Beat It". That kid was fantastic. I think he dreams of either joining a boy band or being the next Justin Bieber. This was the same student that had me play a Big Time Rush music video while he whispered the lyrics and secretly danced to it. He also likes to ask me if I'm going to watch the Real Madrid games, so I always know what days they are on now without having to look them up! Needless to say, he's one of my favorites.
I only have class with fourth graders once a week, the last two periods on Fridays. So I don't see them often, but I really enjoy it. I work with the professor frequently with first graders, yet he's much more entertaining with the fourth graders. It's probably because they have a decent grasp on English so it's easier to converse and joke around. Today we were talking about wonders of the world. There is a kid, Gabriel, who seems to be obsessed with Washington D.C. He also asked me for a US dollar which I unfortunately do not have. But as we were talking about some wonders of the world, he kept mentioning capital monuments such as the Washington Monument (which he called the Washington Tower) and the Lincoln Memorial (which he called the Lincoln Statue). When the teacher asked who knew how to spell "twice", Gabriel raised his hand and said he thought he knew. So the teacher then said, "If you get it wrong we will barbecue you, and have grilled Gabriel for lunch." Unsurprisingly, he did not know how to spell it. Fortunately, he was not barbecued. The professor as called him strange and weird, as a joke. Sometimes being in a Spanish classroom makes me think what would happen if these things occurred in an American classroom. Most of them conclude with me assuming the teacher would be out of job. As I was leaving Gabriel asked me if I had heard "Thrift Shop" and I said yes and all he said was, "There are so many bad words," and then giggled profusely. (For those of you who haven't heard "Thrift Shop" but would like to, heres a link to the music video)
In my spare time, I'm also trying to brush up on my French. I have the duolingo app on my phone and I practice whenever I remember I want to be trilingual. If I can get enough down, it will be handy when we go to Lyon in a few weeks. Also going to Brussels (where they speak French, Dutch, and English) made me remember how great the French language can sound. Perhaps one day I'll be able to not only speak French but also master their delightful accent!
A few interesting things have happened this week. As I was walking a group of students back to the classroom, the music teacher stopped me and had me follow him into a classroom to see one of the first graders dance to Michael Jackson's "Beat It". That kid was fantastic. I think he dreams of either joining a boy band or being the next Justin Bieber. This was the same student that had me play a Big Time Rush music video while he whispered the lyrics and secretly danced to it. He also likes to ask me if I'm going to watch the Real Madrid games, so I always know what days they are on now without having to look them up! Needless to say, he's one of my favorites.
I only have class with fourth graders once a week, the last two periods on Fridays. So I don't see them often, but I really enjoy it. I work with the professor frequently with first graders, yet he's much more entertaining with the fourth graders. It's probably because they have a decent grasp on English so it's easier to converse and joke around. Today we were talking about wonders of the world. There is a kid, Gabriel, who seems to be obsessed with Washington D.C. He also asked me for a US dollar which I unfortunately do not have. But as we were talking about some wonders of the world, he kept mentioning capital monuments such as the Washington Monument (which he called the Washington Tower) and the Lincoln Memorial (which he called the Lincoln Statue). When the teacher asked who knew how to spell "twice", Gabriel raised his hand and said he thought he knew. So the teacher then said, "If you get it wrong we will barbecue you, and have grilled Gabriel for lunch." Unsurprisingly, he did not know how to spell it. Fortunately, he was not barbecued. The professor as called him strange and weird, as a joke. Sometimes being in a Spanish classroom makes me think what would happen if these things occurred in an American classroom. Most of them conclude with me assuming the teacher would be out of job. As I was leaving Gabriel asked me if I had heard "Thrift Shop" and I said yes and all he said was, "There are so many bad words," and then giggled profusely. (For those of you who haven't heard "Thrift Shop" but would like to, heres a link to the music video)
In my spare time, I'm also trying to brush up on my French. I have the duolingo app on my phone and I practice whenever I remember I want to be trilingual. If I can get enough down, it will be handy when we go to Lyon in a few weeks. Also going to Brussels (where they speak French, Dutch, and English) made me remember how great the French language can sound. Perhaps one day I'll be able to not only speak French but also master their delightful accent!
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
First Day Back
School started today and it was so great to see all of the students again. There were only two classes in which we actually got right back into the swing of things, aka reviewing and learning new vocabulary. The first one was with one of the first grade classes and we were learning words for clothes. That is one of the harder sections for us Americans to teach because the British use different words for some articles of clothing. So every flashcard that came up, I had to look at the professor to make sure I was using the correct word. Trousers and jumper are the words I constantly forget aren't pants and sweater. My favorite moment of this class was when I showed the card for socks and a student said with gusto "calcis" (calcetines is the spanish word for socks)! The second class was my second graders, and as usual I split off with half the class. And let's just say, the kids were not in the mood to learn. I thought their enthusiasm to see might mean they would be respectful and behave during class. This certainly was not the case! They were a bunch of chatty cathy's and they seem to have forgotten that I "don't speak spanish" because all of them kept rattling of sentences in spanish while I gave them blank stares.
I bought some stickers with english words on them (good job, fantastic, great, etc.) to give to the teachers as a Christmas/New Years gift. Most of the professors were quite excited. However, this was one teachers response: "they're neat, but there are so few...". I then pointed out that there were actually 75 (which is not a huge amount, but he doesn't even have 40 students that he teaches and I'm not made of money!) and not just the 15 he could see. I kind of knew this professor wouldn't be ecstatic about my gift (I even thought about not giving him any haha), but I was nice and gave him some anyways. Oh well, if he doesn't want them, he can just give them right back!
I'm quite excited to be back at my school and thankfully the weather has gotten better! Hopefully it stays this way!
I bought some stickers with english words on them (good job, fantastic, great, etc.) to give to the teachers as a Christmas/New Years gift. Most of the professors were quite excited. However, this was one teachers response: "they're neat, but there are so few...". I then pointed out that there were actually 75 (which is not a huge amount, but he doesn't even have 40 students that he teaches and I'm not made of money!) and not just the 15 he could see. I kind of knew this professor wouldn't be ecstatic about my gift (I even thought about not giving him any haha), but I was nice and gave him some anyways. Oh well, if he doesn't want them, he can just give them right back!
I'm quite excited to be back at my school and thankfully the weather has gotten better! Hopefully it stays this way!
Getting Back To Madrid, Not As Easy As It Sounds
My dad and sister dropped me off at the O'Hare Airport New Year's Eve (after having to go back to the house because I forgot my house keys and metro card, thankfully we hadn't gotten too far!). Luckily, my suitcase was exactly 50lbs (the maximum a suitcase can weight without additional fees)! Seeing as I had a 45 minute layover in Atlanta, I asked the lady at the ticket desk if I was going to make it and she reassured me I would be fine. Then she asked if I had a return flight booked. I replied with a no. She then asked if I had a visa, and I told her it was expired. So I handed her my Spanish Identification Card and she seemed confused, so I handed her an authorization to return to Spain (even though this was no longer necessary since I had my ID card) and thankfully they let me proceed to security. I thought it was funny how the USA was more inquisitive than Spain itself about whether I was actually allowed in Spain.
As I was waiting at my gate, the plane we were supposed to board arrived 30 minutes before our scheduled take-off time. I knew at this point my flight was going to be a bit delayed. Then after everyone was on board, the pilot announced that the plane had to be de-iced which would only take a few minutes. In my opinion, 30 minutes is not the equivalent of a few minutes. So the plane finally took off about an hour late. Then after the pilot announced we would be arriving 10 minutes before my flight to Madrid was to depart, I asked the flight attendant if he thought I would make it to my gate in time. He then, fairly forcefully, asked me why I, along with a few other people on this plane, would ever book a flight this close. I had no choice in my layover time, so I was not overly thrilled with his unhelpful response.
Needless to say, I did not make my flight from Atlanta to Madrid. But, when I got to the desk the Delta representatives said they had already booked me on a flight to Paris and then to Madrid. So I went to my next gate and after waiting for everyone to board, they gave me a ticket. And this ticket just so happened to be in Business Class Premium, I was in the section right behind first class! The seats were roomy and had a leg rest. I was flying in style (probably the only time that will happen)! We got a small gift bag from Air France with socks, an eye mask, earplugs, and a toothbrush with toothpaste! It was a fantastic flying experience and slightly made up for the fact that I missed my original flight. After a short layover in Paris and a slight snafu with our tickets for the next flight, I was finally back in Madrid! And thankfully, my luggage made it with me! I don't know what I would have done without the peanut butter, reese's minis, starbursts, pumpkin bread, and swedish rye bread I was smuggling into Madrid! Oh and some of my favorite articles of clothing!
The weather for the first few days of 2014 has been gloomy: cold and rainy. Here's to hoping that doesn't last!
As I was waiting at my gate, the plane we were supposed to board arrived 30 minutes before our scheduled take-off time. I knew at this point my flight was going to be a bit delayed. Then after everyone was on board, the pilot announced that the plane had to be de-iced which would only take a few minutes. In my opinion, 30 minutes is not the equivalent of a few minutes. So the plane finally took off about an hour late. Then after the pilot announced we would be arriving 10 minutes before my flight to Madrid was to depart, I asked the flight attendant if he thought I would make it to my gate in time. He then, fairly forcefully, asked me why I, along with a few other people on this plane, would ever book a flight this close. I had no choice in my layover time, so I was not overly thrilled with his unhelpful response.
Needless to say, I did not make my flight from Atlanta to Madrid. But, when I got to the desk the Delta representatives said they had already booked me on a flight to Paris and then to Madrid. So I went to my next gate and after waiting for everyone to board, they gave me a ticket. And this ticket just so happened to be in Business Class Premium, I was in the section right behind first class! The seats were roomy and had a leg rest. I was flying in style (probably the only time that will happen)! We got a small gift bag from Air France with socks, an eye mask, earplugs, and a toothbrush with toothpaste! It was a fantastic flying experience and slightly made up for the fact that I missed my original flight. After a short layover in Paris and a slight snafu with our tickets for the next flight, I was finally back in Madrid! And thankfully, my luggage made it with me! I don't know what I would have done without the peanut butter, reese's minis, starbursts, pumpkin bread, and swedish rye bread I was smuggling into Madrid! Oh and some of my favorite articles of clothing!
The weather for the first few days of 2014 has been gloomy: cold and rainy. Here's to hoping that doesn't last!
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