A Greeting from the New Auxiliar

I am now in Linares, Spain working at a middle school. My supervisor wanted me to introduce myself and write something on a blog. Here is what I wrote.

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Only silence greeted me as I walked through the empty halls of Hermanos Medina Rivilla. I strained my ears, trying to hear any sound and only heard the almost inaudible murmurs of voices behind closed doors. Suddenly, a loud alarm filled the air, breaking the silence. I had the impulse to sprint through the double doors and run outside to safety, as far away from the boomerang-shaped building as possible. I expected to hear screams of panic as I imagined hundreds of students run through those same doors. However, instead, I heard screams of joy. It’s time for recesses! And I think, “Note to self: Another difference between Spain and the States. Their ‘change classroom alarm’ sounds like America’s fire drill alarm.”

I was asked to write on this blog and tell a little about myself, my past experiences, and what I think of this school. I guess I should start by introducing myself. My name is Melissa and I am an Auxiliar de Conversación in the I.E.S. Hermanos Medina Rivilla (a middle school for the Americans reading this blog) in the town of Bailen. I am from the United States and lived in the city of Washington D.C. (as the children excitedly say, “The White House!” and “President Bush!”). When I said ‘lived’, as in the past tense, I really mean it. I haven’t lived in D.C. for almost a year and a half. The reason is that last year, I was also an Auxiliar in Spain in the tiny town of Almorox, outside of Toledo. As I said, I now live in Linares which has about 60,000 inhabitants. Almorox had about 2,000. For me, Linares is New York City!

Though I taught in an elementary school last year, I am now going to teach teenagers. Though this seems like a daunting prospect to some, to me it doesn’t bother me at all. I’ve had plenty of experience with teenagers, especially as a Director of Volunteers in the States. And anyway, I’ve always liked teenagers. I look forward to working with these teens and I am already amazed at their high level of proficiency in English. They are enthusiastic and energetic students, and I am honored in being able to take part in their growth and development in this language.

A big thanks to Miguel Angel for all his support! :-)

Poland Notes

As I sat at the airport in Warsaw, Poland at 3am, leaving my 1 month adventure in this beautiful country, I wrote some notes in my little notebook. They are quick scribbles and are my general impressions of Poland- things that for some reason or other have stuck out in my mind. There is probably a lot more I could write. I do not go in depth with what happened in the camp, the kids, the teachers, the trips, and the guests that I met during that time. That in itself is its own story. I only write my general impressions of this country. Please note that these are my opinions and nothing more. To make your own impressions, visit the country(then we can compare notes!).

Here is what I wrote, in no specific order:

(Below, I've written my notes in bold. The rest is a little extra info. )

-No highways. All small bumpy roads: The kids and teachers were embarrassed by their roads. They would shake their heads disapprovingly and say, "These Polish roads." Personally, I liked it. I thought it added personality to the country. Reminded me of Colombia. Except Colombia's roads are much worse-instead of bumps, there are freaking holes.

-Breakfast, Dinner = Same Food: For both meals, we were always served: bread, butter, jelly, cucumbers, tomatoes, red peppers, ham, and hard boiled eggs. Always. For 30 some days. It became a little tyring, especially for dinner, so we would eat out. We found great kabobs, pizzas, and hamburgers (great balanced meals! ). I never want to see cucumbers again.

-Lunch-SOUPS!: I have to admit, I LOVED the soups of Poland. They were amazing! I really need to learn how to make those soups. The next plate was usually some type of meat with cabbage or carrots, or both. And let's not forget the potatoes. They love their potatoes. (My roommate, "You guys definitely like your potatoes." Student, "It is like bread to us." Oh so very true! )

-Vodka (pronounced vudka) and Beer (Pivo): Spaniards like their Sangria and Calimochos. Italians like their wine and limoncello. Polish people's drink is vodka and beer. I would get an interesting reaction from different Pole's when I would say how Pole's like to drink vodka. Their response was almost always, "We don't drink as much as the Russians!" Is this true? Probably, but I'm not sure. Guess I'll have to go to Russia to find out!

-Don't like Germans and Russians: They really don't. And the truth is, I don't blame them. Before you judge their anger, do research in their history. I did and, honestly, I can't blame them.

-Most men, shaved heads: I can't believe how many buzz cuts I saw out there. It's the style most men have. Not many other boys had different hair styles. Not my favorite cut what-so-ever, but my roommate LOVED IT. Guess there's something for everyone!

-Houses: Colorful with extremely steep roofs. I saw the roofs and thought, "Oh boy! It really snows here!" From what I hear, they have 6 month winters. That's why I told my students I could never live in Poland because of the cold. But I could definitely visit in the summers!

-Communism's Influence: You walk around and you can see communism's influence. All apartments look the same-cold, old, cement blocks. Tiny cars. Heavy looking street washing machines. You can see the influence of it.

-Nature: Poland is filled with beautiful green forests. We went to Zakopane and that was truly spectacular. Mountains, trees, rivers, lakes. And everything so fresh. You could tell you were breathing in pure, fresh air. I definitely remember Poland for its nature.

-And ultimately, the sweet, kind people: They are truly great and wonderful people. When the students asked me what my impression of Pole's were, I told them what I just wrote- sweet, kind people. And then I told them that there is something more... something that I really couldn't describe without getting... well... poetic, I guess is the word. They asked me to say it anywayz and I said, "You guys have a light. It is not a white light, but a warm light that radiates from all of you. A sweet, calming gentleness that -radiates- from you. I don't know how else to describe it." They smiled and said, "Poland likes you, too."

Thanks! :-)

Kid Love... AGAIN?!?

I'm in Poland where I'm teaching kids from middle school to high school. Their ages range from 13 to about 18 years old. This story involves one of my 15 year old classes.

It was the first time I met them and so I decided to play an introductory game. They made a circle with their chairs and faced each other with one student left standing in the middle. That student says, "I like.... (soccer, sun, etc)." and then the children who like the same things have to jump up and try to sit on another chair. The last person standing has to start the game over again.

I started the game and we started having a good time, laughing and running around (I like to play with the kids so the kids can learn a little bit about me too). Then, a boy with super short brown hair and blue eyes ended up having to stand up. He turned around and without any hesitation, looked me straight in the eyes and said "I like... YOU."

In my head, I was like, "HUH?!?!?"

But I couldn't just stare at him, dumb founded with my mouth wide open. So I jumped up and said, "Thank you." (though inside I was like, "WHAT DO I DO?!?!?!?").

The other kids were whispering to each other, staring at me and at the kid. You could tell in their eyes what they were thinking: He's got GUTS to say something like that! I had to respond and respond quickly. But what do I say?

And out of nowhere (and I'm not sure where it came from), I turned around, put my hands on my waist, and said, sounding insulted, "Hold on a second. Is he the ONLY ONE that likes me?!?"

The kids all stood up and changed seats.

It was GREAT! And like the other teachers said, "You sure got out of that one!" PHEW!

Kid love... again?!?!?! I thought Salvador was enough. Ah well... What can you do? We'll see how the rest of the month goes!

Update

I have to apologize for my lack of updates on my blog. I'd like to blame the lack of Internet access in my little pueblo of Almorox, but I did stay in Milan for a little while with Internet access and still didn't get around to it. All I can do is say, "Sorry!!" And to give you a quick update on what's going on.

At the end of May, I ended the program in Almorox, Spain. I said bye to the kids, the teachers I worked with, my roommates, and Castilla-La Mancha. It was so sad! And I will miss that little pueblo. It was a great experience!

Once I moved out, I flew to Milan where I hanged out with my sister for about 3 weeks. I pretty much rested and had GREAT Italian food (my favorite! :-) ).

After that, I went to visit my friend Gerrit in Germany for a week. He invited me to visit him and took me all over Germany, from Berlin to Dortmund and Hamburg. I also had a chance to see some family. It was great!

Then, I went to Pamplona, Spain for the Running of the Bulls! That was crazy in itself and quite a lot of fun. Los Sanfermines have always been a great party. We had a blast!

And now, I am in Poland (I'm keeping busy in my summer in Europe!). I applied to an ESL Program where I teach English for 3 weeks and in the end, they pay for a one week tour around Poland. It has been quite an adventure, learning about a new culture that I don't know anything about. All I know is that the kids I work with are GREAT!! They seem genuinely interested in what I'm teaching them and are just good kids. I've been here for approximately four days and it has already flown by. I have a feeling that this month is going to go by as quickly! :-)

That's the update! I will try to update more often, though it is not easy for me to find Internet access here as well. I will do my best! :-)

Ciao!

Baila el ChikiChiki (Dance the ChikiChiki)

In Spain, there is a wave of… something… going on. A craze? A fad? I’m not sure. But what I do know is that people are dancing, singing, and even making commercials of it. In Spain, the ‘Baila el ChikiChiki’ has consumed everyone.

Not just the young and defenceless. No. E-V-E-R-Y-B-O-D-Y! Old and young alike. Short and tall. With rhythm and without. Why, even my supervisor has been inflicted. At a wedding, he dressed up as a girl (pretty normal here in Spain) and, with his friend being the lead singer, sang and danced the ChikiChiki, twists and all.

It's like the new Macarena.

And it haunts me. I find it everywhere I go. Turn on the TV, a cell phone commercial sings the steps on signing up to their services. At work, every time I say 'Uno,' the children simultaneously break into song. (And you won't believe this!!! I'm writing this blog right now and the kids in the next class are singing it!) And even in travels, on the bus, they play it. And, of course, everyone joins in. They even made a CD with different versions of the song (example: ChikiChiki Rap version, ChikiChiki Techno version, ChikiChiki House version, etc).
And yes, I’ve been afflicted too. I couldn’t escape. When the songs plays, I sing. When it is time for the steps, I dance.

My name is Melissa and I have joined the millions of children and adults sing and dance the ChikiChiki. ¡YO BAILO EL CHIKICHIKI!

To see where this movement came from, please check the original video. You'll be shocked, maybe moved, but in the end, you'll end up liking it, if not dancing to it! Enjoy! :-)

http://youtube.com/watch?v=74mBEXL9UgM

Talent Show!

My elementary school decided to have a talent show. To represent my country, I taught some teachers how to Country Line Dance! Then we showed it to the school. Here are the results, bloopers and all. Enjoy! :-)

P.S. I know that this is the Electric Slide with Boot Scootin' Boogie, but hey! In Spain, who is really going to know the difference and, in the end, what matters is that we had a BLAST! :-D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDQFt141Xbk

Video #1: Alicante with the Girls

In one of my advetures, I went to Alicante with some friends. We climbed to the top of the castle and saw a GREAT view. So I had to make a video. Sadly, there is no sound (my camera doesn't record sound and I don't know why!) but we compensate for it! See if you can tell when we are saying 'Background' and 'Mediterranean Sea'! :-)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXQ5lV5RFnM

Go Back To Your Country!

In my pueblo, and most of Spain, there is a mix of Spaniards and Moroccans. There are some Hispanic and Romanians mixed in there, but in general it is Spaniards and Moroccans. There is an obvious separation between these two races. The Moroccons are leaving their repressed country to look for a better life. Many Spaniards think they are just too many of them (they make about 40% of the population) and have an underlining fear that they'll take over some day. Because of this and other fears, there is very strong prejudice and separation going on, but that topic is for another blog. This blog, however, is about a British man. I’ve never met this British guy, but I couldn’t believe what happened to him. So I had to share his story.

In general, this British guy married a Spaniard and, like a lot of married couples, had a son. They lived in England for a little bit and for whatever reason, came back to Spain to live in the tiny pueblo of Almorox. Now their son goes to my school (and I get to speak English with him all the time! :-) ).

One day, the British guy went outside of his house and found a group of Moroccans. They started yelling something at him in Spanish, but he didn’t understand them at all. After all, Spanish wasn't his forte. So he turned to his wife and asked, “What are they saying?”

And she said, “They are telling you to go back to your country.”

He turned and looked at her incredulous. “What? No way. You must have heard them wrong. Listen to them again.”

“Ummm… They are definitely telling you to go back to your country.”

When I heard this story, I practically fell off my seat laughing! Moroccans, who are in general not welcomed in Spain, were telling the British guy to go home. I couldn’t believe it!

Guess they are at home enough to feel they can kick someone out.

And as for the British guy, well… I guess what they say is also true: What goes around comes around. :-)

Kids Say The Darnest Things #2

This story did not happen to me but to one of the teachers in my school. It is a little in the dark side, but what the kids say is interesting. This is what happened:

This teacher has one specific kid in class who has a LOT of troubles at home and has emotional problems. He gets psychological help, but this specific day seemed to be a bad day for him.

The teacher was lecturing and she happened to look over towards the kid. She saw him take his scissors (which are those baby-safe scissors) and start to pretend to cut his wrists, saying, “I’m cutting my wrists! I’m cutting my wrists!” Then he took his scissors and started stabbing himself in the stomach, saying, “I’m going to kill myself! I’m going to kill myself!”

And what do the kids around him say? Did they cry out for him to stop? Tell him not to hurt himself? Or let him know everything would be ok? We wish! Instead, they started saying things like: “You can’t KILL yourself that way!” “If you really want to kill yourself, you should jump out the window!” “Does scissors won’t kill you.” “Yeah. You need to use the teacher’s scissors! They will do the trick!”

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So in the end, the kids gave him advice on how to kill himself. Isn’t that crazy?? Kids definitely say the darnest things!

(Again, he is getting help. Thankfully. He’s a good kid, but obviously in a lot of pain. Poor guy. :-/)

Backwards

Here, in Spain, I get the feeling that things are a little… backwards. When it is summer, grass and plants are all yellow and brown. In the middle of winter, everything is lush green. What in the world is going on??

I’m in the Twilight Zone. ;-)

My Name is Justina

“Hola. Me llamo Justina.”

That’s what I would have said a long time ago… about 80 years ago if I had been born in Spain. Turns out that Spain was (and in some degree still is) quite a Catholic country. It was thanks to the dictator Franco who was an extremely religious guy. Since he ruled all, he used the Catholic calendar where each date had a saint’s name on it. What ever date you happened to be born on… WHAM! You ended up with that saint’s name. Like it or not. So if you were born on Saint Julia day, then your name would have either been Julia or Julio, depending obviously on your gender.

I was born on Saint Justo day, which means my name would have been Justina.

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Thank goodness Franco didn’t pick my name! I like my name just the way it is. (Thanks Mom and Dad! :-) )

P.S. If you would like to know what your name could-have-been-but-never-was, tell me your birth date and I will let you know! :-)

My Schedule/Timetable

Some people have asked what my daily schedule looks like in my little town of Almorox. By popular demand, I have written my schedule! (Or 'timetable' like they like to call it here (British influence!)) You will find it below. It is a general schedule because not every day is the same. However, the idea is there. Enjoy!

8:40am: Wake up, eat breakfast and take a shower.

9:50am: Walk/Run to school (depending if I´m late (And I’m usually late!! :-) )).

10:05am: (I’m already late!) Go to class. - I work with 3 year olds to 6th graders. I assist in either English, Music, or Science classes. Each class is about one hour long.

12:00pm: Snack Time! - Kids go to the playground and eat a little snack, and so do I. Usually I go to the Teachers' Lounge with the other teachers and eat a fruit and some nuts (or any of the snacks the teachers leave on the table!).

12:30pm: Back to class! - At this point, there are two classes left, each one 45 minutes.

2:00pm: School Ends. - The kids either go home and eat lunch or stay for the cafeteria. Only those who are low-income or who's parents pay are able to stay for lunch. The rest go home. I usually stay and either eat lunch (usually a Wed.), lead an English discussion group for the teachers (mandatory), or play in the internet and wait for my roomies to finish their hours.

3:00pm: Go home and Lunch Time! - I usually get a ride from my roomies at this point. Per Spanish costume, I make a BIG meal to fill me up for the rest of the day (usually the meal is made pretty quick b/c by then, I´m starving!).

4:30pm: Start Extracurricular Activities. - Depending on the day, I either play tennis and tutor English (2 to 3 kids, depending on the day an hour each), or Arts and Crafts class (Thurs.). Arts and Crafts days are on another town so one of my roomies usually drives. Then we usually go food shopping in the town's food store since it is in general a lot cheaper than the food store in my town.

8:30pm: Return home.

9:00pm: Eat dinner and chill with the roommies. - Dinner is late and so should be light, like a small salad. With the roomies, we usually watch TV. Right now I have two favorite shows: a comedy show with police officers (which USA bought the rights for so we should be seeing it soon!) and a great Karaoke show (I hope USA buys the rights because it is so much fun! Imagine in English! The 80's!! :-) )

12:00pm: Bed Time! - I still and have always needed about 9 hours of sleep to feel refreshed for the next day! :-)

On weekends, I try to go somewhere. I usually go to Madrid because there are a lot more buses that go to that city than the other closest city, Toledo.

That's pretty much it! Hope that gave you a little glance in my present Spaniard life. :-)

Holiday Commercials

Again, pretend this was writen during the holidays! Never got a chance to post it. Better late than never! :-)

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The Holidays are here! There are Christmas lights all over town. The kids are talking about what gifts they want, and the television has… GONE INSANE!!! Why is there another commercial for a watch? For a perfume?? What’s going on????

Spain (and maybe all of Europe?) seems to have this fascination with two things: perfumes and watches. Or at least that’s what they try to sell the most during the Holidays. It is insane how many commercials are there for Armani colognes and Gucci watches. They show gorgeous men with fancy watches and sexy women spraying on perfume. I can’t believe how many perfumes and watches are out there. More, how many perfume and watch commercials are out there. This is all they play on TV between shows. And I am not exaggerating. That is ALL they play between shows! No signs of car commercials. No hint of cell phones anywhere. They just play the same commercials over and over and over and over. I practically became best friends with Armani.

I can’t believe I’m going to say this but… Bring back my car commercials!

P.S. My roommate says that Europe in general is a big fan of colognes, perfumes and watches. There is also a BIG market for the fake stuff. (Though don’t walk around France with imitation because the cops will fine you!)

P.P.S. Ironically, this year, I didn’t get any of these items. Gasp! What would Armani (my best bud) think?!

P.P.P.S. The Holidays are now over and the television commercials are back to normal. Nothing like cars and cell phones coverage to make you feel complete! ;-)

The Lottery

I meant to publish this post before the end of the year, but never had a chance to. So I applied my personal philosophy of ´Better late than never!´:-) Just pretend you are reading this before the Holidays. Enjoy!

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I was sleeping contently in my bed on a Saturday morning when suddenly two singing voices filled my room. One voice called out something and then the other replied, singing the exact same notes and verses over and over, only changing a little:

(In Spanish)
“56789”
“Mil Euros.” (1,000 euros)
“947598”
“Mil Euros.”
“538485”
“Mil Euros.”

What the heck is going on?

I got out of bed and walked into the living room (which is next to my room) and saw my roommate and her boyfriend focusing intently on the TV. On the screen were two young kids (about 12 years old) standing next to each other, each one picking up a small wooden ball and reading what was on them. One kid would squint at one of the balls and sing “49563” and the other would do the same and reply “Mil Euros”. Then they’d start over again.

Ah yes. I had forgotten. Today is a big and special day in Spain. Today is the lottery.

I’m not sure why but Spain has a BIG thing for the lottery, especially during the Christmas Season. Everyone goes nuts and buys tons of lottery tickets, each one costing 20 euros each (about $35). They buy them individually or in groups. They go to different cities all over Spain and buy different tickets. There are even towns where people stand in line for hours in hope of buying the winning ticket.

But why is the Holiday lottery so… big? What about the rest of the year? Well, people say there is a higher chance of winning. To be specific, you have a 1 out of 10 chance of winning something (which is much higher than usual). Maybe you’ll win one of the 1,000 euros prizes. Or one of the jackpots! (There are about 10, ranging from 5,000 euros to 500,000 euros ($750,000)). Imagine… If you win something, it could cover your Christmas expenses. If you get one of the big ones, you’d be covered for the rest of the year-or more! Whatever the reasons may be, you have a higher chance of winning and everyone plays. In the end, it is a tradition. So everyone holds their breath on that special day when the kids sing that song over and over letting all of Spain know who got the lucky numbers and what they won. (Cross your fingers for at least the “Mil Euros” prize!)

Fun Facts about the Lottery:
-The kids who sing out the numbers come from an orphanage.
-If one of the kids pick “The Big One” (the 500,000 euros) that kid later gets a Big Prize! It’s something the kids look forward to and hope to win.
-The day of the lottery is also called “El Dia de la Salud.” AKA: The Day of Health. Why? Because when you loose (and a lot do) people comfort each other and say, “Hey. It’s only money. We still have our health!!” :-)

P.S. I actually know someone who had a winning ticket. However, they shared the ticket with a lot of other teachers so she ended up winning 5 euros in all. She said she was fine with it. Especially since last year she won 750 euros. Not bad for tradition! ;-)