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. ;-)
Monday, February 18, 2008
Monday, February 11, 2008
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.
…
…
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! :-)
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.
…
…
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! :-)
Thursday, February 7, 2008
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. :-)
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. :-)
Sunday, January 27, 2008
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! ;-)
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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! ;-)
Monday, January 21, 2008
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! ;-)
---------
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! ;-)
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
HAPPY HOLIDAYS! :-D
I wanted to wish everyone a very HAPPY HOLIDAYS! I hope everyone is enjoying their time with family and/or friends, and that you're experiencing the full season of giving!
This year I am in Milan, Italy spending Christmas with my older sister. It is my first Christmas abroad, so things have been different, including: Italians everywhere, Italian language, and lots and lots and LOTS of Italian food. All so very delicious! I have definitely been blessed this year! :-)
Again, HAPPY HOLIDAYS, and thinking of you!
(Below I have pasted my sister's Christmas Tree. :-) )
This year I am in Milan, Italy spending Christmas with my older sister. It is my first Christmas abroad, so things have been different, including: Italians everywhere, Italian language, and lots and lots and LOTS of Italian food. All so very delicious! I have definitely been blessed this year! :-)
Again, HAPPY HOLIDAYS, and thinking of you!
(Below I have pasted my sister's Christmas Tree. :-) )
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Last Week Of School for 2007
This is the last week before school ends, and, as you can imagine, things are pretty hectic! Here are some activities that are going on this week in Almorox:
1) DINNNERS EVERYWHERE! I´ve been invited to quite a lot of dinners, mostly from the teachers of the school. Very exciting! Look forward to eating my face off (to make up for missing Thanksgiving! ;-) )
2) Final Tennis Match. I play tennis about 2 to 3 times a week. This Wednesday are the Finals. I made it into the finals, though there are two pretty good players: me and another girl. The other girl is better than me. But you never know how I will play! Wish me luck!
3) On Friday, we're having a Christmas concert! This is during the school day and all the kids in every class are singing Christmas songs. The first graders are singing Jingle Bells in ENGLISH! The kids have done a great job memorizing the chorus. However, I have to sing along with them. That means I sing the chorus as well as the gingle... and the gingle is by myself (YIKES!). Thank goodness I like Karaoke! :-)
4) Traveling. I fly to Milan on Satruday! WOOHOO! I´m going to spend Christmas with my older sister. Then I go to Rome and spend New Years there with some more family! This is my first New Years over the ocean. Interesting times! :-)
That´s the update! Hope you´re having a great week before the Holidays! :-D
1) DINNNERS EVERYWHERE! I´ve been invited to quite a lot of dinners, mostly from the teachers of the school. Very exciting! Look forward to eating my face off (to make up for missing Thanksgiving! ;-) )
2) Final Tennis Match. I play tennis about 2 to 3 times a week. This Wednesday are the Finals. I made it into the finals, though there are two pretty good players: me and another girl. The other girl is better than me. But you never know how I will play! Wish me luck!
3) On Friday, we're having a Christmas concert! This is during the school day and all the kids in every class are singing Christmas songs. The first graders are singing Jingle Bells in ENGLISH! The kids have done a great job memorizing the chorus. However, I have to sing along with them. That means I sing the chorus as well as the gingle... and the gingle is by myself (YIKES!). Thank goodness I like Karaoke! :-)
4) Traveling. I fly to Milan on Satruday! WOOHOO! I´m going to spend Christmas with my older sister. Then I go to Rome and spend New Years there with some more family! This is my first New Years over the ocean. Interesting times! :-)
That´s the update! Hope you´re having a great week before the Holidays! :-D
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