Seville Life

Some Very American Things I Have Taught my Kids to Say

2009-03-26T12:16:00.001-07:00

Somewhere in southern Spain there are little 12 year old kids muttering these words:

1. What's up girl/dude?
2. Yeah!
3. You're crazy!
4. Thank God it's Friday!
5. Yes we can!
6. Awesome
7. Duuuuuuuude!
8. Whatever
9. Shit! (This is PURELY accidental! One day a student pronounced "sheet" this way and I had to explain why not to say that, and what "shit" actually means. Oops! Thank God they don't say it a lot- at least in my presence anyway)
10. Alright!
11. Sweeeeeeeeeet!
12. Eeeeexcelent (think Mr. Burns tapping his finger tips together)

Look How Spanish I've Become!

2009-03-26T11:14:00.000-07:00

Living in a foreign country for almost 16 months can really change how you act. I have slowly noticed these changes in myself, whether from my own self-reflection or someone pointing them out to me. A few things stick out:

- I talk very Andalusian. One might compare this silliness with a Spaniard who comes to live in Texas and leaves with a full-on southern drawl. I drop all the "s" s from my words. I try to talk as fast and close-mouthed as possible. I ask for American things in a Spanish accent (ex. E-sprite instead of "Sprite"). I make big hand motions to go along with my words. I tack "vamos" onto the end of almost every statement. Basically all this time of having the Andalusian accent around me day and night has really infiltrated my sub-conscious, because more and more my co-workers say "Mira la Aubree. Que Andaluz habla!" (Look at Aubree. What Andalusian [Spanish] she speaks!")

- I have a very, very serious addition to Spanish coffee and serrano ham. I have at least 2 cups of cafe con leche a day. This isn't your average watered down coffee- this is some strong, strong stuff. And the ham, oh the ham! Don't even get me started on it. I eat it on toast every morning (with tomatoes and olive oil. YUM) and have been known to purchase ham pizza or ham flavored Ruffles chips (yes, they have those here, and they are fantastic). Will I be able to survive on American coffee and york ham when I move back to the States? To be continued.....

- I now eat seafood with the best of them. Before coming to Seville, my idea of seafood consisted of peeled baby shrimp and maybe the odd breaded fish stick. No more. I now have no qualms about eating mussels from the shell, squid in its own ink or even ripping a giant shrimp head off and eating the body. This didn't happen naturally, mind you. I got some great tips from my Spanish friends. The best advice came from my friend Lola who said, "don't look at the little beady eyes when you decapitate it". Ha!

- I also eat lots of cold soup (gazpacho and salmorejo) and olives- two things I despised before Spain. Now I love them!

- If I go into a bar to have a beer or tapa, I don't take a seat. I stand at the bar, like the locals do. I throw used napkins on the ground (like everyone does). I don't ask for a beer, I tell them to give me one. (Again, only tourists would ask nicely).

- For some reason I have noticed that Spaniards love to talk to themselves. In public. And no one seems to mind. While I don't usually talk to myself in public, I do talk to myself from time to time, and its nice to know I can do so out in the open if needed and I still won't be considered crazy.

- I blame everything on the economic crisis. Spain has been hit very hard by these difficult financial times, and they like to blame everything on the crisis to relieve their stress. Your beer is warm? It's the crisis! Stain on your shirt? Oh, the bloody crisis!

- I stare in amazement at tourists that insist on wearing tank tops and shorts when its 20 degrees celsius (do the math). As someone who comes from the midwest, that temperature in February should seem downright toasty to me. Not even close. I am huddled up in my leather jacket and scarves with the best of them. I also don't wear open toed shoes or sandals in public until after Feria (mid-April). That's what most Sevillians do.

- I stare in general. When I first came to Spain I was taken back by how people just stared at me. For no reason. But I learned not to take it personally because Spaniards, as a general rule, just simply like to stare and scope out their surroundings. I now find myself doing that ALOT. To the point that it would be rude in the US. Gotta work on that one before I come back :)

And a few Spanish things I STILL refuse to do:

- Get a mullet haircut
- Wear the new fad of pants- jeans that are tight in the legs and loose everywhere else. I call them "diaper pants".
- Get a piercing on my lip, around my lip, anywhere in the lip area.
- Be late- I still think its important to be on time and it shows that you take things seriously. I always arrive to my private lessons ON THE DOT. If I arrive early, I wait around their neighborhood and then ring their doorbell at the exact hour.
- Say thank you- my mom taught me well, and I don't care how "non-spanish" it is, I will always say "thank you" if someone gives me something, gets me something, or does something for me. It's just common sense.

PORTUGAL! (Lagos, Cabo San Vicente (aka ¨The End of the World¨) and Portomao)

2009-03-24T02:10:00.001-07:00

Hiya!

2009-02-03T00:49:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone! I hope all is well with everyone, especially you poor Iowa folk that are suffering the cold cold winter. I must admit that it is quite chilly here in Seville, though nothing compared to Iowa. We have been having lots of rain storms over the past few weeks. We had a rainstorm so bad on Sunday that a) there was lightning and thunder (much to my delight and my roommates horror) and b) it knocked out our internet. In all my time of living at this apartment, I have never gone without internet, and now that its gone, I realize how much i relied on it. And since this is Spain, and nothing happens right away, we will probably be without internet for a few days, if not a few weeks :( I haven't had any trouble being entertained so far- I have been engrossed in the "Twilight" series that the lovely Maritheresa has let me borrow. I have zoomed through the books at lightning speed- finishing each 500-600 page book in about 8 or 9 hours. They are so good! I never thought that I would be so interested in them, but they are great and they keep me distracted. I am currently at the tail end of the 3rd book, and ready to start the 4th and final one. Has anyone else read these books? I definitely recommend them!!

I have some fun things coming up in the near future. To name them off for you:

- This weekend I am going with Lola (my AWESOME Spanish co-worker) and Diana (my dear American coworker) to Isla Cristina, which is a coastal town in the province of Huelva. It is RIGHT on the border with Portugal, so I'm hoping to hop on over there this weekend!

- From February 12-22, my dear friend from last year, Marion, is coming for an extended visit from France. She will be here for my birthday, Feb. 16th, so I'm sure we'll have a good time!

- My favorite Dutch girls Janneke and Aagje are coming to visit the last week of February. I am SO excited! We luckily have a 3 day weekend when they come, so we are planning on making a trip somewhere fun, maybe Portugal?

- This is WAAAAY far ahead, but in April there will be Semana Santa (Holy Week) with the famous and amazing religious processions (it gives me goosebumps just THINKING about it!!!!!), and my good old U of Iowa Office for Study Abroad amiga Rachael Todt will be gracing me with her presence on Easter weekend. I am so excited to be able to show her around!

- Two weeks after Holy Week is the Feria de Sevilla, a big, one-week long fair thats full of flamenco dresses, dancing, sherry and horses. I am taking Sevillianas dancing lessons so that this year I can bust out some Spanish dancing moves, much to the surprise of my colleagues (shhhhh! i'm trying to keep it a secret until then!!! :) )

- My ticket back home is finalized- I will be returning to the great US of A on June 11th, flying out from Amsterdam. I am taking a 11 or 12 day trip to Holland before I leave Europe so I can spend some time with my Dutch girls and their glorious families.

Well, I'm at school and the bell is about to ring....I've got my favorite class, 1·G. We're gonna learn about Coniferous Forests and Tundra, etc. Yippee!

Until soon.........

Work Christmas Par-tay!

2009-01-05T11:47:00.001-08:00

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Gezellig Nieuw Jaar en Eersel, Nederland

2009-01-05T11:28:00.000-08:00

Amsterdam!

2009-01-05T11:00:00.000-08:00

Holland pics 1

2009-01-05T10:40:00.000-08:00

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Gelukkig Nieuw Jaar!

2009-01-05T09:19:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone!
I have just returned to Seville from my holiday vacation to Holland- and I had the best time EVER! i seriously think this will go down as my favorite vacation to date- it was so much fun to hang out with janneke and her family. i also got to see my other dutch-iowa-going friend, aagje, but only for a day :(
some highlights include: 2 Christmases in Venray (a small town in South Holland), AMAZING FOOD (God bless Janneke's mom!), sweet presents (a dutch phrasebook, the Kite Runner (in Spanish), a moroccan scarf and Grandma's Boy DVD (a hilarious movie)), a trip to the Hertog Jan brewery, a visit to the Openluchtmuseum- a museum that shows you how the dutch lived back in the day, brief trips to arnhem and across the border to germany, hanging in nijmegen (a nice college town where janneke studies), a day trip to amsterdam (my favorite foreign city-beautiful!), new years in eersel with aagje and her family, and gezillig-ness.

and now, a few observations on the great country that is Holland:

- a charactaristicly dutch house (or any building for that matter) includes a very steep, narrow staircase that one has nightmares about falling down. i was absolutely amazed when janneke and her brother giel would just bound down the stairs so fast, whereas i would take each step carefully, slowly, trying not to break my neck.

-the people in holland are SO. freakin'. nice. I'm serious. I am always taken aback by the kindness of the dutch, no matter if it in the store, on the street, or at a party. it reminds me of iowa. i was absolutely delighted when on christmas eve in venray, almost everyone janneke and i encountered wished us a merry christmas. this is a big change from spain, where although people can become very warm once you know them, people are stone-faced on the street.

-it is mind-blowing the level of english the dutch have, especially people of my parents age and down. many speak a smattering of other languages as well. i truely believe this is because the dutch do not dub over foreign movies and television- they use subtitles. even for cartoons like the simpsons or family guy. this way, the dutch are trained at listening to english even at a very young age. it really puts americans to shame with their knowledge of other languages.

-though Dutch cuisine isn't world-renowned, there are some delicious specialities out there. appelfloppen (apple turnovers), snert (hot pea and sausage soup- it really is good!), pannekoeken (dutch pancakes- sweet and savory!) and patat met (french fries with mayonaise) are delicious. i am particularly parcial to dutch cheese (the old cheese, oude kaas, was my best friend and my enemy) and the beer is also good (hertog jan is an excellent beer if you ever get a chance to try it).

-everyone has a bike. i mean everyone. the country is so flat and makes it suitable for riding around town or the countryside. and get this- the most common crime in holland is bike theft!

-the bathrooms are quite interesting. the name "water closet" literally describes them. its often a tiny little closet with a toliet inside. no space for anything else.

-the legal drinking age in holland is 16. a 5 YEAR difference with the USA. janneke's younger brother Giel is 16, and it was crazy to see him drinking beers with us. but he never got out of hand at all. and you can't get a driver's license in holland until you're 18.

-speaking of legal, contrary to popular belief, marijuana isn't legal in holland, it's just tolerated. its sold in "coffeeshops" shops, that are advertised by that name or a cannibus leaf. they are not allowed to have advertisments saying "MARIJUANA!" or "POT HERE!" for example. the Dutch philosophy is to tolerate a soft drug like marijuana, in order to focus on combating harder drugs. interestingly enough, its more the tourists than the Dutch that frequent the shops. Maybe the "semi-legalness" of it makes it lose its excitment for its residents. hey, its not a system for every country, but it seems to work for holland and definitely falls within their country-wide philosophy of "tolerance".

-prostitution is legal in holland, which is crazy to me. I passed by two Red Light districts- one in Nijmegen and the famous one in Amsterdam. Even though I had been to Amsterdam 3 times before, i never saw the Red Light district before this trip. It is surreal. There are girls in lingerie, standing in windows, like mannequins. most of them looked very, very bored. as disgusting as some people may find this concept, my friend JJ explained it to me awhile ago very sensible terms- every country has prostitution, whether they hide it or not. By regulating it, the government can control it. The prositutes pay taxes like any other working citizens. interesting, huh?

-3 kisses is the customary greeting in holland (although a handshake is suitable for guy to guy). this is different from the spanish 2 kisses. man i love the kiss greeting. it's so much more elegant, don't ya think?

-i LOVE the dutch language! it sounds like a fairytale. i am absolutely delighted by the fun sounds of words like slagroom (whipped cream), aardapelen (potatoes) and
sinesappelsap (orange juice). i want soooo badly to speak dutch fluently. my announcing this usually gets strange looks from the Dutch, since not too many foreigners take a keen interest on learning their language (the Dutch are excellent linguists, and most can say such slang american slang words that keep you amazed for days). but i am absolutely determined to speak good dutch.....

- the country is beautiful. windmills, beautiful gingerbread houses, tulips (in spring though) and canals. it's a fantasy country!

if i think of more observations, i will add them (i shudda written them down!)

but seriously, if you are ever considering visiting the great and beautiful country of the Netherlands....DO IT! you won't regret it!

Felices Fiestas!

2008-12-16T10:32:00.000-08:00

Hi. Remember me? I'm that one chick who promised all her friends and family to diligently blog this year in Spain......and I seem to have gotten caught up in my own thang and forgot about that promise. I am dearly sorry...

So! Nothin' too new here. In exactly one week I leave for Christmas holidays to Holland! I was in Holland for Christmas last year to visit my dear friends Janneke and Aagje (two awesome chicks who studied at Iowa for a semester a few years back) and hang with them and their families. I had SO much fun last year and I am really looking forward to going back again. Actually, that is an understatement......I am positively freaking out with anticipation! Okay, maybe not freaking out, but everytime I think about it I give a celebratory fist pump in the hair. Hooray!

Home life is going good. My roommates are pretty awesome. Marco has been replaced by a Brazilian woman named Silvia. She is getting her doctorate in (get this) FLAMENCO. boo-yah! I've always wanted to learn the art of flamenco and now I have a professional dancer living with me. The girls of the house had our Christmas dinner before everyone goes off to their respective places for the holidays, and Silvia suggested going to a Cuban bar and restaurant to see a cuban salsa band. It was a lot of fun, but I realized a) i can't dance salsa, b) i want to learn how to salsa, c) i want to go to Latin America, namely Cuba. I guess I'll just add that to the bazillion places I want to go.....sigh....

It is cold here. Well, not IOWA cold, but I can definitely see my own breath in the morning when i walk to school. Today it was about 15 degrees Celcius, which would be in the 50's in Fahrenheit. basically it was a sevillian blizzard, without the snow. everyone had on their big fluffy down coats and knit gloves and fleece scarves like it was nobody's business. i have to admit that my body has adjusted to seville temperatures, and a day of 15 celcius feels FREEZING to me now. but, this is mainly due to the fact that andalucian houses at much colder inside than it is outside. they are constructed to be a refuge from the ridiculously hot summer months (high ceilings and marble floors) but they so unbelievably cold in the winter. And since we don't have central heating in our apartment, we have little tiny space heaters in each of our rooms. Mine radiates little heat, and i have the biggest room in the house. needless to say i am constantly in layers. (My warmth has greatly improved, however, since our shower has been fixed and has hot water for more than, get this, 2 minutes!) Anyway, most homes don't have central heating but have small space heaters in every room, plus a brasera (is that the name in spanish? i think so) in the dining room. It is a special table with a heater at the bottom near the floor. then a very long, heavy tablecloth goes over the table so when the family is eating or sitting at the table they can just put the lower half of the body under the tablecloth and keep warm that way. we have a huge brasera in the teacher's lounge at school that can sit more than 10 people. if you aren't sitting in the teacher's lounge with your legs in the brasera, it is deathly cold, and you must wear a jacket and scarf around the building, in the halls. once last year it was so cold that i crawled entirely under the tablecloth and laid under the table in a heat for a few moments, but just for jokes.

our annual christmas dinner with the professors is on thursday, followed by an afterparty at a club. i am so excited since last year it was HILARIOUS to see my fellow coworkers go crazy on the dancefloor!
and something that seems to be a bit of a tradition during christmas at work is to drink anise liquor. at WORK. all week. no joke, there are a few bottles on top of the brasera at school. spain is crazy. i personally find it to taste awful, like cherry cough syrup, which just gives me bad memories of my mom forcing that disgusting liquid into my mouth when i was sick. ugh.

the kids are doing great. i love them so much, they are so great. they applause for me after every lesson. i mean i thought that they would stop doing it after the first month, but they still do it everyday. today i got some real "oohs" and "ahhhs" from my powerpoint presentation on Natural Disasters. I talked about hurricanes and tornadoes and floods and wildfires, and for the floods and tornadoes i showed pictures of the occurences in iowa. and the kids went NUTS. they were asking so much questions and were so fascinated by everything. be reminded that tornadoes generally do not occur in europe, so for me to talk about a tornado warning like its nothing was, for them, UNREAL. the lesson was so successful that they actually groaned with lament at the end of the slideshow. cha-ching!

alright, more later. i will be posting some pics of christmas in seville in the next few days.....stay posted.

Happy Holidays!

After the Election

2008-11-08T02:54:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was the first day I had classes since the election. As soon as I walked into my classroom the kids started chanting, "O-BA-MA! O-BA-MA!" and clapping wildly. I thought it was pretty funny. And one of more eccentric students in the class kept on whispering, "yes we can" throughout the lesson. oh, those kids!

its a bright, sunny morning in sevilla. i think i'm going to go outside and enjoy the day.

Tips and Tools for Teaching Private English lessons

2008-11-07T03:06:00.001-08:00

I will now pass on some useful things I have learned by giving private English lessons:

- The first lesson should be a get-to-know-you session. I give them a piece of paper and tell them to think of any 7 questions to ask me about myself and write them down, and I do the same for them. It's a nice activity to break the ice and you end up learning some interesting things about your student and vice versa. Plus, you can help correct their grammar and spelling mistakes.

- I have started a system where I have a separate notebook for everyday of the week, and I divide the notebook into sections, one section for every student I have (I have a lot of students). When I plan my lessons for each student, I write down exactly what I am going to do, and afterwards I follow up with notes. This is a great system because it avoids repeating lessons and you can see the progress of each student as time passes.

- I have a lot of students who are children, and I have learned that that best way to get them to learn (especially the ADD variety) is to bribe them. Yes, that may should bad, but desperate times call for desperate measures. I have a point system where students earn points through succeeding in activities or using a certain catch phrase that I taught them. After they reach a certain amount of points, I bring them a small 'gift' from the United States- gum, stickers, chocolate, etc. The kids go WILD over the idea.

- I think success in teaching parcially lies in thinking back to when you were a student and what you thought was interesting to learn. I remember when I started learning Spanish I was very interested in slang words and cultural aspects. So for many of my students I give them a slang word of the week (examples: cool, awesome, what's up?, etc) and they have to use it in a sentence to me, unprovoked, the next time I see them. And I give them a point.

- For young children learning vocabulary, I always have success with the game of memory. I simply make sets of cards with pictures of the vocabulary words on them and use them to play memory, only they must say the vocabulary word on the card when they flip it over. If they can't think of the vocabulary word, they lose their turn. You can also use these cards to play "go fish".

- Games in general are important for successful classes with children. You must incorporate fun in the lesson because it (DUH) makes them want to learn.

- One particular lesson that was a success was a lesson i did with 3 little boys about food tastes. I made flashcards for words like "this tastes....salty, sour, sweet, bland, tasty, crunchy, creamy, bitter, etc." I also taught them how to say "yucky" and "yummy". Then I blindfolded each of them and I fed them various types of food (sour candy, yogurt, bread, crackers, etc.) and they had to describe it using the words we used. they LOVED that lesson!

- It helps to be a little crazy. No one likes a boring, monotone teacher. Being animated and enthusiastic will rub off on the students and make your time a lot easier. My lessons are filled with a lot of laughter and joking, thus associating English with fun. I attribute pretty much all my success with students on this fact.

-A very important tip: find something that each student does well and praise them for it and constantly complement their ability when they get it right. When a child hears "good job! you said that PERFECTLY!" they have a look of accomplishment on their face that makes them want to try even harder.

- If you are teaching English in Europe, be aware that the English that most people learn is British English, so your American accent might take a bit getting used to for the students. Americans tend to change "t" into "d" in pronounciation (example- pretty, beautiful, little, letter, etc). It would go a long way if you try to pronounce it with a "t" as to not confuse them (although I explain that Americans pronounce it differently just in case I slip up one day).

- you could spend entire classes on reviewing the alphabet (most Spanish students hear the English "a" and write "e", the same for "e" and "i") or numbers ("sixty" and sixteen" sound the exact same to them). In fact numbers are really important and you should spend time going over them. Numbers were something I avoided learning fluently for a long time in Spanish, but I realized that they were very important to language fluency.

- I truly believe that language learning comes down to 2 things- memorization and imitation. Try to work on these things with your students and you will be a successful teacher.

Here are some great internet resources for planning your private English classes:

MEC English- this website has lots of free flashcards, worksheets and games to print for teaching younger children

Taiwan Teacher- lots of activity and game ideas

ESL Flow - this website has a whole host of worksheets, lesson plans, games, teaching tips and much more for elementary and intermediate students. Great website!

ESL Lesson Plans to Download- this website was created by someone who worked as an English Assistant in France (the Auxiliar's French sister program). They took a lot of time to post all of their created ESL lesson plans, mp3s of pronounciation and much more. Some of the worksheets have French directions, so you'll have to change that into Spanish, but its a really great tool.

to be continued....

Today is the day

2008-11-04T10:49:00.000-08:00

Even though I'm an ocean away from the biggest presidental election to happen in recent history, don't think that I'm removed from it all. Oh, quite the contrary. Today I have been reminded all around me that today is THE DAY. Today at school in Brenes I was constantly stopped in the hall by professors, who squeezed my arm and said "Today is your day. How are you feeling?" My students started chanting "O-BA-MA! O-BA-MA! O-BA-MA!" I said, "Yes! Please, let OBAMA WIN!" I then added, "if McCain wins, I might just stay in Spain forever." So then they started chanting "MCCAIN! MCCAIN! MCCAIN!"
My two favorite fellow political analysts, Jorge and Puri (who work at the school cafeteria and make the best cafe con leche EVER) were ready to discuss the day as I ate my ham and tomato toast. Jorge and Puri and I have been relentlessly, obsessively talking about politics since last October. Everyday we get into engrossing and passionate discussions over american politics- so I was really excited to talk to them. We were all nervious but pretty sure that Obama will win.

The election obsession didn't stop there. On my way home from a private english lesson I stopped in a bodega for some jamon and a beer. I struck up a conversation with an old man behind the bar, who wanted to be reassured by me that Obama would win. "We really like Obama over here in Spain", he said. After that I stopped by my neighborhood corner shop to talk to the owner with whom I have a good repoire. He told me that he's very worried about the economic crisis. In just three months his morgage has gone from 700 euros/month to 1200 euros/month. He sadly told me that he will have to look for another job to pay for the payment increase, and said that ultimately he will have to close the shop I have come to know and love over this past year. As I left, he raised a fist in the air and said, "GO OBAMA!"

And that's not all. Four of the major cable t.v. stations are boasting full, all-night coverage of the US elections LIVE from Washington D.C. Everyone's talking about it. It's a big deal to all of us. As the neighborhood shopkeeper said, "Tonight the world will change."

So it goes to show that even if it is AMERICA'S election, it still affects everyone in this increasingly interconnected world. Tonight, all the eyes of the world will be on the 50 states.

So, here's to today (and for me, TONIGHT.....its 8pm already here)..... and may change be just ahead.

Dogs like me

2008-10-15T10:56:00.000-07:00

Yesterday a peculiar thing happened to me. As I was leaving the institute in Brenes and walking towards the train station, i noticed that a little, cross-eyed dog was following me. I would turn around every minute or so and there he would be, about 10 feet back, acting nonchalant. I even tried to cut through streets to see if he would follow me, and sure enough he did. I eventually starting cracking up with laughter because this crazy eyed, ugly little dog followed me for 10 minutes up to the train station! when i got to the parking lot of the train station another dog was there, so cross-eyed dog backed off. But then the other dog started following me! As I boarded the train and waved to the dog staring at me from the platform, I realized why I was so popular....I had a pork sandwich in my bag and they must have smelled it.
That cross-eyed dog was pretty funny, though.
The End.

Thoughts on a second time 'round....

2008-10-09T12:26:00.000-07:00

As I start to get settled into the Seville life once again, it is becoming more apparent just how different the experience is a second time around, both positively and negatively.
On one hand, there is a sense of comfort in already knowing what supermarket has the best tomatoes or what neighborhood bar serves up the best ham and cheese tostadas. The area shopkeepers wave "hi" to me as I walk past them on the streets. I can give directions to a lost tourist without batting an eye. I know the opening and closing hours of clothing stores, the chino shops and the supermarkets. I can navigate with ease through the twisted mess of narrow streets in the city center. I feel comfortable here- I know what to expect, and I truly feel that I am a part of this neighborhood.
On the other hand, the fact that i have become accustomed to life here has, in some ways, made it lose a bit of its magic. I no longer gasp in awe at all the ancient buildings all around me, or stare up at the orange trees bursting with still-green fruit in wonder. The thought of living in a place where palm trees dot the cityscape no longer has me grinning with disbelief so much that my cheeks hurt. Hearing the sound of church bells ringing at dusk from my bedroom window no longer makes me perk up my ears in amazement. These things are no longer the forefront of my Seville experience- they are merely the background.
Its interesting how when all the glitter and sheen of a new and exotic place starts to wash off, you see that it is a normal city, just like any other place. It isn't just a mystical place featured in glossy travel magazines, it is a real city, like any other. There are bad neighborhoods and homeless people, rank sewers and air pollution. Of course I noticed all of this last year, but I think I was so blinded by the novelty of all of it that i chose to ignore it. This year, its not so easy to ignore.
All that being said, I love Seville. A lot. And even though the things that seemed so exotic to me last year are more along the lines of "normal" to me now, I still appreciate them. I realize that I have the rare opportunity to really get to know a beautiful foreign city, something that many people never have the pleasure to do. so i think this year will be a little bit more raw. Now that I have gotten past the awe inspiring sites, i can pull up my sleeves, dig in and really get to know this city, its people and everything in between.
I look forward to this year, and seeing what I am able to take away from my experience in round number two.

How Aubree got her Groove Back

2008-10-06T13:01:00.000-07:00

Greetings from sunny Sevilla! Well, actually at this exact moment it's not sunny- it is 10pm here and the sun has turned to black. I am sitting in my living room and enjoying the breeze from the balcony. I better enjoy it while it lasts, because the locals are saying winter will come early this year :(
So things are starting to get settled in my apartment. I have officially moved into my new bedroom, which happens to be the biggest, the brightest and the least noisy of all four bedrooms. I am quite happy with my room and feel very comfortable there. The walls are painted light blue, which is quite nice and calming, compared to the purplish-gray walls of my last room. Those walls weren't even a color- they were just blah.
In the apartment its me, my new French roommate Lea (she's awesome and so much fun) and Cora from Germany (medicine student, super awesome and cool chick!). Marco is still here, he will be here until november, and then a mexican law student will move in his room. I am very excited about the prospect of living with a mexican because A) I can speak Mexican with him, which is distinctly different from Spain Spanish, and B) maybe he'll bring me so hot sauce and jalapenos and other fine spicy mexican food which I dream of every night!
I went to my school in brenes this past week to get my schedule for the year. It was great to see my professors and the students again. It really lifted my spirits since before then I was trying to fend off a little homesickness (yes, miss independent does suffer from it from time to time!). I saw some of my students from last year and they all gathered around me in the hall and gave me kisses and asked me tons of questions and were generally pretty excited. Its a big ego boost to be around the kids of brenes, because they are so affectionate with me.
so this year my schedule is quite different than last year. Last year I worked with a variety of ages and levels and visited each class once a week, and also worked one-on-one with computer science professors. this year i am primarily working with the youngest kids, and the best kids in the Bilingual program. Basically these kids need good grades and special permission to be in this program, so i will be working with the best of the best. The group is called 1G, and they are the smartest and best behaved out of all other 1st years. This is a change from last year, when 1A was the best group and 1G was the worst. They apparently switched the levels around to fool people into thinking that one group is better than the other. If you ask me it's a bit strange to group children like that into "good" and "bad" groups, but whatever! anyway, I will primarily be working with 1G (which, coincidently, includes Guillermo, the youngest son of my boss, whom I adore!). I will NOT be entering their English classes, but rather their Music, P.E., Social Science and Math classes, but all of these classes will be in English. I will also visit 1E English class once a week and a class of 18-19 year old Computer Science classes once a week. So needless to say, I will be getting to know the kids of 1G pretty well this year! The bad thing about my schedule is that i have to be in brenes at 8:15 three days of the week, which means I have to leave my house at 7 to catch the train. I know, I know, many of you out there get up at 6-something or maybe even earlier. Good for you. I am NOT a morning person, and it doesn't help that the sun doesn't rise here until 8 in the morning, so I will be arriving at school just as the sun is starting to shine.
On another note, I am pleased to announce that I have so many offers for private English lessons that I just cannot accept any more classes, or I won't have any sort of a social life.
anyway i think i'm going to start winding down my evening and preparing for an early morning. this weekend is the Brenes Fair, which means no school on Friday OR the following monday. I am definitely going to the fair one of the days, my students have been begging me to come and I don't think I can pass up the great experience. I will take pics! :)

Anyway, so yeah, I am feeling better and better about everything. I feel like I'm getting my groove back slowly, and everything's gonna be A-OK. Still miss my friends and fam a lot though. I miss you, TEENS!
Before I sign off, I would like to give a great big welcome to my new cousin Braden Joseph Hartsock, and congrats to the proud parents Jill and Billy. I'm so sad I can't be there in person to share in the exciting moment, but I read your blog daily!

Until soon,
Aubs

I have arrived

2008-09-28T08:09:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! Well, I've finally arrived in Spain after a long and grueling flight schedule. I flew from Chicago to Philly, Philly to Lisbon, Lisbon to Sevilla. I barely made my flights (I had to run to catch my planes in Philly and Lisbon) but alas my bags and I made it safe and sound.
I arrived in Sevilla at noon on Friday, and my friend Marion met me at the airport. It was so good to see her again!
That afternoon I went to one of my favorite restaurants in Seville called La Mia Tana. It's a great little italian restaurant that has good pizza. There I met up with my Brazilian roommate Marco, my German roommate Kaya, my Israeli friend Yair and a new friend, Gerald, from the Netherlands. After chatting for awhile, Marion and I decided to go for a walk while the boys eat. I say my goodbyes and turn to leave and *SMACK* I run straight into the glass door, in front of all my friends and a packed restaurant. It made such a big noise that I just rushed out of there, holding my face in my hands in utter embarrassment. Gerald came out and said "Are you OK?? That looked pretty bad." Oh I was so embarrassed. Kaya later told me that there was an imprint of my face on the glass door. Needless to say, it wasn't a great start to my time in Spain, but luckily all my friends were really nice and didn't tease me about it. But for the sake of my ego I think I'm gonna stay away from La Mia Tana for a few weeks. ;)
It has been rainy here, and oddly chilly. You need a sweater at night, which is crazy because last time this year it was so hot you could barely function.
I went out last night on the town and it was good to hang out with everyone again. I am still adjusting, since I still feel in Iowa mode, but this is normal. I do miss all my friends and family though.
Anyway, I will write more when more happens. So far there isn't much to tell, except for my uber embarrassing run-into-a-glass-door incident.
Hope you all are well.
Besos!

Back In Iowa City for the summer

2008-07-04T09:32:00.000-07:00

hey everyone! yes, its been awhile, i know. i'm sorry. but i am in iowa for the summer (until september 26th to be exact) so i won't be updating this blog until i am back in spain for another year. check back in early october! :)

have a great summer and HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Something to gripe about

2008-05-14T03:38:00.000-07:00

There is something that really ticks me off....and let me share it with you.

On more 10 different occasions within the past 8 months, I have had Spaniards tell me that they don't like my American accent (when speaking English....compared to the British accent). Some say "the British accent is smoother. The American accent seems like you have a mouthful of potatoes". I had one person last week say "my brother-in-law HATES the american accent. In fact, he would be laughing in your face right now if he was here." What am I supposed to say to that? Um, SORRY that this is the way I speak? Do they want me to fake a British accent just so they can be pleased? I mean, WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO ABOUT IT?????
I find comments like this to be incredibly rude and unnecessary. In my opinion you should never make someone feel bad about something that they can't control- whether it be your accent, nationality, sexual orientation, mother tongue, etc. Look, I agree. I think the British accent is much cooler. I love it in fact. But just because I speak a different way doesn't mean my English is inferior. I even try my best to omit "like, like" from my speech- an aspect of American english that I do not like at all. But still, there are people who frown upon the American accent and covet the British accent. I understand that the British accent may be a bit more pleasing to the ear, but think about how many people live in England and how many people live in the US. Wouldn't American English be more coveted based on sheer numbers of speakers?
That being said, for every person that offends me by knockin' my American accent, there are plenty of others who appreciate it. Many people say that they can understand my accent better....and in actuality there are many more similarities between American English words and Spanish (Iberian) words. So that is comforting to me.

On a related note, I once met a Portuguese woman in a pub here in Seville. She asked where I was from, and when I said "USA" she rolled her eyes and said, "oh. I don't like Americans." And do you know what I said? I said, "You know what? I hate when people say that. Why don't you just forget my nationality for a second and talk to me and if after 5 minutes you still don't like me, then fine, I accept that. But don't automatically dislike me because of my homeland and your perception of my government. Be a little more open-minded!" That sure shut her up!:)
I'm not trying to scare any of you out there who worry about dealing with anti-americanism while traveling or living abroad. True, it does exist. And if you are American and live here for more than a few months, you will be confronted with it at least once, usually by some stupid drunk person. But the thing to remember is that the people that say and think those things are closed-minded and don't know what they are talking about. They are most likely people that have never left their country, let alone their hometown, and have a very distorted perspective on foreign cultures. Truely smart and open people may not like your government or your president, but they have intelligence to differeniate between you and the government.
In the end I am glad that I have had these encounters, because they really give you perspective on prejudice and they remind you that we can all be vulnerable to it. It has made me much more sensitive to other cultures, religions, etc. Prejudice breeds hate, and that is the cause of all the problems in our world today. Think about that before you pass judgement on someone just because they are different than you......

Updates

2008-05-05T00:54:00.001-07:00

Hey everyone!
I just realized that I haven't updated my blog in a few weeks......oops!
I have been quite busy though- the sun is shining and the weather is wonderful, and it makes me want to be outside with my friends, walking around the city and enjoying the warm Andalucian primavera. You would not BELIEVE the flowers that have blossomed all over the city. There are seriously flowers from every color of the rainbow....even blue flowers, which I myself have not seen very much of before in my life. The only downside to the beautiful flora is allergies.......I have never in my life suffered from allergies, but I have noticed that it has affected me here. I gotta say though- the beauty of the city is worth it!!!!

We had a long weekend here in Spain......no school on Thursday due to Spain's Labor Day... I went out in the countryside for a belated-birthday party for one of my coworkers.....we spent the day relaxing, eating (LOTS of seafood and pork) and chatting about everything under the sun. I was the only foreigner there, and that's the way I like it!!!
On Saturday I went to Cadiz with Marion. We hung out on the beach and stayed the night in the old part of the city- I had a great time! Seville is the best, but it is nice to take a little break and head for the sea. A bus from seville to Cadiz is only an 1 and a half ride.....not too bad!!!

A bit of bad news though......this past Friday, 4 kids from Brenes were involved in a car accident on the highway and died. 2 of them were students at the school where I work, although I didn't have either of them in my classes. They were apparently coming back from celebrating a communion of someone in the town. Oddly enough I had talked with my students about that specific communion, as many of them had said they were going there. Its such a tragedy that a seemingly happy day could end in such sadness.
Needless to say the school and the town of Brenes are pretty shook up. Most of my kids are friends, cousins or neighbors with the boys who passed away. By the way, the students who died where 19 and 18 years old.....the other 2 boys were 20 and 21 years old. So sad.
If you understand Spanish and would like to learn more about the accident, you can go to the website for Canal Sur and watch a short video about it at the following website: http://www.canalsur.es/informativos/portada?idActivo=164&idCanal=713
It should be on the main page, with the title being "Dos mil personas despiden a los cuarto fallecidos en el accidente en Brenes" - translation: "2 thousand people say goodbye to the 4 boys killed in an accident in Brenes".

That's all for now, the bell is going to ring......

Traveling to Europe? Check out these links

2008-04-18T07:12:00.001-07:00

Behold some of my most favorite links about travel:

Budget Travel Online: I absolutely love this magazine! It has some great resources on its website (not to mention some great travel deals).

Rick Steves: What can I say? I love Rick Steves, because his travel philosophy is to get off the beaten path a little and discover the REAL Europe, not the Europe made for tourists. Great "Graffiti Wall" with tips from fellow Rick Steves-aficiandos.

Transitions Abroad: Hands down my favorite travel related website out there. Has an impressive collection of articles about meaningful travel, as well as thorough sections on living and studying abroad.

Which Budget?: Europe is famous for their really cheap intercontinental flights.Can you believe that I once flew from Rome to London for 5 euros? Okay, so that wasn't including taxes, but the entire deal ended up costing me only like 20 euros. Go to this website and discover some of the bargain-basement fares out there.

Brave New Traveler: A great website I just recently discovered with some informative and inspiring travel articles.

A great flamenco song

2008-04-14T13:31:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorite songs at the moment by an Andalucian flamenco singer named Estrella Morente. This song is called "Pepico de Tango". Marion and I often sing this song at the top of our lungs in her apartment. Enjoy!

Random Things I love about Spain

2008-04-14T12:40:00.000-07:00

So last time I shared a few of my pet peeves, and now I would like to share with you some completely random things that I love about Spain:

- I absolutely love flamenco music and the influence it has all over the city, at any time of day. Its not uncommon to see people in a plaza break out into a little impromptu flamenco session, singing, clapping out a rhythm or strumming on their guitar. There are flamenco bars all around town that have concerts a few times a week. a notable place is the labrinto, a bar hidden behind Plaza Encarnacion that has a different act every Tuesday. Its full of students and a really fun atmosphere in general. I plan on going tomorrow! :)

- I have found that I tend to bond with the older generation here. I mean really old generation. In Spain the elderly are called "ancianos" which means "the ancients", and that kinda makes me giggle. but i always find myself talking to a random anciano in a park or on the street. i remember when i first arrived the first sevillian i ever met was an old, wrinkly woman who lives on my street. she was so tiny and shriveled...she came up to about my knees. and she had absolutely no teeth. she was so friendly but i couldn't understand a word she said as her speech was so gummy.
today i helped out an anciano at the train station and he promptly came down and sat right next to me on the train and just started talking and talking and talking about the times when franco was the dictator (for some reason they all want to tell me about franco times) and I just listened to him. i feel like i have a lot to learn from them and enjoy their storytelling and heartfelt advice. the more i grow older, the more i realize how much the older generation has to say, and they want to share their story with anyone and everyone who will listen. its a good thing i like a good story! plus, its good practice for me to try and understand the really gummy, toothless Spanish that's out there.

-I love the feeling of sitting in a plaza full of palm trees on a warm sevillian evening with my friends, drinking a tinto de verano (wine mixed with fanta). there is always background music with all the street musicians playing the guitar or accordian. in that moment, i feel like i am in paradise.

-I love, LOVE the fact that old Spanish men walk with their hands clasped behind their back. i don't know why, but i love it SO MUCH. it makes me feel so happy inside when i see it. I finally got a photo of it one day in Extremadura, which i posted a week or so ago on this website.

- I LOVE it when a Spaniard asks me for directions (which happens a lot). And I love it even more when I know what street they're looking for (as that's not always the case).

-I love the fact that there are times when i'm walking down the street and a horse and carriage passes right next to me. except for when the horse shits all over the place.

- I love that in Spain, a tip isn't required. If I go out to a bar with my friends, we never have to give a tip. If i take a taxi, I MAYBE give 50 cents. Of course, if the service was outstanding, it deserves a tip, but not more than a euro or two!

thats all for now........

5 Things that Annoy me Today

2008-04-08T08:10:00.000-07:00

Maybe its because its raining outside, or maybe its because i'm starting to get the sniffles, but I am not in the best mood today. and there are a few things that i have been slightly annoyed with but patiently tolerated about daily life here. Today, however, I am a bit more frustrated about it. Let me share with you my gripes:

1. Due to the construction work that takes place next door (and the absence of a port-a-potty), my street smells like a toliet. all the time. its like playing hopscotch to avoid all the puddles, which may or may not be urine (or rain....whatever).

2. Speaking of construction work....do you know how tiring it is to be awoken by the sound of a drill hammering through cement less than 50 feet away from you? That sound is worse than crinkling plastic, which, as some of you may know, I REALLY hate. Oh, and by the way, I asked the workers how long they will be working on the project. Their answer? "No more than a few years."

3. Where is the man that brings us our gas for cooking and such? We ran out of gas more than a week ago, have called the company 3 times, and no one has come yet. WHERE ARE THEY? My brazilian roommate and I both agreed that this probably wouldn´t have happened in our respective countries. And if it did happen, it would warrant an apology and maybe a discount. What do you think are the chances of that happening here? Slim to none.

4. Why won't my clothes washer actually wash my clothes? Yes, I AM using detergent this time. It seems that almost no stain has come out, and many a-shirt have been ruined as a result. heck, it almost seems as if my clothes are dirtier when i take them out!

5. WHY DOESN'T ANYONE PICK UP AFTER THEIR DOG? when walking through the city, you always have to keep one eye on the ground, because the streets of seville are like dog shit landmines. at first it would make me sick at times to see so much poop, but now i just look at it only to know not to step on it and immediately change my thought to something else. It's still disgusting, though. That being said, I HAVE been able to avoid stepping in it for almost 7 months straight......knock on wood ;)

In all serious, though. Yeah, these things are really annoying. But they are a part of Spain, and hey, I LOVE Spain.

Peace.
5.

2008-04-08T01:54:00.000-07:00

It´s raining today.....again. It´s supposed to rain all this week. Its a shame, too, because this week is the Feria de Abril in Seville (the April Fair). This big celebration, which happens two weeks after Semana Santa, is a big deal to the city of Seville. It is basically an entire week of dancing sevillianas (similar to flamenco dancing), sherry, flamenco dresses and horses. The festivities take place on the Seville fairgrounds, which are located across the river from the old part of the city. The fairgrounds are covered with tents (called casetas ) and each tent is owned by a business, a family or prominent people in Seville. Inside the tents there is drinking and dancing and eating all night. Most tents are ¨invite-only¨, meaning that if you don´t know the party, you are not able to enter. There are, however, a few public tents where anyone can enter (i.e. tourists). I, thankfully, have made some contacts in the past 6 months that I´ve been here and have been invited to some private parties. Due to the horrible weather, I think I will probably go to the fair only one day (on Thursday) when all of my coworkers from Brenes go. I´ve heard that in years past it has gotten pretty crazy, and if it was anything like the Christmas party....well....its gonna be an entertaining evening!!!!

I personally am doing good. As most of you know, I am coming back next year for another year of work in Spain. I am so excited to be able to spend another year in this amazing part of the world, and I look forward to the good times to come. That being said, now that I know I will be back in September, I am getting a little antsy to come home. I can´t wait to see my long lost friends and family and have an enjoyable summer. I leave for Iowa on June 14th, and I´ll be in IC until September 26, so if you´ll be around, look me up!!!!
BUT BEFORE I COME HOME, my parents are coming to visit me!!!!!!! They are coming for a week and I cannot wait! It will be so great to show them where I have been living the past year....I know they will love Spain. Btw, it´s their first time crossing the pond!!!!!!

Ah! the bell ring I must go.

Hasta la próxima.......

More photos

2008-04-04T06:58:00.000-07:00

1. A flower in Extremadura
2. Taken in Extremadura
3. My room
4. Plaza San Lorenzo at night
5. One of the many narrow and winding streets in my neighborhood

This is how little Spanish kids are dressed- I can just hear my Mom rejoicing now

2008-03-31T09:26:00.000-07:00

Looks like something from the 1950's right?

Random pics

2008-03-31T08:52:00.000-07:00

Some random pictures of myself, and one of Marion, my closest friend here. Also a picture of a wall in my room, and a picture of the entrance to my apartment building, looking out onto the street.

Sunset from my rooftop

2008-03-31T08:46:00.000-07:00

These are pictures that i took of the sunset on my apartment's rooftop. I also included a picture of my street that has a massive flower tree hanging over it. Awesome!

Semana Santa Pics

2008-03-31T08:30:00.000-07:00

These are pictures of the processions during Semana Santa (Holy Week). No, the figures are NOT Klu Klux Klan....they are called nazarenos, and they signify repentance. I was fascinated by them and took many pictures. all of the processions that i saw were very moving- if any of you get the chance to see Seville during Semana Santa- DO IT!!!
BTW: the picture that is 3rd from the bottom isn't meant to be in this entry- it is actually from Extremadura (it is a picture of my coworker on the right and her friend on the left) but i don't know how to take it out because my computer is being all weird. oh well.

Extremadura Pics!!!

2008-03-31T08:17:00.001-07:00

Q & A for future Language and Culture Assistants part II

2008-03-27T08:04:00.000-07:00

What is a typical weekday like for you?
Well, most days I get up around 7:30am and am out of the house by 8:00am. I walk 20 minutes to the train station, then I take a 20 minute train ride to Brenes. I have breakfast at the school bar and then have anywhere between 3 and 5 classes. Some of these classes I spend in front of a classroom of students, and other times I work one on one with the professors from the Computer Science department. I am usually out of the institute by 1pm, and take the train back home to Seville. I eat lunch at home, except on Thursdays when i give lessons to my boss' (Almudena's) children and then eat lunch (the main meal of the day) with her family afterwards. I then go to my various private lessons that I have around the city. After I'm done I call up my friend Marion and we go to a cafe or a sunny plaza and talk for awhile, or I go to her house. Often I will sit up on my rooftop and watch the sun go down behind the cathedral. I have dinner at about 9 or 10pm. Then I do my lesson plans for the next morning, tool around on my computer, and go to bed at about 12am.

What type of living situation do you recommend?
I definitely recommend trying your hardest to live with Spaniards or at least people from other countries. I just don't understand why many Americans insist on living with other Americans while in Spain. First of all, living with Americans is something that you can do back home. Take this opportunity to live with people from other countries. It is a great way to gain cultural understanding, and its a great way to meet new people! Also, if you only live with other Americans then you will only speak English. To be able to live in Spain for a year is a great gift, so why not use this time wisely to practice your Spanish? You'll return to the US with a polished and important skill that will undoubtedly boost your resume.

How much Spanish do I really need to know before I go to Spain?
Techinally you need to have a "high intermediate" understanding of Spanish to participate in the program, but there are people on the program that have less than that. Within the European spectrum, Spain as at the tail-end of English comprehension (partly due to, in my opinion, dubbing american t.v. and movies instead of subtitling them) so you will not find a lot of Spaniards who speak fluent English. So bone up on your Spanish before arriving, but know that you will definitely improve your Spanish within the year that you are here.
Also, be aware that in Andalucia they have a very distinct accent that can be very very confusing to outsiders. Most Andalucians don't pronounce the "s" in words and swallow the end of their words, and it takes a LOT of getting used to. So don't be surprised if you don't know what the heck anyone is saying when you first arrive. don't worry though, you will acclimate.

Can you elaborate a bit on the cost of living in Seville?
Yeah, sure, I can elaborate a bit. Here are the average prices for some random things. Remember that one euro = $1.50 USD

Baguette (French loaf of bread) = .75 euro cents
small beer or glass of wine in a bar = 1.10 euros
small soft drink in a bar = 1.30 euros
liter of water from a supermarket = .40 euro cents
basic Bic pen = 90 cents
haircut (wash, cut, style) = 20 euros
regular-sized bath towel = 10-15 euros
normal bottle of Loreal foundation = 19 euros
basic 53-piece China plate set = 463 euros

okay i know you aren't going to buy a 53-piece china set in spain, but i just wanted to share that with you. i saw that yesterday in a store window in a mom-and-pops store. it was really ugly china too. 463 euros for that? seriously, that's insane. anyway, if you want to see an more complete list of costs, visit exploreseville.com.

Should I bring my laptop?
Yes, I think so. Before, when I was advising for Spain at the University of Iowa OfSA, I always told students who were going to study abroad that it wasn't a good idea to bring it along. It is too much of a liability, Liz and I would say. But now that in-house internet is pretty much the norm here, I think it is a good idea. My laptop as proven to be an extremely useful, informative and entertaining resource and I don't know what I would have done without it. plus, it saves on spending way to much money at an internet cafe. those things drain your pockets QUICKLY.
a word of advice though- don't carry your laptop around. I never, ever, take it out of my house. That way the liability issue isn't one at all.

I asked to be placed in a big city (Seville, Granada, Cordoba, Malaga) but they put me in a tiny town in the middle of nowhere! What should I do?
I remember last year holding my breath and crossing my fingers and hoping and hoping that I would be placed in Seville, where I had requested to be. Though I was actually placed to work in the tiny town of Brenes, I was luckly to be only a short 20 minute train-ride from Seville, so this allowed me to live in the city. I lucked out, but I remember getting mass emails from other program participants who had asked for a big city but didn't recieve it. everyday i would get very annoying emails pleading "Help! i'm in a small little town in the middle of nowhere and I want to live in Granada/Sevilla/Malaga! Does anyone placed in Granada/Sevilla/Malaga want to switch with me?" Wow. Do those people really think that anyone is really going to switch with them? Anyway, if this happens to you, I recommend that you do the following:

Check your location on a map: it is quite likely that you are somewhere near a bigger town or city. If you are under an hour's train or bus ride to the big city, you could definitely live in that big city. Spain's public transportation is efficient and cheap.

Deal with it: If your tiny town is farther than 1 hour away from a major city, don't despair. There are a lot of really great things about living in small towns. First of all, you will become a little mini-celeb in your town and befriend a lot of locals, which is the most desirable experience. Your Spanish will definitely improve more than those who live in a city, since you will be a bit more isolated then them. And you won't have to deal with hordes of tourists. Your cost of living will be MUCH lower. You'll never be too far from a big city or a beach. Think of the positives. And remember that no matter where you are placed, you are going to have a great year!

Q&A for Future Language and Culture Assistants part I

2008-03-24T13:37:00.000-07:00

What exactly does the job entail?
The job of a Language and Culture assistant is essentially bringing your native American background into the Spanish educational system. Inside the class, you are not a teacher. In fact, you are technically never to be alone with a class (though these rules can (and have been) bent) and basically you lend your native accent to the class. you are also expected to talk about your culture and share your cultural norms, etc.

How many hours does it require?
The position of a language and culture assistant is 12 hours a week, and from my experience, they seem to be pretty strict about not going over that limit.

How much preparation is needed?
You don't need to be experienced in teaching, you basically just have to be a native English speaker. My advice: bring a good English grammar book for reference!

What is the working environment like?
This varies from place to place, but my personal experience has been great. there are about 80 teachers total working at my school, and although i don't know all of them, i have become quite close with several of them. i find the work environment to be very informal- the professor's lounge is a social gathering and is usually full of chatter.

What are the students like?
When I first came to Spain, I had this image in my mind of snotty little Spanish kids who wanted nothing to do with a spoiled little American girl. Before starting my job, i met with one of my future co-workers. he scared he half to death (and probably jokingly) and told me to be serious with the kids or they would eat me alive. Well, I am not exactly a serious person so I was a bit nervous. It turns out I had nothing to be afraid of. I acted like my crazy, energetic self and they loved me for it. I feel like a celebrity when they gather around the railings and say "HELLO OBRIIIIII!" as i pass by. they have been nothing but enthusiastic about getting to know me, where I'm from, what i think about this and that, etc. I genuinely love those kids and they are what makes this job so awesome.

What is the dress code?
The dress code is way lax. Wear jeans, t-shirts, sweaters, sweatshirts, whatever you like.

What should classroom tools should I bring with me?
I recommend bringing a good grammar book (for private tutoring lessons.....more on this later), maps and pictures of your hometown, pictures of your family and friends (great for a unit on family members), cds of american music, movies, children's books. and finally.....AMERICAN CANDY. it is the way to a spanish child's heart. :)

630 euros a month isn't a lot. How do you survive?
Although you are techinally "not allowed" to take on another job, you will soon find that private english lessons are a ludcrative and cash-in-hand-extracurricular kind of job. Post some well-constructed signs advertising your native english skills and the offers will come flying in. I charge no less than 12 euros an hour (about 17 dollars an hour) and in some special cases I am paid up to 30 euros an hour (43 dollars). it is entirely possible for one to make an additional 150 euros a week (on top of your base 630...which by the way will increase to 700 euros for 2008-09 year) and still have time to enjoy the delights of Andalucia. The only downside to private tutoring is reliability... cancelling is a commonpractice among students, so a set income isn't always guarenteed.

What about holidays?
This is one of the many perks of the job. You get at least 2 weeks for Christmas, and 1 week for Semana Santa (in March or April). Both are paid. Plus there are many national and local holidays in Spain, and the 3 or 4-day weekend is common practice. All are paid.

What about housing?
I highly recommend trying to arrange housing beforehand or coming early and arranging something. For those who will be living in Seville: I rented from an amazing agency called Roomates Sevilla
and found a great shared apartment in the middle of the city for a great price.
I DO NOT RECOMMEND coming just days before you start work and thinking you will find something off the bat. Usually not so. I have known people who have spent weeks sleeping in hostals or hotels, looking and looking for an apartment, only to find an overpriced place in an out-of-the-way neighborhood. PLAN AHEAD.

What is the cost of living like?
Europe is more expensive due to the decline in the US dollar. Fortunately for you (those who will go to Andalucia) southern Spain is one of the best bargains in Western Europe. I live in a big, bright, centralized, shared apartment for 265 euros a month including WIFI. Including rent, i am able to live comfortably on 700 euros a month in (what the pay for a 2008-09 Language and Culture Assistant will be) without traveling on weekends. Any extra money made by private tutoring lessons can be saved or used for traveling (or shopping!)

Mom Jeans

2008-03-19T06:47:00.000-07:00

I accidently came across this video on YouTube and it is the funniest thing ever! You must check it out:

Spain does it different....a few examples

2008-03-19T05:55:00.001-07:00

Obviously there are some big differences between Spain and the U.S- the most notable things being the language, the food, the siesta, etc. But there are also many little differences as well, and I want to share a few random observations with you:

- in Spain, when you to go a tapas bar, you stand up and eat at the bar. also, feel free to throw all your napkins on the floor. you know if a locale is extra good if there are lots of napkins scattered on ground.

- from what i have gathered, Spainards generally do not recycle aluminum cans.

-Diet Coke is expensive. Seriously. Expect to pay up to 1.50 euros at a bar (they still come in tiny glass bottles here) or 44 euro cents per can in the supermarket. that's around $2.20 for a small glass of Diet Coke in a bar (no free refills) or about $.60 per can at the supermarket.

- in women's public restooms, the seat is always left up. as to why, i have no idea. this still puzzles me.

-when watching a television show, instead of having several short commerical breaks, they will have one extra long commerical break, of about 10 minutes. this way, you can get up and go get something to eat or whatever. Most movie theatres have intermissions as well.

-Spain continues to be a smoker's paradise. people light up just about everywhere. this morning i visited a medical laboratory to have some blood drawn. in the tiny waiting room i counted 6 ashtrays.

-hoping you'll have a clothes dryer in your apartment? think again. most don't, which require you to hang your wash on the rooftop of your apt. building (recommended) or hang them on your balcony (not recommended)

more to come....

El Chiki Chiki- Spanish phenomenon

2008-03-17T04:40:00.000-07:00

Check this video out for the Chiki Chiki dance.....a silly guy who made this hilarious song that is wildly popular right now.

The dance is actually pretty funny.
Four steps:
1. el Brekindance (Break dance)
2. el Crusadito (Cross step)
3. el Maquelyakson (Michael Jackson)
4. el Robocop (Robot dance)

The guy's hair cracks me up!

Semana Santa in Seville

2008-03-17T03:43:00.000-07:00

hey everyone!
i'm writing this entry to you on a lazy, late monday morning. yes, that's right, i got to sleep in today because it's Semana Santa (Holy Week) in Spain and I get the entire week off. paid. and it just so happens that Holy Week in Seville is the most extravagent and amazing festival of its kind in the world!
Most Sevillians prefer to leave the city during this week, and I can understand- there are crowds and tourists everywhere. if you live in the city center, as i do, it can be very difficult to navigate your own streets. but since i have never experienced Holy Week before, I am determined to brave the crowds and enjoy the processions.
So what is Semana Santa in Seville? Basically it is a week of elaborate processions of intricate "floats" (well, they aren't really floats, they are heavy at about 4000 lbs. at least and are carried throughout the town by about 40 men who are hidden underneath the float). The "floats" (I really don't like using that word but i can't think of another one) depict Jesus and Mary and are very intricately decorated with velvet, gold, flowers and lots of candles. every float is preceeded and followed by nazarenos, people cloaked in a traditional costume of repentence (it bears quite a resemblance to the KKK). there are also priests that swing incense everywhere, and a band in front of the float that plays music. there are 60 processions of this during Holy Week, one for almost every church in the city (i believe). You need to obtain a guide (found at any kiosk or supermarket) to know which procession is where and when, etc. All processions leave from their church, make their way through the downtown and towards the cathedral, then go back to their church. a procession ends with them placing the float down in it's place at their church where it won't be touched until the next year. Some churches that are far away from the downtown so their processions can last up to 12 hours. those poor men underneath the floats!
i saw my first procession last night. i didn't go seeking one out though, it came to me! i was with my friend marion at a bodega near my home, and one passed by. marion and i started snapping pictures like crazy, but unfortunately i can't show you any pics until the end of the week, when i will be able to convert everything to a disc.
anyway it is a very moving experience and some of the processions are en silenco, so you can hear a pin drop as they pass by. others are most joyful. you will hear people crying out "guapa! guapa!" (which means "beautiful") to the Virgen Mary.
Living in Seville, it is interesting to see the work that goes into preparing for Holy Week. I have witnessed many times the bands practicing their music in the street, or the men carrying a "practice float".
Some people are real Semana Santa- afecionados. I had to chuckle to myself in the weeks prior to Holy Week because in supermarkets they would play music from the bands and have big offers on Holy Week DVDs. One sweeping store promotion said "Special set! 8 DVDs plus 4 CDs of band music!" As to why someone would want to watch 8 DVDs of processions is beyond me. Don't get me wrong, the processions are interesting, but 8 DVDs and 4 CDs worth of it? come on!

Spring in Seville really has sprung, at it is amazing at the very least. The orange trees have blossomed, and the flowers, called azahar, smell amazing. and the entire city smells of this. also there are jasmine trees that have blossomed and they smell so good. in some parts of seville and in brenes, there are lemon trees. have you ever smelled a fresh lemon blossom before? absolutely amazing.
combine those smells with the smell of incense and candle wax, and its pretty magical.

anyway i will keep you updated on what i see this week. i look forward to having a week with nothing to do but hang out and wander about in my own city.

Hasta ahora!

Amazing Extremadura

2008-03-03T05:40:00.000-08:00

Let me tell you a little about my trip this past weekend......
Early Thursday morning Lola (Spanish coworker), Diana (American coworker) and I hopped in Lola's car and took off for Extremadura. The countryside was beautiful- green and mountainous. We stopped in some tiny towns on the way, some with as little as 500 inhabitants. We took a walk through some of the countryside and stopped at the medieval town of Trujillo. I really enjoyed this city. It was a hilltown, with the castle of Trujillo at the highest point. I definetely recommend visiting this city if you ever get the chance.
Finally we reached our destination- a small mountain town of 2000 inhabitants called Aldeanueva de la Vera. It is an amazing little town surrounded by mountain streams and waterfalls. That evening we had dinner at one of the few village restaurants with some friends of Lola. I got to try some Extremaduran specialities- magro (pork in a sauce with fried peppers.....DELICIOUS!) and migas (little fried pieces of bread mixed with egg....I would compare it to dry stuffing).
Afterwards we went bar hopping and I got to know some of Lola's friends. I was particularly fond of two of her friends that were brothers- Jesus and Dani. They were so hilarious and energetic and they spoke excellent English (both have spent extended time in the US). Dani owns a tobacco farm in the area and seems to be well off. He also seemed to have a bit of power in the village....he was able to convince a bar to reopen at 2am just for us, etc. Diana and I started calling him "The Godfather", but he thought that sounded like a name for an older person (he's 33) so we called him "The Godcousin". He got a kick out of that.
We (about 10 of us) ended up all going back to Dani's house and dancing around until 5:30am!
The next day Diana went to Salamanca, a city a few hours north of us, but I stayed with Lola at her apartment. Lola's apartment was amazing! The view from the balcony was breathtaking....a picture-perfect view of the mountains.
We spent the day walking around the Aldeanueva de la Vera...we went to the highest point of the village and it was beautiful! There were lavender bushes everywhere, and cherry and almond trees were blossoming.....it was magical.
On Saturday I saw an amazing sight-a traditional village wedding that seemed to be right out of the movie "The Godfather"....the entire wedding party marching through the village with a band in tow. Lola told me that the groom and his mother (followed by friends, family and the band) march to the house of the family of the bride. They are basically picking her up to go the the church. It was a sight, I tell ya.
Since its such a small town, I was definetely the only foreigner there. In fact, it got around that I was there because on my last night in town I met a villager who said "so you are the American visitor they (the townspeople) have been talking about".
Yesterday, before we went back home to Seville, Lola took me around to see some of the other mountain towns. The towns Garganta de la Olla and Guijo were especially impressive and when I walked through the streets, I felt like I was in another century.
All in all it was an amazing trip and it was nice to get out of the city and breathe some fresh mountain air for a few days. I look forward to visiting that precious (and relatively unknown) area of Spain again soon!

Elections in Spain are happening this weekend so there is a ton of PP and PSOE propaganda EVERYWHERE. There is a debate between Zapatero (PSOE- the left party-currently in power) and Rajoy (PP-the right party) tonight. I may watch it, although the debates here aren't as interesting as the ones in the US. If you are unfamiliar with Spanish politics, there is a great article that was published by Newsweek about it that you can read here.

Going on a trip this weekend....

2008-02-25T04:53:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone!
I hope you all had a good weekend. Mine was kinda bland.....I didn´t really do anything and it was rainy outside, so it made me want to stay inside. But now I am so sick of being inside!

The good news is that this week we have a puente! For those of you that don´t know, the Day of Andalucia is this Thursday, and it is an official holiday in the south of Spain. When a holiday falls on a Thursday, the Spanish government makes the following day a holiday as well, connecting the holiday to the weekend. So a puente (¨bridge¨ in English) is essentially a long weekend. I think this is the 3rd or 4th puente that has occurred in 5 months!
One of my coworkers, Lola, has invited me to go to her village during the puente in Extremadura. Extremadura is an autonomous community above Andalucia. The distance is about 400 km from Seville. I am very excited to see her village and the area, as Extremadura is known for its beautiful nature. We will also be stopping in the town of Cáceres, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The town is very old and has been inhabited since 25 BC. I have included some pictures of Cáceres and Extremadura so you can get an idea of what I will be visiting this upcoming weekend.
I hope to take lots of pictures, though I am waiting for a memory card to come in the mail.....and P.S. Aunt Dottie, I plan on taking Stanley so I will have some pictures for you soon.....IF i get that memory card from my Mom, that is......

Anyway I´m at school right now.....the bell is going to ring soon.
I´ll write more later!

P.S. Shoutout to my bro-in-law, Frank. Happy (belated) birthday!!!!

Varias fotos

2008-02-23T05:46:00.000-08:00

(above) sunset view from my apartment's roof
(below) My friends James (from England) and Yair (from Israel) in their most serious poses

(below) James and his signature pose

(below) a night view from the roof of my apartment. See La Giralda lit up?

(below) a church courtyard in my neighborhood. gotta love those orange trees!

(below) my street, calle Imperial.

*shout out to Janneke Jegen....these are the pics she took when she visited me last month.

This made my day....

2008-02-22T06:04:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday morning one of my 11 year-old students came up to me and handed me a handmade, belated birthday card. On the inside she wrote:

Hello!!!
Happy birthday already you are one year more old woman!
I hope that you like this small detail, and that give you many things.
That you are very nice and I wait to be the year that comes again with you.
My group of friends calls "Lollipops".
I love you very much as friend in!

Many kisses of candy.
Signed:
Soraya

I'm not exactly sure what the Lollipops thing is about, though I'm assuming that's what her group of friends calls themselves. Nonetheless, I was incredibly touched by it. I hung it up on my wall and look at it everyday and smile.

P.S. One of my favorite classes, 3-B, sang me happy birthday really loudly, first in English, then in Spanish. Then they all patted me on the back and started chanting my name really loud. And pounding the table. Then they started doing the wave, while still yelling. It was pretty hilarious.

Clarification on " A Note on Americanism"

2008-02-19T12:56:00.000-08:00

I just talked to my Dad, and he said "so you know if someone is American if they smile at strangers on the street or if they apologize often? Are Spaniards so unfriendly then?" My answer: absolutely not. Spainards are wonderful, warm and exciting people.
But I was referring to the "over-saying-you're-sorry" complex. Think about how many times you say "I'm sorry" everyday. For things you can't even control.
The general Spanish notion is that Americans waaaay overuse the phrase "I'm sorry" or "excuse me". There is a great example from exploreseville.com where the author says:

In terms of the difference between Spain and the U.S. I always think of my trips to the grocery while visiting home. Almost everyone who walked by me in the U.S. while I stared at the selection on the shelves said "excuse me". But why? I'm here shopping and certainly coming within 2-3 feet of me doesn't warrant an apology.

It's true! Americans use "I'm sorry" too much. And I am (perhaps was) a great example of that. I would apologize for knocking over a book that was 10 feet away from you. Heck, I even apologized to my own reflection once when I bumped into a mirror! (Jill Hartsock, you remember that one!!! :)) In the Spaniard's mind, however, even brushing up against someone in a public place is a normal thing and doesn't merit an "I'm sorry". I have begun to adopt this mentality.

This is not to say that I go around body-checking everyone I see without saying anything. But a little harmless, unintentional body contact is expected from day-to-day life.....why apologize for it 100 times a day and dilute the meaning of it?

Dealing with Homesickness

2008-02-19T10:48:00.000-08:00

Homesickness is something that happens to everyone who travels. Even the most valient and adventurous of travelers misses home from time to time. It's normal, expected, and (almost always) curable.
I myself have had to deal with bouts of homesickness, but perhaps (so far anyway) on a lesser level than some other people. I think this is due to the fact that I have spent the past several years pouring over books about different cities and countries, talking my head off to anyone that would listen about my travel aspirations, always imagining myself to be in some exotic locale. So the fact that I am actually here in Spain, living the Seville life, is somewhat of a relief to me. My dreams are being fulfilled. And usually that thought alone is enough to keep me content.
However, as great as expatriate life can be, the truth is that it can be very lonely at times. For me this is most apparent in the mornings. As I am making my daily trek to the train station at sunrise*, I pass by many mothers and fathers taking their children to work. They are holding hands, walking down the tiny cobblestone streets together. At that moment I feel so far away from my family and my friends, who are no doubt sound asleep at the other corner of the world.
I also, admittedly, got a brief but intense bout of homesickness the day after my birthday this past weekend. I couldn't explain why, but I just really wanted to be back in Iowa on that day, more than anything else. These feelings can make one feel very frustrated and powerless.
But one of the great things about being independent is that you realize just how strong you really are as a person. I was able to talk myself out of my de-funkt feelings, and now I feel fine. I know that some other day a bout of homesickness will come along, but I'll be ready.

Some tips for those abroad who experience a bout of homesickness:

1. Reconnect with your home culture. Usually calling an old friend or family member helps. Those who know you the best are usually able to cheer you up. The day after my birthday talked to my friend John Compton in Alaska, and even though we talked for only a few minutes, I felt much better afterwards.
Another idea is to watch a movie or show from back home. I do this when I am craving American culture. Websites like sidereel.com and alluc.org have TONS of movies and t.v. shows that you can watch streaming (and FREE!) from your computer.

2. Go for a walk. This is so simple, but my goodness it works. When I am homesick, I force myself to take a walk through the city. I walk by the Cathedral, stroll through the Gardens of Murillo, or pass by the park by the Guadalquivir River. Seeing the magic, beauty, and exoticism of the city that I live in reminds me of exactly why I am here, and why I have fought so hard to be here. Plus the fresh air and exercise will leave you feeling revived.

3. Get creative. Some of the most creative ideas, stories or pieces of art are spawns of feelings of frustration or sadness. So break out that journal or sketchbook, and pour your feelings out on paper. It is incredibly theraputic, and its also interesting to go back later and see just exactly what you were experiencing at that moment.

4.. Engage with your local crew. Sometimes when you are homesick you want to hole yourself up in your room and mope. When you've done that for half an hour, call your local friends! Explain to them how you are feeling. If they are from a foreign country too, chances are they understand where you are coming from. And its always comforting to know that you have friends that are there (in town) if you need someone to talk to.

5. Do something new! Take this opportunity to distract yourself with something fun and interesting that you've wanted to do. Been meaning to see that new art collection at the local museum? Go see it! Always wanted to try out an Arabic bathhouse? Go do it! Usually the satisfaction of experiencing something new will give you a renewed sense of adventure.

6. Realize that it is a phase and it will pass. It will. I promise. Hey, we are all human. We are not robots who are able to forget about the people and places that make our lives so special. It is normal to have aches for home, but they will wax and wane. And it gets better over time. Just remind yourself why you are here in the first place. And remind yourself that you will be home again, and when you do reunite yourself with your loved ones, the reunion will be oh so sweet.

*The sun rises very late in Spain....about 8am.

A note on Americanism....

2008-02-17T05:48:00.000-08:00

In my travels, I have come to notice that each country I have visited has two cultures- the country's own culture and the American culture that has permeated their society. From Bulgaria to Costa Rica I have been bombarded with McDonalds, Pizza Hut, Subway, KFC, Starbucks....the list goes on and on. And the places are always busy. There is almost always a long line at the Burger King in Plaza Compana when I pass by. In all honesty I try to stay away from those places. I have only been to Burger King once and Starbucks once, and I don't plan on going again. I prefer to stick with local food and drink. When I am back home, I can have a McDonald's cheeseburger anytime I want, but I won't be able to eat delicious jamón ibérico from Sevillian pigs. And while a caramel frapuccino might sound tempting, to me there is nothing better than the cafe con leche Jorge makes me every morning at the school bar. And it only sets me back 75 cents!
Another is holidays. Halloween isn't a Spanish holiday, but every year it is celebrated by more and more people. And Christmas! Santa Claus is an American character, not a Spanish one. In Spain, gifts are given by the Three Kings on January 6th. But you still see Santa Claus figures around! And Christmas trees aren't done in Spain. Instead, people do belenes (Nativity Scenes). But there are more and more people every year who put a Christmas tree in their house.
Of course, American movies and television are popular as well here. Lost, Desperate Housewives, the Simpsons, Family Guy, House....they are all well-known here. But in Spain all foreign shows and movies are dubbed, which i HATE. I cannot stand it when the words don't match the movements of their mouth. I also don't like that Friends' Rachel's voice isn't, in fact, Jennifer Aniston. Thus, I rarely watch Spanish television.
From my conversations with various Europeans, I have gathered that the saturation of American culture is in ways a blessing, but also a curse. On one hand, many people appreciate the high quality of entertainment that comes from the US and the fact that it is readily available to them. On the other hand, the global prominence of American culture has in some ways diluted the original culture. It's something interesting to think about......
I myself am always shocked by it. I don't come to other countries to eat and shop at places that I could at home. I am in a different country to learn about that country, and try local things. If I delved myself in all things American while in Spain, then why would I be here? Why wouldn't I just go home?

But maybe part of this American permeation of culture is due to the increasing number of North American expatriates working and living abroad. In Seville, in any given moment, there are 10,000 Americans in the city. Working, studying, traveling. That's a lot. And it's very apparent too. I have recently seen tons of Americans in town. I can instantly spot one of my own countrymen. These are the dead giveaway signs:

1. North Face jacket
2. Not wearing a jacket at all in February, in fact you are wearing a tank top and sandals at night.
3. Talking really loud and saying "like, like, like" all the time.
4. Sweatshirt and sweatpants combo.
5. Baseball caps. Especially backwards.
6. Anyone who is in an outdoor cafe and puts their feet up on another chair.
7. Apologizing for brushing up against someone; smiling at passerby.

There's more I think but these are the principal ones I can think of.

In all honesty though, I don't have much contact with Americans. Diana, my American co worker, is actually the only American that I interact with. This is intential though. I am here to gain a better understanding of foreign language and culture, so I prefer to hang out with locals and other foreigners. On any given day, i communicate with people from France, Brazil, Germany, England, Israel, Spain, Holland, Morocco and Lebanon. And I love it. Learning about other cultures really is fascinating.
That being said, living in a foreign country for an extended amount of time has made me appreciate my homeland even more. There are things that I sorely miss: my family and friends (Tina!), big open spaces, the smell of my house, the smell of fresh cut grass, Oscar (my former dog), free refills on soda, stores that actually have shoes in my size, DRIVING, chicken wings, 24 hour stores, really spicy food, Oasis Hummus, anything my Mom or sister cook/bake, taking baths, a COMFORTABLE bed!

So a final note on Americanism.....its everywhere. But my advice when traveling in foreign cultures is to step out of that American shadow and try local foods, stores and activities. Try to communicate with locals and not limit yourself to what seems familiar to you. By delving into the culture and "going local", you will be supporting local businesses and get a real taste of the host culture.....

Seville pics....from when Jans was here

2008-02-14T10:02:00.000-08:00

(above) Quaint houses in the Jewish Quarter of Seville (La Juderia)
(below) me and my hair at one of my favorite bars in Seville, El Rinconcillo.
It's the oldest bar in Seville (from the 1600s) and has the world's best ham. Notice all of the pig
legs hanging from the ceiling. You see that EVERYWHERE.

(below) Isn't Seville colorful?

(below) The lush gardens of the Alcazar. It's like a dream world
that Alcazar. And since i'm a "resident", i get in FREE! :)

(above) A view of Seville from the top of La Giralda.

See the bullring?

(below) Me hiding in a ginormous tree in the Gardens of Murillo

(below) me in the Alcazar, an Arabic/Mudejar palace in Seville

(below) sweet Mudejar architecture in the Alcazar

(above) 4am poses with Janneke in La Alfalfa. Notice my

cool new leather jacket from Berlin. :)

(below) myself and Yair, my good Israeli friend and arguably

one of my most favorite people i've met in Seville

(below) me playing around with some gargoyle on my street.

(below) Janneke chillin' at the Plaza de Espana.

Star Wars: Attack of the Clones was shot here.

Some photos of Holland and Berlin....

2008-02-14T09:49:00.001-08:00

(above) typical houses in Amsterdam
(below) me in front of the Reichstag in Berlin.
Adolf Hitler gave some speeches here.

(below) Janneke and I in front of remains of the Berlin Wall.

(below) Amsterdam....man I LOVE this city!

(below) Christmas at Janneke's house. The guy in the bowtie is
Janneke's dad.

i'm back, baby!

2008-02-14T09:11:00.000-08:00

hey everyone!
I AM FINALLY WRITING ON MY BLOG AGAIN! Man, its been awhile. But I tell ya, I have a renewed interest in blogging NOW THAT I HAVE A CAMERA AGAIN! As some of you might remember, my camera was stolen in December. Well, my parents sent me a birthday package (my birthday is this saturday, the 16th) and among the contents was a brand new digital camera! Thank you thank you THANK YOU, Mom and Dad! I love you! Also, thank you for the shoes, candy, trashy gossip magazines, and easy mac! Seriously, you guys, you have NO idea how wonderful it is to get something from back home. it makes my week to get something from the US. THanks again! :)
Also thank you to all those who have been sending me cards for my birthday....shout outs to Aunt Thelma, Aunt Dottie, Edith (aka "Edna") Deb Miller, Madison and Will, Em and Frank, Mom and Dad, of course.....

Anyway, things have been going good. Last week I was very sick. I thought i had meningytis because i had a very high fever for almost 3 days and my neck hurt so bad, i could hardly move it. but what do ya know? i'm better now and back to loving life again.

Things are going good with my roommates. My Brazilian roommate Marco is working hard on his Law thesis for his doctorate. Kaya, my german roommate, left today for Thailand and Japan. For 2 months. By himself. Just because. Funny, my french roommate, just finished her exams and went home to France for a little R&R....she came back yesterday.

I myself haven't done any traveling since Christmas. I plan on staying here for awhile, although i may go to Portugal in March.

I am very excited because my lovely parents are jumping the pond in late May to come and see me! I am so happy that i will have the opportunity to show them my life here. I think they will love it.

For those of you who do not know yet, I have decided to return to Seville and work in Brenes next year as well. I will be back in Iowa in June, and will stay until the end of September. Then I will come back to Seville.

I am so in love with my job I cannot even express it in words. The professors are awesome. The kids are amazing. It is such a great feeling to wake up in the morning and be excited for your job. I'm really enjoying it here! :) I am going to take my new camera to school next week and i will take lots of pictures to show you all where i work and whom i work with!

Its valentine's day, a day i don't like at all. i don't know what i'm doing tonight so don't ask. such a commerical holiday. I read in a magazine that last year Americans spent 17 billion dollars on valentine's day gifts. Incredible.

What else is going on? I am having fun keeping up with the US elections. Every morning i discuss the updates with Jorge, the guy who works at the bar at my school. For those of you who don't know, I am all about Barack Obama, so it is very exciting to see he is kicking some ass. :)

Elections in Spain are in March, but they aren't as exciting as the US elections unfortunately. There are 2 main parties in Spain- PSOE (liberal) and PP (conservative). PSOE is very popular in Andalucia because Andalucia is the poorest region in Spain, and PSOE provides social welfare relief for many families in the south. All signs point PSOE winning again.....

So what's the weather been like here? Sunny sunny sunny warm and nice and beautiful and about 68 degrees everyday. sorry to tell you that, you iowans out there who are suffering in the snow.......hehe

i have pictures for you all, but i haven't figured out how to load them yet. you see, i have a Kodak easy share camera, but in order to share the photos with you all, i have to install the software, and i don't have enough space on my hard drive to install it. i will see what i can do and get back to you.

until soon,
aubree

Happy New Year from Seville!!!!!!

2008-01-15T01:20:00.000-08:00

Hola todos!
First of all, HAPPY NEW YEAR to everyone! I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and a great New Year. I sure did! So a little update on what has happened in my life since I´ve last written......
December was a great month. It was a great experience to see how another culture celebrated Christmas. It was also very surreal to be in a place that was warm, sunny, and bright during December. :) The city was decorated very beautifully. In Spain, Christmas trees are not as common as belenes, or Nativity Scenes. Everywhere you went in the city, there were elaborate Nativity scenes, ranging from tiny, to life-size. I also saw a really beautiful Nativity scene in a candy shop that was made out of chocolate!

I had the pleasure of attending the Christmas party for the professors who work with me in Brenes. There was a big, elaborate lunch, but I was unable to attend because it was out of my budget range. However, I met up with the crew after lunch in a bar/club called Caramelo. I met up with them at about 7:30pm, and found all of my coworkers drunk and dancing to techno music like it there was no tomorrow. It was the most hilarious scene in the world! I took so many hilarious (and almost incriminating) photos of my coworkers, but unfortunately for me I was not as careful with my belongings as I should have been, and my belongings were stolen at the bar (my camera, my cell phone, my credit card, cash, etc.). I was so hearbroken about losing my camera, because I had all those great photos of my co-workers. Also, this incident happened only 2 days before I left for Christmas vacation in the Netherlands and Germany. Needless to say, I was pretty bummed about it. I keep trying to tell myself that material things don´t matter, but it still makes me sad to know that I´m in Spain and don´t have my precious camera with me :(

About my Christmas vacation:
I flew from Seville to Dusseldorf, a small town in Germany that is right on the Dutch border, close to where my friends Janneke and Aagje live. I was greeted at the airport by both of them, holding up handmade signs that said things like ¨Aubs!¨ and ¨Welcome to Holland!¨ and ¨Lekker Kontje!¨(inside joke).
The next day I went with Aagje to stay with her family in her town, Eersel. Her parents, Pieter and Hanneke, were so nice to me and made me feel so much at home. On Christmas Eve they took me to Belgium, to the city of Antwerp. It was so charming, and only about an hour or so away in train from their house. We walked through the city, visiting the city center and wandering around the traditional Christmas markets. It was there that I tried Gluhwein (spelling?), which is a hot, mulled wine. Quite nice! Afterwards we had tea and coffee in a cosy cafe and ate lunch in a very dark, candlelit Medieval cellar. It was AMAZING! I had so much fun! Unfortunately for me I was feeling quite sick with a cold and cough so afterwards we went back to Eersel and hung around in the house. I got to take my very first bath in over 3 months....I forgot how great they were!
Christmas day was spent with both sides of Aagje´s family- we had coffee and cake with one side of the family, where I met Aagje´s Oma (Grandma) and I absolutely LOVED that woman! She didn´t speak a word of English and my Dutch is rusty at best, but we still managed to communicate and I just adored her! She´s such a fiesty old woman....I hope I´m that cool when I´m 79! I also talked a lot to Aagje´s little Dutch cousins, who were 12 years and younger. They were eager to practice their English with me, and they were soooooo good! I had a lot of fun.
Afterwards we went to Aagje´s other side of the family for a proper dinner, and it was a LOT of people (at least 18). The dinner was at Aagje´s sister´s house, Pleun. The dinner was in the city of Eindhoven. We went with Aagje´s boyfriend, Ruud, who is a really cool guy. The food was amazing, at least 5 courses, and lasted more than 5 hours! And Aagje´s cousins are really, really good looking! :P
Then Janneke came to pick me up and we went back to her town, Venray. In Holland they have 2 days of Christmas- Christmas Day and the day after, so I was to spend the following day with her family. (BTW, there was no gift exchanging....in Holland this happens earlier in the month when Sinter Klaas comes in a boat from Spain, bearing presents for the children).
Janneke has a great family- an amazing set of parents, Jan and Marian, and a cute little 15 year old brother, Giel. For Christmas dinner some of Janneke´s aunts and uncles (and one cousin) came over to their house. Janneke´s mom prepared an absolutely amazing feast to say the least. Crabcakes with mango salsa, wild mushroom soup, frozen Champagne, rabbit in beer (my first time eating rabbit...tastes like chicken!), turkey in a mustard sauce, steamed vegetables and toasted pears with cinnamon cream. It was HEAVEN! And everyone was so friendly and funny, I had such an amazing time! I even read some dialogues out of my Dutch language book so that they could critique my Dutch accent......I got pretty good reviews, although I´m sure they were just being nice! :)
The next day Janneke told me to Nijmegen, the city where she attends University. What a charming school! I really enjoyed the city, especially the old city center. Janneke lives in a cosy studio apartment-esque place, and I really liked it. But that night I stayed at Aagje´s amazing house that she shares with roommates, and her, Ruud and I spent the night watching movies and such.
That weekend Janneke and I went to Amsterdam, a city that I have been to 2 times before and have absolutely loved. Amsterdam is an amazing, magical city. The canals and the houses are so picturesque, and the people are so friendly. I could definetely see myself living there at some point in my life. We walked around the outdoor market, I tried herring (raw fish covered in onions....very Dutch), we had the BEST hot chocolate in the world at a chocolate bar called Nubby´s, and we just took in the sights and ambience of Amsterdam. We returned later that night to Nijmegen.
The next day we took a 6 hour train ride (in first class, mind you!) to Berlin, where we were going to spend New Years and stay with Janneke´s friend Alessa, who is Dutch but is studying in Berlin. 3 other friends of theirs also came to stay, so it was a bit crowded, but a lot of fun nonetheless. Berlin was COLD. I mean freezing. I almost forgot what that feels like, since Seville´s warm climate has spoiled me so much. It was also very very cloudy while we were there. I don´t think I saw the sun shine once in the 4 days that we were there. :(
We visited the remains of the Berlin Wall, the AlexanderPlatz and Potsdam Platz (two important city squares in Berlin), the Brandenburg Gate, the Reichstag building, the Berliner Dom, a church that suffered extensive damage from the bombings in WWII, a memorial site for the Jews who were killed in WWII, went to a traditional beer hall, ate Weiner Schnitzel (its sooooo good!), and went shopping in the city square (I bought my first leather jacket! ;))
For New Years we went to some clubs in the center of the city, with tickets we had bought in advance for 30 euros. With these tickets you have access to 15 different clubs, although i think we only visited 3 of them. We had so much fun dancing the night away. At midnight we all went outside to watch the elaborate fireworks display and wish each other a Happy New Year. We stayed out until about 6 in the morning. Needless to say we didn´t do too much on New Year´s Day....we stayed in and watched movies and relaxed while it lightly snowed outside.
Then Janneke and I returned to Nijmegen, then to Venray and finally on the 6th of January we flew (together) to Seville. Janneke is staying with me for a few weeks, although she leaves this Saturday, and boy will I be sad to see her go! We have had so much fun together, and it´s interesting because its kind of a cultural exchange that we are doing.....I get to see how she lives in Holland and she gets to see how my life is in Seville. I´ve taken her to the Cathedral, la Giralda, the Alcazar (an Arabic palace), to the river, tapas-crawling, clubbing, etc. We´ve had a great time together.

Okay, so some general observations on things:

- In Holland, the stairs in houses are soooooo small and steep. You really have to be very careful when you are climbing up them or going down....more than once I almost had a nasty fall!

- I found that the Dutch, in general, are very friendly people who love to have a conversation with just about anyone. I really loved the friendly, laid back attitude of the Dutch.

- Prices are, in general, quite reasonable in Berlin. I found Berlin to be cheapest capitol city I have ever been to. An example: I ate a Doner Kebab for 2.50 euros, had a beer for 2 euros, and ate a big pizza for 6 euros.

-Almost every Dutch person I met could speak very very good English. I am convinced that this is primarly due to television. In Spain and many other countries, all English-speaking shows and movies are dubbed in Spanish. In Holland, however, all English shows have Dutch subtitles, even cartoons (like the Simpsons). I think that this facilitates a lot in the learning of English, as well as the fact that Holland is a very small country and they must learn other languages in order to function in an international setting.

OH NO! The bell just rang (I am at school right now) and I must go to my next class. I will write more observations later. I will also post some pictures of my vacation that Janneke as so kindly sent me.

Hasta ahora,
Aubree

Some more pictures

2007-12-04T05:54:00.001-08:00

(above) Typical Arabic doorway
(below) Arabic palace and gardens

(below) Myself and Diana, my american co-worker

(below) Palm trees everywhere!

(above/below) me and Marion, my French partner in crime

(below) i got my hair cut!

(below) a church in the Alameda at night

Some pictures

2007-12-03T06:45:00.001-08:00

(above) Berta, the girl I babysit
(below) Berta with Sarah Smith, a fellow Iowan

(below) a view outside of my apartment building

Entrance to the bullring in Seville

(above)Me
(below) my roommate, Kaya

(below) my roommate Fanny

(below) my roommate Marco

Seville in November

2007-11-08T03:57:00.000-08:00

Well, it is officially autumn here in southern Spain, though you wouldn't know it just by going outside. Seville is experiencing an extremely warm autumn, which is quite unusual (the locals tell me this everyday). The weather has been very sunny and warm, which average daytime temperatures in the mid-80s. Although the weather is quite favorable during the day, it is very chilly in the early morning (when i walk to the train station) or after the sun goes down. And because Andalucian houses were built to provide relief from the unbearable summer sun, they definetely do not do a good job of keeping one warm at night. Marble floors, high ceilings- it all makes it quite cool in the house. It is always colder inside the house than it is outside.
Anyway the weather reports indicate that we should be having this weather for another 2 weeks....at least. Hey, im not complaining. Ive heard that its getting quite chilly in Iowa now.....too bad for you guys!!!!! But Spain doesnt have a definitive autumn like the midwest does, with the leaves changing colors and falling off the trees, etc. Here most of the trees are orange trees, which maintain their green color year-round and never fall off. And walking around the city, you will definetely see an array of different colored flowers. You can smell freesia a lot as you are walking through the city. I cannot wait to see Seville in spring, when all the flowers are blooming and the entire city smells of orange blossoms!!

I went to Cadiz this past weekend with my friend Marion. Cadiz is a beach city, about 2 hours in train from Seville. We went for a day trip to escape the city for awhile. Wow, what a beautiful city. It has a very exotic feeling to it. The streets are a lot longer than in Seville, and all the houses are painted pastel colors. There is a beautiful cathedral right by the seaside with a gold dome. It reminded of me of Saudi Arabia for some reason. The pastel colored streets reminded me of Havana, Cuba. It was a really great combination.
Marion and I layed on the beach for a few hours. It was a bit windy, but nice nonetheless. I did get in the water a few times, but I admit the water was quite cold. We spent most of our time walking around the city, listening to music on a little boombox and breathing in the salty sea air. It was great!!!

Seville life is going good. I cannot believe that I have only been here for a month and a half or so. I feel quite comfortable here, although lately I have been noticing my Spanish skills going up and down. Some days I feel so confidant with my speaking skills. Other days I feel like I dont understand a word of what people are saying to me. But I recognize it as my mind trying to adjust to a new accent, a new dialect, and a new social context. I try to counteract my confusion by reading the Spanish newspaper everyday, listening to talk radio on my trek to the train station (my cell phone has FM radio), and keeping my dictionary nearby to look up any unfamiliar words. Living here is a daily learning process. Even though I no longer take language classes, I still make an effort to educate myself more in the language everyday. There is always room for improvement!!!

I have my Christmas plans set and ready to go- I will be going to Nijmegen, the Netherlands for Christmas to spend it with my dear Dutch friend Janneke Jegen. She is an awesome girl who i got to know when she studied at Iowa last fall. I will be staying with her and her family for a few weeks. We will explore Nijmegen (the oldest city in the Netherlands), go back to Amsterdam, and word on the street is that we will be going to Berlin, Germany for New Years. Sounds exciting!!. I bought my ticket from Seville to Dusseldorf (a German town that is near the Dutch border) for 10euros. Not bad, huh? But add in the airport tax, baggage tax, and flight insurance (a good idea if you are flying a few days before Christmas) and the price jumps to 32euros. Still, not too bad.

I leave you now with a few pictures of Cadiz for your viewing pleasure.

Un beso,
Aubree

2007-10-24T12:23:00.000-07:00

Hola todos!
Sorry it's been awhile since I've written- I'm in the process of getting used to my new schedule. Also, I'm sorry that i cannot share any pictures with you- it seems that part of the attachment to connect my camera with my laptop got bent and doesn't fit in the hole. (sorry dad.) but i plan on going to a computer guy at my school tomorrow to resolve the issue. i promise i will put up pictures as soon as possible, as I have many....

school is going good. i love all of my co-workers- they are all so nice and friendly and know my name (although i don't know all of theirs- there are 82 teachers in the school!) and talk to me about my experiences, etc. i assist in the classes of 5 teachers: Mila (an extremely nice Basque woman), Toni (a really young guy who is super nice), Jorge (the first professor i met, also very young), Lola (a really cool Andalucian lady) and Elena (a Galician lady who i don't know very well yet). The rest of my time is spent working with teachers. They say that I am supposedly supposed to help them work on computer science curriculum, but all i do for that hour is help the teachers with their english.

regarding the students: this is how it works: students are divided up in to sections A-G. A is the smartest group of students, and G is the "worst" group of students. Each section is made up of roughly 25 students, and they take every class together. I have students off all sections, from A-G. It is quite surpising how different each group is. The A and B's are soooooooooo excited to learn english. Last week when they were learning about family members, I brought pictures of my family (only the Miller side, since the Copeland side is a little too complicated for beginning English learners:)) and made a family tree on the board. they were all so fascinated, asking so many questions. the next day in class (when I was not there- i'm only in each class once a week) the students asked if they could make family trees and bring them to class-aka volunteer homework! so they all made them and showed them to me yesterday. it was so precious!

although the G section is just as enthusiastic about having me there, they are much rowdier and have a much harder time remembering anything in english. in this class i have to use a combination of spanish and english in order to connect with them. this group is also more adult- i see 12 year olds with lip piercings, tattoes. the most shocking is when i saw 2 of my 12 year old students smoking a cigarette outside of school. My co-worker, Lola, told me that this group is made up of children who have a bad family life and/or have mental disabilities. I wonder about the social ramifications that this grouping has on the students- students being sectioned off into "good" and "bad" groups. These are just my first reactions, however.....

I have picked up a few side jobs:

- i babysit for a 7 month old girl named Berta. She is soooooo cute and she has really taken a liking to me. Whenever I walk into the room she starts smiling and jumping up and down. I am the first babysitter she has ever had. I take her for 3 hours a day, 3 days a week. Her parents work inside the house, so I basically take her outside and walk her around for 3 hours. great exercise, but i'll tell ya something- Seville is NOT made for strollers. Regardless, I've spent may a-hour discovering new, tiny, winding streets. i think i've found about 20 different ways of getting myself home within the past month!!!!!!!!

-i am a converation parter for a fellow teacher- Rafa. He has really really good english, but he just needs someone to practice conversation. today was his first lesson with me. we talking about what i thought about the war (ha! don't even get me started!) it was fun, and the hour flew by.

-i will be teaching my boss (almudena's) 2 ADORABLE kids english for one hour a week. One of her 10-year old sons (Alvaro) is in my English 1-B class (first year, very good children). He is SOOOOOOO cute and he is so excited to learn! I will be teaching him and his brother (who is one year younger than him) for 1 hour a week, on thursdays. I haven't started yet (Alvaro is sick) but I plan on working to expland their vocabulary more than the average public school student recieves. i plan on first working about animals, since all kids love animals. i think the key to teaching kids is to keep it in their area of interest.
-side note on Almudena: wow, could I have I cooler boss? I think not! She is a beautiful, short Spanish woman who speaks amazing English. She is the nicest person EVER (Maritheresa from CIEE and her are in a tie for nicest person in Seville). I was sick one day, and she called and emailed me because she was worried about me...in fact i've had 3 teachers do that. I LOVE my co-workers! okay, anyway, about almudena: i am so honored that she asked me to privately tutor her kids- she invited me to have lunch in her house when i give lessons every week so that is so cool......

-carmen, who is the daughter of Maritheresa, the director of CIEE Seville (and possibly the coolest woman alive). Maritheresa is american, but her husband is spanish, so they speak english in the house, but of course carmen is absolutely fluent in spanish. Every friday i take her out of her english class (which she is way too advanced for) and teach her myself. So this means that i prepare lessons for her, and assign her homework. pretty cool, huh?

i gotta say, I am really enjoying being a teacher/teaching assistant. i was first told by a teacher to be more or less serious with the students at first, but that's just not me. and i am myself with the kids- and i think they really enjoy it. It makes me feel so great when i walk through the halls and some of my kids gather around me and say "hello obriiiiiiiii!" they really are great kids.

what else?

right now, my IMS companion, Sarah Smith, is visiting. She came on Friday and stayed with me for the weekend, with plans to leave and discover other parts of Spain. But she became so enamored with Seville that she decided to stay here for the next feel weeks. I have had soooooo much fun with her- she is such a nice, sincere, really fun chica. I will be sad when she leaves!

anyway, i'm getting a bit tired- must rest and get ready for tomorrow's classes.

un beso,
aubree

About my job(s)

2007-10-09T01:23:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! Sorry itś been awhile since I have written. And I apologize if some of my accent marks on this entry are incorrect- I am using a Spanish computer and all of the comas and question marks are in different places.

Things have been going really great. I officially started my job yesterday, and I LOVE it! I do not know what I was so scared about- all of the kids are so nice and really excited to have us there. By the way, when I say us, I mean the other Auxiliar de Conversacion. Yes, surprisingly there is another Teaching Assistant in the same school as me, and she is American as well. Her name is Diana Woods, and she is a super sweet girl from Texas. We have become semi-famous in the school since this is the first year that they have foreigners help out with the language program.
Diana and I have different jobs at the academia, however. She works in math classes as well as in regular english classes. I also work with students in the classroom (only for English classes) but I also spend a good amount of time working one-on-one with teachers creating curriculum for Computer Science classes and doing translation work.
I went to the my first classes yesterday and basically the class consisted of the kids asking me questions. It was pretty hilarious, because the questions ranged from -What is your sisterś name? and -Whatś youŕe favorite color? to -Do you have a boyfriend? -Whatś your phone number? One of them even got in front of the classroom and sang a flamenco song for me. It was so great, the whole class started cheering and clapping, it was really cute.
I just got done with a class of much younger students (about 10 years old) and I noticed that they had a lot less embarrassment of making mistakes. We did the same kind of format, where they asked me questions, and all of them were saying -Obri! Pick me! I have another question! After class they all gathered around me and wanted to talk to me and say -hi- to me, etc. It was SOOOOOOOOOO cute! And when I walk through the halls I always here -Hi, Obri!!!!!!!!- It makes me feel quite nice. Although, all niceness and cuteness aside, they are extremely loud and excitable kids, and I am sure that will be difficult to deal with on some days.

I have picked up a few extra side jobs, luckily enough. I am going to be watching after a little 6-month-year old girl named Berta. Her mother is one of the professors that works at CIEE, and I am lucky enough to watch over little Berta 3 times a week, for 3 hours a day. Tonight is my first day working with her, and I am very excited. She is a really cute girl.
My second job is working with Maritheresaś daughter, Carmen, at her school. I will work with her every Friday for an hour and a half. Carmen is bilingual and has special needs because of this, so I look forward to helping her out in her studies.

Anyway, Just wanted to give you all an update on my work life, etc. I will write again soon and post more pics, I promise.

Love,
Aubree

That's soooooo Spanish!

2007-10-03T03:25:00.000-07:00

Hola todos!

So I just got back last night from my Teaching Assistant orientation. I took a 20 euro train ride from Seville to Granada, and the train I was on hit and killed a man. So we ended up being stopped in the train for almost 3 hours, without anyone telling us anything. After awhile, though, 3 buses came to take all the passengers to another train station. Only the bus driver had no idea where we were, so at one point we were driving around aimlessly in far out dirt roads. Finally we arrived at the train station, and I later arrived 4 and 1/2 hours later than anticipated. It would have been really easy to be frustrated in that situation, but luckily I saw it for what is was- sooooooo Spanish! The whole man-dying thing was a freak accident, but the delay in the situation was something that happens alot in this country. Spaniards have a more relaxed notion of time, and it's something that I've accepted, strangely enough. All I can do is laugh it off- if not I'm gonna find myself constantly impatient here.

The orientation itself was boring and non-informative. It was all information that I already knew. Perhaps the most important part of the orientation is when teaching assistants from last year talked to us (all 500 of us) about the position. Both guys are in their 3rd year of doing the program, and they basically told us not to be worried and that we will basically have the time of our lives this year. Also, they told us to NEVER speak Spanish to your students in the classroom. That's gonna be tough for me since I'm now used to reverted to Spanish all the time.

The hotel they put is in was AWESOME. It's called Hotel Abades Nevada Palace, and it was really nice- kinda futuristic. I posted a few pics of my room above. Pretty sweet, huh?

The Ministry also provided us with dinner on Monday night and breakfast and lunch the following day. All of the meals were 3-courses, super chic and very good. On Monday night we had an interesting chicken with caramel sauce dish. An English girl I met later told me that it was supposedly pidgeon that we ate. I don't know....i tasted like chicken to me!

I went this morning to my school. My academia is a secondary school of about 1000 students located in a nearby town called Brenes. It's about an 18 minute train ride from Seville, but I decided that on my first day I would go with one of the professors I already knew, Jorge. Jorge is a really young teacher (28 years old) and he is super nice. I went with him in his car this morning 7:30 in the morning. It was still dark when we left Seville- the sun doesn't rise until 8 a.m. here.

We arrived at the school and I promptly met the school coordinator, Almudena. She was sooooo nice to me, but she informed me that since the Ministry hasn't sent my Medical Insurance information yet, I can't actually start work. So I have to wait until it arrives- hopefully it's soon. Once again......that is sooooooo Spanish! They did, however, assure me that I will get paid, even for these days that I don't work. I met the better part of all 84 teachers that work there. Everyone was so happy to have me there- it made me feel so good. It was a very chill, informal environment. Everyone I met kissed me on the cheeks, which is a common everyday social practice but many times but normally it doesn't happen in the work place. They showed me around the school, and man, is it big! There is a hall that is only for teachers, and we have a cafe too! Every morning your can eat a little breakfast there- I had a cafe solo (espresso) and a tostada (a toasted baguette). I met one of the other English professors, who also happens to be quite young like Jorge and I. He was in the middle of a class, and they brought me in and introduced me. Jorge told the kids that I can't understand a little bit Spanish but I can't speak it. They all kept on saying, "well, we're going to teach her Spanish!" They all said "Hello Obri!" in their best accents. They all yelled "goodbye!!!!!!!!!" after me which made me feel like they were excited to have me there! That took a lot of nervousness away from me.

So anyway, I meandered home and here I am! I'm havin such a great time!

Some more observations:

1. Flamenco is really important here. Whenever you go to a coffeeshop for an afternoon cafe or an outdoor bar to drink a copa (cerveza), you can always here someone singing a bar or clapping out a rhythm. Flamenco is so imbedded in society here. It is so passionate- I love it SOOOO much!

2. Comparing people from San Sebastian in the north (where I studied 3 years ago) and here in the south, I would say that the people are more friendly and open here. Start up a conversation and people welcome you with open arms. Many conversations from random people have led to invitations to have a coffee or even offering to take me to whatever destination I need to go. I am more amazed every day at the compassion that has been shown to me. Most people seemed to be impressed by a young american girl who moves across the world without knowing anyone for a long period of time.

3. Carpet is virtually non-existent in Sevillian homes. Because it gets so hot in the summer (120 degrees and up) most floors are marble, so I always have to wear flip flops in the house and sweep my room almost everyday, or else there's a dustmite fiesta.

that last one was pretty random.

anyway some noteworthy new people I've met that I haven't mentioned yet:

1. A french girl named Marion. She may possibly be my closest of friends here. She is an Erasmum student and she's so nice, and she loves to giggle, so you can imagine how we get along well together! :)

2. Yair, a Israeli friend of Kaya's who is staying at our apartment with him for the time being. He's an amazing flamenco guitar player- he came to Seville to take private flamenco guitar lessons (just like Kaya). He's really well-traveled and I really enjoy talking to him about Israel and his opinions of such things. He's a big fan of the U.S. :)

3. Maritheresa, who is the Director of CIEE Seville (a study abroad program that I worked with back at the U of Iowa). She is one of the nicest people I have met here- she has made a point to check up on me and see how I'm doing, if I need anything, etc. I am so thankful to have her help me so much, and the staff that works at the CIEE Study Center have been amazingly welcoming to me.

Anyway that's all for now. I leave you with a few pics of my Hotel room in Granada, some pics of the Andalusian countryside, and a pic of Yair.

Besos!

Sevilla es una maravilla!

2007-09-29T05:48:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!

Well, I've been in Seville for almost a week, and I'm really enjoying myself. I feel like I'm stepping back in time when I walked down the tiny, winding streets, passing the ancient cathedrals and horse and carriages. It truely is a magical place.

As I've been getting to know my surroundings, I have met some really great people along the way. This past week I've met German, Italian, Dutch, Swiss, French, Brazilian, Mexican, Chilean people.......oh, the list goes on and on! Everyone has been so friendly to me, and it makes me feel very at home. I think this is going to be a great year. Actually, I KNOW it will.

One person that I've met that I'm particularly fond of is a Brazilian girl named Ana. Marco, my roommate, suggested that we go shopping together one day since we are both new to the city. I ended up having the time of my life with her- we talked and laughed for hours and since then we've gone out for tapas (little snacks.....more on that tradition later) and gone out to see a flamenco show. i'm sure we will be quite good friends here.

I went to a flamenco bar last night called "La Carboneria" with my roommates and Ana. It is quite a legendary bar here in Seville- every night they have free flamenco shows. Wow, it was amazing. There is so much passion that goes in to the dance, song and guitar playing of the art form of flamenco. It moved me so much, in fact, that I think I might just take some flamenco classes myself!!

My roommate Kaya studies flamenco, so everyday he plays the guitar, and now his friend from Israel is here the also studies flamenco, and they are having a jam session right now as I am writing this. It's pretty sweet- I'm so lucky to be living with such cool, interesting people.

I start my job as a teaching assistant at the high school on Wednesday, and I gotta tell you, I'm quite nervous. I met up with a professor who works at my school, and he basically said that all the kids are cabrones (little brats) and that I can't smile or else they'll eat me alive. Well, anyone who knows me knows that I'm not the most serious of persons, so needless to say he scared me a bit. But we'll see- hopefully it won't be as bad as he made it out to be.

I go to Granada, a beautiful Moorish city, on Monday and Tuesday for orientation. The Spanish Ministry of Education is putting us up in a super nice hotel, so I'm quite excited about that. It will also be nice to meet some people who are in the same boat as me. Well, it's about 3pm, and its time for me to eat lunch. Yes, that's right. In Spain, you eat lunch quite late, at about 2 or 3pm, and dinner? Usually right around 10pm. Yes, it's been an adjustment, but I'm embracing the cultural differences.

I leave you now with a few pictures- some pics that I took of the city yesterday when it was cloudy out, a picture of the flamenco performance last night, a photo of me and my roommate Kaya, and just for fun, a picture of my adorable parents that I took a week ago, just before I hopped on a plane to Spain.

Besos,

Aubree

i'm in sevilla, baby!

2007-09-24T11:10:00.000-07:00

what up friends and family!

well, i've finally arrived in seville. i flew into madrid and took the AVE (high-speed train) to seville. It took about 2.5 hours and it was a beautiful ride. the countryside was pure olive groves, as far as the eye could see. and all of the towns were white stucco houses. it was beautiful!

then i took a cab from the train station to the hostel i had reserved for the night. little did i know that i got the most horrible of cab drivers that exist. i gave him the address of the hostel, written down on paper, and he drove around forever claiming that he couldn't find it. he kept on saying to me "don't give me the address of a place that doesn't exist". Needless to say i got very frustrated. Finally he dropped me off in the middle of nowhere and basically said "well, if you don't have a destination, then i'm going to drop you off here [in the middle of nowhere]. Then he had the nerve to charge me 30 euros for a cab fare that i knew cost only 5 euros. when i began to protest, he refused to get my bags out of the truck unless i paid him. so i paid him, as i yelled at him in the street in the most rapid-fire spanish, and he sped away. jerk.

so there i was, in the middle of a town that i don't know, in the middle of the day when everything is closed for siesta, 100+ degrees, and i have 4 bags. well, i kinda freaked out....and decided to go to the nearest hotel i could find, which was out of my price range, but what could i do?????

today, however, has been a much better day. everyone i have encountered has been extremely friendly. everyone from the hotel clerk to an old lady on the street has engaged me in conversation, asking me where i'm from, what i'm doing here, am i going to find a nice sevillian man and stay here forever?, etc.

i moved into my apartment today. wow, it is so kickass. it is in the center of town. i have to go through a patio with lush gardens and a fountain to get to my apartment. we live on the 4th floor of the building, and there is a balcony that overlooks the patio. so gorgeous!

i have 3 roommates- Marco, a really good-looking brazilian dude who is studying law, Kaya, a german lad(also very good looking) who studies flamenco guitar, and Funny (yes, you read right), a French chick who is an Erasmus student. they seem super cool- i'm looking forward to living with them this year.

so first impressions of seville-

1. it is SOOOOOOOOOO hot. i'm not joking. it is seriously almost hard to function. i can't go outside and walk around without being completely covered in sweat. yet i see tons of sevillians out and about with sweaters on!!!!!

2. it is very, very easy to get lost here. the roads are unmarked, narrow and winding. luckily i have no qualms about asking for directions, and a few times people not only told me where to go, they walked with me!

3. the men are very.....vocal. i was sitting at a park bench at 8 a.m. this morning, looking at a map, when a car full of guys actually hung out of their windows to catcall me. 8 a.m.! isn't that a little early for seduction? and from my bedroom window there are a few construction workers who keep on peering across the way into my window to yell at me. it's pretty funny though.

4. everything is so....white. and old. and beautiful. and the palm trees, my god, the palm trees! this ain't iowa, that's for sure!!!

5. i have studied spanish for a long time, and feel quite confident in my speaking skills, but it is very hard for me to understand sevillians. they talk super fast and swallow the ends of their words. it has left me a little confused, but give me 2 weeks and i'll be okay.

6. mullets galore. i saw this 3 years ago when i was in san sebastian, but the trend is still thriving!

anyway, that's it for tonight. i'm gonna go chat with my roommates for awhile. anyway i really miss you all. drop me a note, tell me how you are doing!! and if you have any questions, please let me know, and i will address them next time.

i leave you now with a few pics- the first is my view from the rooftop of my apartment, where i hang my clothes to dry. the second, a picture of my street (sorry it's sideways). the third is my room. the 4th, a view of the patio from my balcony. the fifth, a picture of me staring at that shirtless construction worker out of my window. ha!

love lots,

aubree

I'm going to Spain in 10 days!

2007-09-12T10:41:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!

I'm sure that most of you know by now that I am venturing off to the south of Spain for a year of teaching English. I have been given the opportunity to be a Language and Culture Assistant at a secondary school in Brenes, a town 20 km outside of Seville. But being that there is regular (and fast) train service to Brenes, I will be living in the city of Seville. Hooray!!

Those who know me know that I had the opportunity to study abroad in San Sebastian (a northern beach town in the Basque Country) a few years back. I had the time of my life and have since been very excited about returning, so this is gonna be like Spain "revisited" for me. Although I have never been to the south of Spain, so I'm sure my experience is going to be very different this time around. I kinda feel like I know the city already though, since I advised for Spain at the University of Iowa this past year and a half and talked about Seville a LOT. :)

For those of you who aren't familiar with the city of Seville- it is one of the best-loved cities in all of Spain, and most would say it is the "quintessential" Spanish city. It's known for flamenco, bullfighting, tapas, Moorish architecture, amazing gardens, tangling cobblestone alleyways, a great nightlife and very hot days! I've posted a few pictures of the city so you can get an idea of where I'm going to be calling "home" for the next 9 months. It looks pretty sweet to me!

So yeah, I will be using this blog for the next year as a way to update you all on what is happening in my life in Seville. I also hope that it will be a way for me to give you all some insight on Spanish (and more specifically, Andalucian) culture. Please don't forgot to keep me updated on what you all are doing- I want to stay connected to you all so drop me an email sometime (aubreedenise@gmail.com).