Life is Learning

Sometimes it’s easy to get distracted from your goals in life. You get off course, you get sick for a week, you get involved in other things. For me this happens with studying Spanish in Spain. Of course I'm often speaking and hearing Spanish, but it's another thing to deliberately study and learn new things. I often get distracted by hanging out with friends, relaxing, planning lessons, and the daily chores of life – which are things that are all important part of my experience here. Since I've been living here for a year and a half, life is bound to include hanging up laundry, taking naps, and wasting time. It can become too easy to put improving my Spanish and studying grammar on the backburner. Because of this, I enrolled in a Spanish class in December, and this has been helping me a lot. It's three nights a week, involves two classes of grammar and one session of culture, and is taught by Spanish professors. I love being a student again, and being back on the other side of the classroom. It's helped to put me in more of the student/learning mindset here. However, you have to study on your own, and use all your resources to learn when living abroad - conversations, reading signs, reading novels in Spanish, listening to people on the metro, and really just paying attention to things you come across and writing new words down in a little blue notebook you carry around. When you do this- when you incorporate all medias of learning- you can have those incredible “ah hah!” moments when you learn a new word and later hear it or put it to use yourself. 

The current Spanish fiction novel I'm reading- an incredible magical realism
about human love and it's  complicated and inseparable connection with nature

Last week I had one of those light bulbs go off, one of those incredible moments when you connect your experiences here and get something tangible out of it (yes, I’m such a nerd!) This time, it was as simple as the word:

 Dicharachero (s.)– a witty person; amusing conversationalist; jokester

            Synonyms: humorista, gracioso, bromista

I was sitting on the packed metro, jammed with tired people on their way home from work, heading back to my apartment at 9 pm after an arduously long (yet enjoyable) day of work and tutoring. The only thing keeping me going at this point was the book in my hands, the world I had escaped to thanks for a Spanish friend who lent me the book. That, plus the thought of my weekly cozy Thursday night dinner and a movie tradition with Laura :) I was off in a world of narrative and characters when I read the phrase, “Eran dicharacheros." Dicharacheros! I knew that word! Suddenly, I was taken straight back to January 3^rd, 2013, a little over a month ago. I was sitting on an airplane next to Laura, flying over the Mediterranean Sea, en route to Morocco, and feeling nervous and excited about the near arrival to a new continent. 10 minutes into the trip we had begun speaking to the passenger next to us, a middle-aged Spaniard who was from Asturias in Northern Spain. It was his third time traveling to Marrakesh, and this time he was bringing his whole family with him. His elderly mother was even joining them, and he gestured to her across the aisle. She smiled dazedly back, knowing we were talking about her but not knowing exactly what was being said. And I remember thinking in my nervous state, "If she can do this trip, Laura and I can surely do it!” The man, who was named Julio, was very kind- he offered us hazelnuts from his orchard in Asturias, and even invited us to their country home by the end of the conversation! (Keep in mind that this is not an uncommon thing here, as many Spaniards have an apartment or house plus a summer/country house somewhere else in Spain!) We were able to talk to him about our trip to Northern Spain last November and our other travels in Spain. Julio was also a world traveler, and was telling us all about his trips over the US when he was young, even to San Diego! As he was telling us what he thought of the people he met there, he told us Californians were very friendly and joking, that they were dicharacheros (social, friendly, open people) just like Spaniards! At least that's his theory as to why he thinks Americans and Spaniards tend to get along so well. Laura and I had never heard that word, so we asked him to write it down for us on a yellow Ryanair napkin as he explained what it meant to us. He told us the definition, and noted and also explained that it was a very colloquial Spanish word. Who knew two months later I’d read it in a book by a Spanish author, and be brought back straight to this moment! It’s moments like these I love and that remind me why I’m in Spain- for the experiential learning, to be able to attach meaning and stories to what I learn about the language and culture here! I'm sure this has happened to me many times, I'm just not always consciously aware of how much I'm learning here. 

I’ve also had the opposite experience reading Tan Cerca al Aire, where I’ve learned new words from the text that I was later able to pick up on and notice in daily conversations. One word I had learned from reading I soon after heard used by the tour guide at the Prado Museum, where I was on a field trip with my 4^th grade students!

Finally, in the same book I also read the phrase “dormir profundamente” (to sleep soundly), a lexical combination I had just learned in Spanish class yesterday! We learned common phrases, called colocaciones, that our teacher said to look out for since they appear often in written and spoken Spanish. Here are some others I learned in class:

Diente de ajo – garlic clove

Banco de peces - school of fish

Frío siberiano- very cold, literally “siberian cold”

Sol cegador - a blinding sun

Pueblo fantasma- ghost town

Golpe bajo- a low blow/ someone betrays you
Onzas de chocolate- chocolate squares

Una tableta de chocolate- chocolate bar

     *Also the expression used for a person with very defined abs, like our phrase "6-pack" in English!

December Highlights

December in Madrid: Christmas lights, giant Christmas trees in the plazas, Christmas markets, and a heightened sense of chaos and busyness in the streets. Even though we did many holiday activities in the city, we spent many good times at home with friends as well. December went by so quickly, and included a 4 day weekend and a  day trip to Toledo, Christmas crafts and lessons with my tutoring students, and a winter break trip to Sevilla and Morocco!

Since I did a terrible job updating my blog in December, I'm just going to focus on a few highlights. Hopefully it will give you an idea of how I spent the holidays here!

First thing's first: December 1st we put up our Advent calendar, which included different Christmas activities to do this month, like going to the Christmas markets, making mulled wine, visiting the nativity scene, and decorating our tiny, European - sized apartment!

Our advent calendar (recycled from last year!)

The first weekend of December began in good holiday spirit: with friends and in good company. We were invited to our Spanish friend Ana's house for lunch,   who happens to be our neighbor this year since she moved apartments! She has a gorgeous apartment with a beautiful terrace that overlooks our neighborhood. It seemed especially spacious next to our apartment, and gave us a neat rooftop view that made our area look more like a pueblo than a city. That night we went to a German Christmas market, which Ana wanted to go to since she studied abroad in Germany, and we accompanied her as she nostalgically looked through German books and ate pretzels and beer with us!

Part of the German Christmas fair at a local Anglican church. There was also a beer garden outside!

We also celebrated Hannakuh with our Belgian/French/Israeli/European-mixed, hipster designer friend Tal :) It was a fun experience as it was a not-quite-traditional celebration. We had many modifications, such as Christmas-colored candles, Tal's last-minute napkin-yammakuh, hymns read off of an ipad, and Dunkin donuts - to keep with the tradition of eating something fried each night of Hannakuh. It was really fun having Tal show us his traditions, and we had some interesting discussions afterwards.

A Hannakuh celebration fit for the 21st century!

We also had a puente, or long holiday weekend, in early December. Last year I would've used that opportunity to travel outside of the country, but this year I decided to spend more time in Madrid so I could really feel like I lived here by the end of my experience abroad. I also told myself that if I traveled it would be within Spain, as there is so much to see within the country itself and each region is really so different and unique. So this four day weekend, I decided not to plan anything- that way, if anything came up, I could actually say yes instead of "Well, I actually already have a trip planned to....". Sometimes you really have to just give yourself the chance to have spontaneity in your life and not plan anything- then you can experience adventures you hadn't foreseen. And what I thought would be a relaxed weekend actually became chalk-full of wonderful little adventures, including two day trips to Chinchón and Toledo!

Extra happy wandering the little streets of Chinchón after a big lunch and plenty of red wine :)

Chinchón from above- I love rooftop views of 

Chinchón is a lovely little pueblo outside of Madrid that can be underwhelming if you go expecting a lot. But for ambling through the alleyways, savoring a glass of wine in the big, open center plaza, or enjoying the views of the countryside around the town, it is the perfect place to spend a few hours on an afternoon. The center plaza is the main place to visit, and it's beautiful as it is round, open, and slants up from the middle towards the little cafes and storefronts that surround the plaza. It was historically used for bullfighting and horse races, which is very evident in its form. It reminded me of a smaller, Spanish version of the Piazza del Campo, the circular plaza in Siena where I visited my sister last year (and one of the most beautiful and unique plazas I've been to in europe!).

Toledo is a great town outside of Madrid that was once the capital of Spain and one of the few places in Spain where Christian, Muslims and Jews all coexisted relatively peacefully. It is an interesting place culturally and historically to visit, to see the Catholic cathedral, the old Jewish quarter, the Jewish museum, or the Arabic traces in some of the architecture. Since we'd already been last year and didn't feel the need to sight-see, we just took our time and wandered, relaxed, had a picnic enjoying one of December's sunny days :) It was neat to see go back and see a woman with a keyboard-violin who had been playing in the same spot, with the same long red curly hair and hippie clothing, the same celtic notes bouncing off the alley walls and rising up to the cathedral tower nearby, and the same melancholic vocals that sang of Spain's hard history all taking me back to 11 months before. How incredible is it to be able to return to a place you've once traveled before, where you perhaps didn't expect to be back so soon?

Toledo and the gorge of the Tangus River- what an incredible spot for a picnic! (which is exactly what we did)

Laura with the picnic spread- including homemade tortilla bocadillos!

Sam enjoying the amazing view 

One of the tiles marking the Jewish quarter (and the shoes of Laura, Sam, Ashleigh and Jose!)

We're thankful for Jose's company- and his car rides!

En fin, it was a wonderful December that gave me plenty of chances to enjoy what Madrid has to offer, delight in the novelties of the holiday season, and relax with old and new friends. I also hope you had a fantastic holiday season!

It's the Holiday Season

Another holiday season has come and gone, and even though I would have loved to spend it in California with family and friends, I can say it was one of the most memorable Christmases I´ve had! I was able to spend the holidays with close friends and celebrate both traditions from home and from Spain. My winter break was both relaxing and adventurous, and I was really sad to see this special time of the year end!

One of the best things about being away from home during the holidays is seeing how the new culture you´re in celebrates it. Spain usually has sevaral Christmas decorations throughout the city (though definitely not as many in private homes like in the US), and just like last year, the city was adorned with thousands of lights in all of the main streets and plazas. There were lights in all different colors and shapes, from snowflakes and leaves to winking eyes, music notes, and even small versions of the city skyline! It’s magical walking around like a little ant under the lights through the busy streets of the city, shopping, running from one tutoring class to another, and briefly stoppoing to gaze at the giant Christmas tree of lights as you pass by. Families line up to see the Belens (Nativity scenes) that temporarily occupy churches and plazas, and huge lines intertwine in the main plaza, Puerta de Sol, as Spaniards wait to purchase a lottery ticket for “El Gordo” – the Spanish Christmas Lottery http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Christmas_Lottery . (It’s a really neat tradition that’s been around for almost 200 years, and almost everyone participates, even those who haven´t bought a lottery ticket all year!)

The schools are also filled their share of magic, with the halls covered in Christmas trees and snowflakes, the noise of scissors cutting paper and happy chatter escaping through the classroom doors, and the sounds of children singing as they practice for their Christmas show. I loved asking the students what they wanted from the 3 Kings (they receive presents from both Santa Clause the 3 Three Kings/3 Wise Men) and getting extra hugs. It was also fun helping the classes prepare for their school-wide Christmas show. My 6th graders did an awesome pop holiday medley that turned out to be more like a little boy band concert. One of my students, Gonzalo, has long blonde hair and is always super trendy in his square orange frames and tight green pants- so naturally, he was picked to lip sync and play the role of Justin Bieber! During the show he popped out of the audience onto the stage, did a quick spin, called over his ¨backup dancers¨, and then proceeded to bust out some awesome dance moves. Another neat girl, Antilla, played Mariah Carey and did all the choreography for the show! She reminds me of my sister when she was in middle school :)

3 of my adorable 4th graders waiting for the Xmas show to begin

As fun and beautiful as the city and the schools were in December, Spain wasn´t always the happiest place to be during the holidays. The economic situation in Spain definitely changed the atmosphere, and for many students, Pápa Noel couldn´t come to their houses this year. There was a cloud hanging over many Spaniards, and no where was it more evident than in their conversations and interactions. For Spaniards don´t tend to mask what they´re  really thinking or how they feel. They don´t try to fake how they feel, nor do they try to be uplifting and see the positive side of it. They simply say it like it is, and in many aspects of life, not just the economy. To show you an example, my roommate Laura got a Christmas card from her school that said the following:

"Este año es difícil desear happy christmas. Volveremos a estar happy cuando no haya ´crisis-mas. !Feliz Navidad! - El Equipo Directivo."

At my school, one teacher wrote a song to express her frustrations. She changed the lyrics to a popular Christmas carol here and wrote about the economic crisis, the government´s lack of help, and how the children and teachers are suffering from it. She even printed out the lyrics, made copies, and had the teachers all sing along at the teacher´s Christmas dinner!

Sam, Ashleigh and Danielle stringing popcorn -we found many cheap ways to decorate our small European apartment! 

In some ways Spaniards (especially children) are lucky though when it comes to holidays- they get to celebrate two Christmases and thus have two opportunities to exchange and receive gifts! They celebrate Christmas on 25th, and papa noel brings gifts and leaves them on top of shoes that the children leave under the tree (every family is a little different though- some kids leave their shoes at the foot of the bed). This is more due to Western influence, and Christmas eve is more important here than  Christmas day- it is always spent eating a big dinner (often seafood) with family. Seafood is so common that supposedly the seafood prices at the market went up 100% on Dec 23rd and 24th! The real Spanish Christmas is on Jan. 6th, the Three Kings' Day (Los Tres Reyes Magos). The three Wise Men, from the biblical story, bring gifts to Spanish children as well. This meant that our school winter break went from Dec. 22-Jan.7th. Que suerte!!

Christmas Eve was spent with a large group of international friends, 16 in total, from Brazil, the US, Peru, and Spain. We had a feast of pomegranate chicken, plenty of sides, and pie for dessert. What a luxury abraod! My roommates and I spent all day cooking, wrapping presents, and listening to Christmas music- in true holiday spirit! I made a cheesy bread that was stuffed with 4 types of cheeses (European ones that are much cheaper and easier to find here!), marmalade and nuts, based on a recipe I learned from Spanish friends while staying in France last year. We passed the night eating, drinking mulled wine, and singing Christmas carols in both English and Spanish as our friend Paul serenaded us with his beautiful voice and strummed the ukelele (the only string instrument he had around!).

The girls on Christmas morning :)

Our friend Ashleigh came over to spend the night and we had a wonderful cozy Christmas morning eating cinnamon rolls and opening presents. It was so sweet and nice to have a Christmas morning with close friends.

Christmas day was also relaxing and special. We had a smaller group of friends over for lunch and spent all afternoon and evening inside eating, visiting, eating some more, eating turron, playing games, and relaxing full and content as Paul and Sam played the guitar and sang. It was a wonderful moment sitting full on the couch surrounded by friends, listening to Paul sing, dozing off a bit with  the lights down and the candles twinkling around us.

Ashleigh and Paul, Christmas Day

El Escorial

Have you ever walked through a narrow, dark hallway with portraits that seem to be staring at you, antiquated rugs, once-inhabited royal chambers that today only have empty views of the misty forests below, and ended up in a beautiful, yet overbearing, crypt alone? It can be a chilling (literally) but interesting experience. Well that's exactly what I experienced in one of Spain's historical royal residencies last month.

The main entrance to El Escorial

This December Laura, Danielle and I went to San Lorenzo, a little town outside of Madrid that boasts El Escorial, the historical Spanish Royal Residence that was built as a monastery and also a palace, library, sepulchre, and museum. I had heard good things about it and that it was worth visiting, but I just never made it last year- even though it's only 20 miles from the town I teach in! So we finally took a trip out there this winter so we could also see San Lorenzo's Christmas Nativity scene that the town puts up every December.

Since El Escorial closed early, and since the other girls had already been, I was left to explore the royal site by myself. Though I was a little bummed at first, it turned out to be an interesting experience alone, and it gave me the flexibility to tour the building at my own pace. Which is good because it ended up being a lengthy tour - the place is huge! I began following the arrow signs that guide you throughout the buildings, and was first led to an architectural museum. It was a neat exhibit that showed the original plans and old construction techniques from the 16th century. It was cool to see models of the constructions methods and try to figure out how the various pullies and wheels worked together!

View of the gardens and the foggy mountains in the distance
from the window of the main palace salon. 

Next I began to wander through some of the many rooms of the old palace, rooms which were once salons, guest rooms, dining rooms, sitting rooms, etc. There were many beautiful, colorful Italian-style paintings from artists who were contracted by King Philip II and became popular through his positive favor of them. The rest of these collections are in the famous El Prado museum in Madrid, and the quality and historical beauty of the paintings is incredible. I felt like I was looking at my middle school world history textbooks again, but in real life!  Besides the paintings, there were beautiful ceiling frescoes. Some of the rooms, like the bedrooms, have furniture still, but mostly the rooms are quite empty, which gave it an eery feel. It also didn't help that as it was usually just me, a security guard, and the occasional visitor, walking through the rooms. There was a point where it was just me getting slightly lost in the narrow, cold stone hallways and feeling a little panicky!

After some more wandering I finally made it to the sepulchre, where most of Spain's royalty is buried, which was the main reason I had come to visit the building. It was deep down in the palace, and to get there you had to first climb down a flight of thick carpeted stairs with dark, wood paneled walls, a dark green ceiling, hanging chandeliers made of fancy glass beads, and mounted lamps on the side walls. As I was walking down the stairs, I felt a sense of excitement, as I knew I was approaching the famous pantheon, burial place of many famous Kinds and Queens of Spain. Plus, I felt like I had been transported straight to the haunted mansion in Disneyland!

The Pantheon of El Escorial, where most of Spain's Royalty from the Habsburg and Bourbon dynasties (from Charles I to the present) are buried. (Photo credit: Wikipedia- since the public isn't allowed to take photographs!)

After descending the lavish, dark entrance, I entered the sepulchre to find an even more lavish space- one fit for royalty. It was a circular room full of rows of stacked tombs made of dark green and black marble. They were also adorned with so much gold decorations that it felt like there was gold everywhere! It was really an impressively morbid space, unlike anything I'd ever seen before! I spent at least 15 minutes there just absorbing the room and reading the golden nameplates on the tombs. One was for Queen Eugene of England, who I had just finished reading a historical fiction novel about! It was so neat to have learned her story, how she married the Spanish King and was exiled during the time of Franco, and then see her resting place in person a couple of weeks later!

I left El Escorial satisfied with my visit, and also very happy to be going back to the spacious outdoors with its fresh winter air! By the time I exited the day had become a misty, cold evening, and the winter mist gave a gorgeous touch to austerity of the stone building. There were many families taking advantage of their holiday weekend off, with little Spanish kids were running around in puffy coats :) As I walked to meet up with Danielle and Laura, I even ran into one of my students from school! This didn't surprise me though, as it was a holiday weekend and San Lorenzo is really close to the town that I teach in.

Then Laura, Danielle and I explored the little town of San Lorenzo and it's giant, life-sized nativity scene. The town was super cute, with sparkly Christmas lights hanging on the trees and some of the palm trees wrapped in lights. The nativity scene was very elaborate, with giant elephants, giraffes, and other exotic animals, markets with life-sized, paper-mache people selling vegetables and spices, stalls of horses and pigs, and running windmills with flowing water! It was so much fun for us that I could imagine it would be even more magical for the little Spanish kids and families visiting it as well! It was obviously a huge project done by adults as well, but the paper-mache gave it a kid-made effect!

Then I was soo starving that we had to find a restaurant stat! We went into a cute little bar to get some tapas and beer. We got tostadas, a typical tapa here, which is a toasted slice of baguette with cheese or meet on top. We got tostadas with goat cheese and marmelade, yummm, and tortilla española. It was cheap, in generous portions, and the owner/bartender was a sweet old Spanish man. Just your typical great bar experience! Plus, anytime you're really hungry, everything tastes twice as good. As the Spanish saying goes, "El hambre es la mejor salsa" (hunger is the best sauce/seasoning!).

We had passed a couple of churro stands earlier, and couldn't leave without getting a nice, hot fried churro! So we joined the long line to get a typical Madrileño dessert. Then we sat on a bench in the chilly night air, in this quaint little town, surrounded by Spanish families, Christmas lights, and the smell of churros and sounds of laughter in the air, with the impressive stone El Escorial palace below. It was an amazing place to be, and one of those moments that made me say out loud to the girls "Sometimes I still can't believe we're living in Spain!! We're so lucky!". And I sunk my teeth into the thick churro again :)

The quaint little town of El Escoral- with Christmas lights and lamposts!
In the frigid Demeber air it almost felt like we were in Germany!

Mmmm, chocolate-covered churros!

¨Bailas Salsa Cubana o en liñea?¨

Warming up for a night of salsa with my lovely roomates and our friend Tal! Fall 2012

One of the awesome things about dancing is sharing your passion with others. My friend Lionel and I gave a few lessons in his apartment last year (it had a big wood floor!) and had a blast doing so. This year I've been giving a few informal, basic lessons here and there to friends and co-workers at our lunch break at school!

¨Do  you still dance salsa? Are you still addicted?¨are questions I sometimes get asked. Yes,  I am still addicted to salsa, though perhaps not quite as much as my last year in college. How could I stop dancing  when Madrid offers several salsa clubs (such as the one located 5 minutes walking distance from my apartment), several lessons at various studios and cultural centers, and international dance festivals? I may not always take advantage of all of these opportunities, but I almost always dance at least once a weekend!

Italian instructors at the 2012 Madrid Bachata Festival

Last year, I went to the first Madrid Bachata Festival with Andrea, Laura and Lionel. It was an awesome experience and not too expensive because A) the ticket was much cheaper than it would be in the US (It was 50 euros and could easily start at $100 in SF) and B) I saved money on lodging since I could go back to my own apartment to sleep at night! There were several talented instructors from all over, including Southern Spain, Italy, Mexico, and even Florida! We even met a group of dedicated Americans who had come over from Texas and CA to teach, and we hung out that weekend. The last night of the festival we all went out for tapas afterwards, and I was honestly so sad to say goodbye. But one of the friends I made that weekend, Savan (from Riverside), actually came back to Madrid this December for a kizomba festival! So we got to meet up again, and of course went out dancing! That´s what I love about dancing- how it connects you to people so easily. The dancing community is so small and so big at the same time!

Massage train after dancing= so needed! With new friends from CA, Atlanta, and Texas who flew all the way out to Madrid to teach and dance Bachata. That's dedication!

Besides the festivals, I love being able to go out dancing on any weekend in Madrid. This past December I had one of those Fridays where I decided to go out dancing last minute... at 1 am! Some friends and I had been to a birthday dinner and went out to a bar afterwards to go dancing. It was an awesome bar that had a completely  wood interior, a look-out tower, parrots and treasure chests everywhere- basically, it was the inside of a pirate ship! Anyways, as we were dancing, I decided that I wanted to really dance- salsa, that is! So afterwards when our friend José was driving Laura and I home, I asked him to drop me off at Tropical House on the way- my favorite place to go, since it's free on Fridays before 1:30 and is a 5 minute walk from our apartment.

Getting ready for a short walk to Tropical House! Spring 2012

I was not in the best salsa outfit and had no dancing shoes with me- so my tall leather boots had to suffice. But it worked out, and even on a whim it was a fun night! Tropical House is an awesome place to dance because people are pretty friendly and someone will almost always ask you to dance. There are also people of all levels, and some really good dancer too! But they're not too "pijo" (posh) as some other salsa places can be.

Even though I went by myself this time, I ran into my friend Susie right away (another avid salsa dancer from the states) and her friend who it turns out was also a former Aggie! We danced and soon went out on the floor together to do a common thing in many clubs here that I like to call ¨salsa aerobics¨. During some point in the night, between salsa and bachata songs, the DJ will put on a non-salsa latin or popular song, everyone gets into rows facing the stage, one of the salsa instructors who works at Tropical House will go up front to lead a dance. It´s always a great work out, and the instructor tends to use latin and salsa moves- hence my nickname for it!¨This night they played Gangnam style and used several moves from this video- needless to say it was a hit!

Here in Spain there are 3 common types of latin dances that you´ll find at most salsa clubs- Salsa, bachata, and merengue or kizomba- a very slow, sensual dance that has recently come over to Europe from Africa. In CA, you´ll often find merengue instead of kizomba. Some places, like CATS on Sundays, have completely replaced merengue with kizomba!

With our salsa friend Andrea and her Argentinian, tango-dancing roomie! Spring 2012

Also, when you go out salsa dancing in Madrid, some leads will ask you which type of salsa you dance- salsa en linea (salsa in line) or cubana (Cuban-style salsa). Salsa en liñea is the most common in the US (depending on the region, of course), and is what I learned to dance in Davis. It is more formal (what they dance in ballrooms) has more moves and spins, and is danced in a line or slot (as the name suggests). Salsa cubana has more of an informal feel, is danced to faster music with more energy, and isn´t danced in a slot. You´re always going in different directions and will often kind of turn around your partner. I never learned this formally, but picked it up by watching and just trying it out here. It´s very fun and I love the energy of dancing it. I may start and go to some free lessons I found soon at a nearby cultural center.

Well that´s what there is to know about salsa dancing in Spain! It´s a pastime I love keeping up, as it´s a great way to exercise, express yourself, meet new people, and a fun way to go out in Madrid.

Cultural videos: Bullfighting and Bloopers!

One of the best ways to motivate students to learn a second language is to put it into practice. When they see how useful it is and all the doors it can open, they will ideally get more excited and motivated to learn that language. Since my mom teaches 5th grade in California, I knew I wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to have them communicate with native-English-speaking students their own age.

At first I wanted to do pen pals, but then I realized that my 6th graders already had pen pals in the U.S. Then I remembered how much fun my students had last year making science videos about plant growth and reproduction. So I decided we should make an English video about life in Spain. They could talk about their school, their hobbies, Spanish food, traditions, popular sports, etc, and we would send it to my mom´s 5th grade class. It would be a virtual pen pal of sorts. And they loved the idea!

To get started, I had the class brainstorm potential topics to talk about in the video. I wanted them to focus on things that were unique to Spain and would be interesting for California students to hear about. It was interesting to realize which customs they considered to be universal. It never occured to some of them that other countries don´t eat 12 grapes on New Year´s Eve nor do they celebrate the Three Kings´ Day on January 6th (their Christmas celebration). Many of them were still able to come up with great things to talk about, like Spanish authors, famous places in Madrid, and bullfighting. Next I had them write dialogues (I´ve been using this word because they never understand when I say "script", no matter how many times I put it up on the board!) and practice their lines.

Alba, Claudia, Rachel, and Paula with their video props! 

When it finally came time to film, I was consistently asked ¨Kelsey, are we going to grabar today?¨ (They always forget the word "to film" too!). They loved getting pulled out in groups of 4 to come film with me. And they´re very creative- they brought props, thought of different ways to film, etc. And they kept asking to film intentional bloopers afterwards (tomas falsas)! They love bloopers but are definitely missing the main point, since they keep thinking up ways to create bloopers. They were excited about the outtakes though because last year I included a surprise bloopers section at the end of their science plant videos, and it was their favorite part!

Also, the craziest thing happened while we were filming part of the video. I was preparing for take #4 with one of my students, Claudia, when all of a sudden she began to yell "Papa, papa!" and wave her arms up and down. I had no idea where she was waving. The only people I saw around were the high schoolers playing basketball across the way, so I figured maybe her dad taught high school PE. But then I realized she was waving and looking up in the air! I looked up to see a man in a sort of paraglide contraption- but it had an engine! He waved back enthusiastically and yelled "Hola!" to his daughter as he zoomed close above us. I couldn't believe it. This was like a scene from a movie! I asked her if her father does things like that often. She looked at me nonchalently, shrugged her shoulders, and said, "yes" :) Oh the magic of working in a small town!

Claudia waving up at her father in the air! 

Soup, skits and John Lennon songs: Tuesdays with my 4th graders

My 4th graders are sweethearts. They are kind. They are hilarious. They are mischeavious and curious. They are social and talkative. At times they are chatty and off task. But they have hearts of gold. They greet me sincerely everyday, and are excited to show me their test grades or their new bracelets. Basically, my 4th graders are awesome, and I always enjoy my classes with them!

Today was just another Tuesday with my 4th graders- but it always ends up being one of my favorite weekdays. At the beginning of English class, I usually greet my students and ask them some conversational questions to get them speaking. Today I asked them what they ate for dinner last night. One child told me they are "soap", and I said, "Really?" I had just taught them the difference between "soup" and "soap" last week! It´s a common mistake that many non-native speakers of English make. I had them rub their hands together while saying "soap" and then pretend to eat out of a bowl while saying "soup, yummm"! So today when Francisco said he ate soap last night for dinner, I asked "Okay, who else ate soap for dinner last night?" When a couple other students raised their hands and I made a face, they remembered the difference between the two words and started laughing and laughing.






After the opening questions we did a listening activity with an audio tape. It was an story about a group of students putting on a play with their teachers- and all the voices are done by British speakers. The students in the audiotape said things like "Oh dear, oh dear oh dear" when something went wrong. The kids love repeating silly lines like that in the British accent, and they think it´s as fun to talk like that as I do! After they listened to the story a few times Teresa and I (the teacher I work with) had the students take turns getting up in front of the class and playing different roles. Teresa lent her teacher lab coat to the students who played the teacher, and we drew a red curtain and stage up on the chalkboard behind them! They loved it and all wanted to take a turn doing the skit.

I was a little sore from running, and the class was getting a little restless, so I asked Teresa if I could lead them in some stretching exercises before switching to science. She thought that could be a good idea and put on a calm classical song. I lead them in stretches, and later she threw in some yoga moves she´s been learning at her yoga class. It was relaxing for everyone and it actually worked- they were definitely a little calmer during the next hour!

Finally, at the end of class (after a lesson on ecosystems and the Galapagos Islands) the students practiced their song for the Christmas show. They´re performing "Happy Christmas (War is Over)" by John Lennon. It is so sweet but funny to hear all of them singing in their Spanish accents. They were divided into groups to sing in rounds at certain parts, with some continually singing the part that goes "War is over, if you want it..." Another assistant´s 3rd grade class is learning the same song, and she said one of them started tearing up because they were moved by the song.

The rest of my Tuesday is spent with 6th grade, which is a whole different dynamic- but an age I also love (especially because I have a bright group of students). But I´ll save that for another time!

25 things

Living in Spain has been a true ride. There have been the extreme highs of travel, meeting new people, and navigating new neighborhoods. There have been the lows of dealing with Spanish VISA paperwork, bureaucracies, and a generally unorganized program. It has been very distinct from my study abroad experience, where much was organized for me ahead of time - housing arrangements made, social opportunities built in, field trips set up and travel plans made (which are not bad things- they are the major benefits of going through a study abroad program the first time you live abroad!). Being an English assistant here has involved a lot more independence, which is what I was looking for in my next overseas experience- something that would test me and encourage me to grow as an individual and global citizen. And with this experience comes the normal ups and downs of everyday life that could happen anywhere - plus the occasional frustrations with customs, policies, and lifestyle differences here. But I truly have so much to be thankful for, and this experience has been a once-in-a-lifetime adventure so far. Thus in honor of Thanksgiving and the holidays, I decided to write down 25 details I'm thankful for this year!

Me and my travel bear on a weekend getaway in Barcelona :) When else in
my life have I been able to go visit a famous european city on a whim?

25 Things to be Thankful for this Year (Not in any particular order)

1. Friends to celebrate the holidays with Life has become busy yet comfortable here, as I've found my favorite places, hangout spots, coffee date friends, places to try out new classes, etc. It usually keeps my plenty distracted to miss home too much. Yet when the holidays roll around, homesickness bouts are bound to occur, as even in college December was the one time I was always home. I feel so fortunate to be with my Davis roommates during the holidays, as they are also excited to bring their holiday traditions here and make this time of the year special. Last year we decorated the (tiny) apartment, bought a miniature christmas tree, exchanged presents in our pjs on Christmas morning and even made an advent calendar of wintery things to do in Madrid in December. Is it truly a blessing to spend these holidays with friends! 
2. Family When I approached my parents two years ago and told them I was applying to teach English abroad in Spain for a year, I was expecting a to get a little grief. Many questions. Maybe a sigh. Instead, I got a "We'll miss you but how can you turn down an opportunity like that?" I feel so lucky to have family that supports me in my travel and language endeavors, and has a willing and listening ear to hear my experiences, elation and gripes. This includes those of you, my best friends, who also have supported me on this last year and a half. I love you!!
3. Skype, email, and facebook chat I think it's important to immerse yourself fully in any experience abroad, yet at the same time I believe it's equally important to stay in touch with friends and family at home and maintain these connections. I am so glad that one no longer has to stand outside in the cold at a public telephone, dialing the small numbers on the back of the international phone calling card and listening to directions in Spanish to get my 15 minutes of call time home (this is what I did in Argentina, but at least it was at my host family's home). 
4. Good old-fashioned snail mail Skype, email, facebook chat, are all awesome. They are convenient and practical. But there is something about opening the mailbox and seeing an envelope addressed to you that in unparalleled. (Hint hint! :)) It shows the person took time to think of you and reflect on what they wanted to include in their letter. 
5. My 3rd grade teacher Being back in an elementary school classroom 4 days a week on the other side (up in front and being the one signaling to be quiet, rather than being signaled to be quiet) has made me extra appreciative of all of my teachers, K-12. Teaching is truly a labor of love, and it is energy sapping. Some days I come home exhausted from what I had to deal with that day. Others I come home elated by what I was able to get across to the students today or something funny or sweet my students said. Either way, I am thankful for all of my teachers and the hard work they've done for me and my classmates. Thank you!
6. Friends living in Europe One of the best ways to see a new city is to be hosted and shown around by a friend who is living there. I was extremely lucky to have several friends living in Europe last year who I could go visit! I had a close college friend, Justin Chan, doing his master's in Sweden, and I visited him in Lund (in freezing winter!) and traveled to Stockholm with him. Mary Durham, a friend and co-worker from the Davis Study Abroad center, was doing her master's in Durham, England. I visited her in March 2012 and traveled to York and Edinburgh with her! My old supervisor and mentor Lindsay Mccullom has been living in VIenna with her husband, so Laura and I visited her in the spring. My sister was studying abroad in Siena, Italy, and I took a plane over for her 21st birthday! 
7. Sight, taste, touch, smell, hearing There are so many things that we take for granted in life, and sometimes we need to be reminded of that. This year I'm tutoring a sweet 18 year old named Alba. She's a big fan of music, laughs so hard when I make a mistake translating in Spanish for her, loves chocolate- and is blind. Basically, she's your normal shy teenager. There is so much she still can do- but so much she hasn't experienced and never will. And it's interesting to get this perspective working with her. As we work on her vocabulary and study song lyrics, I have a feeling she'll be teaching me a lot more than I'll be teaching her this year.
8. My 4th grade students My 4th graders are so adorable and sweet. Everyday they make me feel like the most interesting and special person in the world! I love it when they ask me questions about myself or tell me their birthday and such in the hallway, as it makes them practice their english- they have to use it to get to know me! Most of the time I leave that class feeling fulfilled and content. Sometimes I feel frustrated, but it is usually just because they were especially chatty that day, or because it was harder to teach them comparatives and superlatives than I thought it would be!
9. Continuity It has been so great to come back for another year and continue where I left off. I already have one year under my belt- a year in which i was figuring out how to live here, how to speak Spanish here, and how to teach English as a second language. This year I've been able to pick up where I left off last year and continue at the same school and living in the same apartment. I cannot tell you how amazing it felt to return to my school after a summer in CA and see my 6th graders, a few inches taller and a little darker after our months apart. They gave me such genuine smiles and hugs when they saw me again, and I felt so warm in my heart to see them and realize I get to spend another year teaching them. It's been a blessing so far to continue to develop my relationship with them and to see their confidence in English, and with me, grow! 
10. My concierge who wished me "Happy Independence Day" on Thanksgiving Our concierge, who also happens to be our next door neighbor, is awesome. Not only because she gives me advice, says hi to me everyday as I head out to work, and enjoys random chats with us, but because she was thoughtful enough to wish me "Feliz Día de Independencia" on Thanksgiving! (Many spaniards mix up these two most well-known American holidays). I appreciated the effort and told her with a smile that today was Thanksgiving- kinda similar, but a different holiday of ours :)
11. Aggie Roommates Living abroad entails many things, and it's nice to have others experiencing the same thing along with you for the ride. Danielle is a good listener, very energetic and determined, and is always so upbeat. Laura has as calming presence, inspires me to cook with her creations, and creates joy out of the smallest things in life. Plus, it's our 6th year living together! Cheers to good roommates. 
12. Having a Job in Spain-despite the economic crisis My job is so well-paid and so ideal (working 20 hours a week while receiving an above-average monthly salary) that I rarely speak about my job in front of Spaniards. It can often be a sad situation for many Spaniards and other foreigners. I've met many bright, unemployed recent college graduates who have to go abroad to find jobs. There are so many people on the street or asking for money on the metro. People and businesses have had to make sacrifices and cuts. I feel so fortunate for the job I have as a foreigner here, but I sometimes feel bad about it when I see all of the rampant unemployment here. But I also have to remember that by helping my young Spanish students learn English now, they will hopefully have more job opportunities in the future. 
13. Salsa salsa salsa How amazing is it that we can express ourselves through dance? At the end of the week I am just ready to go out and dance salsa, let off some steam, bring some friends along, and meet new people who also use dance as their creative outlet. The great thing about living in a big city is that it brings all the dancing opportunities you could want- dance clubs, studios, conferences and performances. This year is all about taking the opportunity to speak as much Spanish and dance as much Salsa as I can! It also helps there is a great dance place a 10-minute walk from my apartment that's free on Fridays! I've also been giving informal lessons to friends and coworkers as often as I can :) 
14. Spanish tortilla There is nothing like hitting up a good old greasy neighborhood bar and getting cheap tapas and spanish tortilla. Or going to La Latina on Sundays and touring the aesthetic street full of amazing tapa bars and restaurants. Whoever came up with the simple but scrumptious spanish tortilla- an egg omelette with potatoes, onions, and plenty of olive oil- deserves to win a prize. 
15. The Madrid metro! If there's one thing I can really rave about in Madrid, it's the metro! It is very efficient and frequent, and has several lines that go throughout the city. It comes every 3 minutes during weekday mornings, and only rarely has delays. It is much more effective and cleaner than those of other big cities I've been to. I can say this from personal experience, after using public transportation in London, Rome, Lisbon, Stockholm, Barcelona, Valencia, Paris, Chicago, San Francisco, etc. To be fair, the Madrid metro is one of the newer systems, and has learned from the mistakes and disadvantages of other european trains. As a foreigner living here without a car, I am especially grateful for the mobility it gives me. It's a great feeling to live one more year on this planet without being dependent on a car! 
16. Nerea Nerea is an, intelligent, caring 9-year-old who is also an avid listener of One Direction, Selena, and Justin Bieber and often shares her after-school snack with me. She is a pleasure to tutor once a week, and I look forward to our English lessons, reviewing her science homework, singing songs in English on Youtube, and playing Hide and Seek and other games in english at the end of our lesson.  
17. Random encounters They may not seem monumental, but sometimes the smallest interactions can make your day. The old lady who sat by you on the bus and by the end of the conversation was complimenting your Spanish. The man in the business suit who helped you carry your suitcase out of the metro and up the stairs. 
18. 3 day weekends! Since this never happened with any of my schedules in college, I finally got my 3 day weekends in Spain! Add the large number of Spanish holidays and puentes and you get used to a pretty great lifestyle :)
19. Siestas Sometimes there's nothing better than a nap during the day- a chance to close your eyes, rest your head, and recharge before part two of your day continues. And it's not only the siesta itself that's important- it's what it represents in Spain's culture. It means taking a break, a pause, to be with family and rest. It means slowing down. It means a more tranquil life pace. It means living in the moment. And although siestas are not as common in Madrid (as it's a big cosmopolitan city) 
20. 2-euro bottles of red wine After studying abroad in Mendoza, Argentina, studying an hour and a half outside of Napa Valley, CA, and living in Spain, I finally have an appreciation for good wine. I may not know what exactly makes it good wine or why I like it, nor the terminology to use, but I do know that it is very decent wine that you can find here in Spain for 2 euros. Every euro you invest after that means the quality of wine increases exponentially! 
21. Visitors My sister studying in Italy. My parents making their first trip out to Europe. A college friend visiting old friends in Belgium. A friend-of-a-friend (or two) passing who happen to be in town. And potentially 3 of my best girlfriends visiting me in March? No matter who it is or when they come, it is good to have visitors! 
22. Spanish immersion It's one of the main reasons I came to live in Spain- to really immerse myself and speak Spanish in everyday situations. My 3 months in Argentina flew by, and it left me hungry for a longer experience abroad. I had no idea one year would fly by so quickly and turn into 2!
23. International church community Have you ever been to a church service in a bar before? Well, that's what happens when you go to a small protestant church in a Catholic country. It's been a great way to worship and meet people studying abroad from the US or France, or Latin Americans who've been living and working here for years. Maybe less than a third of the congregation is Spanish! 
24. Living in a big city I'd never lived in a big city before. Let alone the center of the city! Yes, I'm from San Diego, but it's a very spread out city, and I grew up in a rural area. At first it was a transition, and I wasn't sure if I was going to like it. But once I got used to it I truly appreciated all that Madrid offers- the public transportation, the dancing opportunities, the availability of restaurants and cafes, and being in the center of social movements like strikes and cultural festivals. I'm still a small town girl at heart, but Madrid has made it's case for big cities! 
25. Deciding to come back for a second year Sometimes having two hamburgers is better than one!