Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween everyone! To answer your question of "Do they celebrate Halloween in Spain?" I can now answer with certainty and tell you that they do in Alosno! The children have been excitedly anticipating Halloween for weeks now, and the decorating responsibilities all fell to me! I truly don't mind though, since I love crafts, so that has been one of my main jobs. We taught the younger children the words "witch (weetch)," "pumpkin (poon-kee)," "monster (moan-stair)" and "owl (ohl)," none of which they could pronounce correctly, but oh well. They've been making their own trick-or-treat bags and containers, as well as various Halloween crafts, all of which we hung up all over the school today. After the break, each grade came downstairs to the lobby to get their class pictures taken, and then they all had to tell ME "trick or treat!" to receive candy. This job also fell to me, I guess because I'm the English speaker, but I loved it! Oh, and it was MY camera that took all the photos...I guess they were just planning on using their phones! Apparently later today there's going to be a Halloween festival in Alosno that all the kids will attend...a lot of them seemed really excited about it, and they all wanted to tell me what they're going to dress up as (mostly witches and zombies). It's funny, because here in Spain Halloween is actually about scaring people/being scared...different from the US, where people dress up as anyone/anything, and most of the time for a good laugh! Anyway, it was a good day, and everyone loved all the decorations and of course the candy, so I think that this Halloween was a success! My friends and I are going out later, dressed up as what? Haven't gotten that far yet. BUT tomorrow Rachel and I are leaving for Cordoba, so it's going to be a great weekend!

Sevilla

First destination on my list? Seville! (In Spanish, Sevilla.) Sevilla is only an hour away from Huelva by bus, so it's an easy day trip or weekend trip or anytime trip, really, so my friend Rachel and I decided that this would be our first weekend excursion. Neither of us had left Huelva yet (besides going to the beach and our schools in outlying villages), so we thought Sevilla would be an excellent choice. Come to find out, the weekend we chose to go (October 19th) just happened to be the same weekend that an international food festival was taking place! Clearly this proved that we had made the right decision. As we left on the noon bus, the clouds in Huelva were looking pretty ominous...NOT what we wanted to see on our departure. But, as the Spanish say, "no pasa nada!" We left with high hopes for the day, and we were determined to not let the rain get us down. We arrived in Sevilla, got a map (fully intent on being as touristy as possible) and charted out our route, our main destination being the food festival. Give us a break, we were hungry! I really wanted to walk alongside the river, el Río Guadalquivir, and our first sight was a terrific display of graffiti--and no, I'm not being sarcastic. It was actually pretty cool.

The river itself was beautiful, with people kayaking and boats sailing along. Before too long we came upon the Torre del Oro...a huge tower on the edge of the river. It was crazy to actually see it in person, because I had taught my 3rd, 4th and 5th graders all about the sights of Sevilla the previous year! Don't ask me about the history, because I can no longer remember...and the Tower itself is a museum, but Rachel and I decided to save our 3 euros for something else. But I'll be sure to go back!

About this time, my camera died. I know, I know. "Olivia! How could you go without a fully charged camera???" These things were going through my head as well, trust me. But, thank goodness for my handy dandy iPhone! What would I do without it? We continued to mosey along and finally made it to the food festival...and it was AWESOME. It was hard to choose just which countries we wanted to eat from, but we finally decided to share some from South Africa (a zebra sandwich) and Peru (aji de gallina) and then I got Mexican and Rachel got Indian. I had been craving Mexican for a while, because the Spanish do NOT like spicy things! Everything was delicious, of course. 

(Costillas OBAMA = Obama ribs...ha!! Obviously the American booth)

Once we had gotten our fill and had done a little shopping at the various puestos (booths where they sell all sorts of things) we walked about 100 yards over to la Plaza España, which neither of us even knew existed. I don't know what it was used for in the past, but I can tell you that it was BEAUTIFUL. Needless to say I took about a hundred pictures here alone.

We tore ourselves away from la Plaza España and continued on in a circular route back to the river. On the way we went through lovely gardens and tiny winding streets, full of hidden treasures I might add, and ended up at the famous Catedral de Sevilla--the Seville Cathedral, which is the largest Gothic cathedral and the third largest church in the world. It was quite impressive...we got there right as a wedding was ending, so we saw un montón of people dressed to impress, which also meant that the cathedral was empty of tourists! We popped right in, took a look around, and then left again (you could only go so far into the church). 

By this time, we were getting tired so we decided to walk back to the bus station. On the way, we happened to come across some sort of processional going on (no idea what) where people were carrying a big throne and a boys' choir was singing! We also passed a few flamenco street performers, which was pretty amazing.

We finally arrived back to the bus station, and after waiting about an hour for the last bus on a bench by the river (we were really tired...), we journeyed back to Huelva. It had been raining all day in Huelva, but not only did it not rain in Sevilla, the weather was PERFECT because of the cloud cover. It turned out to be a perfect day trip, and we definitely want to go back! 

Vamos a la playa!

Let's go to the beach! One of my favorite phrases. One of the main reasons I chose Andalusia as my number one preference of regions in Spain was because A) it's in the south and B) there was a good chance of my being placed somewhere near the beach! Huelva is situated beside a river,  but a 20 minute bus ride will get you to the beach in Punta Umbria (Poon-tuh Oom-BREE-uh). I've been to the beach three times now, and because the weather is still so nice I was able to go this past Sunday! I even went in the water! I'll admit, the water was a bit too cold for my liking, but I wanted to get one last swim in before it starts getting cold. The beach is beautiful, and not TOO different from my beloved beaches in North Carolina. The sand is more yellow, there are no dunes, and the waves are a lot smaller, but besides that I could still imagine myself laying out on the beaches of Atlantic Beach like I did so often this summer. I've met a lot of friends there, because everyone seems to gather in the same place, and many of the people all know each other from previous years in Huelva. Where we go in Punta Umbria, there is a small little café called Chiringuito Cazorla (no idea what that means), but it's painted navy blue with lighter blue curtains that blow in the breeze with bright red chairs on the patio. Quite picturesque. One of the best tapas they offer is called "salpicón," which is a mixture of diced peppers, tomatoes and onions mixed with pieces of shrimp and crap covered in olive oil and vinegar. DELICIOUS. It's basically a summer seafood salad. I'm afraid that our days of going to the beach are numbered, but I'm sure I can still convince people to go with me when it gets colder...we'll just have to bundle up!

Alosno (Pronunciation: a-LOW-snow)

Alosno: population of 4,000, located 45 minutes north of Huelva by car, one primary school, one secondary school. Talk about a small town out in the boondocks. I ride with my language coordinator Rocío everyday, and I've been working there for three weeks now. I work three days a week, on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, which means a four day weekend every week! Besides the stellar schedule, I am happy to say that I absolutely love it!! I work with kids ages 3-12, and they are intrigued by me...a new teacher from the United States whose Spanish is WAY different from their Spanish, and who is teaching them English! I am greeted with a chorus of "hello teacher!" everyday, from the shy and bold students alike. Since I'm just an assistant, I don't actually teach full lessons. The truth is, they don't actually ask me to do much at all...I walk into the classrooms, most of the time having no idea what they're studying at the moment, and am asked to do various English tasks with the kids. This is frustrating at times, because I feel like more of a hindrance than anything, but the students seem to enjoy my presence--and since I enjoy their's, I can't complain! I work with the fourth grade class the most, and they just happen to be the WORST behaved class in the entire school, not including the 3 year olds of course. However, the difference in their bad behavior and that of other children I've worked with in America is that in no way is it malicious. Most of the time they're loud and unruly because they're excited about something...and I'll take a loud interested class over a quiet apathetic one any day! I have a feeling that as time goes on I will be more involved and have more responsibility, so I'm just taking things in stride. In addition to my job in Alosno, I have also picked up two private classes teaching English to two different 7 year olds an hour a week. These classes are great because we just get to have English fun for an hour and then I get paid cash on the spot. I also got a job teaching English in an academy! I teach a B1 class and a B2 class, which are just different levels according to the European standard. The classes are an hour and a half long each on Mondays and Wednesdays, and I'm teaching people my own age, which is new for me! I love these classes, because I feel like I'm imparting knowledge with peers as opposed to lecturing a class. The pay from these classes will pay for my rent each month, and the private classes will pay for gas to and from Alosno! It was amazing how easy it was to get these jobs. With "la crisis" in Spain, everyone is desperate to learn English so that they will be more desirable job candidates. And I must say, I'm happy to help! 

Hace tres semanas...

Hace tres semanas, or three weeks ago, I arrived in Huelva after traveling for 15 hours. I flew from Raleigh to Philadelphia, from Philly to Lisbon, Portugal, and then from Lisbon to Faro, Portugal. From Faro Airport I had to take a bus into the city, and from that bus station I took another bus into Huelva. Talk about a long day! I had made arrangements to stay with Jane, the other auxiliar working in Alosno, for the first night, so I dragged all my luggage a block away (¡qué suerte!) to her apartment building, where I was supposed to be meeting her friend that was also staying with her at the time. Well, I had arrived thirty minutes earlier than expected, and no one was home when I buzzed in. So I plopped myself down on a bench and waited, all while listening in on the canoodlings of two Spanish teenage lovebirds. Half an hour later Rachel showed up, and we tried to be as un-awkward as possible with each other, since neither of us knew the other and neither of us lived in this apartment. I was able to take a nap and shower all before anyone else showed up, which was nice, but then everyone else came back home! I finally met Jane, her roommate Jess, and Miriam, Rachel's roommate. Miriam and Rachel were planning on moving into the apartment directly below Jane and Jess, but it was still under construction. After eating some snacks while everyone else ate dinner (I lived on granola bars and crackers for the next few days, thanks Mama!), I decided to go out for un ratito (a little bit) with Jane and Rachel. It was there that I met my roommate, Regina! She was a friend of Jane's, and just happened to be looking for a roommate, unbeknownst to anyone. Again, ¡qué suerte! I continued to stay with Jane for the next few days, but I finally moved in with Regina after talking more with her and seeing her apartment. During those few days I explored the city a little bit, went to the beach, met with Rocío, my coordinator at the school in Alosno, and made a ton of friends! Rocío and I decided that I would ride with her to school everyday, which for me is only Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Four day weekends? I'll take it! Since then, I have opened a bank account, applied for my NIE (my Spanish identification card), picked up two private English lessons as well as two English classes in an academy called Kedaro, all while managing to take full advantage of the famous "siesta" that the Spanish love so much. ¿Qué bien, no?

Huelva (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈwelβa])

Now that I've been here exactly three weeks and one day, I think it's time to give a little review of what exactly I'm doing here and how it all came to be. My title is an "Auxiliar de Conversación," which basically means a conversation or language assistant. I applied to come here through the Spanish government, the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport to be exact, and I will be here for one school year, until the beginning of June. I was placed in a school in Alosno, Huelva, Spain (you can think of that as the town, state, and country, e.g. Sanford, NC, USA), but since Alosno has a population of roughly 4,000 people, I decided that it would be best to live in Huelva, the capital city of Huelva the province.

A little bit about my journey before actually coming to Spain: I applied for this program back in February, and I was supposed to have heard back by March/April. Well that date was pushed back to May...and then to June. I got an email in June saying that "Candidate number such-and-such has been given a position, but there will be few given after this number." Well, my number was hundreds above this number and so, as you can imagine, I gave up and lost any hope of being assigned. I started applying for jobs and even signed up to take the Praxis II for ESL (English as a Second Language), a test that would give me extra certification and hopefully widen the job pool for me (which I passed by the way!). Soon after these decisions were made, wouldn't you know it but Amy Talley, the elementary Spanish teacher that was my cooperating teacher during my Student Teaching, emailed me telling me that she was leaving Ashley Elementary School. What an opportunity! I already knew the principal, the teachers, and most importantly, the students. I immediately applied for the job, and was soon granted an interview. I interviewed in Winston-Salem, and a few days later I received a call saying I had gotten the job! I was THRILLED! Weeks passed; I was working at Chefs 105 in Morehead City, living at our beloved trailer in Broad Creek, and life was good. Until one afternoon when I got an email from the Ministry of Spain: "Olivia, You have been granted a position in the Auxiliares de Conversación Program." Excuse me?!? My dream, the one thing that I was absolutely set on doing after graduation, the opportunity that would allow me to perfect my Spanish skills and give me confidence as a Spanish teacher, was now possible. But...what about Ashley? What about my commitment to my new job? In my heart I knew that I couldn't renege on this opportunity. Not only had I found a great job doing what I love, but I had also found a GREAT living opportunity with one of my wonderful friends from Wake Forest: her house in Winston, rent free of charge. A preemptive sense of regret weighed heavy on my heart. I pushed the thought of Spain from my mind...for 24 hours. Because the very next day, I got a call from the principal at Ashley. My job, my precious job, had been taken from me and given to a "transfer teacher," a teacher already in the Winston-Salem Forsyth County Schools system, a teacher who by law is promised a job if she wants to stay in the same county but move to a different school. You'd think, "But Olivia, this is perfect!" Oh no. Talk about an emotional roller coaster. I wanted Spain. I didn't get Spain. I forced myself to want a job, and I got a job. I wanted Ashley, and I got Ashley. I get Spain, but I can't have Spain. I lose Ashley, and now...what? I hadn't been saving money. I hadn't applied for a visa. Keep in mind, all of this happened at the end of July, and the program in Spain started October 1st! I only had five days to decide, and the clock was ticking. To be honest, I was scared...terrified really. Could I do this? Could I go to a foreign country, in a region unknown to me, find my own apartment, find friends, and start a whole new life? NOT having saved any money?? I talked to Mama. I talked to my family. I talked to my professors at Wake. I talked to Amy Talley. I talked to my new but incredibly wonderful friends at the beach, and of course to my oldest friends from high school and college. Almost all of them said to go for it, despite my having no money. As my mother's good friend Robin always says, "If money can fix it, it's not a problem." With so much support, and with a CLEAR sign from God that this was the path to take, how could I not just go for it? How could I live the rest of my life regretting my decision not to? So I did. I had two months to save, I started the visa application process, I researched as much as possible, I joined various Facebook groups, and I talked with the assistants from the previous year. And even though my visa arrived at the last minute and I had to fly into Spain a week late, everything worked out for me. And so here I am, writing this post a content, housed, befriended, employed and well-situated temporary citizen of Huelva, Spain.

¡Bienvenidos!

¡Hola a todos! I've finally decided to start a blog so that everyone can keep up with all my adventures! However, I should post this disclaimer: I'm not a writer. That being said, please excuse the potential mistakes and/or lack of clarity...as well as the length of time between posts. It's not in my nature to write, but I NEED to document my time here!! Feel free to request/demand more posts at any given time...I need the encouragement.

SO, bienvenidos a my new blog! And oh, I feel certain you can expect a good amount of Spanglish in my writing as well. Here we go!