Quotes

"Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement; nothing can be done without hope and confidence."
~Helen Keller

8.10.11

Chapter Two: Similarities not Differences


Cell phone, check. Lodging, check. Bank account, check. Now what? After orientation in the capital of this northern region on Tuesday, we were all told that due to an overload of administrative work we would not start our classes until Monday. Originally we were to start this past Wednesday. But as the saying here goes, no pasa nada. Pretty much, no big deal.

So instead of designing lesson plans this week, I have settled other matters such as starting my lengthy process to get a foreign identity number (NIE, as known in Spanish). I have also begun private English lessons. So far I am working with a teenage boy who was absolutely amazed when I showed him pictures of the Great Lakes. He was like, espera, (wait), hay playas en Wisconsin? (there are beaches in Wisconsin?) You have to understand that from their point of view here in Spain, the only "playas" are found on the coast and never inland like they can be in the U.S.A. I have also been working with a lady who teaches what we would call "high school" level science such as biology. Her level of English is amazing and what she truly wants is to practice conversation and improve her vocabulary in the subject area of science. Spain has several exploratory bilingual programs for the primary levels (which is what I will be doing). However, they are also enforcing the idea to teach the language in other subject areas for a few hours each week such as in mathematics, science, physical education, you name it. The hard part about it is that this lady has spent years teaching the subject in the native language and not the target language of English. So that is where I come in. Outside of class, we talk for an hour, though it seems to fly by so quickly. We both have a passion for teaching and it shows when we find ourselves talking about the philosophy of teaching second languages.

This, however, has only taken up part of my time here in Castro Urdiales. The other part has been what I would like to call "Carpe diem." Enjoy the moment. Live life to the fullest. I refuse to carry a map in this town. It is, after all, my town now. Carrying a map would just be senseless. So I have been learning as I go. Wandering through the streets. Running along the pier. Lounging in the park. But most importantly, enjoying a drink at the end of the day with the other Spaniards I have met here. I know it sounds weird. And trust me, our typical schedule in the U.S. sounds even weirder to them. But these people literally know what it means to interact with one another. And they use every last moment in their day to do so. They always meet up towards 9:00 at their bar and talk until 10 or 10:30. Afterwards, each individual takes off towards home for dinner. That's right. They would not have eaten dinner yet. That's for latter. Again, they need to use every last second to talk to one another.

But even with these differences, there are so many similarities. Just yesterday I went to a salon with some other girls (no, I did not get my nails done.) But we all sat there talking. Talking about what? Everything and anything. If you are not a girl and you are reading this, I apologize for your lack of understanding. You see, women have the tendency to talk and talk and then talk some more. Then driving back from the salon, we sang to American music. Walking on Sunshine. Dancing Queen. Miss American Pie. Being the only Yankee in the car (by the way, that has sort of become some sort of title for me here) I could not help but see the whole situation at first as being a little silly. But then again, I had to realize that this would be exactly what I'd be doing in the states right now. Singing off beat and enjoying the company of those around me.

So even though people may look at this country and disagree with its way of life, I am embracing it. Even with the differences, the similarity of connecting between people and forming friendships will always stay the same wherever you go. This, too, includes sitting in the backseat of a car trying to translate the entire song of Miss American Pie. A much harder task than you would think.


2 comments:

  1. I apologize for the lack of photos. I know I promised them but my camera is being a dud. It lets me take pictures but when I go to add them to the computer, it won't let me. Humph.

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  2. Glad you're loving it, I love love love Castro. Have you met Eric? He was living in Bilbao but he just moved to Castro because it's closer. He's from WI too, small world!

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