3 years down, 2 more to go!

This week marks my 3 year anniversary with Spain!!!! I am 100% positive that this will be my last year as an "auxiliar" because I'm applying to do a Masters in 2014-2015.  Then, I'm headed to Latin America!  For now, I will just bask in the wondrousness that is Madrid.

January 2013

Back for Year 4

Well, I have officially survived the long and sadly unemployed summer. I came back to Madrid on August 15. I've changed apartments, and I have the oh-so-lovely "formacion" at the BEDA offices on Thursday and Friday.

The new roommates and I had a housewarming party on Saturday to christen the new apartment, and with about 30 Spanish speakers and only 5 English speakers, my brain definitely reverted to this:

 

A most Spanish day

A few weeks ago (Sat. June 1 to be exact) I had a full 24 hours that really sums up what it's like living in Spain (in my experience, at least).

at the beginning of our hike

Janette and I woke up early to go meet our friend Deseree at the bus station.  We took an extremely long bus ride to a pueblo called Manzanares el Real.  Because of the traffic, our bus got in late and we missed the shuttle bus that takes you from Manzanares to the entrance of the national park. We got a map from the tourist office, and some food from the supermarket, and began what we thought would be a 45 minute walk to the beautiful oasis of La Pedriza.  After 45 minutes, we arrived at a gravel parking lot. We thought, "Hey, this must be the national park entrance!" Nope. We approached a 40-something-year old tan gentleman with a walkie-talkie, named Manolo. He told us we were at the beginning of the road that takes 45 minutes to get to the park.  He was super nice, telling us to watch out for snakes and put on sunscreen, and Janette tried to give away her crappy chicharron, but he wouldn't accept.  After about an hour more of hiking, we knew we were in the park, but we stopped at a little chiringuito restaurant to ask for directions to La Pedriza.  They told us we were another HOUR away.  After even more hiking, we decided to ask a couple passing by on the hiking path how to get back down to the place where the shuttle bus would pick us up.  They didn't know, but they called over an elderly couple who told us to cross the river to our left and head back down the mountain. Okay.  Clearly, I thought, we would find the most shallow part of the river to cross over before committing to anything. Nope! There went Deseree like a spider monkey crossing the river and almost dying in the process. I got halfway across before a group of young Spanish guys were nice enough to hold out a big tree branch for me to clamber my way up the river bank like a buffoon.  We spent over an hour trying to find the bus stop (Janette even peeing in the woods because it took too long), ran into a herd of bulls migrating through the forest, and finally decided to jokingly stick out our thumbs to an elderly couple getting into their car in one of the random parking lots.  The old man rolled down his window, asked if we needed help, and the next thing I knew, we were three lost girls getting a ride all the way back to Manzanares with a lovely older couple from Valladolid. AND WE DIDN'T DIE!

part of the 1st floor at Kapital

We were home from the hike by 7 or 8pm, and I had to jump in the shower and get ready for a night out.  I headed over to a joint birthday/housewarming party where I was thankfully the only English speaker.  I had a great time with all the guys there.  It was definitely a no-frills, no messy drunk girls, kind of thing.  After a while, everyone started talking about going out to a discoteca (which always happens at every Spanish party even if they say it's going to be just a house party).  The group majority voted on Kapital, the 7-story discoteca downtown that is full of tourists, 18 year olds, and study abroad students.  I thought it would be horrible, but we got a booth and 2 bottles and were seated on one of the balconies and actually had a great time.  We got there around 4:30am and left around 6:30am.  We did get to go down to the main dance floor right before closing, thank god.  For me, that's the whole point of going to a club.  I could care less about being VIP and having space.  I want to dance down on the floor with all the other penniless suckers. We left and had the typical drawn out, slightly drunk, standing-on-the-sidewalk-and-blocking-everyone-else kind of conversation.  IT. WAS. GREAT. The boys inexplicably showed up out of nowhere with a pizza and most of them turned out to be the complement giving, hugging and kissing type, which doesn't hurt when you're saying goodbye to them at 7am outside the metro station and you feel gross and sweaty.

That, to me, embodies my Spanish experience thus far.  I attempted to do a cute, while also active, day trip with some friends, got lost, experienced a lot of kindness from strangers, went to a party where I met some new people, danced until 6:30am, and was in bed by 8am on Sunday...as it should be, right?  

Well said, Hemingway

Although I'm not a fan of Ernest Hemingway's obsession with bullfighting, he definitely describes Spain perfectly from an ex-pat's point of view.  This excerpt is from his book "Death in the Afternoon" (1932) and things haven't changed much since then.

Madrid - Feb 2011

"Madrid is a strange place anyway. I do not believe any one likes it much when he first goes there. It has none of the look that you expect of Spain. It is modern rather than picturesque, no costumes, practically no Cordoban hats, except on the heads of phonies, no castanets, and no disgusting fakes likes the gypsy caves at Granada. There is not one local-colored place for tourists in the town. Yet when you get to know it, it is the most Spanish of all cities, the best to live in, the finest people, month in and month out the finest climate and while the other big cities are all very representative of the province they are in, they are either Adalucian, Catalan, Basque, Aragonese, or otherwise provincial. It is in Madrid only that you get the essence. The essence, when it is the essence, can be in a plain glass bottle and you need no fancy labels, nor in Madrid do you need any national costumes; no matter what sort of building they put up, though the building itself may look like Buenos Aires, when you see it against that sky you know it is Madrid. If it had nothing else than the Prado it would be worth spending a month in every spring, if you have money to spend a month in any European capital."

Les Miserables / Los Miserables

I've been trying to write about my experience at Les Mis for the past week, and I think I've come to the conclusion that it was indescribable. 



Teatro Lope de Vega
 Gran Via, Madrid

I knew since my second day in Madrid that I was going to buy tickets to see the show.  I passed the (clearly under constuction) Teatro Lope de Vega on Gran Via and saw the Los Miserables sign.  I remember thinking, "That's strange, I thought Les Mis was retired.  It definitely doesn't play on Broadway anymore. Maybe its an old sign the construction workers haven't removed yet."  When I found out it was actually opening in Madrid in November 2010, I went loca.  But, I'm getting ahead of myself.  Lets rewind about 15 years.....


Back in 1994-1995 (at some point during my kindergarten or 1st grade career) my parents introduced me to the Les Miserables soundtrack from the original 1987 Broadway cast.  I started listening to it then, and never stopped.  Now that I actually teach 1st graders, it seems more than strange to me that a 6 year old would want to listen to people sing about death, poverty, and French rebellions...but hey, when have I ever been normal? Why start asking that question now?  One of my very clear memories from living in the old house on Glenwood Avenue in Yonkers is of a play-date I had with a friend.  The two of us were up on the third floor, and I put on the song "Come to Me" from Les Mis.  My mom's room was right across the hall, and I begged and begged her to show my friend her imitation of Fantine dying by falling on the bed....because I thought it was amazing.  



Marius & Enroljas at the barricade

When I got a little older, and started to really listen to the lyrics and the talent in the singers' voices, I became even more obsessed.  Don't even get me started on how jealous I was when my sister got to go see it on Broadway with her French class in high school...or how mad I was when I found out it had retired, and I had missed my chance.



Valjean at the barricade





 Even though the Madrid show was a Spanish adaptation, the show was just as amazing as I had always imagined it to be.  I bought myself a ticket to the Dec. 10 show as an early birthday present.  I was seated in the upper balcony, but in the first row. 

The Teatro Lope de Vega alone was worth the visit.  It was built in the 1940s and seats about 1,500 people.  I walked into the lobby and felt like I was walking into the lobby of the Titanic.  I half expected Leonardo DiCaprio to be there when I got to the top of the stairs. 

As for the show itself, it really was indescribable.  The actors voices were so powerful, and confident, and projected to every corner of the theater.  (Yes, I cried at about 3 different times during the show and once at the end when the 3 little kids took their bow.) M. and Mme. Thénardier were amazingly funny, Valjean and Enroljas' voices were impossibly perfect, the special effects seemed like magic, and I completely forgot about the real world for 3 hours.  Let's just say...it was the best thing I've ever seen in my life.    

A typical Monday



my terrace under contruction

This past Monday, Oct. 25 was kind of interesting.

1. I was woken up to the soothing sounds of a jackhammer about 2 metres away from my cabeza!!! I knew they were going to begin work on my terrace, but I didn't think it would require jackhammers at 8:30am.  Apparently, Carlos' dad said that the piedra on our terrace was probably going to start cracking once the winter cold arrived, so we're having some fancy new kind put in.

2. I tutored Enrique from 3:30-4:30 and then Carlos & Alvaro from 5:00-6:00. The twins are in 2nd grade and are currently learning "Money and Food" vocabulary in English and "Digestive, Respiratory, and Circulatory systems" in Science.  Carlos told his brother that vomit came from the intestines, so I corrected him and said, "No, vomit comes from the stomach."  "Well, then what's in the intestines?" he said. I just looked at him and said "Poop" thinking it was obvious.  Then they asked me what 'poop' was....I'm just digging my own grave here.

3. I decided to go into Madrid to have dinner with Sharon.  Instead of taking my usual route (the 495 Arroyomolinos bus into Principe Pio), I decided to take the 498 Mostoles bus to the Mostoles metro into Principe Pio.  On my way into the Mostoles metro stop, a middle-aged woman asked me for directions.  That's the third or fourth time a Spanish person has asked me for directions!!! I must appear to be walking with purpose here.

4. Once I was on the metro....it broke down.  The train stopped, a few minutes later the conductor ran down through all the cars, a few minutes later he ran back up through all the cars, and then he announced on the intercom that he would be shutting the system down to re-boot and we'd be in the dark for a few moments.  The New Yorker in me immediately grabbed my purse and thought, "Someone is either going to get mugged, attacked, or at least groped."  The lights went out (I used my iPod for my own personal light) and when they came back on, everyone was just sitting where they were, completely relaxed.  That would've never happened in the States.  It was stop-and-go from then, with the conductor running back to a fusebox-ish contraption about two or three times.  Finally, he made us all get off at the next station and wait for a new train.



Sharon's gofre con nata y chocolate and
my chocolate tradicional a la taza



5. When I finally got into the city, I met up with Sharon for some pinchos and a tostada con tortilla española.  She is definitely my favorite person that I've met in Spain so far, which is crazy considering we met because we sat next to eachother on the flight over from Philly to Madrid!  After dinner, we decided to get some dessert at a nearby cafe.  She got the gofre con nata y chocolate, and I got my first ever cup of chocolate tradicional!  It was amazing deliciousness.

6. I had missed the last bus to Arroyomolinos at 11:30pm, so I took the subway back to Mostoles.  On my way to the Mostoles bus stop, I saw two cop cars parked outside a bar-restaurante and two very serious looking policemen standing in the doorway of the place.  The next thing I know, there is a woman, literally being dragged by her wrists out of the restaurant and screaming obscenities at the manager, the cops, and the other man inside. Not exactly where I wanted to be at 12:15am on a Monday night.  I got into a cab and proceeded to have an awesome conversation with my taxista Antonio.  He couldn't believe that I had come all the way from the United States to teach in Arroyomolinos or that I had already graduated from college at 21 years old.  I told him of my 5 year plan to live in Spain, Mexico/Guatemala, Panama, Colombia, and Argentina and he told me, "No soy quien...para decirte adonde debes ir o no debes ir, pero en Argentina hay muchos miserias.  Aqui en Espana tambien"  He also tried to get out of me my opinion on Zapatero, el PSOE, el PP, and Obama...but I told him I didn't think I knew enough about Spanish politics to make a decision yet.  (Don't want to upset my new abuelo friend).  When he dropped me off, he said "Ok. Nikita. Hasta Luego"...with enphasis on the Nikita.  I love Spain.

Arroyomolinos

While I wait with growing anxiety, frustration, excitement, frustration,  (and did I mention frustration?) for my visa to arrive, I'll give you some information on my soon-to-be hometown: Arroyomolinos, Madrid.

Distance from Madrid : 29 km

Area : 20.66 km²

Population: 13,835

Arroyomolinos is in the autonomous community of Madrid, not to be confused with the actual city of Madrid.  There are 17 autonomous communities in Spain.  They can kind of be related to the American version of a state. 


Arroyomolinos in the 1970s

From what I've read, Arroyomolinos is VERY MUCH like my current place of residence, Cary, NC.  It was a quaint, lovely town until the 2000s when it exploded with middle and upper-middle class suburbanites.  In 2000 the town had only 3,824 people, but in the past ten years it has grown to over 13,000 people. The town is now divided into 3 barrios.  The southern barrio is the old quarter and the older nieghborhood.  The northern barrios are Las Castañeras and Ciudad Jardín.  The eastern barrios are Zarzalejo and El Bosque.



Arroyomolinos today

From my apartment, I should be able to walk to school in 5-10 minutes, but I am still heavily leaning towards getting a bicycle while I'm over there, because it doesn't seem to be very pedestrian friendly.  There is a bus stop right by my apartment that can take me to Madrid center in 30 minutes, so I am all set!

Laundry List

Here is a list of all the things I'm constantly thinking about having to do:

1. Receive my GD visa in the mail....Donde esta???
2. Buy a plane ticket from Raleigh to Madrid.
3. Buy a plane ticket from Madrid to Barcelona for my lovely October meet-up with the amazing Clare Wolfe.
4. Straightening out banking/money matters with Wachovia before I leave, so I can withdraw money overseas for the first few weeks.
5. Successfully arriving in Europe (for the first time in my life), navigating the subway system with my luggage, and getting to a hostel.
6. Moving into a piso.
7. Applying for my NIE (Foreigner's Residency Number) as soon as possible, so I can do #8.
8. Open a Spanish bank account.
9. Get a Spanish cell phone.
10. Visit my colegio before the first day of work to introduce myself / familiarize myself with the school.
11. Not forgetting to eat....I tend to do that when I'm busy and traveling.

The Prologue

After applying for my visa!

Here we go, the start of something that could either be the perfect match for me...or blow up in my face.  I graduated in May with a Spanish B.A. and a minor in History.  I'm about to move to Arroyomolinos, Madrid to be an Auxiliar de Conversacion for the 2010-2011 school year (also known as a North American Language & Culture Assistant according to the Spanish Ministry of Education).  I've been placed in a Colegio de Educacion Infantil y Primaria, so I'll be teaching anywhere from Pre-K to 6th grade.

El Consulado de Espana

On Aug 19, I went to the Spanish Consulate and Embassy in Washington D.C. to apply for my 90 day visa.  Once I'm in Spain, I'll have those 3 months to apply for my foreign residency card.  It went surprisingly easy in D.C.  It was all the running around in North Carolina the weeks beforehand that caused me trouble.  Who would've thought that I'd have to visit so many government buildings in this dang Confederate state....police departments, public safety buildings, doctors, notaries, the secretary of state's office for the apostille.  Applying for my visa took just a few minutes because I had all my documents in order.  It could be ready in anywhere from 2-6 weeks.....I'm hoping for a quick process seeing as I need to be in Spain by Sept. 21 (less than 5 weeks from when I actually applied).  I'm so responsible :)