The Dog Days of Summer

These days I spend most of my time incarcerated in the Arevalo residence with no mode of personal or even public transportation at my disposal.  My incarcerated companions include: Oscar, Charlotte, Shelby, and Cole....the largest weighing in at 19 lbs.  I leave the confines of my domain to get the mail, walk the dogs, go to the pool, or (if I'm lucky and its only 95 degrees) bike to the supermarket.  I've left the housing development 3 times in the past 20 days...to go to the library and see my friends in Chapel Hill.  And people wonder why I love Spain?



I've decided my goals for the upcoming año escolar in Spain.  I'll no longer be working as an auxiliar de conversación for the Ministry of Education.  I'm doing the Programa BEDA, or Bilingual English Development & Assesment Program, in the Catholic School System of Madrid.  I was placed in northern Alcorcón, which is amazing because it is zone B1 (ie. barely outside the city and on metro, renfe, and multiple bus lines) and I can live in Madrid!  I'll be working a full Monday through Friday schedule and taking a mandatory night course during the fall semester at the Universidad Pontificia de Comillas with other BEDA assistants.  

My plan? tutor Andrea & Alba two days a week, take a dance class two days a week, and take an Italian class one day a week, successfully filling my 5 day week.  The only problem? the night course may prove to be more energy zapping than I'm expecting, especially after a full day of working with kids.  Then again, my new school is Pre-K through 12th grade, so if I get older kids I might not be so exhausted after work.  

The reason I want to tutor Andrea & Alba (and no one else) is because I've become so close to their family that it wouldn't feel right to be in Spain and not see them.  I overdosed on the clases particulares last year, so this year I'm taking it easy.  I'm most looking forward to the Italian class though.  I took Italian for 3 semesters at UNC, but haven't actively practiced it since Fall 2008.  When I went to Rome in January, I realized after 3 days how easy it was picking it back up.  I'm hoping to be intermediate/fluent by 2012 because I want to travel through southern Italy either over Semana Santa or summer break.  Which leads me to my next set of goals....TRAVEL GOALS! I must, must, must see northern Spain, more of Andalucía, London (purely to go see Les Mis) and southern Italy.  I'm not coming home for the summer next year, so if schedules don't permit my last destination between September and June....looks like I'll be spending le mie vacanze estive di lavoro nella bella Italia :)







El Resumen

Andrea, Alba, Isa, and I

Well, it's over. 

I finished up work at Las Castañeras on June 31.  
My friend Carolyn had been staying with me for the week, and the very next day, we packed up my room, moved out of my apartment in Arroyomolinos, and headed to Paris. 

While she was here, Carolyn had a chance to meet my town mom, Isa.  We set aside a day to hang out with the girls by the pool and spend some time together before I left for the States.  Tears were shed (the ONLY tears I shed saying goodbye to someone in Spain) and probably because Isa, who is normally so expressive and loving, dropped us off, gave me a quick tight hug, and got back in her car before I could really see her being a llorona.

I'm storing a box of winter clothes, shoes, and teaching resources in a box in Isa's basement for the next few months, but I still had to buy a second suitcase before I came back to the States.  I stored my big bags in the taquillas at Barajas Airport while Carolyn and I were in France.  We spent July 1-4 in Paris and then split ways, so I could come back to Madrid and she could head north to see our friend Julien in Lille.

I've been back in the U.S.A. since July 6th, so let's chronicle the past year, shall we?

-Sept 2010: moved to Arroyomolinos, Madrid
-Oct 2010: Muriel's visit to Madrid
-Oct 2010: Barcelona
-Oct 2010: Claire's visit to Madrid
-Oct 2010: Toledo
-Nov 2010: Consuegra
-Nov 2010: Salamanca
-Dec 2010: Le Crotoy to spend Christmas with Muriel & one day in Paris
-Dec 2010: Jenn's visit to Madrid & Segovia
-Jan 2011: Rome
-Feb 2011: El Escorial
-Feb 2011: Cuenca
-Mar 2011: Topher's visit to Madrid
-Mar 2011: Valencia
-Apr 2011: Santiago de Compostela
-Apr 2011: North Carolina to see the family
-May 2011: Aranjuez
-May 2011: Córdoba
-June 2011: Fuengirola, Málaga
-June 2011: Carolyn's visit to Madrid - El Escorial again
-July 2011: Paris and Versailles
-July 2011: Madrid ---> back to the U.S.A.

I wouldn't go so far as to say it was the best year of my life (because I'm going back next year) but it was pretty amazing.  I made a new best friend, Lynn, who so happens to have to same exact birthday as my other best friend in New York (coincidence, I think not), I traveled whenever and wherever I wanted, I lived in a perpetual state of Spanish, and I was happy for the first time in a long time.  Sure, working with Montse in 1st and 2nd grade was enough to make me want to punch her in the uterus...but I wrote a lovely fairwell email to my coordinadora delineating how horrible she was (see excerpt below) and hopefully there will be some repercussions for her behavior.  Believe me, I'm not naive, and I know how things work in the Spanish public school system (ie. there will be no repercussions for her behavior) but a girl can dream, right?

>Trabajar en 1°A y 2°A durante este curso no ha sido nada facil. No te lo he
> dicho durante el curso porque no suelo quejarme de un choque de
> personalidades. Trato de no traer los problemas personales al ambiente
> profesional, pero trabajar con Montse era la cosa más difícil del año.
> Montse optaba por no hablar conmigo, pero cuando lo hacía, siempre era de
> una manera condescendiente. Tengo que suponer que ella no sabía que tengo
> varios años de experiencia trabajando con niños – de niñera, maestra, y en
> los Juegos Olímpicos Especiales – o que ella tuvo una experiencia mala con
> otro auxiliar pasado. Yo hice todo lo posible durante el primer trimestre
> para enseñarle que yo estaba aquí para ayudar, pero nada cambió. Finalmente
> (una vez en enero y otra en marzo) yo fui a casa para empacar mi maleta
> porque no podía aguantar la falta de respeto. Nunca he dejado un trabajo y
> me quedé porque me encantan mis estudiantes.
>
> No recomiendo que ella tenga un auxiliar el año que viene. Sería injusto
> para el auxiliar futuro, y es obvio que es algo que Montse preferiría,como
> me dejó claro este año. Yo sé que se puede aprender algo de cada
> experiencia en la vida. He aprendido que no podemos cambiar otra persona,
> sino como reaccionar a su comportamiento. También debemos mejorar las cosas
> por la gente que viene después de nosotros. Espero que esta carta haga eso.