Sunday, May 30, 2010

Blogging fail

Hello everyone! So - VERY long time since my last update. I really don't have an excuse - I'm always either tired after work, or out and about, but I could have written now and again! So I apologize. This is going to be a very compact update about what I've been up to for the past 5 months! So here it goes:

First and foremost, I've decided to extend my contract and stay another year in Spain. I'll be teaching at the same school, and at their "sister school." Basically, they have another conversation assistant coming next year, and one of us is going to teach primary school at both schools, and the other one will do secondary school. The downside is that I'll have to commute between the two schools, which are kind of far apart, but it's good in that I'll have fewer lessons to plan, and won't literally be running from a class of 8-year-olds to a class of 16-year-olds. I told my school I would prefer to work with the older kids, so I'm hoping they'll try to work that out...but we shall see! I'm excited to live in Spain another year, and to get to travel a bit more. I'm still enjoying teaching, although I still don't think it's my life's calling. So I'm not exactly staying because I'm head-over-heals in love with the job, but more because I don't mind it, and most days I like it, and it pays the bills for me to live in Madrid! One of my roommates is also staying next year, and she and I are planning on living together again - hopefully with a Spaniard this time, so we can speak more Spanish at home.

Alright, now the fun part, where I've traveled!

New Year's in Istanbul: About as amazing as it sounds. We spent 7 days just in Istanbul, which was the perfect amount of time - there is a ton to see there. Really is the cliche mix of east and west - sometimes I felt like I was back in Egypt, and other times I felt like I was in Spain. AMAZING mosques and architecture - the Hagia Sofia, the Blue Mosque, and the Topkapi Palace were all incredibly beautiful. Intricate Arabic calligraphy, delicate arches, and bright colors contrasting with white stone everywhere. The Grand Bazaar was overwhelming, but in a good way - there was too much to look at, too many ridiculous vendors trying various ploys to get you into their shop. I bought some killer jewelery inscribed with Arabic among other touristy trinkets. We rang in the new year watching fireworks from the Galata Brige over the Bosporus - something I'll never forget. We then followed Katie's Spanish coworker's new Turkish friend to a slightly Euro-trash club for a little New Year's party and had a blast. We visited the Asian side (my first time in Asia!) of the Bosporus, and bought some spices in a local market from an adorable Turkish man who spoke no English. I ate the most delicious (and cheapest) kebab of my life - and didn't get sick at all! Finally, we drank lots of tea. All in all, it was a great trip.

Long weekend in Paris: At the end of January, we took advantage of a long weekend to visit Paris and my French friend, Benoit. I met Benoit while I was studying in Madrid (he was doing an Erasmus exchange year), and he visited Madrid earlier in the year and told us that if we ever wanted to visit Paris, we could stay with him. We gladly took him up on his offer. We (my roommate Katie and our friend Todd, who also went to Tufts) stayed at his apartment in the city (which his parents own and he lives in by himself now that they're living in their country home in Normandy - tough life). He was an excellent host - he had his friend Guillaume pick us up at the airport in his car, and then he pretty much dedicated his weekend to showing us the sights in Paris! We saw the highlights - the Louvre, the Musee d'Orsay, Notre Dame, the Sacre Coeur, the Eiffel Tower, the Tuilleries, the Champs de Elysee, Arc de Triomphe and did a LOT of walking around the various neighborhoods of Paris. It was cold, but it was so gorgeous. Madrid is still my favorite, but Paris is the most beautiful city I've ever been to. At night, Benoit took us out to his favorite restaurants and bars, so we avoided touristy places, which was nice. We also got to meet some of his friends, which was fun. And, of course, the food was out-of-this world good. I tried escargot, which was surprisingly delicious, and feasted on a number of butter-soaked dishes. Yum! It was pretty rough going back to the reality of my job in Madrid after such a magical weekend in Paris. But Benoit has left us an open invitation to his summer house in Normandy, and I might just be headed there at the end of June after school gets out...!

Weekend in Bilbao and San Sebastián, Spain: In March, we took another long weekend to go to Basque Country in northern Spain. I had been hoping to go here for a while, as I had heard that San Sebastián was beautiful and that the food was amazing. I went with my friends Greg and Todd, and then 3 new British friends we had just recently met at one of our program meetings (more about them later). Basque country lived up to it's billing - we stopped in to Bilbao first and had lunch and went to the Guggenheim museum. The building itself was crazy cool, and the art inside even crazier. I really enjoyed it, though. Then we continued on to San Sebastián. I LOVED it. If I am ever rich, this will be my summer getaway spot for sure. It's a small city curled up on this gorgeous white sandy beach with these dramatic mountains rising off in the distance. Breathtaking, even in the misty rain, which is what we got most of the weekend. We mainly did a lot of walking around and eating and drinking. San Sebastián is a foodie town, with the most Michelin-rated restaurants per-capita. So we pigged out on their specialty, pintxos, or small tapas-sized portions. Basically, you walk into a bar, and on the bar, they have a bunch of pintxos laid out and you pick out what you want. It can get dangerous, because they all look delicious, and everything is usually about 3-4 euro. It adds up fast! It was a really relaxing trip, and it made me realize how much I miss the ocean living in Madrid.

Spring Break (Semana Santa) in Berlin and Prague: My first time in Germany and in Eastern Europe! Berlin was (there's no other word to describe it) cool. Just straight up cool. There was so much incredible history everywhere you looked - bullet holes from WWII in the Reichstag and other buildings, the Berlin Wall, war memorials, etc. The weirdest/craziest thing was the site of Hitler's bunker (where he committed suicide as Soviet troops rolled into Berlin), which is now a gross parking lot in East Berlin. History has a sense of karma after all. Besides the history, there's a lot of cool art, music, and Berlin is a pretty happening place. The beer was delicious and the food was good, too! Prague was also amazing - really beautiful - set out along the Vltava River, slowly rising green hillsides, and a gorgeous stone castle set into one of the hillsides. Drank lots of Pilsner, ate some gulash, did a walking tour, randomly ran into a girl I went to Tufts with in a bagel store (ate bagels for the first time in months!), drank some more Pilsner, and really enjoyed touring the Jewish section. Again, a city with some really cool history (defenestrations of Prague - look it up), WWII, and Cold War. In all, a great, but exhausting, week-long trip.

Throw in some day-trips to Toledo, Segovia, and Aranjuez and that's been my winter/spring! Other highlights have been meeting three new British friends - (blond) Dan, (skinny) Dan, and Michelle. They're all a lot of fun, and we've been spending a lot of time with them, and I traveled with them to San Sebastian, and went with them on a little day trip to Toledo. We've really gotten to be close and it's been really nice to meet new people here in Madrid. I still would like to make more Spanish friends, and that's definitely my goal for the end of the year and heading into next year. But blond Dan and possibly Michelle are staying next year as well, so it's nice to know there will be more friends around! Also had a visit from my good friend and next-door neighbor Alexis - it was wonderful to have someone from home here, and we had a fantastic time!

Finally, my summer plans! School ends the 23rd of June. I'm staying in Spain after that and am going to work for the month of July at an English immersion camp. It's kids aged 6-14, and it should be really fun to get to interact with kids in a little more of a relaxed, fun environment. Also, there are a bunch of Spaniards working at the camp, so hopefully I'll meet some people that I'll be able to stay in touch with next year, too. Today, we had a meeting for the camp, and actually went up to the camp (which is on a farm) and got to see the set up and meet our co-workers. The camp is absolutely gorgeous, and my co-workers (all Spaniards, except for myself and Katie, and 3 other Americans who are arriving later in the summer) seem really nice. So I'm looking forward to "Farm Camp."

After camp, I'll be headed HOME! My mom's one condition when I told her I wanted to stay in Spain was that I come home for part of the summer. So for the whole month of August I will be back in the good ole' US of A. I can't wait to go home and just relax in Maine for a bit, see some family and friends, and gear up for another year in Spain!

Well, that's all for now - if I don't get too lazy/too caught up in looking for an apartment for next year/finishing school/packing, hopefully I'll update a couple more times before the end of the year.