hello, goodbye: Snaps/Craps

Annnd we're back!

Instituto Isaac Peral
I started working at el Instituto on Monday this past week and it has been great so far! Between the other auxiliar who works part time at Instituto Isaac Peral and me, we teach every single student at this high school. I hope the kids don't get offended that there is no way I will be able to learn all of their names.

I really love working at this school. The other teachers couldn't be more welcoming. I feel so included and appreciated- along with my classes with the students here, I also teach two classes a week for any professors interested in practicing their English.

The only downside to this school is how far away it is. It takes me between an hour and an hour and a half to commute each day. Hopefully I'll start catching those 25 minute car rides with some friendly new colleagues soon!

I already have my own little agenda to get involved in the music classes... maybe teach an English Christmas song for the holiday concert or something of the sort. I've also heard about a Music & English project which includes a field trip to the Prado Museum coming up this year. Yes, please.

The students are all ages from 12 to 18. I've been told that the students are so much better in the morning hours but I've been enjoying my afternoon classes much more! I think that I feed off the afternoon energy and excitement. Doesn't hurt that there really isn't a bad kid in the bunch. Spanish adolescents are so much more well adjusted than those I've come across in the States...including the memory of myself at that age. I was nervous about them not taking me seriously at all, but they have been responding really well to my presence in the classroom and I can tell it's going to be a fun year.

La Huelga
On Tuesday and Wednesday in the public schools in Madrid, there was a teachers strike. Basically, 80-90% of the teachers attended a demonstration on those days while I sat in the teacher's lounge enjoying my ample cups of tea and free time. It was nice having an easy first week, but things are definitely going to pick up speed soon! I'll be spending tomorrow working on my lesson plans, no doubt.

[sidenote] Yesterday, Coldplay announced a performance in Madrid on October 26th. I've been dying to see Coldplay for years- I've heard they put on an amazing concert. When I looked into venue information, I found out the show is at the Plaza del Toro in Las Ventas, my neighborhood! The concert is literally inside the bullfighting arena. Luckily, Margaret is as big a Coldplay fan as I am and we got our tickets last night!

Snaps/Craps
So, I've been here a few weeks now and I have some insight to share. While trying to get inspired to write another blog since, let's face it, blogs are sometimes a chore, I decided to write a pros/cons entry. There are some things that Spain has got on the U.S. big time and definitely some things I miss. Let's talk about food and lifestyle.

Snaps!
Food
Greek yogurt- This stuff is so good here. I usually choke it down in the US because I know it's good for me, but here it's like eating ice cream. I don't even want to look at the calorie count.

Tortilla- my favorite traditional food of Spain! It's kind of like a potato and onion omelette but it's a higher potato/onion to egg ratio. When done correctly, it is nothing short of scrumptious. Cristina even taught me how to make it!

Green Olives- as I'm sure many of you would agree, there are few things more vile on this earth than green olives. In Spain, they're delicious. Maybe I acquired the taste for them without realizing it or maybe Spain's olives are superior in every way... who knows.

Bread- I think one of the ingredients in Spanish bread is magic. It's so good and a daily carb-load has become part of my life.

Coffee- Spaniards talk smack about how American coffee has way too much water and tastes bad. They're right. Café con leche is THE BOMB.

Milk- an essential part of why the café con leche possesses such bomb-like qualities. Some people think milk is better in the U.S. and I get it. It's different here, but I like it. It's gross how much I like it.

Eggs- fresh. you don't even have to refrigerate them. This is going to sound weird, but the eggs here are a really pretty shade of orange that makes them more appetizing.

Wine- I don't know if it tastes better here, but it's ridiculously cheap. In fact, at a restaurant, it's cheaper to get a glass of wine than a Coke. Works for me!

Lifestyle
Weather- the weather has been so amazing so far, but maybe I just landed here at a good time. Stay tuned to see what I think about the dead of winter.

Dining- una experiencia! When Spaniards sit down for a meal, they really commit to a two-hour ordeal. There's no "We're in a hurry, can you bring us our check and some to-go boxes?" Here, the whole point of going out to eat is to enjoy the moment and schmooze away the afternoon. I think this is what I'll miss the most about the Spanish lifestyle when I'm back in the land of granola bars and TV dinners.

School Cafeteria- the cafe at my school is so good it should not even be compared to an American cafeteria. The smell of fresh bread and Spanish tortilla wafts through the halls and never fails to lure me in (unlike the perpetual stink of stale nachos and sloppy joes that epitomizes the American school cafeteria.) They have all the café con leche a girl could want and not to mention the awesome café lady named Mary who chats away the break time with me daily. I keep telling her that we're going to get to know each other very well this year. She laughs.

Public Transportation- efficient, user-friendly, and [usually] less stinky. Madrid is known for its transporte publico and for good reason! Sorry NYC, but all you've got on Madrid in the public transport department are the 24/7 metro hours... not that taking the metro at 5am is advisable anyway.

Being exotic- It's fun to be seen as cool and different for being from America. I never saw it as something Spaniards would take a genuine interest in, but alas, they do!

Craps
Food
Pasta sauce - ahh, all those years taking the pasta/pasta sauce aisle at Publix for granted. Can't find good red pasta sauce here in the grocery stores pa' nada. I guess I'll have to start from scratch when the insatiable craving for eggplant parmesan hits me, as it always does.

Velveta- doesn't exist. Okay, I know... velveta can hardly be considered food at all, but sometimes an American girls needs her mac & cheese!

Lifestyle
T.V. - I'm not sure if this is snaps or craps. The TV shows are almost so bad they're good.

Thieves- can I walk down the street just ONCE without having to fear that someone is going to try and distract me with a Spongebob get-up for that split second of hand-bag stealing opportunity? ... No? Vale. Better safe than sorry.

Being a foreigner- this one kind of contradicts a previous point, but there are times when the inability to blend in gets old. I always feel like I look like an American despite my best efforts... it's not so bad, just a little disheartening when a restaurant server hands you the English version of the menu before you've even uttered an hola. What am I doing wrong?! I guess I'll have to buy some gypsy pants and get a funny haircut asap.

I don't get it -->

The biggest craps on my list is definitely the fact that most of my friends and family are back in los Estados Unidos. I miss you guys so much. I hope you can find the resources to make a visit over to this side of the Atlantic sometime!

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