My life this semester has become absolutely insane. I think (legitimately) that I spend almost every waking hour I have working on homework or reading one of the six books I'm currently assigned. While yes I have figured out the whole studying thing it's so different doing it here just because I feel like what I'm doing isn't hard, it's just time consuming.
My assigned books this semester have drastically increased in length, which I don't mind, however I really do not enjoy reading six at the same time. Trying to keep straight the authors and what's going on in each book and not mixing them up is proving very difficult. I feel better about myself though this semester because whereas last semester most of my books said "for ages 8 and up" this semester I have actually had adults tell me "Oh that is a great book" or "That's one of my favorite authors".
And I'm slowly gaining the ability to write papers more like I do at home - it's hard getting my brain to realize that I can actually write a 5 page paper with no problem as long as I use the kind of vocabulary and writing style I would use if I were writing in English. Thank you Stylistics and Advanced Grammar class. Now I just need to start that research paper on the "History of the English Language in the United States" - where in the world am I gonna find that in the next 3 days...
My internship is going great. I absolutely love the kids and I really feel like I'm learning a lot with them. My only complaint is that during my 2 hour lunch break I usually go to McDonalds and read because it's the only place with wifi around the school, and I'm now getting sick of McDonalds.
Other than that life is good, I spend the rest of my time worrying about Keith and mi familia making sure they're all doing good.
And I can officially say I am thinking in two languages al mismo tiempo because when I start pensando I don't recuerdo what language mis pensamientos were in and then when I least expect it the palabras come out en español y no en English and es very confusing.
Friday, January 25, 2013
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Teaching Journal - Day 2
Viernes el 18 de enero
Aprendí muchas cosas sobre el
colegio viernes. Primero, en mi horario lo dice que debo empezar a las 9:30 de
la mañana, y porque de eso, llegué al colegio a las 9:10, pero no pude entrar
hasta las 9:30 en punto. Mi primera clase fue una clase de matemáticas enseñado
en español. Ayudé los niños escribir sus números y cantamos canciones. Aprendí
que los niños empiezan a aprender cursiva en Infantil y que llaman sus
profesoras por sus nombres, no por sus apellidos. Después, fui al clase de la
educación física y los niños pretendieron estar mariposas. Fui al recreo y
después con la profesora de inglés. Se usan la misma programa con todas las
clases y hay canciones y actividades para los alumnos.
Fui al centro comercial durante la
comida porque la mayoría de los niños salen a sus casas para comer con sus
familias. Pueden se quedan al colegio para comer, pero cuesta más. Durante este
tiempo trabajé en mis deberes y leí.
Las clases resumen a las 13:00 y hay
2 más clases antes del fin del día. Supe que van a ir a la granja para aprender
sobre los animales el próxima semana, y es posible que vaya a ir. También va a
hacer una programa para la fiesta de la paz, y por esa los niños van a cantar
la canción, “Imagine”, por John Lennon.
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Friday, Jan 18
I learned a lot about the school Friday. First off, my schedule said that I start at 9:30am, and because of that I arrived around 9:10, however I couldn't get in until exactly 9:30 when they unlocked the school. My first class that day was math (in spanish), so I helped the kids write their numbers and we sang some songs. The kids here start learning cursive in Infantil and call their teachers by their first names, not last names. After that I went to gyn class and the kids and I pretended we were butterflies. I went to recess and afterwards met up with the morning English teacher. We use the same teaching program with all of the classes, but change them a little depending on their level. Mainly we sing songs, color, and do other random activities. For lunch I went to the mall because most students go home for lunch. I'll be using that time to work on my reading and homework. Classes resume at 3 and there are two more before the day is over. I found out that next week they are going on a field trip to an animal farm to learn about the different animals, so I might be able to go. And they are also going to have a small "show" to celebrate the "Day of Peace", so they will be singing "Imagine" by John Lennon.
Teaching Journal - Day 1
Jueves el 17 de enero
Jueves fue mi primer día al colegio
María Moliner. Estoy trabajando con Infantil, el colegio para niños entre 3 y 5
años. Hay 2 profesoras de inglés allí, una mara la mañana y una para el tarde.
Voy a trabajar allí 3 días cada semana: martes, jueves, y viernes.
El primer día estuvo loco. Hay casi
250 niños en total. Cada edad tiene 3 clases con 20 estudiantes en cada clase,
más o menos. Cuando llegó, todos los niños me abrazaban y empezaron hablado al
mismo tiempo. Fui al recreo y al 3 clases antes de salí. Conocí todas las
profesoras en Infantil y algunos profesores en la primaria. Comí con ellos
también.
Pienso que voy a aprender mucho
español allí porque los niños no hablan inglés y los profesores tampoco. Algunas
me han preguntado si puedo ir a sus casas para enseñar sus hijos inglés, aunque
no tengo mucho tiempo libre.
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English Translation:
Thursday, Jan 17
Thursday was my 1st day at María Moliner. I'm working with Infantil, the school for children ages 3-5. There are 2 English teachers there, one for the morning classes and one for the afternoon classes. I'm going to be working there 3 days each week: Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. The 1st day was crazy. There are around 250 students in total. There are 3 classes for each age group with about 20 kids in each of those classes, give or take. When I got there all of the kids wanted to hug me and they were all talking at the same time. I got to go to recess then taught 3 more classes before I left for the day. I met all of the Infantil teachers as well as some from the primary school (ages 6-10) and ate lunch with them in the teachers lounge. I'm thinking I'm join to learn a lot of Spanish there because the kids don't speak English, as well as some of the teachers. Some of the teachers were trying to set up private English lessons with me for them and their children, but I don't think I'm gonna have much time for that.
A New Beginning
There may or may not be a new addition to this blog, I haven't quite decided yet, but I'll post a few and see how it goes.
Last week was my first day of teaching. Yes, teaching. About 250 three, four, and five year olds. I'm now working at an elementary school here in Madrid as an English language teaching assistant. What all does that mean you ask? I'm not entirely sure yet, but basically I spend 3 days every week at the school rotating between the 9 classes teaching English (and by teaching I really mean talking with some kids understanding what I'm saying, others not so much). I've been singing a lot of songs and playing a lot of games. I even get to play outside with them during recess.
So the new addition to my blog - my journal entries of each day I work in the school, written in Spanish. Because I am working there to receive credit hours I have some requirements, one of them being journal entries each day. There's some other stuff too, but not quite sure what all yet.
So far, I absolutely love it. Will I ever be a teacher? No. But, for the first time since I've been here I actually feel like I'm really "doing something". Even though I'm the English teacher, I'm still learning a ton of Spanish from listening to the kids and teachers, as well as talking to them during my breaks and because the kids (of course) don't understand everything I say, I'm usually giving instructions in Spanish as well as English.
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
London!
So the day after Keith left, I flew to London to meet up with my parents. It's always been my mom's dream to go to London so I was glad she finally got to go, my dad on the other hand didn't really care, he was just happy to see me.
My flight got delayed and somehow I ended up on British Airways instead of Iberia and also somehow ended up in first class - however I managed to fall asleep before takeoff and missed all of the food - I wasn't happy.
When I finally got to London and through security and customs my parents were waiting with a sign saying "KARI" on it and I got lots of hugs and they bought me a quick lunch - you know, the good stuff.
So we spent about a week in London visiting different places - The Eye, Changing of the Guard, Tower of London, Crown Jewels, my mom and I went and saw Wicked (for the 6th time), went on a river cruise, ate Chipotle (thank god - not the same as the US, but still satisfying), and all kinds of other amazing little adventures.
We ended up going to Paris on a day trip and went through the Chunnel - not what I had expected, but I think it was probably better than flying. So we went on a river cruise there and ate lunch on the Eiffel Tower, and we visited the bridge where Keith and I put our locks (yes, they were still there) - Dad of course was examining the bridge and trying to guesstimate the average weight of each lock and eventually determined that the bridge was not designed to hold that much extra weight and will eventually collapse because of it. Fun stuff right? Mom said one day we'll be able to tell our kids we contributed to the disaster...
For my brother we went and visited the Dr. Who store - which is not in the best part of town I might add.
And we also took an overnight trip to see Stonehenge. We stayed at this really cool 13th century (updated) hotel in a little town near Stonehenge and then got up super early so we could go walk inside the stones and watch the sunrise (of course there were clouds) - but it was super cool. I really wanted to tell my mom they were "just a bunch of rocks" but really it was pretty cool. I don't have a clue how people did that so long ago. The same statement goes for the architecture I adore throughout Europe.
It was a great week and nice to see my parents. It was pretty hard to communicate with Keith because we weren't in the hotel very often, but we survived. His family all got the flu so he was living at my house to avoid them (he's terrified of being sick) so he was having a much harder week than I was, as well as going from spending every minute together while he was here to readjusting to being 6,000 miles apart.
All in all, I'm happy. I liked the city - it reminded me a little of Chicago and overall was a lot like the US. I've figured out London is about 4 times the size of Madrid, and it defiantly felt more like a city. (However the metro system madness still never compared to the horrid metro strikes here in Madrid)
My flight got delayed and somehow I ended up on British Airways instead of Iberia and also somehow ended up in first class - however I managed to fall asleep before takeoff and missed all of the food - I wasn't happy.
When I finally got to London and through security and customs my parents were waiting with a sign saying "KARI" on it and I got lots of hugs and they bought me a quick lunch - you know, the good stuff.
So we spent about a week in London visiting different places - The Eye, Changing of the Guard, Tower of London, Crown Jewels, my mom and I went and saw Wicked (for the 6th time), went on a river cruise, ate Chipotle (thank god - not the same as the US, but still satisfying), and all kinds of other amazing little adventures.
We ended up going to Paris on a day trip and went through the Chunnel - not what I had expected, but I think it was probably better than flying. So we went on a river cruise there and ate lunch on the Eiffel Tower, and we visited the bridge where Keith and I put our locks (yes, they were still there) - Dad of course was examining the bridge and trying to guesstimate the average weight of each lock and eventually determined that the bridge was not designed to hold that much extra weight and will eventually collapse because of it. Fun stuff right? Mom said one day we'll be able to tell our kids we contributed to the disaster...
For my brother we went and visited the Dr. Who store - which is not in the best part of town I might add.
And we also took an overnight trip to see Stonehenge. We stayed at this really cool 13th century (updated) hotel in a little town near Stonehenge and then got up super early so we could go walk inside the stones and watch the sunrise (of course there were clouds) - but it was super cool. I really wanted to tell my mom they were "just a bunch of rocks" but really it was pretty cool. I don't have a clue how people did that so long ago. The same statement goes for the architecture I adore throughout Europe.
It was a great week and nice to see my parents. It was pretty hard to communicate with Keith because we weren't in the hotel very often, but we survived. His family all got the flu so he was living at my house to avoid them (he's terrified of being sick) so he was having a much harder week than I was, as well as going from spending every minute together while he was here to readjusting to being 6,000 miles apart.
All in all, I'm happy. I liked the city - it reminded me a little of Chicago and overall was a lot like the US. I've figured out London is about 4 times the size of Madrid, and it defiantly felt more like a city. (However the metro system madness still never compared to the horrid metro strikes here in Madrid)
Some Paris Romance
Friday, January 4, 2013
This Is Just The Beginning
Today was defiantly the hardest day I've spent here in Madrid. I have to say, sending someone off on a plane is much much harder than being the person sent.
Keith's flight took off around 11:30 this morning and he should be arriving in Detroit around 8:30 tonight (Ohio time). Actually, right now his first flight just landed at JFK.
We made a deal and said that we have had the most amazing adventure these last 2 weeks, however this is just the beginning, the first of many big adventures. We both cried, but said that we have to be happy because we sill each other in just a few short days. (132 to be exact)
At this point we know that we have done a good job at communicating and making our relationship work despite the 6,000+ miles between us. This is the halfway point and now we begin the countdown to my coming home for good.
While I am sad, my parents and I will be meeting in London tomorrow so I can spend 2 weeks with them, so that will help.
The hardest thing right now is that I am very burnt out and really hate Spain. I'm just ready to go home, and it's hard to see everyone I love and when they head home, I'm still stuck in this hell hole for another 4 months.
But as Keith told me, I smile and we do it. This is what we have to do to make a better future for both of us, and without this experience our goals and dreams would be delayed. We stick together and put effort into everything we do. We smile and hold each others hands. We support and be supported. And most of all we know we love each other, and we make sure to remind each other of that every day.
Keith's flight took off around 11:30 this morning and he should be arriving in Detroit around 8:30 tonight (Ohio time). Actually, right now his first flight just landed at JFK.
We made a deal and said that we have had the most amazing adventure these last 2 weeks, however this is just the beginning, the first of many big adventures. We both cried, but said that we have to be happy because we sill each other in just a few short days. (132 to be exact)
At this point we know that we have done a good job at communicating and making our relationship work despite the 6,000+ miles between us. This is the halfway point and now we begin the countdown to my coming home for good.
While I am sad, my parents and I will be meeting in London tomorrow so I can spend 2 weeks with them, so that will help.
The hardest thing right now is that I am very burnt out and really hate Spain. I'm just ready to go home, and it's hard to see everyone I love and when they head home, I'm still stuck in this hell hole for another 4 months.
But as Keith told me, I smile and we do it. This is what we have to do to make a better future for both of us, and without this experience our goals and dreams would be delayed. We stick together and put effort into everything we do. We smile and hold each others hands. We support and be supported. And most of all we know we love each other, and we make sure to remind each other of that every day.
The Other Toledo
December 29th we woke up early to visit Toledo, Spain.
We went to the train station and bought our tickets for the day - which were the same seats as another couple, so after half an hour of talking to the train manager we got moved up to first class. Me being me, I fell asleep on the train there and the couple across from os got to watch me drool al over myself - how cute.
We just walked around the city - did mainly a lot of shopping. It was miserably cold so we tried to kill a lot of time in each store we could. We ended up coming home with 7 swords. Yes, seven. One gigantic one, 2 medium daggers, and 4 small baby swords for gifts.
Once we got back in Madrid there was (as always) a metro strike. There were almost 200 people waiting to get on the train and only 8 were able to get on. Have I mentioned how much I hate Madrid yet?
It was a fun day and Keith had a great time riding the train!!
We went to the train station and bought our tickets for the day - which were the same seats as another couple, so after half an hour of talking to the train manager we got moved up to first class. Me being me, I fell asleep on the train there and the couple across from os got to watch me drool al over myself - how cute.
We just walked around the city - did mainly a lot of shopping. It was miserably cold so we tried to kill a lot of time in each store we could. We ended up coming home with 7 swords. Yes, seven. One gigantic one, 2 medium daggers, and 4 small baby swords for gifts.
Once we got back in Madrid there was (as always) a metro strike. There were almost 200 people waiting to get on the train and only 8 were able to get on. Have I mentioned how much I hate Madrid yet?
It was a fun day and Keith had a great time riding the train!!
New Year's Surprises!!
Over a year ago when Keith and I started planning this trip we made the decision to spend our 2 weeks in Madrid instead of traveling around Europe - let me say, while staying in one place was great for spending time together and enjoying out company, Madrid is not a place you want to spend a 2 week vacation.
So back in October I asked Keith if there was anywhere in the world you'd want to go, where would it be? His response was Italy.
I'd been planning this surprise for months, so when New Years finally came around I was so excited! This was the 2nd part of his Christmas present.
So the 30th I secretly packed both of our suitcases and hid them in the closet. The 31st, I woke up at 5 am. Luckily Keith was passed out and didn't even hear my alarm go off. I goy up and finished the packing, got ready, and went to wake him up around 6. He thought we were going to the train museum, but once he looked out the window he realized how early it was. So then he thought we were going on an overnight train ride across Spain. He got ready and we grabbed our bags and headed to the airport. We eventually got there (after I rode the metro 3 stops in the wrong direction thinking I was going to school) and he realized we weren't going to the train museum. I got us through security and visa check without him finding out where we were going, so he then thought we were going to Krakow. I told him later he was crazy thinking we'd go there in December. Eventually when they called boarding for our flight I told him we were going to Rome!
I think he about died when he realized it! We got to Rome and I booked a really nice hotel for us (although I was really sad it didn't have a bath tub like in the pictures) - we had our own private terrace that was almost as big as the entire hotel room.
So for New Year's Eve we had a nice dinner with some champagne before we went down to the Colosseum to watch the New Year's show. There was a concert with famous Italian artists and then fireworks at midnight. We had a great view and were covered in champagne at midnight. It was amazing, and totally worth braving the millions of people around us. One moment that neither of us will ever forget.
New Years day we walked around and visited the Pantheon and the Trevii Fountain. We ate gelato and bought presents for our families.
Finally, the 2nd we went on a tour of the Colosseum before we had to head back to Madrid.
So back in October I asked Keith if there was anywhere in the world you'd want to go, where would it be? His response was Italy.
I'd been planning this surprise for months, so when New Years finally came around I was so excited! This was the 2nd part of his Christmas present.
So the 30th I secretly packed both of our suitcases and hid them in the closet. The 31st, I woke up at 5 am. Luckily Keith was passed out and didn't even hear my alarm go off. I goy up and finished the packing, got ready, and went to wake him up around 6. He thought we were going to the train museum, but once he looked out the window he realized how early it was. So then he thought we were going on an overnight train ride across Spain. He got ready and we grabbed our bags and headed to the airport. We eventually got there (after I rode the metro 3 stops in the wrong direction thinking I was going to school) and he realized we weren't going to the train museum. I got us through security and visa check without him finding out where we were going, so he then thought we were going to Krakow. I told him later he was crazy thinking we'd go there in December. Eventually when they called boarding for our flight I told him we were going to Rome!
I think he about died when he realized it! We got to Rome and I booked a really nice hotel for us (although I was really sad it didn't have a bath tub like in the pictures) - we had our own private terrace that was almost as big as the entire hotel room.
So for New Year's Eve we had a nice dinner with some champagne before we went down to the Colosseum to watch the New Year's show. There was a concert with famous Italian artists and then fireworks at midnight. We had a great view and were covered in champagne at midnight. It was amazing, and totally worth braving the millions of people around us. One moment that neither of us will ever forget.
New Years day we walked around and visited the Pantheon and the Trevii Fountain. We ate gelato and bought presents for our families.
Finally, the 2nd we went on a tour of the Colosseum before we had to head back to Madrid.
Paris for Christmas!!
Saturday before Christmas we had a little get together with my host family and exchanged gifts. My host mom made this huge dinner so Keith could experience real Spanish cooking - translation: Keith was like "what the hell are we eating" and didn't really eat much at all. I had to explain to my host mom that he is very picky just like my little host brother and not to be offended ;)
Sunday morning we left for Paris to spend Christmas. We also rented an apartment there which was really nice. We spent Sunday night exploring Champs de Elysees and the Arc de Triomphe. We learned that neither of us can speak any French and that the French people are actually much nicer than the Spanish.
Monday Keith got his first Christmas present - I booked a professional photographer to take pictures of us around the city because I knew it would be difficult to ask random people to take our picture all the time. So we went to the Eiffel Tower, Ponts des Arts, and The Louve. We took 2 locks and locked them to Ponts des Arts and threw the keys into the river as we made our wishes. Monday (Christmas Eve) we walked over the Notre Dame and went to the Christmas Mass. We took communion and sat through the mass (all in French) with about a million other people because it was the 850th anniversary celebration as well.
Tuesday we had a lazy Christmas morning and opened cards and presents from our families. We spent the day walking around taking pictures that we hadn't gotten the time to take earlier. Headed over by Moulin Rouge for breakfast then made a pizza for lunch. We both got dressed up later that night and walked down to the Eiffel Tower to have a special Christmas Dinner at the Restaurant 58 on top of the Eiffel Tower. (Keith didn't like that food either)
Wednesday we got packed up and just headed back to Madrid. Getting to the airport from the train station was hell. We had to buy a special airport train ticket (~28 euro) but the machines only accepted change. Who carries around 28 euro in change? And of course every change station and help desk was closed in the entire station. We ended up taking 40 euro and going to a store and buying a 1 euro stick of gum. Then I took 20, he took 20 and we bought 2 more packs of gum. Then we each had a 5 and 10 and bought 6 more packs. Yes, it was a pain in the ass. But we did it!
Sunday morning we left for Paris to spend Christmas. We also rented an apartment there which was really nice. We spent Sunday night exploring Champs de Elysees and the Arc de Triomphe. We learned that neither of us can speak any French and that the French people are actually much nicer than the Spanish.
Monday Keith got his first Christmas present - I booked a professional photographer to take pictures of us around the city because I knew it would be difficult to ask random people to take our picture all the time. So we went to the Eiffel Tower, Ponts des Arts, and The Louve. We took 2 locks and locked them to Ponts des Arts and threw the keys into the river as we made our wishes. Monday (Christmas Eve) we walked over the Notre Dame and went to the Christmas Mass. We took communion and sat through the mass (all in French) with about a million other people because it was the 850th anniversary celebration as well.
Tuesday we had a lazy Christmas morning and opened cards and presents from our families. We spent the day walking around taking pictures that we hadn't gotten the time to take earlier. Headed over by Moulin Rouge for breakfast then made a pizza for lunch. We both got dressed up later that night and walked down to the Eiffel Tower to have a special Christmas Dinner at the Restaurant 58 on top of the Eiffel Tower. (Keith didn't like that food either)
Wednesday we got packed up and just headed back to Madrid. Getting to the airport from the train station was hell. We had to buy a special airport train ticket (~28 euro) but the machines only accepted change. Who carries around 28 euro in change? And of course every change station and help desk was closed in the entire station. We ended up taking 40 euro and going to a store and buying a 1 euro stick of gum. Then I took 20, he took 20 and we bought 2 more packs of gum. Then we each had a 5 and 10 and bought 6 more packs. Yes, it was a pain in the ass. But we did it!
Keith's Arrival
After 4 long months, Keith finally arrived in Madrid on Thursday December 20th!! His flight was a little delayed so I spent a good hour waiting around at the airport before he got in. I just kinda placed myself up against the wall by the exit of baggage claim and waited. This moment was something I'd been thinking about and anticipating for a long time - I spent a good part of that hour long wait crying out of happiness before I even saw him. But when he finally came out, it wasn't quite the reunion I had pictured - running, leaping into arms, etc - because 4 large suitcases kinda impeded by ability to attack him. So, I settled for blocking the exit while I kissed him and cried (until I decided we should probably move over by the windows).
We rented an apartment in Sol for the 2 weeks he was here, so we took the metro over. Despite my warning before entering the train about moving anything important into my purse or his chest pocket, he left him phone in his pants pocket and was cheerfully greeted by 2 pickpockets. Luckily he noticed them and pushed them off the train at the nearest stop before they could get in his pocket, but it pretty much made him terrified of any public transit for the remainder of the trip.
Our apartment was beautiful and suited us well. Only problem was that the fuse to the kitchen appliances liked to shut off randomly, leaving our laundry drenched and full of soap at some points (meaning 4 hours of washing instead of the normal 2).
Personally, I loved having the freedom at the apartment and being able to cook something healthy for once.
Kinda thinking I might be lusting after an apartment for back in Ohio...
We rented an apartment in Sol for the 2 weeks he was here, so we took the metro over. Despite my warning before entering the train about moving anything important into my purse or his chest pocket, he left him phone in his pants pocket and was cheerfully greeted by 2 pickpockets. Luckily he noticed them and pushed them off the train at the nearest stop before they could get in his pocket, but it pretty much made him terrified of any public transit for the remainder of the trip.
Our apartment was beautiful and suited us well. Only problem was that the fuse to the kitchen appliances liked to shut off randomly, leaving our laundry drenched and full of soap at some points (meaning 4 hours of washing instead of the normal 2).
Personally, I loved having the freedom at the apartment and being able to cook something healthy for once.
Kinda thinking I might be lusting after an apartment for back in Ohio...
So Let's Begin The Update On The Last 2 Weeks Of My Life...
The next few posts will probably be random and possibly a lot of them. My YouTube videos will be updated eventually, I promise. It's just a very crazy time right now and there's a lot I'm in the middle of. So, let's begin...
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