The Inevitable Stages of a Second Language Carpool

 1. Walking to the carpool feeling optimistic and prepared. I can do this.

 

 

2. Nailing that "Buenos Días" and feeling basically fluent.

 

 

 

3. Successfully answering questions like a normal human.

 

4. The questions get faster. Or there's unexpected follow-up questions. I get flustered.

 

 

5. Struggling to remember my vocabulary

 

 

6. Desperately searching for the correct verb conjugation but trying to act cool.

 

7. Or the dreaded "failure to respond to the question you thought was a statement" situation that every language learner knows all too well.

8. Feeling thoroughly embarrassed and deciding its best to be seen and not heard. I'll just listen to the conversation.

 

9. Deciding who to listen to because I can't understand everyone all at once and they all talk at the same time. 

 

 

 

 

10. Maybe if I just listen, like, really hard?

 

11. Debating whether my Spanish is that bad or they are talking in Galician. Please just be Galician.

 

12. Oh I know that word! I know what we're talking about!

13. But I have know idea what you're all saying about it. UGH.

 

14. Wow, now that I know curse words, you guys really swear a lot.

15. Catching myself zoning out. I need to focus. This is important practice.

16. Tuning it all out and realizing I've spent 20 minutes thinking about the fog outside and missed everything and have no idea what's happening.

 

17. Well, time's up. Nothing to do but crush that "Gracias, chao" on the way out.

Time Management

When my students are practicing for their oral exams and they're trying to fill up their five minute monologues

 

Camino de Fisterra Part 1: Santiago to Negreira

One of the perks of living in Santiago is that the various routes of the Camino de Santiago can be broken down into day hikes. I started the Camino de Fisterra a few weeks ago by walking the first 20 km leg from Santiago to Negreira. 

                                          A map of the route for the Camino de Fisterra and additional
                                                   camino to Muxía. Muros is further south along the coast.

The Finisterre way or Camino de Fisterra is the lesser known encore to the Camino de Santiago. It connects the Camino de Santiago from the cathedral of Santiago to a town called Fisterra, which translated from Galician literally means land's end. Even though now it is typically an addition to the Way of St. James, the Camino de Fisterra is believed to predate Christianity. It was first traveled because, as the end of the earth, Fisterra was believed to be where the sun died and the worlds of the living and the dead met. It was a place for prayers and offerings to the gods. Fisterra, and Muros for that matter, are located on the Costa da Morte (coast of death), which is named for the large number of shipwrecks and deaths that have occurred along the treacherous coast.

                                      The coast of death. Looks inviting, right? 

The Camino de Fisterra is 88 km long and is typically traveled in 3-4 days. I completed the first part which is 20 km from Santiago to Negreira. I set out in the late morning from Santiago at 10:30 AM, stopped for lunch around 2:00 at a 13th century bridge that crosses the Rio Tambre, and arrived in Negreira at about 3:45. Negreira is a town of about 7,000 people, but because it was Sunday, almost everything was closed. After a coffee break, I caught the bus to Santiago and was home at the tail end of siesta. 

                                                                   One of the markers pointing the way out 

                                                             of Santiago.

                                              My picnic spot in Ponte Maceira

Along the way were beautiful woods, open fields, farmland, and cute rural towns. The sunny weather forecast fortunately proved accurate and it was a perfect day for a walk. The path was well marked and easy to follow. Although a time-consuming activity for a tourist, the day trip was an excellent way to see the beauty of the Gailician countryside. I may even walk the same route another time. I also plan to continue to walk parts of the Camino de Fisterra until I reach the end. I know the professional pilgrims and purists will judge me for it, but nothing beats being able to sleep in your own bed after a long day of walking.

The Rain In Spain

Turns out the rain in Spain does not fall mainly on the plain.

Teaching Update

How is it November already? I can't believe how fast the time is going. I've been teaching for over a month now. My classes are great. For the most part the students are fun to work with but I do notice a significant gap in maturity between my younger and older students. As I mentioned before, the students here are between 12 and 16. The 12 year olds are adorable and young and innocent. The 16 year olds are funny and engaged and passionate. But my 13-15 year old students, well, they can be a bit of a nightmare.

It's like a cesspool of puberty and awkwardness combined excess energy that lacks any sort of direction. I feel like I'm being forced to view the instant replay of how awkward middle school was the first time. Spoiler alert, it's worse in slow motion. Oh and the icing on the cake, I have no real power because I'm an assistant not the actual teacher, which is both a blessing and a curse. So I've been working on my "I'm angry" and "I'm disappointed" with you stares. For the most part though, classes are fun and even the challenging groups have good moments. And the teachers here have continued to be incredibly kind and supportive.

My teaching responsibilities vary depending on the class. Sometimes I assist with dictation and listening exercises by reading aloud, sometimes I guide the class through textbook exercises or group discussions. I organize activities and games related to the current class vocabulary or topics. I make and present talks about topics related to the unit and american culture. With my older students I work in smaller groups on discussion practice and speaking games. It is a good variety and enough to keep me interested and engaged with my classes.

Because I only teach 3 days a week, the hour commute each way to school isn't that bad. It actually has been a great opportunity to practice speaking Spanish since most of the teachers don't speak English. However, you don't really appreciate that feeling of fearing for your life until you're riding shotgun with a person driving a manual transmission along a windy coastal road who also talks with their hands.

As for Santiago, the more I discover about the city, the more I love it. In the last few weeks I've also been able to travel to Lugo and walk part of the Camino to Finisterre so I'll share more about those experiences in posts coming soon.

First School Visit

On the morning of Wednesday, September 28 I nervously made my way to the Santiago bus station. I boarded a bus to Muros to visit my school for the first time. Until that point my only contact had been via email with a teacher named Chindo who thankfully spoke English. Practicing Spanish is of course important, but there are times where it is a relief to have someone who can at least translate for you in moments of confusion. I am placed at a secondary school called IES Plurilingüe Fontexería with students aged 12-16. I walked to the school from the bus stop along the seaside. Fishing boats were out in the bay and it was uncharacteristically sunny, which gave the water a nice sparkle. I walked up to the main office through throngs of teenagers and introduced myself. For a moment I was worried the secretary would have no idea who I was, but thankfully recognition crossed her face and she gave me a warm smile. She led me into an office and announced my arrival. Immediately I was swarmed with smiles, introductions, and double air kisses all around. A stylish, bubbly teacher asked if I’d like a coffee, which of course I did. We all went to a cafetería (not a lunchroom cafeteria, in Spanish cafetería is just a coffee shop as in café-teria). I met Chindo, with whom I’d been communicating and Conchi, who is my coordinator. I met the English department and countless other teachers whose names I will have to re-learn. But everyone was warm and welcoming. The English department worked hard to give me a three-day per week schedule by reorganizing my 12 hours into Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday classes. They went out of their way to organize carpool rides for me from Santiago. Both of these things they absolutely did not have to do for me, and their effort on both fronts showed me how much they wanted to help me and make things easy for me. As I typically do when people fuss over me, I wanted to cry.  By the end of the day I knew it would be a good year. Conchi gave me a big hug at the bus stop and reminded me where I was to meet for the carpool Monday morning in Santiago. I am so grateful that these wonderful people are at my school and I’m excited to spend the year with them. Now I just need to survive the Spanish teenagers. 

A view of my path to school from the bus stop

Piso Sweet Piso

Before I left for Spain, people would often ask me, “so they have an apartment over there for you?” to which I would reply no, I was planning to move to a foreign country without a place to live, not knowing anyone, and would somehow make it work. Why did I decide to do this again? Oh yeah,  tapas.

In all seriousness though, I was apprehensive to say the least about moving to Spain without knowing even what city I would be living in. Originally I had planned to visit my school in Muros in order to decide whether to live in Muros or live in the larger Santiago. The decision was tough. Muros provides the opportunity for a quaint, historic fishing village on the coast. With exquisite seafood, seaside views, and charming village life. Santiago on the other hand offered a larger, more international experience as it hosts not only other auxiliaries, but Erasmus students, and pilgrims finishing the camino. Santiago is also a university town, with the University of Santiago, offering an injection of energy into the city through its roughly 30,000 students.

My plan to visit both places went awry. I ended up immediately loving Santiago and couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. What can I say, I’m a city person at heart despite my romantic notions of quaint, coastal living. The reality is I would go absolutely bonkers if I felt stuck in a town of only 10,000 people every weekend. The reassuring part of my decision to live in Santiago is that I am teaching in Muros three days a week and will end up spending a great deal of time there. I won’t have to miss out on beautiful seaside life because a part of my week is set up around being there on a regular basis. Living in Santiago however, allows me the freedom to make weekend plans in the city or to travel from the convenient train station and international airport.

Although a daunting task, the apartment hunt went smashingly. I ended up looking at only three apartments and ultimately went with my favorite location. My apartment is a duplex in Praza de Fuenterrabía, which is a quiet plaza (in the regional language, Gallego, it's Praza instead of plaza) situated on the edge of historic district but adjacent to the road that splits the new part of town from the old part. Depending on the direction I walk exiting the apartment, I can be in either the old town or the new town. The building however, is in the historic district, which gives a rustic charm. Alameda, the park I’ve been referring to as baby central park, is about a block away and I can walk to the cathedral in about five minutes. 

 

Praza de Fuenterrabía

I am living with two Spanish university students. Teresa is studying medicine and Pedro is studying Environmental Engineering. Both are friendly and forgiving my inability to understand or speak Spanish before I've had my morning coffee. The vibe of the apartment is relaxed and cheerful. It feels like home.

 

The entryway 

Salon

 

Balcony view of the praza

 

My room

 

View from the skylight in my room (if you open it and look out)

First Impressions of Santiago de Compostela

Exploring the streets of Santiago, my first impression is how beautifully the city is composed. The color scheme consists of slate grey, crisp white, Celtic green, clay orange, and earthy brown. The characteristically cloudy sky is often threatening rain with a soft drizzle that casts these colors in a beautiful, if dark, light. It's the kind of cloudy haze that makes everything appear richer and more vibrant.

The city is quite cleanly split between the historic center and the new city. The historic center winds tightly around the massive cathedral with small, quaint roads filled with pedestrian traffic. Camino pilgrims are abundant with their characteristic walking sticks, worn backpacks, and scallop shells. The new town feels modern and sleek, yet still distinctly Spanish. It houses the large chain stores, larger grocery stores, and much more traffic than the old town. The modern town eventually spills out into the ultra-modern hospital and University of Santiago medical buildings with luxurious new builds that have a modern, industrial aesthetic.

Santiago also boasts numerous beautiful parks, Alameda has stunning views of the cathedral and neat rows of trees shading wooden benches that make an picturesque reading nook on rare sunny afternoons. Parque de San Domingos de Bonaval's paths lead you through an array of different foliage, passing from section to section of garden that each feels distinctly its own. Park Belvis, with its mazes of hedge and high walled stone walkways boast impressive views of the city and a quiet reprieve.

Alameda

While there is an active bus system, it is not necessary for daily life. In accordance with European attitudes that favor walking when possible, it is perfectly convenient to walk anywhere in the main parts of the old and new city. You could walk the length of the main city in less than an hour. Now it’s possible that during the rainy winters I may not want to walk 25 minutes across town, but for now it’s a nice excuse to get some fresh air.

Another homey element in Santiago are the tapas. When you order a drink at a bar or café, such as a coffee, glass of wine, or caña (small serving of beer), you are given a small plate of food at no extra charge. This may be tortilla de patata (Spanish omelette), a tostada with olive oil and jamón serrano, or other small bites. You can manage a nice dinner by having a few drinks with friends in the evenings.  This reminds me fondly of my time in Granada, where there were many fun evenings full of friends and tapas.


Tortilla. Delicious!

From the weather to the architecture to the juxtaposition of old and new to the international influence, I am loving my first glimpses of Santiago and I'm excited to explore more of the city.

And I'm Off!

It’s difficult to believe but two weeks ago I was saying goodbye to the two greatest parents in the world and the three wonderful weirdos I get to have as siblings. From Chicago O’Hare International Airport I flew to Madrid and then to Santiago de Compostela. I’m participating in the North American Language and Culture Assistants in Spain program for the 2016-2017 school year. Also referred to as Auxiliares Norteamericanos, the program offers the opportunity to work in a Spanish school as an English teaching assistant for twelve hours per week. In exchange you receive a monthly stipend, health insurance, and legal residency in Spain. If you’re thinking that sounds like a sweet deal, I’d have to agree. 

When I applied to the program, I requested the northwest region of Spain, the autonomous community of Galicia. The infusion of Celtic culture into this rainy coastal region appealed to me from the outset. Although I loved the sunny south while I studied in Granada for six weeks in the spring of 2014, I was looking for a change of scenery. Fortunately, I was placed at IES Plurilingüe Fontexería in the small fishing town of Muros on the Atlantic coast. The town has a population of about 10,000 people and is one of the best preserved historic fishing villages in the region.

Muros

Although I will be teaching in Muros, I arrived thirty-four miles inland in Galicia's capital city Santiago de Compostela. It's larger than Muros with a population of about 95,000 and is home to one of the world's oldest universities, the University of Santiago de Compostela. It is also the destination of the famed Camino de Santiago or Way of Saint James, a  pilgrimage of varying routes that leads to the apostle Saint James' remains in the Cathedral of Santiago. Santiago de Compostela roughly translates to Saint James (Santiago) of the Starry Field (de Compostela) in reference to the discovery of the remains of Saint James in the location of the present day Cathedral.

 

Santiago de Compostela

 

Routes of the Camino de Santiago

I am fortunate to have the opportunity to spend my year in this incredible part of a country I've come to love. I plan to use this blog as a diary of my experience living and teaching English in Spain and as a way of keeping friends and family up to date on the goings on in Spain and in my travels. I’m unsure what’s in store for me here, but I’m excited for the adventure ahead.