Slacking. Hardcore.

I just read through a friend's blog as she's preparing to head to Paraguay and I realized how horrible of a slacker I've been with this blog.  Has it really been two months since I've updated?  Over the next few days I promise to write about what I have been up to lately, but until then (actually, probably just until after lunch time) here's a cute picture from my school's Christmas performance.

Hodge Podge

the school across the street, from our kitchen table.

I've been told I need to do an update, but the reason I haven't done one in the last two weeks is because nothing exciting/noteworthy has happened.  So here is a hodge-podge of pictures I have taken... 

Here is my flat! I'm pretty sure I've already talked about it, but here it is again.  It's on the third floor of my building, with 3 bedrooms, one bathroom, a big living room and a great kitchen.  We're right next to an elementary school that is usually bustling with children from 9 am to nearly 6 pm, but luckily today and tomorrow are holidays so it is very peaceful.

our combo living room and dining table.



 

our kitchen!

  

here is a picture of the euro coins.  think there's enough different kinds?  There is 1 and 2 euro coin and then a zillion other tiny denominations. Apparently it's very convenient to have a 1 and 2 euro coin (like having a $1 and $2 coin), but I just think it's heavy.  It's deceiving about how much money you have too, but I guess in a good way. Because I had 9 euro in coins and didn't even realize it. 

 

This is called a "suso".  It's a lot like a Bavarian creme donut, but not a donut shape (obviously) with granulated sugar sprinked on top!  It only costs 90 cents, which is about $1 and this is just half of it. 

These are Maryland cookies. They only sell them in the UK and whenever I tell someone I'm from Maryland they go, "Oh, like the cookie!"  No, not like the cookie because we don't have them in the US.  When Lauren's boyfriend came for the weekend he brought me a package of the cookies so I could finally try them :)  They taste like chips a hoy cookies, but yummier!

Fuengirola

[ff-when-HE-roll-uh].   

This past Sunday I went to Fuengirola with about eight friends to see a bull fight.  That's right, a bull fight.  It was incredibly sad, I cried, and I'll never go again, but it was something that I felt like I needed to see while in Spain and I'm glad I got it over with. 

Fuengirola was a 50 minute train ride from Málaga and before the plaza de toros we have a snack at a little restaurant inside a park. I had a bocadillo de queso y jamón and it is probably one of my favorite things to eat, ever.  The bocadillo is a toasted sandwich with a bit of olive oil, a layer of cheese, and then a layer (or two, if I'm lucky!) of delicious jamón (salted, dry-cured ham that is similar to prosciutto).  But enough about ham!

The plaza de toros (bull ring) was right around the corner and we sat at the very top and in the hot, hot sun, because the seats in the shade are more expensive.  I won't go into details about the actual fight, because I'd rather not think about it, but I was surprised to see that part of the show was actually with a man on a horse instead of on his feet with a cape.  I was thoroughly impressed to see his skill in controlling the horse and the trust the horses had in their rider.  He had the horses dance, walk sideways, and other awesome things to attract the bull, since he didn't have the red cape to use.  

  

elo estefany!

That's what I hear whenever I go into one of my classrooms or run into a student walking around the school.  As I was leaving school today to catch the bus and a few students said, "elo Estefany" (Hello, Stephanie!) I realised that I can defintely get used to this "teaching" thing and actually look forward to seeing them every week.  I hope soon my novelty wears off and we can learn a lot from each other, especially my preschool and second grade class.  I think once I can understand them speaking super fast and without regard for my language barrier, I will be set with my Spanish! 

It's Thursday night here in Málaga and my work week ended at 2pm this afternoon, but it only had three days in it anyways because yesterday was a National Holiday to celebrate Cristobol Colon "discovering the Americas."  I spent the day laying on the beach for about five hours. That's right, baking in the sun on the beach in the middle of October. And what do I plan on doing for my day off tomorrow? The beach. But a different one, about 15 minutes away on the bus :)

Here are some pictures of the last two weeks I've been here. I hope to update more  frequently once my internet gets sorted out.

here the water is up to my knees, but you can still see your feet when the water is up to you're armpits!

my friends and I caught about 20 hermit crabs, each with a different shell.

a view from the beach, towards the port/where I live.

the Mediterranean, at Nerja.

the beach, from sitting on my towel. Nerja.

enjoying some tinto de verano. with my friend, Michael.

at the reception after the teacher assistant's meeting. with my two roommates (Leona, left and Lauren on the right).
(p.s. that's Leona's boyfriend on the far left and another assistant at my school in the background)

Whirlwind of a week

I had this whole blog post already written out and saved but it got lost somewhere in cyberspace, so here is a version of what I remember:

Hi :) Since it is probably just my family and friends back home reading this, thanks for being patient for me to take almost a week to write anything.
I've settled into an apartment that I found on my second day here and moved in on the third.  I found out about it through a friend of another teacher assistant (who at the time I hadn't even met yet.)  It's an amazing 3 bedroom, one bath flat with a padio that we've already comfortably squeezed 5 people into and huge ceiling to floor sliding doors that open up for a great breeze.  I am in a perfect spot for walking to my one school in about 30 minutes and another is a ten minute walk to the bus stop and then a 40 minute bus ride.  Those both might sound like a long time, but they pass by quickly, promise.

My classes range from really great to "I don't know how I'm going to survive a year of this", but luckily that's only one class and I hoping that it will get better throughout the year.  The teachers are all very nice and the students are in an amazing bilingual program and actually want to learn. Here's my schedule in case you want to be jealous of how much I have to do ;) Mondays 11:45-2:45, Tuesdays 1030-2ish, Wednesdays 8:15-11:15, Thursday 10:30-2ish, Fridays no class.

I have not done too much exploring yet, since I already know a lot of the city.  But this weekend I have plans to go to a nearby town and spend all day on the beach, it should be exhausting :) And hopefully by next month when my pay check gets to me I'll be able to plan some trips to other cities.

I'll try to add picture of my flat and neighborhood this weekend.

There's more to Spain than a lisp, right?

¡Claro que sí!

Even with only one month in Spain over a year ago, I still have plenty to say about it.  Because I didn't have the foresight to make a blog about that trip, I'm going to use my time waiting for the letter from Spain to share a little about when I was in Malága.

One of the most memorable parts of being in Malága was that while I was there Spain was playing in the Mundial 2010 (World Cup of soccer in South Africa).  All of us would go to the usual bar, watch the team play, and snack on berenjena frita (fried eggplant with molasses) or jamón serrano (dry-cured ham).  I left Malága just a few days before the final, but we won!! (Please note: I now refer to Spain's national football team and FC Barcelona as my team and we).

During the second-to-last weekend I decided to travel to Madrid and since no one from my group wanted to join me, I went alone.  It was amazing to take a train to and explore the capital city.  It was only a five minute walk to the Royal Palace and Plaza Mayor.  A double decker tour bus allowed me to see all the landmarks of the city.  I spent hours in el mueso Prado and stood nose-to-nose with paintings I learned about in class, relaxed in a park like locals,  and even spent a few moments in Egypt. 

Long story short, Malága and Spain were wonderful, shocking, unforgettable, life changing.

How this all started.

As my senior year at Salisbury was winding down I knew it was too late to apply to graduate programs, so I decided to try my hand at the North American Language & Culture program in Spain.  After waiting for months to hear any news and giving up hope, I finally received a teaching assistantship in Andalucía.  But, the waiting hasn't ended as I am now anxiously anticipating a letter in the mail for where I will be living and teaching.

A little bit more about me now!

I graduated from Salisbury University in May and studied abroad in Malága for one month last summer. While traveling, exploring, and studying (a little) I fell in love with Spanish food, history, accent, culture, and fútbol (just ask my family!)  Honestly, nothing has stuck with me from Spain more than my lisp and fanaticism with FC Barcelona.