Madrileña Musings

Picture Fracaso

2008-05-07T07:45:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to let you know that the lack of new pictures on my blog isn't due to my blogging laziness (this time). For some reason my computer just won't let me upload pictures (and I do have a lot from this past month). I will persevere though, so that you can see me smilingly cheesily in front of monument x, building y, or cityscape z. I know you can't wait!

What have I been up to during the latest internet silence? Well, after the conference in Valencia, I went to Prague with Srinu and some of the Fulbright girls. Prague is beautiful, romantic - and touristy, as I imagine most beautiful, romantic European cities are during the Spring and Summer. We ate well, drank better (I had forgotten how delicious beer could be), and took in some breathtaking views. The highlight for me though is definitely my birthday dinner that the girls organized at a very perfect vegetarian restaurant recommended by Mr. Quesito of Spanish fame (a friend). It was a delectable surprise and I will remember it always!

The weekend after that, Nikhil, Katie, and Mark from Vandy passed through Madrid so we did the tourist thing some more. The weather was freakish and therefore not so amenable to showing off the most wonderful things about Madrid (e.g. terrazzas in the springtime). I think I managed to take them to a few cool places though and hopefully they had a good time.

The week after that, Srinu and I skipped over to Barcelona where we met up with Alex who was meeting up with her college roommate Rita. We didn't see Mark, who was being wined and dined for the Formula 1 races there (hmph; someone with a real job). Though it was the fourth or fifth time I had been there, I still enjoyed the city and loved being on the beach. Can there be anything better than Spain in the springtime? The only downside was, again, that it was PACKED. Tourists are slowly starting to infiltrate the cities to which before, during the winter, we felt like were exclusively for us. How rude! I know I'm a tourist, too, but I'd prefer if no one else was when I was visiting a place :)

Anyway, the week after that brought a long weekend here in Madrid for el Dos de Mayo, celebrating the 2nd of May when, in 1808, the Madrilenos rose up again Napoleon's French occupying forces using scissors, hair pins, and whatever else they could get their hands on. I imagine there were probably a few pots and pans thrown in the mix too.....At any rate, I stuck around for the celebrations, especially since Srinu flew out that morning. The rest of the weekend and week was fairly relaxing as I tried to catch up on things like e-mail, organizing pictures, and this here blog 'o mine.

However, the days reserved for resting are short lived because tomorrow I head out again, this time to Marrakech, Morocco. I'm heading over with Alex and her friend Eddie who lives in France. After seeing countless cathedrals, Roman walls, and medieval streets, I'm ready for a sightseeing change. Bring on the couscous, mint tea, and mosques!

In other news......

2008-04-01T15:12:00.000-07:00

I wanted to dedicate a special post to a few new additions to my list of amazing colleagues on the left. Jeff Smith recently hit the Appalachian Trail and intends to spend the next few months working on his mountain man look. For all those interesting in following along, read his Trail Journal!

Joe Finlay, or Joe Argyle as he is more affectionately known to the Nashville crowd has taken it upon himself to comment on the goings on of Nashvegas. Catch up on what's happening in one helluva great city here.

Lastly, my friend Alex Kruzel, with whom I did Alternative Winter Break in Mississippi and New Orleans, is now doing the Peace Corps in Angoche, Mozambique. Some of you may have heard about the terrible hurricanes that have ravaged her small coastal town. She has sent out a letter asking for help which you can find here or on the left-hand side in hopes that some of you may be able to assist. If you have any questions, let me know and I can forward them along to her.

Notes from a Retroactive Blogger

2008-04-01T15:10:00.000-07:00

I always knew I´d be terrible at keeping the world at large up to date with my goings ons! I suppose there are three reasons for this: 1) I´m too busy living the next new adventure to blog about, 2) I´m a terrible blogger, or 3)

Spain

has made me incredibly inefficient with my time. I´m going to go with #3.

The truth is that the past two months have been incredibly busy. After a nice relaxing January post-visitors, February was filled with preparations for the big GC. Having hashed and rehashed the Global Classrooms process ad nauseum over the past few months, I will spare you the details (you should be thankful). I will say, though, that the conference was a success and I think my kids got a lot out of it. We had two honourable mentions and one “Best Delegation Overall” award. Congratulations to them! I have posted a few pictures here. The rest can be seen on my Global Classrooms Blog at http://isaacalbeniz.blogspot.com

After GC, we needed a break so Talia, Alex, Alex´s college roommate Julia, and I rented a small, red car we affectionately nicknamed Small Fry and hit the highway for a whirlwind 36-hour road trip to Bilbao and San Sebastian. Our sole purpose for going to Bilbao was to see the Guggenheim built by Frank Gehry. The museum, both the building and the exhibit on 300 Years of American Innovation, was nothing short of amazing, as expected. The city however, pleasantly surprised us as a revitalized industrial city with lots of new architecture and great pintxos (small tapas that you choose from the bar). I can safely say that in Pais Vasco, realmente se come bien! The rest of the trip was highly entertaining- driving along the Northern coast of Spain belting out Juanes songs and getting lost. San Sebastian was as beautiful as I remembered it and, though the trip home was much longer than might have been desired (because the highway just ended—WHAT???), the trip was well worth it and one of my favourites so far. And now I have bragging rights to having logged over 1,000 KM in just 36 hours in Spain all by myself. Woohoo! Some more pictures (because I know most of you are just scrolling down to see them!)

Other highlights in February include a day trip to Avila with Alex to see the intact Roman wall, lots of museuming, and…..Parul´s engagement! Here´s a photo of that too J

March has been equally, if not more busy. For Semana Santa (Easter Break or Spring Break) I headed to Berlin to see my old buddy Claus. We had a blast and saw a lot – Potsdam, Rheinsberg, Neurruppin (the 750 town where Claus is from), and Berlin for a few days. Though the weather will probably prevent me from moving to Germany any time in the near future, the trip was excellent and I took full advantage of the Huxedorfs´ hospitality. We drank fantastically good beer (I had forgotten what good beer tasted like after drinking the beer-flavored water that is Mahou), ate well, and toured almost non-stop. In addition to the normal touristy sights in Berlin, we hit the dinosaur museum and the Berlin Zoo—both of which I loved! Again, here are some pictures for all you visually inclined folks……

After Berlin, I came back to Madrid and had a far-too-brief reunion with Monica Ecklin, my old roomie from Nashville whom most of you know! It was so great to see her and her fiancé (/my friend) Nick along with the entire Ecklin clan. I wish we had gotten more time together, but it was so great to reunite nonetheless. See how happy we all are?

After two days of resting/laundering/running errands and one day of working, the other Fulbrighters and I repacked our bags and headed to Valencia for our mid-year conference. Though it wasn´t warm enough to go swimming, the weather was phenomenal, particularly after the iciness that characterized my trip to Germany. The conference went rather well. The Fulbright Commission really outdid itself and pampered us to no end- four star hotel, fantastic meals (including seaside paella at La Pepica), etc. It was great to reconnect with many grantees I hadn´t seen since orientation in September and hear what amazing things they had been up to. It was definitely the intellectual stimulation I didn´t realize I had been craving and hopefully it has reenergized me and recommitted me to achieving what it was I set out to achieve in the first place. After much Fulbright feel-good love, though, the conference ended and we were kicked out of the Hotel Beatriz Don Jaime and went to the Central Valencia Backpacker´s Hostal for one extra night. Having 8 of us crammed into one room on bunk beds after the luxury of high-class living was a bit shocking, but it was only for a night. Highlights in Valencia include the Ciudad de Artes y Ciencas, the Aquarium, and, of course, the beach. Lovely!

Now I am finally back in Madrid readjusting to working a “full” work week (these three days are long, I swear!) I have a feeling though, that April will be equally hectic, as I have more visitors coming (yay), a trip to Prague planned followed by a stint in Morocco, and lots of work to do in terms of the impending job search (wish me luck).

That being said, I will try my hardest to not be an internet pill and to provide updates more often. Until then…..Happy Spring!

Racism in Europe

2008-03-01T05:33:00.000-08:00

So I think I’ll break my non-updating, sickeningly-optimistic streak by blogging about something that has been downright disturbing to me during my stay here. In early February, my school hosted a talk by Myra Brown, a Department of State librarian sent to us from the US Embassy, about Racism in America. Ms. Brown gave an interesting (albeit slightly difficult for my segundos to understand) talk about race and racism in America using the aid of several YouTube and movie clips (including American History X, Crash, and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?). At the end, she began to talk a little bit about racism in Europe, particularly the ways in which it has manifested itself in sports. She showed clips from the 2006 World Cup, where North African players were insulted by their own fans as “monkeys” and had bananas thrown at them; where dark-skinned players were called terrorists; and where some fans showed a general lack of tact when referencing particular players. For more on the subject, click here.

My kids had prepared questions to ask her, some of which I was proud of but some of which made me cringe in the direct way in which they were asked (“Why are blacks more poor than whites?”) or in their ignorance (“Are blacks allowed to live in any state they want in the United States?”). Needless to say, political correctness is not valued nearly as much (or at all) here in Spain. Still, Myra fielded their questions graciously and honestly and in the end I think it was good for them to get some exposure to someone who was black who defied all the stereotypes they hold of blacks and immigrants as a general group. My kids, at least, behaved better than one of the kids I tutored, who blatantly told me, “Well, all immigrants come here to rob and steal. All blacks do is rob and steal.” Straight from his family’s mouth, no doubt. Having lived in one of the (historically) most racist places in the United States, I had never ever come across such an ignorant attitude. I was livid.

I was also slightly bothered and slightly worried, though, by my own kids’ responses to my follow up lesson on the controversy between Formula 1 drivers Hamilton and Lewis: http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/02/04/racism-hits-formula-one-in-spain/index.html?hp Granted, it’s an editorial published in the NY Times. Granted, we Americans tend to be hypersensitive when it comes to issues of race. Still, I was surprised to find that almost none of my kids thought that the issue between Hamilton and Lewis had anything to do with race. They, along with a good number of teachers, found what occurred on the Barcelona circuit to be inoffensive and exaggerated. I found myself angry at first at Europeans’ attitudes towards and race and racism – how ironic that all the while that they were calling Americans hypocritical they themselves had a problem with festering race relations they didn’t want to confront. Then I began to wonder if they were just being honest and it was I who was being hypersensitive (about this particular situation). I’ve come to the conclusion that it may be a little bit of both. Thoughts?

Cupcakes & Sunshine

2008-01-22T14:58:00.000-08:00

Now that I am once again living the solitary life here in Madrid, I have a bit more time to do important things like illegally catch up on episodes of The Office (www.sidereel.com, my newfound friend thanks to Caitlin) and update my blog (again, you’re welcome Alex). Actually, I highly recommend you not waste your time reading what is sure to be my humdrum update but rather turn your attention to one of the several highly entertaining blogs I have added to the left here. There are my far more witty Fulbright compatriots making more astute observations than I on our daily lives in Spain; my adventurous, courageous, and ambitious inspirations from home who are doing good things at home and abroad; and my Spanish friends who are haciendo un esfuerzo para mejorar el mundo a través del arte y de la palabra escrita. I sometimes like to go to my own blog page just to see all of the stories of an odd assortment of people from all facets of my life collected together. It reminds me of how lucky I am to have known all those I keep close in my heart (though stubbornly and ironically enough, not close at hand!) through the years. For those of you who have office jobs, os aconsejo that you substitute precious Facebook minutes to peruse through the lives of some of the phenomenal people I’ve been lucky enough to know; maybe you will even be inspired to donate to Laurel’s race or the Primeros Pasos clinic, vote in the primaries due to Vivek’s campaign enthusiasm, learn a new language after reading about Cameron’s good life in Copacabana, volunteer because of Craig or Lisa’s tireless and giving spirit, paint a picture (Simona), or write a book (Pablo). And, if you visit CWA-Cayce’s page, you’ll see I’m the feature of the week – a “Where are they now?” for old volunteers!

My slightly creepy mention of staring at my own blog page and congratulating myself for having fallen into such fine friendships probably makes it sound like I have too much time on my hands. This has actually not been the case, though I have had time to get my life back together and get into the routine of things again after the holidays. Actually, work has kept me super busy. I really (most days) enjoy the challenge of teaching and have enjoyed in particular the past few weeks at school. Our Global Classrooms Conference is less than a month away (!) – February 14^th and 15^th. I, of course, can think of no better way to spend Valentine’s Day than carting 23 nervous Spanish 12 year-olds to the opening conference an hour away from where they live to listen to representatives from Merrill Lynch, the British Council, the Consejeria de Educacion, the Comunidad de Madrid, UNA-USA, and SLU Madrid all congratulate themselves on what an amazing program they have put together.

All bitterness aside though, today I had three success stories: 1) Ana Gonzalez, 12, during a mock debate on illegally downloading music: “We, the delegation of CD companies, are deeply concerned about illegally downloading music because…,” 2) Lucia, 15, writing a perfect paragraph with complicated sentence structures in an impeccable reporter’s tone on an invented plane crash, and 3) Alicia, ,12, understanding how to use perambulatory clauses in order to form resolutions with minimal explanation. And these three things alone were enough to make this a very good day. Yesterday was also a good day, despite finding out that another one of my students re-failed an exam he retook (it was word for word the same test) after we spent 3 hours working through the problems and finding out the right answers. The frustration and joy of teaching, I think, lies in that your successes and failures are so closely tied to children – in this case adolescents. This means that the highs are very high and the lows, well, downright disappointing.

Who knows, talk to me tomorrow and I’ll probably be singing a different tune. You know, today the proud parent, tomorrow wanting to strangle my own creations.

In other news, I have been enjoying being on the other side of having visitors, playing the “meet the friend” role for several of the other Fulbrighters’ family members, significant others, and friends who are in town. Another huge highlight was American Brunch on Sunday with the Fulbrighters, a Brit, and Morgan’s Guatemalan roommates— real syrup, pancakes, hashbrowns, fruit salad, spinach and potato frittata, real bacon (for the others, this was exciting)—it was almost too much. I also had a moment last Friday night, after making dinner, watching a movie, and having a spontaneous dance party with my roommates (that lasted for an hour) in which I was almost annoyingly, sickeningly, smugly content with where I was and who I was with. I was, am, and remain encantada to be here. Cheesy, perhaps the faux Spring weather is getting to my head, but true.

Last, but definitely not least, a few thank-yous: Sanjeet for his festive and characteristically hilarious Christmas card; Kitty & Mehul for bringing me a suitcase full of Trader Joe’s and Asian food that I have been enjoying immensely; Mary Margaret for a box full of random and delicious treats (including snack-size 80s Trivial Pursuit and swirly straws); and Urmi & Pranav for the sweet, unexpected card and jewelry. Finding things like this in the mail are wonderful and much appreciated – so thank you!

¡Feliz Navidad y Prospero Año!

2007-12-30T01:35:00.000-08:00

"All I want for Christmas is a blog update!" After a few messages along these lines, I decided I couldn't disappoint my audience (a.k.a. my peers who spend way too much time in front of their computers at their respective places of work).

The past month has been a whirlwind (as is everything these days) and I have been traipsing around Spain and Portugal, picking up much anticipated visitors along the way. In the week or two following Thanksgiving, I spent time with my Fulbrighters, most notably going to see a play (Fedra) that my co-worker was in and meeting the cast afterwards. The following weekend I jetted off via train to Salamanca, a university town just north of Madrid with my roommate Teresa to go to the presentation of my friend Pablo's new book: "Las cuatro llaves: Marketing y el cambio social" (The Four Keys: Marketing and Social Change -- see a link to his blog on the side if you want more information). The trip was a great success, so much so that instead of coming back the following day I stayed until Sunday. We battled the melancholy weather armed with jazz and long walks around the city, good conversations and lots of food and drink. In the end, one of the most random and memorable weekends I have had in a long time, not to mention the fact that I am so proud of Pablo and his accomplishment.

The following weekend was a puente, or a long weekend, because December 6 was Constitution Day in Spain. In celebration of the constitution (and more time off from school!) I went with Alex, Jen, Morgan, Emily and our two British compatriots, Helen and Jane, to Sevilla in the south of Spain. I had been there before, but it was still nice to revisit the city, the gigantic cathedral, the river, and the WARM WEATHER. The orange trees were also a nice romantic touch in theory, but having had our first meal under a line of them (and having suffered the consequences of our feathered friends' waste landing in our food) we decided to admire them from afar and never eat under them again! The last night we were there we made reservations at an Italian restaurant and had a raucous girls night out. I hate to admit it, but I had actually missed singing "Shot Through the Heart" at the top of my lungs, frat-style.

We got back late Sunday night and after a harried day of work on Monday, I skipped on Tuesday to go pick up my sister, who has been here for the past three weeks "doing a rotation." After a few hospital visits, lots of shopping, and one fantastic Birthday celebration, we welcomed TJ to the mix, visiting the Prado and the Reina Sofia yet again and having some fantastic meals post-work Mon-Wed. Wednesday afternoon brought my brother Shivan, who we whisked away to Toledo the following day. Friday morning we all sprinted to the airport to make our flight to.....Lisbon! We spent two glorious nights in Lisbon, eating some amazing meals and taking in some breathtaking sights. My favorite, though, was Oporto on Sunday. We only were able to spend one night there, but the city was absolutely beautiful and port-tasting was a fun experience. It was also nice, albeit strange, to watch the locals doing their last minutes shopping, coming to the main square outside of our hotel to see the giant Christmas tree, be tourists themselves for the sakes of their out-of-town family members....

We spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day (Nochebuena y el Dia de Navidad) at home in Madrid, cooking Italian and Indian food, watching cheesy American movies, and playing scrabble and other nerdy word games online. Unfortunately, TJ had to leave on Christmas Day to go back to the States, but we were glad he was at least able to come for the week he was here!

To numb the loss of one of our fellow travelers, my sister, brother, and I headed to Barcelona Wednesday-Friday. I had been there a couple of times before, but it was great to see the sights again with the family and show off my limited knowledge of the place. Madrid will always feel more like home, but I must say, I fell in love with Barcelona all over again. I didn't realize how much I was craving its cosmopolitan, diverse feel, its eclectic cuisine, and its beautiful architecture and city art. Maybe I'll take up Catalan next and head out there to live.....

We took a flight back late Friday night so that we could be back in Madrid in time to pick up Visitor #4, my cousin Mehul! He got in yesterday afternoon and we walked around again, seeing the madness of Sol with its thousands of people, moving on to the quieter vistas of the Palace lit up at night, and onto Cava Baja, where we took in some tapas and (of course) vino. We ended the night early, due to Mehul's jet-laggedness and sickness (he's just recovering from the flu). Plus, we wanted to save our energy for this evening, which is when his girlfriend Kitty comes in (Visitor #5). They're all only staying for a few days, but I can't wait to hang out and spend New Year's Eve together. I feel so lucky to have all these visitors all at once! It really made the holidays special to have so much family here to come visit me, particularly since they have all come armed with edible goodies like brownie mix and chocolate chip cookies. The most recent shipment, brought by my dear cousin Mehul, even includes frozen veggie burgers and dumplings! It's almost too good to be true ;) They all head out on the 2, 3, and 4 of this week, so I'm sure it will be a little lonely afterwards. Thankfully, Shivan is staying until the 11th to keep me company!

So it seems like the house is starting to stir finally, giving me my cue to resume my hostessing duties (a.k.a. making bagels - YES, BAGELS! that my brother brought me - for the crew). Hopefully there won't be as much lag time between this and the next post, but I can't promise anything!

And to all of you who are far away, I hope you have had a happy holiday and I wish you a very, very Happy New Year!

Día de Acción de Gracias

2007-11-22T01:58:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving! In the spirit of the season, we had a massive dinner (and by massive, I mean a 7x3 table absolutely covered in food) with some of the Fulbrighters over at Talia’s apartment on Sunday. She has eight roommates, most of whom joined the 12 or so of us, so dinner was a grab bag of Americans + Europeans (Greek, Italian, French, Spanish). For over five hours, we all cooked, gushed over what good cooks we all were, ate copious amounts of food in several stages, gorged on rich desserts (including homemade pumpkin pie from scratch, which was a-mazing), and laughed hysterically over YouTube videos. We all agreed that while we sometimes lament our lack of Spanish friends, we really should be thankful for all of the absolutely phenomenal people we have met over the past three months (even though, desgraciadamente, they are American). Needless to say, we all left with that warm fuzzy holiday feeling that most of you will probably get this afternoon (read: also known as food coma).

Then came Monday, and our warm fuzzy feeling was washed away by a much needed torrential downpour that lasted three days! The cold accompanied the rain and, all in all, the weather was downright shitty. Madrid is generally a brilliantly sunny city, so it seemed to me that the bad weather really affected the mood of the city. Magically, however, my kids were quiet and attentive during these days…I am almost willing to say I would trade in all the sunny days of Spain for this miracle, though I’m not sure yet.

Yesterday, I went to go see Cassandra’s Dream in version original (since most of the movies here in Spain are dubbed in Spanish with cheesy voices). It’s yet another one of Woody Allen’s forays into the gray area of morality, culpability, and choice. Definitely not the most uplifting movie I have ever seen, but I would recommend it, since it is infinitely more thought-provoking than the last movie I saw (Lío Embarazoso, which is “Knocked Up” dubbed in Spanish). Also, Philip Glass is the composer, so at the very least, go for the music!

In other, more (most) important news, today is the day that my dearest cousin Ranak gets married in New Delhi (only to get married again in two days in Baroda). Me da pena (“it pains me”) that I can’t be there celebrating her marriage. While I can’t wait to see the pictures and squeal over the outfits, it’s just not the same, particularly since Ranak is my other sister. Every day I think of what a pity it is that we have not yet invented teleporting, as this simple device would make my life 1,000x easier! Case and point: my roommate Monica E. from Nashville is engaged to the fabulous Nick E.! Seeing the two of them almost every day for the past year made me an invested stakeholder in this engagement, but I couldn’t be there to help celebrate! Pues, por lo menos, Monica y Nick, felicidades!

Today starts my absurdly long weekend. I’m going to celebrate by running never-ending errands and watching a French movie with my language classmates. After all, what better way to celebrate Thanksgiving than watching a French movie in Spain with Colombians and eating Indian food? It’s the American way.

P.S. For a little Thanksgiving cheer, check out the adorable video the CWA-Cayce Learning Center has posted of my former students describing what they are thankful for. I miss them! http://www.cwacayce.blogspot.com/

De Madrid al Cielo

2007-11-11T09:32:00.000-08:00

Before I start recapping the past four weeks of my Madrileno lifestyle, I would like to dedicate this blog entry to my friend Alex (see red-scarved beauty to the right), who reminds me every time we talk (which is approximately 10X a day) that I am a horrible blogger and thus (I fear) an unexciting internet friend/procrastinating tool for her (and others). Alex, are ya happy now? :)

So, starting from about a month ago.....I went to go see La Bella y la bestia (Beauty and the Beast) in Spanish on stage here, which was nothing less than a delight, though the show wasn't nearly as polished as what we are used to in the states. For some reason, I am always busting into songs from Beauty and the Beast here, so hearing the Spanish version was silly and fun all at once. I also went to a birthday party for my friend Javier Duro which was an Arab-themed costume party (he turned 26). While it was fun and interesting to go to a house party in Spain outside of the city (his family has incredible views of the city), it also made me miss my friends from home, because, as lovely as the Spanish is, I came to realize just how special it is being around people who really know you, who have the same cultural references as you, etc. So, friends, know you are missed!

The next weekend brought a wonderful weekend of travelling to Galicia, which is in the Northwest of Spain. My friend Alexandra (Alex) and Nicole and I (see picture) all went first to Santiago de Compostela and then to A Coruna, a coastal town. It was, by far, one of the most enjoyable and memorable trips I have ever taken. It wasn't because we saw the most amazing sights (though we took in some breathtaking views), but more for the company, for the people we met along the way, and for the copious amounts of food we ate at every turn. I don't think I could ever forget Paolo Alexandre, the Angolan-Portuguese Waiter-Actor who gave us a very warm welcome to the city, Maria, the Gallegan student looking for English-speaking friends, the simultaneously creepy and sweet old men we met while we nursed our own pirrons, or the very odd trio made of a brother, sister, and boyfriend who we ran away from at lightning speed. I won't recap more, but if you're interested in more details you can read my friend Nicole's account here: http://nicoleinspain.livejournal.com/ Scroll down to the 10/15 entry! I will add some pictures, though, and a video from the bagpipers performing in front of the Santiago de Compostela Catedral, a pilgrimage point for Roman Catholics......

The next two weeks brought a lot of revisiting old Spanish friends and Maria Jose (the woman who I lived with here in Spain, picture included), as well as old haunts from my time abroad. I'm not sure why I waited so long to rediscover all of these people and places, but once I did, I was so glad to be able to know them twice over. It makes me feel like I own a little part of Madrid, or that it is as much my city as Nashville is, which is comforting, particularly since I am miles away from so many of the people I have been close to for years.

I also took part in a course my roommate teaches that focuses on learning about cultural identity and diversity through art. This is a topic that comes up daily, as people inevitably as "Y de donde eres?" ("Where are you from?") and when I say the United States, people stare blankly, waiting to hear where I'm REALLY from. It was very interesting and made me feel much closer to my roommates, since we are all transplants in some form or another here (Julia is the German-Spaniard and Simona is the Romanian who immigrated to Spain eight years ago).
Apart from lots of coffees, dinners, and drinks with friends, the other significant of the past month was that my parents came to visit! Though they were here for only four days total, we crammed in a lot of sight-seeing and (much to their chagrin) walking around Madrid. However, in the end, it was so great to see them and to have them see and understand a little better what my life is like here. We went to Toledo and Segovia, both day trips from Madrid, had tea with my host mother Maria Jose (which was interesting since she doesn't speak English and they don't speak Spanish), met up with my roommates and new Fulbright friends, went to mseums, and took hundreds of pictures and hours of film. A few pictures of their visit are also included here, no extra charge ;)

They are off now to India after a brief stopover in Dubai for my cousin Ranak's wedding. This fact makes me insanely jealous, as Ranak is my other sister and the thought of not being at her wedding is bizarre and sad. If I could have one super power, it would be to be able to instantly apparate to any place I wished quickly, like they do in Harry Potter. Now that would rock....

For now, I am taking it easy on a Sunday evening after a venting session with all of the Secondary School Fulbright TAs. We are supposed to be implementing what is essentially a Model UN program for our middle-school-aged kids who are still learning English. It is really pretty challenging and slightly disorganized still as we all try to understand better the program and our role (and, most importantly, try to get our kids to shut up and listen to us). As I have written a novel, though, I will save a more in depth post about the challenges of teaching for another day. I will say though, that the other Fulbrighters and I are officially teachers. It consumes our lives and when we get together, we always, inevitably, end up talking about our frustrations and successes (which are few and far between at times), and our kids.

I know I get zero sympathy for you hard workers back there in the states (and I don't really expect any; I love this scholarship and even my job). I just want you to know that teaching a group of 12-year-old rambunctious Spanish kids about the rules and procedures isn't the easiest job in the world. This includes teaching them to raise their hands and use the meeting jargon, such as "Point of Inquiry" or "Point of Information" or "Motion to dismiss the meeting." In fact, as one of my kids politely raised his hands (I was ecstatic) and told me in class, "Teacher this is point of BORING! Motion to dismiss this meeting!" At least he got the jargon right.

Here's the video, sorry my video skills are so god-awful (just tilt your head).

L'auberge Espagnole

2007-10-18T05:07:00.000-07:00

So, due to popular demand, I am posting a video of my very own Spanish flat. The video is a little dark, since it was taken at night and not during the splendid light of day (of which our salon gets a lot, don't worry), but you get the idea. Also, please excuse the cheesy commentary!

¡Profe y alumna a la vez!

2007-10-16T04:55:00.000-07:00

“How do you say polymer in English?”
“Polymer.”
“Oh. And roughly? Do you say this? The atmosphere is roughly 75% Nitrogen?”
“Yes, we do.”
“Ah, good to know. What about helium? How do you pronounce that?
“The same.”
“Good, good….”

And so goes my Science lessons at IES Isaac Albeníz en Leganés. The school experience has been quite interesting, as I have a wide spectrum of responsibilities, from confirming the pronunciation of Latin words in Spanish to planning entire lessons and units about the United Nations for the second and third year students. Planning for the second years is slightly easier, as they have zero experience with the Global Classrooms program we are supposed to implement as Fulbrighters (essentially the Model UN). As they have no concept of what it means, I have no trouble drumming up activities and games for them introducing the topic and teaching them words like “imports” and “exports.” With the third years, it´s a little more difficult to plan, though they have done the program beforehand. I continue to really enjoy working with my students, though this past week I feel like I have been run over a bus and nearly on the verge of tears due to some unruly, obnoxious kids who seem to think my standing in front of the class and talking is a signal for them to start wrestling in the back of the classroom. I never thought I would say this, but thank goodness for the discipline in American public schools!
Other than that, my life in Madrid has become quite busy. I am now giving clases particulares, or private tutoring lessons, to three students outside of class: Miguel, 12 years old, one hour each twice a week; Daniel, 16, once a week for an hour and a half; and Lucia, 16, once a week for an hour. I really enjoy tutoring these kids and the private attention I can give them (they actually pay attention to me)! It does make my days rather long, however—my Mondays and Tuesdays in particular stretch into 12 hour days, where I am occupied either travelling between jobs or extra-curriculars (I miss my car) or giving or taking classes.
What classes, you might ask? Well, I am now taking French classes at la Escuela Oficial de Idiomas for two hours twice a week. The class is filled with Spaniards and taught in Spanish, so it´s quite interesting. Sometimes the teacher will explain the meaning of a French word in Spanish and I will have to lean over and ask my native speaker and perfectly bilingual Fulbright compañero Andrés what it means in English. I am afraid of being monolingual by the time I get back to the States, because I am almost positive that my English is getting worse and my French is not getting better. Having only had 3 classes though, I will wait and pass judgment. In the meantime, I love being a student again and learning a new language!
The only other regular scheduled event in my schedule is a biweekly reunion with some of the Fulbright girls to watch the newest episode of America´s Next Top Model, bought on iTunes. As silly as it sounds and seems, it is refreshing (and quite relaxing) to do something so familiar and “normal” such as go to a friend´s apartment and watch a silly American TV show. All I need now is to find some relatively inexpensive dance lessons and I will be a happy camper!
This past weekend, we had a puente, which just means a four-day long weekend, for the Día de Hispanidad. I went with two other Fulbright girls, Alex and Nicole, to Galicia (in the NW of Spain). The trip was wonderful- so much so in fact, that I think it warrants its own entry, complete with new pictures. I will update again soon!

¡Ay, que cultura!

2007-09-30T05:14:00.001-07:00

My apologies for already being a bad blogger! The internet confessions just might not be for me after all, but I’ll keep trying….

The past week has been busy with lots of cultural activities and social events. Thursday, September 20 I went to a free flamenco show at a Metro station – not sure if it was waiting for two hours in line before hand, but the company was good and the concert was very feel good (I’ve attached pictures/videos here – finally)! The next day, my friend Pablo (who is also my roommate Teresa’s boyfriend) came into town and the four of us flatmates had a few friends over for dinner. Very international and eclectic, as people who come through this house tend to be, but all in all a very enjoyable evening – I learned how to make tortilla de patata once again and eating out on the terraza, speaking in Spanish with everyone, was really very fun. Saturday night brought about La noche en blanco, a big cultural evening that takes place in all major European cities (Paris’s is this coming Saturday night, for example). All of the cultural venues, art galleries, music venues, parks, banks, theaters, etc. stay open until 7 AM with literally hundreds of works of art and street performances and plays and expositions going on at once. On a normal Saturday night, you can see throngs of people out on the streets in Madrid, but this was absolutely insane. After a few failed attempts at trying to see shows due to timing and rain delays, I decided to give up and meet some friends I know from my time spent here before to have dinner. We ended up walking all over the city until the wee hours of the morning, which was more fun than trying to rush from one place to another trying to see everything. I am thoroughly convinced now that art + masses ≠ a cultural experience; nonetheless, it was a successful night spent with friends. The picture on the left is just one example of how crowded the venues were!

This past weekend brought on more of the same - spending time with friends, shopping in Sol, preparing for the fiestas and celebrating my roommate’s 26 birthday (see picture here of a tarp we all painted for her during the party), hearing authentic flamenco singers at a place near my piso. I find my time divided between my roommates and my Spanish friends and the Fulbrighters, who are an amazing group of people. The only downside to spending time with them, though, is that we speak in English. After a full day of doing so, the guilt of not practicing Spanish for a few hours sets in! Of course, that being the most difficult thing in my life right now, I won’t complain.

Other than that, I have seen a fair number of movies this week – the Spanish “Color azul casi negro,” the Iranian film “Las tortugas también vuelan” (seen dubbed in Spanish, of course), and “Sliding Doors.” Tonight I’m headed to the Filmoteca, a great indie cinema to see the Ingmar Bergman film “The Passion” – not sure it will be the most uplifting way to start off the week, but never having seen one of his films, I think it will be interesting.

This week has definitely brought about a feeling of being settled in, having a routine, being very comfortable with my roommates, and having more confidence in my teaching skills. It’s all a matter of trial and error. For example, my very first lesson teaching first year students about Liverpool, England using a DVD failed miserably. With the second group, though, I was able to correct my mistakes and it was a success! My schedule has changed at the school two weeks into work (you gotta love the complete lack of organization in the schools here!) and now I only work Mondays – Wednesdays. I have a couple of extra tutoring jobs also, tutoring nephews and nieces of the professors at my school. The next order of business is trying to find some open French classes to enroll in and find a place for salsa lessons. It’s strange to have so much free time, but I’m pretty sure it won’t take long at all to get used to!

For now, I am going to get back to The Time Traveler’s Wife, which is currently occupying a lot of my attention. Hope you all are well. Please do write when you get some time!

"Teacher, why do they only show pictures of cave men?"

2007-09-22T01:23:00.000-07:00

Have I really only been here a little over two weeks? It seems impossible that so much can happen in just a short period of time. It is interesting how easily a person can grow accustomed to a completely foreign environment (literally). Considering I met an entirely new set of people when I came here and am living in a previously unknown neighborhood, I feel right at home- almost to the point that I have to remind myself that I am actually living in Madrid and that this should strike me as unusual.

This past week marked the first work week for all of us English Teaching Assistants – and what different stories we all have! There are 25 of us in primary schools (6-12 years) and 13 of us in secondary schools (13-18). Here, school is only compulsory until you are 16 years of age, after which you can pursue a vocational career or two optional years of bachillerato, essentially the “college prep” track that allows you to enter university. While the majority ETAs (yikes, we are considered ETAs in Spain!) recount stories of cuddly kindergarteners, I revel in the awkwardness of my 12-15 year olds (a lot of whom are already taller than I am).

I am teaching 7 separate classrooms, which means that all of this week I gave lessons that would be appropriately titled “All about Monica” and “All about the USA” to eager and curious kids. “What kind of music do you like?” “Do you like the Simpsons?” and “How old are you?” were common questions. I am finding comfort in knowing that 12-15 years everywhere are awkward and uncertain. They are great! Their level of English is surprisingly good, particularly for the third years, who went through the Global Classrooms program (essentially the Model UN) in English last year. My task this year is to work with the second and third year students in the bilingual program to prepare them for the big conference in Madrid (and hopefully to go on to the international conference in NYC in the Spring).

I have a feeling I will have a lot of great stories to tell about these kids. They are so bright and inquisitive! For example, yesterday a little 12-year-old boy Nudin asked me during our social sciences lesson on the Paleolithic and Neolithic ages, “Teacher, why do they only show pictures of cave men [in a series of photos depicting the evolutionary process]? Weren’t there women back then, too?” Not only did I teach evolution on my first day of class, but I my students were introduced to feminist critique by their own volition. A man after my own heart!

There is so much to say about the schools here. As an educational policy nut, my mind races a hundred miles an hour while at the school, thinking of all of the differences between American schools and Spanish schools and the structural components of the bilingual program, etc. It really is the best experience for me right now and I leave school everyday on such a natural high, my mind still reeling from the days events. First, the schools are so disorganized, they make American schools look like greatly efficient machines. There are barely any posters on the wall and the style of teaching is much more traditional. Since the students are in a bilingual program regulated primarily by the British Council, there is tension between the very regulated national Spanish curriculum (something like 30% is mandated by the central government) and the English components. Teachers struggle to find quality resources in English that follow the Spanish curriculum. This problem is particularly acute for secondary schools, since there are only 10-13 secondary bilingual schools in Madrid total – not enough business for textbook companies to make it worth their while to develop quality texts.

One last important note about the schools – the teachers themselves! They are genial, a warm, welcoming group of dedicated individuals who nonetheless guard their coffee breaks with fierce intensity. The atmosphere at my school is very collegial and the teachers are very friendly and informal with each other (the relationship between teachers and students is also very informal). We go to have coffee (tomar una café) during the breaks and, without fail, someone offers to invite everyone else (a.k.a. picks up the tab), without a second thought. They seem to share ideas and resources, but have limited access to sustained, quality professional development. Though the schedule is really disorganized (still, one week into school), with teachers not knowing if they are teaching class or not or where their classroom is, somehow the system works and the kids actually do learn. Amazing!

I know that the year will prove to be a lot of hard work (despite the fact that I am only scheduled to be in school three days per week!) and rather interesting. At the very least, I seem to be getting my bilingual education fix here – and loving every minute of it!

Blogger extraordinaire?

2007-09-19T10:10:00.000-07:00

So, I'm still not so sure how I feel about blogs, but as I wanted to stop spamming people with my ridiculously long mass e-mails, I thought it might be the way to go for this year. Only time will tell if I am good at keeping up with this (and if anyone reads it!) I am already feeling the blogging pressure.....

Also, to make this chronologically accurate, I'm going to add a few more pictures and the first few e-mails I sent when I got here....

September 6

I've reached Madrid safely and that it is as lovely as I remember it. Having not slept a wink on the plane, yesterday seemed like the longest day ever (as it was- by the time I went to bed I had been awake for over 40 hours) - overwhelming, exciting, and tiring all at the same time. But just one day later, I feel settled into my new apartment where I am now sitting with my new roommate Simona (who is Romanian but speaks Spanish like a native, having lived here for 7 years). The street below is just starting to fill up with people eating at the terrazzas (mind you, it's 8 pm), my neighbor is blasting my favorite opera song (Turandot), and our new visitor, the adorable kitten from next door who snuck in via the balcony is keeping us fairly entertained. How's that for ambience?

I have a feeling I will be spending a lot of time in the common room, actually, considering my room is about the same size, if not smaller than, my freshmen year Kissam single. (It's nice that I've grown and accomplished so much in these past five years, isn't it?) The perk is that I get my own bathroom, but there's a catch: it's about the size of my parents' walk in closet (actually probably smaller; I can't even stand in there with my arms spread out in any direction). You have to bend your knees a bit at the sink to accomodate the portruding toilet and the shower "stall" is little more than an elevated square of tiles and a handheld shower.

However, before you all start thinking how crazy I am, let me reassure you that my apartment is nice and clean, with a great view, in a superb location. I live, literally, across the street from the Reina Sofia (the Madrid modern art equivalent of MOMA in NYC), a hop skip and jump away from the Prado, and a ten-minute walk from the city center. I couldn't be happier. Plus, my roommates are nice - I have only met 2/3, because the other is on vacation, but get this: they are all vegetarian (or semi-vegetarian). No one cooks meat in the house, which is good for me, as my room is right off the kitchen. One is a social worker, one is a translator (she is Spanish, but born and raised in Germany) and teaches German classes, and the Romanian is a hippie liberal fly-with-the-wind artist who is also a social worker. How do I find these people? They are all really friendly and I think we'll get along swell.

I have also met the other Fulbrighters, some of whom I had been e-mailing and communicating with through the internet all summer. They're a great, quirky bunch so far and I'm having a fun time getting to know them. It's nice to have a support network built into place here and helps with transition- it doesn't seem nearly as lonely because everyone is in the same boat. Orientation begins on Monday, so I'm looking forward to learning more about our jobs, meeting the coordinators, etc.

So, with a rather belated and poor attempt at brevity, I will leave you all to do the vastly more important things you have to do than read about my madrilena musings. I hope this e-mail finds you all well - please do write! I will do the same and send pictures as soon as I have some. Also, please, please send me your snail-mail address so you can open your box one fine day to find something personal among the bills and crappy sales magazines!

September 18

In other updates, yesterday was my first day of school and I'm still reeling from the experience. The Spanish schools are very different here in their organization and the beginning of the school year (yesterday was the first day for the kids also) is always chaotic apparently. The school itself is physically lacking any sort of posters on the walls, though apparently we're going to try to change that. The style of teaching is also different. In the class I sat in on, the teacher actually had the students do dictation! In the world of pedagogy, that is so, so old school.

The teachers are very relaxed, but somehow it works, because the kids seem to speak English very, very well. I'm really excited about working at the school (though the commute is one hour door to door each way by train) and about getting to know the kids. They are adolescents through and through: self-segregated and awkward, but still wholly interested and lovable. Tomorrow is my first lesson ("All about Monica" and "All about the USA") so wish me luck….

Other than that, I have been enjoying the Spanish lifestyle. For example, this past weekend, we went walking around the city until 7 AM, then I woke up to go to have lunch with a friend (cheap Doner Kebabs, delicious!), went to the Reina Sofia again, sat in the court yard talking about art and books, went to my neighborhood's indie bookshop, walked around the neighborhood, came back to meet my fourth roommate, and went out that night for chocolate and churros. Sunday brought on shopping with all of my roommates for plants and house-things with my roommate at the Rastro (huge outdoor market), then lunch back at the house with them, then the Prado museum and walking around Retiro Park (Madrid's equivalent to Central Park -- here's a picture of my Fulbright amiga Rachel and her novio Alf in the park). Yesterday, my roommate Simona got the job of her dreams, so we celebrated with a bottle of wine and ended up inviting over our neighbor (who we started talking to because of his visiting kitten Lola) and Simona's friend Raul and just passed away the night with bread, goat cheese and brie, and wine and champagne. It was genial.

Today, I am going to Alcala de Henares, about 40 minutes outside of Madrid so that I can see the birthplace of Cervantes. Then some errands and lesson planning and grocery shopping (I am going to become quite the cook being here!) An example of my cooking-- a romantic dinner for one on my terrace...