I'm home!

...Nope, not in the US: in my cozy apartment in Plaza de España! ^_^

It’s unbelievable… I actually feel this is my home. I spent my first 7 days in Spain unsettled and unnerved that I would be out of my element for 9 long months. But once I moved in, set up house, slept a full night in my warm big bed, and started teaching at my school, things fell into place! (Thank you Lord!)




We are so perfectly located, it’s ridiculous… the street we live on is the best one around, with jazz cafés, terrazas, 2 quirky movie theaters (one of which is the only English language version theater in the city), various ethnic restaurants, a filmography library, bakery, tea shop, and more! 30 seconds from our door is the famous Plaza de España where they sell trinkets, art, jewelry, etc.; a 3-minute walk leads to the huge Parque de Oeste. The Templo Debod overlooks the city center and Caso de Campo (the outlying forest), and there are running/biking/dog-walking paths leading down to rose gardens and more greenery. Who said living in a big city would deprive me of my nature time…?
A little 10 minute walk will get you to Malasaña, where my favorite odd shops, restaurants, and cafés are located, and 10-15 minutes south is Gran Vía’s shopping and theater areas and Chueca’s nightlight. All of that fun stuff + ideal Metro stop location + banks, grocery stores, & shopping nearby = Danielle, Kelsey, and Laura are 3 lucky girls!
Our landlady is a tiny older woman with a strange knack for repeating herself 3 times in completely different ways in conversation… I didn’t realize it the first few times we spoke, because most of what she said went over my head, but then as I started to understand the language more and process her accent and mannerisms as well, it dawned on me and it’s the funniest thing! The other day she was telling us about how to use our washing machine, so she showed us while telling us, then told us again in order, then went on a tangent about how the old tenants would do it, then gave us the steps in order again, then after saying goodbye, decided to remind us again of how they did it wrong before. It’s quite funny; a 2 minute conversation about the price of chicken at the market easily becomes 10 minutes. But she’s sweet and her daughter is extremely friendly, so I’m content.

My job officially started 2 weeks ago and I really like my school, the teachers and principle and other assistants are pleasant and it’s a very open atmosphere. I work 4 days a week, getting off early on Thursdays to start my 3 day weekend. I teach English in grades 2, 3, and 5, and science for 3, 5, and 6. It’s a bilingual school, if I didn’t mention that before, which basically means they have 3 subjects taught in English. It doesn’t mean the kids are great at it, but they are at least getting some exposure to immersion at a young age, which is good for their brains! The younger grades are a bit more difficult. The teachers exert so much effort keeping them in line, and the students don’t see a value in learning English yet. The older grades, on the other hand, are my favorite ones to teach. Their English isn’t great, but they’ve had enough practice with assistants from years past and they see the point of it. They’re also more curious about my life and want to express things to me about their own lives using English. They’re polite and participate and react when I correct them. The curriculum is also more interesting; I love teaching science because it’s the stuff I find important and fascinating. As language/cultural assistants, we make a lot of visual aids for the school, so I made a poster about my life and the state of California and now I’m working on fall-themed hallway decorations. It’s a little bubble of time in the week that I let myself feel like a kid doing arts and crafts for show and tell... so I enjoy it! My commute is about an hour each way, so I have time to listen to audio books or read my bible on my iPod or just zone out for a bit. I’m lucky that it’s a simple process; I take the metro from my house to the end of the line, switch once, then get off about 20 minutes later and walk straight up the paseo to my school. No problema!

I tutor one teacher’s 2 sons once a week, which has been a very good experience so far. They’re 12 and 15, so it’s a lot of grammar correction and test preparation. The older boy is particularly bright and talkative, and animated by politics and current events, so I’m working with him on his oral abilities more than anything. I really like their mom; she mentioned wanting to try an intercambio with me. That means she would spend half our time together correcting/helping my Spanish and for the second half I teach her English. The problem with it is she doesn’t know ANY English and I have no idea where to begin! But we’ll try a couple of times and see if it’s helpful to either of us. Wish me luck/pray for me!

So what have I been up to when I’m not teaching, commuting, sleeping, taking care of business, or relaxing at home? Well, not a ton since I’m waiting for my first official paycheck. But so far my roommates and I have attempted to make cookies with our landlady’s daughter…we ended up just making the dough, since our oven’s plug shorted out and scared us to death! If you know my feelings toward cookie dough, I’m sure you know I wasn’t the most disappointed person on the planet… yummm…! I’ve been out to a couple of cafés with friends and took a tango class put on by my friend’s coworker, and it is SO MUCH FUN after getting over the awkwardness of being a novice! We also found a place that has free yoga once a week, so that’s also active and interesting. Church has been a major blessing, both Sunday mornings and Tuesday nights. It’s good for my spirit as well as for my understanding of Spanish. I miraculously catch everything the speaker says and really get the lyrics and verses on a deeper level that English sometimes. I’m so grateful for that, and for the community that surrounds it.

This has been a much more positive blog post than the week before *late apologies for my pessimism!* But things have been better all around, which is very relieving. However, I am a bit sick right now which isn’t making life very happy at the moment. It was bound to happen sooner or later with the traveling, tons of little children hugging/kissing me, and 2 sick roommates so I’ve come to terms with it… just trying to keep it at bay. I know what to do if it gets worse, but I hope I can avoid a doctor’s visit.

Btw, I’m doing a terrible job documenting this year with photos. *apologies in advance* But everything is so beautiful here, and most of the time I’m too busy soaking it in to worry about a camera angle. Plus, now that this place is feeling more like home, I don’t think about grabbing my camera when walking past the beautiful fountains/buildings/parks that surround me. Also, I like when people assume I’m Madrileña, I’ve been asked for directions 2 times! (Scoooore!)
Still, I’ll try to capture and share some interesting things about my life here next time. :)

Hostel Week... or Hostile week?

You know why it´s fun to travel in hostels? For the same reason it´s NOT FUN to LIVE in hostels!
(This week was so busy, I don´t know where to begin...)

Let´s start with my hostel! It really is a fantastic find, it´s the cheapest we saw (16€ per night), full of young people, down-to-earth and friendly receptionists, constant music, a kitchen, free internet/coffee/tea/etc., and in the dead center of the most fun area of Madrid, Tribunal/Malsaña! However, for someone who is jet-lagged, trying to adjust to the food and water, constantly apartment hunting, and trying to settle down in Madrid, it was quite a struggle. The 12-person female dorm I stayed in was right above a bar so the windows did nothing to keep the noise out. Furthermore, I slept by the window the first 4-5 days, meaning even more street noise and smells... *shudder* If I ever need to travel in Madrid again, I will for sure check this place out again, but not for a week-long stay. (Shout out to the awesome people I got to meet/talk to/awkwardly wake up staring at!) Echaré mis amigos de aquí cuando me voy!
Oh yea, it ended up being 8 days instead of 5 because of the hectic mess that is apartment hunting in Madrid! As prepared as I was, or thought I was, I really had no idea how tiring or stressful it would be. We took care of some basics the first day we arrived, like getting cell phones, exchanging money, and grocery shopping. On Friday, we really liked the first place we saw and the owner seemed to be a very friendly and honest man. He said he wanted us to move in, he gave us a lower price, and he said would keep it for us until Monday. So, we thought we had a solid back-up and went on our merry way, looking for places with a better location since one roommate has a very long commute to her school. However, less than a day later we received an email saying that he was going to give it to a different group of girls who said yes right away and were willing to pay higher. We felt swindled and bewildered, and we didn´t quite know what to do. We panicked in our different ways, and spent a sleepless night researching apartments with a fire under us this time, but couldn´t do anything about it since it was Saturday night and no one does anything Sunday in Madrid.
So, we followed that example and spent Sunday in Retiro Park, calming down our feverish brains and exhausted bodies. We napped near Palacio de Cristal, chased the peacocks, and got a bite to eat at Cien Monteditos (favorite!). Our church was closed for some odd reason this week, so we had our own Psalm reading on the lawn near the lake and let the words of encouragement soak in.
My particular favorite: Psalm 139.

Monday was a day-long orientation which gave me a better idea about my role as an "auxiliar de conversación". I discovered I´m assisting in 4 different classes, and 4 different grades! 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th. And 3 subjects: English, Arts, and History/Social Science. I´ll get to teach them more than just language class, so they get used to hearing/using English in other subjects as well. :) I absorbed many of the tips the program leaders, former auxiliares, and teachers gave and I feel better about what I am doing here. We are here to improve oral ability so the children can not only pass their bilingual examinations and have better opportunities, in careers or whatever, but also to show them my culture. They found that having a native speaker around and interacting with the children forces them to use what they thought of as just a "subject" as an actual skill. I hope to see little global-minds at the end of this year!

On the topic of languages, I think my Spanish is already improving! A little. My comprehension has shot up upon arrival, since I´m around Spanish most of the time and my roommates and I try to speak as often as possible with it. I´m the most basic level of the three of us, so I am learning a lot by just listening to the way they structure sentences and use the tenses. I´m self-correcting a lot more, albeit after the fact. lol. And getting used to colloquial phrases that I didn´t think directly translated but now realize they make sense. When I´m in my school, I´m never to let the kids know that I speak or understand any Spanish. I think that will be a little difficult, especially with the older kids, because I have to play dumb when the teacher addresses them. I hope I don´t give myself away!

BUT... back to the apartment hunting saga! Maybe you forgot, but where we left off, I was still homeless. Sin hogar.
On Monday evening we walked everywhere we could think of looking for fliers or poster advertisements for 3 room apartments, anything in our price range really. We found about 10 after a few hours, and added them to our list of possibilities from the online sites. The next day we whittled that down to 3 appointments. Our first one was a dud, it was too expensive and big and we lacked enough people to make it affordable. The second one wasn´t furnished, but the agent took us to see 2 others that we seriously considered. One was still "in town" but in a poor area and we didn´t like the vibe. But we had to keep it in mind, otherwise we´d have nothing. The last one he showed us was very good, had an UNBELIEVABLE price, and seemed fine enough. The major drawback was it´s location, far out of the city center and in a very young family/older family neighborhood. We signed a deposit because we were running out of time and it was a bargain. HOWEVER, we had one more appointment that I just had to check out. It is one street east of the apartment I lived in last year in a clean and adorable part of town, close enough to everything fun as well as the transportation systems we need for our various schools. And it was a good price, less than the one we lost earlier in the week. After seeing it, my roommate and I were hooked. We loved the area, the actual flat, the amenities, and the guy was more professional and serious. So, we jumped on it! We lost our small deposit at the other place and apologized for the inconvenience, but this is apparently how the system works here. And we are lucky it does, because we might have ended up with the very first place and never known this beauty existed!!
We met with the proprietor today, signed the reserve, paid the agency, and we have an appointment to sign our contract tomorrow morning and move in right after we´re handed the keys! :D I can´t believe I´m living 3 blocks from my place last year... The immediate area is full of memories for me, but just waiting for more!! Kelsey and I hugged/skipped/ran/did a happy dance all the way to Temple Debod two streets over, giddy and in a little bit of shock. That park is a magical place at night that I look forward to spending more time in as OUR park! Tomorrow we´ll be HOME!

Oooof...you didn´t think that would EVER end, did you?
Sorry it´s so long, I just have had so little time to process and summarize and get all of this out. And I may not for a little bit, considering the next step is to get the Internet set up at our new place. Bye-bye hostel perks... :/
After this weekend, I will no longer be a vagabond/traveller/tourist, but a resident of Madrid (almost) and an elementary school teacher (almost!). I can´t wait, but I also would appreciate if all of this would slow down so I enjoy every bit of it!

Shout out to my roommates, Laura and Kelsey, you are wonderful people and I look forward to spending this year with you! Thanks for being so in this together! I think we´re going to rock this year. :)
Also if I contacted you this week about various freak-out issues, I really appreciate your prayers, advice, and support! Hallelujah, almost made it through!
I guess roller coasters are a normal thing in life. Gotta remember that... Good thing I´m coasting upward and have a stronger stomach now for the next lurch!

-Danielle

Flight Fiasco

So, the beginning of this trip certainly did not follow my expectations, which is a good lesson to learn for this year since nothing since then has followed suit either!

I flew from LA to Boston with Kelsey, thinking we were off to a great, orderly start. Then we got on our 2nd flight, I popped a NyQuil hoping to sleep a bit and avoid jet-lag, and we waited to take off. And waited. And waited. After about an hour, the intercom informed us that there was a problem with the lavatories and they were almost fixed and to be patient. So I was, for about 2 more hours. Then they told us there was a separate mechanical problem with the plane and we would not be allowed to fly out. So a very groggy and dazed Danielle deplaned along with the rest of the exhausted and frustrated Europe-bound passengers. After about 2 hours at the airport, the airline officially declared the flight "cancelled" and told us to go get our luggage. Those of us from out of town waited another hour or so to figure out what to do. The airline announced that they had arranged a fleet of taxis to drive us out to a hotel in a remote suburb and we would fly out the next day, same time. They fed us dinner, a great breakfast, and lunch, the hotel was nice, and they ended up fitting all of us onto the next day´s flight. All in all, they took good care of us so nothing against the airline. However, it is not an experience I would repeat. EVER.
On the plus side, I met many interesting people going to various places in Europe, of all ages and for all reasons. I felt worse for those on vacation or who missed out on meetings/special events. However, I also met many people who are doing the same program as me all over Spain! Apparently there are almost 1500 of us in Madrid alone (the comunidad, not the actual main city) so there´s even more in the rest of the country. The main Spanish international airport is Madrid Bajaras, therefore there was a fleet of us going over this week. I met people going to the north, the south, in Madrid, and from all over the states. So, that was the silver lining!
I finally arrived in Madrid on Thursday morning, without having slept a wink at all on the plane, and ran as fast as I could with my 80 lbs of luggage for the Metro, desiring to leave the airport and all memory of the voyage over behind me for good!

Thus, my real Spanish adventures have begun. ^_^

España, ya voy!!

Otra vez!!
I'm so ecstatic to be leaving in 2 weeks for my favorite European nation once again! I will be assistant teaching English at a primary school for 10 months October-June and getting paid! First real job after college! I will be teaching with a program through the Ministry of Education of Spain (Dedication: I am eternally grateful to Lindsey and Iñaki for suggesting/encouraging me to apply and for their help throughout this year. You guys are amazing and I don't think this would have been possible without you! Thank you! *besos)
I'm currently apartment hunting online with my future roomies Kelsey and Laura. I was so blessed to "randomly" meet these 2 lovely ladies, it had to be a God-thing! Laura happened to be stretching near me in our kickboxing class and we chatted one day about our common experiences studying in Madrid and attending the same church there as well. Then we realized we were both hired/returning to teach there, with the same program, and placed in the same area of the city! Her roommate Kelsey was also assigned in Madrid, so I am incredibly thankful God provided some built-in support as I start this adventure. (Fun fact, my last 2 roomies had the same names! Laura in Spain jr year and Kelcie in Davis sr year).
I can't wait to visit some of my favorite locations and friends so soon! I'm constantly daydreaming or thinking about it. However, the most pressing issues on my mind is how to cram everything I might need in a year (including 3 seasons of clothing) into 2 suitcases. You know, in addition to the minor things like where I'll be living, what my job will entail... no big deal. But you really don't understand, I have a LOT of clothes. Cute clothes. That I will be abandoning for a YEAR! *cries

Since I only have 2 more weeks at home, I'm trying to take them slowly and enjoy each moment. I'm lucky to have work in the short 3 weeks I'm in SoCal, and getting to see friends and family daily has been such a treat.

Random thoughts/suggestions:
Go see "The Help" and "One Day"... laughed, cried, dress-gasmed... honestly. Beautiful pieces of work.
I HATE 100 degrees. It's my least favorite degree. Except anything above it too...I hate those ones more.
Coca Cola is the shiz. Sorry Pepsi people, but it wins. Especially making these crazy hot days bearable.
Eating home cooked meals regularly, for free, and not prepared by myself is a horrible/delicious way to be spoiled before leaving the country to live off of patatas, jamon y queso for the next 10 months. (Thanks mom!)
Reading Dave Ramsey's books before I leave, and man, ka-ching!! $_$ So helpful! I advise picking up a copy of his stuff or listening to his podcast/radio show.
The tracks is tonight, if you're in Fullerton and know what that is, please attend! It's at 7 pm now, same location, some of the same people, but many new friends as well. :) Shout out to Josh and Kurihi!

Ciao Madrid

And just like that, it's over...!

This Spring went by lightening fast. I can't believe that in a couple hours I will be leaving this place I've called home for the last 2 1/2 months... I still have to clean, pack, and prepare for my Greece trip.

This last week was bittersweetness in it's purest form. There's many things I miss about home, but sooo much I will miss from here. I have pet peeves back home that I'm dreading, but happy to leave what bugs me about this place. I can't WAIT to see my friends/family back home, but I am sad to be leaving the people I've grown close to here. I'm going to be grateful for schedules and a liitle routine, but I will miss the adventurousness of spur of the moment decisions. My life is full of these opposing pairs right now and all I can say is "que sera sera." But I don't think my "adventure days" are over yet (especilly since I'm going to Greece tmrw!)

After birthday celebrations, goodbyes with our professors, tons of shopping, tons of eating, and a little bit of dancing and studying, I can officially say that my quarter abroad is over! I'm a senior in college now, and I'm going on vacation in 8 hours!

I most likely won't be able to update this til after Greece, but be praying for safety and other things throughout my final trip. <3

Hasta luego,

Danielle

San Sebastian- My last Spanish Saturday

Wow, so I was completely unaware that I would squeeze in a trip to Basque Country during my time here, but I did! Visited San Sebastian in "Pais Vasco," the North Eastern part of Spain (which also extends a bit into France). It's very distinct in its culture and history and they speak a unique language called "Euskara" that isn't related to any other language on the planet and its origins are not known anymore. (Ex: Pozten naiz zu ezagutzeaz" = "Nice to meet you") They have some of the most beautiful countryside and best food in the entire Iberian peninsula and I can't believe I almost didn't go!
Molly, Judy, and I took the 12:30 night bus which landed us in San Sebastian around 6 am. After the long night on the train, we got a quick caffeine fix, then walked along the entire shore of the main beach, known as "La Conche" for it is shaped like a seashell. The place reminded me of a mix between Newport and some sort of rich beach vacation spot. We wore nicer dresses for the trip so we could at least pretend we were well-off and spending a day at our favorite resort...! lol.
It was breathtakingly beautiful all throughout the day, but especially so at such an early and calm hour. We headed up to the viewpoint on a hill near the coast and could see the entire coastline of the city! We headed to the Old Town afterward and ate pintxos galore!! "Pintxos" (peen-chos) are like tapas but with much more variety and served in a unique way. The bars/restaurants have them all out on the counters and you pick and choose like an hours'd'ourvs buffet, then you tell them how many you had and which ones. We stuffed ourselves silly (I even tried the seafood: scallops, shrimp, and merluz!) and then went shopping around cathedrals, churches, and the river in the Old Town. During the afternoon Judy and I went into cuteness overload when a man with two fluffy white maltese puppies let us hold and take pictures of them! That, along with the futbol festival we came across, made the afternoon one cool random thing after another. Then we went to the beachfront bar and then down to the water to take pictures in the (surprisingly warm!) Atlantic Ocean. We had such a fun and freeing time swimming and playing in the waves, then we went to La Perla Spa right there on the beach for sea-mud wraps! It was so relaxing and we felt so spoiled after our treat... such girls! We headed back to Old Town for one last round of pintxos and ice cream before catching the 6 pm bus back to Madrid. The weather was on our side every part of the day: cloudy and perfect for photos in the morning, warm but overcast for shopping, sunny when we swam and played on the sand, and the first droplets of rain started as we boarded the bus for home! A full and fun 12 hours perfectly spent with my girls Molly and Judy!!
I am so glad I met and got to know these chicas on my trip from living and travelling and exploring together. We had so much fun going places, even when it was accompanied by bad luck (I blame Molly!)! Although I appreciate solo travelling and can be independent for many things, it wouldn't be the same if I didn't get to share my experiences (the ups and downs) with truly great people. These "on a whim" trips to unexpected gems have been bursts of bright color in my already colorful experience here in Spain!

Once upon a time...

A girl named Danielle was itching for adventure and running out of time to explore new lands. One day, she stumbled upon a magical land called "PORTUGAL." Little did she know she had found one of the most unique and beautiful corners in the whole world!


So, the other week I realized I'm almost done with my time abroad!! Portugal had been on my mind since it's so close and relatively cheap, so semi-last minute I booked a flight and a week later packed my bad and headed off not really knowing what I would find. The hostel I booked in Lisbon had amazing ratings and now I know why... it's the best place I've ever stayed at, including hotels! (photo: the view from MY room!) The place was a Portuguese "mansion" that was converted into a hostel, it was perfect as a solo traveller. The staff treated me like a friend visiting their house for a weekend rather than a temporary guest and I met so many interesting and fun people! My first evening I met 2 girls from New York who have been living in heaven in Lisbon for the week and had a lot of insight for me. We got a fancy seafood dinner at a nearby restaurant (yes, I ate fish and yes, I liked it!) and I crashed early, preparing for my big day ahead.
Friday morning I headed out on a roadtrip with a local named Ricardo, 2 Aussies, a Brazilian, and another Cali native. I was the only girl, but definitely kept up with the boys! "We Hate Tourism Tours" was started similar to how my dad started his business, so I liked the idea the moment I heard about it. Bruno, the founder, was working st the hostel and in meeting travelers he realized that they didn't know what to see when they came to Lisbon or only did the touristy things. He started taking people around to see his favorite things, then his friend and mechanic Ricardo helped him fix up more vehicles, and viola, the tour company was started!
So, Ricardo took us around in their bright yellow bus to show us the best of the Lisbon area from a local's perspective. First we went to Sintra, a historic place with many castles and (enchanted) forests. We had the local tradition of Ginja, a cherry liquor which you drink from a tiny chocolate cup that you eat with it! In Sinta we mainly saw the Palacio de Pena, a huge colorful and funky castle on the top of the main hill of the Lisbon area. It overlooks everything, from the Moorish castles and ruins to the big city to the ocean. It was like being in a wooded fairy land, despite the heat, and I'm so glad we got so much time there! After that we got a simple lunch and ate it at the most Western Point of all Europe, Cabo de Roca. It was the most spectacular views of the Atlantic for miles and miles as well as the coastlines, so awe-inspiring yet I had no idea it existed! We went to the pristine sand dune beach of Guincho where locals relax, and then explored the rocky areas. We went to Cascais for the best Gelati in the area, but didn't stay too long. We finished with Belem to see a few of the impressive monuments and a monastery. They were nice, but we were REALLY there for the infamous pastries at Pasteis de Belem! These things are world famous and have been around since 1837! Normally it's packed with people out the door but we actually sat down to enjoy it. My mouth will never be the same...! After that, our trip was over and we got back to Lisbon. There was so much more to the day in between the events that it felt like such a full and complete experience. The people were fun and we joked around a lot, plus everyone had the same desire for a "backdoor" kind of experience of the place. It was nice to be around like-minded people and not do the tourist trap thing.
That night, I met up with my new Australian friends plus some German people from my hostel and we just enjoyed the warm and breezy city at night! In one of the major plazas there was music playing and performers, as well as spectacular night views!
Saturday my New York girlfriends and I went to Cascais to lay out on the beach. It was the cutest little cove area with gentle waves, clear water, and a small harbor. I later walked around to explore the shopping, then went back to Lisbon for a bit. There was a big-deal European soccer championship on TV so while everyone in the city was watching it, we went to a delicious dinner then back to the hostel to hang out and talk with everyone. We relaxed and swapped travel stories and jokes into the night. Woke up at 5:30 for my early morning flight and went back to Madrid with amazing memories!

Going to Portugal was the best thing I've done on this trip as a whole, but going alone really made it worthwhile! It was so nice to be able to plan what I wanted to do on my own timing and not waste my time doing things I was just "eh" about. I could meet up when I felt active and stay behind when I was tired and have some time to myself even when surrounded by so many people. Meeting new friends helped out a lot, and I now have people to visit in other parts of the world!
--PHOTO--