Propósitos en El Nuevo Año

Wow, it's been a while since I've written anything.  So several things have happened since we last talked:

My family came and visited me.  We spent a week traveling around the south of Spain.  I think they enjoyed, but I know for a fact that I did.  We went to Toledo and bought swords, we went to Granada and saw the Alhambra.  We went to Gibraltar, although they didn't let me in because I forgot my passport.  Then we went to my city of Badajoz.  Now, Badajoz doesn't have much to offer.  It is known for being a strategic city that has been through a lot.  It lies practically on the border of Portugal and has been fought over for centuries.  This means that a lot of the buildings and monuments were destroyed over the years and sadly what remains isn't much.  Well, that's the city I live in.  Fortunately, they say one positive thing about Badajoz, Aquí, se come muy bien, or here one eats very well.  Their food has some Portuguese influence and obviously a lot of Spanish influence, so I made sure that my family got to try some of the local cuisine.  Obviously they were not disappointed.

I did go home for a week and that was probably the best decision I've made since I've been here.  I got to see all my family and friends and it reminded me all of the good that America has to offer.  I can't wait to see everyone again this summer.

Then I returned to Badajoz and resumed my life as it was before.  I went to the elementary school during the day and did my private lessons at night.  Some of the classes remained 20 minutes in one direction, fifteen in another, and half an hour for the class that paid the most.  I didn't like all of the traveling, but I endured it for the money.  Well, just as luck would have it, an academy was looking for a new employee to work about 8 hours a week.  An academy is an after school place where they give classes in English.  It was called Britannia and they gave me a chance for an interview.  They have a very interesting style of teaching which comes at students from all sides: grammar, vocab, reading, writing, listening, and conversation skills.  They had a teach leave and they needed a replacement.  I knew that if I were to take this job, I would have to drop the rest of my classes, but because they paid really well and they were in a central location, I took it and now I couldn't be happier.

This job is much more like a teaching position that the teacher's aid position in the schools.  I have to plan a one hour lesson for each class every week and focus on listening and dictation skills.  I've had them make commercials, listen to Mumford and Sons, and even find out the difference between football, football (soccer), and rugby.  Doing this job has made me like teaching.  Furthermore, it's with older kids and adults, the age group that I really wanted.  There's another American there and we are the complete opposite because she likes the younger kids and I like the older ones so it works out perfectly that she gets the younger kids and I got the older ones.

Right after I accepted this job, I went to a town/city called Almendralejo for an even called the Candelas.  Essentially, different groups come together and make these floats or dolls that they end up burning at the end of the night.  They do this to clear all of the bad things from the city and also as an excuse to drink and eat fresh, from-the-pueblo food.  Spain does not disappoint with it's parties and this one was a blast.  What I love about this country is their sense of community.  Everyone of all ages gets together to watch something burn and then the go and hang out in the streets for hours.

(Side Note: One thing I noticed here is that people will talk to everyone.  If you're in an elevator or running on a treadmill people may come over and start a conversation.  Not a chummy conversation, but they talk as if you are best friends.  The people here are so friendly that they talk to complete strangers.  If my dad knew Spanish, I'm sure he would love living here.)

Community is so important to them that it makes me rethink how individual and closed we are in America compared to here.  Not that it's bad because sometimes we need our space, but the fact that everyone in the city comes out on one night is just incredible.

Finally, last week I went to Las Grutas de Aracena with my friends.  This is an underground cavern full of stalagmites and stalactites.  Now, I had been to a cavern before, but this one was so much bigger and so much prettier.  It had underground lakes and so many rocks in different formations.  It was awesome.  Then we stopped in a castle on the way back, but it was closed.  We walked around the back and to our surprise, it was open.  So we broke into the castle and took a few pictures.  Though very well preserved, this castle served as a protective stronghold that would warn other castles if invaders were coming.  Inside, there was not a lot to see, but it was still really neat.

So that's my quick summary of these past few months.  Right now we are celebrating the festival of carnaval.  Carnaval was one of my favorite experiences from study abroad so I am sure I will have a lot to say about this event.  Badajoz is supposed to be in the top 5 best carnavals in the world and I've been excited to see it ever since I found out.  Here's a little taste of things to come.  A toddler dressed up like Edward Scissorhands: