New neighborhood, new students.

Hello everyone,

Se nota que no he escrito en mas de una semana.  It's been more than a week since I've written.  That's mostly because I had a rough several days and am finally coming out of it...sort of.  I feel better now emotionally but physically have not felt too well these past few days.  No one wants to read someone else's complaints so I have restrained from venting on my blog...though my facebook statuses have reflected some of my frustrations.

Being far away from everything you know and everyone you love has it's challenges.  I mostly have been very happy to be here but the feeling of being lonely and overheated (still over 90 every single day) has been getting to me.  I'm tired of being hot and sweaty all the time.  I never thought I'd be complaining about being too hot!  That from a girl who's cold 90% of the time in Seattle!  Also, ever since I moved to the new neighborhood, I've been feeling very isolated from everyone I knew here.  In actuality, the new apartment is 3.5 miles from the old casa.  However, no one from there has been in touch with me.  I'm not sure what to make of it.  Probably it's because we're all doing our own thing working or going to class.

Last weekend shall be hereon out known as the weekend of the broken plans.  I'll leave it at that.  I spent most of the weekend by myself and that is not something I'm used to.  I tried making plans to go out but to no avail.  So anyway, it was just a frustrating few days.  My friend and I did go out for some good food on Sunday after our plans to go the beach didn't work out.

On the plus side, I've added several new students to my schedule this week and that means more money for me to make!  I have an adult and several children.  I'm excited to work with them and get to know these new families.  I've got work every day and it totals up to about 10.5 hours per week.  That does not seem like much but it takes lots of time to plans lessons and commute there.  For a few jobs, I have to take 2 buses or bike and take a bus.  I can walk to some jobs.  That means that I'm gone from 3:00 or 4:00 to 9:00 most days.  I finally bought a "bono" or bike pass today so I can bike around town.  I've also got a metro/bus pass.  This is making transportation less costly in terms of money.  I've got room for a few more students but mostly my schedule is full.  I'm not making a ton of money but it's going to be enough to pay for rent and food.

There's not much else to report.  The Andaluz accent is extremely hard to understand.  I feel discouraged that I've been here 2 months and still cannot understand it.  The accent causes words to be only half spoken and not enunciated at all.  The s's are cut off the end of words.  It's extremely frustrating to feel like you can't understand anything even though you do in fact speak the language.  Everyone says this is the hardest accent and that if you can understand Spanish in Andalucia, you can understand it anywhere.  I believe it.  There are moments where I feel like people may as well be speaking to me in Chinese because nothing they're saying is registering in my ears.

So anyway, I'm sorry for negativity in this entry but I am due to write again and frankly, it's just not been a good week!  I am enjoying having my own room and space again and I like my roommates a lot.  I'm still glad to be here and determined to make this work out.  I'm seeking out opportunities to make some new friends and trying to remember that sometimes time alone helps you to grow.  This weekend I may go to Ronda to check it out.  It's a town nearby that my parents visited on their trip last year and that my dad especially liked. Money is tight but it will be worth it to plan something fun.

Keep in touch and let me know how you are doing!

Un beso,
Ashlita

Moving day and the job search continues...

Saludos!

I hope you're all doing well and enjoying what I'm told is an Indian summer back home.  Summer is still in full swing here for the most part.  Yes, kids are heading back to school, but let me tell you, it doesn't feel like summer has ended to me.  It's got to be about 90 outside most days.  You sweat like mad just walking a few blocks because it's been more humid lately...or maybe it just feels more humid.  I'm not sure.  Anyway, I'm really looking forward to it cooling off to about 75 or 80.  This Seattlegirl is not used to hot weather!

Anyway, today is moving day!  The aforementioned apartment (in my last entry) did not work out mostly because of timing and me finding a cheaper place.  I met up with a friend here for intercambio (if I haven't explained yet it's Spanish/English conversation practice) and we got to talking about my apartment search.  He has a friend here who's been looking for a 3rd girl for their apartment.  I got in touch with her and checked out the flat.  There are 2 girls living there already who are Irish and Spanish.  The Spanish girl wants to learn English and I of course want to learn Spanish, so that already seemed kinda perfect.  The girl from Ireland speaks both fluently.  So the girls seemed nice, the flat was fine, and the price was great, so I said I'd move in if they wanted me.  So, tonite I'm heading over.  It's across town by the train station.  I'll miss Rosa and Carlo's cooking and being around friends a lot, but I'm really looking forward to my own space again.  Also, I'm excited to get to know my new roommates.  Both are about my age +/- a few years and I think we'll get along well.  New friends?  I expect so!

I've been making progress in lining up students and expect to meet with a family tonight and another tomorrow.  The next several nights I have meetings and then hopefully will get a schedule mapped out for giving private lessons.  Once that's done I can get into a bit of a routine.  I do start work with a new family tomorrow night.  I met them last week and look forward to getting to know them better.  The initial meeting was kinda of awkward, but they seem nice and it should work out fine.


Last weekend I went out for tapas with my friend Alfonso and some girls he's friends with.  He's the one who connected me with the girls I'm going to move in with. On Sunday, I went to the yoghurteria (frozen yoghurt shop) with Carmen and her friend Barbara.  It was great to meet a new girl to hang out with!  I love hanging out with Spanish friends because it forces me to work on my Spanish!  Plus, they're all really nice about helping me when I get stuck.

So my current plan is to be here until early Dec or end of Nov.  We'll see.  The apartment I'm moving to is available until the end of Nov.  We have to be out Dec 1.  I think airfare will cost a fortune later in Dec anyway so leaving then will be ok with me.  I've looked and it's half the price to fly home Dec 8 then like Dec 15th!  I'll buy a ticket later, but that's the plan. 


That's it for now.  These entries always get super long because I forget to write often enough.  Keep me posted on what's going on in your life :-)


Un beso,
Ashlita

Meeting new people is fun!

Hey!

So the theme of the past week has been meeting new people (as this entry's title would presume).  I am still at Rosa and Carlo's house and am enjoying meeting the new TEFL "kids".  I have 2 new roommates (my previous roommate is back in England now :( ).  So, Rimante is from Lithuania and Mayhelen is from Norway.  It's amazing how well Europeans from so many countries are bilingual at such a young age.  Both girls speak perfect English.  On Sunday, Rimante and I went out exploring the city and saw a different part of town than where I usually go.  Mayhelen came last night as well as a new guy from England.  A bunch of us went out for drinks last night and had a good time comparing cultures, languages, etc.  A part of this  experience that I find I am really enjoying is meeting new people from all over.

On another note, I am receiving many responses to my adds offering English lessons.  I can't remember if I already blogged about this or not, but basically, they have several sites here that are like Craig's list.  I have placed adds on these sites to try and find students.  So far I've responded to many adds and probably have 2 that seem quite likely to work out.  Many people have responded but then when I reply to their emails, they don't respond.  I'm trying to figure out the best way of replying to their emails.

Also, Rosa is helping me find some work because her nephew and his friend need a new English teacher.  So that's likely to work out as well.  I'd work with each boy for an hour or 2 per week.  In addition to that, she is friends with a family who has young children and would like someone to work with their kids in English.  Hopefully some of these leads will work out.  I am starting to miss not being busy!  During the TEFL class I was busy, busy, busy all the time.  Now that I've had a week off, I'm starting to get slightly bored.  Hanging out with new people is certainly helping with that, but on days like today when I have nothing planned, I feel a bit lost.

As much as I like Rosa and Carlo and could see myself staying in this house, I am interested in finding my own room in an apartment somewhere and sort of having my own place.  It was awkward telling Rosa this since she's been so nice and is helping me to find some work.  However, she asked me about when my bf was coming...and that lead me to tell her.  Dawn, my TEFL teacher, emailed us girls about an apartment opening up and I contacted the girl in charge of it.  Yesterday, she met me near my place (the new apartment is close by) and we went to check it out.  She'd be one of my roommates and is the niece of the woman who owns the flat.  The rooms are rented out to people like me and a single room is available on Sept 19th.  After considering the price and talking it over with a few people, it seems like a good fit for me.  We shall see if it works out.  I've sent an email saying that I'd like the room.

That is it for now.  I'm off to walk down to the Plaza de Espana.  It's apparently really gorgeous and I have yet to see it.  If it's as amazing as I'm told, it will go on the list of stuff to do when my bf comes next month!

Cuidense mucho!  Take care everyone!
Ashley

Madrid part 2 and new Spanish friends

Hola a todos!

Well, Madrid day 1 started off a bit dreary as you noted by the negative tone of my blog.  It ended fine though I was exhausted and feeling very lonely.  I found a cute little family run hostel to stay in and got a good night's sleep.  I even got to was MTV on the little tv in my room!  Ah, junky tv from home :)

Day 2 in Madrid was good!  I went first to the train station to buy my ticket home.  Though it's expensive, it seemed better to me to not be on a bus for 6 more hours and to not get home in the dark.  So worth it!  After I got my ticket, I went to the art museum called Reina Sophia (I think) which is where the Guernica painting by Picasso is.  I gawked at it for quite a while because I've waited so long to see it!  It was awesome to see in person.  The other modern art there didn't really do it for me but that's ok.  Just seeing Picasso's work there made it worth it.  Then, I went to the house where Lope de Vega (famous writer from the 1600s) lived because taking a tour of it is free!  Free is a good word when you're jobless.  The tour was all in Spanish but I am happy to say I understood most of it.  After that I went to this giant park and ate some sandwiches from a deli nearby.  All in all, a good day.

I have to say I'm quite proud of myself for navigating a big city all by myself and not getting terribly lost.  I don't know whether or not I'd have had the guts to do that before this trip.  It was a growing experience for me and I got pretty tired of being alone at times, but also enjoyed doing whatever I wanted to.

Last night I was home by about 9:30 or 10:00 and there was a gift waiting for me in my room!  My boyfriend sent me cupcakes!  You may find this hilarious but I'm in love with cupcakes and he knows this so it was the perfect gift from a great guy.  Thanks to skype, I got to thank him :)

Today I went for hot chocolate with my new friend Pablo and his cousin Carmen.  They are both in their early 20s.  Pablo was one of our students when we practiced teaching English in our TEFL class.  It was a lot of fun to hang out with them and to make a Spanish girlfriend!  It was sweet of Pablo to remember that I wanted to meet some girls here and arrange it.  We got soaked because it's been pouring rain but that's ok.  Carmen seems fun so hopefully we'll hang out again soon.  Tomorrow I'm meeting another student, Alfonso, for an intercambio (to practice Spanish and English).  Helping each other in this way is good for both parties!

My current plan is to see how work goes and plan on being home around Christmas, or maybe a bit before.  I don't know and won't until I start work and see if I can make enough $ to live on.  I will just see how it goes.  That's it for now.  Hope all is well with you!

Con carino,

Ashlita