I was sitting in class with some of my 6th grade girls watching the Diary of Anne Frank... in Spanish! So, needless to say I got out a piece of notebook paper and just started writing. Here it is...
I read over some of my post the other night and wanted to take the time to write about what I am learning on a personal and professional level.
Professionally
This experience has put me directly in the place of any English language learning student I may have in the future. I have experienced the lack of ability to communicate simple ideas and small conversation. This feeling can be one of the scariest feelings... it can make you feel so small and as though you are on a different planet. You look around and see people who look somewhat like you and they are doing familiar things but, then they simply greet you. You feel lost and find yourself forgetting the very small amount of the language you´ve known since 3rd grade. What if you say it and it´s wrong? What if you say it and it´s right and they think you know more than you do? I have gained an incredible ability to now TRULY empathize with not only students in my future classroom but, with a random person struggling at the cash register in front of me in the grocery store. This experience has encouraged me to learn enough or simply keep a translating app on my phone in order to be that person that can ask if someone needs help! Nothing has ever felt like an angel sent straight from God himself like someone who approaches you on the street to ask if you´re ok and if you need help! It can even be broken English while using many gestures... and you want to hug this stranger before you walk away. I WILL be that person from now on.
When I went to my boys´ classroom, I noticed that one of them was really upset and crying. The other boys had crowded around him, attempting to figure out what was wrong. It wasn´t until a group of them came back from the bathroom (so that the upset student could clean himself up) did I find out the reason why the student was so upset. This will be his last couple of months here at this school because, his parents don´t know enough English to help him with his assignments. Therefore, he has to move to a different school where there is no English. He has been with this group of boys since they were all in preschool. He was devastated and scared. The other boys in the class have started a collection to raise money in order to buy the student a mobile phone so that he will still be able to communicate with his friends. They also brought a camera to school and have started documenting the last weeks they have together. I thought to myself, while watching all of this that I will always go the extra mile in order to properly communicate with the parents of my students and watch what kind and how much homework I send home with my students. These families who move to America in order for their children to have different lives and live like Americans, should be given the help they need. If I were to move to Spain, already having children who speak English, I would want and appreciate all of the help my children and I get.
Personally
I have been taught my whole 24 years of life that the most imporant thing to do in this life is LOVE one another and to treat people how you would like to be treated. My eyes have been OPENED. I have seen myself in a different light. I see the life I live day to day and have been able to compare it to lives that are lived here.
First, people are people no matter what language they speak or what type of community they live in. People are excluded while some are included. There are cliques and groups everywhere. I used to think that was an American way of life that people complain about but, the truth is it´s everywhere! Sometimes it´s innocent and sometimes it´s malicious. Also, the things that we as Americans hear that other people complain about us or think is rude... they do it just as much or do different things that we in our country consider rude. It´s just a difference in people and cultures... and guess what... IT´S OK! People invading your personal space or not saying excuse me as they brush past is just a way of the rushed, urban Spanish life.
All of this has taught me that a different language has very little to do with this different life. Yes, I have come to a place where the language I speak is not the first language spoken but, believe it or not that has very little to do with my homesickness. I MISS my way of life in the States and now have a BRAND NEW appreciation for it!
While observing my host family living their life I got to see and experience such huge differences. They get up all together for school at 7 am. They get dressed, eat breakfast, and all leave together at 8 o´clock. They get in their van, dad stops by the newspaper stand to get a paper, drops mom off at work, and drops the kids off next. After school... at 5:30... either the oldest boy will have fútbol or the oldest girl will have volleyball and whoever is not playing a sport that afternoon will walk home with their youngest brother... hopping on and off the metro. The kids go in and instantly do their homework. If it´s Thursday they have a German tutor come and work with each one of them one on one. By the time they finish with their tutor, Mom has gotten home and started dinner - this is around 8 pm. The kids take turns getting a shower and all sit down together at the dinner table while mom stands and talks preparing a second course or helping. When they finish they play or watch tv until about 10pm. Dad gets home at about 9:30 and him and mom sit down for dinner together. Mom and dad aren´t in bed until about midnight. They get up and do the same thing over again the next day. On the weekends they are busy with different sport matches, birthday parties, and shopping... every weekend. I am sure that there are plenty of families who live EXACTLY like this in the United States but, I am not from one of them!
I am used to slow living... Sitting out under the carport barefoot after school or work, talking, laughing and drinking iced super, syrupy sweet tea while discussing whether or not we feel like going to visit my grandparents. I am used to slow cooked roasts, home grown vegetables, dogs running, birds flying and chirping, trees swaying slowly in the breeze, listening to my neighbor kids playing. Obviously, those things take place here but, I feel as though life is too busy to notice them. I am used to kissing and hugging when you arrive, before you leave, during dinner, after dinner, before bed, and in the morning... I am now realizing on top of a lot of other things... I miss hugging!
This trip has been so much fun and has taught me A LOT about myself, what I should appreciate more, and the most about other people and cultures. I have loved this experience but, will be so glad to get back to my life in the sweet, slow south of the United States!
Friday, May 9, 2014
Monday, May 5, 2014
Second Week - First Weekend!
The School Week...
This week was so short! As I mentioned in my last post, we went to school Monday through Wednesday, were out Thursday for a worker´s holiday, and Friday school was not in session. So, Monday I taught my first English lesson. It was a small writing lesson where the kids had to write a personal narrative. I found a graphic organizer for them to use and my teacher loved it. The stories could be fiction or nonfiction and they were HILARIOUS! I heard everything from what the students were going to do on their holiday breaks to students starting their own revolution and taking over the government! Though they were so nervous reading them aloud in front of the class, they did such a great job.
It´s funny how I think the students speak great English yet, they are so shy when it comes to talking. Well, the girls can be... the boys tend not to care if you understand them or not they just talk! Tuesday´s school day was kind of slow... not a lot happened... we were all just excited about the next day being our "Friday!" Tuesday night a friend and I finally went to see Sagrada Familia! It was the most AMAZING thing I have ever seen. The detail in the architecture was unbelievable, for lack of a better word! There is no word in the English language that can describe the feeling and emotion when looking at something like that! It was simply breath taking and extremely overwhelming to the senses. We grabbed a burger on the way home and I packed for Rome as soon as I got back to the apartment. Believe it or not, I packed everything I needed into a single backpack! I had my boarding pass, my money, and I was so nervous about going to a different city, where they speak another different language I did not know, and finding my way around.
Wednesday was a quick day, not a lot of work... but lots of excitement and talk of weekend plans. After school, I went home with two friends and one of their host moms kindly took us to the airport. We walked in and again had no idea where we were suppose to go. Luckily, we ran into the other traveling groups. 4 of us went to Rome, 2 of us went to Paris, and others of us went to Dublin! I have become so close to the other ladies on this trip, that it made me nervous when we all went our separate ways... I´d definitely say we have become our own little family.
Roma!
We boarded our plane at 7:55 pm and flew for about an hour and a half. I was scared I was going to get sick on this plane too but, I sat next to the window and think that it helped me when we took off and landed. It was a much better ride... then again, it wasn´t an 8 hour flight either! We landed in Rome and found our taxi driver holding a sign with our names. He was a short, good looking Italian named Luigi! It was perfect! However, the ride was a bit scary! He flew down the interstate, driving with his knees, and texting on two different phones at the same time! ... For any parent of any girl who was in the cab who may be reading this at the moment... we all made it out of our death cab ALIVE!
We got to our apartment and a man about the age of my Poppy greeted us. He had cake and 2 bottles of champagne waiting on us. He showed us around the apartment, left us a cell phone, had printed off different maps with directions for us, and had books and maps about local attractions in Rome and Italy! It was so sweet and all of us were instantly comfortable! It was about 11 pm by then and all of us were starving! Scared that we would leave the apartment in the dark and get lost we decided the cake and champagne would be our dinner... yeeahh... it turned out to be a really fun first night. Three of us polished off both bottles and I must say I became a cork poppin pro! :)
The next day, Thursday, we left the apartment and headed out to find the bus that would take us to the metro so that we could get into the city. No one working in businesses knew English but, a lot of people in the businesses or out on the street would over hear our questions and would come to our rescue. I must say though Italian is a very powerful language. The people are very expressive... it´s a little intimidating but, beautiful at the same time.
So, we finally found our way to the metro station and randomly hopped on a train to the Colosseum, hoping that we would find some tourist information around it! We got on the metro and looked over to see two older couples who stood out as tourist! We asked if they spoke English and where they were from and they said KENTUCKY... it was so weird how good that felt to hear... they instantly became family and we wanted to follow them around all day. One of the men was even a retired teacher who had taught for 35 years. After chatting while making our way through the station, we walked out and were instantly greeted by the stunning landmark. We walked around it, took too many pictures, and stopped at an outdoor cafe across the street from it and shared a pizza. It was wonderful.
After lunch, we walked down the street where we saw double decker tour buses lined up and bought a ticket to hop on and hop off at the different stops. The sun was out, the breeze was cool, we plugged our headphones in, turned to channel 1 for English and rode around the city for about an hour and a half listening to the rich history. The stories were amazing and honestly I could have rode that bus all day listening over and over again! It was amazing looking at the ancient structures and hearing what exactly took place in them! When we finally got off at a stop the first thing we did was buy gelati! It was so delicious! We spent the rest of the day finding our way around at the different stops and shopping at the different shops. That night, we wanted to eat cheap so we stopped at a market and picked up pasta, cooking wine, asparagus, and pamersean cheese. We boiled the pasta in half water, half cooking wine, drizzled cooking wine over the asparagus, and baked it. When the pasta was finished we drained it and tossed it in the pamersean cheese, salt and peppered our asparagus and it was fabulous!
Friday, we got up and headed to the Vatican. We agreed that the one expensive thing worth paying for was getting in to the Vatican. We paid 40 euros to skip the line that was MILES long and we were lead by the Italian Indiana Jones... who made fun of the Japanese tourist the entire time... it was an experience. I must stop here and explain that I can´t even begin to go in to telling you how the Vatican was. I just can´t I try and my mouth stays open. The art work and sculptures in the building... speechless... the Sisteen Chapel... speechless... St. Peter´s Basilica ... absolutely stunned and speechless! We literally spent all day in Vatican City and though the crowds were insane, it was so worth it. Later we went to see the Treavi Fountain and we had spaghetti and lasagna for dinner! It went by so fast and it was so crazy... then there was Venezia!
Venezia!
Saturday morning we got up at 5:30 to make our way to the train station to catch a 7:50 train. The train ride was fun but, a little bit of a rough ride. We made it to Venice by 11:30 am. When we walked out of the train station our jaws dropped. We were instantly greeted by the smell of salt water, the sight of the sun beaming off of blue-green water, boats driving up and down the canal, and the most beautiful historic buildings we have ever seen. We walked across a bridge, taking us over the grand canal and headed to our hotel. Since it was still early we walked around hotel area and found more gelato! :) We wandered around, shopped, then finally sat in the breakfast area of our very aged, out of date hotel... I have to say it was clean though! We checked in at 1 and went to eat lunch at the pizzeria snack bar next door. I had ricotta cheese and spinach stuffed ravioli and tiramisu for dessert... the view, the food, and the people... I WAS IN HEAVEN. It is so laid back and Venice and with the exception of a few... (there´s always one) everyone was so nice. After lunch we went to our room, opened our shutters for some fresh air, and took the best hour nap we had all weekend. After our nap we went shopping. As the sun set and the rain clouds moved out we paid for a 40 minute gondola ride. It was worth EVERY penny... or euro! The city, the sun setting on the water, the buildings and sidewalks lit up, and the sound of the oar moving the water was so perfect. After the ride, we quickly found ourselves eating... again... this time it was a nutella crepe. After the crepe we decided it would be a good idea to relax by the water and share a bottle of wine... and we again found ourselves eating mussels and penne pasta... we did share the wine though! A bottle of sweet Lambrusco and it was the best wine I have ever had. We stayed out til about 11:30 talking, laughing, and drinking. It was the best time I´ve had the whole trip!
Sunday, we had to look for things to keep us busy. We finished up shopping, walked to the edge of the city to the see the Mediterranean and Alps, had pizza for lunch, and bought bus tickets from a cranky Venetian. Before heading to the airport we of course got lost in the very small streets in the heart of the city but, ended up seeing everything we didn´t see the day before. It ended up feeling like God telling us "Look at this before you go." We found our way back to the bus depot in plenty of time. The bus ride was hot but, quick and the plane ride was perfect. However, returning to Barcelona instead of the States felt odd. I experienced my first bit of homesickness last night and ended up crying myself to sleep last night after talking to my family and sad looking husband. :( I fell asleep thinking tomorrow will be a better day and it was.
Tonight...
I got to FaceTime with my little man Robbie D (my crazy cute 1 year old baby cousin) tonight and it made everything better... (even though he´s getting big WAY TOO fast)... I got laughed at when I fake cried for kisses but, I eventually got them. I´ve spent the night at the house with my host family tonight and it never fails to make me feel better. I´ve had noodle soup and chicken for dinner and have got to finish this book so that I can plan another English lesson.
Even though I´m missing my family and that good lookin best friend of mine... I´m so blessed and life is so good in Barcelona!
This week was so short! As I mentioned in my last post, we went to school Monday through Wednesday, were out Thursday for a worker´s holiday, and Friday school was not in session. So, Monday I taught my first English lesson. It was a small writing lesson where the kids had to write a personal narrative. I found a graphic organizer for them to use and my teacher loved it. The stories could be fiction or nonfiction and they were HILARIOUS! I heard everything from what the students were going to do on their holiday breaks to students starting their own revolution and taking over the government! Though they were so nervous reading them aloud in front of the class, they did such a great job.
It´s funny how I think the students speak great English yet, they are so shy when it comes to talking. Well, the girls can be... the boys tend not to care if you understand them or not they just talk! Tuesday´s school day was kind of slow... not a lot happened... we were all just excited about the next day being our "Friday!" Tuesday night a friend and I finally went to see Sagrada Familia! It was the most AMAZING thing I have ever seen. The detail in the architecture was unbelievable, for lack of a better word! There is no word in the English language that can describe the feeling and emotion when looking at something like that! It was simply breath taking and extremely overwhelming to the senses. We grabbed a burger on the way home and I packed for Rome as soon as I got back to the apartment. Believe it or not, I packed everything I needed into a single backpack! I had my boarding pass, my money, and I was so nervous about going to a different city, where they speak another different language I did not know, and finding my way around.
Wednesday was a quick day, not a lot of work... but lots of excitement and talk of weekend plans. After school, I went home with two friends and one of their host moms kindly took us to the airport. We walked in and again had no idea where we were suppose to go. Luckily, we ran into the other traveling groups. 4 of us went to Rome, 2 of us went to Paris, and others of us went to Dublin! I have become so close to the other ladies on this trip, that it made me nervous when we all went our separate ways... I´d definitely say we have become our own little family.
Roma!
We boarded our plane at 7:55 pm and flew for about an hour and a half. I was scared I was going to get sick on this plane too but, I sat next to the window and think that it helped me when we took off and landed. It was a much better ride... then again, it wasn´t an 8 hour flight either! We landed in Rome and found our taxi driver holding a sign with our names. He was a short, good looking Italian named Luigi! It was perfect! However, the ride was a bit scary! He flew down the interstate, driving with his knees, and texting on two different phones at the same time! ... For any parent of any girl who was in the cab who may be reading this at the moment... we all made it out of our death cab ALIVE!
We got to our apartment and a man about the age of my Poppy greeted us. He had cake and 2 bottles of champagne waiting on us. He showed us around the apartment, left us a cell phone, had printed off different maps with directions for us, and had books and maps about local attractions in Rome and Italy! It was so sweet and all of us were instantly comfortable! It was about 11 pm by then and all of us were starving! Scared that we would leave the apartment in the dark and get lost we decided the cake and champagne would be our dinner... yeeahh... it turned out to be a really fun first night. Three of us polished off both bottles and I must say I became a cork poppin pro! :)
The next day, Thursday, we left the apartment and headed out to find the bus that would take us to the metro so that we could get into the city. No one working in businesses knew English but, a lot of people in the businesses or out on the street would over hear our questions and would come to our rescue. I must say though Italian is a very powerful language. The people are very expressive... it´s a little intimidating but, beautiful at the same time.
So, we finally found our way to the metro station and randomly hopped on a train to the Colosseum, hoping that we would find some tourist information around it! We got on the metro and looked over to see two older couples who stood out as tourist! We asked if they spoke English and where they were from and they said KENTUCKY... it was so weird how good that felt to hear... they instantly became family and we wanted to follow them around all day. One of the men was even a retired teacher who had taught for 35 years. After chatting while making our way through the station, we walked out and were instantly greeted by the stunning landmark. We walked around it, took too many pictures, and stopped at an outdoor cafe across the street from it and shared a pizza. It was wonderful.
After lunch, we walked down the street where we saw double decker tour buses lined up and bought a ticket to hop on and hop off at the different stops. The sun was out, the breeze was cool, we plugged our headphones in, turned to channel 1 for English and rode around the city for about an hour and a half listening to the rich history. The stories were amazing and honestly I could have rode that bus all day listening over and over again! It was amazing looking at the ancient structures and hearing what exactly took place in them! When we finally got off at a stop the first thing we did was buy gelati! It was so delicious! We spent the rest of the day finding our way around at the different stops and shopping at the different shops. That night, we wanted to eat cheap so we stopped at a market and picked up pasta, cooking wine, asparagus, and pamersean cheese. We boiled the pasta in half water, half cooking wine, drizzled cooking wine over the asparagus, and baked it. When the pasta was finished we drained it and tossed it in the pamersean cheese, salt and peppered our asparagus and it was fabulous!
Friday, we got up and headed to the Vatican. We agreed that the one expensive thing worth paying for was getting in to the Vatican. We paid 40 euros to skip the line that was MILES long and we were lead by the Italian Indiana Jones... who made fun of the Japanese tourist the entire time... it was an experience. I must stop here and explain that I can´t even begin to go in to telling you how the Vatican was. I just can´t I try and my mouth stays open. The art work and sculptures in the building... speechless... the Sisteen Chapel... speechless... St. Peter´s Basilica ... absolutely stunned and speechless! We literally spent all day in Vatican City and though the crowds were insane, it was so worth it. Later we went to see the Treavi Fountain and we had spaghetti and lasagna for dinner! It went by so fast and it was so crazy... then there was Venezia!
Venezia!
Saturday morning we got up at 5:30 to make our way to the train station to catch a 7:50 train. The train ride was fun but, a little bit of a rough ride. We made it to Venice by 11:30 am. When we walked out of the train station our jaws dropped. We were instantly greeted by the smell of salt water, the sight of the sun beaming off of blue-green water, boats driving up and down the canal, and the most beautiful historic buildings we have ever seen. We walked across a bridge, taking us over the grand canal and headed to our hotel. Since it was still early we walked around hotel area and found more gelato! :) We wandered around, shopped, then finally sat in the breakfast area of our very aged, out of date hotel... I have to say it was clean though! We checked in at 1 and went to eat lunch at the pizzeria snack bar next door. I had ricotta cheese and spinach stuffed ravioli and tiramisu for dessert... the view, the food, and the people... I WAS IN HEAVEN. It is so laid back and Venice and with the exception of a few... (there´s always one) everyone was so nice. After lunch we went to our room, opened our shutters for some fresh air, and took the best hour nap we had all weekend. After our nap we went shopping. As the sun set and the rain clouds moved out we paid for a 40 minute gondola ride. It was worth EVERY penny... or euro! The city, the sun setting on the water, the buildings and sidewalks lit up, and the sound of the oar moving the water was so perfect. After the ride, we quickly found ourselves eating... again... this time it was a nutella crepe. After the crepe we decided it would be a good idea to relax by the water and share a bottle of wine... and we again found ourselves eating mussels and penne pasta... we did share the wine though! A bottle of sweet Lambrusco and it was the best wine I have ever had. We stayed out til about 11:30 talking, laughing, and drinking. It was the best time I´ve had the whole trip!
Sunday, we had to look for things to keep us busy. We finished up shopping, walked to the edge of the city to the see the Mediterranean and Alps, had pizza for lunch, and bought bus tickets from a cranky Venetian. Before heading to the airport we of course got lost in the very small streets in the heart of the city but, ended up seeing everything we didn´t see the day before. It ended up feeling like God telling us "Look at this before you go." We found our way back to the bus depot in plenty of time. The bus ride was hot but, quick and the plane ride was perfect. However, returning to Barcelona instead of the States felt odd. I experienced my first bit of homesickness last night and ended up crying myself to sleep last night after talking to my family and sad looking husband. :( I fell asleep thinking tomorrow will be a better day and it was.
Tonight...
I got to FaceTime with my little man Robbie D (my crazy cute 1 year old baby cousin) tonight and it made everything better... (even though he´s getting big WAY TOO fast)... I got laughed at when I fake cried for kisses but, I eventually got them. I´ve spent the night at the house with my host family tonight and it never fails to make me feel better. I´ve had noodle soup and chicken for dinner and have got to finish this book so that I can plan another English lesson.
Even though I´m missing my family and that good lookin best friend of mine... I´m so blessed and life is so good in Barcelona!
Monday, April 28, 2014
Getting Everything Figured Out!
FINALLY!
After Google not recognizing my location, locking me out of my account, having the wrong phone number, and it taking 24 hours to reset my new password... I am FINALLY posting! Which I must say is perfect timing because, last week I was in absolute shock stepping off of the plane. WARNING: I plan to be brutally honest in this blog and I know my mother will be reading this and you don´t tell a story without telling EVERY LAST detail!
The Plane Ride
First... the plane ride... OH MY GOODNESS!
This was one thing I was in no way prepared for. I have flown here and there on little one to two hour flights but, never EIGHT HOURS. We were on a jet that had one middle aisle and on each side of the aisle there was a row of three seats. For fear of extreme jet lag, I felt an immense amount of pressure to try and sleep on the plane. Wouldn´t you know with my luck, I was in a middle seat. So, I was sitting straight up in my chair scared to lean to either side... not because I didn´t want to lay on Kelly or Brittney (they wouldn´t have minded and I didn´t mind them laying on me) but, because I didn´t want to leave the tiny stream of cool air that was blowing down on me. I was doing that kind of thing where you squeeze your eyes closed because you want to go to sleep so bad, then you realize you´re squeezing your eyes so you´re trying to relax your face every five minutes! Yeeeah, so when I finally did fall asleep I felt like I slept really hard and woke up extremely achey. When the plane finally landed I was looking at the tv screen in front of my seat (a positive - free new releases, tv shows, and games - I watched We´re the Millers with Jen Aniston... HILARIOUS) and when the plane had stopped... I NEVER knew it... I felt as though we were still moving and when I looked out the window we had stopped. I looked up and it all of a sudden felt like this jet had transformed into a cracker box and people were sitting on top of me. I had to look down, focus on the ground, and talk myself out of having a panic attack. I have never felt like that... but, all I wanted to do was crouch down, hug myself, and remind myself that this was my space! The longer it took to get off the plane the more I felt like I was going to lose it! Needless to say this hasn´t been my favorite part of the trip! UGH... it made me feel so sick! :(
Meeting the Family
So, we walked off the plane and had to stand in this really long line to get our passports stamped. I was wearing my dad´s UK basketball tshirt and was asked by three people if I played basketball in the states... hahahaha.... ME! I was shocked when we walked straight to baggage claim, got our luggage, and walked out of the airport! When we exited, Kristin (our coordinator) was there to meet us. She was smiling and asked us different questions about our flight. We then walked to a bus, loaded up, and headed out. Driving from the airport to the city... seeing all of the business advertisements and road signs in a completely different language it hit me... and the minute it hit me I looked over and one of the other girls asked, "What are we doing here?" I sat there... and couldn´t answer the question. Kristin stood at the front of the bus talking about maps and metro maps and passes and how to get to school... and to this day I have no idea what all she said.
The next thing I knew, we were pulling up to a tall building with a huge concrete wall around it. We pulled onto this tiny side street and were told to get off and get our luggage. There was a crowd of people waiting to greet us. I stepped off the bus, grabbed my luggage, and stood on the sidewalk watching all of these people greet my friends with kisses, hugs, and smiles. All of a sudden, I heard someone say "Mandi, she´s right there..." I looked over and this very nice looking man in a suit and glasses was walking toward me smiling. My host dad had come to pick me up. He greeted me and asked about my flight. He took my suitcase from me and we walked to the car. On the way home we made small talk and he pointed out random things to me as we rode down the road. We got to a small parking garage, parked the car, and walked outside and around the building to go in. We went in, got into the smallest elevator I´ve ever been in and went to the second floor. We walked in a very nice apartment and were greeted by the maid who was ironing laundry.
He showed me around the apartment and told me that he was going to leave me there to rest and that Natalia, my host mom would be there to pick me up at 1:30 to be at school by 2 for orientation. It was 11:30. I wandered around the house then, went to my bed to lay down horizontally for a few minutes. I´ll never be able to describe how GLORIOUS laying down at that moment felt! I had to fight to stay awake. I didn´t want my host mother to come in and find me sleeping the first time we met. I layed there til 12:30 then got up and took a shower. Their shower has two knobs... one turns it on and the other controls the temperature by number. The toilets here have very little water in them and when you flush them, water comes straight up and it flushes straight down... no swirling!
When I got out of the shower, I got ready to go back to school and layed across my bed... I fell asleep and was startled awake by my host mother coming in through the front door. I jumped up and greeted her at my bedroom door. She was running late getting me back to school so we rushed out the door as soon as we kissed each other hello.
Everything felt like a blur... rushing down the street, walking into the metro station, buying a metro pass (my debit card didn´t work in the machine - yes I had a heart attack,) getting on the metro for the first time, riding it to the station near school, and walking to school... I have no idea what we talked about, what I saw, or what my name was... I walked into the reception area and sat there trying to come back to myself.
When we finished with orientation, we were taken on a tour of our school. The tour ended in the cafeteria where we ate some kind of soft cookie that we dipped in what tasted like hot chocolate. During this time we met our teachers and our families came to pick us up. My teacher is a younger looking man... probably mid 30´s. He was very nice. He sat with me for a little while and we went over our class schedule and talked abou how crazy the day was going to be tomorrow because of St. George´s day. Shortly after he left, I looked up to see my host mom making her way over to me and pointing me out to my 13 year old host sister and 6 year old brother. My host sister greeted me with the biggest smile and of course kisses. My little host brother was so shy and whispered hello and nice to meet you in the cutest little accent and gave me kisses as well. The minute they spoke to me everything spinning in my head simply stopped. Their sweet little faces and their excitement made everything better and I was reminded why I´m here and why I chose to do this... children, no matter what they look like, sound like, where they live, or how they live are simply amazing creatures! Adults can be somewhat intimadating at times but, kids don´t know how to be anything but kids. I fell in love. When we got home from school I met my 10 year old host brother who had come home from fútbol practice. We ate dinner - zucchini soup - it was creamy and tasted just like potato soup but with zucchini... it was absolutely delicious and very comforting. After that I was out... I said goodnight to my family and went to bed... I had NO trouble falling asleep that night!
First Weekend
Ok, so the second night here was my host sister´s 13th birthday. My family had really been encouraging me to get out and see the city. We agreed that I would meet some friends down in the city center and that I would be home around dinner to meet more family and celebrate my sister´s birthday. I had my map and was ready to go... or so I thought. I was so proud of myself when I got to the exact place my friends and I had planned to meet at until my friends were no where to be seen. I started walking around looking for them and the road split. Some how I got turned around and got completely lost in the city BY MYSELF... I felt myself trying to panic a few times and had to act as calm as possible! After walking for TWO HOURS I finally stopped and got a taxi. I jumped in and gave the driver my address. He spoke no English and had no idea where my place was. He took me to the wrong place then restarted the meter and took me to the right place... after he had to look it up in a book. I thought he was just trying to get my money but, when we stopped he offered for me to only pay for the second trip. I paid him for the whole trip because, I was just so relieved to be home! I went in to the apartment, said hi to everyone, and went to my bedroom and cried. BUT, I am proud to say I cleaned myself up, took a deep breath, and walked back out of my room to tell my family what happen and laugh it off. They all "officially" welcomed me to Barcelona. I ate dinner (an assortment of different breads, cheeses, meats, crackers, paté - yes, I tried duck liver... on a cracker - and my host sister´s delicious chocolate mousse cake,) visited for a few minutes and was in bed asleep at about 10:30.
The next night was a lot better. I met up with some of the girls from school and actually went as a group down town and it was so much fun. We ended up seeing a street performer who created huge bubbles with rope and I had gelato for the first time! :) It was such a good night! We also spent Friday night in the city as well.
Saturday morning I woke up to street performers playing music in the park outside of my apartment. It was such a wonderful way to wake up! The drums, laughing, and dancing... I loved it! I got dressed and my host dad laid my map out for me and marked how to get to the beach just 10 minutes away! He also had me write it down so that the map wouldn´t confuse me! A friend and I went and it was amazing. The sand is light brown and more coarse, the water is a darker BEAUTIFUL blue, and there were people selling masages, mojitos, and henna tattoos in the sand. We had lunch out in the sun, napped on the sand (I didn´t wear sunscreen and I PAID for it later,) and we finished the day shopping. IT. WAS. PERFECT.
Sunday, I got up and met a few of the girls at the metro station and we went to Park Guell and Mount Tibidabo. Even though I wore the WRONG shoes, the breath taking views made up for the SIX blisters I received! That night, I came home early, showered, had dinner (pizza - which is not like our pizza at all but, DELICIOUS), stayed up late watching Criminal Minds with my host sister, and ended up playing on Facebook with my host mom!
The Start of a New Week
Now, it´s Monday and it´s a short week at school. I have been giving the students their end of the year English speaking assessment. They have been doing so well. I love my students. I have 6th grade boys and girls (the school splits the boys and the girls into different classes.) The boys are a bit crazy... however, I can´t help but laugh at EVERYTHING they do! The teacher will be getting on to them and I will have to cover my mouth because, I think boys at that age are hilarious - their facial expressions, their antics, and their awkward cuteness... I just love it! They´re in the process of trying to annoy the class pet (a tiny fish in a tiny tank) to death... literally to death... they celebrated today because they thought it had died... but it was hiding behind the tiny plastic green bush! They also decided they needed my facebook and instagram and by the end of class they were google mapping my house and apartment! Oh, and there is one boy who plays the "Spanish" Michael Jackson in some play... watching him dance is the GREATEST thing I have ever seen! I LOVE THEM!
Our last day this week is Wednesday and we are out for a long holiday! :) I know I have written a book... but just know family and friends you are now caught up on EVERYTHING! I love and miss you all ... especially you Michael Thomas!! ;)
Todo mi amor desde España!
After Google not recognizing my location, locking me out of my account, having the wrong phone number, and it taking 24 hours to reset my new password... I am FINALLY posting! Which I must say is perfect timing because, last week I was in absolute shock stepping off of the plane. WARNING: I plan to be brutally honest in this blog and I know my mother will be reading this and you don´t tell a story without telling EVERY LAST detail!
The Plane Ride
First... the plane ride... OH MY GOODNESS!
This was one thing I was in no way prepared for. I have flown here and there on little one to two hour flights but, never EIGHT HOURS. We were on a jet that had one middle aisle and on each side of the aisle there was a row of three seats. For fear of extreme jet lag, I felt an immense amount of pressure to try and sleep on the plane. Wouldn´t you know with my luck, I was in a middle seat. So, I was sitting straight up in my chair scared to lean to either side... not because I didn´t want to lay on Kelly or Brittney (they wouldn´t have minded and I didn´t mind them laying on me) but, because I didn´t want to leave the tiny stream of cool air that was blowing down on me. I was doing that kind of thing where you squeeze your eyes closed because you want to go to sleep so bad, then you realize you´re squeezing your eyes so you´re trying to relax your face every five minutes! Yeeeah, so when I finally did fall asleep I felt like I slept really hard and woke up extremely achey. When the plane finally landed I was looking at the tv screen in front of my seat (a positive - free new releases, tv shows, and games - I watched We´re the Millers with Jen Aniston... HILARIOUS) and when the plane had stopped... I NEVER knew it... I felt as though we were still moving and when I looked out the window we had stopped. I looked up and it all of a sudden felt like this jet had transformed into a cracker box and people were sitting on top of me. I had to look down, focus on the ground, and talk myself out of having a panic attack. I have never felt like that... but, all I wanted to do was crouch down, hug myself, and remind myself that this was my space! The longer it took to get off the plane the more I felt like I was going to lose it! Needless to say this hasn´t been my favorite part of the trip! UGH... it made me feel so sick! :(
Meeting the Family
So, we walked off the plane and had to stand in this really long line to get our passports stamped. I was wearing my dad´s UK basketball tshirt and was asked by three people if I played basketball in the states... hahahaha.... ME! I was shocked when we walked straight to baggage claim, got our luggage, and walked out of the airport! When we exited, Kristin (our coordinator) was there to meet us. She was smiling and asked us different questions about our flight. We then walked to a bus, loaded up, and headed out. Driving from the airport to the city... seeing all of the business advertisements and road signs in a completely different language it hit me... and the minute it hit me I looked over and one of the other girls asked, "What are we doing here?" I sat there... and couldn´t answer the question. Kristin stood at the front of the bus talking about maps and metro maps and passes and how to get to school... and to this day I have no idea what all she said.
The next thing I knew, we were pulling up to a tall building with a huge concrete wall around it. We pulled onto this tiny side street and were told to get off and get our luggage. There was a crowd of people waiting to greet us. I stepped off the bus, grabbed my luggage, and stood on the sidewalk watching all of these people greet my friends with kisses, hugs, and smiles. All of a sudden, I heard someone say "Mandi, she´s right there..." I looked over and this very nice looking man in a suit and glasses was walking toward me smiling. My host dad had come to pick me up. He greeted me and asked about my flight. He took my suitcase from me and we walked to the car. On the way home we made small talk and he pointed out random things to me as we rode down the road. We got to a small parking garage, parked the car, and walked outside and around the building to go in. We went in, got into the smallest elevator I´ve ever been in and went to the second floor. We walked in a very nice apartment and were greeted by the maid who was ironing laundry.
He showed me around the apartment and told me that he was going to leave me there to rest and that Natalia, my host mom would be there to pick me up at 1:30 to be at school by 2 for orientation. It was 11:30. I wandered around the house then, went to my bed to lay down horizontally for a few minutes. I´ll never be able to describe how GLORIOUS laying down at that moment felt! I had to fight to stay awake. I didn´t want my host mother to come in and find me sleeping the first time we met. I layed there til 12:30 then got up and took a shower. Their shower has two knobs... one turns it on and the other controls the temperature by number. The toilets here have very little water in them and when you flush them, water comes straight up and it flushes straight down... no swirling!
When I got out of the shower, I got ready to go back to school and layed across my bed... I fell asleep and was startled awake by my host mother coming in through the front door. I jumped up and greeted her at my bedroom door. She was running late getting me back to school so we rushed out the door as soon as we kissed each other hello.
Everything felt like a blur... rushing down the street, walking into the metro station, buying a metro pass (my debit card didn´t work in the machine - yes I had a heart attack,) getting on the metro for the first time, riding it to the station near school, and walking to school... I have no idea what we talked about, what I saw, or what my name was... I walked into the reception area and sat there trying to come back to myself.
When we finished with orientation, we were taken on a tour of our school. The tour ended in the cafeteria where we ate some kind of soft cookie that we dipped in what tasted like hot chocolate. During this time we met our teachers and our families came to pick us up. My teacher is a younger looking man... probably mid 30´s. He was very nice. He sat with me for a little while and we went over our class schedule and talked abou how crazy the day was going to be tomorrow because of St. George´s day. Shortly after he left, I looked up to see my host mom making her way over to me and pointing me out to my 13 year old host sister and 6 year old brother. My host sister greeted me with the biggest smile and of course kisses. My little host brother was so shy and whispered hello and nice to meet you in the cutest little accent and gave me kisses as well. The minute they spoke to me everything spinning in my head simply stopped. Their sweet little faces and their excitement made everything better and I was reminded why I´m here and why I chose to do this... children, no matter what they look like, sound like, where they live, or how they live are simply amazing creatures! Adults can be somewhat intimadating at times but, kids don´t know how to be anything but kids. I fell in love. When we got home from school I met my 10 year old host brother who had come home from fútbol practice. We ate dinner - zucchini soup - it was creamy and tasted just like potato soup but with zucchini... it was absolutely delicious and very comforting. After that I was out... I said goodnight to my family and went to bed... I had NO trouble falling asleep that night!
First Weekend
Ok, so the second night here was my host sister´s 13th birthday. My family had really been encouraging me to get out and see the city. We agreed that I would meet some friends down in the city center and that I would be home around dinner to meet more family and celebrate my sister´s birthday. I had my map and was ready to go... or so I thought. I was so proud of myself when I got to the exact place my friends and I had planned to meet at until my friends were no where to be seen. I started walking around looking for them and the road split. Some how I got turned around and got completely lost in the city BY MYSELF... I felt myself trying to panic a few times and had to act as calm as possible! After walking for TWO HOURS I finally stopped and got a taxi. I jumped in and gave the driver my address. He spoke no English and had no idea where my place was. He took me to the wrong place then restarted the meter and took me to the right place... after he had to look it up in a book. I thought he was just trying to get my money but, when we stopped he offered for me to only pay for the second trip. I paid him for the whole trip because, I was just so relieved to be home! I went in to the apartment, said hi to everyone, and went to my bedroom and cried. BUT, I am proud to say I cleaned myself up, took a deep breath, and walked back out of my room to tell my family what happen and laugh it off. They all "officially" welcomed me to Barcelona. I ate dinner (an assortment of different breads, cheeses, meats, crackers, paté - yes, I tried duck liver... on a cracker - and my host sister´s delicious chocolate mousse cake,) visited for a few minutes and was in bed asleep at about 10:30.
The next night was a lot better. I met up with some of the girls from school and actually went as a group down town and it was so much fun. We ended up seeing a street performer who created huge bubbles with rope and I had gelato for the first time! :) It was such a good night! We also spent Friday night in the city as well.
Saturday morning I woke up to street performers playing music in the park outside of my apartment. It was such a wonderful way to wake up! The drums, laughing, and dancing... I loved it! I got dressed and my host dad laid my map out for me and marked how to get to the beach just 10 minutes away! He also had me write it down so that the map wouldn´t confuse me! A friend and I went and it was amazing. The sand is light brown and more coarse, the water is a darker BEAUTIFUL blue, and there were people selling masages, mojitos, and henna tattoos in the sand. We had lunch out in the sun, napped on the sand (I didn´t wear sunscreen and I PAID for it later,) and we finished the day shopping. IT. WAS. PERFECT.
Sunday, I got up and met a few of the girls at the metro station and we went to Park Guell and Mount Tibidabo. Even though I wore the WRONG shoes, the breath taking views made up for the SIX blisters I received! That night, I came home early, showered, had dinner (pizza - which is not like our pizza at all but, DELICIOUS), stayed up late watching Criminal Minds with my host sister, and ended up playing on Facebook with my host mom!
The Start of a New Week
Now, it´s Monday and it´s a short week at school. I have been giving the students their end of the year English speaking assessment. They have been doing so well. I love my students. I have 6th grade boys and girls (the school splits the boys and the girls into different classes.) The boys are a bit crazy... however, I can´t help but laugh at EVERYTHING they do! The teacher will be getting on to them and I will have to cover my mouth because, I think boys at that age are hilarious - their facial expressions, their antics, and their awkward cuteness... I just love it! They´re in the process of trying to annoy the class pet (a tiny fish in a tiny tank) to death... literally to death... they celebrated today because they thought it had died... but it was hiding behind the tiny plastic green bush! They also decided they needed my facebook and instagram and by the end of class they were google mapping my house and apartment! Oh, and there is one boy who plays the "Spanish" Michael Jackson in some play... watching him dance is the GREATEST thing I have ever seen! I LOVE THEM!
Our last day this week is Wednesday and we are out for a long holiday! :) I know I have written a book... but just know family and friends you are now caught up on EVERYTHING! I love and miss you all ... especially you Michael Thomas!! ;)
Todo mi amor desde España!
Sunday, April 20, 2014
Ready For Take Off... I think
I can not believe I am here.
It is currently 10:50 pm on Easter Sunday. I am winding down from today's family festivities and still trying to recover from the ridiculous amount of delicious home cooking I ate today. I catch myself trying to take all of the feelings of home and my house in for the last 10 hours I'll be here! My husband and brother sit on the couch behind me making small talk and laughing, the dishwasher is humming in the kitchen, and my dog is snoring on the couch beside me. My suitcase is packed, my passport and wallet are ready to go, and the last thing I have to do is download a book or two to my Kindle. This is happening!
Am I really THIS brave?
I keep asking myself this question and immediately follow it up by reminding myself that it is only 3 weeks... 25 days. I can do anything for only 25 days... right? This will be the longest period of time I will spend away from my husband (who is my BEST friend), 3 weekends without mom's cooking on Sunday and true southern sweet tea, and 25 days without my dog.
As I continue to grow up and experience new things in this life... I am finding that the scariest things are the things unknown. I think back to moving to a brand new state, city, and school when I was 13 years old. I had walked in to a whole new life where I knew absolutely no one. What came of this scary time? Friends that have lasted for eleven years now, memories that I would relive ANY DAY of the week, and a boyfriend who was sent from Virginia by God for me. Coming to Western Kentucky at 19 and newly married, I was scared to death and didn't have a clue as to how we would live and survive on our own, much less how we would get through school. What came of this unknown, scary time? Friends that have lasted 4 years now, memories in the best little house/apartment (growing up and bonding with my husband - learning how to live together, how to rely on each other, and how to be what each other needs) that I would relive ANY DAY of the week, and a wonderful sorority of sisters that were sent by God for me.
It's a first, for sure!
This is something no one in my immediate family has done before! I will go places and see things that I have only seen in movies or read about in books. I am getting ready to live 25 days of life in a completely different world than the one I have been used to for 24 years! I will live in a different type of area, live on a different time schedule, eat differently, and communicate differently. Curiosity, at this point is KILLING me. I hope that I have packed all the right things, prepared for all different types of situations, I hope that my students are as excited to meet me as I am them, and that my family loves me like I think I will love them!
But... most of all, I hope that when I get off the plane and to my new home from school... when I'm in my bedroom alone, sitting on my bed and THERE for 25 days... that I will be able to lay back on my bed and know that this 3 weeks is going to cause me to bond with friends that will last, memories that I'll want to relive ANY DAY of the week, and a second family that was sent by God for me!
It is currently 10:50 pm on Easter Sunday. I am winding down from today's family festivities and still trying to recover from the ridiculous amount of delicious home cooking I ate today. I catch myself trying to take all of the feelings of home and my house in for the last 10 hours I'll be here! My husband and brother sit on the couch behind me making small talk and laughing, the dishwasher is humming in the kitchen, and my dog is snoring on the couch beside me. My suitcase is packed, my passport and wallet are ready to go, and the last thing I have to do is download a book or two to my Kindle. This is happening!
Am I really THIS brave?
I keep asking myself this question and immediately follow it up by reminding myself that it is only 3 weeks... 25 days. I can do anything for only 25 days... right? This will be the longest period of time I will spend away from my husband (who is my BEST friend), 3 weekends without mom's cooking on Sunday and true southern sweet tea, and 25 days without my dog.
As I continue to grow up and experience new things in this life... I am finding that the scariest things are the things unknown. I think back to moving to a brand new state, city, and school when I was 13 years old. I had walked in to a whole new life where I knew absolutely no one. What came of this scary time? Friends that have lasted for eleven years now, memories that I would relive ANY DAY of the week, and a boyfriend who was sent from Virginia by God for me. Coming to Western Kentucky at 19 and newly married, I was scared to death and didn't have a clue as to how we would live and survive on our own, much less how we would get through school. What came of this unknown, scary time? Friends that have lasted 4 years now, memories in the best little house/apartment (growing up and bonding with my husband - learning how to live together, how to rely on each other, and how to be what each other needs) that I would relive ANY DAY of the week, and a wonderful sorority of sisters that were sent by God for me.
It's a first, for sure!
This is something no one in my immediate family has done before! I will go places and see things that I have only seen in movies or read about in books. I am getting ready to live 25 days of life in a completely different world than the one I have been used to for 24 years! I will live in a different type of area, live on a different time schedule, eat differently, and communicate differently. Curiosity, at this point is KILLING me. I hope that I have packed all the right things, prepared for all different types of situations, I hope that my students are as excited to meet me as I am them, and that my family loves me like I think I will love them!
But... most of all, I hope that when I get off the plane and to my new home from school... when I'm in my bedroom alone, sitting on my bed and THERE for 25 days... that I will be able to lay back on my bed and know that this 3 weeks is going to cause me to bond with friends that will last, memories that I'll want to relive ANY DAY of the week, and a second family that was sent by God for me!
Monday, March 31, 2014
20 Days, 19 Hours, 22 Minutes to go!
Apply and be accepted to Student Teach in Spain... CHECK!
You know that little list you have going in the back of your mind? Some people may even have their list physically written out but, mine is in the back of my mind. The list where you hear of something someone has done or you have witnessed something spectacular and you tell yourself you're going to do "that" before you die? I have a list... and I am proud to say I have been marking things off... this trip to complete my student teaching in Spain is one of the things on that list! I think if I tell you a little about my list it will help you to know me better.
Some of the list...
I have to admit, my list didn't really get going along good until I got married... right out of high school. I met this really cute basketball player in my U.S. History class, my junior year in high school. - WARNING: this is a story I could go on and on about because, I love replaying "Our Story" over and over and over again... but, for the sake of this being a blog about a traveling abroad experience I'll spare those sweet, sappy details for another day ;) Anyways, me and that cutie started dating January of 2008, got engaged after our high school graduation - July of 2008, and officially tied the knot in March of 2009. Our society today requires me to answer the next obvious question... no, I did not get pregnant. I was shocked by how many people were blown away that Mike and I got married because we were best friends and loved each other. We wanted to complete our "growing up" together... that's really it. My friends would talk to me like I had to make a decision between getting married or going to college... so this started the list...
1.) Marry Mike and go to college... not just any college... a university.
2.) Live in our own place right off campus.
3.) Get my degree in something that I know I'll love to do... not letting possible income be a factor
4.) Join a sorority!
5.) Student Teach Abroad
6.) Graduate from college
... and do all of this while staying happily married to my husband.
I have successfully done 1 through 4! Mike and I started at Western Kentucky University in the spring of 2010, we have lived in 2 different rental houses and finally settled in a tiny one bedroom apartment that we love, and I am now a proud alum of the greatest organization I have ever known - Omega Phi Alpha. After dabbling in Advertising and Marketing my freshman year, I couldn't ignore my one true calling any longer. I have known I wanted to teach elementary school since I graduated high school! Here I am... I have completed 3 1/2 years of school and am on my way to completing number 4!
#4 Student teach abroad...
I heard about this program at WKU my sophomore year, right after I switched my major to elementary education. I'm not going to lie... being married for 5 years now and being extremely close to my family has made me very nervous about going away for three weeks and not mention getting the money together was a bit frightening. After being turned down for an essay scholarship that I put a lot of time and effort into I felt completely defeated. I thought that there was no way that I would be able to come up with the money to go. I don't let too many things stand in my way of accomplishing things I am driven to do, but this felt like a brick wall. I ended up using an online fundraiser and simply posted it on my Facebook. Through family and friends, I raised a little over $1200! I was blown away by the love and support.
Next Steps...
-Shop for things I need to take: converter, clothes, school supplies, and gifts to name a few!
-Pack Smart: like nobody's business!
-GET ON THAT PLANE
It took A LOT of hard work, planning, and dedication to not letting this once in a lifetime opportunity get away from me. I have contacted my family in Barcelona, my teacher at the school where I'll be working, arranged weekend travel plans, and can NOT wait until I am boarding the plane! Although I know I'll get more nervous the closer the day comes, as for now I am so anxious to go and am counting down the days!
You know that little list you have going in the back of your mind? Some people may even have their list physically written out but, mine is in the back of my mind. The list where you hear of something someone has done or you have witnessed something spectacular and you tell yourself you're going to do "that" before you die? I have a list... and I am proud to say I have been marking things off... this trip to complete my student teaching in Spain is one of the things on that list! I think if I tell you a little about my list it will help you to know me better.
Some of the list...
I have to admit, my list didn't really get going along good until I got married... right out of high school. I met this really cute basketball player in my U.S. History class, my junior year in high school. - WARNING: this is a story I could go on and on about because, I love replaying "Our Story" over and over and over again... but, for the sake of this being a blog about a traveling abroad experience I'll spare those sweet, sappy details for another day ;) Anyways, me and that cutie started dating January of 2008, got engaged after our high school graduation - July of 2008, and officially tied the knot in March of 2009. Our society today requires me to answer the next obvious question... no, I did not get pregnant. I was shocked by how many people were blown away that Mike and I got married because we were best friends and loved each other. We wanted to complete our "growing up" together... that's really it. My friends would talk to me like I had to make a decision between getting married or going to college... so this started the list...
1.) Marry Mike and go to college... not just any college... a university.
2.) Live in our own place right off campus.
3.) Get my degree in something that I know I'll love to do... not letting possible income be a factor
4.) Join a sorority!
5.) Student Teach Abroad
6.) Graduate from college
... and do all of this while staying happily married to my husband.
I have successfully done 1 through 4! Mike and I started at Western Kentucky University in the spring of 2010, we have lived in 2 different rental houses and finally settled in a tiny one bedroom apartment that we love, and I am now a proud alum of the greatest organization I have ever known - Omega Phi Alpha. After dabbling in Advertising and Marketing my freshman year, I couldn't ignore my one true calling any longer. I have known I wanted to teach elementary school since I graduated high school! Here I am... I have completed 3 1/2 years of school and am on my way to completing number 4!
#4 Student teach abroad...
I heard about this program at WKU my sophomore year, right after I switched my major to elementary education. I'm not going to lie... being married for 5 years now and being extremely close to my family has made me very nervous about going away for three weeks and not mention getting the money together was a bit frightening. After being turned down for an essay scholarship that I put a lot of time and effort into I felt completely defeated. I thought that there was no way that I would be able to come up with the money to go. I don't let too many things stand in my way of accomplishing things I am driven to do, but this felt like a brick wall. I ended up using an online fundraiser and simply posted it on my Facebook. Through family and friends, I raised a little over $1200! I was blown away by the love and support.
Next Steps...
-Shop for things I need to take: converter, clothes, school supplies, and gifts to name a few!
-Pack Smart: like nobody's business!
-GET ON THAT PLANE
It took A LOT of hard work, planning, and dedication to not letting this once in a lifetime opportunity get away from me. I have contacted my family in Barcelona, my teacher at the school where I'll be working, arranged weekend travel plans, and can NOT wait until I am boarding the plane! Although I know I'll get more nervous the closer the day comes, as for now I am so anxious to go and am counting down the days!
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