To begın our three week adventure tour of Istanbul, Croatıa and Italy, we had to start wıth a connectıon ın London. We flew to London Gatwıck on the 2nd at almost mıdnıght and rested up on the tıle floor untıl we were able to go through securıty at 5 am for our 7 am flıght. It was a bıt of a rough nıght but we slept for a whıle on the fıght to Istanbul. We arrıved on the Asıan sıde of the cıty and took a bus, ferry and tram to fınally make ıt to the neıgborhood where our hostel was. The ferry was a pleasantly breezy trıp along the water and ıt gave us some great vıews of the cıty as we approached the European sıde. We got lost tryıng to fınd the tram but eventually made ıt to our lovely hostel where we promptly met up wıth Rach and then ımmedıately showered. We were pretty tuckered out from the travels so we wandered the cıty a bıt and found some food to eat before callıng ıt a nıght.
The next day we woke up to a sımple breakfast served on the hostel terrace and then struck out to explore the blue mosque and the hagıa sophıa whıch are both vısıble from our terrace. After that ınterestıng bıt of sıghtseeıng, we had some boıled corn from a street vendor and then some lentıl soup for lunch. We came back to the hostel for more terrace hang out tıme and then we went to a dınner at a restaurant wıth an even hıgher terrace vıew that ended up beıng a really terrıble ıdea. All of us ate salad and all of us got sooooooo sıck durıng the nıght. Gross. We are currently takıng ın some fresh aır and recoverıng on the terrace but there ıs certaınly not goıng to be any more salad consumptıon ın Turkey. Andy ıs stıll feelıng pretty terrıble although Rach and I are on the upswıng. We all woke up durıng the nıght feelıng awful and so the lack of sleep ıs takıng ıts toll as well. I thınk we wıll have a chıll day today and keep a close proxımıty to the toılets! Sınce we are on a pretty tıght budget, there ıs probably goıng to be more lentıl soup ın our future. At least ıt ıs tasty. We are plannıng on catchıng a bus to Greece on Sunday and updates wıll follow.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Monday, June 1, 2009
Birthday, Finishing Up and Packing
An End of May List
1. My birthday was a wonderful surprise party that all my roommates and Andy planned out. They whisked me away to a friend's house in the countryside with fantastic views and a gorgeous pool and we swam and bbq'ed all day. It was magnificent.
2. I finished my last days of work with a bit of fanfare. Angel at Miquel Porcel threw me a surprise party with both 5th grade classes I worked with all year. There was a bunch of yummy food and quite a bit of surprise on my end. It was a good time. And Laurence at Joan Miro got every one of my students that I taught to sign a big thank you card that was very sweet.
3. We began packing today for our three week adventure that we are leaving for tomorrow. We'll be flying to Istanbul where we'll meet my friend Rachael and then we'll all be traveling through Greece, Croatia and Italy together. I have been looking forward to this trip for a long time now and it definitely helped me get through some of the sadness I was occupied from at the thought of never seeing my students again.
4. I applied for an AmeriCorps community outreach program in a low-income school in Portland that begins in August. I have no idea what kind of chance I have given that I will only be available for an online or phone interview but I decided to apply anyway. I'll hear more about the process in the upcoming weeks and I will keep you updated.
1. My birthday was a wonderful surprise party that all my roommates and Andy planned out. They whisked me away to a friend's house in the countryside with fantastic views and a gorgeous pool and we swam and bbq'ed all day. It was magnificent.
2. I finished my last days of work with a bit of fanfare. Angel at Miquel Porcel threw me a surprise party with both 5th grade classes I worked with all year. There was a bunch of yummy food and quite a bit of surprise on my end. It was a good time. And Laurence at Joan Miro got every one of my students that I taught to sign a big thank you card that was very sweet.
3. We began packing today for our three week adventure that we are leaving for tomorrow. We'll be flying to Istanbul where we'll meet my friend Rachael and then we'll all be traveling through Greece, Croatia and Italy together. I have been looking forward to this trip for a long time now and it definitely helped me get through some of the sadness I was occupied from at the thought of never seeing my students again.
4. I applied for an AmeriCorps community outreach program in a low-income school in Portland that begins in August. I have no idea what kind of chance I have given that I will only be available for an online or phone interview but I decided to apply anyway. I'll hear more about the process in the upcoming weeks and I will keep you updated.
Friday, May 8, 2009
Barcelona Pictures
Andy tired from walking up the hill to Park Güell
Photo near the Roman wall
Playing with baby bunnies on the Ramblas
Gaudi Apartments
La Sagrada Familia
I was dubbed!
I was on the Catalan news channel IB 3 a couple of days ago and my interview in English was dubbed into Catalan! Check it out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=You4jTzb9MM&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fprofile.php%3Fid%3D11514411%26ref%3Dnf&feature=player_embedded
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=You4jTzb9MM&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fprofile.php%3Fid%3D11514411%26ref%3Dnf&feature=player_embedded
A May List
1. Barcelona was incredible. We stayed in an adorable (by that I mean cute and tiny) apartment right next to the super busy ramblas.
2. We watched the most exciting soccer match-up at a recommended bar and Barça creamed Madrid 6-2! We also watched as all of the drunk bar goers flooded the streets and celebrated.
3. We successfully navigated the Barcelona bus and metro system to get to the Sagrada Familia, Park Güell and the airport.
4. We fit in some beach time on the Barcelona coast which mostly consisted of people watching and listening to chants of "Cerveza Cold Beer, Cerveza Cold Beer" from the guys carrying coolers.
5. We started planning for our whopper of a trip in June which mostly consists of trying to navigate the complexities of a badly translated ferry system and saving up as much money as possible.
6. I made two spreadsheets in excel. One to keep track of jobs I have applied for or am interested in and one to keep track of apartments we look at in Portland. They are named Job Hunter and Apartment Hunter. Andy says that when you pronounce them, you must whisper.
7. The sun has finally come to stay in Palma and it's supposed to reach 80 degrees this weekend so I am gearing up for some major beach time!
2. We watched the most exciting soccer match-up at a recommended bar and Barça creamed Madrid 6-2! We also watched as all of the drunk bar goers flooded the streets and celebrated.
3. We successfully navigated the Barcelona bus and metro system to get to the Sagrada Familia, Park Güell and the airport.
4. We fit in some beach time on the Barcelona coast which mostly consisted of people watching and listening to chants of "Cerveza Cold Beer, Cerveza Cold Beer" from the guys carrying coolers.
5. We started planning for our whopper of a trip in June which mostly consists of trying to navigate the complexities of a badly translated ferry system and saving up as much money as possible.
6. I made two spreadsheets in excel. One to keep track of jobs I have applied for or am interested in and one to keep track of apartments we look at in Portland. They are named Job Hunter and Apartment Hunter. Andy says that when you pronounce them, you must whisper.
7. The sun has finally come to stay in Palma and it's supposed to reach 80 degrees this weekend so I am gearing up for some major beach time!
Friday, May 1, 2009
Barcelona!
We are packing to leave in a few hours for Barcelona until Monday. It's raining now but it should clear up by tomorrow. I found a cute little apartment online that we will be sharing with our roommates Nikki and Joseph and I am hoping everything works out. I am pretty excited to see Barcelona since it will be my first time.
And on another note: Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad! Hope it's a great one.
And on another note: Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad! Hope it's a great one.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Semana Santa 2009
On the morning on April 9th, Andy, our roommate Stephen and I fly to Madrid and then to Rome to begin our epic adventure to Italy. We started in Rome, moved up to Florence and then over to the coastal villages Cinque Terre before flying back home again. Two things before I get started that apply to the following tales. Number One - I hate, hate pigeons. I think they are really gross and I get mad at them on a consistent basis. There were tons of them all over the place in Italy. Number Two - I had never been to Italy before and never really knew what to expect but the stereotypes proved themselves true. The food is divine and the men can be major creepers.
Day 1. Flying Madrid Flying
Our discount flights on both ends forced us to pack very light and deal with a six hour layover in Madrid. What a blessing both of these factors was for our trip. When we landed in Madrid, we hauled ourselves across the airport and onto the metro as quickly as possible to get into the city. And although Madrid can be extremely cold and miserable during the winter, we hit prime springtime sunshine. We wandered around the city and finally stopped at a cafe for tapas. I had fried eggs with carmelized onions and bread topped with sauteed mushrooms. The food was different from Mallorca just as the atmosphere seemed to be. So much more Spanish. We ordered gelato at a street side gelateria and then laid down in the park to soak up as much sun as possible before we headed back to the airport. We already agreed to get cab to get to our hostel in Rome because we were arriving pretty darn close to the closing of the public transportation system. So we paid the 50 euros and arrived at Plus Camping Fabulous outside of Rome at about 11:30ish. The room we had was very much like a trailer but it fit the bill and it was quiet.
Day 2. Life without a Map
We hit the streets of Rome about as quickly as we could after taking a bus and two metro lines. And since we had not purchased a guide book or a map for our trip, we walked. And Rome is a very walkable place but there is just so much to see that we were exhausted by mid-day. Every street had at least one gorgeous church that you could walk into. And we saw the Pantheon, the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain. We also discovered a hybrid cafe/candy shop that had cherry marmalade croissants and fantastic espresso. It was a pleasant break from the walking. The end of our day got a bit disappointing because the metro stop we trudged to was closed by the time we got there because the pope was about the arrive. Craziness. So we kept on trudging and finally ended up at home where we promptly drank a liter of Limoncello.
Day 3. Seeing the Old Stuff
We navigated our way to the Colosseum, Palatine Hill and the Roman forums for a major overdose of really old, very impressive stuff. Inside the Roman forums, Stephen called me a pigeon and I pushed him in response which started a terrible series of events. At first he was in control and laughing but he continued flailing and then he slowly spiraled out of control as his shins hit a low guard rail and he ended up falling onto the forums! Luckily, he didn't hit anything besides grass and a piece of gum and wasn't really injured. I felt terrible about the whole thing but it made for a very humorous twist to our Roman Forum experience. We made our way to the Vatican but unfortunately tickets were required for the Easter vigil service. We did sit on the steps of the square and debate some points about Catholicism with Stephen which was an interesting way to spend our time. On the way back to camping fabulous I got stuck in the doors of the metro as they were closing and my shoe flew off. Andy pried the doors open and I made it on but I still have bruises on my legs from being struck by the damn thing.
Day 4. Easter
We woke up extra early to attend mass at the Anglican chuch "Saint Paul's within-the-walls" partly because the service was in English and then we did a bit more walking. I suggested we check out the Vatican again since the mass with the pope was about over and then we could actually get inside St. Peters. And we did! We were walking against the crowds leaving and thus ended up in a somewhat short line to get into St. Peters. And it really does live up to its reputation. The church is the largest in the world filled with monumental artwork and a triumphant altar by Bernini. One of the wild things about seeing all the artwork in every place we went was that I had studied quite a lot of it in high school and there is a distinctly surreal feeling when you see something you've learned about from a textbook in person.
Day 5. Police Run-in and Florence in the Evening
So, the highlight of our trip. Haha. Just kidding. But in all honesty, we were pulled off of a train in Italy by the police. And here's how it went down:
Day 6. Florence
For our first full day in Florence we met Stephen outside his friend Kathy's apartment where he was staying and headed to a cafe for some ultra-smooth cappucinos and lemon croissants. Then we took off and walked through the city. We stopped by the Uffizi gallery to check on the line and decided to make a reservation for the next day instead of deal with the wait. Since the gallery has a limit of 600 people at a time inside, the line can take hours to get through. So we wandered and met up with Kathy to eat at Mario's, a trattoria that is a pillar of trendy Florence cuisine at the moment. We only waited about 15 minutes before we were seated in a crowded room stuffed with waitstaff and customers. The menu was posted on the glass separating the kitchen and included such things as a "steak" that was actually a giant slice of beef enough to feed at least four people. I got a traditional tuscan bean and cabbage soup and Andy got a beef stew. The dishes were hearty, simple and absolute divinity. After that, we strolled around a bit more before heading back to Kathy's and passing out. We were tired. We bought some food and made a tasty meal of spinach, ravioli, salad, pototoe and lamb stew and cheesecake. It was a relief to have a kitchen to cook in and a great money saver.
Day 7. Uffizi Gallery of Everything important from the Italian Renaissance
We had a 12:15 appointment at the Uffizi Gallery so we decided to check out Michelangelo's statue before hand. And I am glad we did. The statue was amazing. And although Kathy suggested we sneak pictures, a photo wouldn't translate the beauty and perfection of David. So we grabbed some food on the way back to the Uffizi and spent the next several hours being blown away by the rooms filled with Italian Renaissance artwork. The musuem has the largest collection of Italian Renaissance paintings and it was sensory overload. We had to take breaks in the hallways as we made our way through. It was exhausting. So when we finally made it out, we went back to Kathy's to re-group and rest. That evening, we went to Kathy's school's restaurant for apertivo - a series of unlimited snacks available with the cost of a cocktail. We had a great time snacking and drinking and generally relaxing after a busy day.
Day 8. Cinque Terre
We made our way by train to Cinqu Terre, a series of five villages carved into the hillsides above the ocean. We stayed in the 5th in a tiny apartment that was accessible by five sets of stairs that wound into the hill. We were all in awe of the natural beauty and tranquility of Cinque Terre. It was overcast and raining but that didn't really make a difference. And, Cinqu Terre is in the Ligure region of Italy known for pesto and foccacia. So we meandered about the little town devouring foccacia.
Day 9. Via D'elle Amore
All five of the Cinque Terre villages are united by a path that follows the ocean so we set out early in the morning to walk the paths and explore the villages. This day is best expressed in photos but we were very lucky to miss the one torrential downpour of the day inside of a church next to the ocean. We spent most of the day walking and taking the train when we got tired and when we got home, we took a little nap and then walked to the next town over for dinner. I had spaghetti and Andy had a lobster pasta dish.
Day 10. Back in Rome
We reluctantly made our way back to Rome on a four hour train ride that dragged on and on. We booked a hostel very close to the train station anticipating our early morning flight. Unfortunately, after we went to bed, I had to get up three separate times to try and force the receptionist to intervene in a very intense drinking/yelling session going on outside of our room. It didn't do too much good. So, I was awake for several hours listening to belligerent Australians and Americans with terrible manners. But oh well. We made it through the night and finally the receptionist kicked them out of the hostel so I got some sleep.
Day 11. Delayed Flight, Madrid, Delayed Flight
Both of our flights we delayed for an hour which was a strange coincidence but we still managed to head into Madrid for a unique meal with another one of Stephen's friends. Andy had spicy shrimp pasta and I had mushroom croquettes and asparagus risotto. After that, we went to an old chocolateria and ate chocolate and churros for dessert. The meal was the highlight of our long day of travel and finally we made it back home.
Day 1. Flying Madrid Flying
Our discount flights on both ends forced us to pack very light and deal with a six hour layover in Madrid. What a blessing both of these factors was for our trip. When we landed in Madrid, we hauled ourselves across the airport and onto the metro as quickly as possible to get into the city. And although Madrid can be extremely cold and miserable during the winter, we hit prime springtime sunshine. We wandered around the city and finally stopped at a cafe for tapas. I had fried eggs with carmelized onions and bread topped with sauteed mushrooms. The food was different from Mallorca just as the atmosphere seemed to be. So much more Spanish. We ordered gelato at a street side gelateria and then laid down in the park to soak up as much sun as possible before we headed back to the airport. We already agreed to get cab to get to our hostel in Rome because we were arriving pretty darn close to the closing of the public transportation system. So we paid the 50 euros and arrived at Plus Camping Fabulous outside of Rome at about 11:30ish. The room we had was very much like a trailer but it fit the bill and it was quiet.
Day 2. Life without a Map
We hit the streets of Rome about as quickly as we could after taking a bus and two metro lines. And since we had not purchased a guide book or a map for our trip, we walked. And Rome is a very walkable place but there is just so much to see that we were exhausted by mid-day. Every street had at least one gorgeous church that you could walk into. And we saw the Pantheon, the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain. We also discovered a hybrid cafe/candy shop that had cherry marmalade croissants and fantastic espresso. It was a pleasant break from the walking. The end of our day got a bit disappointing because the metro stop we trudged to was closed by the time we got there because the pope was about the arrive. Craziness. So we kept on trudging and finally ended up at home where we promptly drank a liter of Limoncello.
Day 3. Seeing the Old Stuff
We navigated our way to the Colosseum, Palatine Hill and the Roman forums for a major overdose of really old, very impressive stuff. Inside the Roman forums, Stephen called me a pigeon and I pushed him in response which started a terrible series of events. At first he was in control and laughing but he continued flailing and then he slowly spiraled out of control as his shins hit a low guard rail and he ended up falling onto the forums! Luckily, he didn't hit anything besides grass and a piece of gum and wasn't really injured. I felt terrible about the whole thing but it made for a very humorous twist to our Roman Forum experience. We made our way to the Vatican but unfortunately tickets were required for the Easter vigil service. We did sit on the steps of the square and debate some points about Catholicism with Stephen which was an interesting way to spend our time. On the way back to camping fabulous I got stuck in the doors of the metro as they were closing and my shoe flew off. Andy pried the doors open and I made it on but I still have bruises on my legs from being struck by the damn thing.
Day 4. Easter
We woke up extra early to attend mass at the Anglican chuch "Saint Paul's within-the-walls" partly because the service was in English and then we did a bit more walking. I suggested we check out the Vatican again since the mass with the pope was about over and then we could actually get inside St. Peters. And we did! We were walking against the crowds leaving and thus ended up in a somewhat short line to get into St. Peters. And it really does live up to its reputation. The church is the largest in the world filled with monumental artwork and a triumphant altar by Bernini. One of the wild things about seeing all the artwork in every place we went was that I had studied quite a lot of it in high school and there is a distinctly surreal feeling when you see something you've learned about from a textbook in person.
Day 5. Police Run-in and Florence in the Evening
So, the highlight of our trip. Haha. Just kidding. But in all honesty, we were pulled off of a train in Italy by the police. And here's how it went down:
We bought our train tickets a couple days before leaving from the automated machine and apparently, the tickets are good for a couple months even though when we bought the ticket we selected the date and time of departure. So, for the train ticket checker man (ttcm) to know that you are using the ticket properly, you are supposed to validate the ticket before you get on the train. We had no idea. So when the ttcm came to check our tickets, he looked at the ticket, looked at us and told us we had to pay 50 euros each in fines for the mistake. We refused, obviously. It was totally ridiculous and everyone else on the train told us so. The ttcm clearly was on a corruption power trip and was trying to take advantage of us. The back of the ticket had small print about validation but it didn't specify that you had to do it before getting on the train and we really had no clue that it would be a problem. Sitting across from us was a very loud and out spoken guy from New Jersey who also forgot to validate his ticket. And the ttcm requested to see his passport and he refused. So I think the ttcm called the police at the next stop and told the police we were all traveling without passports! Meanwhile, the ttcm starts changing his demands and tells us that we should just pay 50 euros between the four of us. And then he said we could pay 50 euros between another group that didn't validate. It was crazy crazy.
So we ended up off the train in a police office and once we handed over the passports and the crazy ttcm left the office, everything got a lot easier. One of the police officers spoke some spanish and Andy clarified that we were not traveling with the loud and obnoxious New Jerseyite who was being particularly difficult. Then we were on much more solid ground. The police copied our passports and checked that we weren't terrorists (which, funny story, apparently someone named Andy Holmes with a very similar birth date to Andy is a wanted person!!) So in the end, the police got us onto a later train and we didn't have to pay anything. It was a bit crazy but we have had a great time in Florence. It is a truly beautiful city and it feels a whole bunch more manageable than the largeness of Rome.Day 6. Florence
For our first full day in Florence we met Stephen outside his friend Kathy's apartment where he was staying and headed to a cafe for some ultra-smooth cappucinos and lemon croissants. Then we took off and walked through the city. We stopped by the Uffizi gallery to check on the line and decided to make a reservation for the next day instead of deal with the wait. Since the gallery has a limit of 600 people at a time inside, the line can take hours to get through. So we wandered and met up with Kathy to eat at Mario's, a trattoria that is a pillar of trendy Florence cuisine at the moment. We only waited about 15 minutes before we were seated in a crowded room stuffed with waitstaff and customers. The menu was posted on the glass separating the kitchen and included such things as a "steak" that was actually a giant slice of beef enough to feed at least four people. I got a traditional tuscan bean and cabbage soup and Andy got a beef stew. The dishes were hearty, simple and absolute divinity. After that, we strolled around a bit more before heading back to Kathy's and passing out. We were tired. We bought some food and made a tasty meal of spinach, ravioli, salad, pototoe and lamb stew and cheesecake. It was a relief to have a kitchen to cook in and a great money saver.
Day 7. Uffizi Gallery of Everything important from the Italian Renaissance
We had a 12:15 appointment at the Uffizi Gallery so we decided to check out Michelangelo's statue before hand. And I am glad we did. The statue was amazing. And although Kathy suggested we sneak pictures, a photo wouldn't translate the beauty and perfection of David. So we grabbed some food on the way back to the Uffizi and spent the next several hours being blown away by the rooms filled with Italian Renaissance artwork. The musuem has the largest collection of Italian Renaissance paintings and it was sensory overload. We had to take breaks in the hallways as we made our way through. It was exhausting. So when we finally made it out, we went back to Kathy's to re-group and rest. That evening, we went to Kathy's school's restaurant for apertivo - a series of unlimited snacks available with the cost of a cocktail. We had a great time snacking and drinking and generally relaxing after a busy day.
Day 8. Cinque Terre
We made our way by train to Cinqu Terre, a series of five villages carved into the hillsides above the ocean. We stayed in the 5th in a tiny apartment that was accessible by five sets of stairs that wound into the hill. We were all in awe of the natural beauty and tranquility of Cinque Terre. It was overcast and raining but that didn't really make a difference. And, Cinqu Terre is in the Ligure region of Italy known for pesto and foccacia. So we meandered about the little town devouring foccacia.
Day 9. Via D'elle Amore
All five of the Cinque Terre villages are united by a path that follows the ocean so we set out early in the morning to walk the paths and explore the villages. This day is best expressed in photos but we were very lucky to miss the one torrential downpour of the day inside of a church next to the ocean. We spent most of the day walking and taking the train when we got tired and when we got home, we took a little nap and then walked to the next town over for dinner. I had spaghetti and Andy had a lobster pasta dish.
Day 10. Back in Rome
We reluctantly made our way back to Rome on a four hour train ride that dragged on and on. We booked a hostel very close to the train station anticipating our early morning flight. Unfortunately, after we went to bed, I had to get up three separate times to try and force the receptionist to intervene in a very intense drinking/yelling session going on outside of our room. It didn't do too much good. So, I was awake for several hours listening to belligerent Australians and Americans with terrible manners. But oh well. We made it through the night and finally the receptionist kicked them out of the hostel so I got some sleep.
Day 11. Delayed Flight, Madrid, Delayed Flight
Both of our flights we delayed for an hour which was a strange coincidence but we still managed to head into Madrid for a unique meal with another one of Stephen's friends. Andy had spicy shrimp pasta and I had mushroom croquettes and asparagus risotto. After that, we went to an old chocolateria and ate chocolate and churros for dessert. The meal was the highlight of our long day of travel and finally we made it back home.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Yippee!
Joyous news in Palma! Although it's rainy and cold outside, Andy and I have been planning up a storm inside and we finally booked our tickets for an amazing trip in June. We officially leave June 2nd and fly to Istanbul. From there we meet up with my friend Rachael and travel to Greece, Southern Italy (Naples, Pompeii), Croatia and finally up to Northern Italy (Venice and Milan) where we fly back home on the 25th. Wow! I think it will be a trip to remember. I couldn't sleep very much last night because of excitement over the whole thing. We also counted up the money we've been saving from tutoring and we were both pleasantly surprised at the sum.
So, next week we leave for our Spring holidays on Thursday. We'll fly to Rome, travel through Tuscany, Florence and the coast and then back to Rome. Overall, we'll have 10 days of Italian adventuring! So I am also gearing up for that trip now. In other news, my students seem to be progressing very well as I am consistently hearing English being applied in the classroom. That makes my job here truly worthwhile.
This past weekend, my friend Ashley who we stayed with in London came to visit us and we had a grand time exploring Palma and even hit the beach on Friday. It was a great weekend and it was nice to return the favor of a place to stay for her. Hopefully we'll have more friends come and visit as it continues to heat up here.
So, next week we leave for our Spring holidays on Thursday. We'll fly to Rome, travel through Tuscany, Florence and the coast and then back to Rome. Overall, we'll have 10 days of Italian adventuring! So I am also gearing up for that trip now. In other news, my students seem to be progressing very well as I am consistently hearing English being applied in the classroom. That makes my job here truly worthwhile.
This past weekend, my friend Ashley who we stayed with in London came to visit us and we had a grand time exploring Palma and even hit the beach on Friday. It was a great weekend and it was nice to return the favor of a place to stay for her. Hopefully we'll have more friends come and visit as it continues to heat up here.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
On this Thursday Afternoon, A List:
1. After 45 minutes on the phone and a great deal of whining, I finally changed our plane tickets to August 8th. I fought for a waiver of the $300 service charge because they added a leg through Chicago to our flight and I failed on that account but I did manage to wrangle a landing in Portland instead of Seattle. I am satisfied.
2. I had a pretty wonderful class with the terrible 3rd graders. The school finally split the class into two classes with 10 students each so it's so much more manageable. They are re-learning how to behave in a classroom so it's slow going but everyday I see progress.
3. Last week, one of my students asked if I was pregnant and the next day the four year old I babysit told me my tummy was "a bit fat." Geez louis. I think I need to cut back on the baguettes I'm eating. Or just teach these kids some manners! I definitely do NOT look pregnant though. FYI.
4. I had a lovely time watching Terminator 2 at our Mallorquin friend Irene's apartment on Friday night.
5. We decided for sure that Portland is our destination next year and now I am day dreaming about a future apartment where Andy and I will live together without roommates for the very first time.
6. My student loan grace period ended on March 4th. Ugh.
7. I started a new tutee and she is three! It was a rough first half an hour because she wouldn't leave her mom's lap but by the end we were playing with paddles and balls and giggling up a storm.
8. The sun has been out consistently and thus my spirits have been soaring.
9. This weekend there is a classic car rally around the island so I am hoping we can watch a leg of it. We're also having a spring party at our flat on Saturday so I will be sure to write about that after. I need to think more about the menu . . .
2. I had a pretty wonderful class with the terrible 3rd graders. The school finally split the class into two classes with 10 students each so it's so much more manageable. They are re-learning how to behave in a classroom so it's slow going but everyday I see progress.
3. Last week, one of my students asked if I was pregnant and the next day the four year old I babysit told me my tummy was "a bit fat." Geez louis. I think I need to cut back on the baguettes I'm eating. Or just teach these kids some manners! I definitely do NOT look pregnant though. FYI.
4. I had a lovely time watching Terminator 2 at our Mallorquin friend Irene's apartment on Friday night.
5. We decided for sure that Portland is our destination next year and now I am day dreaming about a future apartment where Andy and I will live together without roommates for the very first time.
6. My student loan grace period ended on March 4th. Ugh.
7. I started a new tutee and she is three! It was a rough first half an hour because she wouldn't leave her mom's lap but by the end we were playing with paddles and balls and giggling up a storm.
8. The sun has been out consistently and thus my spirits have been soaring.
9. This weekend there is a classic car rally around the island so I am hoping we can watch a leg of it. We're also having a spring party at our flat on Saturday so I will be sure to write about that after. I need to think more about the menu . . .
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Realization! Yes!
So after a lot of soul searching and a fair amount of research I think I've decided I'm not ready to move to Korea to teach English next year. I actually didn't discover this fact until I was chatting with Jill last night after babysitting her kids. I was explaining the pros and cons and I ended up explaining that I think I would really like to go home and pursue formal teaching training before I commit to a full year of teaching/lesson planning/managing a classroom. The experience I've gained here in Spain has been tremendous but I still feel like if I want to be a valuable teacher then I could really use training in classroom management and lesson planning. In Korea, I would have a lot more responsibility than here. And I still need to figure out if teaching is in my future. I feel very comfortable admitting that I love working with kids and being in a classroom so I think teaching might be coming into my future. But I still want to explore journalism further despite the fact that print journalism is having a really rough time in the economy right now.
This past weekend, we went on a spectacular hike from Soller to Deia that lasted pretty much all day on Saturday with a group of 16 couch surfers. It was a bunch of fun and we got to meet a lot of cool people who live on Mallorca. The views were soul lifting and I felt pretty awesome about getting outside and doing some more island exploring. Every time we are able to leave Palma and get outside, I fall a bit more in love with life here.
This past weekend, we went on a spectacular hike from Soller to Deia that lasted pretty much all day on Saturday with a group of 16 couch surfers. It was a bunch of fun and we got to meet a lot of cool people who live on Mallorca. The views were soul lifting and I felt pretty awesome about getting outside and doing some more island exploring. Every time we are able to leave Palma and get outside, I fall a bit more in love with life here.
Friday, March 6, 2009
My Life Plan, In Progress
Today I have the day off so I've decided to engage in a bit of life planning. Serious stuff. One of Andy's friends from his last trip to Spain sent an enlightening email about the status of job hunting back home and it sounds pretty much awful. I have faith that if we really wanted to go home and find jobs, we would. These things always take time and I'm sure that it would just take some extra time to find something. But with the pressure of student loans looming and the urge to find a job with health insurance plans, I'm starting to think a bit outside the box. And thus, I sent an email today to a recruiter for an English teaching program in South Korea. The company recruits for Korea, Taiwan and China. I am most interested in Korea because I have friends that have taught there and had amazing experiences. I emailed the recruiter inquiring about teaching in public schools because I really don't want to teach at a language school. I would prefer the challenges and age ranges of a public school. So we'll see what he says. I also asked him about the health insurance coverage for Mr. Holmes. Hopefully he'll be able to enlighten me. But honestly, the program pays fairly well with rent and plane tickets and health insurance included so I feel that I owe it to myself to at least look into it. I think it could be a really amazing adventure and I am always up for adventures. So perhaps the economy failing will end up being just the push I need to change things up even more and continue on my travels. We'll have to wait and see. But I honestly think it could be really great. I'll keep you updated.
Here's the website that I was looking at for placement: http://reachtoteachrecruiting.com/index.html
Here's the website that I was looking at for placement: http://reachtoteachrecruiting.com/index.html
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Journalism Fail!
http://images.businessweek.com/ss/09/02/0226_miserable_cities/2.htm.
Oh man. Serious reporting fail. Is this a joke business week? Just thought I would share.
Oh man. Serious reporting fail. Is this a joke business week? Just thought I would share.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
A Little List
Things that have happened since I last posted:
1. Japan fell through because the director of the program said there would be no way for me to find a job there and I would be super lonely. That´s about the time I said, "I´m out!"
2. Booked tickets to Rome for Easter Week and then I couldn´t sleep because I of my excitement to go to Italy.
3. Cooked some super yummy foods such as: White Bean and Cabbage Soup, Vegetarian Chili and Blue Cheese and Mushroom Fettuccini.
4. Came to the full realization that I adore traveling and want to spend the rest of my life doing so.
5. Dressed up as a hippie and painted Andy as a skeleton to attend a rockin´Carnival party a week later than Carnival which meant we recieved a number of very confused looks on the bus ride.
6. Started a new painting in my favorite color of all time: purple!
7. Decided to stay in Palma until August but have yet to bite the bullet and pay the fee to change the plane ticket.
8. Went and layed out on the beach on a mildly warm day and day-dreamed of Mallorcan summer.
9. Hosted some super awesome couchsurfers.
10. Took up jogging/walking on the boardwalk and fell in love with living on the med. all over again!
1. Japan fell through because the director of the program said there would be no way for me to find a job there and I would be super lonely. That´s about the time I said, "I´m out!"
2. Booked tickets to Rome for Easter Week and then I couldn´t sleep because I of my excitement to go to Italy.
3. Cooked some super yummy foods such as: White Bean and Cabbage Soup, Vegetarian Chili and Blue Cheese and Mushroom Fettuccini.
4. Came to the full realization that I adore traveling and want to spend the rest of my life doing so.
5. Dressed up as a hippie and painted Andy as a skeleton to attend a rockin´Carnival party a week later than Carnival which meant we recieved a number of very confused looks on the bus ride.
6. Started a new painting in my favorite color of all time: purple!
7. Decided to stay in Palma until August but have yet to bite the bullet and pay the fee to change the plane ticket.
8. Went and layed out on the beach on a mildly warm day and day-dreamed of Mallorcan summer.
9. Hosted some super awesome couchsurfers.
10. Took up jogging/walking on the boardwalk and fell in love with living on the med. all over again!
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Business in Palma
So the past few weeks have been busy with work and tutoring since both Andy and I have received a lot of interest in private lessons after the New Year. So we went out to eat twice for Valentine's Day weekend. We had a great time meeting up with Andy's coworkers at an Italian restaurant on the beach where we ate and ate and ate and drank with a bunch of really interesting and young teachers that Andy works with. It was a good opportunity for me to listen to Spanish and practice my own Spanish as well as to experience a typical Spanish night out which consisted of arriving at the restaurant at 10:15, eating appetizers and sipping on wine until 11:30 when our entrees arrived and then it wasn't until after one that we finished our desserts and last glasses of wine on our way out the door. It was a lovely meal overall and made both Andy and I feel very grateful to have been invited.
For Valentine's Day, Andy surprised me with a little pink potted flower to add some color into our bedroom and then we went out for a giant lunch at a delectable vegetarian cafe. The cafe offers a four course meal with two options for each course so we ordered differently each time and we were able to try everything! I started with a orange and rasberry frappe, then a creamy vegetable soup, then eggplant moussaka and for dessert I ate fresh mint yogurt with a ball of fudge in the middle. Mmm. Makes me happy just thinking about it. Andy had a pesto salad, a shitake mushroom and tofu soup, twice baked potatoes covered in shallot gravy and the same dessert. Wow, it was definitely one of the very best vegetarian meals I have ever had and it was a really nice alternative to a super expensive night out.
The most important thing going on in both of our lives right now is figuring out our plans for after this job. Illona, a friend from Malta we met back in October, is staying with us for the week and she's been traveling for the last 12 years. She's also really involved in the yachting industry so we've been barraging her with questions about her experiences and about how to get a job working on a yacht. With an ~800 euro course in safety training and a certificate signed by a doctor, we're off. The season in the mediterranean lasts from April until October and we could make about 2,000 euros a month starting wage if we found a position. And another big bonus is that Andy and I could apply to agencies together and it's possible for us to get jobs on the same boat. So yachting is a way to both ear money and travel as well as do something completely different and I have to say that appeals to me at this point.
But, last night Andy finally got an email response from the coordinator for an International Relations Coordinator position in a small town in northern Japan. Tsuruta is the sister city for Hood River and each year they hire a Hood River native with a bachelors degree to come for a year and work on international relations with the town officials and teah English in the classroom. The job pays 3,600,000 yen which converts to about 38,000 dollars for a year of work. So this is another really great opportunity. Unfortunately, I'm not sure if there would be anything for me to do and the liklihood of finding an English teaching position is low given that Tsuruta is a town of 15,000. So we have a lot to think about and I've even been losing a bit of sleep over all the prospects. But we have one major issue which is rescheduling our plane ticket. Because we booked through Vayama, they have a $100 fine and then SAS has another $300 fine so we will have to pay at least 400 in fines to change our ticket, but when do we change it for??
Yachting would keep us here for the summer. The job in Japan would start on August 1st. Our ticket is currently for May 26th which doesn't even allow us to finish out our current jobs completely. And, Andy wouldn't even find out about being accepted or not to Tsuruta until April. Ugh, by that time we'll probably have to pay the price difference of the ticket on top of the fines because prices go up so quickly. So, confusion. But, I think Andy is going to try to apply to Japan to at least have it as an option and he asked about me in his email to the coordinator so perhaps she will have some advice about me going along and if there's anything I could do there. So we are busy trying to make decisions but I guess I am grateful that I am able to have a choice. The application for Japan is due on March 2nd so Andy will be working on that over the next couple weeks and we'll have some time to think about the possibilities.
For Valentine's Day, Andy surprised me with a little pink potted flower to add some color into our bedroom and then we went out for a giant lunch at a delectable vegetarian cafe. The cafe offers a four course meal with two options for each course so we ordered differently each time and we were able to try everything! I started with a orange and rasberry frappe, then a creamy vegetable soup, then eggplant moussaka and for dessert I ate fresh mint yogurt with a ball of fudge in the middle. Mmm. Makes me happy just thinking about it. Andy had a pesto salad, a shitake mushroom and tofu soup, twice baked potatoes covered in shallot gravy and the same dessert. Wow, it was definitely one of the very best vegetarian meals I have ever had and it was a really nice alternative to a super expensive night out.
The most important thing going on in both of our lives right now is figuring out our plans for after this job. Illona, a friend from Malta we met back in October, is staying with us for the week and she's been traveling for the last 12 years. She's also really involved in the yachting industry so we've been barraging her with questions about her experiences and about how to get a job working on a yacht. With an ~800 euro course in safety training and a certificate signed by a doctor, we're off. The season in the mediterranean lasts from April until October and we could make about 2,000 euros a month starting wage if we found a position. And another big bonus is that Andy and I could apply to agencies together and it's possible for us to get jobs on the same boat. So yachting is a way to both ear money and travel as well as do something completely different and I have to say that appeals to me at this point.
But, last night Andy finally got an email response from the coordinator for an International Relations Coordinator position in a small town in northern Japan. Tsuruta is the sister city for Hood River and each year they hire a Hood River native with a bachelors degree to come for a year and work on international relations with the town officials and teah English in the classroom. The job pays 3,600,000 yen which converts to about 38,000 dollars for a year of work. So this is another really great opportunity. Unfortunately, I'm not sure if there would be anything for me to do and the liklihood of finding an English teaching position is low given that Tsuruta is a town of 15,000. So we have a lot to think about and I've even been losing a bit of sleep over all the prospects. But we have one major issue which is rescheduling our plane ticket. Because we booked through Vayama, they have a $100 fine and then SAS has another $300 fine so we will have to pay at least 400 in fines to change our ticket, but when do we change it for??
Yachting would keep us here for the summer. The job in Japan would start on August 1st. Our ticket is currently for May 26th which doesn't even allow us to finish out our current jobs completely. And, Andy wouldn't even find out about being accepted or not to Tsuruta until April. Ugh, by that time we'll probably have to pay the price difference of the ticket on top of the fines because prices go up so quickly. So, confusion. But, I think Andy is going to try to apply to Japan to at least have it as an option and he asked about me in his email to the coordinator so perhaps she will have some advice about me going along and if there's anything I could do there. So we are busy trying to make decisions but I guess I am grateful that I am able to have a choice. The application for Japan is due on March 2nd so Andy will be working on that over the next couple weeks and we'll have some time to think about the possibilities.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Oh, 3rd Grade. Madness.
Today while I was walking back home from another terrible class with the out-of-control third graders, I tried to concentrate on what exactly I could do to help out the situation. Unfortunately, for at least three of the kids I can think of, their behavior is so completely beyond my comprehension that I have no idea how I can help them. One is from a very unstable home life and I have suspicions that the others have equally bad situations at home. And so their interactions with the other kids end up being violent, confrontational and downright rude. And they are in the third grade. I try to comfort them as much as I can by speaking to them calmly and get them used to me but still they hear one offensive remark from another student and they are yelling, punching, kicking and biting. In all honesty, my school doesn't have enough resources to really be able to help these kids and they are just put into the same classrooms as all the other students. And that means that their likelihood to resort to violence feeds an unhealthy atmosphere in the classroom. The kids that might be fine otherwise but the craziness of the class gets them riled up to the point of no return. Today I did collect a group of the students that had finished their tests and I read from an English storybook for a little while. Unfortunately, the noise of the troublemakers was too distracting for us to have too much luck but I did hear one of the kids mention that he was understanding more than he thought he would so that made me feel pretty excited. I think that having a substitute teacher is also really not helping the situation at all. So for now, all I can really do is try my best to help out.
Monday, February 2, 2009
TeacherTube Video!
http://www.cpmiquelporcel.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=46&Itemid=14
That is a web address for one of my schools and there is a cool video on it with me helping teach math to fifth graders. Love it!
That is a web address for one of my schools and there is a cool video on it with me helping teach math to fifth graders. Love it!
Thursday, January 22, 2009
A Difficult Work Day
Today I started working with my substitute Monica at Joan Miro and she’s a really pleasant woman so I’m looking forward to the next few weeks with her. We had an incident with the terrible third grade class when two of the boys started throwing punches and kicking each other in class but I wrangled into the middle of it yelling my head off and scooped the perpetrator out of there. The poor kid has a terrible home life and he just loses control sometimes. Certainly the challenges that I have sometimes are unexpected but I still feel passionate about teaching and working with children.
Getting Back Home and Jetting off Again
After we got home from London, we unpacked and settled back into our apartment by cleaning out the fridge of the perishables that perished. It felt good to be back and it helped that the sun was finally out so the day got quite warm. We enjoyed ourselves. The next morning as I was getting ready to go to school, my teacher texted me that she was sick so I spent the day lounging and pretty much doing nothing. It was great! Unfortunately, that teacher is now heading to Norwich for four weeks so I will once again have to work with a substitute. But I have high hopes that it will work out all right.
I’m also signing up for a Spanish course that will last from February until June. It will take place two times a week and I think it will help me fill up my time with something productive. I’ve been practicing my Spanish by listening to podcasts and using workbooks but I have still been a bit frustrated learning Spanish because of the common use of Catalan in our schools and on the streets. But I am quickly learning to differentiate the two languages and picking up more and more as I do that.
This past weekend, Andy and I flew to Belgium to visit with one of his very best friends, Fred. Andy met Fred in high school because Fred was on an exchange and they’ve been good friends ever since. To save money, we flew into Madrid first and then caught a flight to Brussels. We didn’t realize that Fred lives about an hour outside Brussels in the countryside but he was kind enough to drive and pick us up. When we arrived, we found ourselves in a gorgeous farm home that was renovated five years ago. We have a bedroom on the third floor to ourselves with a fabulous skylight.
Fred and his girlfriend Leslie made a delicious fondue dinner for us that first night using a hot plate of sorts and individual pans that we filled with cheese, cornichons, mushrooms and meat for the meat eaters. We also had really tasty Belgian beer that I had been looking forward to for a long time. That night, Andy and I went out with Fred to a town about 30 minutes from Fred’s house and partied with his friends until after 3 am on a very bust street filled with bars and clubs. As we were leaving, a big pack of policemen ran down the street and then when we were walking to the car, we saw at least four different police cars rush toward the craziness. I have no idea what was going on but there were for sure enough drunk people around to cause problems.
The next day, we took a road trip to Germany (about 30 minutes away) and visited the town of Aachen. We ate doughnuts in the rain and wandered around looking in the windows of all the shops. We also went to the cathedral where Charlemagne is buried in a gold coffin. The cathedral’s ceiling was covered by bits of tile mosaic and some of the pieces were real gold. It was an impressive place and I snuck a few photos. Because of the rain, we stayed inside on Sunday and only left the house to go to the bakery that smelled divine and I got my first hint of the famous Belgium chocolates while I drooled over the treats. We left with only fresh bread to make sandwiches for lunch. The baguettes in Belgium are definitely the best I have had thus far. As it rained outside, we stayed in and watched the movie Cars and played guitar hero, tennis and bowling on the Wii.
On our last day, we went out to a classy Italian restaurant and ate big bowls of delicious pasta. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a vegetarian option available but the waiter was more than happy to create a dish for me that turned out wonderful. The next day, Andy and I spent about 12 hours traveling including a 6-hour lay over in the Madrid airport but luckily Andy brought his computer so we watched movies and in between I jumped around the terminals and stretched out. It was actually more pleasant than I thought possible. We made it home by 8:30 Tuesday night and got back into our routine.
I’m also signing up for a Spanish course that will last from February until June. It will take place two times a week and I think it will help me fill up my time with something productive. I’ve been practicing my Spanish by listening to podcasts and using workbooks but I have still been a bit frustrated learning Spanish because of the common use of Catalan in our schools and on the streets. But I am quickly learning to differentiate the two languages and picking up more and more as I do that.
This past weekend, Andy and I flew to Belgium to visit with one of his very best friends, Fred. Andy met Fred in high school because Fred was on an exchange and they’ve been good friends ever since. To save money, we flew into Madrid first and then caught a flight to Brussels. We didn’t realize that Fred lives about an hour outside Brussels in the countryside but he was kind enough to drive and pick us up. When we arrived, we found ourselves in a gorgeous farm home that was renovated five years ago. We have a bedroom on the third floor to ourselves with a fabulous skylight.
Fred and his girlfriend Leslie made a delicious fondue dinner for us that first night using a hot plate of sorts and individual pans that we filled with cheese, cornichons, mushrooms and meat for the meat eaters. We also had really tasty Belgian beer that I had been looking forward to for a long time. That night, Andy and I went out with Fred to a town about 30 minutes from Fred’s house and partied with his friends until after 3 am on a very bust street filled with bars and clubs. As we were leaving, a big pack of policemen ran down the street and then when we were walking to the car, we saw at least four different police cars rush toward the craziness. I have no idea what was going on but there were for sure enough drunk people around to cause problems.
The next day, we took a road trip to Germany (about 30 minutes away) and visited the town of Aachen. We ate doughnuts in the rain and wandered around looking in the windows of all the shops. We also went to the cathedral where Charlemagne is buried in a gold coffin. The cathedral’s ceiling was covered by bits of tile mosaic and some of the pieces were real gold. It was an impressive place and I snuck a few photos. Because of the rain, we stayed inside on Sunday and only left the house to go to the bakery that smelled divine and I got my first hint of the famous Belgium chocolates while I drooled over the treats. We left with only fresh bread to make sandwiches for lunch. The baguettes in Belgium are definitely the best I have had thus far. As it rained outside, we stayed in and watched the movie Cars and played guitar hero, tennis and bowling on the Wii.
On our last day, we went out to a classy Italian restaurant and ate big bowls of delicious pasta. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a vegetarian option available but the waiter was more than happy to create a dish for me that turned out wonderful. The next day, Andy and I spent about 12 hours traveling including a 6-hour lay over in the Madrid airport but luckily Andy brought his computer so we watched movies and in between I jumped around the terminals and stretched out. It was actually more pleasant than I thought possible. We made it home by 8:30 Tuesday night and got back into our routine.
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