Becoming an Educator

A few moments I would like to share with you:

1) Teaching is a rewarding thing.

In addition to working at the school four days a week, I am giving private lessons Monday-Wednesday to three girls who are cousins, all eleven to twelve years old. I had always imagined that tutoring and working one on one with a student in English would be very difficult and I thought it would be something I wouldn't enjoy, but I am finding the experience to be completely the opposite! Two of the girls I work with are at a high level. Learning English is something they enjoy and get excited about, which makes me all the more enthusiastic about their progress. While at times I find it difficult to explain our crazy grammar to them, it makes it all worth the while when I see that change in their facial expression, the moment when they go from confusion to the "Ah-ha!" moment. The third girl I work with seems to be a little slow. She struggles in English, doesn't like to study, and it doesn't seem that she is a strong student in any subject, really. Last week I quizzed her on eight vocabulary words (which she had "studied") and she only got two right. (The words were: who, what, where, when, why, how, whose, and which.) It was incredibly frustrating for me because my working with her is dependent on her studying during the week as well. This week she seemed to have made progress. not only did she know the eight words, but it was evident that she studied the verbs she was learning as well. Yes!! In sum, tutoring is going well and is definitely more enjoyable and rewarding then I ever could have imagined it to be.

2) What the students will remember most are not the facts you teach them, it's the way you make them feel.

About two weeks ago a girl in my fifth grade class came up to me with a very serious face and handed me a piece of paper all folded up. I thought maybe it was a note about her someone had written, but instead it was a note from her to me! Written in English, or at least attempted English, I had to laugh at the Halloween poem she had crafted and the letter that followed:

Halloween
Night Halloween is chilling.
A ghost walk night to ask for candies
and more sweets. Fear will. Phantom says
Candy will give you, fear you will spend it.
there are ghosts and witches at night.

For Emma Seño
I give this letter seño.
If you are a good teacher, I had to
have this letter with the help, but
that is not important. I wish you
a good course.

De Esther: Mi name is Esther

Tell me you didn't laugh, too? Frankly, later on, I didn't know how to react and I felt extremely awkward walking into class the next day. Today after class had ended, it became apparent that this child might be in need of a friend. From what I can tell, she hangs out alone most of the time and is probably the girl who is on the quiet side and super nice, but all the other girls don't want to be friends with her. She spends reccess alone and often eats lunch alone in the cafeteria. In hushed voices the girls argued with one another and eventually caught the attention of the rest of the class. The main teacher went over to Esther and talked to her, like a self-esteem boost, but also for the whole class to learn a lesson. It was one of those moments that, while watching, I realized would be one that she will remember forever. I could see it on her face that she needed to hear those things. I had to applaud the teacher for the way she handled the situation because everyone left smiling and talking nicely to one another, and a huge group of girls, including Esther, stayed after school for about ten minutes talking with the teacher and laughing together. I can remember moments like that from when I was about ten years old, and I hope Esther remembers that moment as well.

3) Never doubt that a young child might know more than an adult.

While walking home from tutoring today I saw an English couple asking a Spaniard (about eighteen to twenty years old) for directions. His English apparently didn't seem to do the trick and the couple had a confused look upon their faces. He stuttered and tried to explain the location in complete Spanglish, and then he turned to his younger brother, who was about eight or nine years old, and asked him, Cómo se dice 'al lado' en inglés? (How do you say 'next to' in English?). The younger brother looked up and said in a very cute accent, "next to," and then continued to chat with his friend. I smiled knowing that the younger brother had learned this in school, perhaps from an auxiliar, like myself. Although I did not know the boy, I was proud that he could translate for his older brother. Maybe that fuzzy feeling is the feeling all teachers get when they see a student excel.

NO8DO: No me ha dejado. Sevilla, No TE he dejado

This past weekend I went to Sevilla, where I studied abroad two years ago. The first day felt very odd... To be there, to have lived somewhere and to return... It's as if I held a key to Sevilla (knowing where to go, what to do, how the city functions), but not a key that would unlock a door to home. I was a tourist in a place I once lived in. I stayed at a hostel with people who had never been to Spain before. I ran into CIEE students who have no idea what this year has in store for them, who still had these crazy notions about Sevilla, who hadn't yet realized the complexity of the place. They are still in their honeymoon stage, idealizing every moment, telling me unrealistic goals they have for this semester or year. I walked down Calle Asunción, which is now pedestrian only, and at first felt out of place, but soon felt like I had never left. I went to visit my host mom and she answered the door in her bathroom and her hair half done. Some things never change, I guess.

Me and my friend Caitlin in front of the Triana Bridge.
We studied abroad together 2008-2009 and now she is living in Sevilla
while doing the same program as I am doing in a high school in Jaen.

I was able to get breakfast with Maria Jose, one of my professors with whom I have kept in contact. She was excited to see me, and we talked about my senior year of college, plans for the future, and current situation in Fuengirola. I was also able to visit the Palacio where I used to go to school and see all the people who work there. It was so wonderful to visit with them. While speaking with them I realized how much I missed Sevilla and how much it felt so normal and natural for me to walk around the streets. Sure the people have changed a bit, there are new stores and restaurants, but that's just the evolution and life of a city. Just like any place. The whole weekend I started to feel as if I was unlucky to be in Fuengirola, and how much I would have preferred to live in Sevilla... But upon my return to Fuengirola, I felt a sense of going home, to a place I belonged in at this moment. I was once a part of Sevilla, but that is not where I am supposed to be right now. I can visit on the weekends, remember it fondly, but being in Fuengirola is almost redeeming all the aspects of Sevilla I didn't like... It seems silly, but during my year there I seemed to at sometimes be lost and almost in pain from the lack of diversity in the city. We always talk about what a multicultural Spain would look like, whose faces would we see, what languages would we hear, what food would we eat... Well, here it is! This is it. That's not to say it's perfect or functions well, but Fuengirola is what we have been talking about. It's a total cultural mess, but at the same time that's what makes it beautiful.

Only in Spain

In light of the last post, I decided that I would keep an ongoing list entitled, "Only in Spain". This is a collaborative effort based on the experiences of some of the other auxiliares. I will continue to update it as the year progresses.

ONLY IN SPAIN...

1. Is it acceptable for the teachers at your school to pull out a liter of CruzCampo beer during recreo at noon before heading back to the classroom.

2. Is it normal to hear a professor say "shut up" to a student (a literal translation of cállate).

3. Do you have to dodge dog poop every step (it seems it's taboo that dogs actually have to poop - wow, really? No me digas!!)

4. Does te llamo ahora (literal translation: I'll call you now) mean that you can expect to receive a call sometime in the coming week... or not.

5. Does the man at the ticket window (whose job it is to sell tickets - claro) not know which bus is going to La Linea and therefore tells you to go ask every bus driver if their bus is going there. (Rachel)

6. Does hasta ahora, doesn't really mean until now, but rather, I'm leaving and I will return sometime in the "near" future. And just F.Y.I. "near" is all relative. (Rachel)

7. Can you really "make a night of it" - go out at 9pm and return home at 9am. :) (Nandi)

8. Can you buy half a dozen eggs, a huge loaf of amazing bread, three delicious tomatoes, parmesan cheese and an onion for under $5.

9. Does the following occur: "When I went to the doctor yesterday I asked her if I had a fever, and she said, 'I don't know? You don't have a thermometer at home? You should buy one...' and never took my temperature." (Caitlin)

10. Only in Spain would you go to the post office five times to figure out where your packages are, only to be told that it is not their responsibility to know, and then when you say you want to file a complaint, they reply that they want to file a complaint against you because you are so annoying. (Liz)

Cultural Conventions

On Monday, I was in a first grade classroom and the kids were trying to guess my age.

"Thirty-seven?" one little boy asked. "That's how old my mom is," he explained in Spanish. (I'm pretty sure he only knows one to ten and his mom's age in English.)

"Nope!" I told him. "Keep guessing."

They began to count, saying as many numbers as they could remember. Finally one kid got it, "Twenty-two?"

"Yes!"

"Ay, que joven!" (Wow, how young!) another kid exclaimed. I just began to laugh. This little child is six years old, and was calling me young, obviously a culture practice he picked up from his parents. It is custom here to say something such as, how young, how beautiful, how smart! when learning new information about someone or meeting someone for the first time. It's an interesting convention, and I often wonder what that says about Spanish society... Even the teachers comment on the physical appearance of the person, as has been my experience as well as many of my friends'. It makes me wonder if they always comment like that, or rather will tell it as it is.

Que viva la feria!

After much deliberation I finally decided it would be worth it to buy a traje de gitana. I am so happy I did because I had been seriously thinking about getting one for quite a while. Sometimes it's worth it to listen to your gut, even if it seems a bit impractical or ridiculous.

Feria was great and it was a fabulous way to be introduced to Fuengirola (although now that today is the last day, I'll probably really miss it). My friend Rachel came to visit and we had a great time. My roommate invited us to join her at Feria, which made the experience seem so much more real. We were able to hang out with a group of Spaniards and not just a group of auxiliares. Everyone we talked to asked us if it was our first time in Spain. When we told them that we had been in Sevilla, they replied, "Se nota" which is roughly translated to "You can tell".

On Sunday we went to Mijas, which is a cute little pueblo located about fifteen minutes from Fuengirola. All the houses are white there, making it very picturesque. From Mijas you can see my town and the whole coast.

Click here to see photos, otherwise here is the link: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2090189&id=10403369&l=0db26fd5e0

Plans are in the works for La Linea this weekend to visit Rachel and see Gibraltar and Tarifa. I'm headed back to my stomping ground, Sevilla, the following two weekends. On the lookout for cheap flights to other cities in Spain.

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On a completely different note, GO GIANTS!!! Mis Gigantes are spectacular - NL West Champs!

Finding the Andaluz in Fuengirola and the Costa del Sol

In 1787 Thomas Jefferson wrote:

“Spanish. Bestow great attention on this and endeavor to acquire an accurate knowledge of it. Our future connection with Spain and Spanish America will render that language a valuable acquisition.”

(Taken from U. Virginia website)

Wow, who knew that in 1787 Jefferson had such foresight into the importance of the Spanish language. It's ranked number two in the world of native speakers, and number three in total number of speakers. Don't worry Mr. Jefferson, I'm working on following your advice, 223 years later.

Continuing on that note, I'm just starting my grad school applications and, boy, this process is hard! I'm trying to decide which schools I should apply to, which professors I might be able to work with, what to say in my personal/academic statements. I officially started my application to University of Oregon, and I am hoping to make progress on a few others as the week comes along. I need to narrow it down to about six schools. So far I am thinking of U of Oregon, Boston College, U of Michigan at Ann Arbor (PhD program only, no masters), U of Virginia and maybe Berkeley, U of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, U of Georgia at Athens... And then there is Washington University at St. Louis and also CSU Long Beach (although I am pretty sure I am not going to apply to CSULB, even though one of the greatest professors is there... sigh.) It's such a balancing act - the school, the program, the professors, the courses, the resources.... Poquito a poco, I guess, and it will all work itself out. It always does.

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Changing subjects completely, as I said in my previous post, Fuengirola is this bizarre cultural-fusion place. My experience here is already very different from that of my year in Sevilla. In Sevilla there are Americans everywhere. Here, while many people speak English, I get the feeling that the only Americans are the auxiliares and that's about it. We have yet to meet another American who is not an auxiliar. Yesterday we had our orientation in Málaga and finally I felt like I was in Spain. The buildings were old and reminded me of the Andalucía I know, not the resort town I am living in. I walked through the streets staring up at the balconies above me, made of wrought iron, some with single-paned windows, most likely originals. For once I heard only Spanish when walking though the streets, and not accents from anglophone countries. Although I had never been to Málaga before, I felt like I was in a familiar place. We didn't have too much time to explore, so I'll have to go back and really see the whole city. Luckily it's only a 45 minute ride from Fuengirola, and at 4.40€ round-trip, I'd say it's pretty worth it.

We got back to Fuengirola and stopped at Cien Montaditos for dinner (again - I really love that place, especially on Wednesdays because it's euromania and everything is only, yep, you guessed it, 1€). La feria had just begun only hours before so we walked over to tour the recinto ferial. Unlike Sevilla, anyone can enter most of the casetas, which is great because that's where so much of the action takes place. While in Sevilla most of the music is sevillanas, here there is a great diversity of music. We followed our ears and soon the sounds of the clapping hands of the people tocando palmas and the guitar filled the air. In we went to one of the casetas to watch about a dozen people dancing las sevillanas, each adding her or his own flavor to the dance. The environment was friendly and we appeared to be the only non-Spaniards in the room. I felt like I could have stayed there watching all night. I always find flamenco, especially sevillanas so entrancing. It's that kind of music that isn't just sounds and words, but rather a melody that comes from the soul. It's passionate and full of life. I'm looking forward to going back again today. My friend from Mt. Holyoke Rachel (and fellow Romance Language major) is coming this weekend for la feria, so I am looking forward to seeing her. She's doing the same thing as I am, but through CIEE. She's living in La Linea, which is the town right next to Gibraltar. Pretty sweet.

Ya he llegado!

A little something I wrote while on the plane (SFO>BDL):

It’s September 20th and I find myself making my way back to Mount Holyoke. Albeit I have yet to arrive, it doesn’t feel odd going back to school. I’m lucky, really. Not only is it the GEMELA Conference this weekend, but it’s also the Inauguration of our new president, Lynn Pasquerella. And not only are these two major events going on this weekend, but I am also having a mini-reunion with a number of friends from the class of 2010! It should make for a great week back on campus. I’ve had a great transition out of Mount Holyoke… coming home and attending an alumnae event, having a chance to spend time with classmates who now live in San Francisco, and now this coming weekend with many close friends. Plus, two of my other good friends will be in Andalucía, Spain with me teaching there as well. I couldn’t have asked for a better situation.

A little update on the summer… I worked for six weeks at camp as per usual. It’s a good steady job, and while not a very sophisticated job, I prefer it to retail or the corporate world any day. Additionally I house-sat, dog-walked, cat-fed, plant-watered, babysat, and transcribed almost the entirety of my time home. I spent time with my family, went to Tahoe and to Las Vegas (with my best friend). In other words, it was a successful summer. I even got a jump-start on the grad school process and took the GRE.

Now I am making my way to Mount Holyoke to work with my professor at a conference on early modern women writers in Spain and the Americas. I will have a chance to meet many of the top scholars in the field, whom I may work with in graduate school. I am so thankful for such a wonderful opportunity.

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The week was everything I could have asked for and more. I ended up spending most of my time with my professor, Nieves, as well as Esther (Spanish professor at Mt. Holyoke), José (Esther's husband, and a grad student at UMass) and Glenda (another grad student at UMass). We had such a great time! Nieves and I had many bonding moments; it was great to get some real conversations in while we had time together. She has been such an inspiration in my past four years and really the one whole has been responsible for many of the choices I have made. Although we were exhausted, the conference went very smoothly and was quite a success. I was able to meet many professors from around the US and the world. I have read many articles by them, so it was rewarding, albeit odd, to put a face to the name. It was also a great time to make connections for the future.

While attending the sessions I realized how much I really do love Spanish literature, history, and culture. I also became aware of how much I know. At one point, in a discussion about Marcia Belisarda's manuscript, unpublished in its entirety, a question arose about its being published at all. I was extremely pleased when I was able to name the other of the two anthologies in which the prologue is published. While only a small thing and a fleeting moment, it was then that I truly felt that I should go to graduate school. At another point Glenda and I were speaking about some of the works I read last year, (including Mario Bellatin's Salón de Belleza, or Beauty Salon, which she since has assigned to her class at Amherst) and she encouraged me to continue on to graduate school as well. "I wish my students were half as enthusiastic as you," she told me. So I guess graduate school is the right decision... Sometimes I wonder if I am not going to be good enough for it, smart enough, or prepared enough. But this past week at the GEMELA Conference really was great for me in terms of feeling secure about my future. I'm ready for it. Bring on the grad school applications.

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Yesterday Mt. Holyoke's new president, Lynn Pasquerella, declared it was Mountain Day. While I didn't go climb an actual mountain, I thought it was an appropriate day to be Mountain Day since it was my first full day in Fuengirola. All I could think of was the great Dr. Seuss. What would he have said about climbing mountains? Oh right, here's what he said...

You're off to Great Places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So...get on your way!

And so I continue my journey up the next mountain. Onward to...

Fuengirola, Spain
un sol de ciudad

I arrived in Fuengirola two days ago, and it seems I am still getting over my jet lag. It doesn't feel like Spain, but rather this weird multicultural/fusion place... There probably weren't more than a dozen Spaniards on my flight from London; there are tons of British people here, and almost everything is written in both Spanish and English. In the streets you see people from all over the world, of every race, including women in hijab which I never saw in Sevilla. In my neighborhood it seems like there are more Finnish people than Spaniards. Even one of the main streets in my barrio is called Avenida de Finlandia. I've gone out and explored a little... I've already discovered that I won't be missing "ethnic" food here - there's everything from sushi to Mexican, Indian to Chinese, British pubs to kebab shops. (Insert extreme excitement here.)

The town isn't too big, which is nice. It's odd not knowing which neighborhood is where. In Sevilla we had a tour guide who explained everything to us, and here I am on my own to discover the city. I feel like I am getting a hang of it, but I keep stumbling on new things. Today I found the Cien Montaditos, one of my favorite Spanish chain restaurants. It was so enjoyable to sit and eat my montaditos in the plaza, sipping on a tinto de verano.

Maybe this weekend I can head over to Málaga to see the big city. It's the sixth biggest city in Spain and about 3,000 years old. I'm sure it will have much to offer in terms of culture. I'm on the lookout for a local flamenco hangout, like La Anselma in Triana, Sevilla. Mijas is just up the hill and is said to be charming. It's one of Andalucia's many white hill towns. I'm hoping to get up there this weekend.

I moved into my piso on Tuesday and it's great. The place is small, but comfortable. "European", as my mom would call it. We have internet (yes!!) and even a pool. It's only about a fifteen minute walk to the beach. My roommate's name is Alicia, and she is fantastic! We have been eating dinner together every night; she's a great cook. :)

I start school tomorrow, which I am quite looking forward to, because up till now I don't know anyone here except for Alicia. There is another auxiliar at my school, also from California, whose name is Nandi. I'll have a chance to meet her tomorrow. I realized that I will probably spend a lot of time in solitude, but I think that's okay with me. I am ever so grateful that we have the internet at home, as it has made communicating with all of you much easier, and of course, cheaper. Sometime tomorrow I am supposed to swing by the bank where Nieves' best friend works to say hello. It'll be nice to know that I am not really alone here and have someone I can call in case I need anything. :)

Anyway, that's all for now. I am still using my Mt. Holyoke email address, so you can email whenever and I'll get back to you as soon as possible.

¡Hasta ahora!