Jaén: The First Day Part 2

That was one of the longest bus rides of my life. After sitting at the bus station for 4 hours we finally left at 1:30pm. I kept drifting in and out of sleep for the first hour and a half or so. I was really paranoid that I would sleep through my stop, so I took very short power naps. By the last 45 minutes of the trip I was at that exhausted, I can’t take it anymore, almost emotional breakdown stage. Finally we got there.

This is Jaén...

(I didn't take these pictures.)

I grabbed a taxi and the taxi drivers were all very good natured and fun. They were giving me a hard time about how much stuff I had and one of them joked around that I must have brought my boyfriend in the large suitcase so I wouldn’t have to buy him a ticket. The other taxi driver got me to the hostel, I got checked in and dropped my stuff off. I really, REALLY wanted a shower, but if I wanted to have any chance at all of seeing any apartments I needed to get going. I just changed my clothes, slapped on a little deodorant and perfume and hit the road. I had brought a Jaén map with me, so as I strolled through town I would jot down numbers on the map of possible apartments that I saw on flyers. I called one, but the guy said he wouldn’t be able to show it to me today and the girls currently living there would be out on Saturday. I called another but it was already taken. It was hard to keep track of who I’d called and who I hadn’t. If I didn’t mind living with other Americans or Brits I could already have an apartment. I’m torn because I really just want to have a place to live so I don’t have to pay for additional days in the hostel.

(my hostel...Albergue Interjoven and Spa)

By the end of the day I was really tired and a little discouraged (although there really isn’t reason for that yet…I’ve only been here a few hours). This first few days are always just a jumble of emotions…excited for being here, sad at being alone, overwhelmed trying to get settled, etc. I sat down for “dinner” at a dessert shop and had a crepe with bananas and chocolate. The weather here is really nice right now, and actually warmer than I had imagined, so I sat on the patio. I mentally debated whether I should just live with the other Americans. It would be instant friends, instant community and the apartment is located in a really good location in between my two schools…but will I regret it once I have time to feel settled…that I’m not totally surrounded by the language like I was last year? I really want to keep improving my ability to speak Spanish.

I went back to the hostel, showered, met the girls I’m rooming with at the hostel one from Italy and one from Turkey) and relaxed.

I think there’s a party here at the hostel tonight. There’s loud Spanish music, laughing, clapping and I think dancing coming from one of the lower floors. I would go…I feel like I should go…but after traveling for 28 hours I’m kind of beat. That’s alright…there’s 9 months of parting and friends to be met ahead of me.

Here we go again! The beginning of my stay in Jaen

Right now I’m sitting in the Mendez Alvaro Estación Sur de Autobuses (the bus station) in Madrid. Everything up until this point has gone pretty darn well. Hopefully I didn’t just jinx myself. Yesterday my mom and I ran around running errands trying to get ready for my trip (finding a hostel for my first night in Jaén, getting my parents and my bank accounts linked in case I get pressed for cash and need help, dropping off my back-up work photos at the hospital, Costco, etc) and I finished packing. This is the first time I haven’t had to stay up all night finishing packing. I actually got it done ahead of time. I wasn’t too concerned about my bags being a little overweight until I saw a news clip the other day that said some airlines are charging around $450 now for baggage fees, and they listed United as one of the airlines doing so. Lucky me, I’m flying United. I pulled up their website and looked at their fees list, then I called 2 customer support reps over the following 2 days and this is basically what it boils down to:

-One 50lb. bag is allowed on United Airlines international flights for free.

-If you go overweight on that one bag it will cost you $200. ($200!!!)

-If you add an additional bag and it goes overweight (so you have one under 50lb bag and one over 50lb bag) it will cost $400!! $400!!!

-However, after the last call I had with customer support they finally said, well, if you divide your one overweight suitcase into 2 suitcases under 50lbs each it will only cost you $70.

Problem solved. I don’t like it, but I can fork out $70 to have an extra suitcase. It’s hard to pack for a year in one under 50 lb suitcase!
So after I was packed mom and I tried to use the home scale to get an idea of how much the suitcases weighed. I was positive that they were overweight but wasn’t sure by how much. We decided to go over to Evergreen and use their freight scales so we knew for sure when we went to the airport the next morning the suitcases would be perfect. I made sure everything was packed (even the stuff I would need to get ready in the morning) and we headed off to Evergreen after our other errands. The scale sat in front of her office with my 2 open suitcases sprawled out on her office floor…me frantically trying to figure out what I could live without for the next 9 months. My mom’s co-workers took turns giving me their advice on how to make this embarrassing quantity of stuff fit, follow all the rules and be underweight. It certainly wasn’t easy, but we finally got it down to 50lbs exactly on one suitcase, and 50.6 lbs. on the other. I figured if they gave me crap at the airport about that 0.6lbs I would take one shirt out and be fine. (Later I realized that the jeans I was wearing needed to go in the suitcase…dang it! Almost perfect).

Funny side note: I’ve started to read the New Testament a little each day. One of the parts that I read in the midst of this packing craziness was “Do not pack a bag with clothes. Do not take sandals or a walking stick. You must embody simplicity.” Haha. Oops. I think I failed.

After we got done at Evergreen we headed off to get my 2nd mocha of the day, pick up Laura and meet my dad down at the Mariner’s game. They were playing the Oakland Athletics and absolutely got their butts kicked, but it was a fantastic night and a great last Seattle/family thing to do before I leave for Spain. I got home and had high hopes of getting a couple other things done, but finally decided they weren’t crucial and went to bed. I really wanted at least one last small nap in MY bed before going to Spain and being in whatever random rental apartment bed I find.
Mom woke me up at 3 (since I didn’t wake up to my alarm) and I got ready so we could head towards the airport at 4:15am. We got coffee, got the the airport and mom came in to help me with my bags and make sure I didn’t have any problems with checking my bags. I weighed the first bag and it was 52.5. The lady told me I need to get rid of a few extra pounds. Dang it! Then she said, “Well, put the other one on the scale” and it was exactly 50lbs. She told me nevermind, don’t worry about it. Heck yes!
We got money exchanged (the one thing I forgot to do ahead of time) and then I headed through security. Mom and I exchanged looks and waves while I waited in line, then she stuck around until I’d gotten through security. It’s been harder to say goodbye this time. It’s for a mixture of reasons, but one of which I’d say is because not much time has passed in between my Siles trip and this one. I planned for SO long in advance for my Murcia trip, then a couple years had passed by the time I got accepted for my Siles trip, but now I’ve only been home for a couple months and there wasn’t any waiting and wondering about whether or not I would get to go. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, and I really haven’t been away from Spain long enough to truly miss it. A few tears escaped as I headed through security, then a few more when I read the card my parents had snuck into my backpack, but I tried hard to hold it together. At least I’ll be home for Christmas, so it’s only 3 months until I will see my family again.

I made it to my first flight without any problems. Security didn’t even hassle me like I thought they would (all my camera gear, external hard drives, etc, usually makes them suspicious). When I got to my gate they needed volunteers to check their carry-on bags. I took a few things from my carry on, stuff it into my “personal item” (aka backpack) and let them check it all the way to Madrid. One less thing to deal with. Yay! I was a little worried that it wouldn’t get all the way to Madrid, since it was separated from the others, but I ended up having no problems. There were only 10 empty seats on the whole flight, and one of them was right next to me! I enjoyed the extra space and slept the entire flight.

I landed in DC, updated my family and Facebook to let them know I’d survived the first leg of the trip, got some food and my final Starbucks for awhile (so long salted caramel mochas!) and met another auxiliar…Lindsey. Lindsey and I were on the same flight and it’s her first time doing the program and being in Spain so we chatted about everything auxiliares-related. She is from Portland and has never really been abroad. Her placement is in Madrid, so I assured her that her experiences would be vastly different than mine last year. The second flight was not crowded at all. Too bad on this one there WAS someone next to me. The flight attendant said one of us could move and have a row to ourselves, but I was already on the inside next to the window, and he apparently didn’t feel like moving (I think he liked having someone to chat with). I would have moved but I liked being next to the window to rest my head on and sleep. I slept through majority of this flight as well, and only woke up to have dinner and breakfast, and for the last hour and a half of the flight.

As I was getting off the flight I was introduced to Chris, another auxilar that was on our flight and had been seated next to Lindsey. He’s from Nebraska and will be teaching in Palencia (north of Madrid). We all got our bags (I combined my checked “carry-on” into the already checked bag) and headed out. Lindsey is staying with a host family so her host dad was there to meet her and pick her up. Chris and I debated taking a taxi, but it was going to be like 30 euro, so I decided to brave the metro again. Chris and I parted ways, but he has a friend in Jaén, so he’s going to come visit. I headed through the airport to the metro station and when I was on the metro I had a weird realization…the lines between “cultural shock” and “reverse culture shock” are becoming a lot blurrier. This time it was weird knowing where to go, the metro routes to take, the language comes more naturally…that everything seems so much the same, but so different at the same time because of how I’ve changed…what they usually tell you about normal culture shock. I’ve bounced back and forth between Spain and the US enough times now, that I feel relatively “at home” (in very different ways) in both places.

By the time I made it to the bus station it was 9:15am. I found the company with a route to Jaen and I had missed the bus by 15 minutes. So close! The next bus is at 1:30….so here I am…chilling in the bus station for the next 4 hours. I was hoping to find an apartment today, but it looks like I’ll probably have to book one more night in the hostel since I won’t even get to Jaen until 4 or 5. I stopped at one locutorio to call my parents and let them know that I arrived, and chatted with the two women working there. One commented on my giant suitcases, and then they tried to help me figure out if there was a train I could take that leaves sooner (There isn’t). After that I went to another locutorio to use the internet. I was able to interpret for a British guy that was there and I asked the lady working there if she would mind watching my things for a few minutes so I could go use the restroom, brush my teeth and throw some deodorant on. I also grabbed something to drink and set to blogging. I’m getting better at this whole blogging thing every time I come over here. My Murcia blog lasted a couple postings. My Siles blog lasted about half my stay. Now my goal is to blog my entire stay in Jaén. It’s not just for you…I’ve realized my memory kind of sucks and this is my way to remember all the fun, quirky things that happen too. So, enjoy! Hopefully blogging with stick with me this time!

One more random side note: I lost 25 pounds last year living in Siles. This summer I gained all of it back. Saaaaaaaad day. My mom and I are in a competition with each other to see who can lose the most before I get back for Christmas. Help keep us accountable and on track! Jaén is basically one giant hill, so at least I have that going “in my favor.” :)

Confession

Today was fantastic. Really wonderful…mostly for one reason. The weather was sunny and hot. It was AMAZING. It’s truly incredible what the sunny and warmth can do for someone’s mood. I feel so rejuvenated. *Insert giant smiley face, happy-full feeling here.*

Confession: If it weren’t for the fact that my family is in the US, I would probably stay here in Spain. I’m really thankful that I was born and raised in the US, but I love life here in Spain. When I’m here, I feel like I’m really *living* my life. I have time for friends, time for walks, time for exercise and cooking. Here I can go to different cities on the weekend that have way more personality and things to see than say…Monroe, Lake Stevens, Woodinville and the other cities immediately around my good ol’ hometown of Snohomish. I experience things that challenge me on a daily basis without feeling like more than I can handle…they always feel like they have a purpose, maybe because I’m constantly searching for it. I don’t feel stuck in the rat race that is the American employment system where your job largely defines who you are and you frequently have to sell your soul to the long work days. Of course, I realize studying abroad and then working 12 hours a week really isn’t what I would have to do to live here under normal circumstances…but still…it’s more than the job, which I think is the point. Life here is about more than your job. You work to live…you don’t live to work.

This is going to be one of my biggest re-adaptation problems when I get back home. My entire life I’ve made a habit of running around like a crazy person, filling my schedule to the brim and yet never having the time to really *enjoy* and soak up life. I hope I can find some way to bring this part of my Spanish life back with me.

A perfect day to watch futbol

Today was wonderful. I even had to get up at 7am on a weekend and it still was wonderful. Number one reason why: Sun and heat. Luis works as a soccer referee for the kids’ soccer games on the weekend. We thought he was working in La Puerta today, so the idea was that I would get up early, catch the bus with him and the kids, watch the soccer games, Ben and Eve could also come and watch some of them games when they woke up and then we could all have lunch together. I got up, got ready and we rushed down to Rincon de Maxi to have a coffee before we had to leave. It was there that Luis’ boss showed up and reminded him that we were actually going to Beas de Segura today, not La Puerta. Awwwww. We were trying to think of a way we could still stop in La Puerta and have lunch after the games but decided it just wasn’t going to happen today (buses are even more sporadic on Sundays). Even though I didn’t get to see Ben and Eve I was still so glad I went. I left the house wearing a tank top, turtleneck, sweater, polar fleece jacket, my Northface jacket and a scarf. I even thought to myself “I don’t think I brought enough” as I started walking towards Rincon de Maxi. It’s been super cold here all week. Well, I was wrong. The sun came out and it was gorgeous. Really, seriously, amazing. The longer I sat on the bleachers the more layers I shed. I finally made it down to the turtleneck and sweater and was still too hot but couldn’t shed anymore layers without a little indecent exposure. Every now and then Luis’ boss would come over to check on me, joke about the fact that I could sit there and tan and then he would head back to work. There were about 20 teams at the field. There were two games going on simultaneously from 9:30-2. The 10-12 year old team from Siles played first and won their game. The 8-10 year old team played last and it was an absolute massacre. The kids seemed excited and surprised that I got on the bus with them this morning and throughout the day a few of them came over to give me updates about how well they played, or just come chat a little. The kids also tease Luis mercilessly about being bald, and he’s a good sport about it. Luis’ nickname in the town is Luigi so usually jokes about “Where’s Mario?” come into play at some point. This is an interesting fact that I don’t think I’ve shared yet. Apparently most everyone here has a nickname. My guess is that so many people have the same or similar names that they create nicknames for each other to more easily distinguish people. I’ve asked but it seems I don’t have a nickname (or at least one people are willing to admit to me). I’ll let you know if I eventually get an apodo (nickname).

Cultural tidbits

Today I woke up late and only got to one of my classes. I missed the first two. Javi, the director (principal), told me not to worry about it (probably because he knows I haven’t made a habit of just not showing up). At least I made it to the third class of the day. The first two I just help out in with the other teacher present. The third class I prepare completely…so of all the classes for me to wake up for that was the right one. Luckily I only live a few minutes away from the school.

The Day of Peace is tomorrow. Yesterday I tried teaching the 4th graders how to make origami cranes with instructions in English. They at least seemed to pay a little more attention but as an activity it really wasn’t a success. We didn’t have enough time, the kids wanted to finish even though they had to go to PE and we screwed up one step so the cranes didn’t really open very well. I reassured the kids that we could try again next week or later so they would let it go. Today we continued working on our MLK Jr. mini books in the 3rd grade class. I was really naïve to think we’d get it done in one class. We spent two cases working on it and kids still didn’t get it done. Also, a bunch of kids lost their book from last week so they had to start over. Apparently it doesn’t matter how many times I say “Don’t Lose it!” in either language. The books have about 7 pages and each page had a drawing for them to color and part of MLK Jr’s hope for the future. (MLK Jr hoped one day we could all work together. MLK hoped we could all pray together, etc, etc.) I was going to have us translate the text as a group but we didn’t have time.

During recess I spoke with Javi and Sebas. Javi mentioned in the past that the hardest part for the auxiliares is usually Christmas. It’s reassuring to know I’ve probably gotten over the hardest part. I also mentioned in my frustration that although I seemed to have made friends they never call me or invite me to do anything. He explained that’s just not how they do things around here…that he’s never called someone to ask if they wanted to do something. People just always run into each other and happen to decide to do something. That makes me feel better. At least it’s not me. I thought they just didn’t want to invite me to things and felt obligated to include me when they saw me. It also gives me a clear way to improve the situation without feeling like I’m imposing on people. I have to be the proactive one that calls people and tries to make plans. Good, good, good to know.

I went home and had hot soup and risotto because it’s COLD. There is snow in the mountains just above us. People are predicting that we probably have snow in the next few days. Daaaaaaaang it. Last week’s nice weather was such a tease! I can’t wait for spring!

I had juuuust laid down to take a nap when I got a call from Ben and Eve (I don’t usually take naps…I like the idea but usually end up trying to finish other tasks during the siesta time. It would figure the one day I try to take a nap someone actually calls me to make plans.). They were in Siles having lunch at the high school (the Thursday fancy lunch with the culinary students that I went to with the teachers a couple months ago). When they were done with lunch I met them at my school. They had come over with one of my adult pupils. Pilar, the wife of my adult pupil and a nurse who works in Puente Genave, also came with them because she is learning English. We all headed towards Mezquita to have a coffee. On the way Erika Martinez (the infamous mannequin head actress starring in their web series Pueblo) took some pictures with a dog. There was an old lady on the other side of the street giving us the evil eye, probably wondering who these freaks were carrying around a mannequin head in their backpack and then bothering a poor dog with their antics. Haha. At Mezquita we chatted, practiced English, made paper cranes, had a coffee and talked about projects. Pilar mentioned that Spanish people don’t have “projects” besides getting coffee. Haha. Eve and I talked about doing photo projects together. I would really like to try to go through my Artist Way book again and take on some photo projects. I have such amazing scenery at my disposal, and so much to take pictures of, and I just haven’t been able to make time to do it. Ben and Eve pointed out that maybe I have too many projects and to-dos running through my mind and I should focus on one a week. It’s a good idea…we’ll see how successful I am with it. I do have a habit of trying to multi-task to the extreme. They also mentioned that they choose not to give private lessons during their stay here because this is the one year in their lives they will have to relax…that they prefer not to make much money and have more time. Sometimes I wish I’d taken on that mentality, but I think it’s also impossible for me to have too much free time. At least Ben and Eve have each other in La Puerta…if I have too much time alone, not doing anything I get bored and depressed.

Having three Americans in Siles was pretty crazy. I told them they have to come back when Laura and Chelsea get here. 5 Americans would probably be some sort of record!

Around 7pm Ben and Eve went back to La Puerta. I left and tried to go to the grocery store. There were a couple guys outside of Mezquita (not Spanish guys…immigrants) who started shouting random words at me in English to get my attention. Sorry, I don’t respond to “Yes! Yes!” or “Rubia!” I can have an intelligent conversation. I’m a human being and I don’t respond to physical descriptors. Sorry.

I ran into Thomas and Silvia. I stressed again that next time they go out they should give me a call. Thomas also reassured me that I could call him anytime I was bored or wanted to “tomar algo.”

After that I ran into Maria del Mar and Eva (guess it’s true what Javi said about just running into people). We chatted briefly and they told me that apparently we’re doing Day of Peace activities tomorrow, but there’s no schedule and it depends on the weather. I knew we’re having a race at 12:30 but I didn’t know about any other activities.

I ran into Casa Gregorio to put a few euros on my phone, grabbed a small pack of M&Ms and headed home. I changed my clothes, went back to Mezquita to pick up the umbrella that I forgot and then headed to the gym.

Today was a good day. Some days feel really hard and others I’m just in a groove. Today was one of my ‘groove’ days. It was awesome…another 3 miles on the treadmill. Tomorrow is squats day though…we’ll see how that goes. Last week Javi told me I should do the squat machine once a week to start. He asked me yesterday if I wanted to do the machine. I explained…well…if you think I should I will…but I prefer to do it Friday so I have Saturday and Sunday to recoup (the gym isn’t open on the weekends). He laughed at me and said ok.

My walk home is always to longest and hardest part of going to the gym. I really can’t wait until I go to and come home from the gym when it’s still light outside and isn’t so cold. When I got home I made tortellini for dinner to warm up.

I added another private lesson today. That’s 2 more for the week. 8 private lessons a week and 2 intercambios, plus my normal classes and my adult class. I’m planning on taking a break from private lessons when Laura, Chelsea and Amy are here. I am going to really miss the extra income but I don’t want to spend all my time giving private lessons when they’re here. I’m afraid they are going to be bored enough in Siles as is!

FAIL BLOG: Spanish Post Office Version

I realized that I have failed to blog about the ultimate FAIL that is the Spanish post office and customs agency. My parents sent me 2 packages *weeks* ago. The boxes have my winter coat, a couple sweaters, ingredients to bake an American dessert for my co-workers, my Christmas presents and my make-up. They had to pay an exorbitant amount to the US post office to send the packages here. There was a 10 day guarantee (Ha…ha…ha.) I was waiting, waiting and finally one day I came home and there was a notice from the post office. I thought it was the notice saying the packages were in Siles and I could go to the post office to pick them up. The next day during my lunch break I giddily walked down from the infantil to go to the post office. When I got there the lady read the notice and said that the packages weren’t there. The packages were stuck in customs in Madrid. I had to fill out the form they sent me (with my personal information, name, phone number, e-mail, residency number, etc, etc) and fax it to the customs people. I did that and the lady in Correos (the post office) said that they would call me in a couple days to arrange a time to drop the packages off. I never heard from them so I eventually went back to the post office to see if she had heard anything. Nope. Nothing. She said if I still didn’t hear from them in a few more days to come back. Still nothing…back to the post office I go. Then she tells me that customs wants a list of what is in the box. Well *I* didn’t pack the boxes, so I really only had a general idea. I made a list of what I knew was in the boxes. Later I received a call from the lady in the post office saying I needed to make an exact list of what was in the boxes so customs could verify that what I *said* was in the boxes is what was *actually* in the boxes. I also needed to include the value of each item. Oh goodness gracious. So I asked my mom what my Christmas presents were, and got an exact list of what was in the boxes and their prices. I went back to the post office, filled out 2 more forms listing the information and we faxed THAT to customs. Once again I didn’t hear from them for awhile. I finally went back to the post office but she still hadn’t heard anything. She called the main post office in Madrid to see if she could get an update. The main post office said it looked like the boxes weren’t there anymore and were probably on their way to Siles. Almost two weeks later I still didn’t have the boxes in my possession. Insert profanity, frustration and astonishment here. I went back to the post office. She still didn’t know anything. Later that day I got an e-mail from the customs people. I had to pay 83 euros (over $100) in importation taxes and fees before January 23rd if I wanted to receive the packages or they were going to send them back to the US. (Sounds like a ransom notice, right?) There was an e-mail address available if you had questions about the notice. I sent them an e-mail asking for clarification on what exactly I was being forced to pay (On the notice it broke the charges down into 4 categories with various percentages based on numbers that seem to be chosen out of thin air…they didn’t correspond to the value of the packages). I asked them to clarify why I needed to pay so much for personal items (Christmas gifts and items I could pack in my suitcase without any problems) that I didn’t plan on selling or distributing. I received no response. It’s now January 26th and I still have no Christmas presents, no winter coat, no sweaters, no baking ingredients and no makeup. Spanish post office/customs = the Grinch who stole Christmas. Lame. I assume my packages are on their way back to the US. My parents are going to attempt to send me the important things in envelopes (I have no problems getting letters or large, soft envelopes. I only have problems receiving boxes). The rest of the things we’ll just have to save for a Christmas in June when I return to the US.

On another note, I sent my family and friends gifts a month and a half ago and nothing has arrived. Another expensive waste of time and money. I’ve never filled out an “hoja de reclamación” (complaint card…which are available for all business in Spain) but I have a feeling I will be filling one out VERY soon. No more Ms. Nice Extranjera.

4 year olds' standards can't be that high, right?

Ok, so we’ve entered the next phase of breaking down my defenses. I’ve conquered so many uncomfortable situations (like going to bars by myself) but tomorrow will be a test…singing and dancing. I don’t know why I have such a hard time singing and dancing in front of 20 four year olds, but it just isn’t my thing. I know it’s a good way for them to learn, which is why I’m going to cave and do it, but it makes me very uncomfortable. The teachers in the infantil have requested that I bring some songs…so here we go…

I earned 22 extra euros today in private lessons (and that’s skipping one of my normal lessons). Heck yes!

I still feel lost when it comes to discipline in the classroom. I don’t know how to gain respect and control in the classroom and it’s starting to wear on me. Most of the time I try to prepare lessons I think the kids will like and want to participate in, but it always seems to go array. I always feel better after going to the gym (although I’ll be even happier when I can go to the gym when it is light out and isn’t so cold).