*warning: this is not spell-checked or proof-read*
So Spain part II…it has been going well here and I can’t believe that I have already been back for a month. My time here is flying! It has been a bit of an adjustement living in a new place but there is so much more to do in Jerez than in Arcos. I love Arcos and it’s beauty (and it was great that I actually knew my way around) but it is great having options here in Jerez – places to shop, more restaurants, plazas, people! But it is lacking hills which were good for my derrière! Unfortunately I haven’t been exploring the city too much for fear that I will get lost but my good friend Whitney, who I met my first week in Spain during orientation in Sevilla, has been living in Jerez since September so she is a good guide.
A lot of teachers from school also live in Jerez so I have no problem getting to school in the morning and I have been meeting up with some of them for coffee, lunch, drinks, etc. I am so fortunate to work with amazing people who really look out for me. They are also so encouraging and compliment my Spanish (although at times I think they are being too generous with their compliments! What a struggle a foreign language is!)
Because I teach classes in Arcos two afternoons a week it is very tiring to stay in town ALL day, simply waiting to teach from 5-7. I was thinking about dropping the classes because I am so worn out on Mondays and Wednesdays waiting around to teach and then taking the bus back to Jerez (about a 40 minute bus ride). I felt bad about doing this because I care about my students’ success in English and am invested in how they do because ALL of them are my students in the bilingual program. I talked with the English coordinator (Alicia) who is also a close friend of mine at school and she begged me not to drop the classes and made a generous offer: to have lunch with her and her husband, Paco (another English teacher) and their sons twice a week AND she even offered to drive me to the high school where I teach. I couldn’t refuse this offer but I feel like I am imposing so much. Alicia and Paco assure me all the time that this isn’t so however.
I haven’t been around on the weekends here really because I have gone to Arcos twice, one weekend I was a bum and stayed in, and this past weekend I went to Cádiz for Carnavales. This weekend there is a carnaval celebration in Arcos and my friend Kate is coming so we will likely go there for a night and maybe go out in Jerez the following night. I have been to a few bars but haven’t experienced the discotecas in Jerez yet.
So more excitement on the apartment front: my 4th roommate (ahhh! 4 roommates in Spain!) left on Friday because he is going to the Police Academy in Ávila (an area close to Madrid) to begin training. I had fun living with Jorge, although it was brieft and he let me live here for free! He just wanted me to help him with his English. A 22 year old girl from Sevilla, Marta, will be moving in any day now. I’m anxious to see what it will be like living with a Spanish girl for once. She seems very nice so I don’t think there will be any problems. However she looks like a supermodel and I will likely feel inferior to her everytime I see her! It will be motivation to get myself into shape though and to lay off the bread and cheese (a staple here because it is so cheap and tasty!)
At the end of February there is a puente (a break from school) and a friend of mine from college is coming to visit me. She has a Fullbright Scholarship and is teaching in Düsseldorf, Germany and we had been emailing each other a lot to try to meet up and finally it all came together. I’m excited to see her and since I have yet to see the tourist sites in Sevilla we will do that for a day, hit up the beach (yes in February!), and hopefully make it to Gibraltar. I’ve also planned a trip with Kate (my friend who is teaching in Sevilla, not the one in Germany) to go to the Canary Islands during the Semana Santa. We will be there for five days basking in the sun and then will be back in Andalucía to see the processions and festivities of the week. Sevilla is famous for its Semana Santa celebrations so I am looking forward to that. Also on the horizon are the Jerez and Sevilla ferias (fairs) where the women where the traditional flamenco-esq dresses and many people have offered to let me borrow one. In Jerez there is also a huge motorcycle competition and apparently people from all over come here to see that. Sergio, my old fireman roommate will more than likely be here to see that because he is a motorcycle fanatic and it’ll be great to see him then.
Ok…I hope I’ve caught you all up to speed a little. I haven’t really taken any pictures but I will steal some from Whitney and post them soon. Ohh and an exciting note…Jenna, Erica, and Melissa bought tickets to come see me in June for two weeks! I can NOT wait for that! Other visitors are always welcome as well.
Un beso enorme,
CeCe
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