Personal Post #8: Halloween in Spain?

Halloween in Spain...what? They don't celebrate Halloween, right? I thought they celebrated Day of the Dead or something and painted sugar skulls and like...other Day of the Dead stuff, right?

Incorrect! That is Mexico. Mexico and Spain are *not* the same thing. Two completely different countries that speak the same language. Just like America and Australia. Or America and England. We are not the same as Australia or England, right? Okay...now that that rant is off my chest, let me start writing about my Halloween spent here in Sevilla.

Now, to my surprise, Halloween is bigger than I expected (considering I was literally expecting nothing and for it to just be another regular day). This whole week at my internship en el colegio (in the school), we have been talking about Halloween in almost all of my classes. They totally copied everything from us, which most of my teachers explained to their students before putting the spotlight on me to talk about the "real" Halloween. My host mom told me they've only been celebrating Halloween for like...8 years. Also, the chino stores were full of costumes and other random little Halloween goodies like pumpkin buckets, candy, and little knick knacks. There were a few carteles (posters) posted around town advertising Halloween parties and activities, but I didn't start noticing them until like...three days before Halloween. Typical Spaniards waiting until the last minute to do stuff! Or maybe I was just really oblivious. That's a total possibility. Hmm...

Anyway, on the actual day of Halloween, which was yesterday (Friday), I had to go to my internship from 8:00-14:10. I was really excited I got to spend the majority of my day at the colegio, because that meant I was going to be talking a lot about Halloween to my students. I wore orange and black, and I was definitely the only one up in that school that looked even slightly Halloween-y. I definitely remember when I was growing up, a lot of my teachers dressed up for Halloween (maybe not dress up dress up, but they wore Halloween colors and stuff like that). I guess teachers here haven't caught on to that aspect yet...and who knows if they ever will! This is still Spain, after all.

How I looked on Halloween vs. How I felt on Halloween

Nevertheless, I still spent a good majority of my day doing Halloween related things with my younger students. We played Halloween bingo, looked at Halloween pictures on Google, colored Halloween pictures, and I demonstrated trick-or-treating to them. I didn't spend much time talking about Halloween to my older students, though, because they have more of a strict agenda (my older students are currently reading short stories in English and really focusing on building new vocabulary to prepare themselves for their big test they have to take that will determine whether or not they can go to University). It was a really fun day, and I had a good time answering questions about Halloween and hearing my students' plans for Halloween.

One of the teachers I worked with drew all of the Halloween vocab words on the board while I explained how I celebrate Halloween in the USA! I can't believe she took the time to draw these cute cartoons! That's dedication.

After the colegio, I went home and ate lunch with my host mom, took a small nap, and then headed out to the University with Isis and Genisis to see a couple of scary movies shown by the Aula de Cultura (basically like a culture club?). We watched "El Proyecto de La Bruja de Blair" (The Blair Witch Project) and "La Matanza de Texas" (Texas Chainsaw Massacre).

But really, we were late to the first movie, so we saw the ending of El Proyecto de La Bruja de Blair, and Isis and Genisis watched half of La Matanza de Texas while I discreetly slept during it (I was tired, okay? It has been a long week of exams and little sleep! I could seriously only keep my eyes open for the first 5 minutes. Genisis and Isis said at first they just thought I was closing my eyes for the gross parts, but when I never opened them back up...they realized I was knocked out.) Then, we rolled out of there early to head out to Isla Mágica, a small theme park on the edge of Seville.

When we arrived, everyone was dressed up in a costume, and let me tell you, Spain does costumes RIGHT. Ladies? Forget about the typical sexy pirate/sexy cop/sexy whatever the crap you guys come up with, the women here in Spain GET SCARY. Way more creative, way better make-up skills, and way more fun. I saw so much fake blood, so many fake scars and peeling skin and burns, swords, knives, axes, fake chainsaws, all held by women. I think the US needs to catch on to this. So much more exciting and fun.

When I googled "halloween costumes women" I got stuff like this:

Halloween costumes in America for women

When I googled "disfraces de halloween para mujeres" I got stuff more like this:

Halloween costumes in Spain for women

Now, just add in make-up like this to the Spanish costumes, and you'll have a decent idea of what I saw last night:

It was a really fun night seeing everyone all dressed up. Even a lot of the kids looked terrifying. Some parents dressed up their little-little kids in fake blood, gave them a fake bloody knife, and let them run around the park looking super creepy.

At the park, I convinced Isis and Genisis to ride several "big" rides with me, including a ride which was the smaller equivalent to the Drop Zone at King's Dominion:

A photo I borrowed off of Google Images of the ride I'm talking about (click here for where the photo actually came from)

And also I successfully convinced/peer pressured them to ride El Jaguar with me, which is a fun roller coaster at Isla Mágica:

Found this photo of El Jaguar here

Now, let me give you a little background on my experience with roller coasters. I'm not afraid of any of them. I love roller coasters! Isis and Genisis on the other hand...are the opposite. I'm still not even sure how I managed to get them on that thing. I ended up riding next to Genisis, who as soon as we sat down and got strapped in, looked at me and said, "Is it too late to change my mind???" and of course, me being the jerk I am, said "HAHA NOPE, TOO LATE NOW SUCKA!" Then, as it started off, she began to curse in a strange Spanglish mix of English curse words, Spanish curse words, and prayers. I just sat there laughing because it was hilarious (yet awful at the same time.) Then, we went down the first major hill, and all I could hear was her screaming bloody murder. Then after a few seconds, she got quiet. At first I was like "okay maybe she got used to the ride," so I looked over at her, and I saw her head was down and she just looked straight up dead. I stopped having fun to have a mini anxiety attack because I was convinced that I just indirectly killed Genisis by convincing her to ride the roller coaster. So the rest of the roller coaster, while fun, was also extremely terrifying because I totally thought she had seriously passed out or died. I wasn't about to have to deal with that, so I was really hoping that she was just praying or practicing Buddhism and meditating to find her inner strength while on the roller coaster. Luckily, once the ride slowed down, I looked over at her again and she picked her head up, and while she looked pretty shaken, when I asked her if she was okay, her response was a shaky nod of the head yes. After we got off the roller coaster and hobbled down the ramps like drunks (we decided that walking down ramps after just getting off any type of amusement park ride make you look extremely drunk even though you haven't had a sip of alcohol), Genisis and Isis proceeded to tell me that they're glad they rode it, they had fun, and they'd probably do it again! Success! 

We rode a few more rides too, like that typical boat that goes back and forth, and some other thing that spun around and went back and forth. I'm really no good at describing rides, and I don't remember their names so you'll just have to deal with these vague descriptions. Sorry. 

All in all, it was a night full of fun and laughter, and it was probably one of the better Halloween's I've had in a while. I also found out that roasted chestnuts are literally the most disgusting snacks on the planet, and while they smell good, they're really just plain disgusting. I do not recommend them.

Also, a couple of side notes that have nothing to do with Halloween but I still want to include them, so I'm just tossing them here at the end:

1. On Nov. 4th, I'll have been here for 2 months! I can't believe I've been in Spain for almost two months. It feels like I've been here for much longer. I can see improvements in my Spanish, but at the same time, I still know I have such a long way to go, and that's why I've realized lately how glad I am for choosing to study abroad for the year. Hopefully, by May, I'll see a significant difference in my Spanish. It would be kind of embarrassing to come back from a school year in Spain and still not know what the heck I'm trying to say. The students who are only staying for the fall semester only have a little over a month and a half left in Spain, and while that still seems kind of like a lot, when you compare it to my 6 and a half months left...it's practically nothing. I wonder how they feel about that? I mean, I can hardly believe I "only" have about 6 and a half months left here. What the heck, where is time going? I definitely am starting to feel like that I don't want to return to the States, and it's only the beginning of November...I mean, yes, there's things I miss from the States, but I'm definitely starting to appreciate and get used to everything here a lot more, which feels really good to say.

2. Also, internship update. I feel like I always talk about it, but to me it's one of the most important things that I'm doing here. At first, I didn't really like it, and sometimes I still walk up in there like, "Okay, here we go again..." but I'm really starting to get used to it, and I really love it. It's especially great because lately, especially after a more difficult week at the school, I've come to realize that I pretty much have the world's best mentor teacher. I'm always throwing questions at her, and she answers them in a timely fashion with really detailed and helpful answers, and she always tells me how happy she is to answer my questions. I mean, my past mentor teachers were all really nice and truly, I learned a lot from each one, but none of them have ever been so willing to help me succeed in the classroom before. My mentor teacher here is happy to answer my questions and to work with me for every single one of my numerous requirements I have to complete for my internship. She literally told me, "I'm happy to help you with your questions, because in a way, they also make me think about the teaching process and all that stuff." I've never had a teacher who seemed like they were excited to maybe learn about the teaching process with me. It's always more like, "I am the teacher in this class, so I know what's best in this class. You can try your new-fangled models of teaching here, but I don't think they'll actually work that well." I can't wait to continue working with her and my other mentor teachers at el colegio this semester, and probably into next semester as well. 

Personal Post #6: Internship Madness: Frustration to Gratification

What happens when you throw an American teacher wannabe into an internship teaching English at a Spanish colegio (school)? You get a first reaction like this:

This internship has been quite the experience so far. Before I start, I just want to make it clear that I actually love the internship (I get to that about halfway through), it's just thrown me for a loop (or maybe like 32,094 loops), which I'm going to explain here:

It all started off being a hot mess because I literally had no clue where I was supposed to go, what I was supposed to do, I didn't know who any of the teachers were, and there was a lack in communication.  First of all, I couldn't go to the orientation meeting because I had class, and my supervisor never responded to me with another time where she could explain to me what was covered during orientation. So basically, I was tossed into the deep end without any floaties, and it was terrifying (and very confusing).

At the beginning, I was really confused as to when and where I needed to show up. You see, I thought she was going to send us an email each day with when we have a class with another teacher until we got our definitive schedule, because at the beginning that's what she did. But then, after (unknowingly) missing a couple of days (because I didn't receive an email saying when or where to go), and after showing up after she finally did email me when and where I was supposed to go, AND after answering the question ¿Por qué no viniste ayer o viernes? (Why didn't you come yesterday or Friday?), I finally learned that I was actually supposed to show up when I told her I was available. That seemed strange to me because I thought the schedule I gave her was just for her to use while planning out our official schedules, not me essentially telling her when I was coming in for the week.

Another thing that was confusing was where I was supposed to go. Apparently, the first few days, I was supposed to wait by the stairs for the teachers to come show me to their rooms, but I missed that memo as well (which was actually in an email my supervisor sent out, but since I didn't go to that orientation, I had no clue what she was actually referring to). So basically I was wandering around the halls of the school looking really lost when I didn't need to be. Luckily, I stood out like a sore thumb there because I'm obviously not a student because the students wear uniforms, and I'm obviously not a teacher or they'd recognize me, so when teachers or students saw me walking around looking like this...

...they were quick to show me where I needed to go. Really, they were súper nice about everything!

Oh, but the most frustrating thing about the internship so far is getting the fact through to my supervisor that I need to get 120 hours this semester so I can receive credit back at Sweet Briar. There were some definite communication problems happening -- my supervisor literally never responded to any of my emails. I tried to talk to her about this before the internship even started, but I got no response. I also sent her at least two emails in response to ones that she had sent out to everyone about scheduling that reminded her that I needed 120 hours this semester, but I obviously wasn't very successful at getting my point across, because when I received my definitive schedule on Tuesday, it only had 10 hours a week on it. I was pretty upset because that's not enough for me to finish the internship this semester, and I know she knew that I needed more hours. I was pretty frustrated, so I sent an email to the JYS internship coordinator letting her know what's up, and I think after taking that route, it got the message across to my supervisor that I'm serious and that I need to get this stuff done. She's found me two extra hours a week, and she's working on getting me a third. At this point, I honestly think the internship is going to bleed over into my winter break in order for me to get everything finished "this" semester because I am still an hour short each week, and I don't know if it'll get solved in time...

#disappointment

Oh well...also, I know I'm going to be here the whole year, so really it's not the end of the world if I don't finish THIS semester, but I want to be done with this internship by the end of this semester. I have a ton of requirements and things to do for this internship so I can get credit for doing it, and I don't want to be bothered with that stuff all year long, and plus, I would like to be able to do something different next semester! Maybe I will still want to go to the school a few hours a week (because really, it is so much fun and I love the students!), but I don't want it to be like a thing that I *have* to do (okay obviously I know that if I have an internship I *have* to do it, but I really mean I just don't want to have to worry about my requirements listed on my internship syllabus to receive credit -- like if I'm going to do this next semester, I want it to be purely for fun). Ehhh...but deep down I know I'll live, and I know in the end it will definitely all work out and I'll get my credit, and that's all that truly matters!

Also, things in school are done so differently from how we do things in American schools -- this wasn't frustrating, but it definitely gave me some culture shock! I don't have to sign in when I get in the school. I just waltz in, wave to the guy at the información desk, and go up to my class. The teachers move around from class to class instead of the students. All the classrooms are laid out the same. They don't eat any meals at the school (except a snack during descanso). Descanso = a school wide recess where even teachers are free to leave school grounds and grab a cup of coffee. I'm not really sure if there are anything like SOLs, but I'm anxious to find out about that stuff. All the grades are in one school. Teachers are called by their first name. Classroom management is not a big thing here -- these are some rowdy classes, and the teachers don't seem to mind as much! They just talk over kids who are talking over them! There's so much more I could write about the differences...but this post is already long, so I'll leave that for my internship journal.

But really, let me talk about the positive aspects of this internship now that almost everything is way better than it was at the beginning:

1. The students are amazing. They're just like American students, except they're far more energetic, crazy, and hilarious (which was hard to believe at first). At the same time, though, they're really well-behaved (I didn't think it was possible to have students who can be hooligans AND be well-behaved almost at the same time). They're also PUMPED to have an American in the classroom with them, and I can really tell that they want to talk to me and have me teach. Speaking of teaching, I feel like the student-teacher relationship here is a lot more positive and relaxed. Here, the students call their teachers by their first name. Everything just seems more casual, but there's still a level of respect. Also, physical touch isn't a gateway to being fired. Hugs and besitos (kisses) are super common. Yep, that's right, hugging and kissing students is completely normal here. You should have seen my face when one of the teachers I was observing received a drawing from one of her students, and the teacher proceeded to give her a giant kiss on the cheek followed by a hug. I literally looked just like this cat:

2. I was assigned to the world's best mentor teacher. She is extremely organized. She always has lesson plans, she has some seriously good classroom management skills (which is so important here because the classes are huge!), and she still manages to make her lessons interesting. Also, she emails me what her classes are doing before I come in, and she sends me stuff to read that her students are reading so I will be prepared to help her teach. I seriously couldn't ask for a better mentor teacher. I'm so glad I get to work with her 3 times a week!

3. Speaking of teachers, I really am working with some wonderful teachers. There's my mentor teacher, but I'm working with 5 other teachers as well. I'm really excited to get to know them and to work with them this semester. I really feel like I can learn a lot from each one of them!

4. This is the perfect experience for me to see if I really want to be an ESL teacher someday. I've always kinda thought about being an ESL teacher in the back of my mind, and now I'm doing just that. I'm really excited to try it out so I can "officially" see if this is something I'd be interested in pursuing in the future. So far, I really enjoy it!

5. I'm getting the opportunity to work with several different grade levels all in one week. I really really really value that aspect of this internship, because my teaching license is going to be a K-12 license, so this is SUCH good experience for me! I think I've worked with every single grade level now (not only at this school -- I mean in total of all the schools I've been in since starting my education classes freshman year), and that's really awesome for me to be able to say and put on my resume!

6. Here's the opening sentence in my internship journal entry for today:

Seriously. I don't have classes at the University on Fridays, so my entire day is dedicated to el colegio. I'm there from 9am (when primaria -- lower grades -- starts) till 2:10 (when primaria ends) -- a full (by Spanish standards) school day! The upper grade levels start at 8am, but there aren't any English classes offered at 8am on Fridays. But really, I don't even know why I love going to the school so much, but it's probably one of my most favorite things to do here! Teaching kids English is seriously one of the most fun things I've done, and I'm so lucky and thankful to have this opportunity, and I definitely feel excited for the rest of this semester!