There are two sides to every coin. Every conversation has two sides. Sometimes the glass is half-empty. Sometimes the glass is half-full. These short phrases remind me that there is always another side to consider and another way to view a situation. I must always remember the "other side" - and I'm working on that in Valladolid.
After coming to Spain in September 2010 with nothing but an open mind and two full suitcases, I found myself lost in an unknown town in the most rural part of Spain. It was an immediate set back and made me view life in Navalmoral de la Mata with a "the glass is half-empty" mindset. However, after a few hard weeks, I began to change my mentality and embrace my situation; besides, what could I do about it? I wasn't going anywhere else. But, living in Navalmoral became one of the best experiences of my life. When I look back, I realize that Navalmoral taught me about true Spain - culture, language (ok, Extremadurian Spanish), friendship, Spanish traditions... It's where I learned "it's not what you're doing, it's who you're with". I think this experience is making it harder for me to transition in Valladolid...
This year, I arrived to Valladolid with a perfectly located apartment, more full suitcases, roommates... everything I needed to have a fantastic year. The glass was half-full. But, after two months, I find myself still adjusting to my new lifestyle in the big city of Valladolid.
Before I came here, I'd heard just two things about Valladolid: 1) The weather is cold. 2) So are the people. Making friends in Valladolid is practically impossible. I've resorted to putting ads on English/Spanish language websites for friends. And, it has worked! I have a small group of friends who go out on the weekends and during the week to tomar algo (have drinks). It's a great group of people and I'm happy to have them in my life. But, I'm still not feeling "at home" yet. Last year I was one of four English speakers in a town of 18,000 people and the only English speaker in a town of 3,100 people. I miss being famous for just being American. Valladolid has its fair share of international students and there are 20 Americans in my auxiliar/teaching group. So, it's safe to say, I'm just part of the crowd. This is the sole reason I didn't go to a big state school for university - I wanted the feeling of being known for who I was and what I was doing - not to just be a number. Well, in Valladolid, I'm just a number; the glass is half-empty.
But, as it is said, there are two sides to each story and pros and cons of every situation.
CONS OF VALLADOLID
I miss my friends.
I miss Canterville.
I miss Irish Rover.
I don´t miss pig ears, but I miss my friends trying to feed me pig ears.
I miss short walks.
I miss ¨long¨ walks of 11 minutes.
I miss "the pool".
PROS OF VALLADOLID
Living just one hour from Salamanca by car.
Living just one hour from Madrid by train.
Living just three hours from Navalmoral.
My school is wonderful to me.
I never need to take the bus.
Ok, so these lists are a bit skewed and clearly don't include every pro and con. But these are the things important to me right now. Because I don't feel "at home" in Valladolid, I'm still focused on past Spanish experiences and people in my life. But, I can't shut down, I must continue on as I always have, making the most of every experience. I am just so grateful for the opportunity to be in Spain again.
As they say in Spain, "Work to live, not live to work." I work to travel, to explore new places and learn about myself in new situations. Not knowing where I will be next June is scary. But, I'm not focused on the future. I am focused on here and now and enjoying myself. Sometimes it means taking a siesta. Other times, it means tomar-ing a beer with lemon and a pincho. It means partying all night because everyone knows some of the best bars don't get good until 5am. Little things like this make this experience worth it because my love of Spain is more than just a love of this culture - it's also about the friendships I've made with the people here. Leaving my friends will be worse than just leaving this country....
LIFE IN VALLADOLID
When I arrived in September, the fair was going on - la Feria. I heard there were to be over 100 casetas....but casetas in Valladolid are different than casetas in Extremadura. Here, people eat. There, people dance. Both are exciting! I was happy to have some down time before jumping into another school year.
I´m only working at one school instead of two schools this year, located about 15 minutes walking from my house. No more commuting! Another bonus is that I see the same faces every week and not every few weeks. I like this, too. I have all levels in the high school from 7th graders to seniors in high school. The truth is, I think that my school (IES Ramon y Cajal) is the best part about Valladolid right now. I enjoy going to work and I´m happy about that. I work with four wonderful English teachers: Concha, Maribal, David, and Maria Jesus. All of them have been very welcoming and I feel good about what I do in each of their classes.
Typical days in the classroom include me yelling (countless times) at the students to be quiet or to ask if they understand what I've just said. I threaten to kick them out of class if they continue to speak in Spanish. I threaten to cut their hair if they don't stop eating in class. We talk about cultural differences...high school differences, traditions, holidays.... they ask me "Is it true, you can't drink in the USA until you are 21?"
I have private lessons too... 15 to be exact. I call these my ¨travel fund¨. I have seven teachers in the mornings at school; we talk about anything and everything. I learn just as much from them as they do from me. In the evenings, I have four families who all live in the center - which is a blessing - because I don´t need to get the bus EVER! Time is money and I´m not paid to ride the bus. I help with homework, give conversation classes, and my favorite (yet stressful) classes are play classes. But, I do learn a lot in the play classes, as little kids (4 and 6 yrs old) have limited vocabulary. So, I speak in English and they either repeat what I say or they speak in Spanish... we color, we sing, they make me dance... we play with balloons, we count, we play Bingo.
In my free time, I meet with Spaniards to do intercambios - language exchanges - to practice my Spanish. I wanted to take a course in the language school here but that will have to wait until the Spring semester. So, until then, I'll keep watching Spanish TV and meeting new people. I try to travel quite often - usually to Navalmoral or Salamanca... to pass the weekend with my friends! When I stay in Valladolid, I go out here too - always with a few Americans and then other times with my Spanish friends. I rarely go out to dinner which is really frustrating (again, thinking of last year's Thursday night dinners makes me see this as a glass half-empty.) I'm getting sick of the food I can make myself - which I guess is normal after a year, as Mercadona only has 7 microwavable meals. In my free time I stray away from cooking and cleaning - just like in the USA. :)
FINAL NOTES...
I will continue to do as a I please and enjoy the little things (and big things) Valladolid offers me. Up until now, that has meant nights out, good students, and wonderful transportation to Madrid/Salamanca/Navalmoral to visit important people in my life.
* * * * ** * * * ** ** ** * * * * * * ***
Cheers to Valladolid and this experience of keeping my glass half-full.
STARTING OVER
This year, I arrived to Valladolid with a perfectly located apartment, more full suitcases, roommates... everything I needed to have a fantastic year. The glass was half-full. But, after two months, I find myself still adjusting to my new lifestyle in the big city of Valladolid.
Before I came here, I'd heard just two things about Valladolid: 1) The weather is cold. 2) So are the people. Making friends in Valladolid is practically impossible. I've resorted to putting ads on English/Spanish language websites for friends. And, it has worked! I have a small group of friends who go out on the weekends and during the week to tomar algo (have drinks). It's a great group of people and I'm happy to have them in my life. But, I'm still not feeling "at home" yet. Last year I was one of four English speakers in a town of 18,000 people and the only English speaker in a town of 3,100 people. I miss being famous for just being American. Valladolid has its fair share of international students and there are 20 Americans in my auxiliar/teaching group. So, it's safe to say, I'm just part of the crowd. This is the sole reason I didn't go to a big state school for university - I wanted the feeling of being known for who I was and what I was doing - not to just be a number. Well, in Valladolid, I'm just a number; the glass is half-empty.
But, as it is said, there are two sides to each story and pros and cons of every situation.
CONS OF VALLADOLID
I miss my friends.
I miss Canterville.
I miss Irish Rover.
I don´t miss pig ears, but I miss my friends trying to feed me pig ears.
I miss short walks.
I miss ¨long¨ walks of 11 minutes.
I miss "the pool".
PROS OF VALLADOLID
Living just one hour from Salamanca by car.
Living just one hour from Madrid by train.
Living just three hours from Navalmoral.
My school is wonderful to me.
I never need to take the bus.
Ok, so these lists are a bit skewed and clearly don't include every pro and con. But these are the things important to me right now. Because I don't feel "at home" in Valladolid, I'm still focused on past Spanish experiences and people in my life. But, I can't shut down, I must continue on as I always have, making the most of every experience. I am just so grateful for the opportunity to be in Spain again.
As they say in Spain, "Work to live, not live to work." I work to travel, to explore new places and learn about myself in new situations. Not knowing where I will be next June is scary. But, I'm not focused on the future. I am focused on here and now and enjoying myself. Sometimes it means taking a siesta. Other times, it means tomar-ing a beer with lemon and a pincho. It means partying all night because everyone knows some of the best bars don't get good until 5am. Little things like this make this experience worth it because my love of Spain is more than just a love of this culture - it's also about the friendships I've made with the people here. Leaving my friends will be worse than just leaving this country....
LIFE IN VALLADOLID
When I arrived in September, the fair was going on - la Feria. I heard there were to be over 100 casetas....but casetas in Valladolid are different than casetas in Extremadura. Here, people eat. There, people dance. Both are exciting! I was happy to have some down time before jumping into another school year.
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| Tasty pinchos with new friends: Jennifer, Caroline, and my roommate, Katie. |
Typical days in the classroom include me yelling (countless times) at the students to be quiet or to ask if they understand what I've just said. I threaten to kick them out of class if they continue to speak in Spanish. I threaten to cut their hair if they don't stop eating in class. We talk about cultural differences...high school differences, traditions, holidays.... they ask me "Is it true, you can't drink in the USA until you are 21?"
 |
| Halloween was scary fun with the 7th graders! |
I have private lessons too... 15 to be exact. I call these my ¨travel fund¨. I have seven teachers in the mornings at school; we talk about anything and everything. I learn just as much from them as they do from me. In the evenings, I have four families who all live in the center - which is a blessing - because I don´t need to get the bus EVER! Time is money and I´m not paid to ride the bus. I help with homework, give conversation classes, and my favorite (yet stressful) classes are play classes. But, I do learn a lot in the play classes, as little kids (4 and 6 yrs old) have limited vocabulary. So, I speak in English and they either repeat what I say or they speak in Spanish... we color, we sing, they make me dance... we play with balloons, we count, we play Bingo.
In my free time, I meet with Spaniards to do intercambios - language exchanges - to practice my Spanish. I wanted to take a course in the language school here but that will have to wait until the Spring semester. So, until then, I'll keep watching Spanish TV and meeting new people. I try to travel quite often - usually to Navalmoral or Salamanca... to pass the weekend with my friends! When I stay in Valladolid, I go out here too - always with a few Americans and then other times with my Spanish friends. I rarely go out to dinner which is really frustrating (again, thinking of last year's Thursday night dinners makes me see this as a glass half-empty.) I'm getting sick of the food I can make myself - which I guess is normal after a year, as Mercadona only has 7 microwavable meals. In my free time I stray away from cooking and cleaning - just like in the USA. :)
FINAL NOTES...
I will continue to do as a I please and enjoy the little things (and big things) Valladolid offers me. Up until now, that has meant nights out, good students, and wonderful transportation to Madrid/Salamanca/Navalmoral to visit important people in my life.
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| New apartment. New views, Valladolid. |
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| First charanga experience, Jarandilla de la Vera. |
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| El Cristo, Jarandilla de la Vera. |
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| Random friend encounters, Jarandilla de la Vera. |
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| Partying with old students, Jarandilla de la Vera. |
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| Barefoot and alone in the Plaza Mayor around 6am, Valladolid. |
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| Typical pictures with Rachel and Mamen, Navalmoral de la Mata. |
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| San Miguel, Navalmoral de la Mata. |
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| Picture for my favorite Scottish person, Navalmoral de la Mata. |
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| Flat Stanley visit, Valladolid. :) |
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| New amigos, Valladolid. |
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| Divina made a visit to Valladolid! |
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| Theta Reunion with Erica, Salamanca. |
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| Day trip with fellow teacher Antonio, Penafiel. |
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| Incredible view, Penafiel. |
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| Day with Edna (and cousin Taysa), Madrid. |
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| Exploring, El Gordo. |
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| Lighting candles for Edna's cake, El Gordo. |
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| Out with old friends, Navalmoral de la Mata. |
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| Seminci Film Festival (Wuthering Heights = horrible film), Valladolid. |
* * * * ** * * * ** ** ** * * * * * * ***
Cheers to Valladolid and this experience of keeping my glass half-full.
Awww...I studied abroad in Valladolid, it is really hard to meet Spanish people. But I loved it, and it'll always have a special place in my heart. Enjoy it! Might be by to visit sometime after Christmas. :)
ReplyDeleteIt's nice to know that even someone as outgoing as you has a hard time making friends- It's so hard here! But, I've noticed that when you do have something in common or something to connect you, Spanish people are amazingly kind. It's just making that connection that's difficult.
ReplyDeleteAlso, it was nice to hear from someone else who isn't completely contenta with her situation. I am struggling with the same feelings, and trying to make the best of it as well. And as far as being just part of the crowd- it's the same for me. I'm not exciting like I was in Mexico but I don't quite fit in either. Sometimes, I get so tired of being a foreigner and just want to be normal for a change!
Trying VERY HARD to take your advice and disfruta la vida en Jerez de los Caballeros!!!! But DANG it is tough sometimes :) I have my own pro/con list. Luckily, I LOVE the most important things... friends, work... The things I hate are the daily ones... apartment, food etc. I guess there's always a give and take.
ReplyDeleteYour blog is so fun! I love your pros and cons list. Pig ears...blecccch!
ReplyDeleteLovely pictures! Its been hard for me too, but hopefully with more time, it'll keep getting better :)
ReplyDelete