Since Laura linked here from her blog, I see the hit counter just exploded somewhat...! I'm sorry to have written up just 3 days so far. I'm now home and will be doing the rest as soon as my head has stopped spinning.
It being Sunday today, Laura and I will be purchasing a scratchcard each at some point... Any winnings under £5 will be reinvested in scratchcards, any more substantial will go into next year's holiday fund.
I have that feeling of missing Spain and the weather and the people but also being contented to be home, return to normal life and share presents and stories.
Right, I'm off to smoke a chocolate cigarette and enjoy the rare English sunshine. Back later for proper write-ups :)
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Friday, August 10, 2012
Day 3 - Sunday - Benalmádena
EDIT: I have now written up the days prior to this, so have made a few changes to this one too and (if I can work out how, moved it...)
Some background:
I am here with my friend Laura. We only met 10 months ago but we are very firm friends. Most Sundays for the past 8 months or so we have partaken in a Sunday Adventure. This has included "accidentally" viewing naked cyclists; getting new body piercings; chickpea missions; a LOT of shopping, coffee and diet coke drinking and other crazy activities.
Anyway, our Sunday Adventures have now branched out to Spain. We had several ideas of things to do today and had settled on going out on a boat to see dolphins. We made our way to Benalmádena on the now familiar train to do this but we realised the place was a loooong walk from the station so we gave up on that idea and settled on the beach for a bit. Not for long though - it was so hot our feet were burning through the towels and we were getting a bit crispy. I did swim in the sea and Laura paddled.
We then bought some well-deserved helados (ice creams) and enjoyed them on a bench. This photo of Laura savouring hers is one of my favourite photos I have ever taken - she looks so much like a top model in a photo shoot. Note the sombrero - we each bought a hat to shade ourselves from the sun. So much more typical and more effective than sunglasses, mine has proven invaluable in most situations.
We walked back to the station (with a gazillion stops for diet coke breaks in cafés) and returned home. I bought a sombrero, 2 lovely sun dresses for very little money and a pink Betty Boop inflatable for the pool. I tried it out earlier but there are rather a lot of children around so I decided to wait until the following morning to read my Kindle on it (in the waterproof Kindle cover).
Some background:
I am here with my friend Laura. We only met 10 months ago but we are very firm friends. Most Sundays for the past 8 months or so we have partaken in a Sunday Adventure. This has included "accidentally" viewing naked cyclists; getting new body piercings; chickpea missions; a LOT of shopping, coffee and diet coke drinking and other crazy activities.
Anyway, our Sunday Adventures have now branched out to Spain. We had several ideas of things to do today and had settled on going out on a boat to see dolphins. We made our way to Benalmádena on the now familiar train to do this but we realised the place was a loooong walk from the station so we gave up on that idea and settled on the beach for a bit. Not for long though - it was so hot our feet were burning through the towels and we were getting a bit crispy. I did swim in the sea and Laura paddled.
We then bought some well-deserved helados (ice creams) and enjoyed them on a bench. This photo of Laura savouring hers is one of my favourite photos I have ever taken - she looks so much like a top model in a photo shoot. Note the sombrero - we each bought a hat to shade ourselves from the sun. So much more typical and more effective than sunglasses, mine has proven invaluable in most situations.
I'm not so classy eating my bubblegum-flavoured helado, but note the new dress and sombrero and the very happy face!
We walked back to the station (with a gazillion stops for diet coke breaks in cafés) and returned home. I bought a sombrero, 2 lovely sun dresses for very little money and a pink Betty Boop inflatable for the pool. I tried it out earlier but there are rather a lot of children around so I decided to wait until the following morning to read my Kindle on it (in the waterproof Kindle cover).
The two amigas, on one of many diet coke breaks!
Me in our apartment with Betty, the inflatable and modelling the other new bargainous dress :)
Me in our apartment with Betty, the inflatable and modelling the other new bargainous dress :)
Day 2 - Saturday - Fuengirola
I seem to have gotten into the habit of waking in the night, so here goes for last Saturday:
On Saturday, we got up fairly early and headed off in search of the supermarket. A 5 minute walk down the hill towards the sea revealed a Quick Save, English (!) supermarket. Although it isn't cheap, it is well stocked and we were able to buy mainly Spanish products, including all the basics: bread, milk, cheese, ham, salad ingredients, water, diet coke and varied flavours of chewing gum. We came home and had a very continental breakfast. The fresh baguette and cheap ham tasted so amazing, as it is prone to doing when eaten on a terrace as the sun rises.
The weather was odd: overcast-seeming skies and hot. Most of the day, a veil of mist hung over us but it turned out to be a welcome respite from the scorching and unprotected blue sky sun that we were to experience...
We spent the morning relaxing by the pool and then had a huge mixed salad for lunch before getting on the train for Fuengirola. I heard a lot about this town on previous adventures and had only ever stopped off there during a bus change after my interview in Marbella. It has a lot of small shops to offer, but is not such a "tourist tat" shop paradise of some other places. We were on a mission to find a supermarket, but walked a looooong way to no avail, only to discover one right by the station on our way home!
We wandered around and saw the sights: a shop that sold random items, including a life-size metal deer statue that I wished I could have bought for my dad (a deer farmer). I did realise that it would take me over my luggage allowance and the €1,000 price tag stopped me too!
After much wandering and final finding of supermarket, we returned to the hotel (marvelling again at the efficacy of Spanish trains... on time, frequent, clean, air conditioned, quiet and spacious), where we got ourselves ready, admiring a few new purchases (alas the deer had to stay in the market). We made our way down to the beach area in Torremuelle and found a few restaurants that had appropriate menus (both of us have several requirements in terms of what it is and how it is cooked). We settled on what will forever be known as Pook's restaurant of the scary pig. The restaurant sign contained a picture of a pig looking slightly homocidal:
Neither of us wanted to eat pork with this little piggie watching over us... Laura ordered fish (swordfish???) with a salad and I had an amazing steak with chips. It tasted divine and we both felt wonderfully full of healthy, proper food.
More wandering around ensued and we discovered the beach, where I was happy to paddle and get my toes into the sea water that has huge healing powers for my silly dry skin. The sun and sea had already started to heal the patches of eczema that had been annoying me for some weeks.
Back home and an early night for the tired british chicas.
On Saturday, we got up fairly early and headed off in search of the supermarket. A 5 minute walk down the hill towards the sea revealed a Quick Save, English (!) supermarket. Although it isn't cheap, it is well stocked and we were able to buy mainly Spanish products, including all the basics: bread, milk, cheese, ham, salad ingredients, water, diet coke and varied flavours of chewing gum. We came home and had a very continental breakfast. The fresh baguette and cheap ham tasted so amazing, as it is prone to doing when eaten on a terrace as the sun rises.
The weather was odd: overcast-seeming skies and hot. Most of the day, a veil of mist hung over us but it turned out to be a welcome respite from the scorching and unprotected blue sky sun that we were to experience...
We spent the morning relaxing by the pool and then had a huge mixed salad for lunch before getting on the train for Fuengirola. I heard a lot about this town on previous adventures and had only ever stopped off there during a bus change after my interview in Marbella. It has a lot of small shops to offer, but is not such a "tourist tat" shop paradise of some other places. We were on a mission to find a supermarket, but walked a looooong way to no avail, only to discover one right by the station on our way home!
We wandered around and saw the sights: a shop that sold random items, including a life-size metal deer statue that I wished I could have bought for my dad (a deer farmer). I did realise that it would take me over my luggage allowance and the €1,000 price tag stopped me too!
After much wandering and final finding of supermarket, we returned to the hotel (marvelling again at the efficacy of Spanish trains... on time, frequent, clean, air conditioned, quiet and spacious), where we got ourselves ready, admiring a few new purchases (alas the deer had to stay in the market). We made our way down to the beach area in Torremuelle and found a few restaurants that had appropriate menus (both of us have several requirements in terms of what it is and how it is cooked). We settled on what will forever be known as Pook's restaurant of the scary pig. The restaurant sign contained a picture of a pig looking slightly homocidal:
More wandering around ensued and we discovered the beach, where I was happy to paddle and get my toes into the sea water that has huge healing powers for my silly dry skin. The sun and sea had already started to heal the patches of eczema that had been annoying me for some weeks.
Back home and an early night for the tired british chicas.
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Day 1 - Friday - The Accommodation
Rather an epic fail on the blogging front, I'm afraid. This is a sure sign that I am having for too much fun and have no spare time at all. We are very busy, relaxed and content.
This is the first night I have woken up and not been able to get back to sleep, so I will take the opportunity to write some words.
Day 1 - Friday
Despite initial anxieties about the security, it has proven to be ideal for 2 rather lazy girls, as we can pop in and out with ease, unlike the 1st and 2nd floorers who need to re-enter the building and climb the stairs/lift to reach their belongings. Outside is a small pool looking out to the sea (10 minutes by foot) and a good number of sun loungers around the pool. There is a small beach-style bar by the pool, that serves drinks and also prepares hot and cold snacks (including the biggest single portion of chips you can imagine!). Behind it are a few tables and chairs with sun umbrellas. The prices are extremely good and the food is good, basic bar snacks.
So we got ourselves settled here on Friday night and slept extremely well that night, waking up at 7ish(???) on Saturday.
This is the first night I have woken up and not been able to get back to sleep, so I will take the opportunity to write some words.
Day 1 - Friday
We had the most amazing hand luggage - both of us won these amazing leather bags c/o Flights of Nancy.
After general over-the-top excitement and craziness, we managed to get on the plane, fly to Málaga Airport and get a taxi to Hotel Vista de Rey in Torremuelle.
We arrived at the hotel quite late and checked in. We were extremely pleasantly surprised by the hotel, the room and the general atmosphere. It is clean, has great facilities and the staff are more than friendly, welcoming and helpful. Although apparently full to capacity, it is not raucous and there is a great vibe amongst guests. There are families; younger singles, couples and groups; older people and even a few who choose to live here all year.
on the plane... very excited travellers!
We spent a while unpacking and putting up our fairy lights - I had bought us some solar powered blue lights to make the apartment homely and girly. The place is perfect for us: 2 twin beds and a sofa that can be made into a double bed, a huge walk-in wardrobe with hangers and drawers, well-equipped kitchenette area and lovely bathroom complete with bath and shower and a double patio door leading onto small terrace area with table and 4 chairs. The bonus is that we have been assigned a ground floor room, so the pool is directly accessible from our terrace! 
Despite initial anxieties about the security, it has proven to be ideal for 2 rather lazy girls, as we can pop in and out with ease, unlike the 1st and 2nd floorers who need to re-enter the building and climb the stairs/lift to reach their belongings. Outside is a small pool looking out to the sea (10 minutes by foot) and a good number of sun loungers around the pool. There is a small beach-style bar by the pool, that serves drinks and also prepares hot and cold snacks (including the biggest single portion of chips you can imagine!). Behind it are a few tables and chairs with sun umbrellas. The prices are extremely good and the food is good, basic bar snacks.
My very beautiful travelling companion, Laura, photographng the sea view
Our apartment is to the East, meaning we have shade in the morning and the sun gets to us around lunchtime until 7ish. This is totally perfect :)
Inside the hotel there is a clean reception and indoors bar with seating. We have not explored, but I believe there is a restaurant downstairs.
The staff have all been so lovely. They are polite, friendly and amenable. Whatever I have requested has been provided immediately and I have also spent many evenings chatting with varied lovely staff members.
The outside area and the pool are cleaned every morning and the apartments are cleaned every 3 days, as this is self catering. If you need clean towels between that time, you only have to ask.
our favourite staff member, the ever-patient, always friendly Ramin - brother of the owner/manager and helping his brother out over the peak season
Although we took a taxi from the airport (because we got in too late to get a train), there is an amazing train service nearby. The station is immediately opposite the hotel entrance. This is not a problem as the trains are very quiet. The train runs along the coast from Fuengirola to Málaga, including Benalmádena and Torremolinos and other beach towns/cities. It is reasonably priced, with tickets costing between around €3 and €5, depending on how far you go.
So we got ourselves settled here on Friday night and slept extremely well that night, waking up at 7ish(???) on Saturday.
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Spanish Adventure 3
Well, another Spanish mini-adventure starts tomorrow. I will be heading off to the south of Spain again, this time with my good friend Laura. We are heading to Benalmádena, just 10ish miles from Málaga. We have booked a self-catering apartment in a hotel with its own pool and near the beach of Torremuelle. I am exceedingly excited and can't wait to get on the plane and start my latest Spanish Adventure. Keep checking back for updates and photos!
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Feria and shopping trip!
Tuesday
Woke up at Ana and Pepe's house really early and they were still asleep, so I watched some TV then went back to sleep, not waking again until 11!!!!!!!! Had some breakfast, then Jose came to collect me and we went to another person's house to get ready for the feria (like a massive street party). We were meant to be dressing in Flamenco outfits, but it was really hot, so I stuck some flowers in my sombrero and that was enough for me. The heat was almost unbearable - 35ish degrees and relentless sun! This is fine when you can shower or swim but, stuck in a city centre with thousands of drunk people, it's tough.
I couldn't stay in the area where we were and went for a walk for a bit, to the quieter streets. I then couldn't get back to the others and got really panicky and felt sick. Eventually, I found them (by putting my iPod on full volume to block out the sounds of the party!)
We stayed from 3 until about 6, then went to the roof of a hotel for a drink. It was lovely but I was so tired and just wanted to go home. Eventually, we got back to J's at about 8.
I'm really rather brown... I will look freakish back in the UK!
Wednesday
After the chaos of Tuesday, I had a lovely day and feel much better now.
I went shopping in the morning in the centro comercial near J's house. I bought:
For me:blue strapless, loose fitting top
long sleeved light shirt for work
600g pipas sabor barbacoa
chorizo
Presents:blue t-shirt with his name on and "hola" for nephew's birthday
2xgoats cheese (brother and dad)
small bottle rioja (dad)
Special cured ham (mum and dad)
Pedro Ximenez sweet wine (mum)
Salchichas (family)
and probably more, I've forgotten about!
Then I chilled out by and in the pool for a couple of hours. Quick shower, then the others came over.
Then we went into Malaga and the folks there remembered me from last year and said they were disappointed that I'm going back home tomorrow. It looks like I'll be coming over again between Christmas and NY for a couple of days!!!
Today
Now I am back at A&P's and am spending the day with them today, before getting the plane tonight. I hope I can do some serious sunbathing to maximise the tan! Ana is also going to teach me how to make gazpacho, which I'm really excited about. I'll be able to add it to tortillas in my Spanish food making repertoire!
Woke up at Ana and Pepe's house really early and they were still asleep, so I watched some TV then went back to sleep, not waking again until 11!!!!!!!! Had some breakfast, then Jose came to collect me and we went to another person's house to get ready for the feria (like a massive street party). We were meant to be dressing in Flamenco outfits, but it was really hot, so I stuck some flowers in my sombrero and that was enough for me. The heat was almost unbearable - 35ish degrees and relentless sun! This is fine when you can shower or swim but, stuck in a city centre with thousands of drunk people, it's tough.
I couldn't stay in the area where we were and went for a walk for a bit, to the quieter streets. I then couldn't get back to the others and got really panicky and felt sick. Eventually, I found them (by putting my iPod on full volume to block out the sounds of the party!)
We stayed from 3 until about 6, then went to the roof of a hotel for a drink. It was lovely but I was so tired and just wanted to go home. Eventually, we got back to J's at about 8.
I'm really rather brown... I will look freakish back in the UK!
Wednesday
After the chaos of Tuesday, I had a lovely day and feel much better now.
I went shopping in the morning in the centro comercial near J's house. I bought:
For me:blue strapless, loose fitting top
long sleeved light shirt for work
600g pipas sabor barbacoa
chorizo
Presents:blue t-shirt with his name on and "hola" for nephew's birthday
2xgoats cheese (brother and dad)
small bottle rioja (dad)
Special cured ham (mum and dad)
Pedro Ximenez sweet wine (mum)
Salchichas (family)
and probably more, I've forgotten about!
Then I chilled out by and in the pool for a couple of hours. Quick shower, then the others came over.
Then we went into Malaga and the folks there remembered me from last year and said they were disappointed that I'm going back home tomorrow. It looks like I'll be coming over again between Christmas and NY for a couple of days!!!
Today
Now I am back at A&P's and am spending the day with them today, before getting the plane tonight. I hope I can do some serious sunbathing to maximise the tan! Ana is also going to teach me how to make gazpacho, which I'm really excited about. I'll be able to add it to tortillas in my Spanish food making repertoire!
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Monday
I had the best day you can imagine...
Woke up early and J and I went to the shop to buy some bits and pieces. Then I prepared my contribution to the feast: caramelised oranges. In the end, I could have cooked the sugar solution for a bit longer and left the whole thing to caramelise for longer, but it was fine. Jose made 2 tortillas: 1 plain and 1 with green peppers. We prepared the house and laid the table.
Then I had a quick swim and lay by the pool. In the blink of an eye, the direct sunlight and blue sky were replaced by clouds and a thick blanket of fog! I went inside and had a shower. When I came out, the blue sky was back, though the mist hung over the sea for the rest of the day, adding to the atmospheric beauty of the view. We waited for the others to arrive...
The others started arriving at about 2 and we finally started eating at 3. I was totally ravenous by this point!
We had: tortilla (spanish omelette), jamón (cured ham), queso de oveja (sheep cheese), gazpacho (cold tomato soup), empanada (pastry dish with various fish in it), ajo blanco (white cold soup with garlic, served with grapes - local dish) and then my caramelised oranges for dessert. Really delicious food and such a nice mixture... mainly all hand made and so very tasty. I filled my boots and then felt rather uncomfortable, so Ana and I went for a swim... bliss!!! Soon, the others joined us and we all lounged by/in the pool until about 9pm (when it was still 27 degrees).
Then we all moved down to the beach and ate sardines and tomatoes in an amazing open-air restaurant on the beach. I was filled with such a sense of love and peace and know that this is another home for me. I feel like I was meant to be Spanish and to live by the sea like this. I've always loved the sea, but this place is special. I will live here one day, of that I'm sure...
I came back to Churriana with Pepe and Ana, as I am now staying with them until I catch the plane on Thursday evening. I have a beautiful, colourful, girly room and look forward to exploring the town later today.
Woke up early and J and I went to the shop to buy some bits and pieces. Then I prepared my contribution to the feast: caramelised oranges. In the end, I could have cooked the sugar solution for a bit longer and left the whole thing to caramelise for longer, but it was fine. Jose made 2 tortillas: 1 plain and 1 with green peppers. We prepared the house and laid the table.
Then I had a quick swim and lay by the pool. In the blink of an eye, the direct sunlight and blue sky were replaced by clouds and a thick blanket of fog! I went inside and had a shower. When I came out, the blue sky was back, though the mist hung over the sea for the rest of the day, adding to the atmospheric beauty of the view. We waited for the others to arrive...
The others started arriving at about 2 and we finally started eating at 3. I was totally ravenous by this point!
We had: tortilla (spanish omelette), jamón (cured ham), queso de oveja (sheep cheese), gazpacho (cold tomato soup), empanada (pastry dish with various fish in it), ajo blanco (white cold soup with garlic, served with grapes - local dish) and then my caramelised oranges for dessert. Really delicious food and such a nice mixture... mainly all hand made and so very tasty. I filled my boots and then felt rather uncomfortable, so Ana and I went for a swim... bliss!!! Soon, the others joined us and we all lounged by/in the pool until about 9pm (when it was still 27 degrees).
Then we all moved down to the beach and ate sardines and tomatoes in an amazing open-air restaurant on the beach. I was filled with such a sense of love and peace and know that this is another home for me. I feel like I was meant to be Spanish and to live by the sea like this. I've always loved the sea, but this place is special. I will live here one day, of that I'm sure...
I came back to Churriana with Pepe and Ana, as I am now staying with them until I catch the plane on Thursday evening. I have a beautiful, colourful, girly room and look forward to exploring the town later today.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Catch up on the weekend
Friday
I had a nice, if tiring, day. J gave me a lift into el Palo, the neighbourhood in Málaga where I lived last year. He dropped me off near the school and I popped in to say hi. I saw all my teachers and they remembered me. It was lovely to see them and to be back in the school where I had such an amazing time last year.
Then I got the bus into the city centre. First, I went to Bershka, the most lovely clothes shop. They sell exactly the kind of clothes I love and it's not expensive at all. I bought a really tiny mini blue denim skirt (€16) and a white top (€8).
All in all, a good shopping experience! I went to my favourite clothes shop, Desigual, but didn't buy anything because it's so expensive! Also, their air con wasn't working and the whole place was throbbing with heat (it was 31+ degrees yesterday) so I couldn't stay in there for long.
Then I did a tour of all my favourite cafés and drank lots of diet coke and coffee. At one place, I was chatted up by an Argentinian bloke. At first, it was quite flattering - he told me I looked beautiful in the green dress I was wearing and he seemed quite cool, a musician and very bohemian. I was flattered, but I was trying to do the Telegraph crossword (an obsession of mine - even though it costs 3x as much to buy it in Spain, I have to buy a paper and do the puzzles!) and he was quite clingy. The sun moved round, so I left to find a café where I would be sitting in the sun again. I was there for about 20 minutes and suddenly blokey appeared again - he said he'd been looking everywhere for me. I dutifully put my paper away and acted interested in what he had to say. Then it got annoying: he has a habit of touching your arm to emphasise what he's saying and he kept commenting on my appearance. I plucked up the courage to say I don't really like people talking about how I look but he continued to do it. Again the sun moved, again I left.
This time I went somewhere hidden away and he didn't come back! At about 6, I was suddenly aware that I'd not eaten all day and was quite peckish. I had a chocolate ice cream: delicious, but very drippy in the heat - I discovered some chocolate on my leg later!
Eventually, I made my way to Carretería, to meet J at 7.15pm. He arrived and we walked a short distance to meet up with some friends. When we arrived, my day walking around in the sun without much food started to take its toll and I felt really sick. Then someone gave me some camomile tea and I felt much better. Then J and I made our way home on the Harley.
Saturday
J played football with his nephews in the morning. I sat by the pool and fried for a while. Then we went to the beach, where it was extremely hot (33 degrees). I've still managed to avoid burning (a combination of getting a bit tanned before I came and using suncream - but only factor 10!) and I am getting really brown now. I have always had skin problems (eczema) and the only time it clears up totally is when I'm tanned. I love it!
In the afternoon, we had planned to go to the pool in the mountains, but I went for a siesta at 3ish and didn't wake up til 6.30! I needed the sleep. I had a shower, then we headed into Málaga to meet some friends.
Sunday
Today, we got up early and went to Marbella on the motorbike! It takes an hour and I was aching so much on the way home. Also, I forgot to put suncream on my legs and was wearing my miniskirt... I got a little bit burnt on my right thigh, but not too bad. Then I swam in the pool and sunbathed for an hour or so. I'm getting really brown! Another friend came over for coffee just now and we sat by the pool in the evening sun. It's 9.30pm as I write this, sitting on the terrace in the "cool" of 27 degrees!
Tomorrow, all the friends are coming over here, bringing food. We will eat and swim and sunbathe and chat all afternoon and evening - bliss!
I had a nice, if tiring, day. J gave me a lift into el Palo, the neighbourhood in Málaga where I lived last year. He dropped me off near the school and I popped in to say hi. I saw all my teachers and they remembered me. It was lovely to see them and to be back in the school where I had such an amazing time last year.
Then I got the bus into the city centre. First, I went to Bershka, the most lovely clothes shop. They sell exactly the kind of clothes I love and it's not expensive at all. I bought a really tiny mini blue denim skirt (€16) and a white top (€8).
All in all, a good shopping experience! I went to my favourite clothes shop, Desigual, but didn't buy anything because it's so expensive! Also, their air con wasn't working and the whole place was throbbing with heat (it was 31+ degrees yesterday) so I couldn't stay in there for long.
Then I did a tour of all my favourite cafés and drank lots of diet coke and coffee. At one place, I was chatted up by an Argentinian bloke. At first, it was quite flattering - he told me I looked beautiful in the green dress I was wearing and he seemed quite cool, a musician and very bohemian. I was flattered, but I was trying to do the Telegraph crossword (an obsession of mine - even though it costs 3x as much to buy it in Spain, I have to buy a paper and do the puzzles!) and he was quite clingy. The sun moved round, so I left to find a café where I would be sitting in the sun again. I was there for about 20 minutes and suddenly blokey appeared again - he said he'd been looking everywhere for me. I dutifully put my paper away and acted interested in what he had to say. Then it got annoying: he has a habit of touching your arm to emphasise what he's saying and he kept commenting on my appearance. I plucked up the courage to say I don't really like people talking about how I look but he continued to do it. Again the sun moved, again I left.
This time I went somewhere hidden away and he didn't come back! At about 6, I was suddenly aware that I'd not eaten all day and was quite peckish. I had a chocolate ice cream: delicious, but very drippy in the heat - I discovered some chocolate on my leg later!
Eventually, I made my way to Carretería, to meet J at 7.15pm. He arrived and we walked a short distance to meet up with some friends. When we arrived, my day walking around in the sun without much food started to take its toll and I felt really sick. Then someone gave me some camomile tea and I felt much better. Then J and I made our way home on the Harley.
Saturday
J played football with his nephews in the morning. I sat by the pool and fried for a while. Then we went to the beach, where it was extremely hot (33 degrees). I've still managed to avoid burning (a combination of getting a bit tanned before I came and using suncream - but only factor 10!) and I am getting really brown now. I have always had skin problems (eczema) and the only time it clears up totally is when I'm tanned. I love it!
In the afternoon, we had planned to go to the pool in the mountains, but I went for a siesta at 3ish and didn't wake up til 6.30! I needed the sleep. I had a shower, then we headed into Málaga to meet some friends.
Sunday
Today, we got up early and went to Marbella on the motorbike! It takes an hour and I was aching so much on the way home. Also, I forgot to put suncream on my legs and was wearing my miniskirt... I got a little bit burnt on my right thigh, but not too bad. Then I swam in the pool and sunbathed for an hour or so. I'm getting really brown! Another friend came over for coffee just now and we sat by the pool in the evening sun. It's 9.30pm as I write this, sitting on the terrace in the "cool" of 27 degrees!
Tomorrow, all the friends are coming over here, bringing food. We will eat and swim and sunbathe and chat all afternoon and evening - bliss!
Thursday, August 11, 2011
I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaack!
So, I'm back in lovely Málaga. I'm staying with José for 9 days, getting brown and practising my Spanish. In fact, I'm due to introduce Spanish at my new school in September, so you could say this is CPD. It's so good to be back and I am delighted with the weather, which is predictably hot and sunny. I'm staying in Rincón de la Victoria, 10 or so miles out of Málaga. We were in the old neighbourhood of El Palo yesterday, visiting another friend. I was going to visit the school and say hi but, once settled on sofa in front of air con, I couldn't face stepping back onto hot street again. I'll go in some other time.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Last day at school
Well, that's that! I have finished my studies at Málaga ¡Si! and my Spanish Adventure is coming to an end (well, this chapter of it, anyway).
I took in a selection of little cakes for the staff and tried to buy thank you cards for my teachers. The latter proved impossible, so I had to resort to making them by hand. They were a little rough and ready, but seemed to go down well ;)
We did some last minute grammar revision in the conversation class and went over the future tenses. Since they mainly correspond quite closely to English, this wasn't too hard.
(Picture - Lothar, Sergio (teacher), Barbara, Isabella)
I was the only student in B2 Grammar and we did some work on various periphrases (is that a word?), which ended up being vital later on...
In my private lesson, we went over numbers and I was relieved to find that I am not alone in finding them a constant source of trouble.
Then I did the final exam. It was bloody hard and took me an hour and a half. It covered almost everything and I don't feel too confident with a lot of it. I just hope I did well enough to demonstrate that I have learnt lots.
I then came home and have just spent 2 hours cleaning my flat. It looks all sparkly now and all I have left to do is wash the floors, which I will do before I leave tomorrow. I have packed everything up and am ready to go. Tonight, I'm heading into town for a final Spanish chat time with my friends. Last night, José took me to a typical churro and hot chocolate place in town. It was really cool!
All that remains for me to do is to reiterate on here how much I appreciate all the help and patience I have received from the school. The teachers there are patient and professional, friendly and approachable, simply wonderful people. If I were to teach as well as they do, I would be a great teacher. Special thanks to Isa for teaching me some complicated grammar as well as a few very useful words and phrases to assist me in real life (!); Teresa again for grammar explanations that made the nonsensical possible to understand and even use and for encouraging me to read my first Spanish novel; and Sergio for conversation, grammar and generally being one very cool chap. Also, to all the other staff at the school - it is a great place to learn and the atmosphere you have created is second to none. You are all amazing and I hope we stay in touch for years to come.
I feel like I should say something profound in Spanish but I don't want to risk ending with some hideous grammatical mistake, so I'll just say:
Hasta luego Málaga ¡Si!
I took in a selection of little cakes for the staff and tried to buy thank you cards for my teachers. The latter proved impossible, so I had to resort to making them by hand. They were a little rough and ready, but seemed to go down well ;)
We did some last minute grammar revision in the conversation class and went over the future tenses. Since they mainly correspond quite closely to English, this wasn't too hard.
(Picture - Lothar, Sergio (teacher), Barbara, Isabella)
I was the only student in B2 Grammar and we did some work on various periphrases (is that a word?), which ended up being vital later on...
In my private lesson, we went over numbers and I was relieved to find that I am not alone in finding them a constant source of trouble.
Then I did the final exam. It was bloody hard and took me an hour and a half. It covered almost everything and I don't feel too confident with a lot of it. I just hope I did well enough to demonstrate that I have learnt lots.
I then came home and have just spent 2 hours cleaning my flat. It looks all sparkly now and all I have left to do is wash the floors, which I will do before I leave tomorrow. I have packed everything up and am ready to go. Tonight, I'm heading into town for a final Spanish chat time with my friends. Last night, José took me to a typical churro and hot chocolate place in town. It was really cool!
All that remains for me to do is to reiterate on here how much I appreciate all the help and patience I have received from the school. The teachers there are patient and professional, friendly and approachable, simply wonderful people. If I were to teach as well as they do, I would be a great teacher. Special thanks to Isa for teaching me some complicated grammar as well as a few very useful words and phrases to assist me in real life (!); Teresa again for grammar explanations that made the nonsensical possible to understand and even use and for encouraging me to read my first Spanish novel; and Sergio for conversation, grammar and generally being one very cool chap. Also, to all the other staff at the school - it is a great place to learn and the atmosphere you have created is second to none. You are all amazing and I hope we stay in touch for years to come.
I feel like I should say something profound in Spanish but I don't want to risk ending with some hideous grammatical mistake, so I'll just say:
Hasta luego Málaga ¡Si!
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Final arrangements
I have finally sent home a box of stuff. I needed a cardboard box. Where would you go to get one in the UK?... a supermarket. No luck - they told me they had recycled them all (then again, people in supermarkets here are unusually unhelpful) I managed to get one from the school today, brought it home and packed it full of things I can live without for a while (and a kilo of sunflower seeds!) Next stop, the post office. It weighed in at 8.65 kilos!!! Hopefully, I will now be within my allowance for the flight. It cost 49€ to send, so not cheap, but surely a lot less than if I had been 8kg over my allowance - the cheap airlines like to make their profits that way!
Filling in the form was quite traumatic, but hopefully all is now good.
I also bought a last-minute pressie for ma and pa. I'm afraid most people are not getting anything, but Pip's carers definitely deserve a huge thanks. I can't tell you what I bought because it's a surprise!
I then tried to sunbathe a bit, but it was not very warm on the beach so I gave up.
Tomorrow is my last day at school. I am doing an exam after my classes in order to ensure I have passed B2 and get my certificate. I'm quite nervous but hopefully will be able to remember everything. It will be good practice for my A level next year.
Tomorrow, I also need to clean the flat and remember to pick up my deposit from the school. I've just realised the receipt for my deposit was in something I put in the box I posted, but I'm sure there will not be a problem. I can then use some of that money at duty free and keep any remaining euro for when I return here (or to Marbella...)
Filling in the form was quite traumatic, but hopefully all is now good.
I also bought a last-minute pressie for ma and pa. I'm afraid most people are not getting anything, but Pip's carers definitely deserve a huge thanks. I can't tell you what I bought because it's a surprise!
I then tried to sunbathe a bit, but it was not very warm on the beach so I gave up.
Tomorrow is my last day at school. I am doing an exam after my classes in order to ensure I have passed B2 and get my certificate. I'm quite nervous but hopefully will be able to remember everything. It will be good practice for my A level next year.
Tomorrow, I also need to clean the flat and remember to pick up my deposit from the school. I've just realised the receipt for my deposit was in something I put in the box I posted, but I'm sure there will not be a problem. I can then use some of that money at duty free and keep any remaining euro for when I return here (or to Marbella...)
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Last week...
My time here is coming to an end and I am feeling a bit stressed about making sure I have done everything and am ready to leave... send stuff home, buy everything I need to etc.
Classes are going well. I'm trying to mop up all the bits and pieces I still have doubts about. In conversation this week we have been looking at inventions. Yesterday we looked at some Spanish inventions and today we fed back about some from our countries. I had done a bit of research and talked about the TV, the telephone and penecillin. I also found out that steel rimmed umbrellas, cats' eyes, gas masks and viagra were all UK inventions!
In grammar, we looked at reported speech. For example, making John said "I hope you like your present" into John said that he hoped that I had liked my present. It seemed to be rather complicated, especially when you take into account the subjunctive and various pronouns. I have just spent about an hour on my homework and I wasn't too happy with it! In the private class, I have Sergio this week and today we (at my request) focused on the accent. It has a very unique role in Spanish and I was kind of aware of how to use it, but kept finding what I thought were exceptions and I now know are just the other 2 rules (ie there are 3, not 1 as I had thought!)
Classes are going well. I'm trying to mop up all the bits and pieces I still have doubts about. In conversation this week we have been looking at inventions. Yesterday we looked at some Spanish inventions and today we fed back about some from our countries. I had done a bit of research and talked about the TV, the telephone and penecillin. I also found out that steel rimmed umbrellas, cats' eyes, gas masks and viagra were all UK inventions!
In grammar, we looked at reported speech. For example, making John said "I hope you like your present" into John said that he hoped that I had liked my present. It seemed to be rather complicated, especially when you take into account the subjunctive and various pronouns. I have just spent about an hour on my homework and I wasn't too happy with it! In the private class, I have Sergio this week and today we (at my request) focused on the accent. It has a very unique role in Spanish and I was kind of aware of how to use it, but kept finding what I thought were exceptions and I now know are just the other 2 rules (ie there are 3, not 1 as I had thought!)
Monday, November 1, 2010
My final weekend :(
So, I had another nice weekend. On Saturday, I did quite a bit of sleeping, catching up after my tiring Marbella excursion. On Sunday, José texted to see if I fancied going for a drive. We went to a dock and looked at his family's little boat (and got splashed by the crazy sea - it has been really windy this weekend) then drove to a little town on the coast and he bought me lunch - some squid and prawns and salad, all very tasty.
Then we chilled out at his house and the others came over. The view from José's balcony is amazing.
We also saw the sun setting and it was quite breathtaking - the photo does not do it justice!
Today (Monday), I did some homework in the morning and then went into town. I decided to get on the tourist bus and did the proper sightseeing tour of Málaga. I wish I had done it on my first weekend instead of my last... it was quite expensive (€16), but worth it. It was an hour and a half long and the commentary, via headphones, was available in all languages, so I swapped between Spanish and English. The photos are of Malagueta beach (the beach in the centre) and Alcazaba castle and one to demonstrate how blue the sky was today! It was a bit chilly because of the north wind, but I did manage to spend some time on the beach today - in November!
This evening, I went out for a meal with my friends, to say farewell to me, as it is the last time we will all be meeting before I go. We had such a great time and ate some yummy tapas with lots of cheesy sauces, yum! I'm going to miss them a great deal and plan to come back again soon.
Then we chilled out at his house and the others came over. The view from José's balcony is amazing.
We also saw the sun setting and it was quite breathtaking - the photo does not do it justice!
Today (Monday), I did some homework in the morning and then went into town. I decided to get on the tourist bus and did the proper sightseeing tour of Málaga. I wish I had done it on my first weekend instead of my last... it was quite expensive (€16), but worth it. It was an hour and a half long and the commentary, via headphones, was available in all languages, so I swapped between Spanish and English. The photos are of Malagueta beach (the beach in the centre) and Alcazaba castle and one to demonstrate how blue the sky was today! It was a bit chilly because of the north wind, but I did manage to spend some time on the beach today - in November!
This evening, I went out for a meal with my friends, to say farewell to me, as it is the last time we will all be meeting before I go. We had such a great time and ate some yummy tapas with lots of cheesy sauces, yum! I'm going to miss them a great deal and plan to come back again soon.
Friday, October 29, 2010
A very long day
I am exhausted.
I left the house at 8am and gatecrashed B1 grammar (just as well, as I learnt a new usage for the conditional tense) and attended first 30 minutes of conversation. I had planned to catch the 11.30 coach, so thought an hour would be plenty of time... I got to the coach station at 11.15 (after a much longer walk from the end of the line for my bus 11) and found a long queue to buy tickets and the machines were out of order. 11.30 came and went, so I resigned myself to catching the 12.00 one which gets into Marbella at 1.25 (interview at 1.30 - I planned to call the school if it looked as though I was going to be late). When I finally made it to the counter (at 11.45), they told me I was in the wrong queue. Luckily, the queue for the Marbella tickets was really short... if I had known which queue to join, I would have caught the 11.30 coach!
Got my ticket (only 5 euro) and got on the coach. It wound through all the tourist places (like Torremolinos) and finally arrived at 1.20. I grabbed a taxi and we made it to the school with 3 minutes to spare! The taxi cost me 14 euro for a 5 minute ride, but I didn't have time to argue and just paid up.
I met with the Deputy Head (Mrs Stevenson), who is lovely. She showed me around the school and we chatted in English (which felt really odd!). The primary kids (from Early Years, aged 3 to Year 6, aged 10) were all in Hallowe'en fancy dress and I got to watch them having a scare each other competition. The site is lovely, very clean and modern. The kids seemed well-behaved and the staff were all very welcoming. Mrs S informed me that they had had a mound of applications for the post and were going to go throught them over half term (next week) but wanted to interview me whilst I was in the area. She said that my application had stood out and that it was very strong.
After a tour, I had a kind of interview with Mrs S, the Head of Languages and the French teacher who is going on maternity leave (Anne). She teaches all the classes (Years 7 to 13) and has a large proportion of Key Stage 4 and 5. It looks like a lovely timetable! I was feeling quite confident at this stage and started to relax.
Then I was taken to her classroom by Anne. Suddenly things went downhill. First of all, we spoke French. 5 weeks ago, that would have been just fine. Today, I kept messing up. I was tongue tied and kept coming out with not only Spanish words, but weird grammatical mistakes that seemed to be a mixture of French, Spanish and English. Bear in mind that Anne is French, so there was no hiding these mistakes... Then she started quizzing me about my knowledge of French history, politics and current affairs. My mind seemed to empty itself and I started to feel panicky. I didn't want to blag it, so I was just honest and said I didn't know much about these. I felt like such an idiot and I just wanted to run away. She even left me alone with the A level set text for five minutes and then quizzed me about it, the use of informal register etc.
Then I met again with Mrs S. She was brimming with positivity and said she really liked me and asked that I let her know if I get invited to any interviews in the next couple of weeks before accepting them. She said that they need to go through the other applications, but I should expect to hear from them in the next 2 weeks and she seemed to be implying that I stood a really good chance of getting it. I admitted that I hadn't felt too confident about the other part of the day. I can't help but think that I won't be appointed once Anne feeds back. Maybe I'm wrong, but I really didn't feel that it went well. It is most unlike me to feel lacking in confidence in interviews and especially about my French. It was not a nice feeling.
Then I came home. I was told that it would be easier to get a bus to Fuengirola and then to Malaga, so I did that. I got to the bus stop outside the school at 4pm. The Fuengirola bus arrived at 4.40 (and only cost 2 euro). It arrived in Fuengirola at 5.15ish. I saw that I would have to wait for an hour, so I grabbed some tortilla and coffee (hadn't eaten all day) and then did the crossword whilst trying to ignore random creepy, smelly men who kept trying to talk to me!
The bus arrived on time (only 1.80 euro) and we got to Malaga at 7pm. I then had to get the number 11 back here and finally got home at 7.50. Nearly 4 hours door-to-door. Ugh.
All in all, I am glad I went and I would be very happy if I did get offered the job, but I do not feel that it is likely. I forgot to ask about the salary, but I think it would be quite good as it is a fee-paying school. They were really impressed that I, myself, went to a fee-paying school and they couldn't understand why I would want to work in state schools! The class sizes are amazing! The year 7 class is considered large... it has 18 students: precisely half the number I had in my Year 9 class last year. The Year 8 class has 15 and Year 9 has 16. Years 10 and 11 have about 10 each and the sixth form is a fairly normal 3 or 4 per year. Apparently the kids do not misbehave in class and you need to plan to teach the entire 45 minutes of the lesson, as you do not need to waste any time getting them quiet etc. It would be really interesting and different and nice for 4 months, but I think I might find it really boring after a bit...!
During my journey home, I suddenly felt really homesick and almost burst into tears on the bus. I don't know why, but I just desperately want to see my family and Pip right now. I think it suddenly hit me that I am a long way from home and I am also very tired. I wanted to talk over the interview with my parents instead of it just going around in my head. I feel a bit better now I have blogged about it - some kind of catharsis in a way!
It's a 3 day weekend now. I have no idea what to do, but might buy some presents tomorrow and then post a box of stuff home, as I fear I am going to be way over my allowance for the flight otherwise. Aside from that, I just want to unwind. I have just started a Spanish novel (I have read all the English ones from the school's exchange shelf) and it seems to be quite easy. If the weather is OK, I might be able to spend some time on the beach, as I have not been all week.
I left the house at 8am and gatecrashed B1 grammar (just as well, as I learnt a new usage for the conditional tense) and attended first 30 minutes of conversation. I had planned to catch the 11.30 coach, so thought an hour would be plenty of time... I got to the coach station at 11.15 (after a much longer walk from the end of the line for my bus 11) and found a long queue to buy tickets and the machines were out of order. 11.30 came and went, so I resigned myself to catching the 12.00 one which gets into Marbella at 1.25 (interview at 1.30 - I planned to call the school if it looked as though I was going to be late). When I finally made it to the counter (at 11.45), they told me I was in the wrong queue. Luckily, the queue for the Marbella tickets was really short... if I had known which queue to join, I would have caught the 11.30 coach!
Got my ticket (only 5 euro) and got on the coach. It wound through all the tourist places (like Torremolinos) and finally arrived at 1.20. I grabbed a taxi and we made it to the school with 3 minutes to spare! The taxi cost me 14 euro for a 5 minute ride, but I didn't have time to argue and just paid up.
I met with the Deputy Head (Mrs Stevenson), who is lovely. She showed me around the school and we chatted in English (which felt really odd!). The primary kids (from Early Years, aged 3 to Year 6, aged 10) were all in Hallowe'en fancy dress and I got to watch them having a scare each other competition. The site is lovely, very clean and modern. The kids seemed well-behaved and the staff were all very welcoming. Mrs S informed me that they had had a mound of applications for the post and were going to go throught them over half term (next week) but wanted to interview me whilst I was in the area. She said that my application had stood out and that it was very strong.
After a tour, I had a kind of interview with Mrs S, the Head of Languages and the French teacher who is going on maternity leave (Anne). She teaches all the classes (Years 7 to 13) and has a large proportion of Key Stage 4 and 5. It looks like a lovely timetable! I was feeling quite confident at this stage and started to relax.
Then I was taken to her classroom by Anne. Suddenly things went downhill. First of all, we spoke French. 5 weeks ago, that would have been just fine. Today, I kept messing up. I was tongue tied and kept coming out with not only Spanish words, but weird grammatical mistakes that seemed to be a mixture of French, Spanish and English. Bear in mind that Anne is French, so there was no hiding these mistakes... Then she started quizzing me about my knowledge of French history, politics and current affairs. My mind seemed to empty itself and I started to feel panicky. I didn't want to blag it, so I was just honest and said I didn't know much about these. I felt like such an idiot and I just wanted to run away. She even left me alone with the A level set text for five minutes and then quizzed me about it, the use of informal register etc.
Then I met again with Mrs S. She was brimming with positivity and said she really liked me and asked that I let her know if I get invited to any interviews in the next couple of weeks before accepting them. She said that they need to go through the other applications, but I should expect to hear from them in the next 2 weeks and she seemed to be implying that I stood a really good chance of getting it. I admitted that I hadn't felt too confident about the other part of the day. I can't help but think that I won't be appointed once Anne feeds back. Maybe I'm wrong, but I really didn't feel that it went well. It is most unlike me to feel lacking in confidence in interviews and especially about my French. It was not a nice feeling.
Then I came home. I was told that it would be easier to get a bus to Fuengirola and then to Malaga, so I did that. I got to the bus stop outside the school at 4pm. The Fuengirola bus arrived at 4.40 (and only cost 2 euro). It arrived in Fuengirola at 5.15ish. I saw that I would have to wait for an hour, so I grabbed some tortilla and coffee (hadn't eaten all day) and then did the crossword whilst trying to ignore random creepy, smelly men who kept trying to talk to me!
The bus arrived on time (only 1.80 euro) and we got to Malaga at 7pm. I then had to get the number 11 back here and finally got home at 7.50. Nearly 4 hours door-to-door. Ugh.
All in all, I am glad I went and I would be very happy if I did get offered the job, but I do not feel that it is likely. I forgot to ask about the salary, but I think it would be quite good as it is a fee-paying school. They were really impressed that I, myself, went to a fee-paying school and they couldn't understand why I would want to work in state schools! The class sizes are amazing! The year 7 class is considered large... it has 18 students: precisely half the number I had in my Year 9 class last year. The Year 8 class has 15 and Year 9 has 16. Years 10 and 11 have about 10 each and the sixth form is a fairly normal 3 or 4 per year. Apparently the kids do not misbehave in class and you need to plan to teach the entire 45 minutes of the lesson, as you do not need to waste any time getting them quiet etc. It would be really interesting and different and nice for 4 months, but I think I might find it really boring after a bit...!
During my journey home, I suddenly felt really homesick and almost burst into tears on the bus. I don't know why, but I just desperately want to see my family and Pip right now. I think it suddenly hit me that I am a long way from home and I am also very tired. I wanted to talk over the interview with my parents instead of it just going around in my head. I feel a bit better now I have blogged about it - some kind of catharsis in a way!
It's a 3 day weekend now. I have no idea what to do, but might buy some presents tomorrow and then post a box of stuff home, as I fear I am going to be way over my allowance for the flight otherwise. Aside from that, I just want to unwind. I have just started a Spanish novel (I have read all the English ones from the school's exchange shelf) and it seems to be quite easy. If the weather is OK, I might be able to spend some time on the beach, as I have not been all week.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
A coincidence
I have just returned home from the birthday tapas eating. I had such a great time and the most strange coincidence...
The woman whose birthday is it is called Helen. She lives here but is English and is a friend of my new friends here. I had not met her until tonight (I thought...), but they kept saying "you should meet Helen." Anyway, she walked into the room and I had that weird "I know you but I don't know where from" feeling. It turns out that she is also friends with my friends in Nice and I had met her twice before whilst on holiday in Nice! How bloody weird is that?!
Ana's car is still in the garage so I can't get a lift tomorrow. Never mind, I will just need to work out the buses. I am going to go into school, gatecrash the 8.30am B1 grammar class and go to the first half of Conversation, then leave at about 11ish so I can get the 11.30 bus from the bus station to Marbella. It might take up to an hour and a half and then I need to get a taxi to the school, so don't want to risk having to get the 12.00 bus. I feel quite unconcerned about the trip. If this job is meant to be, I will get there without any problems and all will go well.
My friends have decided that I need a leaving party! We are going to go out for a meal on Monday night because Monday is fiesta (again!) They are so lovely and they all want me to get the job so that I will be back in Andalucia soon. I'm thinking that, if I do get it, I can do lots of supply for a couple of months and get plenty of cash together and then come over a bit before the job starts... spend some time in Marbella for a couple of weeks and get to know the area and come here and see my Malaga friends too. The world is my oyster this year. What a wonderful situation to be in. I was always saying how I wished I were married and had children, but then I wouldn't be able to be spontaneous, so I am starting to see the freedom I have.
The woman whose birthday is it is called Helen. She lives here but is English and is a friend of my new friends here. I had not met her until tonight (I thought...), but they kept saying "you should meet Helen." Anyway, she walked into the room and I had that weird "I know you but I don't know where from" feeling. It turns out that she is also friends with my friends in Nice and I had met her twice before whilst on holiday in Nice! How bloody weird is that?!
Ana's car is still in the garage so I can't get a lift tomorrow. Never mind, I will just need to work out the buses. I am going to go into school, gatecrash the 8.30am B1 grammar class and go to the first half of Conversation, then leave at about 11ish so I can get the 11.30 bus from the bus station to Marbella. It might take up to an hour and a half and then I need to get a taxi to the school, so don't want to risk having to get the 12.00 bus. I feel quite unconcerned about the trip. If this job is meant to be, I will get there without any problems and all will go well.
My friends have decided that I need a leaving party! We are going to go out for a meal on Monday night because Monday is fiesta (again!) They are so lovely and they all want me to get the job so that I will be back in Andalucia soon. I'm thinking that, if I do get it, I can do lots of supply for a couple of months and get plenty of cash together and then come over a bit before the job starts... spend some time in Marbella for a couple of weeks and get to know the area and come here and see my Malaga friends too. The world is my oyster this year. What a wonderful situation to be in. I was always saying how I wished I were married and had children, but then I wouldn't be able to be spontaneous, so I am starting to see the freedom I have.
Guinea Pig
Today, we were guinea pigs... there were student teachers taking some of the lessons. It was great because I have been a student teacher myself and I have observed and mentored student teachers and today I experienced the other side of it - being the student!
In the conversation class, we had 2 different students and it was about Spanish culture and stereotypes. very interesting. the first student was stronger, as she had better contact with us and we all spoke more easily. The second student ran out of planned work a bit early and had to fill in a bit. All in all, they did a good job - but teaching 8 motivated adults must be somewhat easier that 30 distracted 13 year olds!
The B2 grammar class was normal, with Isa. It was a great lesson and also kind of sad because 3 of the 5 students are finishing this week. Tomorrow is their last day and I won't be there (Marbella!), so it was our last lesson together. After the rocky start (my paranoia, mainly) it has been a really positive class. Next week, it will be just Moo (the chicochino) and me.
My B2 grammar class:
(I'm not sure about the spellings of the names)
Me (looking very fat, yuk!), Prisilla, Isa (teacher), Taru, Moo and Marilyna
My private lesson was again with 2 separate students. The first was the most confident but she spoke far too fast and, since I am the only student, it felt quite stressful, like I was being given a test with quickfire questions - a bit like an interrogation! Then I had the most nervous student ever! She was actually very good and I see a lot more potential in her than the other one, but she needs to get over her nerves. Fortunately for these 2 that I am a good student and like to get involved. I imagine that an individual class with someone who holds back would be really hard work. (I think that is why my lesson was chosen!)
I rang the English school this morning and have arranged to get there for 1.30. This is good, as I have some time to find my way there of the lift doesn't work out. I'll find out tonight - we are going out for someone's birthday - eating tapas in town. Ana will be there so she'll let me know if she can give me a lift tomorrow. If not, I have to negotiate the buses!
Think of me at 1.30 my time! (Also, best wishes and good luck to my cousin, who also has an interview tomorrow - but for veterinary work!)
Aaaaarrrrgggghhhhhhh - I am getting quite nervous. The secretary I spoke to said it would be fairly informal, but I really want to shine and make the choice eay for them.
In the conversation class, we had 2 different students and it was about Spanish culture and stereotypes. very interesting. the first student was stronger, as she had better contact with us and we all spoke more easily. The second student ran out of planned work a bit early and had to fill in a bit. All in all, they did a good job - but teaching 8 motivated adults must be somewhat easier that 30 distracted 13 year olds!
The B2 grammar class was normal, with Isa. It was a great lesson and also kind of sad because 3 of the 5 students are finishing this week. Tomorrow is their last day and I won't be there (Marbella!), so it was our last lesson together. After the rocky start (my paranoia, mainly) it has been a really positive class. Next week, it will be just Moo (the chicochino) and me.
My B2 grammar class:
(I'm not sure about the spellings of the names) Me (looking very fat, yuk!), Prisilla, Isa (teacher), Taru, Moo and Marilyna
My private lesson was again with 2 separate students. The first was the most confident but she spoke far too fast and, since I am the only student, it felt quite stressful, like I was being given a test with quickfire questions - a bit like an interrogation! Then I had the most nervous student ever! She was actually very good and I see a lot more potential in her than the other one, but she needs to get over her nerves. Fortunately for these 2 that I am a good student and like to get involved. I imagine that an individual class with someone who holds back would be really hard work. (I think that is why my lesson was chosen!)
I rang the English school this morning and have arranged to get there for 1.30. This is good, as I have some time to find my way there of the lift doesn't work out. I'll find out tonight - we are going out for someone's birthday - eating tapas in town. Ana will be there so she'll let me know if she can give me a lift tomorrow. If not, I have to negotiate the buses!
Think of me at 1.30 my time! (Also, best wishes and good luck to my cousin, who also has an interview tomorrow - but for veterinary work!)
Aaaaarrrrgggghhhhhhh - I am getting quite nervous. The secretary I spoke to said it would be fairly informal, but I really want to shine and make the choice eay for them.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Big news!
I have just had the most exciting email from the English school in Marbella:
"Mrs Stevenson is interested in meeting you and wondered if you could come for an interview on Friday."
Hell, yeah!!! I have replied to confirm and asked if I can call them tomorrow to clarify details. I wonder if I will have to teach... I wonder if I will be able to speak French now that my head is full of Spanish... I wonder how I will get there... Aaaargh!!!
"Mrs Stevenson is interested in meeting you and wondered if you could come for an interview on Friday."
Hell, yeah!!! I have replied to confirm and asked if I can call them tomorrow to clarify details. I wonder if I will have to teach... I wonder if I will be able to speak French now that my head is full of Spanish... I wonder how I will get there... Aaaargh!!!
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Concessive clauses
I seem to have less time to update this these days. The closer it gets to going home time, the more homework I am doing and more practice essays etc. I have just spent 3 hours doing all the exercises I could find on the imperative. This should be a basic thing (A2/B1 level), but I missed out on it and have never actually studied it. Fortunately, the negative imperative is basically the subjunctive, so that is that taken care of. The affirmative imperative is a bit harder to get your head around, especially when you add direct object and reflexive pronouns into the mix, but I think I have just about worked it out now (after about half an hour lesson and the 3 hours at home). I am determined to work out which grammatical areas I still have blanks for and get these sorted in my remaining private lessons. Isa is very flexible about what we do in those lessons, so I can basically jump around any different things I need to study.
In the conversation class today, we looked at superstitions again. It is an interesting topic and it was fun comparing the superstitions of our various countries, especially when they have slight differences.
***Complicated grammar coming up. If you can understand it, read on... it's good stuff!***
In B2 grammar, we continued with some high-level subjunctive/indicative uses, focusing on oraciones concesivas. I would be extremely surprised if I ever have to teach how using aunque with the subjunctive (see example a) expresses information already known by both parties, whereas the use of aunque with the indicative (see example b) demonstrates that there is new information being given to the interlocutor (yeah, I know!?!?)
Consider: a) Aunque sea inglesa, me gusta hablar otros idiomas.
and b) Aunque soy inglesa, me gusta hablar otros idiomas.
Both translate as "Although I am English, I like to speak other languages" but, in a) both the person talking and the person listening already knew that I am English, whereas in b) the person listening (the interlocutor) didn't know that I was English before I said this. In a), the most useful information is that I speak other languages whereas in b) the most useful information is that I am English.
Subtle, devious, complicated and... bloody brilliant!!!
This usage is most interesting because normally the subjunctive is used over the indicative when there is some element of doubt or hypothesis. In the case of aunque (and a pesar de que (despite) and por más/mucho que (howevermuch)), this is almost turned on its head. I felt mightily proud of myself once I had understood it, especially when you consider that I am concurrently getting to grips with using the past tenses correctly and using the imperative. I love learning!!!
After my private lesson on the imperative, I stayed for the culture class (also with Isa). No-one else is coming this week, but I am fascinated because it is about contemporary Spanish cinema. Today, Isa set the scene by telling me about how Spain came late to free ideas and democracy, post-Franco (ie 1975). I was rather ashamed of how little I know about Spain's political history and have been doing a Wiki* on it. Tomorrow, I will be finding out how the cinema flourished post-Franco.
* my new expression for using Wikipedia to find out information!
In the conversation class today, we looked at superstitions again. It is an interesting topic and it was fun comparing the superstitions of our various countries, especially when they have slight differences.
***Complicated grammar coming up. If you can understand it, read on... it's good stuff!***
In B2 grammar, we continued with some high-level subjunctive/indicative uses, focusing on oraciones concesivas. I would be extremely surprised if I ever have to teach how using aunque with the subjunctive (see example a) expresses information already known by both parties, whereas the use of aunque with the indicative (see example b) demonstrates that there is new information being given to the interlocutor (yeah, I know!?!?)
Consider: a) Aunque sea inglesa, me gusta hablar otros idiomas.
and b) Aunque soy inglesa, me gusta hablar otros idiomas.
Both translate as "Although I am English, I like to speak other languages" but, in a) both the person talking and the person listening already knew that I am English, whereas in b) the person listening (the interlocutor) didn't know that I was English before I said this. In a), the most useful information is that I speak other languages whereas in b) the most useful information is that I am English.
Subtle, devious, complicated and... bloody brilliant!!!
This usage is most interesting because normally the subjunctive is used over the indicative when there is some element of doubt or hypothesis. In the case of aunque (and a pesar de que (despite) and por más/mucho que (however
After my private lesson on the imperative, I stayed for the culture class (also with Isa). No-one else is coming this week, but I am fascinated because it is about contemporary Spanish cinema. Today, Isa set the scene by telling me about how Spain came late to free ideas and democracy, post-Franco (ie 1975). I was rather ashamed of how little I know about Spain's political history and have been doing a Wiki* on it. Tomorrow, I will be finding out how the cinema flourished post-Franco.
* my new expression for using Wikipedia to find out information!
Monday, October 25, 2010
Fin de Semana (weekend)
It's becoming increasingly odd to write this in English! (Don't worry, I will not suddenly start writing entirely in Spanish.) I have gotten into the habit of writing short essays in Spanish in the past tense for Isa to mark each day in order to practise my past tenses and I keep pondering on the appropriate tense whilst blogging!
On Saturday morning, I woke up feeling distinctly rubbish. It was cloudy and rain was forecast, so I decided to postpone my tourist day and instead slept almost all day!
On Sunday, I woke up feeling a lot better and made my way into town by bus. I aksed the driver to tell me where I should get off in order to visit the castle of Gibralfaro. He seemed amused that I intended to walk from the centre, implying it would make more sense to catch another bus. When I got off, there was a marathon taking place and I had to wait for 15 minutes to cross the road (I took advantage of a brief gap in the runners)!
Then I started the climb. Many steps. Quite a hike. I wished I had brought some water as I got very thirsty. At the top, I was very happy to see a cafe and gulped down a can of diet coke in record time. Then I paid my €2.10 and visited the castle. It was very beautiful.
The views of the city and the port were absolutely breathtaking, especially as it turned into a beautifully sunny day.
I found another sundrenched cafe and finished my Spanish novel (with dictionary) whilst drinking coffee. Then I walked back down and came home to change and grab my towel before heading to the beach. I managed to get in a couple of hours of sunbathing before getting ready to go out again. José and Juan Antonio took me to Torrox, where we met with some more people. It was a funny little place and the locals' accents were even stronger, if that is possible!
The other exciting thing that has happened is that I have spotted a great job opportunity: teaching French in an English school in Marbella! It isn't far from here and would be the best possible thing for me. It is a short maternity cover, from February to June and I am going to send my application today. I might have to drive over if I did get it, as I would want all my stuff and possibly Pip too! Anyway, we'll see if that is what Fate has decided I should do. It really would be the best thing in terms of both my career and my Spanish. Plus, the life in Spain really does suit me.
Right, I had better go and write a summary of the book for Teresa. I promised her I would do so...
On Saturday morning, I woke up feeling distinctly rubbish. It was cloudy and rain was forecast, so I decided to postpone my tourist day and instead slept almost all day!
On Sunday, I woke up feeling a lot better and made my way into town by bus. I aksed the driver to tell me where I should get off in order to visit the castle of Gibralfaro. He seemed amused that I intended to walk from the centre, implying it would make more sense to catch another bus. When I got off, there was a marathon taking place and I had to wait for 15 minutes to cross the road (I took advantage of a brief gap in the runners)!
Then I started the climb. Many steps. Quite a hike. I wished I had brought some water as I got very thirsty. At the top, I was very happy to see a cafe and gulped down a can of diet coke in record time. Then I paid my €2.10 and visited the castle. It was very beautiful.
The views of the city and the port were absolutely breathtaking, especially as it turned into a beautifully sunny day.
I found another sundrenched cafe and finished my Spanish novel (with dictionary) whilst drinking coffee. Then I walked back down and came home to change and grab my towel before heading to the beach. I managed to get in a couple of hours of sunbathing before getting ready to go out again. José and Juan Antonio took me to Torrox, where we met with some more people. It was a funny little place and the locals' accents were even stronger, if that is possible!
The other exciting thing that has happened is that I have spotted a great job opportunity: teaching French in an English school in Marbella! It isn't far from here and would be the best possible thing for me. It is a short maternity cover, from February to June and I am going to send my application today. I might have to drive over if I did get it, as I would want all my stuff and possibly Pip too! Anyway, we'll see if that is what Fate has decided I should do. It really would be the best thing in terms of both my career and my Spanish. Plus, the life in Spain really does suit me.
Right, I had better go and write a summary of the book for Teresa. I promised her I would do so...
Friday, October 22, 2010
A joke/chiste
I had a great evening. We all met in town and then 4 of us came back to this area and ate ice creams on the beach! It was really nice and I am understanding more and more each time I meet with my friends.
I also learnt a new joke that I have to remember for next week:
Le dice un argentino a su esposa:
- Querida, hoy voy a hacer el amor afónico.
La esposa intrigada y emocinada responde:
- Che, que bueno... y como es eso?
A lo que el argentino contesta:
- SIN VOS!!!
You need to a) understand Spanish
and b) know that Argentinian Spanish uses vos instead of usted. It's a good one though!
I also learnt a new joke that I have to remember for next week:
Le dice un argentino a su esposa:
- Querida, hoy voy a hacer el amor afónico.
La esposa intrigada y emocinada responde:
- Che, que bueno... y como es eso?
A lo que el argentino contesta:
- SIN VOS!!!
You need to a) understand Spanish
and b) know that Argentinian Spanish uses vos instead of usted. It's a good one though!
New words
If there was ever any doubt about how friendly the malagueños (people of Malaga) are towards foreigners, this is a good example:
I have a fringe. I had it cut before coming out here, but it had started to grow over my eyes again and I needed a trim. I have cut it myself before and usually ended up with a mess! In the UK, if I pop into the place where they cut and colour my hair regularly, they do a free "fringe trim" but, if I go somewhere different, I usually have to pay a nominal sum. On my way home just now, I went into a hairdressers (having found the word for fringe in my dictionary: flequillo) and asked if they could trim it. She did and, when I asked how much I owed her, she said "nada" (nothing). How lovely! So now I can see again and I have learned a new word!
My lessons were both mainly conversational: Sergio's was discussion about "designer babies" and abortion and then Isa's class was all about chat-up lines and pulling! We also looked at ways of using the various superlative forms, of which there are many in Spanish (they are very dramatic people!). A very interesting lesson and I now know some really good colloquial language.
I looked at a past paper for Spanish A level this morning and was, frankly, flabbergasted by how easy it was! I do not anticipate having any major problems with doing the A level when I get home. I just hope I can get it out of the way quickly and do not have to wait until June.
Out in town tonight then I plan to do some Malaga-based sightseeing this weekend. The weather is a bit less sunny, so should be good for walking around the various castles and museums.
I have a fringe. I had it cut before coming out here, but it had started to grow over my eyes again and I needed a trim. I have cut it myself before and usually ended up with a mess! In the UK, if I pop into the place where they cut and colour my hair regularly, they do a free "fringe trim" but, if I go somewhere different, I usually have to pay a nominal sum. On my way home just now, I went into a hairdressers (having found the word for fringe in my dictionary: flequillo) and asked if they could trim it. She did and, when I asked how much I owed her, she said "nada" (nothing). How lovely! So now I can see again and I have learned a new word!
My lessons were both mainly conversational: Sergio's was discussion about "designer babies" and abortion and then Isa's class was all about chat-up lines and pulling! We also looked at ways of using the various superlative forms, of which there are many in Spanish (they are very dramatic people!). A very interesting lesson and I now know some really good colloquial language.
I looked at a past paper for Spanish A level this morning and was, frankly, flabbergasted by how easy it was! I do not anticipate having any major problems with doing the A level when I get home. I just hope I can get it out of the way quickly and do not have to wait until June.
Out in town tonight then I plan to do some Malaga-based sightseeing this weekend. The weather is a bit less sunny, so should be good for walking around the various castles and museums.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Tenses
Every day, the air is noticeably cooler, but it is still very sunny here.
I wasn't able to enjoy the sun so much today, because I spent the afternoon filling in an application form. It is for an independent school in Bristol and is a maternity cover starting in February. I also noticed as I was filling it in that it is part time - 4 days per week. I would be able to do supply to make up the hours if necessary, but in fact a spare day each week could be a very good thing for my Spanish A level and OU degree aspirations.
My lessons were all great today. I am still holding back a little bit, to ensure that others get the chance to participate, but I felt much less reluctant to speak. In the conversation class we read a text about plastic and cosmetic surgery and then discussed it. It was a great topic, because people had strong and differing opinions and this led to much more interesting discussion. After the class, Lothar (the German student) told me that he was really envious of my Spanish! He said that I have made lots of progress and am almost fluent! I feel quite proud of how far I have come in 4 weeks.
In the grammar class, we looked at comparatives. I then had a good private lesson, continuing with talking about things using past tense. Yesterday was describing a book and a film I had read and seen. Today I talked about my education. Isa has a good memory for what we tell her about ourselves. Considering many students only stay for a week or so, it is incredible that the teachers can remember our names, let alone how many brothers and sisters we have etc!
I really want to crack the perfect preterite/indefinite preterite/imperfect tenses. I feel like I am on the verge of getting it, but I still need to think...
1. Did this event happen once/infrequently (preterite) or regularly/habitually/over a long period of time (imperfect)?
2. Did it happen recently/is it connected to the present (perfect preterite) or did it happen a long time ago (indefinite preterite)?
Cuando era pequeña, me gustaba rosa (Imperfect: when I was little, I liked pink)
Hoy, he comido un bocadillo. (Perfect: Today, I ate/have eaten a sandwich)
(El año pasado,) fui a Francia. (Indefinite: (Last year) I went to France)
There are other things that need to be taken into account, but those 2 questions are a good rule of thumb.
I wasn't able to enjoy the sun so much today, because I spent the afternoon filling in an application form. It is for an independent school in Bristol and is a maternity cover starting in February. I also noticed as I was filling it in that it is part time - 4 days per week. I would be able to do supply to make up the hours if necessary, but in fact a spare day each week could be a very good thing for my Spanish A level and OU degree aspirations.
My lessons were all great today. I am still holding back a little bit, to ensure that others get the chance to participate, but I felt much less reluctant to speak. In the conversation class we read a text about plastic and cosmetic surgery and then discussed it. It was a great topic, because people had strong and differing opinions and this led to much more interesting discussion. After the class, Lothar (the German student) told me that he was really envious of my Spanish! He said that I have made lots of progress and am almost fluent! I feel quite proud of how far I have come in 4 weeks.
In the grammar class, we looked at comparatives. I then had a good private lesson, continuing with talking about things using past tense. Yesterday was describing a book and a film I had read and seen. Today I talked about my education. Isa has a good memory for what we tell her about ourselves. Considering many students only stay for a week or so, it is incredible that the teachers can remember our names, let alone how many brothers and sisters we have etc!
I really want to crack the perfect preterite/indefinite preterite/imperfect tenses. I feel like I am on the verge of getting it, but I still need to think...
1. Did this event happen once/infrequently (preterite) or regularly/habitually/over a long period of time (imperfect)?
2. Did it happen recently/is it connected to the present (perfect preterite) or did it happen a long time ago (indefinite preterite)?
Cuando era pequeña, me gustaba rosa (Imperfect: when I was little, I liked pink)
Hoy, he comido un bocadillo. (Perfect: Today, I ate/have eaten a sandwich)
(El año pasado,) fui a Francia. (Indefinite: (Last year) I went to France)
There are other things that need to be taken into account, but those 2 questions are a good rule of thumb.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Shakira sings the Subjunctive!
***A word of warning: If you find grammar really boring, stop reading now. I don't mean stop reading the whole blog, just this post... It is very grammar-heavy!***
I like Shakira's songs, especially her Spanish ones. I like the way she plays with words and, although her sentiments can be a little trite, they are familiar and therefore easy to understand. I was listening to one of them (Que me Quedes tu) on my iPod on the beach earlier (sorry to keep going on about the beach, but it is amazing to be able to sunbathe there in the second half of October) and I realised that it would be a great teaching tool when teaching the subjunctive!
In the song there are 18 distinct verbs and all but two appear in the subjunctive. The indicative is only used twice. There are also lots of interesting words and so it would be a great dictionary exercise as well as a great grammar piece. I can't wait to use it in a lesson! It is only a shame that it only uses que (that) and not a variety of hypothesising phrases (tal vez, ojalá, espero que, prefiero que, ruego que + subjunctive) or even some really challenging constructs, such as my current favourite with si + the imperfect subjunctive + the conditional (si fuera un animal, sería un delfín)! I suppose really able groups could write some of their own with these. Even fairly low-level students should be able to invent more like Shakira's basic ones... Oh, now I am getting all excited about getting back to teaching again!
OK, so now here is the song. I hope you enjoy it! I will bold all the verbs in the subjunctive.
Que se arruinen los canales de noticias
Con lo mucho que odio la television
Que se vuelvan anticuadas las sonrisas
Y se extingan todas las puestas de sol
Que se supriman las doctrinas y deberes
Que se terminen las peliculas de accion
Que se destruyan en el mundo los placeres
Y que se escriba hoy una ultima cancion
Pero que me quedes tu
Y me quede tu abrazo
Y el beso que inventas cada dia
Y que me quede aqui
Despues del ocaso
Para siempre tu melancolia
Porque yo, yo, si, si
Que dependo de ti
Y si me quedas tu
Me queda la vida
Que desaparezcan todos los vecinos
Y se coman las sobras de mi inocencia
Que se vayan uno a uno los amigos
Y acribillen mi pedazo de conciencia
Que se consuman las palabras en los labios
Que contaminen todo el agua del planeta
O que renuncien los filantropos y sabios
Y que se muera hoy hasta el ultimo poeta
Pero que me quedes tu
Y me quede tu abrazo
Y el beso que inventas cada dia
Y que me quede aqui
Despues del ocaso
Para siempre tu melancolia
Porque yo, yo, si, si
Que dependo de ti
Y si me quedas tu
Me queda la vida...
I like Shakira's songs, especially her Spanish ones. I like the way she plays with words and, although her sentiments can be a little trite, they are familiar and therefore easy to understand. I was listening to one of them (Que me Quedes tu) on my iPod on the beach earlier (sorry to keep going on about the beach, but it is amazing to be able to sunbathe there in the second half of October) and I realised that it would be a great teaching tool when teaching the subjunctive!
In the song there are 18 distinct verbs and all but two appear in the subjunctive. The indicative is only used twice. There are also lots of interesting words and so it would be a great dictionary exercise as well as a great grammar piece. I can't wait to use it in a lesson! It is only a shame that it only uses que (that) and not a variety of hypothesising phrases (tal vez, ojalá, espero que, prefiero que, ruego que + subjunctive) or even some really challenging constructs, such as my current favourite with si + the imperfect subjunctive + the conditional (si fuera un animal, sería un delfín)! I suppose really able groups could write some of their own with these. Even fairly low-level students should be able to invent more like Shakira's basic ones... Oh, now I am getting all excited about getting back to teaching again!
OK, so now here is the song. I hope you enjoy it! I will bold all the verbs in the subjunctive.
Que se arruinen los canales de noticias
Con lo mucho que odio la television
Que se vuelvan anticuadas las sonrisas
Y se extingan todas las puestas de sol
Que se supriman las doctrinas y deberes
Que se terminen las peliculas de accion
Que se destruyan en el mundo los placeres
Y que se escriba hoy una ultima cancion
Pero que me quedes tu
Y me quede tu abrazo
Y el beso que inventas cada dia
Y que me quede aqui
Despues del ocaso
Para siempre tu melancolia
Porque yo, yo, si, si
Que dependo de ti
Y si me quedas tu
Me queda la vida
Que desaparezcan todos los vecinos
Y se coman las sobras de mi inocencia
Que se vayan uno a uno los amigos
Y acribillen mi pedazo de conciencia
Que se consuman las palabras en los labios
Que contaminen todo el agua del planeta
O que renuncien los filantropos y sabios
Y que se muera hoy hasta el ultimo poeta
Pero que me quedes tu
Y me quede tu abrazo
Y el beso que inventas cada dia
Y que me quede aqui
Despues del ocaso
Para siempre tu melancolia
Porque yo, yo, si, si
Que dependo de ti
Y si me quedas tu
Me queda la vida...
Las apariencias engañan
Ironically, the theme for today's B2 lesson was stereotypes, with the title las apariencias engañan which means "appearances can be deceptive".
I take back everything I said earlier about Isa...
I took a back seat during the grammar class today in an attempt to be less monopolising. I answered only when directly asked something and didn't ask any extra questions!
In my private lesson afterwards, Isa asked me if there was something wrong. I decided to explain my fears and she was really surprised. She said that she much prefers students to talk lots and ask questions. She said that, especially at B2, it should be mainly the students doing the talking and that today's lesson had been much less fun for her with lots of silences and her having to do all the talking! I realise that I had been totally wrong and she said that, if the others have a problem with me talking and asking questions, that's their problem and I shouldn't let it affect me and how I learn.
It was a real relief to hear that and know that I can go back to my usual self. I much prefer to ask what a word means rather than keep searching in the dictionary. By the time I have located the word, I have missed the rest of the sentence!
We ended up having a long chat about lots of things and it was a great lesson. She is actually much more approachable than I had thought and I feel much happier about being in the B2 class now. We have a new student in with us this week: a Chinese lad called Moo (his actual name is far longer, but we shortened it because none of us could pronounce it!) He has been at a school in Barcelona for a few months so has a really good level of Spanish. The B2 class certainly has students with a higher level which suits me really well. The B1 class was just right for me at first, but I had started to get frustrated by its repetition of ideas I understood and I am really glad I moved up when I did. I only wish I had enough money to stay here long enough to progress through levels C1 and C2, but I don't so I need to just make the most of the next 2.5 weeks.
I have just spent an hour or so on the beach doing the crosswords. I allow myself to buy just 1 or 2 Telegraphs a week and have to make the puzzles last! It costs €3.20, so I can't justify buying it every day, but once or twice a week is OK.
I take back everything I said earlier about Isa...
I took a back seat during the grammar class today in an attempt to be less monopolising. I answered only when directly asked something and didn't ask any extra questions!
In my private lesson afterwards, Isa asked me if there was something wrong. I decided to explain my fears and she was really surprised. She said that she much prefers students to talk lots and ask questions. She said that, especially at B2, it should be mainly the students doing the talking and that today's lesson had been much less fun for her with lots of silences and her having to do all the talking! I realise that I had been totally wrong and she said that, if the others have a problem with me talking and asking questions, that's their problem and I shouldn't let it affect me and how I learn.
It was a real relief to hear that and know that I can go back to my usual self. I much prefer to ask what a word means rather than keep searching in the dictionary. By the time I have located the word, I have missed the rest of the sentence!
We ended up having a long chat about lots of things and it was a great lesson. She is actually much more approachable than I had thought and I feel much happier about being in the B2 class now. We have a new student in with us this week: a Chinese lad called Moo (his actual name is far longer, but we shortened it because none of us could pronounce it!) He has been at a school in Barcelona for a few months so has a really good level of Spanish. The B2 class certainly has students with a higher level which suits me really well. The B1 class was just right for me at first, but I had started to get frustrated by its repetition of ideas I understood and I am really glad I moved up when I did. I only wish I had enough money to stay here long enough to progress through levels C1 and C2, but I don't so I need to just make the most of the next 2.5 weeks.
I have just spent an hour or so on the beach doing the crosswords. I allow myself to buy just 1 or 2 Telegraphs a week and have to make the puzzles last! It costs €3.20, so I can't justify buying it every day, but once or twice a week is OK.
B2 - Avanza :)
So, I have been promoted to level B2!
There are several benefits from this, not least of which is that my 8.30am lesson is no longer! That was Grammar B1 (8.30-10), so I now get into school at 10.15 for the conversation class which all B1 and B2 students have (Sergio is the teacher). Then, at 12, I have B2 Grammar with Priscilla (Brazil) and Taru (Finland), with Isa teaching us. This goes on until 1.30 and then I have my superintensive 45 minutes with Isa from 1.45 until 2.30. It is so nice to have a bit of extra time in the morning.
Isa has yet another totally different, and equally valid, teaching style. Where Teresa is flamboyant and dramatic and Sergio is calm and logical, Isa is quite firm and has a more detached style. I still learn a lot, but I am a bit scared of her! My way of learning is to ask lots of questions, make sure I understand something completely, constantly checking I am doing it right. This has not been a major issue before. I think the other students have found it a bit annoying, but Sergio and Teresa didn't seem to mind too much. In Isa's lessons, I always get the impression that she finds me a bit annoying. She is still very patient and perfectly polite, but I am going to have to rein myself in a bit, I feel. That's OK, I will just check things I don't understand in the grammar class later in my private lesson.
I had another ride on the motorbike yesterday. José and I went to Rincón de la Victoria again. It was good to chat in Spanish again after all the French this weekend. I was even able to add to the conversation this time and people understood what i was trying to say! We are going to go out in the centre again on Friday.
Did I tell you about Spanish TV? They do this really funny thing: when a news item is on, they play appreopriate background music, like in films. For example, an item about poverty - sad, heavy music; an item about someone's jackpot win - happy, tinkling music. It's really funny and quite distracting!
There are several benefits from this, not least of which is that my 8.30am lesson is no longer! That was Grammar B1 (8.30-10), so I now get into school at 10.15 for the conversation class which all B1 and B2 students have (Sergio is the teacher). Then, at 12, I have B2 Grammar with Priscilla (Brazil) and Taru (Finland), with Isa teaching us. This goes on until 1.30 and then I have my superintensive 45 minutes with Isa from 1.45 until 2.30. It is so nice to have a bit of extra time in the morning.
Isa has yet another totally different, and equally valid, teaching style. Where Teresa is flamboyant and dramatic and Sergio is calm and logical, Isa is quite firm and has a more detached style. I still learn a lot, but I am a bit scared of her! My way of learning is to ask lots of questions, make sure I understand something completely, constantly checking I am doing it right. This has not been a major issue before. I think the other students have found it a bit annoying, but Sergio and Teresa didn't seem to mind too much. In Isa's lessons, I always get the impression that she finds me a bit annoying. She is still very patient and perfectly polite, but I am going to have to rein myself in a bit, I feel. That's OK, I will just check things I don't understand in the grammar class later in my private lesson.
I had another ride on the motorbike yesterday. José and I went to Rincón de la Victoria again. It was good to chat in Spanish again after all the French this weekend. I was even able to add to the conversation this time and people understood what i was trying to say! We are going to go out in the centre again on Friday.
Did I tell you about Spanish TV? They do this really funny thing: when a news item is on, they play appreopriate background music, like in films. For example, an item about poverty - sad, heavy music; an item about someone's jackpot win - happy, tinkling music. It's really funny and quite distracting!
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Morocco - Sunday
Part 2: Sunday
So, we got up early on Sunday and had breakfast in the hotel. We left at 7 and headed to Chef Chaouen. When we arrived, we were able to use the toilets in the hotel and found that the lights didn't work. All the girls started flipping out "I can't go to the loo in the dark"! I suggested that they use the light from their mobiles. My mobile actually has a function called flashlight, which converts it into quite a high-powered torch, so I had no problems.
Then we met our guide and were given the tour of the medina. It was the most idyllic place you can imagine. Whilst maintaining many of the market aspects of the Tetwan and Tanger, Chef Chaouen lacked the grime and claustrophobic feel of them. It is painted in bright white and blue and the inhabitants repaint all the buildings and walls 5 times each year, so it seems clean and well cared for. The sky was blue and the sun was shining, so the colours almost hurt your eyes, they were so vivid. It was without doubt the most beautiful town I have ever been to.
The town was built around the river that runs down from the mountains and the old medina is still visible in the mountains but, apart from the Mosque, the old buildings are apparently in ruins. The town is named after the mountain, meaning something like "2 horns" because of the peaks of the mountain. The people of Chef Chaouen still wash their clothes and rugs in the river and use the public steam baths to wash themselves.
We were taken to a shop where they make rugs and throws. They demonstrated how they make them on a loom, using cotton, silk and camel hair. We then had the chance to purchase some. Unlike the day before, this place didn't use haggling - the prices were fixed. I was very amused to see that far more of us wanted to buy something here - we just are not used to haggling and feel safer knowing what to pay.
I bought a beautiful large throw with a picture on it. I didn't have enough cash and was taken to the bank to withdraw some money... but the banks were not working. I couldn't understand the reasons given "No hay luz" (there's no light). It was only later that I found out that the whole town had had a power cut, hence lights and banks were not working! In the end, the guide lent me the money and I paid him back when we reached Ceuta and a working bank.
Later, we had free time and I visited several (bartering) shops and stalls. I got some presents and managed to barter quite well.
We then had lunch in the hotel (they had a generator for the kitchen!) and then made our way back to Ceuta where we said goodbye to Tarik and then got the boat back to Algeciras. Some of the boys had purchased Moroccan clothes and had decked themselves out... I didn't like to tell them that, when they put the hoods up, they looked rather KKK!
I finally arrived back in Málaga at about 11pm, exhausted but having had the most amazing weekend of my life!
So, we got up early on Sunday and had breakfast in the hotel. We left at 7 and headed to Chef Chaouen. When we arrived, we were able to use the toilets in the hotel and found that the lights didn't work. All the girls started flipping out "I can't go to the loo in the dark"! I suggested that they use the light from their mobiles. My mobile actually has a function called flashlight, which converts it into quite a high-powered torch, so I had no problems.
Then we met our guide and were given the tour of the medina. It was the most idyllic place you can imagine. Whilst maintaining many of the market aspects of the Tetwan and Tanger, Chef Chaouen lacked the grime and claustrophobic feel of them. It is painted in bright white and blue and the inhabitants repaint all the buildings and walls 5 times each year, so it seems clean and well cared for. The sky was blue and the sun was shining, so the colours almost hurt your eyes, they were so vivid. It was without doubt the most beautiful town I have ever been to.
The town was built around the river that runs down from the mountains and the old medina is still visible in the mountains but, apart from the Mosque, the old buildings are apparently in ruins. The town is named after the mountain, meaning something like "2 horns" because of the peaks of the mountain. The people of Chef Chaouen still wash their clothes and rugs in the river and use the public steam baths to wash themselves.
We were taken to a shop where they make rugs and throws. They demonstrated how they make them on a loom, using cotton, silk and camel hair. We then had the chance to purchase some. Unlike the day before, this place didn't use haggling - the prices were fixed. I was very amused to see that far more of us wanted to buy something here - we just are not used to haggling and feel safer knowing what to pay.
I bought a beautiful large throw with a picture on it. I didn't have enough cash and was taken to the bank to withdraw some money... but the banks were not working. I couldn't understand the reasons given "No hay luz" (there's no light). It was only later that I found out that the whole town had had a power cut, hence lights and banks were not working! In the end, the guide lent me the money and I paid him back when we reached Ceuta and a working bank.
Later, we had free time and I visited several (bartering) shops and stalls. I got some presents and managed to barter quite well.
We then had lunch in the hotel (they had a generator for the kitchen!) and then made our way back to Ceuta where we said goodbye to Tarik and then got the boat back to Algeciras. Some of the boys had purchased Moroccan clothes and had decked themselves out... I didn't like to tell them that, when they put the hoods up, they looked rather KKK!
I finally arrived back in Málaga at about 11pm, exhausted but having had the most amazing weekend of my life!
Monday, October 18, 2010
Morocco Friday and Saturday
OK, so here goes with my Morocco entry.
Having got as far as Saturday night, I am so exhausted that I am going to stop there and write up the rest tomorrow...
Friday
I caught the bus at 3pm and met the other people. I sat with Nadia, from Switzerland. I realised that her Spanish was a bit weaker than mine and we chose which language to converse in. We both speak French, so this became our language. It was amusing: an English girl and a german speaking Swiss girl staying in Spain on a trip to Morocco talking in French!
The others were from many different countries: Germany, Holland, USA, England, Switzerland, Norway, Italy and New Zealand to name a few. We all mainly chatted in Spanish and I tried to avoid those who opted for English.
We got to Algeciras at about 5pm and caught the boat at 5.30pm. It was a little boat and we mainly stayed on the deck. I didn't get to see any dolphins, but I did get a good look at Gibraltar.
We arrived at Ceuta at about 7pm. Still in Spain, but finally on the african continent. We got on another coach with a really cool driver called Tarik with whom I ended up chatting a lot in Spanish (and some arabic!) He took us through the border into Africa.
At the border there were loads of people with bags of clothes and other objects. Apparently there are no taxes on items in Ceuta, so people go over there to buy things to sell in Africa. We were not allowed to take photos at the border, so my picture was rather covertly taken, shhh! I was very happy to discover a stamp in my passport - my first one!
We also met our guide. He has a very complicated arabic name and so he goes by the pseudonym Michael Douglas! He is very witty and told jokes all weekend. He speaks lots of languages, like everyone in Morocco. I was constantly struck by how many languages everyone can speak there. In the UK, it is unusual to find someone who is fluent in more than just English and anyone who can speak 5+ languages could get any job they want... in Morocco even beggars speak Arabic, Spanish, French and English as a minimum!
Once through the border, we made our way to our hotel in Tetwan/Tétouan. We filled out a form and decided whom to share a room with (I was with Nadia). We were given a cup of mint tea which is the normal drink in Morocco - made with lots of sugar and very tasty! We dropped off our bags then ate in the hotel restaurant.
We had a vegetable soup followed by couscous and other Moroccan food.
I stayed up for a bit chatting to Talik and learning lots of useful arabic words. Then I went to bed. I remembered to use mineral water to brush my teeth.
Saturday
Due to the 2 hour time difference, I was awake at 5am and breakfast was at 8, so I had some time to waste. I was happy to find that the hotel reception had wi-fi! Breakfast was great - lots of different breads and pancakes with honey and jam.
We set off at 9 and went into Tetwan. The centre seemed quite Western at first... just the currency (dirhams - I changed some euro) was different. Then we entered the medina (old town). Suddenly I was in a different world. The smells assault you - nice spices and breads and then revolting stale fish and putrid rotten meat.
There are stray cats all over the place. Apparently dogs are considered dirty but cats are sacred, so they put up with them.
My flipflops suddenly seemed a very bad idea - my feet were wet with bloody water and fish juices from the floor. Then again, those with trainers ended up with very stained footwear, at least I could wash my plastic flipflops! We walked around and Michael told us all about the history. We looked inside a Mosque (from the doorway) and had demonstrations of clothing and rugs and various spices and "natural hygienic products". It was the most eye-opening experience of my life and I spent the whole time in awe, shocked, repelled, attracted and amazed in equal measures. It was hard to know where to look, what to say, how closely to hold your bag...
We had a demonstration of carpets in a cooperative and tried to barter prices
then had lunch in a typical restaurant. Some of us got henna tattoos (once the paint dried the dye underneath it didn't show up much due to my tan, but the photo shows how lovely it was when it was drying!) and there was a bloke doing something amazing with a tray and some candles (click on the box to play the video - warning, there is a lot of background noise!):
Then we headed to Tanger. We stopped off on the way to ride camels. I enjoyed the experience, but did feel very sorry for the poor animals who had to keep getting up and down for us to get on and off. The again, it was pointed out to me that they are beasts of burden and would otherwise be carrying heavier loads and probably not getting so much food and water.
Another stop off, at a place where you can see where the Atlantic and Mediterranean meet.
I had a mint tea in the cafe and got chatted up by a waiter when I spoke some arabic!
In Tangers, we visited another medina. This one was more open and less smelly, but still had loads of shops and people trying to sell you things. We had an hour of free time and I opted to go alone. I bought some postcards and wrote and posted them. I then managed to haggle for some dinky shoes (I got the original €14 down to €7) and then drank mint tea and chilled out, chatting to locals in French and Spanish.
Back to the hotel and we had supper. It was very tasty with the typical vegetable soup that we ate twice a day and then some yummy spicy meats and vegetables.
Sunday to follow tomorrow...
Having got as far as Saturday night, I am so exhausted that I am going to stop there and write up the rest tomorrow...
Friday
I caught the bus at 3pm and met the other people. I sat with Nadia, from Switzerland. I realised that her Spanish was a bit weaker than mine and we chose which language to converse in. We both speak French, so this became our language. It was amusing: an English girl and a german speaking Swiss girl staying in Spain on a trip to Morocco talking in French!
The others were from many different countries: Germany, Holland, USA, England, Switzerland, Norway, Italy and New Zealand to name a few. We all mainly chatted in Spanish and I tried to avoid those who opted for English.
We got to Algeciras at about 5pm and caught the boat at 5.30pm. It was a little boat and we mainly stayed on the deck. I didn't get to see any dolphins, but I did get a good look at Gibraltar.
We arrived at Ceuta at about 7pm. Still in Spain, but finally on the african continent. We got on another coach with a really cool driver called Tarik with whom I ended up chatting a lot in Spanish (and some arabic!) He took us through the border into Africa.
At the border there were loads of people with bags of clothes and other objects. Apparently there are no taxes on items in Ceuta, so people go over there to buy things to sell in Africa. We were not allowed to take photos at the border, so my picture was rather covertly taken, shhh! I was very happy to discover a stamp in my passport - my first one!
We also met our guide. He has a very complicated arabic name and so he goes by the pseudonym Michael Douglas! He is very witty and told jokes all weekend. He speaks lots of languages, like everyone in Morocco. I was constantly struck by how many languages everyone can speak there. In the UK, it is unusual to find someone who is fluent in more than just English and anyone who can speak 5+ languages could get any job they want... in Morocco even beggars speak Arabic, Spanish, French and English as a minimum!
Once through the border, we made our way to our hotel in Tetwan/Tétouan. We filled out a form and decided whom to share a room with (I was with Nadia). We were given a cup of mint tea which is the normal drink in Morocco - made with lots of sugar and very tasty! We dropped off our bags then ate in the hotel restaurant.
We had a vegetable soup followed by couscous and other Moroccan food.
I stayed up for a bit chatting to Talik and learning lots of useful arabic words. Then I went to bed. I remembered to use mineral water to brush my teeth.
Saturday
Due to the 2 hour time difference, I was awake at 5am and breakfast was at 8, so I had some time to waste. I was happy to find that the hotel reception had wi-fi! Breakfast was great - lots of different breads and pancakes with honey and jam.
We set off at 9 and went into Tetwan. The centre seemed quite Western at first... just the currency (dirhams - I changed some euro) was different. Then we entered the medina (old town). Suddenly I was in a different world. The smells assault you - nice spices and breads and then revolting stale fish and putrid rotten meat.
There are stray cats all over the place. Apparently dogs are considered dirty but cats are sacred, so they put up with them.
My flipflops suddenly seemed a very bad idea - my feet were wet with bloody water and fish juices from the floor. Then again, those with trainers ended up with very stained footwear, at least I could wash my plastic flipflops! We walked around and Michael told us all about the history. We looked inside a Mosque (from the doorway) and had demonstrations of clothing and rugs and various spices and "natural hygienic products". It was the most eye-opening experience of my life and I spent the whole time in awe, shocked, repelled, attracted and amazed in equal measures. It was hard to know where to look, what to say, how closely to hold your bag...
We had a demonstration of carpets in a cooperative and tried to barter prices
then had lunch in a typical restaurant. Some of us got henna tattoos (once the paint dried the dye underneath it didn't show up much due to my tan, but the photo shows how lovely it was when it was drying!) and there was a bloke doing something amazing with a tray and some candles (click on the box to play the video - warning, there is a lot of background noise!):
Then we headed to Tanger. We stopped off on the way to ride camels. I enjoyed the experience, but did feel very sorry for the poor animals who had to keep getting up and down for us to get on and off. The again, it was pointed out to me that they are beasts of burden and would otherwise be carrying heavier loads and probably not getting so much food and water.
Another stop off, at a place where you can see where the Atlantic and Mediterranean meet.
I had a mint tea in the cafe and got chatted up by a waiter when I spoke some arabic!
In Tangers, we visited another medina. This one was more open and less smelly, but still had loads of shops and people trying to sell you things. We had an hour of free time and I opted to go alone. I bought some postcards and wrote and posted them. I then managed to haggle for some dinky shoes (I got the original €14 down to €7) and then drank mint tea and chilled out, chatting to locals in French and Spanish.
Back to the hotel and we had supper. It was very tasty with the typical vegetable soup that we ate twice a day and then some yummy spicy meats and vegetables.
Sunday to follow tomorrow...
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