Food and party

Where do I start? Let's go with food. For the past month I've been trying the local bocadillos (sandwiches) which are great but not when you eat them almost every day. For a person who is used to eating out (I realized that here) it is a little hard to either eat only bocadillos or pretty much some home-cooked salads. Most of you are very familiar with my not/cooking skills :).

So last week was a great week to splurge a little bit, eat out and enjoy my fellow TEFL teachers'company as we neared the end of the course. First it was a Nepalese restaurant which turned out great! Food was very similar to Indian which equals yummy!!!!! On Friday it was time for....my favorite Ethiopian!!!! I thought of a very special friend with whom I used to go to an Ethiopian place in Alexandria (remember the plaza with the 7-Eleven?!:). I love Ethiopian food!!!! And what better than digging in the food with your fingers with your fellow teachers/friends?! :)

Saturday was a planned sushi party at the place of one of our colleagues who is a local and can make sushi. Night started great except that when you get about 14-15 just graduated teachers who have been working very hard for a whole month and you give them lots of alcohol, it gets....interesting. Sushi was amazing!!!!

Besides sushi though we had about 13 bottles of wine (3 of which were big 2 or 2.5l) and tons of beer. No need to do the math. I won't go into details here but will just mention that it is very hard to choose some decent pics to post (from the 100 or more taken....). A great night for everyone with tons of dancing and singing and what better way to get to know your new friends than this?!?!

The next day was a recuperate day for everyone. I managed to get down to the beach and it was lovely! It is still very warm in BCN even though today I found out that winters can get pretty pretty cold....And I was thinking I was going to a warmer climate....

Identities

I miss the USA. Don't think about it much but I miss it. Walking in Georgetown, by the river, meeting friends for happy hours, Alexandria and old town and.........It is where home was for the past 9 years and so many things happened there! You name them!

So I'm in Europe and I love it. However I don't even know where I belong...I'm Bulgarian but know more about current USA than BG at this point, feel "at home" with my US colleagues and at the same time get a rejection for a job application because they "only hire native speakers" (I know English and how to teach it better than BG at this point). So I'm not in BG and not in the US -- identity crisis??!?!!

Maybe not there yet but add a third language to the whole mix and it gets interesting. I already think in English and Bulgarian. Now I have to make my mind think in Spanish.....How?! Don't get me wrong -- would love to learn Spanish and am starting from Monday but sometimes I get that weird feeling of being in the middle. It seems that "home" is really somewhere in between everything (it still is BG but that feels very different now).

I had a very good saying (turned into a joke) with a friend in the USA (if you are reading it, you know who you are): "back home". Some things were better "back home" (mind you he is American born). But it's funny. I actually got back home and it's not the same. Especially when you get back for 20 days.... I knew I wasn't quite in my own waters when somebody had to translate a joke on a TV show for me. In the exactly same way I tried to watch Jay Leno 9 years ago in the USA and couldn't get it....

So as a BG saying goes (direct translation): "not a crab, not a fish" (ни рак, ни риба). Now (hopefully) I will have a third country in my mix -- let's make it even more confusing, why not?! Don't get me wrong -- Spain is great, I do not plan to go back to the US or BG for now. And this is not a desperate help cry (some of you know me pretty well). It is just a post at 1:30am reflecting on mixed identities, "home" and whatever else you want to call it. No pictures here. If I post anything it'd have to be with friends and not sure how people feel about that...

Last week

I know it's been a while. I even got scolded for not writing....It's been a little crazy with the round up of the course but it's almost over so no more excuses! So in a nutshell the past week was studying, end of Gracia fest, more studying (whole weekend like a prisoner), teaching, projects, exam, starting celebrations, and sending CV to many many emails.

I have to start with Gracia. There is no festival like this one! I probably said this a million times and can say it more....It is such an amazing fest!!!! The streets are magical, there are bands playing on every corner, people are enjoying (dancing, drinking, singing), and did I mention the streets?!?

Last Friday we decided to go to Gracia before we imprisoned ourselves for the weekend with big final projects due this last week. It was a great night out -- drinking, dancing, listening to live music and enjoying! It was also the last night of Gracia (at least for me). I have to say that the atmosphere was amazing and the people matter of course. Got a great mohito at a Brazilian Bar (see pics below), some sweets (different baklava pieces) at a local fresh store after I had eaten a very delicious shwarma! :)

The weekend was tough. Basically I went out for 15 mins (Sat and Sunday) and stayed home on Saturday night. I know! Unheard of! But I had a headache (not from studying but that damn cold) and around 9pm got really lazy. So besides studying and trying to finish everything I did not do a single cool thing.....:( That said I do not regret it at all because the week wasn't so hectic and I've had time to focus on some important stuff like redoing my CV (basically from scratch) and sending it out.

The mood at the school has changed tremendously! :) Plans are being made for the coming weekend and the next weeks, people are more relaxed, we had drinks and appetizers on the roof tonight followed by more drinks (and free shots; don't ask) at a local really cool bar where they played Grease, Dirty Dancing and more! :) If you haven't checked the post time of this blog it is around 3am right now and I'm about to go to bed soon. I kinda have an interview/exam tomorrow with the moderator from Trinity but I am not really worried about it...Well, just in case keep your fingers crossed!

Other exciting news?! Hm not really... Besides the fact that I just received my debit card today after I went to the bank on Wednesday to ask where it is and also get some money from my account. The ATM is supposed to have English but I couldn't figure out how it works with the "libreta"(remember the paper thing I got which can also give you money?!)...So as a result I had to wait in line for 20 minutes for the only cashier to be able to get some money from the account...Customer service on a different level. Tomorrow I'm going there again to pick up a new card and probably return the one I just got in the mail because it should be cancelled. At least that's what I think but with banks here you just never know....


I can't finish without saying that on Thursday I spent the best 14 euros so far! We went to a Nepalese restaurant and had a great shared meal with some wine :)! Very, very, very tasty!!! Close to Indian but a little different. Waiting for Jen (my landlady) to take me to a good Ethiopian place that she knows and I also need to find the BG store -- priorities for next week! Can't find in the stores here feta (or BG) cheese at all and they also only have small containers of yogurt! Very disappointing! Not only this but you have to be careful not to buy the one with the sugar...Learned that the hard way.....Spanish is also urgently on the agenda!!!!!

As a last goodnight (or morning) I want to challenge every single person who just read this to leave a comment. Your comment could be your name, good, bad, whatever you can think of. I'm just trying to see and actually convince myself that there are people out there reading it....OK, will write very soon again! Keep fingers crossed for final day tomorrow!!! :)

More teaching

I figured I can start this blog with a pic that has nothing to do with teaching....There will be a lot of posts on teaching. Naturally. I came here for this (besides the 100 other reasons...). I really enjoy it. The more I do it, the more I find true interest in it. And I think I can actually do it. It will take some experience obviously but so far so good. It is soooo much more different than the teaching in BG schools and the English teaching I did back in the days!

So I already had my first lesson with the advanced group and that was a success. Minus the time management which I'm still working on. They had fun, I explained my grammar point well and I'm getting ready for a new one tomorrow. Very different experience from my elementary level though. Very nice -- the students can actually communicate and that makes the lesson more interesting. The elementary on the other hand can be quite entertaining too -- the students try really hard and they can teach you some Spanish :). So far I don't have a favorite level.

I also did my one to one 1-hour lesson with my learner (from my elementary class; doing a learner profile) today. Besides the fact that I've been feeling like crap due to something I caught (nose, ears, head :( ) it went really well! :) He got what I tried to accomplish in 1 hour and was very happy with everything. Made my day!!!! Here is a pic of the board I took while explaining stuff.

So teaching so far is good and rewarding. Especially when you spent hours and hours preparing one lesson and then it goes so quickly...But patience is the key I guess. OK, going to bed now and hopefully tomorrow my cold will be better if not gone!

Banking

I have a bank account! Yupeeeee!!!! :) You might be wondering why the joy and the excitement, right?! Well here we go. I went with Ivka the first week to open an account (or I should say to attempt to open) and the result was negative -- you need a Spanish ID otherwise you might get a tourist account which is no good. So patience became my best friend.

You know that I got that cherished ID last week so, on Monday, I decided to try the bank account again. We switched shifts at school this week so I have the mornings to do stuff. Of course after Gracia on Sunday I couldn't get up early on Monday and decided to leave a little earlier before school and see what happens. I know many people don't speak ENG but I have some little hope that I will be able to somehow get the job done. I go to the closest branch home on my way to school. After a little wait it's my turn. Me: Ingles? The guy: (shaking his head) Catalan, Castellano (as you may know, people here speak Catalan and Spanish (Castellano). Me: Open an account? The guy: Just shaking his head. I gave up at this point and just exchanged some $$.

After a few blocks I see another branch of the same bank, so I figure I can give it another try. I see a young girl at the desk so my hopes are high. Ingles? A little. Yeeeee!!!!!!! After a short wait I sit across from her. And then it starts. Documents, papers, printing, signing.... She is using google translator to explain some things to me, apologizes for her ENG (or lack of) and after 45 minutes I walk out. I'm late for school but have a bank account! Not only a bank account but also a life insurance policy! Apparently if you want a debit card, you have to buy a life insurance...Ugh?! Waiting for Ivka to come back and do some translating for me. I also walked out with something that looks like the old BG savings books or a check book.

That book is very important! If you want to withdraw money from your account (in the bank), your debit card or ID might not be enough. You need that book. You can also use the ATMs to deposit money with that same book (no desire to attempt that soon..) or just give the cashier the book and they print everything on it -- how much is going in, withdrawals, balance. I also walked out with 2 pin numbers -- 1 for the book and 1 for the internet access (which is free :). I will get a third pin once I get my debit card (I have to go and get it in three days). I was also given a plastic card with a bunch of codes on the back which I need if I have to transfer money online --at least that's what I understood. And I have a bunch of stapled papers. Not bad, a?! :)

Festival

I have been to some festivals -- bigger and smaller, especially neighborhood ones (DC people think Adams Morgan). So I thought I was prepared for Gracia -- everyone has been talking about it (it's great, amazing, how wonderful you will catch it, and so on). My reaction?! OK, I will see it, it must be really nice but come on, enough praises.....Until yesterday when it started and I actually got to see it. The first thing I will tell you is that I left my apartment around 4:30pm and didn't get back until 2:30am.... During that time I was at the neighborhood for all but half an hour and basically walking, dancing, jumping or standing...Non-stop. I thanked my flats a lot! :)

It is a "regular"neighborhood fest except that I've never seen anything like it before! It takes BCN to a new level (even though I'm not sure what more you can add to the list of great things about the city). Such an amazing event!!! And I was there only for 1 day (night). It goes on for a week and I'm definitely going again this week (today doesn't count -- Monday and school work....). A lot of the streets are decorated in the most amazing way and pretty much all the stuff is recyclables -- plastic bottles, toothpicks, cans, etc. I will try to give you as many pics as possible so that you can get some idea (firsthand experience is best though so plan to be here next year around August 15th).

We started walking through the different little streets, trying to make our way through the hundreds of people -- it is amazing! Seriously! :) The atmosphere is great; people are having fun; drinking on the streets; everyone is enjoying to the fullest. There were different stages on different corners and we found the band that was playing rock. Sooooo much fun!!!! From Beatles, to Fink Floyd, U2, Kings of Leon, Nirvana and many many more covers! The show continued for 2.5hrs straight and it was really exciting (I'm running out of adjectives here...).


OK, hopefully I will post some pics on facebook -- there are so many great pics but not enough room here...Stay tuned :) (and follow me if you haven't done so already).

Walking

It looks like you will be reading a lot about walking....My feet hate me. I refuse to wear flats all the time but it seems that even going out at night involves a lot of walking. Last night is a great example. The plan is: we meet at Plaza Espanya, walk a little to see some castle and then for a drink. Sounds like a good night for some heels, right?! Well, not really. We go to the plaza, watch an amazing fountain show (something like the Belagio in Las Vegas) and then decide to walk up to that castle. It's 12:30am and the castle reveals its beauty at 1:15.....And I'm not talking a slow walking my style. This is a fast-paced, up a hill almost running in my standards but I have to keep up.....The view was great, the castle was closed and it seemed very deserted. How do you think the walk down was?! Again almost running and no, it is not easier to go down on heels. The result? My feet still hate me this morning......

But it was worth it and I refuse to listen to my feet! We will have to go again to actually see the castle inside. On the way back we found a great duner kebab place (Kilim -- Turkish, Bulgarian?!) and were rewarded with a very tasty duner and a beer. :)

So the question now is do I put my flat shoes for later today (there will be walking) or do I put my lower heels? Haven't figured that out yet...And I should be studying instead of writing this but do I really want to do my learner profile again?! We had to pick a student from the class we teach (in my case -- elementary) and do some activities: speaking, listening, reading comprehension, writing. So far so good. Now we have to analyze all these samples and create a learner profile analysis. Once we do that then we have a one-to-one lesson with them. Sounds easy but try analyzing a talk which is full of ah, mm,..... and a writing sample where every sentence has at least 2-3 mistakes...It's fun though. I'm more scared of the advanced class we start teaching tomorrow. They ask questions, think they know a lot and most probably will come up with some complex questions that I won't be able to answer. Stay tuned for that teaching experience....

Some successes

So first I have to start with the new shoes! :) I had to buy some because there was no other way to continue walking in BCN....Not exactly what I had in mind and cost a little more than what I had planned to spend but they do the job. Actually, I cut my walking time (home-school and vice versa) by 5-10 minutes! So far, so good.

Another progress -- I have bought (twice already) perejil (parsley) and actually asked in Spanish if they have it! :) The concept check (some of the terms and techniques we are studying) was that the lady understood my question and gave me some! Wasn't the best but was great in my shopska salad.

Teaching this week and the course projects are even more demanding. First I taught possessive adjectives (my, your, his, etc) and after 40 min of explaining and going over exercises I hear: I have a sister. Your name is Maria. Just when I thought they got it.....Then I had to prepare a material and teach drinks and containers (a cup of milk; a glass of wine; a shot of tequila -- I had to do the shot one :). The material was important because it is an assignment we turn in at the end of the course for evaluation.

So I decided to do flash cards. Easy to teach, use, students get the concept. Except that I had to go look for colored paper and laminate after school (around 5:30pm). I walked to the big Cort de Ingles (huge mall), found both (don't ask me how I explained laminate), on the way back discovered a small book/office supplies store very close to the school (go there next time) only because I decided to change the route and around 6pm sat at the school to do the flash cards.

I want to include something here. Guess which skills from my last "famous job" I got to use?! Thank you HBC for teaching me how to laminate!!!!! We have a machine in the school but of course the store only had self-laminate so I got to use some of my skills!!!!

Here is how the course should have started on day 1: "Dear prospective teachers, if you plan to create flash cards from scratch, please do them on the weekend, spend some money and do not expect them to turn out really well." Well, the course didn't start with this so at 9pm I left the school with some flash cards which did not look great, no laminate and a big ?. Thankfully, the Chinese store across the street (which also, as it turns out, sells some office supplies) was open and had clear packing tape. If you didn't know this -- clear packing tape = laminate. A few more hours at home and here was the result:

You are supposed to match words with pictures of containers and pictures of drinks. Do not ask for details. Even I got confused at some point...They looked very much handmade -- do I get A+ for trying?! The worst part came today in class when I didn't get to use all of them the way I had planned due to time management (getting another term?). However, bottom line is the students enjoyed them :).

A note which counts as a success somewhat is my new pedicure -- self-made. It turns out the service in the salon was more than not eating for 1 day (at least now) so I got some nail polish from a US girl (hint: people from the US crossing the ocean are allowed much more baggage, so some brought this luxury item) and am very happy with my new color! Thank you, Alicia!

I should prob give you some other pics in this post -- more BCN. Here they come:

What beach?

I live about 15-20 mins by metro from the beach (the closest, which doesn't mean the nicest but it is a beach). Guess how many times I've been there since I came on July 31?! Who said none? You win! Well to be honest I actually put my feet in the sea on Sunday but that is not what I mean when I say go to the beach. Made big plans to actually go and enjoy on Sunday, however let's not forget why I'm here in the first place. Studying and school came first and by the time I prepared the unknown journal (yes, done with Macedonian) and my lesson for Monday, it was too late for beach.

However, I had a lovely and busy weekend. Doing some bonding with some classmates -- we know only each other in BCN so why not hang out together?! :) On Saturday we went to Park Guell (Gaudi's Park) and it was wonderful. Except that I missed the memo -- very steep street climbing, some hiking in the park, serious heat exhaustion, and millions of people...

Amazing place though!!! Definitely going back when the crowds are much smaller. And no weekends like real tourists! You really have to be something to design these forms and come up with such ideas. I loved it!

After that it was time for some food in Gracia (the cool neighborhood -- something like Georgetown and Adams Morgan - DC) and of course since we were so hungry and thirsty we started with gelato! Yummy!!!!! Then imagine my sheer joy when I saw a bunch of middle eastern places -- hummus, falafel, baba ganush, shwarma!!!! Heaven!!!! :) Here is a pic of the place we sat down to eat.

Later a few of us went to Barceloneta (the neighborhood around the beach; they also have a boardwalk :) to watch a festival. A lot of bands from EU and BCN playing different type of music along the beach; for free....People dancing and singing, drinking, having fun....I think you get the picture :). Did that again on Sunday night. Wonderful time!!!

Did I mention that I also went out on Friday night?! First night out in BCN! Was fun. With the classmates to Dow Jones Bar. Here is how it supposedly works (even though I didn't really experience it). All drinks have prices as if they are shares on the market. Some could be going up, others down. The reason for a drink to go up is that many people order it. Some can actually go up by 50 or more cents. The coolest part is when the market crashes -- then all drinks are really cheap and is the best time to order!!!! Of course the 2 times that this happened I had half a drink so didn't really need to order a new one (not that we haven't done it at happy hours in DC :). Then off to get some goood Chinese and back to the bar to close it!

A last note: she did the marketing first but my good and brave friend Amy is having an amazing teaching experience in Honduras and we seem to be exchanging ideas through telepathy. You can check her blog at: amyvswild.blogspot.com.

New shoes

So I do a lot of walking here. I was expecting it but it's different once you actually start doing it.....I have somewhat comfy shoes and since I couldn't bring with me as many of my shoes as I wanted (due to the unheard of 20kg restriction in EU....) now I'm stuck with a few that will be in dire need of a repair very soon. And they are not that comfy. So I might have to buy a pair. There is a problem though. I can't just buy 1 pair of plain flip flops and start walking everywhere with them. They need to look nice. And I can't spend a fortune (even 20 euros sounds a lot). So I have to find the impossible -- nice-looking and comfy shoes for under 20 euros......Ideas?! 'Cause I don't have many. I can only think of DSW but they don't seem to have it here. Too bad....

The other problem with walking so much in dust, heat and what not is that the need for pedi screams at you very often. Much more often than in DC. There is a salon around the corner from my place but I haven't checked the prices yet. Maybe I can forget about food for 1 day and go to have a nice pedi?! I have to explore this further... Don't even have a nail polish with me! This is how bad the luggage situation was....

I think I finally came with a description for BCN -- it's a hippie city. That's the word that came to my mind. It is very relaxed, fun, interesting, people are free-spirited (in any context possible) :). No corporate dress code, thinking, and stiffness. Even the people who go to offices seem to be dressed very casually. I feel overdressed here. Even when I don't try much (skirt and tank top) I still feel overdressed. Not changing it of course but it's interesting.

A note if you are reading this -- please follow me! The "follow"button is on the right hand side! :) And post comments (if you have any of course + and -). Muchas gracias!

First week

I am a little behind again but there is so much going on......BCN (that is Barcelona) rocks!!! I totally love it, love it, love it! :) Some very trivial things about the city: it is pretty big but the feel is amazing -- cozy and homey (is there such a word? If not, I just invented it....); Gaudi is everywhere; the buildings are great; the weather is a little strange; the people are nice; the streets are pretty clean; sometimes the smell of pee hits you in the face (you can see people peeing at night...); metro is great and.............................

For DC people -- the metro here is nothing like you've seen! It is on time (unbelievable, right?!), comes every 3-4 minutes, 5 on weekends (I know you are shaking your heads), people have to open the doors themselves, not the driver (do you want me to stop?) and the price is gooooood (I won't say another word; promise). OK, maybe one more but just to give you one negative point -- the connections are not so good. You have to walk in underground tunnels, stairs up and down and follow arrows to get from one line to another. But I can live with this......

I taught once this week by myself for 30 minutes! :) Could have been better but still learning so won't be so hard on myself. Challenged my elementary level a bit but in the end it was good. Didn't have enough time to finish all my stuff the way I wanted it but it was fun! I learn some Spanish too from my students -- me: How old are you? student: Veintinueve. So we understand each other :). I have to prepare a 45-minute lesson for next week and am pulling my hair. How do I teach grammar without making vocabulary the focus (they don't know much...) and at the same time make them talk and practice?!? Yet to learn this.....

I have a Spanish ID number (called N.I.E.) and I can work with it, open a bank account not like a tourist and so forth. I got a residency together with it because I told the officials I'm staying or more than 3 months -- hopefully! So I've been hearing about Spanish bureaucracy and paperwork for quite some time. I figured where to go, got some help filling the only-in-Spanish form and Thursday morning decided to get up at the extremely early hour of 6:15am. Well it took me 45 mins to wake up....The police office opens at 9am and I have to be at school at 9:55am. So I am obviously running late thinking how there will be a long line of people and I will have to come back the next day....Walking up the street, looking for number 192, there is 1 woman standing in front of a building that looks like it, I ask the police officer outside and he asks me: nacionalidad? Bulgarian (there must be a very long line in the back for Bulgarians or something...). He shows me the corner of the building and says: You wait here and at 9am we open. I am the first person in line at 7:50am?!?! And there is a separate line for EU citizens?!?! Really?! Why didn't I move to EU earlier? At 9am we go in (now the line behind me consists of 5 more people and the line where the woman was -- about 25). I'm the first to sit down (sit down -- yes, open desks) and ready for: you need more papers, come back, we can't do anything.....At 9:05am the guy hands me a paper with some number and I have to go across the street to pay 10 euros in the bank. Come back, wait 5 mins, sit down at another desk and at 9:20am walk out with an official Spanish document with my N.I.E. on it! This is a lot of paperwork, waiting, stress and so forth?! Wow, come the DMV on Four Mile Run Dr in Alexandria.....

With paperwork squared away, I can focus on my course and 1 very important thing: finding a job! I should be meeting with the career advisor next week to go over my CV (resume) and hopefully get the job search going...Here are some random pics of BCN while I walk around. The first one is the building of Oxford House -- where I take my course. Stay tuned for more.

Teaching

There was a time (even my mom remembers it) when I had declared: Teaching is the last profession in the world I'd do. Sixteen or so years later and I think I have discovered my passion -- teaching! It makes such a big difference to have guidance, methods and people who show you how to make teaching fun and entertaining. Very different story from my school years when I didn't want to turn into my old and unhappy teacher who thought that we were the reason for her unhappiness. Or my boss during university teaching times in Bulgaria who thought he was the best teacher (and knew English better than a native) but didn't have teaching methods and a professional attitude.

The day today started with exiting the metro right in front of the bakery by the school -- chocolate croissant it is! We had our first "teaching." It was basically talking to groups of elementary adult students who, in some cases, talked back in Spanish -- I teach them English, they teach me Spanish :). Most rewarding moment -- "You speak better than the British teachers -- we can understand you better." Thank you USA for teaching me my "more understandable" accent!

After our class we had some work to do and then off for lunch. Another bocadillo today (sandwich that is) -- more days at the local cafes and I got the food going! It's funny how the British and Americans sometimes talk a different language -- try and figure out what an aubergine is?! It turns out it's plain eggplant in US English...Poor students -- how much can we confuse them if even we don't know what we speak?

After lunch we had an hour of our unknown language (we do 4 hours this week to get an idea of how our students feel). I've been there because English was a totally foreign language for me. Anyway, it's good to practice. It turns out our completely unknown language is....Macedonian! You mean Bulgarian?! Thank you, I really was looking forward to something like Chinese, Hindu, Farsi....I have to try very hard not to piss our Macedonian teacher so most of the time I try not to shout out all the answers while my peers learn how to spell their names in Cyrillic. I try to be helpful but not tell them all the answers -- it's hard. Who thought I'd have this advantage here? The unknown language exercises are not that important but still -- they are part of the final grade.

On the way back, another stop at Sagrada Familia -- I don't know if and how people who live here get used to its grandeur and uniqueness.... A long walk home up some hills takes time but I'm in no hurry. I can't seem to find green onion and parsley -- they don't exist here?! Will keep searching. My salad is not the same without them. I also found out later today that the other day I bought not a shampoo but..conditioner. It says "crema" on the bottle so it makes sense, right? Well, under the shower yes; in the store a few days ago -- not really. So I'm using a conditioner again after a few years of forgetting what that is. And I have to get a shampoo tomorrow.

Spain -- the beginning

Spain seems better than Italy just because I have a friend here who's lived in Barcelona for the last 7 or so years...That being said, I really really loved Italian!!!! Spanish is first on the list though (desperate need....) and then Italian. And then....who knows.

So my plane from Milano was late for an hour just like the one to Italy (this seems to be the norm in Europe...) but this time I had my phone so could text-message in the worst case! Lufthansa also seems a few classes above the cheap airlines such as Easyjet -- they gave us food and drinks for free, no problems with the extra 5 kilos, etc. Getting through the Spanish customs also seems easier than the Italian ones (and Bulgarian for that mater) -- nobody, I repeat nobody, checked my ID....And I thought BG was bad. Welcome terrorists...Go figure. To my great relief, Ivka was waiting for me! :)

From there it was train and metro; same missing escalators down (and some places up); better streets for rolling suitcases; no elevator in her building....We finally made it and it was wonderful to be in her cozy apartment! Nine or more years is a lot of time to catch up with someone so the day and night went by so quickly -- talking, talking, talking :). We went out and walked on some of the busiest tourist streets in Barcelona. Well, it looks a little bit like BG beach towns in the summer -- people trying to sell you stuff, merchants that sell the craziest things, clowns, etc. And tourists! Many of them! Beautiful though!!! First glimpse of Gaudi's works. Nothing like I've ever seen before....It looks like nature to me -- the big roots of a huge tree, so round and curved. Very impressive.

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Saw some nice fountains, the sea, had some wine and very yummy tapas and decided to go back home around 2:30am even though the streets were full. Everyone says Barcelona is a nocturnal city -- I felt a little bit of it and love it!

The next day we went to "my apartment" - what a relief it was to be in my own room and unpack my suitcases!!!! Ever since I gave up my US place at the end of May I've been living in friend's living rooms, kids' rooms, parents' room, etc. My room is small but nice, cozy, clean and....I have my own space!!!! :) Extremely thankful to my friend here, Ivka, who carried suitcases up and down stairs and made it seem as if that was the best thing that had happened to her for a while...Didn't believe it for a second but thank you! :)

I spent my first day in my room enjoying the space, getting things done online and just relaxing. Found a small store that was open (it was Sunday; everything is closed) and bought some pasta and red wine -- some habits don't die...Today was my first day at school and I felt like a student all over again! The group is nice but not very diverse -- out of 15, 8 are Americans (I guess they are not afraid of the warnings that many schools do not hire Americans due to some bureaucracy stuff; I like it though -- feel at such ease with them), 1 is Australian, 1 Romanian, 1 German and me. So the non-native speakers are much less but like Anna (our course director) said, "Non-native speakers have a huge advantage because they know grammar." I hope so!

First day was interesting. We had a crash course in Spanish (numbers, food -- basic stuff to get you going); went for lunch and ordered something from the menu knowing only 1 word which was cheese (turned out to be a pretty good sandwich); we got separated into groups of 4 and told that we start teaching tomorrow (excuse me?); decided to walk back home and stopped to marvel at Sagrada Familia. I wonder how many more times I'll be speechless in front of such works of art -- the Duomo in Milan, the Castle, Sagrada Familia.....I'm sure the list goes on and on but it is simply incomprehensible....

On my way back I also stopped to get some groceries from one of the many local "farmers' markets." Delicious vegetables and fruits!!!! I can pick up the stuff and there is no need for Spanish there! Gotta learn it though because it's not really cool to have no clue and look like a fool....

So first days in Spain are great; going to read some English now.....Stay tuned for my teaching classes (students who barely speak English and a teacher who pretty much knows no Spanish -- good combination!).

More Italy (hold your breath for Spain)

I feel like I'm falling behind -- there is so much to write about...You've prob noticed that I changed the design -- bear with me while I figure things out with the blog. This design is better in terms of viewing pics. And while we are at the subject of pics -- I promise to get better at this too!

Italy is great! I can't wait to see more of it soon. The other two days I went inside the Duomo (had to wear my jeans in the heat) and was even more blown out by it; visited Lake Como; ate more pizza; and some tiramisu; visited a castle; and went out with the girls. The Duomo inside is simply magnificent! I could use more adjectives here but it won't be enough to describe it.

Lake Como is next on the list :). There is a train from Milano to the Lake and it takes about an hour to get there. When I got on the train, it started pouring so badly that I thought my trip was almost ruined. Well, luck was with me -- when I got there it stopped! There is a funicular (translation -- cable railway car which moves on an inclined cliff) going up the mountain and I decided to do that first. The car pretty much goes up the mountain on a 45 degree incline and is really impressive. I can't tell you how much I enjoyed the first sun rays when I got up there! You'd think I'd take a long sleeve knowing it'd rain and that I was going to the mountain but not really.....Sleeveless tank and a skirt -- it's summer after all! From there I just wandered around the villas and tiny streets. The villas are huge and amazing; the streets -- like a small village in the mountain. And most of them had cobble stones. You'd also think that I'd put on some flats but I had to have a small heel...There I went barefoot on most of the streets! That wasn't my biggest problem -- most of the little streets I wandered around were deserted. Yes, there were a bunch of Bulgarians here and there from some group but I couldn't wait for someone to show up to take a pic of me. So thank you technology! Self-timer and my good camera propped up on some high stone-wall did the job!

From there I went to the lighthouse which was even further up the mountain and took a small bus. The driver scored some major points! :) Once I got there I had to climb some stairs and...here I was.The view from the top was stunning! I could sit there for hours and just enjoy it....Only a few people; no crazy crowds; beautiful nature and no sound at all. I could live there..In a few decades though :). Something that I found on my way down -- here is a picture and for those BG like me who didn't know it -- the house where Pencho Slaveykov died, away from his country....

Once I decided to go down to the lake and go on a boat, guess what happened?! Some more rain! Didn't stop me though. The only thing is that I had no idea how big the lake was and had to part with the idea to go to Belagio and walk around..Ah, well. I have to save something for next time, right ? :) The boat ride took me to a few of the many little towns around the lake and I was able to get some pictures of "palaces." Some of these villas looked like huge mansions right on the water. Really wanted to see George Clooney and his villa but...I guess he didn't get my memo that that I'd be coming. Saving it for next time :).

From there on I wandered in Como (the town), saw another timeless cathedral and Roman ruins, ate a really good tiramisu, had a companion who was kind enough to take pics of me but even though he was Japanese and was using my Japanese camera, did not do such a good job...Came back to Milano exhausted from yet another wonderful day!

The rest of the sightseeing spots in Milano included Teatro alla Scala and Castello Sforzesco (the Castle). The theater is breathtaking and I was able to take a look inside. Even though there was some kind of cleaning process going on, I could still see its beauty. In the hallway, there were posters of old performances like Aida, Ottelo, Carmen and so forth....

The Castle topped my experiences in Milano! Even though it was built around the 14th century so much is preserved that a visitor can definitely feel its grandeur.Walked around, read, took pictures, saw pieces from centuries ago....I have to say that Milano's visit was great but very overwhelming in terms of history. The Castle even had Michelangelo's last work (or so it's thought) -- Pieta Rondanini...

My wonderful stay in Milano finished with a very nice dinner followed by a visit to a local night bar in the park behind the Castle -- Havana Club! We had to try the Italian night scene and it wasn't too bad. The music was somewhat familiar and the people more jumping than dancing but

we had fun :).

The next day I was off to Barcelona. Which is another blog post...Getting better with the pics but still not there yet. Be patient! More to come on facebook!!!!