My Life: Sparknotes III

One year ago I quickly packed a suitcase, said my climactic goodbyes, and moved to Spain to begin a new life. Since then I've sipped mulled wine in the Budpapest Christmas markets and haggled with a shopkeeper in Morocco for a marble chess set, observed a snowstorm from the warmth and comfort of a coffee shop in Amsterdam and watched the sunrise while sitting on a warm beach in Barcelona. I have consumed banana & nutella crepes in Paris, fish & chips in London, as well as the little suckling pig that Segovia is known for. Left and right during these adventures I've met driven young adults that share my desire to absorb as much of the world as they can. For loose and fleeting moments I have felt completed and was absorbed in the sensation that I could stop searching for answers.

Season 2 Coming Soon!

The Madrid Skyline as seen from "The Top of the World"

London

 I would be placed in Slytherin

When I was a small child, well before caves were something that I even thought about, I would sit around waiting for my acceptance to Hogwarts School of Witch Craft and Wizardry. The Harry Potter series, and other similar novels, were pivotal in the development of the children of my generation. Children fantasized about  discovering their own opportunity to leave behind the boring and complacent lives of normalcy in favor for new lives of profound significance (Simon's Rock catered to those who thought this way, and to some extent the language assistant culture does as well). It all comes full circle because as I sit here writing this from my hotel in London, I have just returned from Platform 9¾ where the adventures of all of the fictional young wizards began.

Springtime in London

                                                                                  I haven't seen my mother since our brief trip to Paris in June of last year. I was pleased when she told me that she could take time away from work to come see me; her time off coincided with the May “puente.” We have a lot to talk about about (House of Cards) and I find comfort in spending time with her in a welcome change of scenery. Many of my comrades are either from London, or studied there, and I received an abundance of recommendations as to what I should see and do there. In fact, my friend Hugo currently lives here and we were able to meet up and talk in depth for the first time in nearly seven years.

Hugo and I reunited after seven years

My mom and I went to the British Museum where we explored the middle eastern section and admired ceramics from ancient Turkey, Iran and Egypt. Throughout the trip we consumed sushi and thai food, as well as full English breakfasts. Coincidentally, my mom's brother Amir who lives in Israel was also in the UK because he's learning how to build bike saddles. The three of us had lunch together in a British Pub where I tried fish and chips for the first time.

I say goodbye to my mom and return to Madrid tomorrow morning. The end of the school year is approaching rapidly but I am thrilled to be renewing for a second year where I will continue to travel and search for answers. 

yummy Thai food served in a pineapple

Lessons About Lessons Volume II

Student 1

“The Descriptive Page” is another activity that I have implemented successfully in the classroom with my primary students. I was taught this technique two years ago in the Skidmore College course ED 201: Childhood Development and Learning. Our professor, Donna Brent, had us participate in this activity ourselves at the end of the term. I kept my sheet safe over the years because it has strong sentimental value.

Student 2

I modified the premise for my 25 primary students. I begin by writing a list of personality trait words on the chalkboard. I allow the students to raise their hands and add to the list. We spend some time talking about both physical qualities and personality traits in order to prepare the students to describe each other. Each student must tear a piece of paper out of their notebook, write their name on it and hand it off the person to their left. All of the students are to write a brief description of their peers on the sheet that is passed to them. I seize this opportunity to attach my computer to the speakers and play Parov Stelar tracks for ambiance, and also to mark that it is time to change papers when the music stops. By the end of the activity every student will have received a piece with several notes from their peers.

Kind words written about me by my peers at Skidmore  during Spring 2011

Keep in mind, my primary students are good natured and would never even think to write anything rotten about one another. This activity could end in chaos and disaster if you work with high school students. 

The Final Frontier Of My Palate

Boabab and it's terrazza

In the United States the official change from winter to spring is marked by sightings of women in sundresses. I haven't yet seen a sundress, nor are iced coffees a thing that exist in Spain, but all of the other evidence seems to indicate that Spring has arrived. The terrazas are operational, making it possible to eat and have drinks outside. The sunlight and warmth fuels the morale and inspires more spontaneous activity. I can read under a tree in the plaza on my block or sometimes I sit out there and people watch. Botellons are a thing again. It's a new day.

All throughout the year I would walk past Boabab, a Senegalese restaurant, and notice its enticing scent. It always appeared to be crowded which validated that whatever Senegalese cuisine entails, that it must be yummy. The restaurant is conveniently located in my barrio, which caused me to procrastinate sampling it for the same reason that I have procrastinated going to Portugal. It's super close so I can just go whenever. After several recommendations from Spaniards and expats alike I decided to cross into the final frontier of my palate. I enjoyed maffe, which is a dish of chicken, potatoes and other vegetables with a peanut curry sauce. The entire meal was an affordable 7E, extremely filling, and the atmosphere of the terrace on a warm evening was quite pleasant. 

The BEDA Program vs. The Ministry Program: Compare and Contrast

The BEDA Program vs the Ministerio Program

There are two popular programs that allow Americans to live in Spain and work as English Language Teaching Assistants. It is common for recent college graduates to apply to both programs in order to have more than one option to get to Spain. A good situation for the applicants to find themselves in is to have a choice between the two when May rolls around acceptances and placements are handed out. This entry is devoted to the differences between these two programs.

My friend Yari's page is an invaluable resource for those considering the BEDA program and I wish it existed this time last year when I was a flustered college senior desperate for information. I'm in the BEDA program and obviously I love it because I'm renewing for a second year. The application process for the BEDA program includes an actual interview that allows the applicant to voice their questions and receive answers. The BEDA program has placements in the city and region of Madrid and is slowly expanding its corners all over Spain. Fun fact: if you have your heart set on working in the Canary Islands, you can through BEDA but not through the Ministry. The BEDA program is funded by the Catholic Church and the language assistants are always paid on time. Initially I was reluctant to work in a religious institution but I have found my placement school to be extremely open minded and diverse. The Escuelas Catolicas de Madrid are well funded and it shows when most of the classrooms are equipped with smart boards. A smart board is perfect to fill time and finish off a class because I can just find a goofy picture (dinosaurs with lasers) on the internet and tell the kids to describe it.

Everyone in the BEDA program is pristine and photogenic

If a language assistant has any problems with their school placement or with the bureaucracy of getting the residence card (NIE), they can ask for help from the bosses, Samantha and Esther, who are extremely kind, responsive, and helpful. Samantha was a language assistant prior to being promoted to boss of the program and she understands the pressures and stresses that are unique to this lifestyle. It is always very comforting to have humanized bosses that care about the well being of their employees. The BEDA program is a bit more work than the Ministry Program, a BEDA language assistant must work a few more hours to make the same wage as their ministry counterparts, but this is in Madrid only. Infrequently, we have mandatory teacher training courses and Spanish classes on Friday evenings. Obviously, Friday is the least optimal time for mandatory bureaucracy so it is on my commute to and from these courses that I count my blessings that I live abroad and am employed. By the end of the week I am depleted from spending my days teaching screaming children all that I want to do is collapse and do the opposite of what everyone else does on Friday nights. 

I am not in the Ministry program, but I did apply to it last year and I must say the application is the most bureaucracy ever. There is no interview, it hinges on sending an abundance of documents and hoping that they are received and kept organized. This sounds simple but it is tedious. Profex crashes the same way college course registration serves do when there are too many people submitting information at once. The lower the applicant's inscrita number, the sooner that they receive the placement, and the more likely they are to get their region of choice. The Ministry program has more regional corners than the BEDA program but because of this it is far more disorganized and impersonal. The Ministry program is financed by the government of Spain and is infamous for not paying people on time in some regions. There isn't anyone like Samantha or Esther watching the backs of the ministry language assistants, once they get to Spain they are on their own. I am jealous that most of the ministry language assistants that I know only work four days per week and have more freedom to travel the world and have trips more frequently. However, Ministry lang

uage assistants are asked to step down from their positions and return home after two years. The BEDA program allows its assistants to stay as many years as they want. This means a BEDA assistant has more years to get established, truly integrate, and travel the world at their own pace without feeling pressured to see it all within a small amount of time.

Also, I always found it quite strange that there is no screening process whatsoever for the Ministry program; if the applicant holds a passport, jumped through the hoops of the online application and has graduated college with no prior arrests they are eligible to stand in front of a class and teach.

Any thoughts on the BEDA program vs. the Ministerio program?



Here is a breakdown of how much the BEDA program will pay next year. Keep in mind, the amount of hours is the amount of hours that you spend in front of the class teaching, NOT how many hours you are required to physically be in the school. My daily schedule is 9:30-16:00. I teach 4 hours per day but am required to stay in the school 2 additional hours to make myself available to my colleagues for lesson planning or to help out with administrative tasks.

• 24 hours: 1200€ (gross)
• 22 hours: 1100€ (gross)
• 20 hours: 1000€ (gross)
• 18 hours: 900€ (gross)

The Ministry Program pays 700€ everywhere besides Madrid for 13-16 hours of work per week. Ministry assistants in Madrid are paid 1000€ per week for 16 hours of work.

Coyotes & Road Runners

Three years ago, my best friend, Jake, sculpted an anvil out of ceramic for a studio art project. Sticking out from under the anvil was the recognizable blue tail of the Road Runner, crushed and defeated. Jake's sculpture was one of the earliest examples I can remember of an allegorical cave departure.

Anyone familiar with Looney Toons and the laws of cartoon physics knows that under no circumstances will Wile E. Coyote ever catch the Road Runner. Both characters are immortal and trapped in an endless loop. Occasionally the Coyote gets close to his goal, but due to the nature of their relationship, and the harsh reality of the world in which they live, his attempts always end in failure. Time and time again, the Coyote falls from precarious heights or his own explosives detonate directly in his face. Despite these frequent defeats, the Coyote never dies, learns from his mistakes, or abandons his mission. Neither the audience or the Coyote ever learn much about the Road Runner's motivations. Does it have a destination in mind? Or is it simply fleeing from the threat of the Coyote?

I'm posing a question for my readers, expat or otherwise: Can you identify with either or both of these fictional characters? Are you escaping something in particular, or are you running for the sake of running? Are you pursuing an abstract idea that slips through your fingertips at every turn? Is there an end to this in sight?

Lessons about Lessons Volume I

This new informative segment of my blog is written with future and current auxiliars in mind. I am going to share classroom activities that I have been implementing that are either well received by the students, or backfire dramatically resulting in chaos and anarchy. I teach both infantil and primary aged students. My lessons with the infantil classes hinge on routines of puppets and songs. Lessons with the older students allow more of a creative license.

The “Check-In Question” is an activity that I was taught two years ago in a Skidmore College Education Studies Department course titled Childhood Development and Learning. The premise is simple, the teacher is to write a new question on the board each week and have the students think about their answer all week and then proceed to share it with with their peers at the beginning of class the following week. These questions escalate in depth and complexity with each week that passes with the intention that the English language vocabularies and critical thinking skills of the students will increase simultaneously. I will usually answer the question myself by writing it on the board and then reading it aloud in order to demonstrate how the sentence should be structured while also introducing them to new and relevant vocabulary.

So far I have asked them:
1. What is your dream job?
2. Where else in the world would you want to live and why?

3. Which superpower would you want?*

4. What animal can you identify with? (after explaining what it means to identify with someone/thing)

5. Who is your favorite fictional character?

RE: Superpowers. Unecessary

Because each student must answer the question, I hear their individual thoughts and opinions and hear some extraordinary and creative answers. Here are some noteworthy examples.

1. Astronaut. Teacher. Firefighter. Police. Actress. Many students expressed that they wanted to be athletes so perhaps you should specify that they cannot say athlete when you are implementing this activity yourselves.
2. One endearing student answered, “I like living in Madrid because my family is here and I don't want to move.” Another said, “Budapest” after hearing me say earlier that it as a city that I want to return to. The trendy answers voiced by multiple students were the nation/continent “Australia,”“London” and “New York.” In a decade many of my current students will be participating in the Erasmus program, living in other European nations, and in the experience they will learn to identify with other cultures, further strengthening a sense of solidarity across the continent.
3. With this question I intentionally sparked the great “Batman vs. Superman” debate of 2013.

Barcelona

If any of you are familiar with the film “Fight Club” you can probably recall the earlier scenes where Edward Norton's character attends several terminal illness support groups to combat his insomnia and achieve a distorted peace of mind. Enter Helena Bonham Carter's character, who does the exact same thing, seeking a thrill from listening to the suffering of others. Her frequent presence at the meetings prevents Norton from sleeping well and blocking out his deeply rooted internal conflict. This strongly parallels how I felt walking around the streets of sunny Barcelona during Semana Santa; surrounded by tourists and study abroad students while constantly hearing English spoken everywhere.

I purchased my AVE ticket to Barcelona spontaneously on Wednesday night in an attempt to do some soul searching. I knew that my comrades Chelsea & Alvaro were already in Barcelona and I managed to book a bed in the same hostel as them. I strongly recommend using the AVE to travel back and forth between Madrid and Barcelona because of its speed and efficiency, in stark contrast to my RyanAir experiences, the actual process of getting from point A to point B was quick and painless.

I explored the city during the daytimes, checking out la Sagrada Familia, the Picasso museum and the windy carrers (the word for street in the Catalan language) of the Born district and then also wandering aimlessly and admiring Gaudi's architecture. One thing that impressed me about Barcelona when I first visited in the summer of 2008 and that still impresses me today is the graceful and creative design of the city. Chelsea, Alvaro and I had a distinctly yummy and filling paella for dinner. Chelsea and Alvaro left and returned to Madrid, and with them so did my practical judgement and common sense—I allowed myself to be talked into going to a club by the study abroad students and erasmus staying in the hostel. Going to clubs is something that is deeply against my nature but once in a pear shaped moon it is something that happens. I returned to the hostel after sunrise, hoping to get a few hours sleep, but unfortunately that was not in the stars.

Tirso Plaza is always the first sight that I see above ground whenever I return to Madrid after an excursion. My post-trip routine is as follows: walking home from there, shaving off the hostal stubble that forms on my face, and proceeding to write an entry sipping my tea while the trip is fresh on my mind. I have two days to gather my energy and run errands before I return to work. I am going to be less spontaneous with the trip that I plan for the next puente because I would like to go somewhere more off of the beaten path. I'm going to browse Lonely Planets and the travel blogs of my contemporaries and see which new city inspires a song in my heart.

P.S. Special thanks to Chelsea for taking all of the photos in this entry because in my moment of spontaneity I neglected to charge my camera.