Roommate: WONDERFUL. Carrie is easy-going, considerate, fun, and up for adventure – the adventure of experiencing life in general, which we have in common. We have especially had fun sharing our former experiences traveling abroad. I am so thankful for her company here, and it is really comforting to have someone to process these changes, adjustments, and experiences with as well as to figure out the logistics of life as an English teacher together. She is from Virginia Beach, Virginia. The only downside is she talks a lot, a lot.
Apartment: INCREDIBLE. And by this I mean authentic, open, full of interesting history, spacious, cozy, home-y, and just right for us. It’s a 3 bedroom apartment, so we have a guest room for anyone who wants to come visit!!! The apartment has a cute kitchen, living room/dining room, 1.5 baths and a small terrace overlooking one end of the town.
I have decorated my room a little. I put up a Marilyn Monroe poster I found, so now it feels like home :)
Here are pictures: My dinning room.
My living room...gotta love the doilies.
My kitchen.
My bedroom.
Town: CHARMING… La Palma is quite small and out of the way – not the easiest or most convenient place to get to, but it is really beautiful and feels definitely Spanish. Real people live here, if that makes sense, and it has been fun to start getting around and explore a little bit of the near surroundings. I want to take advantage of what La Palma has to offer and enjoy living in this community, but I also know that I am eager to travel and I want to take advantage of opportunities to go out and see other cities and towns nearby. I have noticed a color theme in my town. Many of the beautiful buildings all are white with royal blue and yellow or gold trimming. It’s very pretty.
School: SURPRISE – It is better then I could have imagined. The teachers and students have been more then welcoming, they are so excited to have me there and want to help me with my Spanish just as much as they want to learn English. More later.
Things that seem so habitual at home are an everyday struggle for me. When I want to use the oven I have to figure out what temperature to do things in Celsius instead of Fahrenheit, I’m getting used to military time, I have to light the hot water heater to take a shower, etc. My current challenge of the day is trying to work our washing machine... First time around, I opened the washer door and water and suds spilled out everywhere, we could have had a foam party. We have a spot on the roof with clothes lines and we drape our clothes along those to dry.
Simple conversations at home with a landlord about how to get internet or with the lady at the cellphone store to pick out a phone plan are a big, exhausting ordeal. I am becoming quite the actress over here (thank goodness for the lessons when I was a kid, right?). I am quickly learning that sign language and acting skills are a must for communicating. Interacting with anyone would be impossible if I couldn’t gesture and act things out. Everyone tells me that Andalusians talk very fast and have a unique accent. I would completely agree with that statement. I am constantly asking people to slow down when they are talking. But is return I am always being asked to slow down my English as well. I am having to find the simplest ways to say things and express myself in English. I never realized it would be so hard.
One thing I strongly dislike about Spain so far is that no one picks up their dog poop. It is everywhere and I am constantly dodging it on the streets and sidewalks. The good news is the streets are cleaned nightly so it doesn’t necessarily pile up.
Something I really like about Spain is they greet each other with kisses on each cheek. I prefer this to a hand shake because I don’t need to use my sweaty palms.
No comments:
Post a Comment