Favorite CELTA Sayings

The past few weeks have provided so many great laughs - I hope to remember the moments by posting a few of my favorite here! (Sorry for those of you not in the class - I'm sure these don't seem all that funny!)

*Listen 3 times - all of us

*Every day is the same. I wake up tired, I spend all day tired, I go to bed tired. - James

*Oh yeah - Mike and the class

*Trevor, I'm thirsty - Akiko

*The word for bananas sounds a lot like the word for penises in Thai. You can imagine what I was unknowingly ordering at the market . . . - Mike

*You have a friend named Cristiano and you call him Cris. Cris + ps = crisps - James, attempting to drill the word "crisps" to our elementary students

*Language analysis - the language of love - Akiko

*Kyle's "Owl Hawk" story

*I'm going to express myself through the medium of dance. - James

*LASG - the language analysis study group - Akido, Katie, and I

one chapter ends, and another begins

The past few days have been a little rough - definitely more so than I expected. Although I've only known many of these people for a month, I feel as though it has been so much longer. I guess that's what spending 16+ hours together daily will do! It's been quite sad saying goodbye to everyone and watching people leave our house. I feel lucky that so many people hope to stay in the country, but it definitely won't be quite the same.

I'm really looking forward to starting Spanish class tomorrow - I've never felt more ready to learn a language than I do now! It will be great to meet some new people in a different context. I also think it will help to take my mind off of my lack of job, plans, etc.

The past few days have been another reminder of how exciting, yet how difficult, change can be . . .

Last CELTA Weekend

Whew - what a fun couple of days it has been! We had an impromptu party at our place Thursday night after a few of our students asked if they could stop by. Katie had just taught a lesson about writing invitations and her model had been one for a "Beer Pong" party. So . . . we of course had to pick up some supplies to make this happen! It was pretty hilarious introducing some of our students to "American" drinking games. Flip cup was the biggest hit! The party started to wind down around 4:00, due to some neighbors complaining. However, around 7:30 I was woken up by our (very drunk) student Alex opening my door calling, "Hola, Jenny!" He and his friend wanted to know where the party was - they were a bit disappointed to learn it had ended a few hours before . . . Spanish time is definitely a bit different than it is in the US!

On Friday, our tutors took all 20 of us out for an amazing lunch at a Cuban restaurant. It was so nice to relax and talk together over drinks and amazing food. Most of us went home for a siesta before getting ready to go out on the town for drinks and dancing. After hanging out Ingrid and Steph's place, we headed to Buddha Bar around 2:00am. It was so fun to be in a "discoteque" and dancing!

Saturday some of us enjoyed hanging out at Katie's parents' hotel - in the rooftop pool. It was a wonderful way to stay out of the 105 degree heat! Her parents then treated a group of us to dinner at the pizzeria by our house, which was so thoughtful of them. It was SO nice to be around parents for a few hours - I think we have all been missing ours a little bit!

Overall, it's been a great last weekend. I can't believe the course is over!

A Very Spanish Weekend

What a wonderful weekend! After finishing up our third week of class, we were all excited to celebrate and see something other than the CLIC building.

On Friday, we went to La Carboneria to see a live flamenco show. It was amazing! The place started out empty (we should have known not to arrive early), but by 11:30 it was full of people. We enjoyed some sangria and cervezas and watched a very impressive show. In this performance, there was a guitar player, a singer, and a dancer. Flamenco is pretty passionate music - the singer looked to be in agony at times when he was playing! The dancer was unbelievable. I've never seen someone move their feet so quickly and for such a long amount of time! I absolutely loved the show - the rhythmic beat, the guitar, and the Spanish feel were so great to see in person - check out the video below!

On Saturday, seven of us took the train to Cadiz for the day. It was so nice to go someplace new and see more of Spain. Cadiz is questionably the oldest city in Europe; it's said to have been founded around 800 BC by the Phonecians. Today, it's known as "The Smiling City" and many Spaniards spend their summers on the beaches there. We walked around until finding a very crowded beach that seemed the place to be. I couldn't believe how tan most people were (or how much skin they exposed)! We relaxed in the sun for awhile, then decided to enjoy some shade, tapas, and a drink. After some more time in the sun, we walked around the city to see the cathedral, old watchtowers, and other buildings - such beautiful architecture. We happened upon an artisan market that was going on, which I loved! There is so much Moroccan/Muslim influence in Cadiz. This could be seen in the robes men were wearing, the food and spices, the music, and the jewelry that was being sold. After some more tapas, we hopped on the last train to Seville for a two hour ride back home. It was a great day!

I have one week left of class, then start Spanish classes. Although I'm looking forward to class ending, I'm sad for this chapter to be over. I've met so many great friends this month that I know I will really miss. Hopefully, we'll manage to spread ourselves out over Spain and provide a great reason for weekend trips . . .

Week 2

Wow - I can't believe I've been in Seville for two weeks already! How quickly the time is melting! This past week at school was pretty crazy - planning for two lessons (which involves analyzing language for meaning, form, and pronunciation - never as easy as it seems it might be!), lots of lectures, and a paper. Two girls in my house (Carmen and Akiko) didn't even sleep Tuesday night! Needless to say, we were quite grateful when the weekend got here. Unfortunately, I think next week will be even busier . . .

Overall, I've been SO happy with the course. It's been really challenging learning so much about language, which I love. We have two fantastic tutors - they are so knowledgeable. On Monday, I'll be teaching a new group - "elementary" students. They are basically beginning English speakers. I've been working with intermediate students for the past two weeks and they were so much fun. However, I'm really looking forward to the beginner group - I think it will remind me a lot of my prior teaching. I have to continue working on speaking slower and enunciating more carefully - apparently students have a much harder time understanding Americans because they're more used to British accents!

We invited the rest of our teaching group over last night for drinks on our rooftop. 17 of the 20 were there, which made for a really fun night. It was so great to talk to everyone outside of school. I'm constantly amazed by how many cool experiences people have had, usually at a young age, too. I feel really lucky to be surrounded by such great people.

I think we'll just be hanging out in Seville today. There was talk of heading down to Cadiz - a town on the coast, but we decided against it. (Making plans after quite a few glasses of wine never seems to work out too well!) Hopefully we'll make it there next weekend - I really want to start seeing some more of this country. (Trying to save money and having lots of work to do definitely slows down those plans a bit!) It's SO hot here today and sounds like it will be in the 100s all week, so I'm sure we'll be taking advantage of all the air conditioning we can.

I'm working on updating my CV (resume) and hoping to apply for some jobs in the next few weeks. It's a bit stressful to think about, so I try not to spend too much time doing so! If only Spain was more accepting of American teachers without work visas . . . Keep your fingers crossed for me, please!

Hope everyone is doing well!

Some Top 5s as of Today

The Top 5 Things I'm Loving in Spain

1. tapas

2. that you always order beer as "una cerveza" and take whatever is on tap

3. late hours

4. relaxed pace of life

5. the history

The Top 3 Things I'm Not Loving in Spain

1. smoking being allowed everywhere

2. the 100+ degree heat in Seville

3. all of the cured meats/hanging legs of ham

The Top 5 Phrases I've Learned and Love (from our UK friends)

1. Have a go = Try it

2. I'm having kittens = I'm stressed out

3. proper good = really good

4. Stop faffing around = Stop wasting time

5. Have a better go = Try it again

First Weekend in Seville

It’s been a wonderful weekend and the thought of heading back to class tomorrow is not a welcome one at the moment! This might be due to the endless lesson plans and papers I seem to have been working on today . . .

Friday night we went out for tapas as planned. The best one I’ve had so far has to be baked goat cheese with caramelized onions. It was amazing! After sampling all sorts of Andalucian foods and drinks, we headed to Alameda de Hercules to enjoy some sangria. Along the way, I ran into some students from our class! They joined us for a mix of English and Spanish practice, as well as a few drinks. We stopped at a few more places, just checking out Seville. It was great. By the end of the night, we attempted to find some place to go dancing. Although we found a few places, they cost 30 euros to get in!! Needless to say, we opted to head home. Considering it was 4:30am, I think this was a good choice! Overall, it was a great first night out.

Yesterday we went to the market to pick up some fresh fruits, vegetables, and seafood. We bought six fillets of swordfish for 6 euros! The selection and prices were amazing. We also went for about a three hour walk to explore the city some more. We stopped at Plaza de Espana, which is one of the most spectacular places I’ve ever seen. The detail in the tiles, floors, ceilings, and arches was just amazing to me.

After all that walking, a nap was definitely in order. Kyle and Lara prepared a delicious meal of swordfish, rice, and vegetables, which we enjoyed with wine on the rooftop. The weather has been fabulous this weekend – I was actually chilly sitting on the roof last night! Hopefully that will continue through the week.

I suppose it’s time to get back to work . . . More details to follow!

One week down . . .

Well, I've survived my first week of CELTA training! Class is going really well. I love learning more about teaching - it really is an endless topic! I think I will be quite sad to leave our intermediate students. We're working with a group of 14, many of whom are in their mid to late 20s. The majority of our class is unemployed - it's amazing to see how the economy has affected so many people. These students are so motivated to learn English and don't hesitate to ask questions - model learners! They are also quite entertaining! One of my students, Alfonso, recently offered to take me on a bicycle tour of Seville so I could see the sights and practice my Spanish. He seemed a bit surprised when I didn't immediately write down his number! I told him I might after I knew him a bit better, which didn't stop him from asking again! Maybe next week . . . one has to love the forwardness of men in Spain!

It feels as though I've been in Seville (and the CLiC language center) for much longer than week - but in a really good way. It seems as though time just melts here. That's the only word we've been able to come up with that really describes it. We've already slipped into the Andalucian routine: late mornings, late meals, and late nights. We're lucky enough to have a roof top patio at our place and there are 4-6 of us who spend every night up there cooling off, eating dinner, having a few drinks, and learning more about each other. It's wonderful. I'm looking forward to going out with my household tonight for tapas (I've not had nearly enough Spanish food yet!) and a chance to explore Seville. I'll be sure to take some pictures!

Teaching Time

Whew! The CELTA facilitators weren’t joking when they said we’d be teaching right away! I taught my first lesson today to a group of intermediate speakers. Although I was super nervous, it went really well. It’s amazing how much planning for a language lesson for adults is so similar to planning for my elementary students, yet so different. I think the fact that there were 15 adults as my students (many around my age), combined with having a group of my peers watching, is what made things a bit stressful. However, I think it’s good that they throw us right into it so we don’t have a lot of time to over-plan and worry constantly. I’ll be teaching a 45 minute lesson on Thursday (about present continuous verbs – what?!) and two 60 minute lessons next week. I must admit that my head is spinning a bit the more I learn about English grammar, and try to communication in Spanish outside of school . . . It’s been a great challenge so far – I kind of love being back in school while teaching at the same time! (You can see where the planning happens in the pictures of my room above!)

It’s been great meeting everyone in the program here. There are currently two CELTA courses occurring, each with 10 students and 2 teachers. In my class, there are two people from England, one from Wales, one from Japan, one from Spain, and five of us from the US (representing LA, San Diego, New York, Chicago, and Denver). Of the ten of us, seven of us are living in the same complex, which is really nice. Many of the students are hoping to find work in Spain after the course, so it might become a bit competitive! On the positive side, this also means I might have some potential roommates . . .

I’m quickly adjusting to our routine here – it’s pretty fantastic! A typical day seems to be: go to school around 9:00, teach, coffee break at 10:30, teach, another break at 12:00, class, lunch at 2:15 (I’ve learned to make sure I have plenty to eat before this time!), class, head home around 6:00, plan for the next day, have dinner around 10:30, go to bed around midnight. It’s definitely a different time schedule, but I like it. A group of us went out for tapas and drinks Sunday night and the streets were packed with families at 11:30pm! As Carmen, a Spanish woman and one of my roommates, said, “Spaniards live to be outside, eating and drinking.” My response was, “I’m meant to live here!”

Sevilla So Far . . .

Well it´s been about 24 hours now, and besides the heat, I love everything about Sevilla so far! I got into town with no problems at all. However, finding my apartment was another story! No one I talked to, pedestrians and cab drivers alike, had ever heard of Calle Infantes. With the way that no streets run parallel or perpencicular and many don´t have names posted, it´s no wonder I struggled to find it. (As difficult as it´s been to find my way around, the narrowness, cobblestones, and bright colors of the streets are lovely and very reminiscent of Valporaiso, Chile - I love them!)

After 30 minutes of walking around with 100lbs. of baggage in 100 degree weather, I gave up and got a cab. We spent another 30 minutes driving around attempting to find the place! It was all worth it though when Angel (the cab driver) carried my bags down the street to my apartment door, gave me his number in case I need another ride, and kissed both my cheeks!

My room is really nice - small, yet comfortable. I´m very glad I couldn´t pack any more - I don´t think it would have fit anywhere! There´s no air conditioning, which I expected. Surprisingly, sleeping in 90 degree temperatures (according to my Brookstone clock) wasn´t bad at all. A good thing, considering I´ll be doing so for the next 6 weeks!

I´ve spent the day exploring the city and being constantly amazed at what I see. The buildings are so old and ornate; the cathedral I visited today was unlike anything I´ve ever seen - huge, elaborate, and containing the tomb of Christopher Columbus!! I enjoyed a late lunch of tapas (a plate of manchego with crackers and a plate of chicken curry) along with dos cervezas. I LOVE how so much is centered around eating, drinking, and relaxing here - it´s amazing. I also see why siestas and late dinners are necessary! I also feel like my Spanish is quickly coming along - with so few people to speak English to, there´s no choice but to practice!

I´m looking forward to meeting people at class tomorrow, as well as learning some more about the city and logistics of my stay . . . And now I must attempt to find my way back home - thank goodness I only have one small bag with me today! I think a stop for some coffee might be necessary . . .