Tengo Un Trabajo!

I made it to Paris and back... have lots of pictures to share when I finally get them uploaded!

I'll save that for another day when motivation exists.

I had an interview last Thursday evening for a job in Sevilla Este at an English after-school academy. She gave me the job on the spot even though I couldn't really speak to her in Spanish at all. Part of the interview, though, she had me plan a quick lesson and give a ten minute class as if she was the student. I had to teach "present perfect" to her. I felt pretty confident after that. She said her only worry was that I don't speak any Spanish.. how were the children to learn?

Listen, lady. I just spent a year with 3 year-old Koreans whom I taught to read (more or less) and I don't speak a word of Korean. In fact, I think it's better if the students are forced to speak English because they know I won't understand them otherwise. She said: Perfect. The hours are yours.

So that's what they mean when they teach you to sell yourself in an interview... probably should've acquired that skill a little earlier.

Anyways, the job is 2 hours a day, Monday-Thursday so I was on the search for a little supplement as well. I had a meeting tonight with the most precious couple ever. They are both early thirties, recently married and want to do private lessons on the weekends with two of their friends. She's from Colombia, so I could understand her Spanish much better than the usual around here. I loved them. They loved me, I think. Well, they bought me pizza and asked me to start next weekend. I buy pizza for people I love, don't you? Anyway, I think I can stay in Spain... for a little while anyway!

Other than that, I've just been settling in to the schedule of the Spaniards. It's hard to only work two hours a day (from 5pm-7pm, at that) and actually do anything with yourself. You'd think I'd have this blog up to date to the minute and the Spanish language mastered, but I don't. The other thing about being Spanish is that everything is a much slower process. So I sleep late, I cook slowly, I read a lot, I nap. It's such a different world from the am to pm working world of the Koreans. It's also really hard to be productive when it's 45 degrees out and you don't have heat. We could buy a space heater, theoretically, but that's way too much for my proud, eco-friendly, super frugal roommate to handle... so instead, we are going to tough it out. You know, like cavemen.

It's not really that bad, it's just hard to get out from underneath the blankets and put my little piggies down on cold marble floors. Speaking of the floors, this apartment is fantastic! There are two bedrooms, a kitchen, a dining/living room and a balcony that makes all of our neighbors envious. Laura and I share a room and Edward, a Londonaire that took the TEFL class with Laura, lives in the other room. We get along pretty well.

I promise pictures will come soon. I've got a couple more meetings for private lessons this week and really need to get some other computer work done, but in Spanish time... they will come soon!

Goals for Spain, or rather... the absence of them.

I'm sitting in the airport in Madrid, just watched the sun come up, waiting for my connecting flight to Sevilla.

I have an interview tonight at Blue School, where Laura works, and hopefully a couple of teaching hours a week comes from it. I'm really looking forward to hanging out with little Spaniards and helping them with their English.

Sevilla's population is at about 1 million (I don't know if that's the whole province or just the city). It's a sizable place in terms of population, but at some point when they built a cathedral in the middle of the city, they also enacted a law that said no building could be built higher than the bell tower at the church (about 5-6 stories). Sevilla, then, boasts lots of opportunities as any big city would but has a small euro-town charm that makes you want to stay forever... or at least come back, in my case. Jury's out on the forever.

There's a small river that cuts right through the center of town and is dotted with restaurants and bars and restaurant/bars. A night owl like me will fit right in, as the Spanish culture loves to stay out and/or up late and sleep late. It's 3:30 am my time right now so I think that qualifies.

When I moved to Korea, I didn't know what to expect but I did have some goals in terms of personal growth. I really wanted to adapt an attitude of, "why the hell not?" and I think I succeeded pretty well. I am, in fact, moving to Spain without a job. I mean, why not?

Spanish goals are harder to put to words. I don't really know how long I'll be here so I can only say that I want to embrace the language as much as possible. However, the more I teach English, the longer I stay but the less hours a day that are focused on Spanish. I would like to do some traveling along the Mediterranean, but again... depends on how much teaching I can get in. I wouldn't be opposed to a Spanish boyfriend, but that's not really in my control. As I'm writing this I'm processing what I'm really saying and that is that I don't have any real set goals. I'm just going to take it as it comes, develop meaningful relationships with the people around me, eat paella, drink tinto and try to learn the flamenco. Because, why the hell not?

1.11.11: New Year, New Adventure

Hello, again!

I'm firing up the blog again for another round of an international living experience. This time, SPAIN! I leave in just under 48 hours (hopefully... it's snowing like CRAZY in Indiana right now!) and couldn't be more nervous or excited. I updated the layout and design of the blog in anticipation. What do you think?

Immersing myself in the Spanish language has been a dream of mine for quite some time. Well, probably only a couple of years. For whatever reason, when I had the opportunity to learn it in both high school and college, I just did what I could to get the grade I wanted and not much else. I'm majorly regretting that attitude, but am looking forward to making up for it.

I had my heart set on South America, Peru or Ecuador specifically, when I thought about where I wanted this Spanish language immersion to take place, but when I visited Sevilla this past summer, I knew that I was headed back to Europe. My old roommate, Laura, moved back to Sevilla at the beginning of November and had some luck finding some teaching jobs and I thought, why not? I knew I wanted to be at home through the holidays, but now that I have been, my waistline is really regretting that decision! It was so nice to be around family and friends for an extended period of time, though.

I arrive in Sevilla on Friday morning and am really looking forward to the climate change. It's rainy there, but in the 60s most of the time and I'm getting warmer just thinking about it.

When I e-mailed my Korean Mama to let her know that I was headed to Spain, she congratulated me and let me know that they were visiting Paris for a week in the middle of January and asked if there was any way I could come meet them. My first thought was: No way! I have to find a job in Spain or I'm not going to be able to stay very long! Then I realized that the odds of seeing them again were low and the opportunity to go to Paris doesn't happen everyday, so I found a cheap flight that leaves Sevilla on Sunday and returns on the following Wednesday! Sometimes my life is too much for me to handle.

In the next week or so, I hope to update the heck out of this blog with pictures and updates on my move, my new life, my trip to Paris and, hopefully, my new job! Stay tuned...