Through one of my classes at the U, I am volunteering as an ESL instructor at C.L.U.E.S. (Comunidades Latinas Unidas En Servicio). On Tuesday nights, Rebecca and I teach adult English language learners together, and I love it so far. That first night (one week ago today), we showed up an hour early to prepare our lesson, try to not be so petrified, and hope for the best. We survived the first day, came up with activities on the fly, gauged our students' abilities, and knew we would be even more prepared for today. Today.. was incredible. Somehow, I wasn't nervous anymore. It sounds silly to say, but we were going over instructions for activities and worksheets, starting conversations, strolling over to the board to jot down new vocabulary, explaining new words, answering questions, getting people to talk.. all without awkward pauses, and all with an air of confidence. Our students had fun with us, I already know all their names, and I am figuring out what kinds of activities work for them.
There are other classes going on at the same time (we teach low intermediate; there is also low beginning, high beginning, high intermediate, and advanced), and all the classes are two hours long and take place MTuTh. After an hour goes by, all the classes take a 5-10 minute break, and when Rebecca and I walked out to grab a cup of coffee, the teachers in the neighboring classrooms AND the supervisors for the St. Paul CLUES location wanted to know what kinds of activities we were doing because they heard our class laughing and having a great time! It was an indescribable feeling (and I do mean that-- I was typing and deleting adjectives for a few minutes but can't quite pin it down) to have other instructors come up to us and ask about our activities, and for the supervisors to be so happy with us that we're able to get everyone to participate and be excited to learn!
During the past week of classes, I also noticed that even though I only had two hours of teaching under my belt (when I tutored at the Franklin Learning Center last fall, it was all one-on-one tutoring, not one- or two-on-## instruction) I was talking more and being a more productive member of class in my courses at the U (ie as a student) and paying attention to my instructors' techniques. I'd paid attention to this in the past, but not so much as recently. I gave a presentation today, and already, talking in front of a group feels more natural. I've moved from taking steps in the right direction to taking leaps in the right direction, and I know I'm finally starting to do what I am meant to do. I don't know what type of teaching I'll end up doing in the future, but I do know that it certainly will be in my life in some form.
Oof, tired! Long story short, C.L.U.E.S. rocks my world, teaching is incredible, seeing that moment a student understands what you're explaining is indescribable, and having respect from fellow instructors is so validating. I wish I was well-rested so I could better describe my night, but this will have to do for now. :)
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Saturday, July 18, 2009
a wink and a smile
Every once in a while, I get stressed about stupid things.. but most of the time, or at least lately, I simply don't get as stressed as perhaps I should be over important things. Somehow, I have this constant faith that things are going to work out for the best, and exactly how they were supposed to. If they are great the whole way through, fantastic! And if they aren't.. well, I'll learn more that way. I don't really believe in the "light at the end of the tunnel" outlook because I think it's shining the whole way through, however dimly, if we only look for it.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
homecoming.
Somehow, I am going to be home in 8 days. In December I was wondering how on earth I ever thought I could last until June, and now here I am wondering why I didn't think of myself as a stronger person. Why I used to question my every move so often- and not in a productive kind of way. Why I was on autopilot so often instead of appreciating.. everything. Why I didn't let the people I care about know it as often as I should. Why I let minor things get me so worked up. Why I simply didn't do more with who I am. I wish there was a better way to explain it.. I just wasn't the best version of myself. And I've really come to like who I am.
It's a bit late in the game, but I think I've finally gotten the hang of loving every moment, especially those trying ones that really make me question myself. In a year, I want to look back at who I am right now and think I knew so little about the world. I want to keep moving forward.
It's a bit late in the game, but I think I've finally gotten the hang of loving every moment, especially those trying ones that really make me question myself. In a year, I want to look back at who I am right now and think I knew so little about the world. I want to keep moving forward.
Friday, May 1, 2009
oy.
There are times when I pride myself in making sure the people I really care about know how I feel about them. Lately, I've not been so great at this. While I realize an email, phone call, text, or postcard is nice, I haven't been putting enough thought into what I'm saying. Yikes.
I've met some of the most incredible people during my life, and was lucky enough to be born into a household of some of the most kind, honest, loving people you might ever be lucky enough to meet. I have parents, sisters, and a boyfriend who would sit up talking to me at three in the morning if I am upset over something that isn't really important in the long run, but because it matters to me in that moment, it matters to them, too.
And to be honest, I sometimes really question if I deserve the wonderful people who step into my life. It's not hard to list people I'm sure I've hurt and never took the time to apologize to, or situations when I was petty and self-serving because it was the easy thing to do. I try to be open minded and honest, but am not always a person I'd be happy to meet. I hope the people I care about so dearly know how I feel about them, but I also pray the people I haven't shown kindness to know I'm still kicking myself for not giving them the respect they deserve. It's a troubling paradox that inhumanity is so much a part of what it is to be human.
I want to be better. I want to be completely honest with myself, even when it's difficult to do so-- actually, especially then, because that's when I can learn the most and (hopefully) grow from it. I want to be worthy of respect. No more excuses.
I've met some of the most incredible people during my life, and was lucky enough to be born into a household of some of the most kind, honest, loving people you might ever be lucky enough to meet. I have parents, sisters, and a boyfriend who would sit up talking to me at three in the morning if I am upset over something that isn't really important in the long run, but because it matters to me in that moment, it matters to them, too.
And to be honest, I sometimes really question if I deserve the wonderful people who step into my life. It's not hard to list people I'm sure I've hurt and never took the time to apologize to, or situations when I was petty and self-serving because it was the easy thing to do. I try to be open minded and honest, but am not always a person I'd be happy to meet. I hope the people I care about so dearly know how I feel about them, but I also pray the people I haven't shown kindness to know I'm still kicking myself for not giving them the respect they deserve. It's a troubling paradox that inhumanity is so much a part of what it is to be human.
I want to be better. I want to be completely honest with myself, even when it's difficult to do so-- actually, especially then, because that's when I can learn the most and (hopefully) grow from it. I want to be worthy of respect. No more excuses.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Don't forget to remember me
So Jessica and Katie don't harass me about never posting, I'll add a quick post :)
When I was in Spain with Matt, the moment I saw him, things were just as if I had never left him, and as if we had been hanging out as normal the entire time. I loved that feeling. I had a similar experience when I finally got the chance to talk on skype with Jess, Katie, and Pacey, and again when talking to Jess and Tyty-- as if I had never left. And it's not to say that being away is something horrible-- it's quite the opposite-- but that it is a wonderful feeling knowing that with close friendships, it's not even that they will be there waiting for me when I get back in June, but that they have been there all along.
I was also able to skype with Anne and her ghetto web cam, and it was entertaining to just goof off like normal. My mom recently set up a skype service so I can have my calls to her skype forwarded to her cellphone. I was able to talk to my dad for the first time since I have been here without worrying about time constraints, and that was really, really nice. It's also only $3/month to have that service, so it's a great deal.
Kate gets here in just over a week, and I know she is extremely excited to take a well-deserved break. I have never been the one showing someone else my city, so I hope I find lots of fun things for her to do! I know she's independent and will help find things to do, but I want to make sure that she has an amazing experience over here.
Time for bed. It's 1:16am here :/
When I was in Spain with Matt, the moment I saw him, things were just as if I had never left him, and as if we had been hanging out as normal the entire time. I loved that feeling. I had a similar experience when I finally got the chance to talk on skype with Jess, Katie, and Pacey, and again when talking to Jess and Tyty-- as if I had never left. And it's not to say that being away is something horrible-- it's quite the opposite-- but that it is a wonderful feeling knowing that with close friendships, it's not even that they will be there waiting for me when I get back in June, but that they have been there all along.
I was also able to skype with Anne and her ghetto web cam, and it was entertaining to just goof off like normal. My mom recently set up a skype service so I can have my calls to her skype forwarded to her cellphone. I was able to talk to my dad for the first time since I have been here without worrying about time constraints, and that was really, really nice. It's also only $3/month to have that service, so it's a great deal.
Kate gets here in just over a week, and I know she is extremely excited to take a well-deserved break. I have never been the one showing someone else my city, so I hope I find lots of fun things for her to do! I know she's independent and will help find things to do, but I want to make sure that she has an amazing experience over here.
Time for bed. It's 1:16am here :/
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Segovia, Spain!
I was finally able to visit Matt in Segovia 6-10 February! I took a bus to Dublin, then a bus from the Bus Eireann Station to the airport on Thursday (the 5th) since my flight was early the next morning. The bus ride down was pretty uneventful- I took a picture or two on the way, but mostly I spent the 4.5 hour ride napping. Once I finally got to the airport, it was completely packed. It snowed in Dublin during the day, and since they are not accustomed to snow, it was considered a snow emergency even though there was not many inches of snow at all. I think the main problem was since there is so much moisture in the air here, once it all froze the runways were iced over, making it difficult for planes to land or depart. Because of this, no planes were allowed to fly in or out of the airport during the afternoon, and many evening flights were also canceled. Since it was very noisy, it made it difficult for me to sleep at all that night. I managed to get a few hours of sleep, but I was paranoid that I would miss my check-in time, or that someone would try to steal something from me, so my sleep only lasted an hour or two at a time. It was also difficult to sleep because a large group of girls was randomly singing Beyonce reaaaaaaally loudly. I wanted to say something to them, but didn't. They kept up the singing until around 5, but at that time I could check in at the RyanAir desk, so I didn't bother trying to sleep. Happily, my flight was not canceled.
We were supposed to fly out at 7:25AM, but didn't board the plane until that time. Once we were on the plane, I looked out the window only to find snow and ice on the wings of the plane. For the next 5.5 hours, the crew worked to get all of it off, and believe me- they did absolutely everything they could think of to get the wings clear. First, they sprayed hot water on the wings of the plane. This went on for quite a while. They then tried throwing a long blue rope over the wing of the plane and pulling it back and forth to see if they could scrape some of the remaining snow and slush off of the wings. This wasn't going well at all, but the crew continued to try this for a while, then they would spray more water, then bring out the rope again. Finally, one guy ran out with a red shovel, made some wild gestures, and they let him onto the plane. He opened the emergency exit door directly behind me, then started scraping and shoveling the snow and ice off. It was pretty entertaining, but the whole time I was paranoid that I would not be able to see Matt. If I was on a bus to Dublin for 4.5 hours, a bus to the airport for 25 minutes, sat in the airport for over 12 hours, then sat in the plane for 5 (it had been 5 hours at this point) just to not go, I would have been absolutely pissed. Also worrisome was that while they kept working on clearing off the plane, the pilot would give us updates on the progress. He kept saying it would be another 45 minutes, or another hour, then started letting us know about other planes that weren't allowed to leave, that no planes were allowed to land, and that the runway was very icy so we might not be able to go anywhere. Since it was only a 2.5 hour flight from Dublin to Madrid, food was not provided to us, even though we had been on the plane for 8 hours before we finally got to Madrid. Thankfully, I am my mother's daughter and packed my own snacks from home so I would not have to buy any.
After 5.5 hours, some naps, a few videos of the ridiculous attempts to clear the plane, and some small talk with the Spaniards next to me, we got to leave! When the plane was airborne, the entire plane started clapping. Juan (the guy next to me) kindly let me use his Spanish cell phone to call Matt to let him know that I was going to be late, and Matt ended up running late anyway so he did not have to wait for me for long at all.
Once I got to Madrid, getting into the airport and through customs was ridiculously easy. They looked at me, looked at my passport, stamped it, said adios, and I was in. I felt nifty to have a new stamp on my passport since it previously only said Ireland :). I rushed to get to the end of my gate so I could see Matt, and when I finally caught sight of him, I nearly cried, and just started half-running to him, and gave him the biggest hug ever. Before I left for Ireland, my biggest fear was that things would be weird or different between us the first time we saw each other after some time apart, or that I wouldn't see him during my study abroad experience, and both of these fears were completely absolved in that one hug. We love each other dearly, and I know that will never change for either of us. :)
Once Matt and I finished hugging, we walked towards the metro station and took two trains to get to the bus station (this took about a half hour). From there, we took a bus to Segovia, which took about an hour. The whole time I was with Matt, time didn't really seem to exist at first because we were just so dang happy to be with each other. The parts of Madrid I did see were lovely, but I loved Segovia even more. The walk from the bus station in Segovia to Matt's host mom's place was only ten minutes or so, and the walk was beautiful. The buildings are all really old, brick, and neat looking, and I walked under the Roman aqueduct to get to his place. It was an incredible feeling to walk by something that was so, so old, and that was produced by a culture in which I am very interested. I was also shocked that it is in such good condition-- it doesn't look like it has been sitting there for 2,000 years because it was constructed so well. We walked down a few streets and some narrow sidewalks to get to Matt's place, where I met his host mom (who he calls Dona Madre). She was extremely nice to me for my entire stay, cooked all our meals, and was just a really generous, fun person. I gave her a box of chocolates that I bought at the airport (some handmade Irish chocolates that I was told were good by a person in my program) to thank her for letting me stay with her, and she offered to share them with Matt and I (and we tried to convince her that they were her gift, so sharing wasn't necessary).
Matt and I decided to walk around town since he wanted to show me his city, and I truly loved the entire thing. We ran into some kids from his program who talked about going out later that night, and we said we would meet up with them later. I felt kind of gross since I hadn't showered since the previous morning and had been traveling, so Matt and I went back to the house so I could clean up a bit. We ended up meeting with two of Matt's closer friends in his program so they could get some wine (.67E at a store called Dia), hung out at the aqueduct for a while, then went to a bar with a lot of the other kids in Matt's program. It was nice being able to meet Matt's friends over there and just know what a typical weekend is like for him, and to match faces with the names of people he hangs out with regularly. I loved that when meeting most of the people, when I said I was Kelsey and that I was visiting Matt, they immediately knew who I was since he had talked about me before :). It's always cute to know that he's talking about me when I am not around and excited for me to visit! It was also nice just to be with him, go out with him, etc- especially since I had never been to a pub with him, since he is 22 (since November) and I can't go out with him until this July when I am 21. In the States, I would often feel bad that he couldn't always go out with his friends (he has some friends who are in a band together, and they would play at venues that I could not get into), and while he always reassured me that he would rather spend time with me, it was so nice to not limit where he could go! Anyway, the bar was a good time. It was really, really busy, and dancing with Matt was fun. After hanging out there for a while, talking, and getting to know Matt's friends better, we headed over to Yellow, a club a short walk away. Matt and I weren't there long since it was getting late (3:30am) and I had been doing a lot of traveling and not a lot of sleeping, so we left earlier than a lot of the other people. On the way back to Matt's place, we randomly started talking to two Spanish kids, and ended up talking to them for at least an hour since one of them knew a guy in Matt's program (because his aunt and uncle were hosting him). Matt later exchanged numbers with one of them so Matt can practice his Spanish with him, and the kid can practice his English with Matt. We got back to Matt's place very late (nearly 5am) and I fell asleep pretty much the second I hit my pillow.
The next day (Saturday), Matt knocked on my door to wake me up around 1pm. He said he needed to talk to his host mom briefly because he broke the knob that started a flame to heat up the water. Without that knob, there would be no hot water for us.. and at that point, I hadn't showered since Thursday morning-- yikes! He talked to his mom, who went off to the store to get a new knob, but it needed to be installed by someone. The place was closed, so she started boiling water for us so we could each take a sponge bath. I was worried that I would feel gross since the bath only had 5 inches of water in it, but I felt pretty clean after my bath. Before I took it, Dona told me I didn't look very 'dulce' heehee, but after she didn't say anything. Once Matt and I both had baths (luckily, we both had fresh bath water!), we walked around town a bit. I was able to meet Gladyce, his program coordinator, and she was extremely nice. We talked to her for an hour or two, and Matt drank some tea since he was beginning to develop a sore throat.
After talking to Gladyce, we went back to Matt's place for dinner, and I again overate. In Spain, a meal is huge. Dona set out two plates, or a plate and a bowl, for each meal (other than breakfast), and she basically made two full courses for each meal. By the end of the trip, I figured out that I needed to put less on my plate than I thought I would eat since it was all very filling, very good, and seemingly endless. While I was there I mostly ate food that I hadn't ever had before, such as steamed cauliflower with a sauce somewhat like mayonnaise, an egg dish with peas and other vegetables and a sauce I hadn't had before, the best hot chocolate of my entire life, fish that wasn't halibut or salmon (believe it or not, this is rare for me), a really good chicken dish with fantastic broth, sopa de pan (bread soup- imagine the most delicious cream of chicken soup of your life, with fried bread on top. Sounds weird, but is fantastic), and other things.
After dinner, we had a low-key night. Matt's throat was feeling worse, and I ate so much I felt sick :P, so we ended up just playing cards with Matt's host mom. The card game was something I hadn't seen before in the States (or elsewhere) and apparently it is really common in Spain. The deck of cards has cards 1-7, and 10-12, but cards 10-12 are all called by their title (sort of like jack, queen, and king). Each person playing gets the same number of little white beans, and before the start of the game, they pay a 'tax' (one bean) that goes to whomever gets the 10/Jack who is holding a coin in his hand. All the cards are handed out, and the person to the right of the dealer begins the game by putting down their 1, then as many cards in a row after (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11, 12, 1, 2, etc). When they cannot go any longer, the person after them continues the chain, then the next, etc. The winner is the person who gets rid of all their cards first (so basically, the person with all low cards at the beginning, or someone who plays the wild card [the Jack who is holding a coin] at an opportune moment). The losing players give the winner as many of their beans as they have cards in their hand. I was ridiculously unlucky at the game and ran out of beans twice, but Matt and Dona Madre gave me more. It was adorable because Dona told me that I am 'unlucky in cards, but lucky in love.' :) Somehow the time was going extremely quickly, and before we knew it, it was 1am and time to get to bed.
The next day, I was up pretty early. It was the 'la Fiesta de Santa Águeda,' so there was music in the street all day- traditional Spanish music! I was super excited when I woke up, looked out my window, and saw four old guys in traditional garb playing traditional music in the street since it isn't the kind of experience I could have anywhere else. Matt, Dona, and I went to a gorgeous church for mass later in the day, and since it was a Catholic mass, I was actually able to follow pretty well. The only problem was when I almost started laughing since they do not say God, they say el Senor-- the Man heehee. Matt and I both got communion, but over there (or at least in that region of Spain), most people only have the body of Christ and not the blood of Christ as well, which was odd, but worked for me since I hate wine. The music men from the street played after the service was over, there were many women in traditional Spanish dresses taking pictures together, and I took a video of that and some pictures of the inside of the church.
Matt and I lost track of Dona since she went to get churros and lemonade while Matt and I were taking pictures of the church, so we went back to his place to wait for her. She didn't show up after a half hour, so we went out to look for her, but we ran into her in the entryway of the apartment building. She told us where to get churros, but we got there just after it ended. It was just as well, though, since she was about to serve lunch, and goodness knows that one meal over there is two or three meals in the States.
After lunch, Matt and I walked around the city some more. That evening we went to the mannequin burning that is held each year outside one of the churches. The whole spectacle was a bit odd.. some women wheeled out the mannequin, which, by the way, wasn't your ordinary mannequin-- it actually was wearing a suit and was built like a normal man, and it had a realistic looking face as well. It was wearing a sign that said "Por Vialador"-- something about a violator from years past who molested or raped a woman, and the festival was then held on her behalf to honor respect for women, etc. The Spanish women (some with their daughters) took pictures next to the mannequin, and the musicians that were on the street earlier in the day were still out and played when they set it on fire. While it was burning, the women (many wearing traditional Spanish garb) danced around it holding hands, and when the whole thing was over, the firemen helped clean it up (they were present for the whole thing just to make sure the fire remained contained).
After dinner that night, Matt and I went to bed fairly early. He was developing a cold, and I ate so much my stomach hurt heehee. We wanted to go to bed early so we could get up early on Monday to enjoy our last day together :(. I had a lot of trouble sleeping since I was dreading going to bed-- I knew that my trip was rushing towards the end at a pace I really didn't appreciate. Matt put his laptop in my room and set up a movie for me to watch (Disney's 'Cars') so I could distract myself with that while falling asleep instead of focusing on the lack of time together that remained. I fell asleep within the first half hour of the movie, but woke up two more times in the night. It was tough for me to fall asleep without it on again simply because while I was excited for another full day with Matt, I just didn't want the trip to end.
**this post is going to keep getting longer as I find time to add to it! I had lots of fun experiences in Spain with Matt so it will take a while before I can jot them all down! :)**
We were supposed to fly out at 7:25AM, but didn't board the plane until that time. Once we were on the plane, I looked out the window only to find snow and ice on the wings of the plane. For the next 5.5 hours, the crew worked to get all of it off, and believe me- they did absolutely everything they could think of to get the wings clear. First, they sprayed hot water on the wings of the plane. This went on for quite a while. They then tried throwing a long blue rope over the wing of the plane and pulling it back and forth to see if they could scrape some of the remaining snow and slush off of the wings. This wasn't going well at all, but the crew continued to try this for a while, then they would spray more water, then bring out the rope again. Finally, one guy ran out with a red shovel, made some wild gestures, and they let him onto the plane. He opened the emergency exit door directly behind me, then started scraping and shoveling the snow and ice off. It was pretty entertaining, but the whole time I was paranoid that I would not be able to see Matt. If I was on a bus to Dublin for 4.5 hours, a bus to the airport for 25 minutes, sat in the airport for over 12 hours, then sat in the plane for 5 (it had been 5 hours at this point) just to not go, I would have been absolutely pissed. Also worrisome was that while they kept working on clearing off the plane, the pilot would give us updates on the progress. He kept saying it would be another 45 minutes, or another hour, then started letting us know about other planes that weren't allowed to leave, that no planes were allowed to land, and that the runway was very icy so we might not be able to go anywhere. Since it was only a 2.5 hour flight from Dublin to Madrid, food was not provided to us, even though we had been on the plane for 8 hours before we finally got to Madrid. Thankfully, I am my mother's daughter and packed my own snacks from home so I would not have to buy any.
After 5.5 hours, some naps, a few videos of the ridiculous attempts to clear the plane, and some small talk with the Spaniards next to me, we got to leave! When the plane was airborne, the entire plane started clapping. Juan (the guy next to me) kindly let me use his Spanish cell phone to call Matt to let him know that I was going to be late, and Matt ended up running late anyway so he did not have to wait for me for long at all.
Once I got to Madrid, getting into the airport and through customs was ridiculously easy. They looked at me, looked at my passport, stamped it, said adios, and I was in. I felt nifty to have a new stamp on my passport since it previously only said Ireland :). I rushed to get to the end of my gate so I could see Matt, and when I finally caught sight of him, I nearly cried, and just started half-running to him, and gave him the biggest hug ever. Before I left for Ireland, my biggest fear was that things would be weird or different between us the first time we saw each other after some time apart, or that I wouldn't see him during my study abroad experience, and both of these fears were completely absolved in that one hug. We love each other dearly, and I know that will never change for either of us. :)
Once Matt and I finished hugging, we walked towards the metro station and took two trains to get to the bus station (this took about a half hour). From there, we took a bus to Segovia, which took about an hour. The whole time I was with Matt, time didn't really seem to exist at first because we were just so dang happy to be with each other. The parts of Madrid I did see were lovely, but I loved Segovia even more. The walk from the bus station in Segovia to Matt's host mom's place was only ten minutes or so, and the walk was beautiful. The buildings are all really old, brick, and neat looking, and I walked under the Roman aqueduct to get to his place. It was an incredible feeling to walk by something that was so, so old, and that was produced by a culture in which I am very interested. I was also shocked that it is in such good condition-- it doesn't look like it has been sitting there for 2,000 years because it was constructed so well. We walked down a few streets and some narrow sidewalks to get to Matt's place, where I met his host mom (who he calls Dona Madre). She was extremely nice to me for my entire stay, cooked all our meals, and was just a really generous, fun person. I gave her a box of chocolates that I bought at the airport (some handmade Irish chocolates that I was told were good by a person in my program) to thank her for letting me stay with her, and she offered to share them with Matt and I (and we tried to convince her that they were her gift, so sharing wasn't necessary).
Matt and I decided to walk around town since he wanted to show me his city, and I truly loved the entire thing. We ran into some kids from his program who talked about going out later that night, and we said we would meet up with them later. I felt kind of gross since I hadn't showered since the previous morning and had been traveling, so Matt and I went back to the house so I could clean up a bit. We ended up meeting with two of Matt's closer friends in his program so they could get some wine (.67E at a store called Dia), hung out at the aqueduct for a while, then went to a bar with a lot of the other kids in Matt's program. It was nice being able to meet Matt's friends over there and just know what a typical weekend is like for him, and to match faces with the names of people he hangs out with regularly. I loved that when meeting most of the people, when I said I was Kelsey and that I was visiting Matt, they immediately knew who I was since he had talked about me before :). It's always cute to know that he's talking about me when I am not around and excited for me to visit! It was also nice just to be with him, go out with him, etc- especially since I had never been to a pub with him, since he is 22 (since November) and I can't go out with him until this July when I am 21. In the States, I would often feel bad that he couldn't always go out with his friends (he has some friends who are in a band together, and they would play at venues that I could not get into), and while he always reassured me that he would rather spend time with me, it was so nice to not limit where he could go! Anyway, the bar was a good time. It was really, really busy, and dancing with Matt was fun. After hanging out there for a while, talking, and getting to know Matt's friends better, we headed over to Yellow, a club a short walk away. Matt and I weren't there long since it was getting late (3:30am) and I had been doing a lot of traveling and not a lot of sleeping, so we left earlier than a lot of the other people. On the way back to Matt's place, we randomly started talking to two Spanish kids, and ended up talking to them for at least an hour since one of them knew a guy in Matt's program (because his aunt and uncle were hosting him). Matt later exchanged numbers with one of them so Matt can practice his Spanish with him, and the kid can practice his English with Matt. We got back to Matt's place very late (nearly 5am) and I fell asleep pretty much the second I hit my pillow.
The next day (Saturday), Matt knocked on my door to wake me up around 1pm. He said he needed to talk to his host mom briefly because he broke the knob that started a flame to heat up the water. Without that knob, there would be no hot water for us.. and at that point, I hadn't showered since Thursday morning-- yikes! He talked to his mom, who went off to the store to get a new knob, but it needed to be installed by someone. The place was closed, so she started boiling water for us so we could each take a sponge bath. I was worried that I would feel gross since the bath only had 5 inches of water in it, but I felt pretty clean after my bath. Before I took it, Dona told me I didn't look very 'dulce' heehee, but after she didn't say anything. Once Matt and I both had baths (luckily, we both had fresh bath water!), we walked around town a bit. I was able to meet Gladyce, his program coordinator, and she was extremely nice. We talked to her for an hour or two, and Matt drank some tea since he was beginning to develop a sore throat.
After talking to Gladyce, we went back to Matt's place for dinner, and I again overate. In Spain, a meal is huge. Dona set out two plates, or a plate and a bowl, for each meal (other than breakfast), and she basically made two full courses for each meal. By the end of the trip, I figured out that I needed to put less on my plate than I thought I would eat since it was all very filling, very good, and seemingly endless. While I was there I mostly ate food that I hadn't ever had before, such as steamed cauliflower with a sauce somewhat like mayonnaise, an egg dish with peas and other vegetables and a sauce I hadn't had before, the best hot chocolate of my entire life, fish that wasn't halibut or salmon (believe it or not, this is rare for me), a really good chicken dish with fantastic broth, sopa de pan (bread soup- imagine the most delicious cream of chicken soup of your life, with fried bread on top. Sounds weird, but is fantastic), and other things.
After dinner, we had a low-key night. Matt's throat was feeling worse, and I ate so much I felt sick :P, so we ended up just playing cards with Matt's host mom. The card game was something I hadn't seen before in the States (or elsewhere) and apparently it is really common in Spain. The deck of cards has cards 1-7, and 10-12, but cards 10-12 are all called by their title (sort of like jack, queen, and king). Each person playing gets the same number of little white beans, and before the start of the game, they pay a 'tax' (one bean) that goes to whomever gets the 10/Jack who is holding a coin in his hand. All the cards are handed out, and the person to the right of the dealer begins the game by putting down their 1, then as many cards in a row after (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11, 12, 1, 2, etc). When they cannot go any longer, the person after them continues the chain, then the next, etc. The winner is the person who gets rid of all their cards first (so basically, the person with all low cards at the beginning, or someone who plays the wild card [the Jack who is holding a coin] at an opportune moment). The losing players give the winner as many of their beans as they have cards in their hand. I was ridiculously unlucky at the game and ran out of beans twice, but Matt and Dona Madre gave me more. It was adorable because Dona told me that I am 'unlucky in cards, but lucky in love.' :) Somehow the time was going extremely quickly, and before we knew it, it was 1am and time to get to bed.
The next day, I was up pretty early. It was the 'la Fiesta de Santa Águeda,' so there was music in the street all day- traditional Spanish music! I was super excited when I woke up, looked out my window, and saw four old guys in traditional garb playing traditional music in the street since it isn't the kind of experience I could have anywhere else. Matt, Dona, and I went to a gorgeous church for mass later in the day, and since it was a Catholic mass, I was actually able to follow pretty well. The only problem was when I almost started laughing since they do not say God, they say el Senor-- the Man heehee. Matt and I both got communion, but over there (or at least in that region of Spain), most people only have the body of Christ and not the blood of Christ as well, which was odd, but worked for me since I hate wine. The music men from the street played after the service was over, there were many women in traditional Spanish dresses taking pictures together, and I took a video of that and some pictures of the inside of the church.
Matt and I lost track of Dona since she went to get churros and lemonade while Matt and I were taking pictures of the church, so we went back to his place to wait for her. She didn't show up after a half hour, so we went out to look for her, but we ran into her in the entryway of the apartment building. She told us where to get churros, but we got there just after it ended. It was just as well, though, since she was about to serve lunch, and goodness knows that one meal over there is two or three meals in the States.
After lunch, Matt and I walked around the city some more. That evening we went to the mannequin burning that is held each year outside one of the churches. The whole spectacle was a bit odd.. some women wheeled out the mannequin, which, by the way, wasn't your ordinary mannequin-- it actually was wearing a suit and was built like a normal man, and it had a realistic looking face as well. It was wearing a sign that said "Por Vialador"-- something about a violator from years past who molested or raped a woman, and the festival was then held on her behalf to honor respect for women, etc. The Spanish women (some with their daughters) took pictures next to the mannequin, and the musicians that were on the street earlier in the day were still out and played when they set it on fire. While it was burning, the women (many wearing traditional Spanish garb) danced around it holding hands, and when the whole thing was over, the firemen helped clean it up (they were present for the whole thing just to make sure the fire remained contained).
After dinner that night, Matt and I went to bed fairly early. He was developing a cold, and I ate so much my stomach hurt heehee. We wanted to go to bed early so we could get up early on Monday to enjoy our last day together :(. I had a lot of trouble sleeping since I was dreading going to bed-- I knew that my trip was rushing towards the end at a pace I really didn't appreciate. Matt put his laptop in my room and set up a movie for me to watch (Disney's 'Cars') so I could distract myself with that while falling asleep instead of focusing on the lack of time together that remained. I fell asleep within the first half hour of the movie, but woke up two more times in the night. It was tough for me to fall asleep without it on again simply because while I was excited for another full day with Matt, I just didn't want the trip to end.
**this post is going to keep getting longer as I find time to add to it! I had lots of fun experiences in Spain with Matt so it will take a while before I can jot them all down! :)**
Thursday, February 5, 2009
twenty-five things
This comes from a Facebook note, actually. Basically, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you-- anything that comes to mind.
1. I am busing 4.5 hours to Dublin today, sleeping at the airport, then flying to Spain to see Matt on Friday morning.. and I am petrified that I am going to forget something, but beyond excited to see Matt. I've missed him terribly.
2. Trying new things, going to new places, and the unknown in general really stresses me out. I get physically sick to my stomach when I am anxious about something, and can get sick in literally 5 seconds if something extremely stressful comes up suddenly. I've always been like this- even when I was in elementary school I would be throwing up the night before a concert or test that wasn't that important in the long run. I'm getting better about managing anxiety, but still have a long ways to go.
3. Ireland is beautiful, and I am learning so much just by being on my own. The first two weeks of being here, I was asking myself what the hell I had been thinking by going so far out of my comfort zone, but my comfort zone has been slowly but surely expanding, and I am happy to be over here. I still get stressed thinking about the loans I took out to be here, but don't think about finances obsessively like I did when I first got here.
4. I was excited to get a neat looking Irish student ID card, but mine literally has the ugliest picture ever taken of me. I look like a 27 year old male homeless crack addict. The first time I used it to get into a club free on a student night, the bouncer made fun of it.
5. Both my parents are the most loving, caring parents you could ever ask for, and are known to call at random just to say how proud they are. I consider myself extremely lucky to have them.
6. I didn't feel like going to Tesco for toilet paper last week, so I stole an industrial roll from the Subway on the way home heehee
7. I am quite possibly the cheapest person you will ever meet. If I treat myself to a candy bar, I compare the number of ounces you get. I have an excel spreadsheet of my spending since I've been here. I spent less than $150 on groceries and other expenses (not included tuition, of course!) for all of last semester.
8. I am a double major and single minor, but the part of my life that I look forward to is family-oriented, and I have no idea what I want to do for a career.
9. I am very self conscious about singing in front of others, but I'm somehow in an a cappella group back home and am helping start a group here.
10. I don't drink very often, partly because I just don't feel the need, and partly because I am so damn cheap. I have had alcohol a grand total of 4 times since I have been here.
11. Of all things UofM-related, I miss 7 Days the most, and am praying I won't feel awkward or totally out of the loop when I return to the group.
12. I was extremely lucky and met the love of my life at a young age. I never understood why people got married so young until I met him. I wish that we lived in the same city.
13. I believe in love at first sight because my parents experienced it. The night they met, they went home and told their families they met the person they would spend the rest of their lives with, and they have done just that.
14. I hope to one day have a marriage as strong as my parents'. They have been through so much together- finishing college, starting careers, starting families, their parents' deaths, the death of a child, providing financially, etc- and seeing them together reaffirms that a happy, lasting marriage is possible even when everything around us seems to change so quickly.
15. I hate stairs that you can see through, and heights without railings.
16. I have developed an obsession with my eyelash curler, and don't like going out without curling + mascara-ing. I use three different mascaras (maybelline to hold the curl, lash blast for volume, and that purple tube of I-don't-remember-what to separate the lashes).
17. I've been told I am "motherly," and to be honest, I like it when people say that. I like to think it's just a synonym for caring about the welfare of others and not being afraid to reach out.
18. I. Love. Sleep. I love naps, I love sleeping in, I love doing my homework in bed, I love angling my computer screen down and falling asleep to a movie. If my metabolism slows down, I'm screwed.
19. I love food, and overeat 75% of the time. Thank God campus is so huge, or my butt would be.
20. I used to be judging of my sister's relationship (now marriage) and am ashamed whenever I think of the things I said to her about it. They are so well suited for each other that they carry themselves like those couples you see who have been married for 50 years. She glows when she is with him, and I hope she still has that sparkle when he leaves for Iraq.
21. I am worried that I am going to forget the bulk of my Latin knowledge, which is sad because I enjoyed my Latin coursework more than a lot of my major coursework.
22. Before I came to Ireland, I needed a haircut, so I went to Cost Cutters in the Wal*Mart in Rice Lake with Matt and my mom. Matt went first and it looked fine, so with my mother's encouragement, I went. Never, never get your hair cut there, ladies. I explained what I wanted and where I part my hair, and somehow I have layers on one side of my head if I don't do a center part. Yikes.
23. I absolutely love old people, especially old married couples. I love it when they're dancing at a wedding and know exactly what the other person is going to do, I love when they hold hands after fifty years, I love when they still look at each other like they are the luckiest people alive. I want that.
24. I love chapstick and lipgloss, but don't wear lipgloss around Matt because he hates "that sticky crap" :P :). I brought 5 lipglosses and a chapstick on my carry-on to Ireland.
25. When I take exams back home, I have a very set routine since I am fairly superstitious about finals: I wear Matt's Jimmy Eat World hoodie that he let me hold on to when he first left for college, I bring two pencils and have them both out on my desk, and I put a chapstick on my desk by those pencils. Routines, lists, etc. are my friend.
1. I am busing 4.5 hours to Dublin today, sleeping at the airport, then flying to Spain to see Matt on Friday morning.. and I am petrified that I am going to forget something, but beyond excited to see Matt. I've missed him terribly.
2. Trying new things, going to new places, and the unknown in general really stresses me out. I get physically sick to my stomach when I am anxious about something, and can get sick in literally 5 seconds if something extremely stressful comes up suddenly. I've always been like this- even when I was in elementary school I would be throwing up the night before a concert or test that wasn't that important in the long run. I'm getting better about managing anxiety, but still have a long ways to go.
3. Ireland is beautiful, and I am learning so much just by being on my own. The first two weeks of being here, I was asking myself what the hell I had been thinking by going so far out of my comfort zone, but my comfort zone has been slowly but surely expanding, and I am happy to be over here. I still get stressed thinking about the loans I took out to be here, but don't think about finances obsessively like I did when I first got here.
4. I was excited to get a neat looking Irish student ID card, but mine literally has the ugliest picture ever taken of me. I look like a 27 year old male homeless crack addict. The first time I used it to get into a club free on a student night, the bouncer made fun of it.
5. Both my parents are the most loving, caring parents you could ever ask for, and are known to call at random just to say how proud they are. I consider myself extremely lucky to have them.
6. I didn't feel like going to Tesco for toilet paper last week, so I stole an industrial roll from the Subway on the way home heehee
7. I am quite possibly the cheapest person you will ever meet. If I treat myself to a candy bar, I compare the number of ounces you get. I have an excel spreadsheet of my spending since I've been here. I spent less than $150 on groceries and other expenses (not included tuition, of course!) for all of last semester.
8. I am a double major and single minor, but the part of my life that I look forward to is family-oriented, and I have no idea what I want to do for a career.
9. I am very self conscious about singing in front of others, but I'm somehow in an a cappella group back home and am helping start a group here.
10. I don't drink very often, partly because I just don't feel the need, and partly because I am so damn cheap. I have had alcohol a grand total of 4 times since I have been here.
11. Of all things UofM-related, I miss 7 Days the most, and am praying I won't feel awkward or totally out of the loop when I return to the group.
12. I was extremely lucky and met the love of my life at a young age. I never understood why people got married so young until I met him. I wish that we lived in the same city.
13. I believe in love at first sight because my parents experienced it. The night they met, they went home and told their families they met the person they would spend the rest of their lives with, and they have done just that.
14. I hope to one day have a marriage as strong as my parents'. They have been through so much together- finishing college, starting careers, starting families, their parents' deaths, the death of a child, providing financially, etc- and seeing them together reaffirms that a happy, lasting marriage is possible even when everything around us seems to change so quickly.
15. I hate stairs that you can see through, and heights without railings.
16. I have developed an obsession with my eyelash curler, and don't like going out without curling + mascara-ing. I use three different mascaras (maybelline to hold the curl, lash blast for volume, and that purple tube of I-don't-remember-what to separate the lashes).
17. I've been told I am "motherly," and to be honest, I like it when people say that. I like to think it's just a synonym for caring about the welfare of others and not being afraid to reach out.
18. I. Love. Sleep. I love naps, I love sleeping in, I love doing my homework in bed, I love angling my computer screen down and falling asleep to a movie. If my metabolism slows down, I'm screwed.
19. I love food, and overeat 75% of the time. Thank God campus is so huge, or my butt would be.
20. I used to be judging of my sister's relationship (now marriage) and am ashamed whenever I think of the things I said to her about it. They are so well suited for each other that they carry themselves like those couples you see who have been married for 50 years. She glows when she is with him, and I hope she still has that sparkle when he leaves for Iraq.
21. I am worried that I am going to forget the bulk of my Latin knowledge, which is sad because I enjoyed my Latin coursework more than a lot of my major coursework.
22. Before I came to Ireland, I needed a haircut, so I went to Cost Cutters in the Wal*Mart in Rice Lake with Matt and my mom. Matt went first and it looked fine, so with my mother's encouragement, I went. Never, never get your hair cut there, ladies. I explained what I wanted and where I part my hair, and somehow I have layers on one side of my head if I don't do a center part. Yikes.
23. I absolutely love old people, especially old married couples. I love it when they're dancing at a wedding and know exactly what the other person is going to do, I love when they hold hands after fifty years, I love when they still look at each other like they are the luckiest people alive. I want that.
24. I love chapstick and lipgloss, but don't wear lipgloss around Matt because he hates "that sticky crap" :P :). I brought 5 lipglosses and a chapstick on my carry-on to Ireland.
25. When I take exams back home, I have a very set routine since I am fairly superstitious about finals: I wear Matt's Jimmy Eat World hoodie that he let me hold on to when he first left for college, I bring two pencils and have them both out on my desk, and I put a chapstick on my desk by those pencils. Routines, lists, etc. are my friend.
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