First update from España

So after 3 weeks of la vida en Andalucia, I decided it was about time I updated my blog & let you all know that I am alive despite the lack of communication everyone has received from me! Life is different here. I think that’s the best word to describe my experience so far. And of course this ‘different’ life has its advantages- long siestas, muchas fiestas, a relaxed & very friendly manaña mentality! But naturally it also has its complications- shops close between 2pm-6pm (the time when you’re out of work and want to do stuff!), public transport is unreliable & limited (sometimes bus drivers stop for cigarette breaks causing you to miss your transfer!) and communication is still in the 20th Century… internet is only just being introduced properly & therefore costs an arm & a leg. Different, but an experience! And I love it!

I arrived in Valverde 3 weeks ago and already I feel I’ve really bonded with some people here. Although the town is pretty & has character, I would say it’s the people rather than the place that makes Valverde an enjoyable and peaceful home. There’s a group of Spanish teachers who are all in their twenties & we meet up twice a week for meals and games etc. Playing taboo in Spanish was defs an experience & great oral practice! I have been blessed with an amazing housemate- a girl called Kate (24) who lives near Chicago. She’s so great & we have lots of giggles together. It’s just refreshing to be able to come home and speak English after a day at the office ! We’re living in a beautiful & pretty huge ‘piso’ with a terrace, 4 bedrooms (2 spare bedrooms – hint hint for visitors), two bathrooms, lounge & kitchen & it’s just a couple of ‘calles’ away from the centre which makes things a lot easier for getting to internet spots! Incredibly it’s only 200 Euros a month pp! Now if that doesn’t tempt you to move to Spain, maybe the 1 Euro a liter Sangria, white beaches & the constant sunshine might! !

Last weekend was a holiday, so we had a 3 day weekend to enjoy. We weren’t sure where to go, and so figured a trip to Lagos, Portugal might be a laugh. İİİQUE BONITA LA PLAYA!!! Seriously the most beautiful beaches I have ever visited- the historic town provides tourists with paradise beaches, palm trees and crystal blue oceans, nightlife and the most incredible cuisine I’ve ever tasted, pescado as cheap as chips but delicious and so fresh! Check out the photos on facebook.

We arrived Saturday after a pretty hectic journey- again, the transport system is quite backward here, so a mere 4 hour journey by car took us 8! 2 buses, a ferry and 2 trains brought us safely to the beautiful coastline of Lagos & smiling, tanned faces! We literally went straight to the beach to cool off in the ocean. We spent a lot of time soaking up the sun at the beach & swimming with mini fish in the tropical ocean-.I was sad not to find Nemo though ;p In the evenings we hit the bars & met some cool people on the final night- Italian romantics- Kate & I made it quite clear we weren’t interested in ‘sexy time’ but it didn’t sway them…and Erica (another American assistant from our town) had a holiday romance with Miguel whilst Kate and I told tales of our lovers in America who were equally as romantic as Italian men but with a little something extra… oh yes.. Faithfulness! Hehe. Seriously though, it was amazing to hang out with them and another American- Paul. (He was a sweetheart & we’re hoping to make a trip to Seville sometime to visit him & his Spanish roommates!) We even took a dip in the sea at 4am- la vida loca is taking its grip on me! Seriously great for our Spanish too, as it was the only common language we all shared!

Another fun guy was this hippy style, organic, tea-total, multi-lingual, hilarious magician that called us over to watch his show in the street- I was ‘Miss English’ & helped assist him in his unicycle act. His favorite saying in between his acts was “I like you, you like me… 50/50!!!” We found it quite amusing. Later we bumped into him at a bar & had a great time hearing about his incredible travel stories in S.America, USA and Europe & I was amazed at how perfectly he spoke Spanish, English, Portuguese and French. He also knew a bit of German, but it was limited to “Hallo, auf wiedersehen and scheizer.” Lol. He’s now trying to fulfill his 5 ambitions in life- 1. Save the planet…well, by planting trees, 2. Write a book of his travel stories (he has started it), 3. Move to Brasil (his dream) and finally 4&5. Find his soul mate so he can reproduce & make baby magicians! He was one wacky guy!
I just find it astonishing hearing about other peoples views of the world, of life and their tales of other lands. I told him at one point that I was afraid of heights, and he asked me seriously what my star sign is… apparently it is quite common for an Aquarius! ;p

The return journey was an experience too- we got to the bus station in Lagos at 7am (after an all-nighter on the beach with our Italian friends) and planned to catch the 1st of 2 buses to Huelva that day. Only to discover that the hour we had been given was the ‘Spanish hour’ i.e. an hour ahead. So we had missed the bus. Amusingly we went back to our hostel, checked back in and slept until midday- 3 very much appreciated hours of sleep! Then we tried again that afternoon- this time turning up Portuguese time! When we got to the city of Huelva at 7pm we were welcomed by a moody Spanish ticket lady who told us there were no more buses to Valverde. Panic time. But you know what they say… ‘It’s not what you know, it’s who you know!’ So we called our Spanish friend Rubén- a real legend! And he proclaimed that he would ‘come and rescue the three musketeers!’ And so we arrived safely back in Valverde after experiencing the very frustrating but sometimes amusing Andalucía transportation system! So Lagos- perfect beach holiday destination- a must- just rent a car!

I guess I should mention the school briefly too- I work at a middle school called Don Bosco. I’m teaching Geography, PE and English & so far so good. It’s hard at times because I have to learn the stuff about tectonic plates, hemispheres, terminology etc before I teach it, but I’m enjoying the challenge & the translation work that comes with it. Unlucky for Kate, she has to do Math classes- sometimes we sit down together and try and figure out the problems, but 12 year old math is just too much for our brains hehe- we are hopeless! But the students find it amusing ;p, and besides, we didn’t sign up for this- I left math and geography behind 5 years ago! Just keeps coming back to haunt me lol.
On our first day we asked to sit in an English class just to observe. When we introduced ourselves they asked us “Do you have boyfriend?” It confused them greatly that both I and Kate’s boyfriend are called Corrie/Corey. We got a giggle out of it though. There’s one boy who has a bit of a bad reputation in the school called Samuel. But if you keep on the right side of him he can be nice enough. He frequently winks at me & proclaims on a regular basis how he loves me and even wrote in permanent marker on the white board: ‘Corrrey y Samuel’ in a heart…. I don’t know what I found more amusing, the spelling of my name or the fact that it wouldn’t rub off & is now stuck on the classroom board as a ‘recuerdo’.

I love how friendly Spaniards are. The teachers are so welcoming & the students reasonably enthusiastic to learn. I can’t walk down the street anymore without hearing ‘Hello! Hello!’ and turning to see a teenager with their eyes twinkling & a beaming smile (yes, that tends to be the limit of their knowledge of the English language, but it brings a smile to my face every time.) I’m having to work 12 hours a week in the school & a further 4hours tues/wed afternoons doing English Workshops as an after school club. I’ve also been lucky to have a few private lessons lined up helping to pay for my travelling & exploring of this beautiful country! Just this week I've also started additional tutoring in a private school that is situated literally across the road from me. So lots of teaching and little free time during the week but it helps pay for the trips at the weekends!

There have been so many good times so far & I just love how laid back everyone is here. A good example would be our landlady. We’ve been living in the house for 3 weeks now and we’re only just getting round to signing the contract & she’s letting us pay her when we want- within some limits of course- but I just find it incredible that I have been living in an apartment for 3 weeks and haven’t paid a single cent! Life here depends a lot on TRUST I guess.

I think you will be able to view the photos from Lagos. I will upload the ones of Valverde soon too. For now I think that’s all I wanted to say. Thinking and praying for many of you St Adrians- I hear, after talking with Hannah and Heidi that honors level is a big step up & you’re all working very hard. I’m worried I will have a slight shock returning next year to … what’s that word? … ah, study!?!
Well, I miss you all and sending muchos besos around the world to wherever you beautiful people are.
Keep me updated with news and gossip from the bubble!
Abrazos y besos,
Cor xXx