Living in a foreign country has its ups and downs. I had previously mentioned the good about Spain:
-Everywhere you turn, there's something culturally-mystifying. The architecture, the language, the food; you name it.
-The public transportation is incredible. It's (usually) safe, well-maintained, and super efficient.
-The people are super helpful. Need directions? No problem. Need a ride home because the bus driver drove right past you and a group of 10 other people? No pasa nada ("No pasa nada" is a ubiquitous Spanish phrase that has the sentiment of "No problem", "Don't worry", or "No big deal")
-People are politically active and aware here in a way that I've never seen in the United States (granted, I am from conservative Florida, but still). People know they have the right to protest, and they exercise that right on a consistent basis.
-The lifestyle here is much more active and much more affectionate. I can kiss and hug my students. Also, students call teachers by their first names!
But behind every seemingly magnificent and eye-opening cultural experience lies the downside:
-Like I mentioned in a previous entry, commodities are quite expensive. It cost me almost 25 € (Around $35 USD) for 2 TOWELS. In the US, I could have gone to Ross, TJ Maxx, etc and gotten towels of a similar quality for around half of that.
-Lack of public bathrooms (see anecdote below...)
-Foreign language learning is dismal. The textbooks used to teach English are woefully outdated and all from England (not necessarily Spain's fault).
-A lot of people doing the same thing as me (living abroad and teaching English) are not very impressive. My definition of impressive is someone who, regardless of their background, has a deep appreciation for languages and cultures different than their own and is willing to reflect on their own stereotypes and biases to change and grow. Many of the people I've met meet this criterion and are INCREDIBLE to talk to and be around. But many others are trust fund babies who care NOTHING about education or helping people learn English and are constantly complaining and comparing Spain to their home country or other countries they've visited.
But enough ranting...let's talk about the fun stuff that happened this weekend!
On Friday, I met up with my friends Jonathan and Evan and we went to a party at one of our classmate's places. It was a lovely house, located in Plaza Mayor (it was literally one of the old buildings that comprised the plaza). The view was magnificent, and there was an interesting mix of people).
I won't go into too many details, but I did meet some interesting people. It definitely wasn't the highlight of my night though.
After spending more time there than perhaps we should have, we realized that going out dancing wasn't as viable an option as we had originally considered. It was freezing cold and I was wearing a tank top, shorts, and open-toed shoes...what do you expect? I'm from FLORIDA! The club that everyone wanted to go to was too far away to walk to (about a 20-minute walk and practically sub-zero weather) and the Metro was closed. The only option would have been to take a cab.
Not worth it.
So we decided to switch gears.
A friend of mine from the program invited us to a language intercambio at the Templo de Debod (a Nubian temple in Madrid! Who would have thought).
It was a magnificent experience. It was also a botellón! We had a blast and learned what happens when public bathrooms are not available (use your imagination).
The next morning, we had churros con chocolate. Okay, I lied. We had PORRAS con chocolate, which are way thicker than regular churros!
Later that day, I hung out with my friend Nayelly and we went to my friend César's house to celebrate Chile's Independence Day!
We spoke in Spanish the whole time and made some new friends! :) It was a lovely day :)
That's all for now..now it's time for bed because I have a BIG day tomorrow! :)
-Rach
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