In Cabra :-D

Yesterday we got to Cabra in the afternoon. The night before we had our last dinner with the full group and it was a great time. We all went out to a restaurant and got drinks and tapas. Unfortunately we were all under the impression that we would be fed at a table and get full plates and that didn't happen. The drinks were coming out way faster than the tapas, too, so a bunch of people were getting tipsy without even trying. Woops. The food and the drinks were great and everybody was looking attractive...what's up with everybody in Spain being good looking, even the Americans here?


Maybe I'm just thinking we're all gorgeous because of the piropos (compliments) that strangers give you in the street. It honestly makes me pretty uncomfortable when I hear "oye, qué guapa eres, me gusta" x_x Also, the staring. People stare here all the time and don't understand if you're offended. Oh, and strangers will touch you. My background on my dad's side is pretty hands-off Swedes and Belgians, so it's a bit of a change for me. My mom's side, however, is Italian and the Italians are even more touchy feely than Spaniards. What I really enjoy about the Spanish guys is that they aren't NEARLY as aggressive as the outrageously sexually-charged Italians who think all the regazze americane sono facile. Non mi piacciono questi uomini.

So, Cabra. So far I really enjoy my apartment, my roommates, the people - it's all gravy. I met my bilingual coordinator yesterday with one of my roommates, at his apartment, and he's great. I called him up first and we decided to meet in the parque. I had no idea whether he'd give me dos besos upon arrival, but he did. Everyone kisses everyone here. If you back away when someone enters your nonexistent personal bubble, they'll think you're rude. Can't be shy in Spain, that's for sure. But people here really know how to live, I'd say -- I feel really accepted pretty quickly once I speak to people here. Also it's been a confidence boost to hear that I can understand everything they say and speak almost as well.

Yesterday night after getting mostly unpacked and walking around the city with roommates (oh and after the meet and greet with my bilingual coordinator), we got ready to sign our lease with the landlords. Their apartment is gorgeous, so many of the apartments here are well-appointed and designed. Every time you walk through the door they want to get you a drink and give you the best seat and all those things. We signed the lease and got the key code to access the internet and they told me where I can buy a bike. I have to buy a bike because my school is about half an hour away, walking. Also, I'll be working mostly early in the mornings and I'll be too tired to get up early enough to get there in time. What can I say, I'm lazy. That's why Spain suits me so well, because this is a country of people who appreciate the value of sleep! ¡Viva la siesta!



Post lease-signing, we went to Emily's apartment for dinner. She cooked us some paella and had bread and drinks. I brought a bottle of blush rioja wine and chocolate for the group. So cheap, too. Let me tell you, this is the perfect city as far as money goes, because this lady here has champagne taste and beer money and here I can go hog wild. Once dinner was over and we chatted a while, I called my bilingual coordinator (Carlos), and they told me where to meet them. Meeting half a dozen Spaniards is incredibly nerve wracking and all the moreso when you are jet lagged beyond belief. I may not have mentioned it, but I stayed up ALL night the night before, with Claire, because she was really distressed about being placed in a town all by herself and was pretty panicked. My calming presence coupled with my wit and charm apparently did the trick. Hardy de hardy har. But honestly, I'm really happy she ended up getting a spot in our apartment because she's such a genuine girl and lots of fun, too. She has a chance of ending up teaching with me, because there are supposed to be two language assistants in every school, but one of the girls quit already. If that happens, Claire won't be commuting to Iznájar every day and will transfer to my school. Big change ~ Iznájar is super small. Also, she is assigned to a kindergarten (*cough*glorifiedbabysitter*cough*), and I'm in a middle/high school. It's possible that I'll be teaching kids up to 18 years old. Good. Lord. I really have to sharpen my skills on grammar and all that jazz.

Woops on that tangent. Anyway, going out ~ I met up with them at 11:30 and we walked to a bar. For the first 10 minutes I was kind of in shell shock, but then I had a flashback to orientation when they said that you HAVE to make a big effort at the very beginning because you can't randomly decide you want to befriend them after a month because they'll think you're out of your mind. Makes sense. So anyway, I really pushed myself and somehow used my reserve energy to make it work. They were a lot of fun. Really young, too, which is crazy ~ mostly in their 30s. The director/principal guy is probably in his 60s, but who knows. Carlos is in his 40s and speaks British English when we actually speak English. In the group last night we were speaking Spanish 95% of the time. I kept telling them I thought it was silly that I would speak Spanish to a group of Spaniards I'd never seen in my life and they couldn't speak English to one American girl? (oigame, estaba hablando español con vosotros todo de la noche y ¿no podeís hablar inglés con una americana sola?) They thought it was funny. A few of them did actually speak English to me to practice it. They had better get used to it, because we've been told that we're supposed to speak English, exclusively, in the school.

I start working, officially, on Tuesday. I'll be going to the school at 10:30 to just check it out, on Monday and make a lesson plan and solidify my knowledge of the names of the professors and where everything is and all of that. We'll see how that goes for me. Stay tuned.