First day(s) of school!

Waiiiiiiiiiit, I came here to work?!?! Oh yeah! With all this hanging about and trying to get settled, I almost forgot that I had work responsibilities! Here's a brief recount of my first day(s) of school...

Monday

According to Fulbright, Monday was my first day of work. But when I e-mailed my coordinator, he decided it would be better for me to just come in for a tour. So while many of my peers were fighting the even heavier than usual morning commuter traffic (the Metro workers were striking during commute hours by only running half of the trains), I went for a run and lollygagged over to school to be there at 11:00. After a brief tour and a café, I was sent home and told not to come in the next day on account of my coordinator not having time to make me a schedule.

Tuesday

My job was a walk in the park. But literally... since I didn't have to go to work I took a very long walk in Parque de Buen Retiro (Park of the Pleasant Retreat). This park was once a private green space for the Royal Family, but is now one of the biggest and most popular parks in Madrid. I didn't know much about the history or features of the park until I googled it; here's the Madrid website where you can read a brief historical account if you like! Or you can just check out a few of my pictures...

 

 "The Galápagos fountain was created to honour the birth of Isabel II, and is also one of the more notable artistic works in the park. Built in 1832 by José de Mariategui, it consists of three different tiers decorated with water plants and equipped with water spouts that jet from Galapagos tortoises and frogs. Four small angels, with dolphins and a snail surmount the ensemble and adorn the top of the fountain. The structure has symbolic meaning which all sought to emphasise well-wishing on the occasion of the birth of the queen, so there are allegories of long life, fertility, and the upholding of traditional values such as wisdom and rectitude." (Source: www.esmadrid.com)

 Monument to King Alfonso XII, surrounded by a large artificial pond.

 One of the many statues in El Paseo de la Argentina (or as some call it, "El Paseo de las Estatuas"). This one in particular honors Alfonso I; I'm not sure who the head belongs to.

The site of the following akward conversation...

Enter Amber, sitting on a park bench reading The Poisonwood Bible. After a few moments, she looks up to see a guy on a bike (dressed in exercise clothing) stopped right in front of her, looking around. As soon as she looks up, he looks down at her as if he hadn't noticed he was 2 feet away from her. They make eye contact and the conversation begins... (English translation has been provided for your convenience).

Biker: Good afternoon.

Amber: Hello. Looks back down at book.

Biker: How are you doing?

Amber: Good. Again, looks down at book.

Biker: Good. Are you having a nice day at the park?

Amber: Yep, it's a really nice day. Wonders what the heck this guy is doing.

Biker: Yes, it is. Soooo, you are not from here, are you?

Amber: No (duh).

Biker: You are living here though?

Amber: Yep... Back to the book...

Biker: Where do you come from?

Amber: I'm from the U.S.

Biker: Ohhhh, good. So you speak English. Tries to impress her by saying a few things in English and telling her about his degree in languages.

Amber: Cool. Okay, buddy. Goodbye...

Biker: So you are working here?

Amber: Yes. I am a Conversation Assistant at a high school. Is reminding herself not to mention her school or neighborhood... and back to the book. Isn't he getting the hint?

Biker: Oh, great! Soooo... do you want to go get something to eat or drink?

Amber: Ummm, sorry. I'm waiting for some friends. This is actually true.

Biker: Oh, bummer. Well maybe some other day.

Amber: Smiles, saying nothing that could infer that she has any plans of ever going out with this man.

Biker: When we run into each other.

Amber: Okayyyyyyy. Bye! Thinks to herself, "As if I'm ever going to run into this guy/recognize him again..."
Biker: Okay, bye... Bikes away.
Amber returns to her book, wishing somebody else had been there to witness this bizarre interaction. END SCENE.

 Palacio de Cristal, which showcases exhibitions of modern art.

Picture in from the huge rose garden which was constructed in honor of one of the Chief Gardeners.

Looking out onto the pathway that leads to El Prado.

This monument, Puerta de la Álcala, was constructed in 1764 because King Carlos didn't think the previous gate was big enough to mark the Eastern boarder of the city. The national monument was moved to its current location, outside of Retiro Park, in the 19th century.

And last but not least, I visited El Campo del Moro with some friends from church. This is the park right outside of the Palace and it's filled with peacocks!

Wednesday & Thursday

After my late start, the past two days consisted of getting myself integrated into the classes. I won't bore you with the details but here are a few highlights:

My lovely powerpoint introduction was useless since none of the classes had computers or projects. Oh wait, two did... but the one computer was locked and the other wasn't even plugged in. I was happy I had with me a map of the U.S. (Thanks Dad and Jen!) and, since I hadn't moved in to my apartment yet, a few pictures of Hershey, Holland, and family!

One English class teacher decided that some of the kids were losing interest in my self-introduction, so he decided I would impersonate a famous singer from the U.S. Thus, I spent about 15 minutes answering (incorrectly) questions as if I were Lady Gaga. Some favorites included: How many times have you dyed your hair? Who is Alejandro? What do your parents think about your clothes? I said ridiculous things and got some laughs, but I was totally wishing I had Molly Rivera's knowledge about Lady Gaga.

On the way to the technology class, my cooperating teacher told me I would be introducing myself. After I explained that I had already introduced myself to the class during their English period (the classes don't change here... the students are together all day and the teachers travel to the students' rooms), he stopped me and asked, "What should we do then?" Ummmmm, not sure. I sure don't know Spain's technology curriculcum. After deciding that we would have a discussion about what life would be like without technology, we entered the classroom about 10 minutes late. He introduced me, the topic, and then motioned for me to take over and said he would be my scribe. Awesome.

Another technology class got out of an entire class by asking me questions. Every time they seemed to be finished the teacher would say, "Well if that is it, we will start boring technology...", to which the students responded by raising their hands with an obscure question about a city in the U.S. or my opinions about Spain.

My Global Classrooms teacher (who I spend most of my time with) is awesome! She has high expectations for the students and is very engaging. She also does this awesome spin thing when she decides she needs to change attitudes or start over... what a character! I'll explain more about the Global Classrooms bit later, but if you are too excited to wait, you can read a little bit about it here.

Okay, that's it! Tomorrow I leave to do part of El Camino de Santiago, from Logroño to Santo Domingo, with some friends from church! We are just going for two days, but it should be a fun introduction to the Camino!

Much love, as always.
Amber

Disclaimer: This blog records my personal thoughts and reflections; it is not reflective of the positions held by the Fulbright U.S. Student Program.