Cuando en Espana

Hola a todos,

Hay mucho que me ha mantenido ocupado últimamente.


Spanish Poetry Slam
We went out to what we thought was going to be a typical Spanish poetry slam, not that I knew what a typical slam would look like; regardless we were not prepared. The poetry really was amazing, all in Spanish, some Catalan. Even with out a translator, it was possible to find meaning in the words. The real entertainment started once we traveled upstairs for the second act. There were three performances, each one more unique than the one before. 


First up was a man who started with, ¨you spend 10€ on this much whisky (opening a fresh bottle and pouring a good 12-16 ounces of liquor), I am asking you to spend 10€ on my poetry.¨ He then drank the whisky. The rest of his performance was just as entertaining. Again all in Spanish, he referenced a screen behind him which displayed visual interpretations of what he was yelling about on stage. Topics included politics, modern art, and Flash (computer terminology). 


Next up, a black haired woman entered the dark room, she was going for the creepy look, having what looked like alphabet soup letters glued to her body. In hand she carried a black plastic bag. With eerie music playing in the background she walked around the audience, three times she leaned into an audience member and whispered something and then handed them a piece of fruit from the bag. Performance continued, once on stage, the audience watched as she threw herself on top of a pile of soil. She ate it, she rubbed in on her face, in her hair, she threw it up, she pushed the limits of interpretive soil dancing. Being covered in soil, she washed herself with water, which lead to a loosely fitting dress, becoming even more loosely fitting. Its a good thing this was considered art, otherwise it probably would have been an uncomfortable moment for both the performer and the audience. The music dyed down and so did the performer, quietly walking off stage. Applause. 


The third performance, on some level was mind-blowing. A man a woman, a bass player, a video technician, and an audio technician gathered on stage. To summarize, it looked and sounded like a elementary talent show, each performer proud of what they could do, but at the same time, not actually a talent, or impressive. It started with PAJOROS, a central theme...The video technician loaded a .wmv, while the audio technician pumped up the jams with some techno. The man stood at the front of the stage, in Spanish, rambling on  about PAJOROS. PAJOROS. PAJOROS. The woman joined in at times, to support the discussion of PAJOROS, while the bass player jammed to the tune in his own head. A solid 20-30 minute performance, and the crowd applauded at the end because it was over. 


(Even our friend, the poet, who we went to support dozed off towards the last 10-15 minutes of the performance. Only waking up, because she was the closer, sharing some impressive opera and poetry to end the night, a true round of applause followed.)


Live Music


BFIS is home to a lot of musical talent. The majority of the male staff play guitar. Our HS chemistry teacher, Matt Monaghan, plays an acoustic guitar with group called Radiosepia, an authentic acoustic sound with the support of a viola. Quoting one of his emails, ¨We play a kind of rockey-folkey-indie-hash with predictable lyrics about monkeys and quantum science and lost pirates.¨ Worth taking a listen to.http://radiosepia.com/ They can also be found on itunes by searching Matt Monaghan. 



I´ll update with a few other events soon. Just takes awhile to get it all down.

La Merce and Ibiza

Family and Friends,

A sincere apology for not updating the blog lately. I’d like to say that life has gotten busy, but that just seems too cliche. 

Life has been good though. La Merce was an experience. The entire city celebrates...well its origins are centered around the Virgin Mary, but its hard to find it in today’s celebration. Gigantes, Carrefoc, and Castellers are the main attractions; giants, demons, and human towers. The four day celebration ends with a firework show that puts the fourth of July to shame (sorry America). The Carrefoc was the highlight. As I was running through the middle of it taking pictures I thought, there is no way I can describe this in words...it would take a poet (or a better writer than myself, not saying a whole lot...) to capture the intensity and tone accurately. In summary, the city streets fill with a thousand or so people, who then anxiously wait for the “gates of hell” to open. Out of which, demons run through the crowd, spraying everyone with fireworks. 

I started Spanish class last week at International House. I felt like I should have been placed in a higher class, but then again I should have paid more attention in high school. Either way, I have enjoyed the first week of classes, and will have at least 4 hours a week of quality language practice. 

This last weekend was spent in Ibiza. Ibiza is the party capital of Europe, a relatively small island about an hour’s flight from Barcelona. I was apparently the only one who didn’t know this little fun fact before purchasing the tickets. We might have been the only twenty something year olds not looking for an all night into the early morning intoxicating experience. Luckily the weekend before was the end of the “season” for Ibiza, and we missed the masses. It was a nice quiet weekend, spent eating some amazing food and relaxing. 

I finally got the email from the Consulado de Espana, in Los Angeles, and my visa is ready to be picked up. I fly out tomorrow morning and will get to spend the week in LA with Jess! 

I should have a steady internet connection by the time I get back; for all of those looking to catch up with me on Skype, primas...

Pictures are posted at observations.zaplife.com

Week...?

Finally, I have a place to call home! Its a 2 bedroom, place in Gracia. A neighborhood that is known for its food, atmosphere, art and Catalan roots. Guadi and Picasso both called this neighborhood home at one point, and up until the early 1900's was still its own separate city.

Once again the week flew by, Monday through Friday was a blur of meetings, and classroom visits. Thursday night we had our Open House, where I spoke to parents about the Morning care/ drop off procedures and listened to many suggestions from parents on how they would fix the problem that is our drop off routine.

By the end of the night I had stopped by each of the 4th/5th classrooms to introduce myself to parents, and described my role as a Learning Support teacher.  Many parents were eager to introduce themselves, some with legitimate concerns, others maybe fitting into that "helicopter" parent category. I met some parents that were doing some pretty amazing things as well. Business brings a lot of our families to Barcelona, and many of our parents are founders/CEO's of a companies that are doing a lot of good. One parent's business is to get as many E-readers into 3rd world countries as possible, translating and providing students with culturally appropriate texts. Another, with the profits from a fancy skin cream, is funding the construction of water wells in Africa. Kind of nice to know that there are people out there who after finding finical stability for their own families, are spending their time and effort on others; not just inflating their own retirement funds...

Friday, I signed the rental contract, and almost immediately went shopping for basic start-up supplies. We found everything we needed in one "chino shop". It's kind of like a Walmart...but much more compact. It reminds me of the dusty market in Cholla Bay...Towels, shower curtain, sponges, soap, silverware, plates and bowls. Laundry basket, door hangers, and toothbrush holder. (not that we bought it but if needed you could also find, Michael Jackson paintings, 4 foot giraffe statue, sexy suduko, ramon noodles)

Saturday was spent cleaning, scrubbing, and arranging...followed by a siesta and a movie on the computer. Sunday, Alex (Irish roomate) and I went in search of breakfast, and found a Jazz Festival instead. Right in the center of Gracia, at Placa del Sol. We sat for awhile in a light sprinkle of rain, and it all just felt surreal. The music, the people, the atmosphere...It felt like Gracia.

Next week is the start of La Merce 2011, celebration of both the patron Saint of Barcelona, and the passing of summer to autumn...apparently one of the biggest festivals of the year.

I'll post some pictures of the new place as soon as I get some free time.

Week 4: September 5th- 11th

Week in Review:

School kept me pretty busy this week. All week long I was in training with Joyce, the co-writer of the Shelton Method, a reading and writing program for students with processing problems. From 8:30- 12:30, we met to learn about various processing problems, mainly dyslexia. Fascinating. And I'm not being sarcastic.  Her method, teaches students who struggle with reading and writing due to processing problems, by systematically breaking down the English language, and rebuilding/remediating the skills through high tech technologies: paper, pencil, and a sandpaper board. She re-wrote the program for early childhood intervention, and moved from a sandpaper board, to a tactile board(slightly less abrasive on kindergarten fingers). Over the course of a 10 year study, her research showed about 25-30% of all students in schools across the U.S. and in Brazil, have some form of processing problems ranging from moderate to severe. Makes you wonder about that "behavior problem" in the classroom.

Friday night, I met up with a few of the other new hires, to watch our school librarian play an acoustic show (anybody seen Bad Teacher yet, actually quite a bit better than Period 5) at a small bar near the Sagrada Familia. After the show we sat around the table sharing stories, and straining to understand the thickening (there seems to be a connection between drinks and strength of accents) accents. We spent a good hour telling/listening to jokes; most only had relevance if you were from the country of origin. And then there was a whole line of jokes like this one...

"A polar bear family is wandering through the frozen tundra, and the littlest polar bear goes up to his mum (british accent), and says, "Mum, what am I?  His mum replies, your a polar bear, don't be dumb! The bitty polar bear wanders up to his pa, and asks, "What am I?" your a bloody polar bear, don't you know! Little polar bear runs up ahead to ask his brother the same question...same answer, a polar bear. Finally returns to mom, and asks, "Mum! what am I!? Mum, says, why in bloody hell do you keep asking? The little polar bear responds, "Because I'm F 'ing Cold!"

A penguin walks into a bar...

On Saturday I woke up early to catch the train to Tarragona, left for the train around 8:30, hoping to catch the 9:06 to Tarragona, a quick 33 minute ride. After misreading the digital display, and missing the correct train, I hopped on the next, hoping it was headed in the same direction. I lucked out and it was infact heading towards Tarragona, but had a dozen stops along the way, along with needing to switch trains twice. I pulled into Tarragona around noon, and found the closest tapas restaurant and enjoyed the best Patatas Bravas yet. I rode around the city for a few hours, stopped and only took a few pictures. By 3 I was tired and ready to head back. The train back was much more direct, and I was even able to close my eyes for twenty minutes.

Sunday..watched the entire first season of Breaking Bad...

Alright, so it's Monday night, and me an my future flatmate just high fived and shared some sangria, to toast to our new place. Well, we still have to go take a second walk through tomorrow, and hand over the deposit, but it seems like a done deal. By next weekend (fingers crossed...again), I should be moving into my new, permanent place, a two bedroom in the Gracia neighborhood!

A few photos from Tarragona @ observations.zaplife.com

Bicycle Ride in Sitges

Turn down the audio, and not a steady shot, since I was recording while riding my bike, but it offers a quick glimpse of Sunday's ride...

Week 3, August 29th- September 4th

School has started! Thursday students arrived for the first day of school. It was a little odd at 8:30 walking through the halls and not having my own classroom to stand in front of; to start my policies and procedures, trying to memorize 30 new faces. Or maybe it was not having the specific schedule to follow. For the last 4 years, my routine has been written in dry erase marker on the board, from bell to bell, in 45 minute blocks. I have to admit it has been a nice change of pace. I can go top off my coffee when I need to. I don't have to wait for that 5 minute, 10 AM break to run to the restroom. I have however taken on other responsibilities, the chaos that is our student drop off "procedure"; not a lot of "procedure" involved. Part of my job is to create some order in what seems like a non existent morning procedure...I have google mapped the area, and can see a solution, but have been told by more than one person, that "...this is Spain..." so not a whole lot of optimism when it comes to changing the driving/parking situation.

Week in Review:

The week really kind of flew by, looked at a few more places to live. We are now set on a place in Gracia, unless we find something better in the next few days. I feel like I shouldn't update anymore on the housing until I have actually signed a contract and gotten some keys.

True highlight of the week was waking up early on Sunday, and taking the train out to Sitges. A smaller coastal town south of Barcelona. I hopped off the train, and could smell the ocean. Even in Barca, the smell of the ocean isn't that strong, or even pleasant. Narrow roadways lead strait down to the ocean, where the beaches at 9 AM were empty. Not a lot of people up and moving that early on a Sunday...I rode from one end to the other in about an hour at a pretty leisurely pace. (Roger Clyne on my ipod)  I stopped often to take pictures, but more than anything just enjoyed riding somewhere completely new. Around noon, as people started to arrive at the beaches, I parked and sat at a beach side bar and enjoyed a can of Sangria, and a bacadillo. I soon headed up into to the city, stopped in a few shops and then eventually made my way back to the train station.  I posted the better photos @ http://observations.zaplife.com .

Until next time...

Week 2, August 21st-28th

Two full weeks in Barcelona feels like a month. The idea that this is just a vacation and soon I would be headed home is quickly fading. With being at work all this week, I am, I think sub-consciencely realizing that this is home. Even though I don’t have a place to call home yet, I am finding the routines similar to what might be the everyday back home. Local grocery stores, favorite places to eat, bike rides and hanging out with friends are finding their place in the daily routine. Not to say that things are not new and exciting, but that I am able to find a sense of normalcy in the everyday.

Week in Review:

• At work this week, I was given keys to my office. As we prepare for the start of the school year, my job description is becoming more clear. I have been officially labeled Learning Support for the 4th and 5th grade classroom. In the states this is the typical Special Ed instructor. Here IEP’s and 504 exist, but are not legal contracts...and not as word heavy, as us U.S. teachers are used to. It will be up to me to work with students who may or may not have diagnosed disabilities like Dyslexia, ADD, Asburgers and Autism etc. Most of my work will be in the classroom, supporting the instruction; however, my office will double as a work room for students who need extended time on tests, a quite work space, or simply a place to get away from the distractions of the classroom. In addition to my Learning Support position I will also be part of a team, in which my Head of Schools refers to as the “A Team”. Along with principals, counselors, and office admin, I will be meeting weekly to help make decisions concerning the daily and future progress of the school.
• Went out for cheap pizza night, similar to our Little Ceasar’s. Probably the worst thing I have eaten here so far, and my stomach quickly made note of it. I sat among some new friends, all locals, which I met through my friend MaryAnn. Their English is about as good as my Spanish, so I sat for the most part simply listening to their conversations. At times they would attempt to ask me a question in English, but were not ready for my response, likewise, I could form a question in my head, but could not comprehend their quick responses.
• I saw my first pelicula (movie) Super Ocho, it’s the Steven Speilburg film. Even though the movie was in Spanish, I was able to follow the plot, or at least the one I made up in my head. I thought it was pretty good.
• Looked at several different places to live, but have not been succesful in finding something that we like. The places vary here quite a bit. As we entered a place in E’xamplia, we realized we were standing in the bathroom, which led to the rest of the house, it had lots of space but hadn’t been updated since the late 1800’s; having furniture that might be found in a museum of colonial living. Another place was in the final stages of remodeling, however the modern look of the place included bedroom walls that were completely made of glass, including the doors. Making any form of privacy nearly impossible. I called our housing company on Friday, and with their help we will be viewing some more reasonable places on Wednesday. Hopefully, fingers crossed, we will be able to find something soon.
• I have moved into another temporary place near the Placa Espanya. For the time being I am living with our school’s elementary music teacher, included in my rent is some free guitar lessons, and spontaneous Spanish lessons. I now have my own bedroom, and a small balcony overlooking part of the city.
• On Friday, a few of us went out to celebrate a birthday of one of the teachers. Dinner was amazing, Black Rice was the main course, getting its color from squid ink. We then headed out to a small bar where on Friday nights they host a small Flamenco group in the basement, a female singer, guitarist, drum box, and two dancers, a male and female. The art of Flamenco, is quite impressive, all of the instruments play based on the rhythm and flow of the dancers.
• Finally, last night I met up with a new friend, another local, who loves his new fixed gear bike, and has recently gotten into some photography. We intended on taking some pictures, but due to a flat tire we had to call it in early. He has promised to show me several spots that only the locals know about, the “real” Barcelona.

View from my temporary place

My office

Streets of Barcelona

Spanish style movie popcorn

Week 1

So all week long, I thought to myself, I should update the blog. It seemed like everyday there was something worth writing about. And now as I look back on the week it all seems like such a blur; it feels like I have already been here for a month.

I landed early Saturday morning, my friend's plane landed only a few minutes after mine, and before I even made it through customs our paths had crossed. Bags and a taxi, and I was traveling through the streets of Barcelona. At first it looked like every other big city in the states, tall buildings, freeways, people. It didn't take long before I began to see the difference.

Highlights from the week include:

• Visiting my new school for the first time. Meeting the new staff, and learning the new curriculum. The staff have come from all over, each person has a background and history that seems like they might be characters in a book. The accents...
• The food; on every corner there are small, family owned restaurants from every corner of the world, Japones, Italian, French, Spanish and American.... McDonalds and KFC (which are surprisingly busy in a city that has so may other food options). Tapas and cafe con leche, it doesn't matter what time of day eating is always an option. Stopping on the way home from work to have a cervesa and some patatas bravas is more rewarding than I ever thought possible.
• Meeting my new flatmate and apartment hunting. We have seen several different apartments and think we have found the one we would like, but now we have to play games with the rental company to work out the final details.
• Experiencing 2 Barca V Real Madrid soccer matches. This city loves a win. Celebrations include honking your horn the entire way home, while flying flags out the window. Meeting in Plaza Catalunya to continue the celebration; singing, dancing, chanting, yelling, drinking, booing opposing fans until the police arrive.
• Laying on the beach in Barcelonleta, talk about a new level of people watching. Some even go beyond the usual topless attire. Men with no tan lines...a very confident culture. I have heard the beaches just outside the city are even more beautiful and less crowded, next weekend...
• Fiesta Major de Gracia, a neighborhood in Barcelona celebrates...something...each street in the neighborhood chooses a theme in which to decorate their street; themes include magic, Peter Pan, SpongeBob, Mozart. For an entire week the streets fill with people, music, food and sangria until the earlier morning hours.
• Bike riding and getting lost. I have a map that is now in 3 separate pieces from the amount of use. Riding around is helping me get a sense of direction in a city where every corner looks like the last.

Next week I am at work from 9:00-3:00, siesta sadly has gone by the way side here in Barcelona following the slowing economy. I will be setting up my office/ work room, and meeting the other 60 staff members on Thursday. And hopefully will be finalizing a housing contract by the end of next week, looking forward to unpacking my suitcases, and feeling like I am finally settled here in Barcelona.

Side note: I now have a cell phone and can send and receive text messages using the app "Whatsapp" found at www.whatsapp.com. Cell # +34 665 769 284 I would love to hear from you. I have and will continue to post photos at observations.zaplife.com.

Love you all, and please don't hesitate to Skype me a message.

Saying Goodbye

Its tough trying to start one of these things, a blog that is. We actually discussed it last night over dinner. After showing the picture to the family from my phone of everything I had packed for the trip, I think either Michelle or my mom said that’s where it should start.

Currently, sitting on the plane headed to Philadelphia, and from there on to Barcelona. (picture was taken on the second flight) The reality of my trip, new future home, new country, new job, new everything did not begin to carry any weight until these last few days. It was saying goodbye to family at my parents house. Side note: Mom and Dad thanking you again for the amazing authentic Spanish food, and delicious smoked fish tacos. And later in the week with friends at Four Peaks; it’s impressive what a Facebook post can do for someone’s ego... Thank you to everyone for coming. And of course actually giving those last few hugs before turning for the security checkpoint. It was a lot tougher than I had planned on. Looking forward, I am excited for what will be my new home, city, and job.

After landing sometime early Saturday morning in Barcelona, the plan is to find and gather my luggage, and meet up with a teacher friend, the one who helped me get the job. With luggage in hand we will be taking a taxi into the center of Barcelona, the Gracia neighborhood where I will be crashing on a futon until me and my flatemate can find a place of our own.

Sunday evening will be the first meet and greet with new staff at BFIS, eating dinner Ciutat Comtal, at a seafood restaurant near the beach. On Monday we are meeting up at Cafe Zurich and headed out on a Barcelona bus tour followed by a stop at the beach, Tuesday we will be setting up bank accounts and getting a cell phone, and Wednesday is an Ikea and Mall day. From there we report to school roughly nine to noon most days until the start of school on the 1st.

Hasta luego!