Guggenheim museum in Bilbao
I guess the biggest thing that has happened lately is the fact that Blake and I have changed our travel plans a little. I think we decided that we arenīt going to France anymore. Instead, we are going to fly out of Barcelona directly to Milan, and we are going to spend a full month in Italy. We wouldnīt have changed anything, but we were looking online recently to secure travel arragements to Bilbao in Basque Country, and we found some great flight deals!!
You wouldnīt believe it!!! If you go to Ryanair.com, or some of the other cheap airline websites, you can find incredible deals. There was actually a flight from Santiago de Compostela, in northern Spain to Milan for .83 euros!!! Of course, it was a last minute deal, but still...our flights donīt get THAT cheap!
We punched in the date that we would be leaving Barcelona, and it turns out that we can get a flight to Milan for as little as 15 euros! Itīs really insane. I would be a little skeptical, but our old roommate, Marísa, took a flight like this and it was completely legit. She said her friends had taken flights for under one euro, and they had no problem either.
We decided to cut out France because we really donīt know French all that well, and we arenīt as excited about France as we are about Italy. We donīt know anything about the food in France, the people are notorious for being wierd to foreigners, and itīs expensive.
Now, weīve switched gears, and it looks like we will be spending a week or a week and a half in northern Italy, one week in Florence and Tuscany, and one week in Rome. (The rest will probably be used as travel days.)
The itinerary should look something like this:
Fly into Milan...stay a day or two...see The Last Supper painting since Iīm now reading The DaVinci Code...
Then go to Lake Como for a few days...
Then take a bus to Alto Adaige, which is a tiny area of Italy that borders Austria. It is supposed to look just like Austria, and itīs famous for skiing in the winter and walking trails in the summer. Everything there is German as well - kind of different.
After that, weīll make our way to Venice.
When we leave northern Italy, our next stop will be Florence, and weīll spend three or four days there. Then, we will probably take a bus to Lucca, which is a city that is supposed to be a good link to all of the vineyards in Tuscany.
After Lucca, weīll probably go directly to Rome and spend a full week there, of course.
Itīs kind of exciting! We donīt know if weīll be ready to leave Madrid. This place has been kind of a home for us. I feel like even though weīve already started this around the world trip, once we leave Madrid will be the real thing. We wonīt have any place to settle down, weīll constantly be lugging our things around with us, etc. Iīm sure weīll be fine though!
Other than our trip, everything else is going fine. We got some bus tickets for Bilbao this weekend. We leave on Saturday morning and come back to Madrid on Monday night. Monday is another holiday, so nobody is working.
I really canīt get over this Spanish way of life. Everyone quits working the second that they can. This country is not driven my capitalism - which is really strange to me. Itīs really annoying because if you want to do some shopping in the afternoon, you canīt. Grocery stores close, clothing stores close, everything closes! Of course, itīs great for employees...
Another thing that Blake an I have noticed is the fact that Spaniards really donīt appreciate the U.S. government, (which is to be expected.) We both have students who want to work on their English conversation, and all they want to talk about is politics. I might have said this before, but you really learn alot about your own culture when you get questioned about it by a foreigner.
My student Julio often asks me if things that heīs heard about the U.S. are true. The first question that he asked me is 'Do Americans in high school really laugh at people and make fun of them if they are smart and wear glasses?' Of course, he was referring to the classic dork, and I had to say it was true. My answers usually sound something like this, 'Yes, but...'
We started talking about poverty in the U.S., and a whole bunch of other topics, and it occured to me that it was a pointless conversation. Like alot of Europeans, Julio has his mind set up a certain way, and I donīt think heīs willing to hear any other side.
The U.S. media has been accused of publishing selected infomation to the public about the war and other political issues, while leaving out important details. Europeans and some Americans even, think that American media is sensored by a large extent. I have no idea if this is true or not...but I do know that the newspapers here in Spain do a great job at sensoring info. as well. Everything that is published about the U.S. makes the country look terrible. Itīs because of this that now, some Europeans think the U.S. actually 'deserved' Sept. 11th. Some Spaniards think that they actually deserved the Atocha bombing in Madrid a couple years ago, only because they were politically supporting the U.S. I think itīs really wierd.
Donīt get me wrong...itīs not like all Spaniards think this way. Itīs just that Blake and I have noticed that when talking about politics to our students, the same type of opinion usually arises. Heīs talked with two of his students, and Iīve talked with two of mine, and they all say the same thing. Itīs sad.
On a lighter note...the kids that I work for are doing well. I think I introduced them to the 'piggy back ride' the other day. I donīt know if theyīve ever had one before or not, but they were cracking up when I carried them around.
They always want to play house with me. Itīs almost a tradition. Everyday, María and I work on some flash cards in English. Then, she usually gets board. She starts playing with her tea set and prepares me and Pedro some breakfast. She is always the mommy and little Pedro always wants to be the daddy. They make me the daughter...I think they do this so they can tell me what to do. Ha, ha! After our imaginary breakfast, they always make me go to sleep. María actually told me when we were playing last, 'Youīre English teacher is here. You have to learn English today, or you wonīt be able to play with Manuela.' Itīs funny because these are the exact words her mom tells her if she complains about learning English.
I have definitely noticed a big difference in María rather than Ana and Lucía. María is alot more mature, and my god is she smart! Iīve already taught her quite a few words in English. She still has yet to use some of them on her own, but she memorized quite a few flash cards. I have also taught her some English songs like 'row row row your boat' and 'twinkle, twinkle little star'. She really likes singing, and I have noticed that she might be a little artist! She always colors within the lines and the color is always even. If she makes a mistake, sheīll erase it and start over, etc. Sheīs a perfectionist. I really like working for this family. I also have found that I really like working with the young kids. I think when I get back to the U.S., I might look into elementary school requirements in Georgia. If the requirements are too much, I might just forget it, but if itīs an option, I think it might be fun.
Speaking of school, I would like to make it known that if we were in the states right now, Blake and I would have been working for a week now! Weīre both pretty glad that weīre here instead.
We only have two more full weeks in Madrid. Itīs kind of sad, as I said before, but I think Iīm ready to see some other sights.
I donīt think I have anything else to write in this blog. Iīm sure Iīll post soon to tell you about Bilbao and show you the pics. Hope all is well with everyone!