One Post for May...

As I am such a good blogger, I figure it would be good to blog once in May...From the last time I posted life has been full of trips, funny stories and some ups and downs.

Spring break was a great trip...as  was my trip to scotland.

Tomorrow is my last day of work and hopefully I'll find out too about next year.  Thursday we head to Ibiza for one last group trip, and I am sure it will be fun.

Weird to not know what's next in life, but I guess that's kind of exciting too....

Fallas!

So about a month ago, there was this festival in Valencia called FALLAS...its an incredible week long event that is similar to...well nothing in the USA.  Its just that cool... I should describe it for you here but I think wikipedia does a brilliant job so, here's the link Fallas. Anyway, it was a glorious week and I was OH SO exhausted at the end!

Life is still going well...and I have applied for another year in Spain...different program which would be more hours of work (which I actually want!!!) and more dinero, of course.  

As for the next months or so of plan "living the dream," I have some trips planned...

1) For Spring Break, going to Pais Vasco (Basque Country) and Cantabria with the girls. We're renting a car and road tripping it for a Week and a half! No camping this time, just luxurious hostel life...it's going to be fantastic.

2)Beginning of May, going to meet up with my friend Ryan in Barcelona and we're coming back to VLC so he can enjoy paelllllla and the playa!!

3)In May, going to go to Glasgow and (hopefully Edinburgh!!) to visit Antoniiiio 

4) Going to IBIZA for my birthday in June and an end of the year celebration!!! Really excited for this one! 

Needless to say, life is good...

hasta la próxima!

La gente está muy loooooka

So since the last time I've blogged I've been up to some pretty fun things

Firefighter Airplane in La Maestranza de Albacete

• Took a field trip to an Airplane base/museum/factory in Albacete
• Went rock climbing with the family of one a private classes
• Pulled a "Ferris Bueller" to go skiing in Teruel (I made up the day and went in on a Friday!)
• Went to Germany to play  lacrosse...hollllla MADRID lax...you were the BOMB!
•  Went to England to visit  friends at Leeds University (thanks Kris and Lorna!)
•  Celebrated this thing called FALLAS (a post to come shortly devoted alllll to Fallas-PROMISE!)
• (but a sampling of fallas....lots of firecrackers, lots of fireworks, lots of beer, lots of paella, bull fights and lots of fun!!!!)                       

Rock Climbing in the Campo

Valdelinares Ski Resort near Teruel

Guiris at the Leeds Town Hall

MAD LAX OSOS in Munich, Germany

Also in the mean time, I've been enjoying life aka going out with friends, eating out more than anyone with my salary should and I've joined a gym in hopes to not pack on the kilos!!

Anyway, enjoy the assortment of photos that sum up the last couple months that I have been MIA and look for a post about FALLAS asap. BESOS

Tapas: Fried parts of piggies and bread.

über.

"I don't know where I'm going from here, but I promise it won't be boring." ~ David Bowie


Stole this from someone's facebook status, but it is a very appropriate quote.  I really have no idea where I am going in the grand scheme of things but one this for sure, it won't be boring. 


side note I wish my closet was filled with this type of clothing...

poco a poco.

"I graduated summa cum..." wait....Spain doesn't care!

Today I completed my resume, in Spanish.  Well, much to my dismay, there are some things that just don't translate thus making many college accolades, just not that important.

Allow me to share a few...frustrations.

• In Spain, putting your grades on your Resume or CV (Curriculum Vitae) is not the "done thing."
• Wait.., so you mean my GPA/honors don't...even... MATTER?!  First of all, if you call you resume by the latin name CV(Curriculum Vitae) Shouldn't my LATIN HONORS that I graduated with count for something....anything? Bad logic, I know.
• The anglo-saxen idea of a Bachelor's degree, until very recently, didn't have a Spanish equivalent.  
• This basically means that kids my age (23/24) graduate from University with what we in the US might consider a masters degree.  That may explain why is takes most kids 5 years to finish 1 degree. Consider it similar to a 4 + 1 program here in the US where you end with a Masters. So most kids have a masters and I feel a bit chummy with my "low level" US degree.(BUT, thankfully, a new european education plan is essentially copying the 4 year idea of a bachelor's degree, and has been implemented across the EU.  Thus I can give my degrees a name in spanish:  "Título de Grado."  Yay, I guess I have 2 títulos....ha)
• All those college athletic achievements or extracurricular activities don't realllllllllllllly have a place on the CV.  Sorry, no where to show on your CV that not only did you study, but you also were playing on a sport's team and oh ya, maybe  you had some time to volunteer or organize some activities... sorrrry doesn't really fit. 

In a nut shell, only 1 of my 3 "I'm a great applicant" things can clearly be translated...hopefully I am mistaken and I can put some more life back into my Spanish CV..but for now, it just doesn't look as pretty as my American Resume. ¡qué lastimaaaaa!

2011..already?

Happy New Year.  One more year gone (and what a year it was) and 1 more ahead of me where I am still grappling with what I will do when I "grow up."  Again, being home for christmas break (for a 6th year in a row, no I am not getting a Masters, i just live in Spain where the 2.5 week holiday vacation is the norm for teachers).  and being home is glooooorious, I can spend ample amount of time at the gym (i spent very little) and enjoy home made food  ( I ate a lot, i blame the holidays.)

So as another year goes by, and I realize that I am in no way closer to knowing what I want to do it life, think that it might be time to get a littttttle serious.  Not a lot serious, just ya know, DECIDE on what my first real job may be.

Yes, I am living in Spain and that is a great achievement (almost fluent in another language, able to enjoy beer and wine like spaniards do, and brag about the fact that I've gotten to see some pretttty cool things in Europe).  But let's be honest, that is what study abroad is for, I am just taking it to the next level.

In my defense,  I kind of run my own business of sorts aka Private English Lessons By Maggie, and dit is very profitable!  However, I can't seem myself living life to the fullest  if I continue to Teach English for another few years, alas I want to stay in Spain so I am left with a few options.
1) Get a job in spain that doesn't involve teaching english
2) apply for some kind of masters program(that also has nothing to do with teaching english)
3) Get a boyfriend (that will turn into a husband and obligate me to stay in spain!)

Personally, I find choice number 3 the most appealing, yet choice number 1 is clearly the best option (economically and realistically speaking).
So here begins my 6 month count-down to try and figure out a way to stay in Spain...

Navidad

"Christmas is a time when you get homesick, even when you're home"''


Once again I am lucky enough to be home for the holidays.  I have to say thank you to Santa and the Reyes Magos (Three Kings...spaniards celebrate/receive most gifts from them)...aka My Parents, for being generous enough to fly me home.  It was a long trip...24 hours! I left  my apartment in Valencia at 12:30am on monday morning Spanish time, and arrived in Rochester, almost exactly at the same time the on tuesday (6:30 pm here in the states!). I literally used every form of transportation, minus a boat... taxi, bus, metro, plane! 


Before I start rambling about how good it is to be home, I have to fill ya'll in on what I 've been up to.  I went back to Mérida again, and every time I go back I just love it more and more.  VLC is fun, it's a city and Mérida doesn't compare in terms of shopping, things to do, food and going out but... I still choose Mérida and Extremadura.  I guess that's where the above quote comes into play, "Christmas is a time when you get homesick, even when you're home,"' while I am home in Rochester, I am missing Spain a little bit and even sometimes feel homesick for Mérida when I am in VLC.  Anyway, Mérida was fun as usual... a birthday party with my favorite extremaduran food, MIGAS! And of course, lots of Jamón...Def started the holiday weight gain a few weeks early. 


The last week of classes was low key as usual, I showed kids holiday films or just had conversation classes, as they really just need to improve their spoken Spanish.  Like last year, the school had a Christmas Comida (lunch) and enjoyed delicious spanish food and some wine.  I also had the chance to have dinner with one of my college professors who's family lives in Valencia, it was great to meet her family and see her again. 


I also went on a mini field trip with one of my private classes's family to the Monastery of Puig, it is whee Rey Jamie 1 first conquered the Muslims to regain Valencia to the crown. Anyway, it was great to be with a family and actually do something on a saturday morning other than sleep in or go shopping! 


Well, time to enjoy being home....