orientation, day 1

Today we had our first day of orientation! It was long (9:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m.), but we got a lot of valuable information. We learned more about the Bilingual Elementary School Program and our role in it; listened to many presentations by teachers offering us lots of activities and resources for planning mini-lessons and time-fillers; and even had a presentation about security and well-being during our time in Spain from the American Embassy! It was really a great day.

I met a bunch of people too. These orientations are always good for getting to know people; the only bad thing is you have to get to know people really fast and get their contact info because apart from the three orientation sessions we have this year, we might not see them again if we don't make it a point to! I sat next to a really nice girl from Chicago and we hung out pretty much all day, so I think I made a lovely friend! : ) I also feel better about my situation because I already have an apartment! There are lots of people who just arrived yesterday or who have been here for a week and still haven't found an apartment, so I'm really glad I got that out of the way! Now the only thing I have left to do is open a bank account...but I want to talk to Gema first before I do that! From our discussions today, it sounds like each bank is works differently and has different fees and services. The problem with opening an account is that we don't have our identification cards yet with our ID number, which you need to open an account. They said some banks let you open an account with your passport, but then you must either pay 18 euros up front or 4 euros a month until you can present them with your NIE...so I want to do a little more research before I open an account. I just have to make sure I have an account before I receive my first paycheck via direct deposit the end of October-beginning of November!

2 days until move-in : )

p.s. today some of the teachers passed around student work and it was so adorable! but also very different from that of American children...let me give you an example: one 10-year-old girl wrote an "All About Me" book that was not your average story! It began with her parents falling in love, then the next page was the fertilization, followed by the stages of pregnancy, etc. etc., all very anatomically correct! It was surprising to say the least! But, hey, welcome to Spain!

Another random thing: You know you are in Spain when there is a man passed out on the metro in the middle of the afternoon, still holding a beer in his hand. He wakes up every couple stops, takes a sip, and goes back to sleep.

-christy-