haunted house

All this week we have been preparing for our haunted house and today was the big day! Yesterday Nathan (our half-Australian, half-Spanish supervisor/coordinator) told us that the kids would start going through the haunted house between 12:15 and 12:30, so we all decided we would come at 10:30 to finish up some last-minute preparations and then get into costume! So we were all ready to go at 12:15 when Nathan comes in and says the entire school is still doing a Halloween activity and won't be able to go through the haunted house until after lunch--at 3pm. We were furious to say the least. He invited us to go out with all the teachers to a bar for lunch, but we were all dressed up in our costumes, with our faces painted, and didn't feel like going out in public looking like vampires/mummies/corpses/witches; plus. we didn't want the kids to see us before the haunted house. So, I jokingly asked him if the school was going to provide us with lunch, since we weren't expecting to say there for so long...he just kind of laughed it off and didn't really answer. He said we could eat in the cafeteria, but he didn't say it would be free. We were starving too, since we missed the snack/breakfast the teachers eat at 11:30 during the kids' recess. So we sat there in the assembly room/auditorium for two hours until finally the school secretary, Gema, came in with the director of the school and she offered us a free lunch in the cafeteria (it normally costs 4,50 €). The director of the school was furious that everything was so poorly organized. We felt bad for ratting Nathan out, but I'm glad that the director knew what was really happening and what a mess it was. We had a great lunch (bread, cauliflower, pumpkin soup, chicken, croquetas, eggrolls, salad, fresh fruit, and an arroz con leche cake!) and then got ready for the kids to come through the haunted house!

The kids were so excited for the haunted house and we just wanted to get it over with and go home at that point! The kids and the teachers LOVED the haunted house! Some kids cried and had to leave and then others were too cool and saying things like, "You don't scare me"; "Hello, beautiful" etc., but we got a ton of compliments and everyone was really impressed!

Here are a few photos from the festivities : )

teaching stories...

I made a kid cry today!

He was not paying attention during the lesson and was being a distraction to the other kids in the small group I was working with, so I told him he had to go back to class and stay with the teacher and the other students. He started crying, saying, "No, no, no!" But I made him and another boy, who were the two distractions in the group, go back to class. I walked them out of the room and back to the classroom, where I explained to the teacher why they had to return to class. To get back to the classroom from the art room that we were in, you have to pass through another classroom, where another auxiliar was teaching. So I marched the two boys through the classroom (one crying) and I guess the other auxiliar said her kids were scared after that! She threatened them that if they didn't behave, they would have to go back to class too! I felt bad for making the poor kid cry, but when I talked to his teacher after class she said that he cries easily, so I don't feel so bad.

But discipline is definitely my least favorite part about teaching. It's necessary, though.

All the other girls I work with tell me I am going to be a teacher : ) I love it. It just comes really naturally to me, so that's my plan when I go home: look for teaching programs. I think I want to stick to elementary-age kids, but I could also see myself enjoying teaching Spanish at a middle or high-school level...so many options!

We are starting to plan for Halloween at school! The program director wants us to do something special for Halloween, so we're tossing around ideas like a "tunnel of terror" or different stations (put your hand inside the box and feel the brains/eyeballs/etc; arts and crafts; story-telling; and other games), but we're not certain yet. Either way, I want to do something the kids are going to remember! And Halloween is my favorite holiday...

Still no news about the nannying job, but I did see a flyer for free Spanish classes in my neighborhood, so I think I'm going to check that out tonight! I figure it's a good way to keep practicing and keep my grammar sharp! : ) Plus, it's free! I looked on the website, and the information was in Spanish and Arabic...so I think it's going to be me and bunch of Indians, but I don't mind! Maybe I'll make some new friends!

¡basket español!

Tonight I went to a Spanish professional basketball game! My flatmate has season tickets and couldn't go tonight, so he gave me his ticket. I went by myself, but it was a really good experience. The game was played in an arena that was built for bull-fighting, so it was completely round with the court in the center of the ring. I think the circle was actually nice, because there wasn't really a bad seat in the house. I was cheering for the Asefa Estudiantes (the Students), who ended up losing 66-77 to the DKV Joventut (from Barcelona). But there was a great atmosphere and it was fun to observe the spectators : )

fingers crossed

i received an email from the nanny agency today and i have to wait until tomorrow to find out about the nannying position! the mother hasn't made up her mind yet, so hopefully i will find out tomorrow!

la vida es buenissima.

I am so happy with life right now! I just got home yesterday from Basque Country, a region in northern spain, near France--it was so beautiful and the culture is very different from that of traditional Spain! In fact, there were posters all over the old part of town that read, "Attention Tourist: You are not in Spain, You are not in France, You are in the Basque Country. Welcome!" Just to give you an idea of the sense of Basque pride!

I went with Jackie, a girl from Chicago whom I met during orientation my first week in Madrid. We visited Bilbao and San Sebastian, traveling 100% in bus. It was a long trip (5 hours to Bilbao from Madrid Saturday morning, 1 hour to San Sebastian from Bilbao Sunday morning, and almost 7 hours from San Sebastian back to Madrid yesterday), but so worth it. We left Satruday morning at 7 am from Madrid. We were both exhausted from packing and preparing before the trip...we were searching like crazy people for a hostel that was not completely booked for the long weekend, but couldn't find anything! So the first thing we did upon our arrival to Bilbao was call down the list of hostels we obtained at the bus station. And, surprise! The third hostel I called had rooms still available! So we hurried to the hostel to reserve our room and put our things down. Then we walked around the city! Bilbao I had always heard described as an industrial city, but I thought it was beautiful! Perhaps the changing leaves had something to do with this...but I absolutely loved it! The main tourist attraction in Bilbao is the Guggenheim Museum which is a modern, metal structure along the river. It provided some pretty great photo ops! : ) The weather wasn't very good; it was sprinkling on and off during the day and Saturday night when we tried to go out it was downpouring, so we decided to just stay in, which was fine because we were still exhausted from the short night before! But we did, however, go out for pintzos, tiny sandwich-like appetizers/tapas, which the Basque Country is famous for! I had one of tortilla espanola; another of grilled ham, cheese, and tomato sauce; and one of fried cheese. SO delicious.

So Sunday morning, we got up and caught the 10 o'clock bus to San Sebastian. This time we had a hostel reservation! Our hostel--OceanView--was right on the beach and was a surfer's paradise. We met tons of people from Australia and even some other Americans who are living in Madrid and teaching through a similar program! We walked around the old part of the city and the harbor, and then it started to sprinkle, so we headed back to the hostel. We took a nap and relaxed there for the rest of the day. At night, all of the hostel guests chipped in for a few bottles of wine and we just hung out in the hostel! It was a lot of fun. Monday we got up early and did tons of sight-seeing. We hiked up to the Jesus statue that overlooks the city, then walked across two beaches to the famous "Wind Comb" sculptures, had lunch at a little cafe on the beach, saw the cathedral, and went back to the hostel with very sore feet from all that walking! But it was great to finally have a little sunshine and be able to really explore the city!

I posted some of my favorite photos from the trip, but I have more on facebook if you want to see more! Enjoy : )

P.S. I also had an interview for a nannying position today and it went really well! It's for a 7 year-old boy and the family lives near Plaza Mayor, 15 minutes walking distance from my apartment! PERFECT. I will let you know as soon as I hear back!

besos.