Catholicism in Spain, Part 1, the superficial differences

This is part one of a two part post on Catholicism in Spain. Mostly I'm writing from a Catholic perspective to other Catholics, so if it doesn't make sense, you can leave a comment here or on Facebook and I'll try to explain why it's different. This first post is just to explain some of the superficial differences between Spain and the United States. And this is just my little corner of Spain that I'm able to speak about, so if you've had a different experience elsewhere (especially, I imagine, in large cathedrals) it's probably just as valid.

1. Kneelers- Kneelers with cushions? They're less common than unicorns. It's a wooden board, and that's pretty much everywhere, from the Cathedral to the tiny neighborhood church. The only place you'll find something soft to kneel on is at the confessional. Incentive, perhaps?

2. Communion "lines"- When going up to Communion in the States, there is a distinct order. As a child, I would panic when I was at the end of a pew and had to leave first. Which way do I go? When do I step out? And if I was in the first row? I would spend all mass worrying about it. A 'line' here involves leaving your pew whenever, stepping over the people who aren't going to Communion, and not letting anyone in that may have come around the pew in the other direction. Sometimes people start for the line before the priest has come down from the altar. Suffice it to say, no one stands at the end of the pews like they do in the US, waiting for the previous pew to clear out before they let you go.

3. Standing, sitting, kneeling, who knows?- I never realized how orderly the US was with sitting, standing, and kneeling, until I got to Spain. It's kind of a free for all. Do we stand at the Amen? Do we sit after the consecration? When do we kneel before the consecration? Generally, I follow the strict rubric (and I mean strict really only in comparison to Spain) in the States, though there are certain moments in Spain when we stand and not kneel, and over time I've noticed that I'm getting more and more lax. Oddly enough, this can vary from mass to mass. When I go to Sunday mass, I notice that it differs between the people that attend daily mass at 12 and those that go at 7:30. Weird.

4. Canned Music- You know, canned, like during basketball games when the band isn't playing. So during daily mass, when in the States you'd probably hear silence, there's a recording playing. For example, during Communion. Or before mass. And it's not all good music, some is pretty cheesy. The lyrics, the singing, the instrumentation... Some of them I enjoy. Mostly, I think silence would be better.

5. Music books- You know how in the States we have music books in the pews? And we're very careful to mark which songs we're singing so that all can participate? Not so much here. They sing, to be sure, but they're songs that everyone knows already. No books necessary. Unless you're that one American girl that's like "Tal y tal y tal paz, tal y tal y tal Jesús, tal y tal y piedad" while everyone else is just fine. (I've actually got most of two songs down, which I consider quite a success. One is only six words repeated over and over, but I consider it a victory.)

6. Permanent deacons- There are none (0) in Burgos. Very few in total, as far as I can tell.

7. Read the black, whisper the rest- People like to whisper the mass parts here. Not the parts the congregation normally say, but the parts the priest says. Even the parts he doesn't say out loud. I really appreciate the rhythm of the congregation saying things together, so it kind of drives me crazy when I hear people whispering around me.  (It bugs me the same when it's a group rosary and one person is going really fast. Obviously I recognize that as my problem, not theirs. But come on, starting your half of the group rosary when the leader is still finishing theirs?)

8. The advent wreath- For some reason, and I have yet to ask why, our advent wreath goes purple, green, white, red. In Portugal it was the traditional purple, purple, pink, purple, so I need to ask our priests why the different colors.

9. Confession- I'm having a hard time going. Not because of the language or awkwardness, but because it's in the middle of mass. I feel like I'm missing one sacrament for another, and I don't like it. In the cathedral in Burgos, they had separate times for confession, but I imagine that it was because there were a lot of parishioners and a lot of priests to be able to facilitate this. The one time I attended a tridentine mass, they also had confession during mass, so perhaps it's something carried over? In any case, it's hard to get used to.

10. The Eucharist- Obviously, this is very similar, as it is the source and summit of our faith. A couple differences though. First, only the priest takes drinks from the Blessed Cup. I believe this was an issue the Anglican church had with the Catholic church, which has since been resolved post Vatican 2 (if I remember correctly), but it didn't carry over into most of Spain, it seems. Secondly, the priest blesses only 1 wafer, eats the whole thing, and then takes out already consecrated Host from the tabernacle. This saves a lot of time on breaking the Host into many pieces, and certainly helps since there are no deacons in Burgos.

 

Well, that's part one. I'll write a part two coming up in the next couple days, when I have internet. In other news, just two more weeks until I head to Rome! Super excited. That'll be worth several blog posts, I'm sure. I'm off to celebrate my birthday by making pretzels in the shape of a 2 and a 4. Mmmm... pretzels.

Green Wine, Marian Apparitions, and Nice Weather

To continue my adventures in Europe this last weekend, I had the pleasure of going to Fatima Italy, home of Our Lady of Fatima, one of two very well known Marian apparitions in the world. It was amazing!But I'll get there...

This was my first time in a country in which I didn't speak the language. I've only, up until this weekend, been in Spanish speaking countries, and I've always had, to varying degrees, Spanish to get by on. This time, not so much. Luckily, I was traveling with a friend who had a very helpful phrase book. Nothing I learned really stuck, but I will say it was a comfort to have someone else who was making an effort to speak Portuguese along.

We boarded a train from Burgos at about 22.00, or 10:00 pm. It's not such a bad idea, if you don't mind sleeping on a train. The way I thought of it, it was kind of like two for one, transportation and board. Albeit, cramped board. If you know what I'm talking about, imagine the South Shore, with a little less leg room, more cushions, and a heater. With my trusty neck pillow, I managed to get some sleep, but if you're riding the Renfe train (or any train I imagine) overnight, get a window seat.

In the morning, we arrived in Lisboa, Portugal. I must say, the city is quite beautiful. There are two stations in Lisboa,, and we picked Santa Apolonia, in the historic district. I think that was a good choice. In the few minutes we had before heading out to Fatima, we were able to get a quick look around the city. It's a port town, right along a river that leads to the ocean, and it's reflected in the architecture. Whereas the places I've been to in Spain are very red colored, Lisboa is mostly light colors; blues, pinks, yellows. The iron work on the buildings is lovely, and so are the mosaic tiles. I will say that it has unfortunately been covered in graffiti (and not good graffiti either) over the years, so it does mar some of the charm of the historic district, but it's still quite beautiful. It's situated on a hill (easier for defense) and is composed of staircase alleyways and hidden stone work. Not only that but it was about 60 degrees. A nice weekend change from Spain, for sure.

We spent about an hour looking around (carrying luggage, mind you) until our Bla Bla car driver arrived. For anyone who doesn't know what that is, BlaBlaCar is like carpooling on a massive scale. Someone posts online that they plan on going from here to there on such and such date, and that they have however many seats available in their car. You basically rent a ride to wherever you need to go. I've never done it (little nervous) but with another person traveling with me, I figured I was okay. It turned out to be an interesting ride. The guy was 25, and spoke English very well. He explained several things, the most fascinating of which was the fact that few Portuguese learn Spanish. Apparently, for a Portuguese person, Spanish is really easy to understand. The same is not true in reverse, however, because Portuguese has about 15 vowel sounds, while Spanish only has 5, or 6 if you include y. However, if you go to Brazil, they've simplified the vowel sounds, much like their Spanish speaking neighbors. So a Spanish speaker would find it much easier to understand a Brazilian than a Portuguese. The same holds true for Brazilians. Apparently, Portugal Portuguese is confusing for them, too. It did make me feel better, because to me Portuguese sounds like a lot of j and sh sounds.

Fatima is an interesting town. There's a shrine there, of course, quite massive and very modern looking. The actual site of the apparition is outside town. There's a small tour train that takes you there. It's about 4 Euro, which I think is a little high, but it's either that or a pretty significant hike. Within the old town (Cova do Iria) you'll find all the houses of the visionaries perfectly preserved, small doorways and dirty rooms. It's all really fascinating. The best part, of course, is the site of the apparitions. I won't go into too much detail here, but if you want to learn about it, check this site out http://www.portugal.com/fatima/apparitions
They have statues set up at each of the sites. One is at a well near Lucia's house. The other two are in a park that was designed to show the different sites. After walking past the pavement and on to cobblestone, you'll find the stations of the cross. We didn't quite make it around all of them, but went mostly straight for the Marian apparition site. It's marked with a lovely statue of Our Lady of Fatima, and you can stop and pray there. There's also the site of the 1st and 3rd apparition of the Angel of Portugal, the angel of peace, who appeared before Mary. For the most part, it's just a path, surrounded by the same olive trees the children would have played under. I've heard a lot about Our Lady of Fatima, but it was very enriching to actual be there, and understand what the place is like. To walk where they walked and to stand in front of the place Mary appeared to them, almost 100 years ago.

Back to the shrine- It's composed of a 2 chapels for mass, an open air chapel for prayer and the rosary, a place to light candles, a small museum of artifacts, and an underground walkway, complete with perpetual adoration, confession, and a new exhibit. We went everywhere except the main chapel, as it was closed for mass. Of course, the whole plaza can be used for mass if necessary. I imagine on the feast day of Our Lady of Fatima, it is.

The museums were very interesting. The above ground museum first shows you a short video of the history of OLF, including an ending voiced by Sister Lucia. It's in Portuguese, but can be subtitled in a number of languages, including English. Since this is the off season, the tours were mostly in Portuguese. My friend and I, feeling a burst of confidence, tagged along with the Portuguese tour guide and group, since the English group hadn't started yet. It was actually the most successful attempt at understanding Portuguese yet, as she spoke more slowly and clearly than someone would regular speech. Among the things you can see there are the monstrances donated by various countries and people (Ireland donated a neat one), Papal vestments, and even, in the crown that OLF is crowned with in October, the bullet that almost killed JP2. He credits our Lady with saving his life (her prayers).

The underground exhibit just opened. Most notably, you can see the letters that Sister Lucia wrote with the three secrets of Fatima. You'll get a pamphlet with English descriptions, but unfortunately the letters are not translated into English. So being able to read one of the Latin based languages is required. There's also a rosary made with pieces of rock (donated by a Portuguese immigrant) from the Berlin wall, and a slab of the Berlin Wall outside, as OLF is also credited with being influential in bringing down communism.

The chapel in which we said mass was... interesting. Super modern. And huge. I'm not a big fan of modern art, so I wouldn't really say it was stunning, but it was impressive. The golden design behind the altar is interesting, but the iron crucifix was a little... odd looking. And the advent wreath wasn't so much a wreath as a line of candles in glass holders. I mostly got through the mass by responding in Spanish, which was close-ish to the Portuguese, and I read the readings beforehand, which was really good because beyond Paul and Romans I didn't get much. Zip on the homily, too. But the mass is the mass, and the Eucharist is the Eucharist, and requires no knowledge of the language being spoken.

Two amusing anecdotes. The kiss of peace, really was the kiss of peace. It was the two cheek kiss, which I don't even do in Spain, and it took me a little off guard. The second was the exit from the church. You're not supposed to leave before the priest, and nobody did. What happened instead is that everyone, as the priest passed by their pew, filed out behind him, so by the time he got to the back, practically the entire church was right at his back, itching to go faster than the slow pace he was keeping. It was all very funny.

You can light candles at Fatima, and I recommend you do. You can either buy them from one of the dozens of shops next to the site, or at the site itself. After purchasing them, you take them over to a massive candle holder. Light it with one of the already burning candles, and if you can find a spot, slip it into the candle holder. Then watch as  your candle is consumed, not only by the light on top, but by the fire from below that springs up when enough candles fill up a space. It must be light sensitive or motion sensitive. Either way, it's pretty cool to watch. I've got some pictures on Facebook.

I do recommend this time of year. The weather's great, it's not crowded, and the hotels are cheap (25 euro split between 2 people). There's also delicious Portuguese food (duck and rice, yum) and wine (green wine, never heard of it before, but it's delicious and citrusy). We did head back on Sunday and spend some time in Lisboa, another excellent adventure, but my fingers are getting tired, so I think I'll sign off for now.

Madrid for a Day

So my trip to Madrid was mostly a failure. Not that I didn't end up enjoying it, but it didn't really serve the purpose I wanted it to. I got up bright and early, about 6, to catch a bus to Madrid. I had already purchased my ticket to the Doctor Who 3D movie, and it started at 1:15. I planned on going to the movie, spending a couple of hours wandering downtown, and then going back to Aranda at about 8:00. Perfect, right?

Let's skip to the moral of the story. Spain is on a 24 hour clock. Which, I knew. I even have it changed on my phone and iPod. So you would think I wouldn't get it confused. I'm outside of the theater waiting for the movie to start, and it's closed. Completely closed. Luckily, there were a few fellow Whovians waiting with me; two Spaniards, three Americans, and a Mexican. We had a nice chat, and waited. And waited. 1:00 passed. And 1:15. And we were starting to get anxious. Finally, at 1:20, a woman on the street stopped to talk to us. "There are no movies right now," she said. "There's a special showing at one," the Spanish guy said. "Yes," she said, "one. Not 13.00." Unfortunately, she was right. The showing was at 1, or as we Americans would say, 1 am. It seemed too late to even consider when I booked the ticket, and I didn't, so I ended up losing the 10 Euro I paid for the movie. Bummer.

Luckily, if you're going to be stuck wandering around Madrid for 8 hours, there's no better place than Calle Fuencarral. It's an excellent place for shopping, even if all you do is window shop. I managed to get some Christmas presents, and actually had a pretty good time. I finally got to go into the Corte Ingles, a Spanish department store (the largest store I've been in, but with incredibly low ceilings, which I didn't even know would bother me until I experienced it. They had some decorations hanging down, and I know that my little brother would have wacked his head on them.)The city is getting ready for Christmas, and the street was partially decorated (I don't think they official turn things on until advent). My favorite part of the evening was coming across a sextet playing on the street. There were two violins, a cello, a bass, a keyboard, and a soprano opera singer. Lovely.

Up until this point, I hadn't really thought much of Madrid. It's starting to grow on me. It might be partially due to the fact that I got some awesome Christmas gifts, and found some actually comfortable, cute boots. I don't know how women in Spain do it. Most boots have no insoles whatsoever, and the ones you buy have hardly no arch support. Fortunately, this particular brand advertises itself as one you can walk around in for a full day, which is usually something I just expect from my shoes. They're also blue! And, when it gets hot out, I can zip off the top half and make short botines. Que chula, no?

Not only that, but I've managed to get around on the metro pretty well. I'm always worried about public transportation (and if I can will always walk or bike somewhere. My fear keeps me fit I suppose). But I've ridden the metro a few times now, and have not gotten lost or mugged or spat on or stabbed or transported to an alternate dimension, so I'm feeling pretty confident about the whole thing.

I'm finally off to Fatima this weekend! Hooray! If you have any prayer requests, leave a message on Facebook or on the blog. And soon I'll be in Rome! Lots of pictures to come soon.

Happy Thanksgiving!

The Mozarabic Rite Mass

(This is going to be one of those Catholic writing to Catholics post, because I figure mostly Catholics would be interested in the post. If you'd like to know more or don't know what the heck I'm talking about, message me)

Today I had the pleasure of attending a Hispanic-Mozarabic rite of the Catholic mass, held every day in the Toledo cathedral. It was really neat, and I was amazed both by how different and how similar it was to the Roman Rite. First, a little history. This rite was formalized in the 600s, when the Visigoths ruled Spain (and when I say Spain, it wasn't even close to what it is today), but similar forms were used for the first ten centuries in Spain. The rite was continued under Arabic rule. That's what Mozarabic means, those under Arabic rule that were not Arabic, but remained Christian. Pope Gregory XII eventually united the Christian kingdoms under the Roman rite (I believe this is the same Pope that united Gregorian chant, though I can't confirm without internet), and most of the areas in Spain converted to the new rite, save for those that were still under Arabic rule. Hence the name came into being. Even after the reconquest, the people wanted to keep their rite. A deal was struck, and within six parishes in Toledo, the people (and subsequent generations) of those who participated in the Mozarabic mass before the reconquest were allowed to continue celebrating in that fashion. The mass underwent several updates, and with Vatican II was restored to a purer form. It's also allowed to be celebrated anywhere it is appropriate, though I believe it is still only celebrated in Leon and Toledo. That is at least, what I gathered from the mass packet they gave me after I translated it from Spanish. Someone may want to read through it and double check my work.

The mass opened with a three member choir (probably priests or deacons) filing in behind us. They sat behind what almost looked like a cloister gate, though not a gate per say. It began with a chanted prayer, which I wish I had known wasn't in the booklet, because it was very nice and I would have liked to listen to it better. They were all wearing red and black capes- very Spanish looking. The chant went on for about ten minutes, and then the mass began.

I was surprised to see that it was ad populum. That could have been a later change I suppose, but the chapel we were in was about 500 years old (dedicated after the conquest of Toledo) and the altar was clearly designed for someone to be standing behind it, though I can't say for sure. I also noticed that both the priest's vestments and the altar were covered in a pink/purple color, and couldn't figure out why. (You might be able to guess. It turned out to be really obvious)

What was amazing about the structure of the mass was how similar everything was. Liturgy of the word- A reading from the prophets, a reading from the letters, and a reading from the Gospels. It was in a combination of Latin and Spanish, most of the spoken prayers in Latin, with the exception the response to the readings, which was "demos gracias a Dios" in Spanish. There was no psalm, but instead a Benediction. When we got to the homily, I realized why the colors were pink/purple-today was the first Sunday of Advent in the Mozarabic rite. Neat! (this means I can start playing holiday music, right?)

After the readings began the preparation of the offerings. (Again, all of this is chanted, and the congregation also chants in response. That took a while to get a hang of, since it wasn't the same note structure I've come to expect in Gregorian chant or during a Latin rite mass.) This section was definitely the most different. The offertory prayers were distinct from what we use now, although they still mentioned things like the Pope and his intentions, and the dead. What was really cool was the series of small litany-like prayers. One to a number of apostles and martyrs and one to confessors. All of them were ancient Saints, almost all either in the Bible or with super roman names. Ambrose, Fulgencio, Fructuoso, Eulalia, etc. This section ended with a prayer for the dead.

The sign of peace was very similar overall, though it began with a series of unique prayers, ended with a canticle, and in the middle we shook hands (la paz de Dios sea contigo, in Spanish).

The coolest part of the whole mass was the Liturgy of the Eucharist. It begins with similar prayers (justo y necesario, lo tenemos levantado hacia el Señor) but with a few added prayers. My favorite was the response "All our attention towards the Lord" before the aforementioned part.

The Santo came next, all the same except for the ending "hágios, hágios,, hágios, Kyrie o Theós" written in Greek on both the Latin and Spanish side of the booklet, so I don't have an exact translation of that one. The institution was much the same, which didn't surprise me, since most of it's a direct quote anyway. We didn't kneel but stood. In fact, we stood most of the time, with some sitting during the liturgy and a bit later on. No kneeling at all.

The Nicene Creed followed, the same we use today (makes sense, it was created before the rite was established). The coolest and most unique thing of the whole mass was the breaking of the Eucharist. It started with the priest chanting. Then, he broke the Eucharist into different pieces, forming a cross with them on the altar. All the pieces signified a different part of Christ's life; the incarnation, the birth, the circumcision, the transfiguration, the passion, the death, the resurrection, the gloria (if I had to translate that one I'd say ascension), and the reign of Christ in heaven, which he announced out loud. Nine points, seven of them in a cross, two to the right side of the cross. Before the mass, the priest asked how many people would be receiving Communion (which I only just barely understood and raised my hand in time). I think we were about nine, so we probably just made the cross. I assume they break it into nine pieces no matter what, and then the rest as needed.

Afterwards came the Our Father. While the text is the same, the whole congregation doesn't participate. Instead, the priest intones the lines of the Our Father, followed by 'amén' from the congregation. A similar prayer follows the Our Father, but without the traditional 'for yours is the kingdom, etc." (would you believe I can only remember the words to that in Spanish right now?) If I'm remembering correctly, this would have been a time when that was not said in the mass, though later became part of the mass again. I'm just guessing on that one, I really can't remember for sure. This is followed by a benediction, similar but longer than the one we currently use.

Finally, we get to Communion. There's a short canticle, the priest praying first and the congregation responding with "alleluia, alleluia, alleluia." This goes on during Communion. Communion is taken on the tongue, and both species are presented together. The priest dips the Body into the precious Blood, and then holds out a cloth as he gives you the Eucharist, to make sure none of the precious blood drips onto the ground. I really appreciated the care and reverence given to the Eucharist. There are a few closing prayers, then the mass ends.

While it was so different, with the mass being 98% chanted, the additional offertory prayers, the breaking of the Eucharist into the cross, and the different wording, it was definitely the mass. Most everything we said I recognized. The format was basically the same. And with the celebration of the Eucharist, the prayers for the dead, the recognition of the Saints and the blessed Virgin throughout the mass, it was 100% Catholic. One, holy, apostolic, and universal Catholic church. It was really neat to be able to participate in something 1400 years old and unique to Spain, but it was still part of that Holy Mass, instituted by Christ, and celebrated from then until now and into the future and for all eternity as a heavenly banquet. Qué guay, ¿no?

Tilting at windmills (they might be giants)

What a day! I can honestly say that a long term goal has been achieved. But I'm getting to that... So I got up this morning with one task that I knew I must complete. I had to get to see the windmills. You know, the Don Quijote windmills. Or should I say the giants? (yes I will make that reference more than once, no it's probably not that funny, but how often will I get to do that?) I had some information from the guy running the hostel (hostels are good like that) on which bus to take to get there, so I wandered off at about the time I thought the bus was leaving. I say I thought, because as it turned out, I had switched the departure and return times, so the time I thought the bus was leaving Toledo, it was actually leaving the small windmill town, from now on known as Consuegra. Whoops. What was previously a panicked sort of run to the bus station (I left in plenty of time but got a bit turned around) became a slow amble. I arrived at the station to buy a ticket for later, but to my dismay the bus that arrived there didn't seem to have any Saturday buses. It had Lunes a Viernes, and Dias Loborales. Okay, weekdays and workdays, right? So I sat and stared and tried to work out a way the Saturday bus times could get me there and back without getting stranded in Consuegra. There was no possible way. Defeated, I went and sat down and pulled out the schedule he gave me, thinking, well, this must be an old schedule. Bummer. But as I'm about to leave I think, I should ask him anyway, what could it hurt? And why would you say Mon-Fri and then work days if they meant the same thing? That makes no sense. Perhaps Saturday is included in work days? Low and behold, that was exactly it. So I managed to get a bus to Consuegra for the late morning (also known as early afternoon in the States). I wandered over to the castle on the hill, which you may have seen in my pictures from yesterday. When I say wandered, I mean hiked. It was quite a jaunt. When I got up there I found, to my dismay, that the castle is now a youth hostel, and they don't allow tourists. First, coolest youth hostel ever. Second, stupid youth hostel, ruining my castle adventure. I did get some pretty neat pictures of the outside, so that was alright. I had a couple hours to kill, and on my way to the Mosque found a free sacred art museum (boy do I love free). They even had some incredibly old pillars and grave markers from the Roman era, Arabic columns, and of course a fantastic collection of religious art dating back to the 13th century. Old baptismal founts and statuary, right up my alley. I never did make it to the mosque (maybe it's open tomorrow?) but it was still a nice morning. Okay, on to the meat of my journey. I hopped onto the bus bound for a town past Consuegra. The thing about Spanish buses is that they assume you know the town you're going to, or at least how long it will take to get there. They won't announce the name, and you won't pass a sign saying 'welcome to' anything. Luckily, the first thing you see when you hit Consuegra is windmills. Gorgeous, circular, windmills. The actual Don Quijote windmills. And a ton of them, 12 at my count. I got off the bus with three other people, all around my age. Two were Japanese men, and one was a Peruvian woman. We all spoke enough Spanish to communicate. Turns out we were headed to the same place (not that there's a lot of other stuff in Consuegra). If you're interested in going, the tourist info is in bus station, so it was pretty easy to get a map. It turns out you pretty much head straight up. It's not an easy trip. Yes, they added stairs, but the stairs are quite slanted. It takes about fifteen minutes, and I would recommend going on a weekday. We were a bit pressed for time, as the only bus back to Toledo was coming in fifty five minutes. But the four of us did get some great pictures (some together as well, though I never learned the Japanese guys' names). Not only that, but I made some friends! As I mentioned, there are about twelve windmills. All of them have names, and they're all pretty spread apart. What you should do is climb up this short path to a wall with a hole in it. If you climb through the hole (it's quite large) you have access not only to the windmills, but to a castle. Like I said, we didn't have time to check it out (thwarted again) but the view was beautiful. Though slightly marred by the presence of a crane, it was completely worth it just to see them. Adela (the Peruvian woman) recommended that I take a tour train around Toledo, which I did. I highly recommend it. It's cheap, and you get to see the town from the summit of the castle hill without hiking up there. The accompanying audio tour is available in 18 languages, and is really very interesting. Also, they take American dollars. Weird. I head back to Aranda tomorrow, which I'm ready for. Vacation is great, but it'll be nice to get back to my routine. Also, it'll be nice not to spend so much money on souvenirs. Also, I forgot both soap and shampoo so... yeah. It'll be good to get back home. But before I do that, I'll be going to a Mozarabique rite mass tomorrow, only celebrated in Toledo and Leon, and established before the Roman rite mass. More information on that tomorrow (or Monday, when I can use the library's internet connection). Time to see if I can get some sleep. The hostel is quite cold tonight, and I've got Man of la Mancha running through my head non stop.

Maria Auxiliadora

Just in case you were wondering why she's the patron of my blog... So a couple years ago, I went to Costa Rica. On the first day there I went to mass (and got horribly lost after following a rosary procession, but that's another story). It was the feast day of Maria Auxiliadora, an important one in Costa Rica. During the mass after the collection, they went around handing out holy cards, and small statuettes. With some slick maneuvering (holding out my hand at just the right time), I got a small statuette of Maria Auxiliadora. She sat on my bed table, and came back with me to the States. Unfortunately, I left her at home this trip. I already had to glue baby Jeusus' head back on once, and didn't want to risk a second journey. So when I came over here, I had basically nothing religious. Not even my holy medals, which I left at my parent's house. They were, as I mentioned, celebrating festivals in Aranda when I arrived. So I purchased a local bandana, blue and white in Aranda's particular colors. I then noticed that everyone had these pins hanging off them, some collected from years before. I thought, hey, I'll get one of those. Low and behold, one stall had saint pins. I glanced through them, unsure, but when my eyes fell on Maria Auxiliadora, I knew. I purchased her, and after festivals, I put her on my purse, so she comes with me where ever I go. I think she's the patron of my travels, and I feel better having her around.

Toledo, Day 1

If I ever live in Spain again, please let it be in Toledo. This place is beautiful. In fact, it's exactly like I imagined Spain would be. Toledo was the capital of Spain for a while, and it shows. It was also a center of culture, so the architecture reflects Christian, Arabic and Jewish cultural influences. And although the Jews and Arabs were expelled from the country in the 1400s, you can still see many of their footprints here. Arabic archways, a Jewish quarter, Mosques, Churches, and Synagogues are everywhere. I've so far only managed to get to see the Cathedral, but that's only because I got into my hostel at 3, and everything closed at six. Speaking of the cathedral... It is not as impressive as the one in Burgos, nor is it as large. That being said, it was beautiful. It's got this AMAZING retablo. Biggest I've seen yet. There's also this one particular wall honoring the both Eucharist and bringing in light in the most unusual way. It's hard to describe, but I'm going to post all the pictures. The stained glass, which doesn't really show up on my phone camera, was probably the most beautiful stained glass I've ever seen. And the chapels are all quite lovely. I also so the original Greco piece of St. Dominic. You know, this one I had the opportunity to climb the bell tower! I highly recommend paying the extra few Euro and visiting the top. Unless of course you are afraid of heights, giant bells, tight spaces, or tiny, winding stair cases. FYI, I'm afraid of that last one. And these windy stairs were ridiculously small. I was terrified on the way down. But the view from the tower was fantastic. And the bells were enormous. Apparently they use the different bells to signify different things. The large bell in the center is no longer used, but was used when war ended, or when a king was crowned, things like that. Some of the older people can apparently tell by the sound of the bells when someone has died, and whether or not that person is a woman or a man. Crazy. I spent quite a lot of time wandering around the city. The city is on a hill, so my legs are exhausted. I think if they some statistics on the healthiest city in Spain, it would be Toledo. There's no way to not be fit walking here every day. Toledo is famous for a couple different things. Mostly swords. There are swords everywhere. And I want one. But I will refrain. They are also well known for marzipan, which I haven't tried yet, but will tomorrow. Don Quijote is everywhere, and the famous wind mills are nearby. I will be traveling to see them tomorrow (which makes me wish I had a sword...) Finally, they're famous for a certain type of gold inlay, called damasquinado, which is Arabic in origin. You have to be careful though, I'm pretty sure most of them are 'gold' and 'silver'. I found a couple good shops, but I think as a general rule, if it also sells Toledo t-shirts and bongs, it's probably fake (you might think I exaggerate. I don't. The town is also filled with bong shops.) I managed to figure out my way around the city in a couple hours. Not everywhere, but from the square to my hostel, hostel to the cathedral, and a few other places. I don't know, there's something about the crazy streets of an old Spanish city that make sense to my brain, whereas the well ordered grid of an American city completely go over my head. I also had a map. That may have had something to do with it. There are, again, a lot of American and English speaking tourists here. I stopped a group that was clearly on a pilgrimage (they had a priest with them). None of them spoke Spanish, and they all ate dinner at six, while I was having a merienda (churros and chocolate, yum). I teased them about it, and they actually laughed! I told a successful joke that didn't center around something nerdy! This is a banner day for me. More adventures tomorrow!

Plans

Well, due to extenuating circumstances (not my circumstances, but my friend's) I won't be going to Fatima this weekend. I'll keep you posted. However, this does leave my weekend rather open, and since I have four days off, I'm trying to go somewhere interesting. So expect something new on Tuesday, pictures or blogs or something. This is of course all based on whether or not I get paid, which is frustrating. I feel for the sake of being honest about the program for any future auxiliaries, let me just say thank goodness for my side jobs. I haven't yet gotten paid for November, and I've almost been working two months. This wouldn't be quite so frustrating in no one had gotten paid, but about half the people in my province have. Apparently, if you got in your NIE and bank account info after a certain deadline, you're not processed for another few weeks. In fact, the deadline mentioned by my coordinator (un par de semanas) has passed, a couple of weeks being Monday. And someone already got paid for October. All around frustrating. So I'm getting paid for lessons and my teacher classes, but not for the program which is my main source of income. As I don't get paid for my teacher classes until the end of November, I'm stuck in town until the program pays me. Which better be this week. Well, I'll have more to report after the weekend is over. Good luck to all of my friends who are starting finals soon, especially those that are graduating!

Random Differences, redux

Another post of random differences! Sorry if I repeat. 1. Teaching British. I've got some new words in my vocabulary. First of all, teaching the 'have got' way, which of course we use in English, but learn as children that we shouldn't (at least I know I did). Other words that are different; rubber for eraser (try saying, do you have your rubber, to a nine year old student without feeling weird), mum, finish instead of break up (have you ever finished with a girl?), brilliant, fancy, trousers... that's just a small sampling. So many British terms. Also, we've got several terms that we use that mean something quite different in British English. For example, pants. Pants is underwear. 2. Clothes lines in winter. Ugh... Oh, it rained last night? Oh, there was fog last night? Now my clothes are more wet than when they came out of the washing machine. And drying inside? I hope you have three days of clothing still left in your closet, because your pants will not be dry tomorrow. Don't get me wrong, I think they're great in the summer, but fall/winter is a whole other story. 3. Chocolate. It's better here. So. Much. Better. 4. Bread. See above. 5. Speech. This one will only make sense if you speak a bit of Spanish. I've been listening as much as possible to try and learn a Spanish accent, and here's what I've learned. If you have a j or ge/i make sure you get a really gutteral 'h' sound, like you might hear in Arabic. Got a c or a z? Say th. I spelled my name M C C O Y the other day, with a very soft sounding, s-like C, and the guy wrote, MSSOY. I don't know how you would pronounce that. Basically, every time C doesn't make a K sound, use a th. Use the word vale all the time. ALL THE TIME. Want to get a bite to eat? Vale. Do you understand? Vale. Do you like cats? Sí, vale! Vale, vale, vale, vale. Other phrases; tío, tía (dude, chick) vaya (wow) hombre (an interjection, doesn't really mean man) genial or guay (cool) chul@ (which can mean something good about an object and negative about a person) cole (school, i.e. colegio) a ver (something for the beginning of sentences, like well) pavos (bucks, dollars) pasa, pasa (always say it twice when you're telling someone to go in front of you, especially when holding open the door)maj@ (used to indicate a good person, or as a sort of nickname) 6. People are friendly, but don't smile as much, and stare even more. A woman passed out at church the other day. Several people ran to help her, but after she had all the help she needed everyone else stared at her. I think in the States would consider that a little rude. This probably also goes along with the nonexistent personal bubbles here. 7. Apartment doors. They have no outside handles. So even if the door is unlocked, you need a key to open the door. I think it's an extra safety feature, and I think it's a good one. Well, that's all for now. I'm trying my best to connect to the internet, but I at least now know that I'm not the only one unable to connect. Some of my students came by and asked if I could. I said no, and they asked the computer desk librarian. She basically said, too bad so sad. She's kind of a strict lady. Very... lecturey. Ah well. Maybe it'll kick back on in a couple hours. Wait, she's going to fix it! It's like a miracle! It's working! Must... post... blogs...

Totally friki

Not much of an update on my end. It's been pretty normal here. Normal is great! I've been enjoying my classes, and I'm starting to get into the swing of teaching (with the help of my friends who actually know how to teach. Thanks!) I have noticed an interesting cultural difference. Nerd, or friki, is actually quite a negative term here. While I'm sure the frikis themselves don't think of it that way, as far as everyone else is concerned, it's a not a great thing to be. I think in the United States, in the last ten years or so, nerd has become synonymous with smart or unusual, but is not usually negative. Especially in the way movies like Thor, Superman, Batman, Lord of the Rings, Star Trek, etc., have mainstreamed the culture. Here, that has not happened, and so when I tell people that I like Doctor Who and Portal, I get a lot of blank stares. I polled all my classes after telling them I like scifi, and I got no positive responses. I also asked if anyone likes Star Trek, Star Wars, anything like that, and the response I got was "They're too young to like that stuff". What? You're never too young to be introduced to Star Wars. Crazy talk. But I finally found my nerd students. There are four, all boys. They were the only ones to recognize my companion cube (from the video game Portal) Halloween costume. And we had a conversation today about Portal, Zelda, and video games in general, after class today. I forgot how nice it is to talk nerdy! The other interesting thing about the 'frikis' is that they're better students. I kid you not, their English is leaps and bounds ahead of my other students. Not only that, but they participate more in class than most of my students. Sometimes all I get from other students (especially in this class) is a wall of silent stares. Now, I know nerd has usually been associated with smart, but I think it's more than that. These kids play video games in English. I know this, because one of my students quoted Portal 2 to me, specifically "Space. Space, space. Space!" (if you've played it you know what I mean.) So they are listening to English, and not just listening but interacting through the video game, and they're learning! Qué guay! That's not to say that all video games are in English, most of the popular Playstation and Xbox games are translated (CoD and GTA most especially), but those that aren't seem to make a great learning tool. Maybe that's something English teachers should look in to? Especially with games like Portal. I don't think there are any real objections to playing a game like that. It's clever, fun, and not violent or full of curse words. Not only that, but now I'm cool to these four students. In a culture that's a little hard for me to connect to (especially some women. maybe I'll write a post about that later) I think I've found the sub culture I would most likely belong to. Also, these kids would for sure be band kids if they lived in the States. A couple other things, as long as I'm writing. Next weekend I will, God willing (and if they pay me for September... ridiculous that they haven't) I will be going to Fatima! If not, I'll go in a couple weeks, but I should be going on Friday with a friend. If you would like me to bring your intentions to Fatima, at the same place our lady appeared, let me know on Facebook or here or in email. Here's a link explaining what Fatima is and why it's so freaking awesome. I'll have plenty of pictures and videos to post when I get back.

Happy Halloween

Obviously, I'm a few days ahead of this now, but hey, the internet in the library is working! Happy day! Happy Halloween, all! I've been presenting Halloween to my classes for the last two weeks, so honestly I'm a glad it's here and almost gone. Give the same presentation fifteen different times, and you're ready to move on. Halloween isn't a huge deal here. Obviously, it's not a Spanish holiday. But, like America, Spain is quick to take advantage of commercial successes like Halloween. So the stores are selling costumes (the Chino stores, mostly) and the bakeries have Halloween candies and what not. I'm pleased to say that none of them had candy corn, so the two bags I brought were a unique experience for the kids. Also, I ate like half a bag. I don't even like candy corn. I suppose I was nostalgic. Or I suppose that if it's candy, I will eat it regardless. Talk about nostalgic- I carved a pumpkin. What was no big deal back home suddenly became an important indicator of my American-ness. And the kids thought it was pretty cool. The pumpkin was small and cheese colored, and all I managed to do with my one knife was cut a vampire face into it, but my younger kids still thought it was fake. I also used the explanation of where one puts a pumpkin to show the kids a picture of my parent's house. They were shocked. Gardens? Houses? Back yards? Everything here is small and mostly apartments, and even though they're small they're super expensive. (which is one of the reasons people marry so late, but I digress). Anyway, I think now they think I'm rich, which I tried to explain wasn't the case, that we just value space in the States. But I still got quite a few "joder"s (that expression is pretty benign in Spain). During the evening there were a ton of trick-or-treaters (truco-o-tratoistos?). Playing up the commercialism of Halloween again. But hey, they were having fun. I saw some of my students trick or treating, too. I taught them that. *sniff* So proud. Happy Halloween, everyone!

Christmas plans

I haven't posted anything new in a while, both because I don't have internet, and because nothing new has happened, really. Hopefully I'll be able to do something this weekend, but I'm kind of in the, 'yay they paid me because I'm pretty much out of savings (it's expensive to move to another country. :P) but it's only a half a check because it's for a half month and I still have to pay rent' stage. Honestly, I'm just glad they paid on time. Apparently last year was a nightmare. Let's hope they can make it two months in a row. Actually, even if they didn't, I'm pretty set. I've got two sets of private lessons, one twice a week, and I've got a class starting in Nov. in which I'll be teaching teachers how to speak fluidly. So although I'll be crazy busy, I won't be broke. And I still have my Fri-Mon free to travel. Speaking of that, and I know I posted this on Facebook but for those of you that don't have it or didn't read it or would like to know more about it, I'm going to Rome for Christmas! I'm pretty excited. I got my plane ticket and a potential hotel reserved (although to be honest I'm trying to stay at this Monastery, but they require a deposit so I'll have to hold off on that one for at least a couple weeks). I'll even have a layover in Zurich, so I can leave the airport for at least six, seven hours (depending I suppose on how long everything stays open there) and check out some of the Christmas markets and what not. I'll be leaving on the 23rd, and arrive the morning of the 24th in Rome. Then I'll be in Rome until the 28th. It all sounds awesome to me. On the way back I'll have a layover in Germany, but I'm not sure where my airport is in relation to the city, and the layover is not super long, so we'll see if I get to collect their flag (I'm buying a flag for every country I go into, not counting the airports). I also really want to go to the Papal Christmas Mass. That would be so cool. We'll see. I sent in for a ticket a few weeks ago, but that was from my old address, and I think I'll have to send another one. In any case, and I don't know why I didn't think of this before, I'm going to ask the priest at my parish to help me out. After that I'll still have about ten days free before school starts again. Maybe it's a good time to go somewhere else? I know New Years flights are expensive, but maybe right after that? Maybe that'll be a good time to check out Barcelona (can't be any colder than Aranda will be, right?). So I think my trip to Rome will christen my international travel. I'm glad to have the biggest trip all settled. It makes the others seem possible as well.

Blog from a while back when I was moving

I wrote this blog, but I forgot to add it to my thumbdrive, so I couldn´t post it at school. Here it is now- the crazy adventure of me moving. SoI wrote this two weeks ago, but forgot to put it on my thumb drive. The whole event was pretty funny, so I thought I would post it now.
Whoa, writing a blog in word to post it later online. I'm having deja vu. Okay, that was only like, two weeks ago, but still, feels like a while.
I'm happy to report that I'm reporting from a hostel. My apartment won't be ready until Monday, because everyone is out of town. That's not really here or there, I told them I would move in Monday, so the woman who has the key is out of town, as is the other one. But as I said, I found a cheap hostel, so no pasa nada. And, the guy here was really nice and gave me the one with two beds and a private toilet, I think because I mentioned that I live in this city, and that my apartment wasn't available. I'm an unofficial Arandina! Also I hit the level of tired where my Spanish is awesome, kind of like after I've had a glass of wine. I think my inhibitions were all down because I hadn't slept in like 24 hours. (and still haven't. Excuse the writing errors.) Backing up a little bit. I left this morning at seven am. As I mentioned before, I didn't sleep at all. Instead, I went straight to the shower, got dressed, finished packing, and went to get my clothes off the clothes line. I left before she got up and walked around for several hours. I had a coffee (yuck, but it worked) and waited for the Chino shop to open so I could buy a storage box. That was 10 'o clock, so I basically wandered around for two hours after the coffee. Unfortunately, I timed it awfully, because just as I was waiting to get on the elevator, she was coming down. We shared an awkward stare, and I managed to say 'hola'. It was super awkward. I finished throwing stuff away, and as I was taking stuff out to the garbage, she's coming up the elevator. It was somehow even more awkward than the first time. So I finished packing, and as I'm leaving I gave her the keys and enough money to cover the expenses, though she kept insisting she didn't know how much the expenses would be. Of course, that's true, but what I wanted to say was, 'take this and don't call me, that will be best for the both of us'. It didn't really get across, but she took the money.
Then as I'm leaving, she pulls some of my last supplies out of the kitchen. I was going to leave them for her, as a sort of peace offering. Heck, Anna and Eileen are still eating some of the food I left behind (but that was also forgetfulness and maybe laziness). The food was flour, sugar, oil, rice, and something else pretty basic that I can't remember. I figured, hey, these are foods you use all the time. Don't you want them? She did not, and even though I'm loaded down with stuff already, she hands them all over to me. So now I've got a rolly suitcase with three bags piled on top, one of them an actual giant grocery bag, a bed sheet bag thing, and a box with wheels. Add the food, and before I even make it to the elevator, I've popped open the top of the oil and it's all over my trench coat, the floor, my shoes, my glasses, my scarf, and my luggage. So I slip and slide my way into the elevator with the suitcases, leave the food on the stairs, and get to the main floor. I unload the suitcases, and go back up for the food. Except for the rice, which was apparently on the box and subsequently poured over the box. I threw the food straight in the trash, but not before bursting open the bag of flour, which stuck to the oil that was all over me. It was like the three stooges, except I was all the stooges. Then, after several failed attempts to move the luggage together (sidewalks here are stupid) I gave up, and had to move it individually. So it went something like this. Walk with box and bedspread bag for 20 feet. Put box down. Run back to luggage, pull for 20 feet. And so on and so forth. On the way, the large grocery bag split, and I lost an entire bottle of Tinto del Verano (that stuff's expensive) and the cap of my mayonnaise jar came off. I haven't investigate that one yet (my shoes are also in this bag) but I'll do that before I go to bed. Then, the bag with the bed sheets split open (that's what I get for expecting a bag from a Chino store to hold over a short distance). I'll definitely need to figure out a better transportation system before I make my way to my apartment on Monday. But good news, I'm probably going to get a prize for 'most awkward, really pale, blond tia' after that performance. I do have to mention that this one guy carried one of my things across a bridge. He was big and covered in tattoos, and the only one to help me. Kudos, guy, kudos. Thanks for being an awesome human being.
So I finally made it to the park in front of my new building, and waited. It was about 12, and I knew that school went until 2:30, at least for me. Turns out for them, it only goes to 2, so by the time I called at 2:30, they were already on the road. As I'm sitting there, this elderly man comes up to me, and starts chatting. This is not unusual in Spain. In fact, I've had this happen at least 3 times, once with a Deaf woman. He talked about being retired, that he was unmarried and without children, how he had once taught in the school down the road. He gave me his apartment number to stop by and visit him, if I wanted. Again, this is not the first time that's happened either. Last time it was with an elderly woman at church. While I generally think that they're just lonely, or genuinely trying to be helpful, I don't stop by, as a rule. You never know. As it turned out, you couldn't know with this guy. After he left, this woman, about 15 years younger, comes over and calls him my dad's favorite Spanish word, sinverguenza, scoundrel. Apparently he likes to chat women up. She told me next time, just shoe him away. And, as I'm sitting there, I'm attracting both flies and dogs, because I smell like olive oil. I suppose the whole experience was a cosmic joke created just to cheer me up.
The best thing that happened was that the woman who lived downstairs from me, the one along with her husband that I loved so much and wanted to apologize to for leaving, passed by and saw me! We had a conversation and I apologized for leaving (she and her husband own the apartment and sublet it I think). She said she totally understood, not to worry about it, and I just felt so much better about the whole thing. Still some of the nicest people I've met here, and I tried my best to express to her that much. Eventually, I got a hold of my roommates and they both told me they would be out of town (this is also pretty common on the weekends here. People like to visit home, especially if they're unmarried, it seems.) Luckily, I knew there were hostels nearby. Unluckily, not nearby enough that I didn't have to do the suitcase shuffle. (Did I mention all I ate today was coffee?) Not only that, but I couldn't find the dang reception desk. I found the first, and they had no rooms for today. The second had a number on the door, which I called, and managed to reserve a room all weekend (Thank the Lord, I was a little worried after the first was full). See, with hostels (and I've never traveled in hostels before so this is all new to me) the reception may just be in the restaurant associated with the hostel. This was the case here, and the restaurant was 80 meters away from the door to the actual rooms. So that was exhausting. Luckily, on the way back, the owner helped me with the bags and said he would help on the way down too (no elevator). And like I said, it's really nice, and with a private bathroom. It's basically paradise as far as hostels go (and he's still only charging me for a single room!).
So that was my crazy day. My glasses still have oil on them, and I have no idea what to do with my coat. But I'm out, and I'm feeling much more like myself than yesterday, that's for sure. I ate a sandwich and I'm about to try something called a 'yellow plum'. I had no idea they came in that color, and like gold, they're expensive. Then I'm passing out for as long as possible. Tomorrow I'm going to Burgos with the church, and we're doing something with nuns that involves discussion and lunch, but that's as much as I know.
Well, this post is long, and hopefully informative/amusing. Thanks to everyone who was a listening ear (facebook chat box?) last night and those who were concerned. It's really nice, when you have problems so far away, to know that you've got people back at home concerned about your well being, and that are willing to let you mope/rant at all hours of the night (or afternoon, as it was over there). Know that everything's going better now. Well, good night. After I finish this episode of Castle (dubbed) I'm going to get some much needed sleep.
Update Somehow the mayo stayed inside the jar. My poor bananas are no good anymore. And yellow plums are quite delicious.

Bilingual Education in Spain, or, Get on the Ball America

I'd like to start out this post by saying that I'm pleased with how much emphasis Spain puts on language learning. Coming from a country that has very little, it's great to see the difference. And the teachers all work very hard with their varying levels of English to make a comprehensive experience for the students, from PE to Technology to Music to English. It's an extremely laudable effort.
That being said, it's interesting to hear students, who understand English very well, speak English. Their accents, while they vary, can be pretty bad. I'm no stranger to bilingual education, and I myself know that my accent is nothing to write home about. In fact, if you learn a language past puberty, you will never speak like a native (so stop getting on people when they immigrate and can't seem to speak your language like a native. It's basically impossible, and I dare you to try it). But the interesting thing about education is Spain is that they start English before puberty. They start in Elementary (primary) School here, which is such a good time for learning languages. Their brains are like little sponges, and with very little effort on their part, they can learn another language. This verses an adult trying to learn, which can be quite an arduous task. So, kudos, Spain.
Back to the accents. Since they're learning at such a young age, there is a wonderful opportunity for this generation to develop a great, even a perfect, English/American/Welsh/Scottish/Irish/Kiwi/Australian accent. But they're not. I work with high school students, but I have a private lesson student (very bright, speaks a lot of English) who is in elementary school. I can hear all of the accent quirks already in his speech. There are things that are very difficult for a native Spanish speaker to pronounce. St, Sk, Sh, long vowels, ed, j words, short i, th. I try to work with him on basic word pronunciation to at least make it possible for him to learn a fantastic, authentic sounding accent. But it's an uphill battle when your teachers have a Spanish English accent, and that's what you're hearing all day long. And again, it's not those teachers' fault, it's just that they didn't learn soon enough for their brains to fully form the accent.
I guess that's why this program exists in the first place, to get people like me into schools and speak to the students. I think it does have an effect, but I'm not sure if it's enough. Several times I'll say a word, and the students have no clue what I'm talking about, then the teacher says the same word in a Spanish English accent and they understand completely. Bringing us in is better than nothing, but I think it will take more exposure to get this youngest generation speaking clearer English. Obviously, Spain doesn't have the money to increase these kinds of programs, but it would be interesting to see what would happen if just one group of students were taught with an authentic accent (wherever it's from) their entire school careers. Twenty years from now, they would be teaching excellent English, and Spain would be the cream of the crop for language teaching. I think this is where they want to be (especially since most jobs for Spanish youth nowadays are out of the country) but this costs a lot of money and will take a lot of time. So huzzah for Spain making this first valiant and important effort. I hope that in the next few years it will really solidify into something awesome.
That brings me to the USA. What's our excuse? Other than we just don't want to/have to learn another language because everyone speaks English. So not true. And even if it were, if we want to interact on a global scale, languages are a must! And we have Mexico, right south of us. We have people, teachers, who speak real, authentic, Spanish. Couldn't we do the same sort of thing here that they're trying to do in Spain? I think so. We're obviously not in the greatest situation economically either, but slowly, over time, we could have similar goals. I briefly taught at an elementary school last semester where this exact thing was being attempted, and it was super successful. I can't wait to see where those kids are in five, ten years. So many doors are opened to them. And if you don't want your kids to be bilingual in Spanish, well, it doesn't have to be mandatory. It isn't here, and it wasn't at that elementary school. But what a wonderful opportunity it is, and how many doors it opens!
Okay, that's my rant on bilingual education. Thoughts, comments, concerns?

Strike!

So apparently, my students are on strike. I did not know that was possible, but it seems that students here are also in a sort of union. They're only on strike for two days, this being the first and tomorrow the second. There seem to be no penalties for this, as most of the teachers are against the same law the students are. It's called the "Wert Law" and I've seen posters up all around the town about it. I'm really not sure what's so bad about it (when I asked I got a vague "so many things"). In past years, the teachers have gone on strike a day here or there, but it doesn't do any good just to go on strike for one day, and they just ended up losing pay. So instead they started wearing t-shirts every Thursday decrying the law. It seems like that did not work either.

Today I had only one student in my last class. Apparently there were three at the beginning of the day, having been expressly told they were not allowed to strike. Two of the students got sick (wonder if that means 'skipped class' here, too) and left, so I was down to one. I would rather teach to a class of thirty unexpectedly than a class of one. Poor kid was already upset at not being allowed to strike and then he had to sit through a group presentation about Halloween. We watched the Thriller video, but it just wasn't where he wanted to be. I think, if I understood this whole thing correctly, that tomorrow is the official strike day, so I'll probably be missing a lot of students.

I'll update tomorrow on the strike, and see if I can find some more info on the Wert Laws.

Updates: In my class of older students today, I had only three. They all seemed pretty bummed to be there. I believe there are a bunch of protests around the country today, more notably in cities like Madrid and Barcelona. I believe there is something going on in the Plaza here, but I´ll be in class.

I know that the Wert laws affect education somehow, but I´m still not sure how. I believe it cuts funding for education and sanitation. That´s what I´ve been able to gather, anyway. And these protests have been going on for a long while, but they´re finally being, well, finalized. So this seems like the big push against them. I´m interested to see what a day of protests will do. Not to sound too cynical, but if the government has ignored the people for this long already...

Anyway, and interesting introduction to Spanish culture.

From a few days ago...

Apparently I can only write this post in HTML mode (I´ve got some downtime at school) so we´ll see if it turns out okay.

Week 6 already. This week I pass a landmark-the longest amount of time I've spent in a foreign country. The last was in Costa Rica, and on Thursday I'll beat my record. I feel like I should get balloons or something. I'm in my new apartment, and I must say, I enjoy it immensely. I made burgers last night! And the shower head is normal! And no roaches! And it's smaller, which really is a good thing. My gym and church are a little far away, but 'far away' here is more like, ten minutes, whereas in the States I think it would have to be at least a fifteen minute drive. There's a joke that goes, "Americans think 100 years is a long time, Englishmen think 100 miles is a long way." That second one could go for Spaniards, too, because everything is pretty compact here.

Teaching is still going well. On Thursday I'm giving a class discussion on the Hijab, which is pretty interesting. I've got a bunch of articles from Muslim women talking about the Hijab, and a video about the Niqab (the one that only leaves space for the eyes). It's all quite fascinating, and I'm hoping that if I enjoy learning about it, the students will too. (that's how things work, right?) Actually, for how small this town is, there are a lot of Muslim immigrants from Middle Eastern and north African countries. So it'll be a fairly relevant discussion.

I think I need to visit some sort of "TV addicts anonymous" because even going four days without watching my usual programs is driving me a little crazy. That's fairly pathetic. If there's one fortunate thing not having internet does, is it provides me with the opportunity to break the habit. Hopefully. So I guess now would be the detox stage. Anyway, as the internet appears to be a no go, I'm going to save this on Word and post it later. If it stops raining, perhaps I'll take the computer out to the hotspot. Maybe it's worth the weird stares.

(it was not worth the stares, and the internet was too crappy to even connect to it on a computer)

Stupid, stupid, stupid

"Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy."

From the extreme happiness of finding another place, to the extreme depression of everything exploding in my face. Mostly because I'm an idiot.

I should have mentioned the smoking earlier, that much is obvious. I think I figured out why I didn't do it though, in case anyone is interested in my self-analysis. I want to leave my apartment, and the smoking made for a good excuse. I didn't mention it, because as long as the smoking was a problem, I had a legitimate reason for leaving. And I really do want to leave. I really, really do. The place I found was great, and I want to live with people my age.

Anyway, she confronted me about my feelings, I told her the truth, and it kind of exploded from there. She said she would have stopped had I mentioned, it but I never mentioned it. Very true, very true. See the thing is I have no response to her, so I'm just left kind of wallowing in what is not entirely self pity but more like self-stupidity. I'm still leaving though, now more than ever. And soon. Tomorrow, for the new place, I hope. And if not the new place, a hostal. She's very upset with me for leaving her in a bind, for telling her I would be there for ten months and not being here for ten months. There was a lot of door slamming on her part. I'm sure this means I'm not getting my deposit, which at this point I don't care at all about. And I do feel bad... but at the same time, I want to be happy in my home. I'm not happy here. Is it so wrong to put my happiness ahead of what she needs? Is that selfishness? I don't know. Stupidity, maybe, at least. But I have less than 9 months left here, and I really want to make good memories. I don't want this apartment tainting them.

Man, being an adult sucks sometimes. Also being human. That also sucks sometimes.

So now I'm up until dawn, unable to sleep, alternating between trying to forget what's happened and trying to rationalize it. Trying to plan out my escape in the morning before she gets up, and leave for good just as she comes back. I'm contemplating dropping off my suitcase at the school in my office, that way it'll be easier to transport to the new place. I'm thinking about getting a room at a hostel just for the storage space. I feel bad for leaving a really negative impression on the neighbors below me, who own the apartment and have been so kind about everything. I think their reactions bother me the most. I think I'll have to send a letter or something, if only to apologize.

It'll be better tomorrow, won't it? Things get better as time passes, don't they? I'll feel less guilty later, I hope. I'll learn from this experience. I'll grow from it. In nine months, I won't see any of these people again, most likely, and I'll move on with my life. But boy does it suck right now.

On a related note, if I do move into my new place tomorrow, I will not have internet for a few days. I'll try to leave a message from my little hotspot, whatever happens. Say a prayer for me, would you? Even if you don't think it'll do anything, I appreciate it.

Well, it's six a.m. I suppose that makes this the appropriate time to take a shower. Morning everyone.

Soooo happy right now.

I don't know if I can stress enough how happy I am. I either want to sing or weep. I'm not fond of weeping, and quite frankly I already don't drink enough water, so I've been making up little songs about how happy I am to be leaving this apartment. Some involve swear words but in a... happy way.

I've found another place to live. How is this apartment better? Let me count the ways.

1. No smoking. It even smells better than this one did when I moved in. (And right now I'm sitting in my room and it's filled with smoke. It's awful.)
2. Smaller. I like smaller.
3. People closer to my age. And they're both working in the school system!
4. Closer to my school. I only have to go five minutes to get from the apartment to work. Yay for sleeping in more!
5. Cleaner. I don't think I'll be finding any roaches there. And I'm not afraid to use the drawers in the wardrobes!
6. Brighter. Light is expensive here. My room faces outward, not a wall, which is great.
7. I can understand my roommates' Spanish better. My current landlady/roommate has this really thick accent.
8. Next door to my favorite grocery store, the one that sells sheep cheese for 1 Euro!
9. It's not ancient! I don't have to light the stove with a match. And I bet the microwave works, too.
10. Shower. The shower is huge and really, really nice. Shared, unlike this apartment, but it's still better.

Okay, that's just ten reasons why I'm so pleased. It's more than enough for me. I'm going to start packing tomorrow, and tell my landlady on Sat. (there's nothing in my contract that says I have to wait or give a certain amount of notice). Hopefully I'll be in my new place Monday evening! I'll try and add some pictures either here or on Facebook eventually, but I won't have an internet connection for probably another week (basically the only downside).

In other good news, I found out I'll be making 50 Euro extra a month teaching teachers! I won't start for another three weeks, but that gives me some time for lesson planning. And all that money will go towards traveling, which I'm imagine will happen mostly after Christmas, as I'll be fully settled in and my paychecks should be steady (hopefully that won't be an issue, but last year it definitely was in my region).

So today was a good day. Oh, and I learned that young Spaniards love candy corn. LOVE. And Halloween trinkets. It's made for some fun lessons.

Moving out

of my apartment.

I guess I've snapped. I think that's a good word for it. Mostly, it was the smoking (and the subsequent cough I've developed). As I was debating today whether or not to move out, I started doodling. Mostly pictures of little stickmen telling me all the dangers of smoking, and also that it made my soul fill with rage, which is basically like Bruce Banner becoming the Hulk and destroying shit. No bueno.

But it also occurred to me, if I'm going to be miserable here, why would I stay? Do I want to be miserable for the next nine months in a place where I'm supposed to be exploring the world and growing as a person? Do I want those memories? Heck no! So I'm moving out.

The other habit of hers that I cannot abide by is that she is extremely overbearing. She will literally hand me food and tell me to eat it, no asking involved. When I say no, she won't take that for an answer. Like, she'll come by room at night and bring me a bowl of grapes, without asking. Or at lunch she handed me two oranges and when I said I didn't want them she told me to 'eat them'. It leaves me wanting to scream that I am not her child, I am a grown woman, who, although I don't really know how to cook, want to be treated as such. Though I suppose that yelling that would only prove the point that I am not a grown woman, and so self-control is paramount. But in any case, I'm moving out. I haven't told her yet, but as soon as I have another place, I will. I don't really want to give her any chance to convince me otherwise. So for the next week or so I'm going to be avoiding her and making secret phone calls.

But enough negative stuff. I've got Halloween lessons for the next three week, which is awesome. I love Halloween, and I love teaching the kids about Halloween. I really want to teach them a simplified version of the Thriller dance, but I'm not sure that my teachers will go for that. Mostly, I've got a pumpkin activity for the sort of okay at English classes, and the Cask of Amontillado for the older classes. I might have to make that a video (if I can find a good one on youtube) because some of the language is pretty difficult, even for English speakers. But it's also one of the creepiest short stories I've ever read.

I went out the other day to eat lunch, trying to escape the smoke in my house. I stopped at this place called KayKay-fast food. They sold burgers, and I thought, hey, why not. Let's eat some American food. I can only describe the burger as gristly, and the flavor as kind of  like pork but not. My meat-knowledgeable friend Eileen informed me that what I ate was probably all the reject meat, and a mix of random animals. Apparently there's been a scandal in Europe recently with 'meat' meaning 'horse meat'. I guess it goes to show that even Europe has issue with food. But the more important lesson is, never eat at KayKay.

I even got another private student, hopefully! The mom has to check with her daughter on what time works, but I she's one of  my students from Vela Zanetti. She's sixteen, so that will be weird. I've never before worked with someone not in elementary school. But all of this will help me with my grand plan for Christmas...

I'm trying to go to Rome! I sent in for a ticket to attend the Papal Christmas Eve mass. The tickets are free, but limited. And the flights are expensive, which is why the private lessons are so helpful. I'm hoping to have them purchased by the end of this month (if I get paid by the Junta) and I should be booking the hotel this week (hostel, more than hotel. I might get an actual hotel for Christmas Eve/Day).

Other places I plan on going, in order of absolutely will happen to I really hope so, Lourdes, Fatima, London, and Cardiff (you know I'm going to the Doctor Who museum). I might also hit a couple countries as I'm flying from one to another. And of course I plan on hitting some big places in Spain, Barcelona, Segovia, Sevilla, and this town called Orbeneja de Castillo. Most of it is accessible from Burgos, and taking the bus is pretty reasonable.

Well, that's all for now. I'll write up a post on the NIE for any fellow auxiliaries soon. Spoiler, it was super easy. Unfortunately, I can smell smoke in my room again, so rage Hulk is coming back. I think I'm going to take a nap.

Random Differences

I'm not sure how they do it, but somehow, the dogs are better trained. Most dogs here walk apart from their owners, only the big ones stay on a leash. These mostly tiny dogs (always well groomed, and usually pure bred, not mutts) walk in front or behind their owners, but are called back at the softest whistle. They even stop at the edge of the sidewalk! Which is really good because crossing the road is kind of like going out and hoping cars stop, and tiny dogs would not survive. But even if a dog is like, ten feet in front of their owner, they will stop at the edge.

Baby carriages are different here. More of them are upright. I'm not sure if we have this in America but they have these plastic sheets to put over them when it rains. Also, they come with tiny umbrellas to shade the baby from the sun.

Doors are the opposite. You push to get in, pull to get out. It confuses me almost every single time.

Music classes are more centered around theory and history than instrument playing. In fact, I don't think they have band or orchestra classes here. They play recorder to aid in music theory.

Kids will eat a sandwich for a snack at school, but lunch doesn't technically start until 2:30, so the kids are at home by lunch time.

Scarves, super popular. They are definitely my favorite part of the wardrobe here. The leggings as pants thing... eh.

People walk ridiculously fast here. And all the women wear heels. I'm not sure how they do it, but even at my fastest I'm walk at the pace of a sixty year old. Although I've heard complaints that the sidewalks get slippery when they're wet, and I think that part of the reason is because of all the heels.

Additionally, if there's no crosswalk sign, pedestrians have the right of way. I'm much more hesitant, and wait to see if the car will stop for me first. I know they are probably annoyed by me, but while it's totally normal for Spaniards to just cross the street and assume the car will stop, I can't get it out of my head that I'm going to get hit by one.

NIE part 2

Okay, I've got a NIE number. So let me start out by saying, Success! Almost. There will be a part three, but I've got the hardest part done.

My appointment was, as I mentioned before, more of a suggestion. I walked there, and from the Pz Jardines de Don Diego it took about 20 minutes to get there. You have to go past the Ermita, and it's on the right side of the road. You'll literally be outside of town by the time you get there. Plan for the travel time.

The documents you'll need are your Empadronada (no copy required), your passport, a copy of your passport (all stamped pages and first few pages, either color or black and white), your letter from the Junta (no copy required), and your visa application from the states. I wouldn't bother filling out the application beforehand (Ex-15) because they'll pretty much fill it out for you. I did mine completely wrong, and it was actually way easier than I thought.

Once you turn in all the forms, you'll need to be fingerprinted, but they'll only do your indexes a couple times. The guy who's in Aranda right now is super helpful and very nice. I had to wait about 15 minutes, and the process only took about 20 minutes. I would still leave yourself a window of 2 hours, because the appointment is more or less first come first serve. You may have to wait a while. And don't forget to take account of your walk to the school if you're taking care of it on a work day. I recommend finding a day off to do your NIE just in case. If you're at Vela Zanetti, it's about 40 minutes away from there.

From this point, you'll get a number, and a receipt. You need to take it to a bank and bring back the top sheet. I think it's 12 Euro. Once you go back to the station, they'll give you a piece of paper and a phone number. Your NIE card will be in probably ten days, and you can call the number to check if it's in yet. But I'll save that part for later, because it hasn't happened yet.

Hopefully though, if you can avoid my early misunderstandings, getting your NIE in Aranda should be super easy.

Oi vey

Apparently my landlady is moving in with me. She did not mention this to me at any point, just kind of did it. I was having a private lesson with a student today, and found out by her saying something to the affect of 'when I move in here, you can't have lessons here'. It's fine, I can do it in his house, but I don't think this was the best way to break her moving in to me.

Actually, what's set me off about the whole thing was that not only has she been moving all my stuff around (seriously, what's wrong with fruit on the counter in a container?) but that she started out by smoking in the living room. One of the reason I chose this apartment was because it specifically said, 'no smoking'. Guess that was more of a suggestion... I'm not even sure if she's here right now. They close all the bedroom doors in Spain (which I never do) so I don't want to be creepy and open them in case she's sleeping. I know deep down that these are all cultural differences, but as someone who is most definitely American, I'm having trouble not feeling annoyed.

I was walking back with my students grandmother (a wonderful woman named Luisa that I met at a catechesis event in Burgos) and she thought it was weird as well. "I thought you lived alone?" "Yeah, so did I." They stopped by before the lesson, and quite frankly I thought my landlady was a little rude to Luisa, but maybe that's a cultural difference, too. I've really gotten used to staying alone in this house that now the opposite is jarring. Luckily, she has her own bathroom.

Going out for drinks this evening with some teachers. Should be fun, and maybe by the time I get back the smoke will have cleared out somewhat.

One month in

I have to say, I'm really enjoying teaching. I was mobbed by my students today after school. About twenty of them surrounded me with questions. "Julia, how much do pants cost in the United States?" "Teacher, how much does a car cost?" "Julia, do you have a boyfriend?" They are very, very funny, crazy kids. Apparently, one of them climbs bathroom walls.

I have to say, out of all of the ages to teach, 13-15 is probably my favorite. I've got some older students, but most of them are very... preppy. The girls have stopped playing sports, they don't do stuff out doors anymore. This is a generalization, of course. I have two older classes that are pretty great. But the younger classes aren't as intimidating, and they think it's funny when I start singing during class. And it's much easier to plan lessons, because they can be a little silly. The kids will still go along with me if I have them dance or sing or play games. None of them, and I mean none of the students, like Star Wars or Star Trek over here. Scifi is so far off their radar. The only video game they play is Grand Theft Auto. I think their next homework assignment will be watching the original Star Trek trilogy, or perhaps the entirety of Firefly.

I've got a private student two times a week, and I'm going to be teaching the local teachers fluency and primary school reading techniques. Both are pretty exciting, and it'll be awesome to have some extra income. I'm going to a gym, I go out on Thursdays with other teachers, and I'm pretty well established in a parish. I eat meals when the Spaniards do, I've learned how to order in restaurants, I can get anywhere in my town without getting lost.  I have to say, it's nice to have a routine. When I first came here, which really seems like yesterday, I was pretty miserable. Call it culture shock, homesickness, loneliness, whatever it was, it was pretty bad. I told myself, if you feel this miserable in one month, you can pack your bags and go home. I even made four different countdown calendars. Well, here I am, and I'm not at all miserable. I've got a life here and I like living it. It's not like things are perfect, and I do miss my family and friends, but it's so much more normal now. I forget most days to mark off another day on my calendar. I've made friends, met people. I've gotten used to living alone. Life is life again; not all up, not all down, and comforting in how similar it is, at it's core, to life anywhere else.

Getting your NIE in Aranda Part 1

I'm not done with it yet. But I figured I would write everything down before I forget anything. I'll write part two when I get it done (hopefully Friday).

So, to start out, you need to get an appointment (cita). The number on the website is wrong. I found another number in the yellow pages, and I called it. They told me to call someone else. Then that person told me to call someone else. Finally, I reached the number to get a cita (appointment). Call 947 546 306. They'll want to know your first and last name, your country of origin, where you're living, how long you're going to be here. You need to tell them you don't have a NIE, and that you have an empadronamiento. They will then ask you what time you can come. If I heard them correctly, it's open from 8-2, so you'll probably have to organize it around your school schedule (and it's pretty far out of town so block at least a couple hours out of your day). So I scheduled an appointment sometime between 9-11. They're not super specific. Apparently though, the mornings are pretty busy, so it's entirely possible that I'll show up and won't be able to do my NIE paperwork. I might have to go back Monday. We'll see.

It also is not anywhere near I thought it was. You have to make your way to the Ermita de la Virgen de las Vinas. It's on C/ San Francisco, 92. I believe that it's right after the Ermita (and if you haven't been there yet, check it out). You need your empadronamiento, NIE application, passport photos, passport, copy of your passport, and you need to pay a small amount (like 12 Euro). I'm not really sure how that's going to work. I know that in Burgos you go from the national police station to the bank, then you get a receipt and bring it back to the station. But the station here is so far away from the bank, I'm not sure how that's going to work.

I'll get back to you on part two, the actual application process.

NIE

Dear Spanish Government,

 

 

Get your sh** together. Stop bouncing me around from police station to police station, telling me I can't get a NIE here and have to go there but need an appointment there and oh yeah the police station telephone number is disconnected and you can schedule an appointment online but oh wait you can't.

 

So frustrating. But hopefully I will spare some future auxiliar the pain of getting their NIE. 

Dear future auxiliar in Aranda

Don't go to Burgos to get your NIE. Apparently, it can be done in Aranda. Also apparently, they won't let you do it in Burgos. At least, the woman I spoke with wouldn't. I know for a fact that it is allowed, because another girl in my city was allowed to get her NIE in Valladolid. It just has to be in the same Province. But they wouldn't let me do it, so basically I spent 12 Euro to go to Burgos for nada. By the way, the stupid website, found here http://www.policia.es/documentacion/oficinas/castilla_leon.html does not say that you can do the NIE in anywhere but Burgos. So perhaps I'll go to the Police Station here (which is literally across the street from my apartment) and find out that lady was completely wrong. I promise, future auxiliar, that I will update with detailed steps my journey to get this stupid thing so that it is easier for you.

However, the Empadronada portion is completed, and was super easy. All you need is your passport and a copy of your rental agreement (signed and what not). Take it to the Plaza Mayor. The office is N. 1, right near the main bridge to the other half of the city. You'll find it on the first floor (keeping in mind that the ground floor in Spain is 0 not 1) and to your left when you come up the stairs. It literally took me five minutes, and they open at 9 I believe. If you need a copy of your rental agreement or of anything really, there is a copy shop that opens at 9 in the last entrance to the Plaza Mayor, the one right before the path to Santa Maria and after the Casa Cultural and all those shops. I hope that helps.

Despite the frustrating failure, it was time well spent. I went out to lunch with some other Auxiliares in and around Burgos (also getting their NIE). We went to this nice little Italian place. The great thing about getting food in Spain is the Menu del Dia. Basically, there are certain items that are cheaper at lunch. So I got bread, a delicious pear salad, a good sized lasagna (and it was delicious), some sort of dessert, and an entire glass bottle of water. All of this was 12,5 Euro. I also learned from an Irish Auxiliar the term 'tums and bums' to describe an abdominal and gluteal class. I think I'll be using that from now on.

Burgos, or the best laid plans

I intended to go to Burgos today to take care of clerical matters. I need my NIE, and I need to get it soon. But I figured out last night that I'll need to be empadronada, or registered as living in Spain, first. So all my carefully laid plans (and I mean super carefully) had to be changed to include this new stop. Luckily, all I had to do was find the main plaza, register my address, walk a heck of a long way to the extranjeria, and then apply for the NIE. I never made it that far. Turns out I needed to be registered in Aranda, then apply for my NIE in Burgos. So my day of carefully scheduled and mapped out tasks disappeared like that.

But it was totally worth it. I went to the Cathedral in Burgos instead, and it was beautiful. So beautiful it moved me to tears a few times. I recommend that if you're in Spain, head to Burgos, see this Cathedral. Everything is amazing. The idea of beauty, as representing the invisible reality of the mass, of worship, is so wonderfully portrayed in this place. You really do feel like you're getting a glimpse of heaven (which is what the mass is, heaven). And the history of it all... We don't have anything like it in the States. I mean, when you're walking on the same ground as someone from the 14th century... And the ceilings, oh boy, as said someone who I think I remember being a prince, it's like they're 'crafted by angels'. Seriously worth your time, and only 7 Euro! I know museums that are way more expensive than that.

After the Cathedral (two hours later) I had a typical lunch (chorizo, fried eggs, fries, and bread. I really need to eat more vegetables) and then found my way up the hill behind the Cathedral. It was about 2:30, so everything was closed, but I knew that up above the Cathedral was a castle, and it is one of my dreams to visit a castle. After a little bit of a climb, I found the place. It was pretty cool, too, although it's only open on weekends so I didn't get to go inside. I did find an overlook and took several panoramas, this being one of them.

 

Even if the Cathedral is closed, check this view out if you're ever in Burgos. It was magnificent.

 

Another really interesting thing about Burgos is the amount of pilgrims it has. It's right on the Camino de Santiago, a neat pilgrimage to the Church of Saint James, in Santiago de Compostela, where the apostle is buried. So not only were there shells everywhere (the pilgrim's symbol) but there were people speaking a dozen or so languages. I actually ran into clumps of Americans (who spoke very little Spanish) and through their conversation got some news updates (someone tried to run their car into the White House?). It made me want to walk the Camino, but I might have to come back to Spain and exclusively do that. It seems like the way my schedule is going, I won't have time to fit in the Camino properly. Perhaps it's better to come back and do it right. Or maybe I'll walk the last 500 meters and then come back later and do it all the way.

 

 

I got to pray in the Cathedral in a couple of different side chapels that are reserved for prayer, so that was nice. I also finally went to Reconciliation in Spanish, which was nerve wracking but much easier than I expected. And it was my first time in an actual confessional, so that was neat! Unlike every other kneeler in Spain, the confessionals had cushions, so it was like a luxury.

 

 

I also visited a medieval market. It wasn't super medieval, except that the sellers were wearing more or less period clothing. There was a lot of food available, but it was still the kind of stuff sold in butcher shops and bakeries in Spain. Still, it was pretty fun. If your in Boise, think a smaller version of art in the park with more meats.

 

I have Monday off, so I'll be getting Empadronada in Aranda and then I'll take the bus into Burgos and walk to the Police Station to get my NIE. Hopefully it'll be easy. Burgos isn't as large as Madrid, so it should go more or less smoothly.