Hiatus

Wow, it seems I have taken a hiatus from blogging lately. I don't even remember the last time I wrote a blog, but I think it was late June or early July. It has been quite a summer since then.

Of course, I am still loving my job at Heifer. I hope I am able to get hired as a regular employee. Since starting in late June, I have stayed busy both at work and at home. That is part of the reason I haven't blogged a whole lot; but at the same time, life is a little more routine now that I am back in the United States... Get up at 6:20 a.m., leave the house around 7 a.m., get to work about 7:45 a.m., leave work about 5 p.m., get home at about 6 p.m. and go to bed around 9:30-10 p.m. That is quite a difference from life when I was in Spain -- going to bed at 2 or 3 a.m. Although, some of my eating schedule habits are about the same. I eat lunch around 2 p.m. and have had dinner as late as 9 p.m.

I haven't spent a lot of time on Facebook either. So I want to take a minute to shout out to all of my friends in Spain (hopefully at least one or two are reading this). I hope all is well there.

So what else have I done? Other than write a completely random blog post at the beginning of August? Unfortunately I have gained back all the weight, plus some that I had lost in Spain. I've been camping and kayaking. I've been to the lake a few times. I even got to go fishing once. I think I have finally found a church to attend regularly in Sheridan -- First Landmark Baptist. Hmmm, life is pretty average right now. I don't expect much excitement for the next several months, although 2013 will be here before I know it.


Uuf, parece que no he escrito un blog hace mucho tiempo. No recuerdo la ultima vez escribi, pero creo que era en el fin de junio o el principio de julio. He tenido un verano lleno desde entonce.

Claro, todavía encanto mi trabajo con Heifer. Espero que pueda trabajar allí como empleado normal. Después de empezar de trabajar con ellos en el fin de junio, he estado muy ocupado, ambos en el trabajo y en casa. Por eso no he escrito mucho. Pero al mismo tiempo la vida no es tan loca ahora, es vida diaria y rutina. Me despierto a las 6:20, salgo de la casa a las 7, llego al trabajo a las 7:45... Salgo del trabajo a las 18h, llego a la casa a las 19h, y me acuesto a las 21:30-22:00h. Es una vida bastante diferente que la vida en España cuando no me acueste hasta las 3. Aunque, algunos hábitos de comer son los mismos. Almuerzo a las 14h y aveces ceno a las 21h.

No he pasado mucho tiempo en Facebook tampoco. Así que quiero pasar unos momentos para decir hola a todos mis amigos en España y Europa (espero que alguien allí esta leyendo esta mensaje). Espero que todo va bien allí.

Bueno, que mas he hecho? Más que escribir un blog completamente al alzar al primer de agosto? Lamentablemente,  he ganado todo el peso de nuevo he había perdido mientras vivía en España, mas algunos pesos mas. Fui de kayak/piragüismo y acampar. He ido al lago para nadar unas veces y también una vez para pescar. Creo que por fin he encontrado una iglesia local aquí en Sheridan, First Landmark Baptist. La vida es mas o menos mediana por ahora y probable sera durante unos meses, aunque 2013 estará aquí pronto.

Trabajo

Buenas noticias amigos míos! Hoy recibí una llamada desde la agencia de empleo que una compañía quería una entrevista conmigo. Pero no sola era una compañía, era la con que yo esperaba trabajar. Con mucha emoción, yo fui a Little Rock para la entrevista.

Traje mi currículum vitae (resumé). La gerente me lo pidió. Le di y dijo que también tengo una lista de referencias y empleadores antiguos.  Me dije que ya había hablado con mi jefa cuando yo estaba el interno de comunicaciones.

Bueno este blog es más o menos para informarles que trabajaré el lunes que viene. Una responsabilidad principal será traducir documentos y políticas. Entonces, este blog también sierva que practicar mis habilidades escritas. Mi español no es perfecto pero ha mejorado mucho en el último año.

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Good news my friends! Today I received a call from the employment agency who told me a company wanted to have an interview with me. But it wasn’t just any company, it was the one I hoped to work with. With much excitement, I went to Little Rock for the interview.

I brought my resume with me. The manager asked for it. I gave it to her and pointed out that I also had references and past employers contact information attached. She told me she had already talked with my boss from when I was the communications intern.

Well this blog is mainly to let you all know that I will begin working this coming Monday. One of the main responsibilities will be translating documents and policies to Spanish. So, this blog also serves to practice my written abilities. My Spanish is not perfect but it has improved in the past year.

Little a poco

Yes. That title is most definitely in Spanglish which is slowly becoming my dominant language. I remember when I went back to the United States at Christmas. Upon arriving to my connecting flight at Atlanta I went into one of the stores to buy a drink. The employees had a little difficulty understanding me.

A few weeks ago, the other auxiliar and I had a conversation with the bilingual coordinator at our school. The coordinator told us that when we returned to the United States we would speak a strange form of English. And at this point, after six months in Spain, I can already see the truth to that statement.

For instance, every Tuesday I attend a language exchange. The first hour is in English and the second hour in Spanish. During the first hour I had to ask the Spaniards at the table, "Como se dice 'vocales' en ingles?" The answer: vowels. In a later conversation I almost said, "We assisted the same university." In Spanish, "to attend," is "assistir a."

And finally, today in a conversation with another American, I was trying to say English and instead "Englis," came out without the 'h.'

I guess this can be a good sign that I am learning Spanish and using it. But at times it can be annoying to some of my friends and family when I am talking to them and let a Spanish word or phrase drop into the conversation. I just hope that I can retain everything I am learning.

The Evolution of Language

If I ever write a serious research paper or book, I think it would most definately be about language. I find it interesting in how different accents and dialects can be. During my time in Spain, I am not only learning Spanish, but also learning more about my own language and it's history.

Most English tourism in Spain is probably from the United Kingdom. It is a whole lot cheaper to fly to Spain from there than the United States. Many of the auxiliares here in Huelva are also from the United Kingdom. Within the Kingdom there are several key accents, for example: British, Scottish and Irish. Some are easier to understand than others. However the accents from the UK are easier for Spanish people to understand than the american accent. Of course, we have at least three distinct accents ourselves with northern, southern and western.

In one of the classes yesterday the teacher began talking about some of the different Spanish dialects. That of course got the students onto slang from Latin America which was completely innocent in Spain. "Goma" literaly translates to rubber in English but in Spanish it can also mean eraser. Maybe in UK english as well. But if you go to the USA and ask for a rubber, you won't be getting an eraser. If you go to Australia or the UK and ask for chips you will be getting what we call French Fries.  And of course, these are only a few examples.

How do the meanings of words change over time? How do they change from country to country? How do accents change and/or develop? All of these questions would be very interesting to find an answer to.
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In other news, I had my first solo class today. It was with 3rd ESO in English. I used the pamphlets about Little Rock which I prepared last week (and have updated some since then). (I mixed classes up and went to class unprepared last Friday.) The second half of the class I had them writing a letter about a city they have visited and a city they would visit. That was to use both past and future tenses. The class went well, much better than I expected. I was very nervous entering the class but the students really surprised me. Usually with a substitute they try to get away with more, but today, I am not sure what the "guardia" told them before I arrived but I think they were more well-behaved today with the teacher absent than when she is there.

Hotel Continental Barcelona

Barcelona has been great. I definately want to come back one day. I spent most of my time walking around just looking. But I also paid to see a few sights such as an IMAX film and La Sagrada Familia. I opted not to pay for one of the attractions such as the "Spanish Village." Why see that when I am living in one.

I managed to pay only about 50 dollars in food and drinks while being here. It really helped with the hotel I am staying at, Hotel Continental Barcelona on La Rambla, 138. It is a three-star hotel. I am not a hotel connoisseur who knows a lot about different hotels, but this one I have to recommend.

La Rambla is one of the post popular streets in the city and located in the city center. The hotel is just around the corner from three "Corte Ingles" stores and the Hard Rock Cafe. It is easily accessible from both the airport and the city center. The airport bus drops off about three blocks from the hotel. And the metro green line comes up about half a block from the hotel entrance. The red line is across the streets about three to four blocks away. It can also be accessed through the underground tunnels. 

The room is small. There are cracks in parts of the ceilings. The decorations are not very attractive. My room is almost completely pink and the lobby is decorated in floured wallpaper, including light fixtures, siding and the ceiling. But the size, decor and a little wear and tear shouldn't be of a concern. The room is comfortable, it provides a bed to sleep, heating and cooling, a refrigerator, microwave, shower/bath, and a safe. I have had no problems with the room.

Like all of the other European Hotels I have been in, this one has energy efficiency keys. There is a plastic card separated to the room key to insert to have electricity. The only complaint I have is that the "Do not Disturb," signs that are built into the door seem to be ignored. Maybe if the deadbolt were locked and the sign were up they would pay more attention. But my plan was to leave it up for the entire weekend so that they did not replace any of the towels with new ones, helping to save energy, water, and pollution. But this is a minor concern. Four tourists, sleeping late is a waste of precious sight-seeing time so it doesn't really matter.

To further add to the convenience of the hotel, there is free food and drinks 24/7. Drinks include water, tea, white wine, rose wine, orange juice, milk, soft drinks and coffee. There are two meals, breakfast and lunch/dinner. Breakfast was usually quiche, another egg custard, ham and bacon, boiled eggs and cereals. Lunch and dinner were usually a type of pasta, rice and potatoes. Foods such as bread, olives and fruits were available at all meals. There may not be a huge selection of food but it is available and it does taste good. And more than just the food and drink was free: the entire hotel has wirelss internet which allowed me to do necessary banking, contact friends and family, write these blogs, research tourist sites and listen to the Arkansas State Red Wolves football game online.

The hotel was cheap, at 78 euros per night. Everything is about equal in the USA when it comes to price (a coke that is one dollar usually equals one euro, etc.) and this hotel was also. Most hotels in the USA cost around 80 dollars for a cheap one and include a continental breakfast from 6 a.m. to 9 or 10 a.m. They usually include WiFi in the rooms. But they don't include 24/7 free food and drinks (especially alcohol).

And if you don't speak Spanish, you are sure to find someone anywhere you go in Barcelona that can speak English. I practiced speaking Spanish, but because I don't speak perfect Spanish and I look like a foreigner, most people just automatically spoke to me in English, even when I responded in Spanish.

Hopefully I can come back to Barcelona before I leave Spain. And when I do, I will definitely be looking to book a room here at Hotel Continental again.

London Sightseeing

I am really glad that I had my handheld GPS with me in London. Not only has it provided a storage to remind me of places to see, but without it I don’t think I would have found my hotel. I spent three hours just trying to figure out how to get here. And after I found the train and got to Brentford, I didn’t know how to get to the hotel. That is where the GPS came in.

The train from the airport brought me to Liverpool street in downtown London. It was a little strange because outside of the station on some of the streets there were not really a lot of people. I began walking toward St. Paul’s Cathedral. I didn’t know what to expect when I arrived there. I know it is a famous site so I wanted to take some pictures, but I also know that because of the global “Occupy Wall Street” movement it was closed for a while.

St. Paul's Cathedral as seen while approaching from the direction of Liverpool Street.

Protesters have been occupying the area for several weeks.

After finding the Cathedral I hopped on a bus which took me to Waterloo. From there I had a distant view of Big Ben, and the Eye of London. I took some photos and then went on the metro, eventually finding my way to Kings Cross Station. Unfortunately the station was very large so I ended up missing the Hogwarts Express. I haven’t found the Ministry of Magic yet.

When I went to platform 9 and asked an employee if there was a marker for nine and three quarters he looked at me and said, "You're from America aren't you."

Phone booths are more common in Europe. This one made me think of the Ministry of Magic.

I took a bus from Kings Cross back to Liverpool Street station and then walked a little bit until I found the Tower Bridge. I actually hadn’t really planned on seeing this but I am glad I did. There was an old fortress by it, although I did not pay to go inside. I ended up buying postcards and a keychain there. 

I continued walking on the Thames Riverside and crossed at London Bridge. For your information, it didn’t appear that it will fall anytime soon. I found the crowd here. There was some kind of market down along the river and it was full of people. But eventually I fought through the crowd and found Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. Once again, I did not pay four a tour. The pound is very expensive. I brought 300 euros with me and the 250 I traded in only bout about 150 pounds.

By this time I was extremely tired. I had been walking all day and sight-seeing for about four to five hours. My back hurt and I hadn’t eaten. It was about 2:30 in the afternoon so I knew I would be able to get in my hotel when I found it. As I said, it took me another three hours. The metro system here is very large and confusing. It is the most difficult system I have been on. Luckily when I had to walk, there was some writing on the street, when it is not there I don't know which way to look for traffic. (Remember they drive on the left side of the road in England.)

In New York City there may be multiple routes for a specific color but they are at least labeled. Here they cross each other and twist and split. But there are no numbers on the map to specify which train you need. The only way to know is to know the destinations. Unfortunately there are so many places in London so that is almost impossible for me.

I ended up in Westminster. As soon as I came up out of the underground I was greeted by Big Ben. Not far behind was Westminster Abbey. I found both of them by accident, even though I had planned on visiting both of them.  I decided since that only left two more locations in the same general area I would go ahead and see the rest. So I ended up at the gates of Buckingham Palace to see the guards. There was no changing of the guards ceremony until 11:30 tomorrow morning so I may or may not get to see that. I have two options tomorrow: sleep in and then go back to London. Or get up early and go to Stonehenge tomorrow. It is a tough decision. I may set an alarm and see how I feel tomorrow.

I ended up missing my final destination which is fine with me. It leaves me something to do on my extra day in London. I don’t leave until November 1. I went back to Waterloo Station via bus and train. Then I went to the national rail after asking someone about getting to Brentford. I found an information booth and asked. They showed me the location on a rail map and I figured it was it because it was between the city and Heathrow Airport. (I need to find out soon how to get to Heathrow airport from my hotel. I don’t know if I have to go into London to get there by train or not.)

I tried a little geocaching by my hotel but was unsuccessful. I didn’t like the area I was in, and it was so dark I gave up. I may check again in the daylight tomorrow or Monday. When I got back to the hotel, I went to the in-hotel bar/restaurant. For about 14 pounds I had a soda, 3 lamb chops, a large salad and “chips,” as they call them but better known to me as “French Fries.”

 

Once again in the words of the English: Cheers. (Try to imagine a heavy British accent.)

View more photos on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1747939051314.2059463.1023930588&type=1&l=609388b450

Sevilla Airport

After work today I rode with a few colleagues to Sevilla. I have to say, the city is just as great as I remember. I even saw a few of the same places as when I came in 2006. Unfortunately, this is my first time in the Seville Airport so in order to make sure I did not miss my flight, I arrived early. Much earlier than necessary apparently. I got to the airport about 6:15 p.m. The gate closes at 8:45 p.m. Getting my passport checked and through security went by rapidly, which is great. But now I am stuck in the airport for another hour and a half with nothing to do.

I am flying to London via RyanAir. They have some weird polices such as having to print your own ticket before you arrive. As if the ticket is not expensive enough, if you fail to bring your boarding pass already printed, they will charge you another 40 euros. You are also only allowed one carry-on back. On every other airline I have flown with, a person is allowed one carry-on and one personal item. Not with Ryan Air. To be safe I managed to consolidate my suitcase into one backpack. After I change hotels I will probably wash a few clothes in the bathtub (as I did when I first arrived in Spain), and hang them in the closet to dry.

Unfortunately there is no free internet in the airport at Sevilla (not that I expected there to be). So I am writing this blog by using a word processor. Luckily, blogger allows me to edit the timestamp on posts. At least in the future I will know that I can spend a little more time walking around Sevilla. 

--- 1:30 a.m. in London UPDATE---

The plane left 30 minutes late and we arrived 30 minutes late to Stansted airport. It took about 20 minutes to get through customs/border patrol. They don't seem to like visitors too much. At the airport almost everyone was speaking Spanish and when we got on the airplane there was almost no Spanish. It feels a little strange to be speaking English and I am just waiting to blurt something out in Spanish by accident--that isn't such a bad thing.

Hours of Spanish Conversation

Today has been a long day. But it has been one of those good, long days. I left the appartment about 7:50 a.m. I arrived at the office to apply for my N.I.E about 8:10 and stood in line (if you call having one person in front of you a line). A huge wave of relief hit me when I made it past the front desk this time. They gave me a number instead of an appointment. While waiting for my number, I talked to two other auxiliares-- one from Massachusetts and another from England. When my number came up I was able to get everything done, including having to copy another page of my passport and have photos taken.

The entire process, including waiting, lasted about four hours. I stopped by the market on my way back to my room and grabed a few things, including sugar, which I have been searching for during the last three or four visits. When I got back to my room I worked on some math that I will be helping with tomorrow. I honestly work more than required, trying to prepare lessons, etc. I will soon start science.

After about an hour half of math, skype and youtube, the pastor and his wife invited me to their house for lunch. We talked over lunch for a while and then he showed me where the church will be starting in November. It will be much larger and will be able to serve better in the community. He told me about some of the plans for classrooms, a place for missionarys to stay, a gameroom, the kitchen, and the temple. We also discussed the possibility of me doing english classes or an english small-group at the church as another way to reach out. I look forward to seeing what God does in this.

After leaving from the church, I began walking back to the piso. I passed by a pharmacy and decided to stop by real fast to see what they carried. I asked if they had "jabón antibacterial" which is how I thought to say "antibacterial soap." Unfortunately they didn't understand me. The man showed me what they had, a shower gel. I told him that wasn't what I was looking for and tried to say I was looking for bar soap. After stumbling through, he asked, in Spanish if I spoke English. I said yes and he went and got another employ. I tried explaining the same thing in Spanish before trying English. Eventually I said hard (in Spanish) and they still didn't really understand me. Finally they grabbed a bar of soap off a shelf and I said yes. But it wasn't what I was looking for. Eventually I told them I had been searching for it here in Spain but only have been able to find it in the USA. They told me I could get them the name/brand and they could order it-- although it may be a different brand. The biggest thing out of this was laughing at my inability. For once, rather than freaking out and being discouraged (wow, that took an entire minute to think of the word in English!), I laughed. I hope the three or four employees found it as amusing as I did.

A few other notes... Electronic dictionaries are no help. I carried one with me in hopes of being able to better communicate. FAIL! The hard words weren't in there. Oh, and could someone remind me of the word for the fruit that is purple, commonly eaten around Thanksgiving and comes in a can? (Its not beats, its not yams...Its...)

Flip-Flop

I still consider myself a student, although I am actually doing a little teaching now. I am learning Spanish by living in Spain. I am a language assistant in Corrales, Huelva, Andalucia, Spain. It has been a major flip-flop, or role reversal for me.

For the past 22 years of my life, I was sitting at the desk, listening to the teacher and taking notes. Now I am in front of the class, hoping they are listening and understanding me. Now I am asking questions. Now I am trying to get them to talk.

Each class is a little different. In math and science, I have presented some lessons in English. The teachers then explain in Spanish that which is not clear. Today I was in the first English class. Today I was given a sheet of paper with questions about why they study english, what they want to use it for, etc. I used these and improvised some of my own questions as well.

The problem was, out of 30 or 40 students, the same students were answering the questions. Tomorrow will include a lot of the same activities-- asking the questions. But I really want to get the students talking more in a conversation form rather than question and answers from a sheet of paper. Rather than me asking "Have you been to an English-speaking country," and them answering, "Yes, England," or something like this a detailed answer would be better. And if that answer could naturally lead to another question, either from me to the students or from the students to me. That may be a step to take tomorrow-- just let them know that if they want to ask me a similar question at some point, they can. Hopefully pictures might help as well.

But right now it is a little awkward. I may ask a question and get a no. And then there is no where to go from there. I am not a great conversationalist yet. I'm not a great public speaker. Hopefully that also will improve with time. But for now, conversation helps a lot. Otherwise I feel like I am standing in front of the class, stuttering and rambling. It is a little awkward in those gaps when I am trying to come up with something to ask, especially when the questions do not always flow.

Empezando - Getting Started

Hoy fue el primer día que ayudé en una clase. Por la semana anterior estudié los matemáticas y ciencias para ayudar en las clases esta semana. Hoy fue el clase de matemáticas, nivel cuatro. Los raíces fueron el tema. También hablamos de exponentes y animales.

Mañana tengo una presentación de diapositivas para la clase de biología y después,  más matemática. Cuando me da la oportunidad a enseñar un deporte en educación física, creo que voy a enseñar el juego, Ultimate Frisbee. No se que vamos a hacer en las clases de ingles ahora que ha regresado la maestra. Jueves será mi primer día en esta clase. 

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Today was my first day helping in a class. For the past week I studied math and science in order to help in the classes this week. Today was the first class, level four math. Roots and powers were the subject. We also covered a few animals.

Tomorrow I have a slideshow for the Biology class and later, more math. When I am given the opportunity to teach a sport in PE I will probably teach Ultimate Frisbee. I don't know what we will do in the English classes now that the teacher has retuned. Thursday will be my first day in that class.

Updates

The first week of class is behind me. I am pretty excited. I already have a couple of ideas for some of the classes. Hopefully they work out and fit within the lesson plans.

Everyone at the school is very nice. Thursday I was leaving at the same time as another teacher who offered to give me a ride. Friday I was waiting at the bus stop and another one of the teachers saw me sitting there and gave me a ride back to Huelva. During breaks the language is pretty much Spanish. There are some who speak English, but the majority do not. It gives me an opportunity to practice my Spanish.

I have been doing some work this weekend which has helped fill in some of those times of boredom. It also catches me back up on some of the hours I missed this past week. I just finished making a pdf file for the bulletin board. I am still able to put my journalism background to use, even if not in the typical way.

In about two weeks I will have to go through the dreaded immigration process to get my NIE. My colleague went through it this past week and already warned me it is no fun. It took her the entire day to do what should be a relatively simple task. She gave me a few pointers though so hopefully it will be a little smoother when I go.

On another note, I was browsing for protestant churches earlier and I found a Baptist church in Huelva. It is on the other side of town from here, but the service is at 11:30. If I leave here at 10, I should be able to make it in plenty of time. I requested some information and will hopefully attend next week. I probably won't understand most of it, but maybe I will be surprised. And maybe I will be able to make friends there as well.

Baby Steps

I have found one thing out for sure, I definately do not have the money to spend a lot of time at the bars. Things are gradually getting better but the important things are still difficult. I am trying to simply remember "Don't worry about tomorrow for today holds enough troubles."

I am doing my best not to stress about language barriers or my lack of experience. My appointment with the government is Oct. 25, 2011 at 8:30 a.m. I will get there at 8 a.m. In the meantime I need to make copies and will be lucky enough to have someone else to talk to about the process. She is going for her appointment tomorrow.

Each day is better than the previous. I enjoy it more as I get to know my colleagues and their different styles. I have been in two math classes and a science class so far. I will be working with the P.E. teacher tomorrow and an English class.

This semester I am working with 3rd and 4th grade. Another difference in cultures. Here 4th grade is the equivalent of about 10th grade in the United States. And 3rd grade is about like 8th grade in the United States. Those comparisons are based on age, not material.

I have been having to relearn the material myself and expect to be doing homework fairly often, refreshing my own memory in different topics, especially math and science. My first day on the job was just a math class and it was a little awkward talking about only geography. So last night after the five-hour meeting I came home and worked some more. I was able to work in some math-related topics during my introduction such as unit conversions and currency conversion.

Although I am a little nervous right now, I really look forward to being able to work with the students and teachers. It will be a learning experience for all of us.

Encouragements

I just wanted to take a moment to thank all of my friends, family, teachers and roomate who have encouraged me through this difficult transitioning time. It is really nice to read your facebook messages, emails, and instant messages.

As long as I don't have anything important to do like getting my VISA stuff taken care off I am generally OK now. The Visa still stresses me out but I will put it off until Monday when hopefully I can get some help. In the meantime I have decided that even if something goes wrong with the Visa, if I can afford to stay I will stay for the 90 days I can be here without a Visa. I will have to find new ways to use the language and be around it but hopefully whatever happens I will learn it.

Exito - Success

Por fin, he completado algo importante. Solo tome dos dias, pero ahora tengo un telefono. Muchas gracias a Sra. G. Varela-Sanchez quien me recomiendo una compania. Si he hizo corecto, solo pagare para las llamada que yo hace sino las llamada recibire.

Parece que las tardes son mejores que la manana! En un viaje no me gusta la ciudad, en un otro la me gusta. Antes de salir del hotel, pregunte a la trabajadora del hotel si hay un mapa de los autobuses. Parece que autobus son los que salen de la ciudad y no son locales. Hay un mapa en cada parada pero no lo entiendo porque norte no es a la cabeza del mapa.

Voy a comer comida chino a la cena. Debe estar manana que transfiero al piso.

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Finally, I have succesfully completed something important. It only took two days, but now I have a pay as you go cell phone here in Spain. Many thanks to Sra. G. Varela-Sanchez who recommended a company to me. If I have done everything right I will only pay for the calls I make and not the calls I receive.

It seems like the evenings are much better than the mornings! In one trip I don't like the city, in another I like it. Before I left the hotel, I asked the desk attendant if there was a map of the bus routes. It seems that "autobus" is the bus that goes outside of the city, not the local bus. There are maps at the stops but North is in the east instead of the top of the map. I haven't been able to orient myself yet, nor do I know where to buy a bus trip card. (Buying a phone was an interesting experience in itself.)

I should be moving in to the piso tomorrow. Tonight I plan to take another walk and maybe walk a litle further than last night. I need to find some way to talk to people so I can practice more.

Appartment and Dinner

To save time, I am writing this one in only English.

I met with the person who was searching for a roomate. Things are a little better after that. He wants an English speaking roomate so he can better learn the language. He is a native Spanish speaker. So hopefully we will be able to help each other out.

After seeing the appartment I went back to the mall. I bought an alarm clock this time so that I can get up in the morning. Ya... the hotel doesn't even have a clock in the room. They charge for all calls including local ones. I paid 15 dollars just for 24 hours of internet which inclues 20 MB of upload -- I haven't uploaded anything and I am already down to 8 MB left, huh? Hopefully it lasts me the rest of tonight and some of tomorrow morning.

After the mall I came back to my room and soon went to eat my first Spanish food. Not that I was hungry, which I still don't know why -- I hadn't eaten in more than 24 hours. I had Langostina envuelta en bacon. Is someone going to tell me that was not little lobster wrapped in bacon? On the side was sliced tomato in olive oil. I had a coke to drink. Cost: 12.20 E but they let me go for 12. People seem to be nice enough, but conversation is still very difficult. I may have some help next week setting up a bank account, getting a telephone and seeing the federal police for my residency documentation.

I should have better internet connectivity when I move in to the appartment on Sunday or Monday.

Diference in papers

I was just thinking how funny it was the papers I wrote my freshman year of college vs. the papers I write now.

Freshman year paper:

The Matrix, with its many computer generated images and action packed plot, is a highly entertaining work, but it goes deeper than mere entertainment. On the first level, the movie tells the story of Neo, as he escapes the world he once perceived as reality. If one looks carefully at some of the characterization and scenes and the movie they actually go much deeper, on into a second level. Choosing the pill to take, being disconnected from “the matrix” and the characterization of Agent Smith can all be viewed as religious metaphors.

When Neo first meets Morpheus he is given a choice to make. Morpheus holds out his hand and tells Neo he can choose the blue pill and go back to living like he was, in ignorance, or the red pill and learn what the real world is like, a world disconnected from “the matrix.” This choice is a lot like a choice people in our world have to make, to accept Christ or not. To take the blue pill would be like rejecting Christ, and returning to all of the old ways of living. Taking the red pill would be like accepting him and learning a complete new way of life.

In another scene, not long after Neo makes his choice to take the red pill, he is disconnected from the matrix. The scene shows him waking up in a chamber with many chords attached to his body. Around him were many other bodies in other chambers, and he realized that everything was true. Everyone who was in the world he had perceived were not really experiencing life, they were puppets of “the matrix.” In this scene Neo is detached and joins the group of people that have been disconnected. Again, similar to the choice humans have to make. After accepting Christ, one is no longer bound by this world. One is no longer a part of the flesh, being controlled by the things of the world. Those disconnected from “the matrix” were no longer living a life as puppets in an imaginary world.

Finally, the characterization of Agent Smith is another of the metaphors in the movie. Smith is the bad guy. Whenever those that have been freed, such as Neo, return into the program (“the matrix”), Smith is sure to show up to try to stop them from taking others out of the program. Smith can easily be compared to the devil in Christianity because they indeed play the same type of role. The devil will use many kinds of tricks and lies to try and keep a hold of people in the world so they do not make the right choice, the choice to be freed. He may come in any form, just like Smith. In many scenes, Agent Smith transforms a person still attached to “the matrix” into Smith clones. Both will go to extreme measures in order to keep people attached, whether to “the matrix” or to the world.

Whether the screen writers of The Matrix thought about these metaphors when writing scripts or not, these three aspects definitely have a religious metaphor clinging to them. Choosing the pill, being disconnected from “the matrix” and Agent Smith all display these characteristics. Though The Matrix is a highly entertaining movie because of graphics and its action packed plot, it takes one more step up in importance because of the deeper meaning.

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And the now:

Dinero, Dinero, Dinero: A quien le culpa la violencia en Latinoamérica

Más gente han muertos en la guerra contra drogas desde 2005 que los soldados americanos luchando en el medio oriente en las guerras del Golfo Pérsico, Operación de Iraquí Libertad, y Operación de Libertad Duradera[i]. Los muertos son ciudadanos, extranjeros, las policías, y los militares. El gran problema de violencia en los países latinoamericanos vine de muchos problemas como la pobreza, las drogas, y la corrupción. La cuestión es, ¿Cómo pueden dejar de la violencia? Con mucha gente a culpar, los gobiernos de todos países tienen que hacer mucho para resolver el problema.

Dinero. La mayoría de gente quiere más. En un mundo donde el dinero está alabado, la pobreza es un gran problema. Mucha gente no le importa la manera, solo que ellos reciben más dinero. La criminalidad sigue después ideas como esos. Ladrones roban a la gente quien ha trabajado mucho para su dinero. Mucha gente vive su vida, trabajando muchas horas, aunque nunca reciben mucho dinero. Otros quien no pueden encontrar trabajo traen un problema nuevo: los narcotráficos y las drogas.

Los quien no pueden encontrar trabajo muchas veces trabajan para los narcos. Obviamente es ilegal y por eso la violencia sigue. Para traer las drogas a sus destinaciones, los narcos tienen que hacer miedo la gente, el gobierno, la policía y otros grupos de narco. Su contesta es la violencia. Asesinan a cualquier persona está entre su y “su” dinero y manera de vida. Como si la situación ya no había suficiente, muchos del miembros deben ser luchando contra el problema.

Algunos de la policía y el gobierno también toman parte en la violencia. Muchas veces ellos también, solo de miedo o a veces de corrupción, ayudan a los narcos. En un ejemplo, un grupo le culpan la policía de ayudando otro grupo[ii]. Si no ayudan los narcos, muchas veces no intentan a quitar de la violencia de los narcos.   

Si quieran resolver los problemas de violencia en los países latinoamericanos, primero tienen que resolver los problemas de la pobreza, las drogas y la corrupción. Después de resolverlos, una participación global es necesaria. Con un mercado de drogas grande en Los Estados Unidos, no van a dejar del hecho de drogas. Hay mucho dinero en el mercado porque los precios son muy altos. Un paso muy importante es para reducir la demanda para las drogas. Si no habría demanda, no habría una fuente. Sin los narcos la violencia bajará. Pero también para bajar el problema, el gobierno necesita hacer algo para crear trabajos para los ciudadanos y crecer la economía. Con una economía más fuerte, habría más de trabajos y menos de la pobreza. Entonces no es necesario para trabajar para los narcos. Si los países no resuelven los problemas de la pobreza, los narcos y la corrupción, no van a resolver la violencia.

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[i] fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/139347.pdf/elmetrodigital.com/news/123/article/19900/2011-01-09.html

[ii] Página 9 de “CRS Report for Congress.”

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The difference is an entire language! There are still some English paper's I write in my Journalism classes.

Application

Last night, I began my first application for what I consider a real job. It is basically a paid internship, but it lasts for up to three years. The job: teaching English in Spain.

I am hopefully in securing the position. It will be a great opportunity for me to help students learn English which is becoming more and more prevalent in the world, all the while I am learning Spanish for myself. Along with the work will be plenty of times for me to travel in Europe and improve my communication skills.

Along with learning Spanish and teaching English, it will provide another opportunity for me as well. My plan is to have two blogs while I am in Spain (if I get the job). One will be an English blog for my family and friends. It will be a travel blog. The other blog, if I have my way, will be a more feature/news type blog. I want to practice my Journalism skills in both Spanish and English. I will interview people and try to find interesting stories to write about. The second blog would probably be bilingual, with stories in both English and Spanish.

The application process is very long. Along with the application I have to work with government agencies in order to have my background checked, obtain a visa, and other things. I have two teachers who have already said they would write letters of recommendation for me. Even though it is not required, I will probably ask them to write the letters for me. I will also have to write a paper myself to submit with the application. Hopefully I can get the job in Huelva, where our university has a partnership.

This will be a really neat opportunity if I am able to get it. And for me I will call it my first real job because it is paid and it lasts more than a few months.