How do you espell that?

Hello Friends,

I know, 2 blogs in only 4 days..crazy!  I just had a few funny stories that I wanted to share with you all. 

The weather in Spain is so goofy.  It’s always very cold on my way to school in the morning and by the time I get home late afternoon I sweat walking home from the bus stop.  Then when I go to bed I have to put an extra blanket on.  I think this is the reason I got sick L  Oh well, I figured it would happen eventually. 

I started helping teach English at a local elementary school with a high population of immigrants.  It’s part of my service learning class.  On Tuesday for three hours I help out with a second grade and fourth grade English class and then finish the day with first graders helping them with Castillian (Spanish grammar and spelling).  It’s a ton of fun, and I have to say the first graders were definitely my favorite.  They were very understanding of my Spanish abilities.  I now know that I would never be able to teach a first grade class back in the US…those are some very patient people.  It’s quite an experience to see how classrooms and schools are run in the US compared to Spain.  It’s hard to say which is better, it’s just different.  The teachers here yell and discipline a lot more verbally and publicly, which is a big no-no for us Education majors.  The kids seem like they’re getting a great education here though. 

So the fourth graders started their class with asking me “personal information” as they called it.  They asked whar I live (with a long I sound), what my favorite colour is, my favorite number, how old I am, and how tall I am.  They also asked me how to “espell” my name.  Spanish speaking people cannot say a word that begins with an “s” so they put an “e” in front of it (hence Espana).  Just hearing them ask me how to espell my name put a smile on my face J  It was very difficult to understand some of them because they are learning British English, so the vocabulary and accent are a bit different.  I hope they will be able to learn some new things from me.  I’m excited to work with that age level. 

What else?  Hmm..I’ve had a ton of homework again this week.  I feel like the papers are never ending.  They’re not difficult assignments, but when they have to be written in Spanish, I have to put in a little (ok, a lot) of extra effort. 

So yesterday I was going to a Salsa class with some of my friends.  We were all excited to learn another dance.  We were supposed to meet in the Fundacion gym, but here’s the catch.  The gym isn’t connected to the school.  It’s down about 5 different side streets and has an unmarked door, along with every other door in Toledo.  So we had no idea where it was.  We ended up just walking back to the bus stop after calling everyone we knew to see if they could help us.  How unlucky L  Oh well, there’s always next week. 

Today I  met with Yuki (the program coordinator).  She just offered me a job just a block away from my house.  I will be tutoring English for two girls (ages 12 and 14) on Mondays and Wednesdays for an hour each day.  I’m meeting with the mom on Monday to talk about what the girls need help with and how to improve their English.  This will be a great opportunity for me and they are going to pay me 10 euro/hour.  That’s 20 euro a week I didn’t have before!!  I will let you know next week how that is going J

Well I’m one paper and two classes away from a weekend in Florence, Italy.  And I can’t wait.  I will make sure to take plenty of pictures.  Jenn, Autumn, and I are going to meet up with some SNC girls studying there, so we’re in for a greet weekend and some free tour guides! 

Ciao,

Amy

P.S. Please keep commenting and sending emails and letters! I love hearing from home J