Montblanc, the capital of the Conca de Barberà, is a beautiful medieval town. It's surrounded by an old wall, and I always feel a little bit like I'm living within a castle or something. Inside the wall, everything is calm, peaceful, and very...I don't know...quaint, I guess. It's the closest I've ever felt like Belle in Beauty and the Beast. I sometimes just want to belt out, "Little towwwn, it's a quiet village. Every daaaay, like the one beforrrreeee!" Hee hee! Most of the streets are cobblestone or brick, and although cars are allowed inside the wall, it seems like awkward driving to me (minus the main roads). There are mostly small shops and flats (apartments), and every flat has a small terrace where you can look out and either hang your laundry, or as I always imagine people doing, gawking at your neighbors (but they don't, honest :-)). There's the Plaça Major, the main square, as well as several other plaças. Outside of the wall, life is a bit busier. There are more cars, bigger stores, and more noise. Nothing like Cincinnati or even Morelia, Mexico, but you can tell right away that the area is newer. The bigger supermarkets, Caprabo and Día, are my favorite places to shop for food, mostly because it feels like stores in the US. :-) I'm slowly going to more of the traditional smaller shops (the most popular being for meat, bread, and fruit), but the other ones feel a little more...well, sanitary. :-D
There are about 7 thousand people in Montblanc, and it's definitely a town where everyone knows everyone else. What really amuses me is how many teachers live in Montblanc, both in general and from the Zer Conca. Anna María and her husband, Oscar, live about 1 minute away from my flat, and Javi and his family live about 5 minutes away. Several others from the ZER live there as well. It's great! So even though I'm living alone (which, to be honest, I actually really like :-P), I feel like I'm surrounded by friends and family. The teachers are always sharing me on the weekends, and I've gone on several excursions and sight-seeing trips with several of them (stories which I hope to discuss one day!). I spend the most time at Javi and Cati's house, and I actually feel like they're my host family (minus the sleeping part). Paula, the 16-year-old daughter and I get along really well, and quiet 8-year-old, animal-loving Sergio is slowly warming up to me as well. They also speak Spanish at home, opposed to the common Catalán, and Javi´s been going through Spanish lessons with me. I get free homemade meals when I come over as well (yes!), and I've also started having English conversation classes with Paula and another teacher's son, Josep María (14) at Javi and Cati's house. More about that some other time!
The library in Montblanc is really nice, but the hours are a little strange. They're only open Monday-Fridays from 4-8pm, and then on Wednesday and Friday mornings from 10-1. There are two librarians who are always here, and they are quite the "traditional librarians" that you imagine. If kids start getting noisy, you can hear them harsly whisper a "SHHHHH!" that echos throughout the building. :-) But I love it in here, and there's a nice selection of travel books and linguistic dictionaries.
Montblanc is an ideal place if you like walking. Everything's in walking distance, and if you get lost, you pretty much just keep turning down different streets until you're once again in a place you recognize. It's small enough to not be overwhelming, but it's big enough to be interesting. For a not-quite-country-girl and not-quite-big-city girl like me, it's perfect.
And the view! There's a place you can climb, called the Pla de Santa María, where you can look out and see all of Montblanc and beyond. Anna María took me there one day, and it was breathtaking.
That's all for now! Thanks for reading!
Sarah
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Barcelona Orientation
Continuing with the "themed" posts, let me explain about my first experience in Barcelona. Because I missed the orginial orientation in Barcelona on the 1st (due to the stikes and flight cancelations), there was a make-up session on October 6th. Six others missed their flights due to the strikes as well, so it was a mini-orientation sesssion for all. Anyway, as I mentioned earlier, Javi waited in the freezing morning air with me until the train arrived in Montblanc. It seems like almost everyone is somehow connected to a teacher that someone in my school knows, and is the typical case, another man was headed on the train as well--a husband of a teacher who Javi knows. So as Javi saw me off, the teacher's husband watched out for me on the train, making sure I got off on the right stop. :-) Montblanc, amazing as it is, has very limited public transporation, so the only time I could arrive in Barcelona was about 15 minutes before my appointment. Once I got out of the train station, I flagged down one of the many taxis in a sea of vehicles. Like any big city, Barcelona is 1) huge and 2) packed with traffic! Once in the building, I had to show my passport to security in order to get in. Then came the hard part: finding the room! :-) I wandered on the elevator and asked two men where sector D something-or-other was, and they pushed one of the buttons and said I should go there. Either I misunderstood them, got off at the wrong time, or was given odd directions because when I got out of the elevator, it looked more like a parking garage of sorts. Ha! So I took some stairs and wandered through another door, already a little late for my appointment. Whom did I see? The two men again! :-) This time they literally rode with me in the elevator until we came to the right place. Notice how people kept showing up when I needed help? Coincidence? I think not!
I was then in the right place, but the secretary had trouble finding Marta Fonseca, the woman who was conducting the session and is the official head of the Department of Education in Catalunya. So we did more wandering around rooms until, at last, we found her! Marta Fonseca was one of my earliest contacts through this program, and I think since all of her emails were very formal and official, I picture her more as a middle-aged, slightly stern sort of person. She was the complete opposite! :-) She was a very sweet, very pregnant young woman who just radiated kindness. I quickly appoligized for my tardiness, and she just told me what pretty much everyone here tells me when I overreact or appoligize for something: "Tranquila, tranquila!" (Calm down, no worries, it's okay, etc.) :-) It turned out that all of the guys (four) were on time, and all of the girls (three of us) were late. Haha! We then went through the basics of the program, what to do, how to do the complicated legal stuff, etc. It was fine, and it was over fairly quickly. I was secretly hoping the other language assistants would want to do something together, but most scattered along on their own way. I started following them, but something stopped me. One, I didn't know where the train station was and wanted to ask for directions. Two, one of the girls stood out to me, and I really wanted to meet her. She and another guy were still in the room, talking to Marta Fonseca and another woman in charge of the program. Marta gave me directions, and because I didn't have a map, the girl I wanted to meet showed me hers. The guy and girl still left were both second-year participants in the program, and the three of us talked for awhile about the pros and cons of everything. I picked up some great tips from them, and the guy (Gus) later had to take a phone call, leaving the girl and I alone to talk. It turned out that we both had to go to the metro/bus station first, so we walked together. We connected right away, and it wasn't too long before we both discovered that we were Christians. My first contact with a believer in Spain! Talk about refreshing! Stephanie's probably in her mid-to-late twenties, and she lives about 15 minutes outside of Barcelona. She was kind enough to take me TO the train station, which turned out to be a biiiig help since I was both clueless and mapless! :-D We ate lunch together in a small restaurant, exchanged contact information, and by late afternoon, I was back in a train station.
I really, really don't like big train stations. The smaller ones are fine, but this one was very much like the HUGE one I had to deal with when I first came to Spain. I wandered up and down one area, and my instincts told me I was in the wrong place. I checked with a random guy and realized that I had to be on the OTHER side of the tracks. Sigh. I was pushing for time, so I quickly raced out one door, found another, and arrived at the other side. Now what? I didn't see anything like what I needed. Agh! I finally found one headed to Tarragona, and I decided to take that one because I knew it was headed in the right direction. I think a woman saw my hesitation because as I was boarding, she ran up to me and asked if I wanted to go to Tarragona (in Spanish). I shrugged and replied with a weak affirmative response, thanked her, and sat down. An older gentleman sat down next to me, and as the train started moving, I decided to check with him if I was on the right train. He was really helpful, and once he found out that I spoke English, immediately starting talking in English. He checked with the train conductor, and I was NOT on the right train. However, all I had to do was get off a certain stop, wait for about an hour, and then take one headed to Lleida. That's the key word, folks. Lleida. Not Tarragona. Lleida. :-) I'm SO remembering this when I have to do it all over again in November!
I had a good time talking with the guy, and he gave some advice on what cities and countries in Europe were the best to see. He also told some interesting stories, my favorite being about when his sister traveled to New York. When she first arrived, guess what happened to her? She was sent to jail! The poor woman had no idea why, and it turns out that her last name, Sánchez, was the last name of a wanted terrorist. Eventually everything was sorted out and she was released, but the guy told me that he never wants to go to the States because he has the same last name. :-)
As I got off on the needed stop, I stuck with my traveling advice and followed the crowd, which happened to be only two others in this case. Where did they go? Right over the train tracks. :-) As we were walking on the tracks, I kept thinking to myself, "Wait. Is this legal? Isn't this dangerous?" and then I heard a recorded message carried across the train station about not walking on the train tracks. Heh. Anyway, I checked which number was headed to Lleida/Montblanc, and proceeded to wait by number 1 for about an hour. Later, I was safely on my way to Montblanc, made it home, and was again awed at God's constant provision. Javi, the teacher's husband, the two men in the elevator, Marta, Stephanie, the man on the train...all people who helped me right when I needed it. God is so...so...incredible! I love it!
I really didn't see much of Barcelona, and I'm definitely going back for sight-seeing sometime! Stephanie invited me to her church as well, and we're hoping to meet up sometime. I'm still secretly dreading the session in Barcelona in November, but hopefully I can get a map somewhere and take the right trains! :-D I'd really, really like to figure out all of the public transportation systems. :-)
That's all for now about Barcelona, and I might actually have time for another post! Woo!
I was then in the right place, but the secretary had trouble finding Marta Fonseca, the woman who was conducting the session and is the official head of the Department of Education in Catalunya. So we did more wandering around rooms until, at last, we found her! Marta Fonseca was one of my earliest contacts through this program, and I think since all of her emails were very formal and official, I picture her more as a middle-aged, slightly stern sort of person. She was the complete opposite! :-) She was a very sweet, very pregnant young woman who just radiated kindness. I quickly appoligized for my tardiness, and she just told me what pretty much everyone here tells me when I overreact or appoligize for something: "Tranquila, tranquila!" (Calm down, no worries, it's okay, etc.) :-) It turned out that all of the guys (four) were on time, and all of the girls (three of us) were late. Haha! We then went through the basics of the program, what to do, how to do the complicated legal stuff, etc. It was fine, and it was over fairly quickly. I was secretly hoping the other language assistants would want to do something together, but most scattered along on their own way. I started following them, but something stopped me. One, I didn't know where the train station was and wanted to ask for directions. Two, one of the girls stood out to me, and I really wanted to meet her. She and another guy were still in the room, talking to Marta Fonseca and another woman in charge of the program. Marta gave me directions, and because I didn't have a map, the girl I wanted to meet showed me hers. The guy and girl still left were both second-year participants in the program, and the three of us talked for awhile about the pros and cons of everything. I picked up some great tips from them, and the guy (Gus) later had to take a phone call, leaving the girl and I alone to talk. It turned out that we both had to go to the metro/bus station first, so we walked together. We connected right away, and it wasn't too long before we both discovered that we were Christians. My first contact with a believer in Spain! Talk about refreshing! Stephanie's probably in her mid-to-late twenties, and she lives about 15 minutes outside of Barcelona. She was kind enough to take me TO the train station, which turned out to be a biiiig help since I was both clueless and mapless! :-D We ate lunch together in a small restaurant, exchanged contact information, and by late afternoon, I was back in a train station.
I really, really don't like big train stations. The smaller ones are fine, but this one was very much like the HUGE one I had to deal with when I first came to Spain. I wandered up and down one area, and my instincts told me I was in the wrong place. I checked with a random guy and realized that I had to be on the OTHER side of the tracks. Sigh. I was pushing for time, so I quickly raced out one door, found another, and arrived at the other side. Now what? I didn't see anything like what I needed. Agh! I finally found one headed to Tarragona, and I decided to take that one because I knew it was headed in the right direction. I think a woman saw my hesitation because as I was boarding, she ran up to me and asked if I wanted to go to Tarragona (in Spanish). I shrugged and replied with a weak affirmative response, thanked her, and sat down. An older gentleman sat down next to me, and as the train started moving, I decided to check with him if I was on the right train. He was really helpful, and once he found out that I spoke English, immediately starting talking in English. He checked with the train conductor, and I was NOT on the right train. However, all I had to do was get off a certain stop, wait for about an hour, and then take one headed to Lleida. That's the key word, folks. Lleida. Not Tarragona. Lleida. :-) I'm SO remembering this when I have to do it all over again in November!
I had a good time talking with the guy, and he gave some advice on what cities and countries in Europe were the best to see. He also told some interesting stories, my favorite being about when his sister traveled to New York. When she first arrived, guess what happened to her? She was sent to jail! The poor woman had no idea why, and it turns out that her last name, Sánchez, was the last name of a wanted terrorist. Eventually everything was sorted out and she was released, but the guy told me that he never wants to go to the States because he has the same last name. :-)
As I got off on the needed stop, I stuck with my traveling advice and followed the crowd, which happened to be only two others in this case. Where did they go? Right over the train tracks. :-) As we were walking on the tracks, I kept thinking to myself, "Wait. Is this legal? Isn't this dangerous?" and then I heard a recorded message carried across the train station about not walking on the train tracks. Heh. Anyway, I checked which number was headed to Lleida/Montblanc, and proceeded to wait by number 1 for about an hour. Later, I was safely on my way to Montblanc, made it home, and was again awed at God's constant provision. Javi, the teacher's husband, the two men in the elevator, Marta, Stephanie, the man on the train...all people who helped me right when I needed it. God is so...so...incredible! I love it!
I really didn't see much of Barcelona, and I'm definitely going back for sight-seeing sometime! Stephanie invited me to her church as well, and we're hoping to meet up sometime. I'm still secretly dreading the session in Barcelona in November, but hopefully I can get a map somewhere and take the right trains! :-D I'd really, really like to figure out all of the public transportation systems. :-)
That's all for now about Barcelona, and I might actually have time for another post! Woo!
Friday, October 22, 2010
Life at the ZER Conca
I'm determined to write something this evening, so rather than rambling about everything, I'm going to try to write themed posts. This theme? The schools!
My first day was such a delight. I go to Rocafort (the smallest school) and Pira (one of the larger ones) with Laura, and I'll rotate between the four schools and the three English teachers every four weeks or so. That means that when the novelty of my being there starts to wear off, I change! It'll keep things interesting for the teachers, for the kids, and for me. This means that my schedule and days off change quite a bit, but it makes life more interesting, right? :-)
Anyway, I was a surprise to all of the children. The kids would stare at me full of curiousity and fascination, and Laura made a big deal about introducing me. "Why are you all staring over that way? Ohh, there's a new person there! Who is this?" It was so much fun! The first few classes needed quite a bit of introduction about me, but after the lunch hour in Pira, EVERYONE knew about Sarah! :-) I was the conversation on everyone's lips. Haha!
I love the variety of ages. The youngest kids I work with are 4 and 5, and I just wanted to sneak them all into my luggage and take them home with me. They're so cute! We do a lot of singing with them, so I almost always have a children's song in my head now. :-) When I'm not there for various reasons, Laura said that they're always asking about me. One time they thought I went back on the plane and was traveling to school via the plane. Hee! A long commute!
The next youngest are in 1st and 2nd grade. These guys are the wigglers! I taught them to fold their hands early on, and it works like magic. I guess no one tells them to sit quietly with their hands folded because Laura asked about it and loved the idea. So whenever I'm more or less in charge of this group, I make a big deal about checking if their hands are folded, etc. They love it. We're going through toys and materials (the doll is made of plastic, the bike is made of metal, etc.) right now. And like the younger class, there's a song for everything. So fun!
The 3rd and 4th graders are the largest class in Pira (21). Rocafort also has this age group, but there are only five or so. The ones in Rocafort are very attentive and eager to please, but I think some of my biggest fans are the ones in Pira. On day 1, all of the kids wanted me to autograph something. Arms, hands, notebooks, a cast, anything! I was literally surrounded by children and arms, and the hall was filled with children begging me to sign something. All the other teachers could do was laugh. :-) They joke about me being a superstar and having a fan club all of the time. It doesn't help my humility very much, but I can't help loving the children and the attention. Two girls, Paula and Maite, drew these beautiful pictures for me, and Paula gave me another drawing today. Another girl, Elisabeth, made a bracelet for me. You can see the adoration in their faces, which is both touching and embarrassing. :-)
The oldest group, 5th and 6th grade, is the main focus. I'm with them four days a week, rather than one to three days. At first, I thought I would prefer all younger ones, but this class is one of my favorites. They know more English, so I can do and say more, and the class is just oozing with personality. The two fastest learners, Dani and Jordi, are always competing. Ian, a quiet boy who sits in the back, is finally opening up more and volunteering to talk. Marta's mother went to London before, so Marta is always trying to talk to me about London. There are 14 total in this class. The English teachers are developing a science project, so I'll be able to help out a lot with that (mostly about water). Anyway, Ian has been my secret special project because at first, he was one of the few students who seemed like he didn't care about anything. Laura noticed a big change when I explain different things and do various activities with them. I think seeing a "real" example of an English speaker is helping a lot. Now, he comes up to me like everyone else and talks about different things. Yay!
I brought several gifts with me to give everyone, and the children loved everything. They're so easy to please! :-) Everyone (minus the 3-year-olds who aren't in English class. It's so cute to watch them stare at us, open-mouthed and wide-eyed!) got a penny, which turned out to be the perfect gift. It led to discussions about currency, Abraham Lincon, our dog (named Penny), and...well, some not-so-pleasant-things. I gave pennies to the little ones today, and the boys made an immediate connection that the name "penny" sounds almost exactly like a body part in Spanish (which I will not discuss! :-P). Awkward. I quickly tried to emphasize the word "coin" or "money" to them, but I think it's too late. Fortunately, no one else mentioned this linguistic similarity!
I also had stickers for most of them, so some got some sparkly stickers with the US flag, and others got some with various US symbols (Statue of Liberty, Liberty Bell, flag, eagle, etc.) Talk about a great cultural conversation piece! All of the older ones know about New York thanks to King Kong, and those little stickers led to geography discussions, history lessons, etc. It was great! Many of them still come up to me with the stickers, proudly showing that they still have them. Hee! Oh, and one boy gave me a euro cent, and another girl showed me a dollar from China (where she's originially from. Actually, there's quite an ethnic diversity in these small schools, which is so neat to see! China, Ecuador, Morocco, etc.). I also gave some animal flash cards to the little ones--another big hit.
Ah, the library's closing soon, so I'll stop for now. More will come eventually!
Thanks to everyone for the emails! There's nothing more depressing than checking an empty email inbox, and reading the latest from everyone makes my day. Thanks again for the prayers, and as I hope to elaborate eventually, God is continually protecting, providing, shaping, and growing me. May He be glorified in everything!
Until next time,
Sarah
My first day was such a delight. I go to Rocafort (the smallest school) and Pira (one of the larger ones) with Laura, and I'll rotate between the four schools and the three English teachers every four weeks or so. That means that when the novelty of my being there starts to wear off, I change! It'll keep things interesting for the teachers, for the kids, and for me. This means that my schedule and days off change quite a bit, but it makes life more interesting, right? :-)
Anyway, I was a surprise to all of the children. The kids would stare at me full of curiousity and fascination, and Laura made a big deal about introducing me. "Why are you all staring over that way? Ohh, there's a new person there! Who is this?" It was so much fun! The first few classes needed quite a bit of introduction about me, but after the lunch hour in Pira, EVERYONE knew about Sarah! :-) I was the conversation on everyone's lips. Haha!
I love the variety of ages. The youngest kids I work with are 4 and 5, and I just wanted to sneak them all into my luggage and take them home with me. They're so cute! We do a lot of singing with them, so I almost always have a children's song in my head now. :-) When I'm not there for various reasons, Laura said that they're always asking about me. One time they thought I went back on the plane and was traveling to school via the plane. Hee! A long commute!
The next youngest are in 1st and 2nd grade. These guys are the wigglers! I taught them to fold their hands early on, and it works like magic. I guess no one tells them to sit quietly with their hands folded because Laura asked about it and loved the idea. So whenever I'm more or less in charge of this group, I make a big deal about checking if their hands are folded, etc. They love it. We're going through toys and materials (the doll is made of plastic, the bike is made of metal, etc.) right now. And like the younger class, there's a song for everything. So fun!
The 3rd and 4th graders are the largest class in Pira (21). Rocafort also has this age group, but there are only five or so. The ones in Rocafort are very attentive and eager to please, but I think some of my biggest fans are the ones in Pira. On day 1, all of the kids wanted me to autograph something. Arms, hands, notebooks, a cast, anything! I was literally surrounded by children and arms, and the hall was filled with children begging me to sign something. All the other teachers could do was laugh. :-) They joke about me being a superstar and having a fan club all of the time. It doesn't help my humility very much, but I can't help loving the children and the attention. Two girls, Paula and Maite, drew these beautiful pictures for me, and Paula gave me another drawing today. Another girl, Elisabeth, made a bracelet for me. You can see the adoration in their faces, which is both touching and embarrassing. :-)
The oldest group, 5th and 6th grade, is the main focus. I'm with them four days a week, rather than one to three days. At first, I thought I would prefer all younger ones, but this class is one of my favorites. They know more English, so I can do and say more, and the class is just oozing with personality. The two fastest learners, Dani and Jordi, are always competing. Ian, a quiet boy who sits in the back, is finally opening up more and volunteering to talk. Marta's mother went to London before, so Marta is always trying to talk to me about London. There are 14 total in this class. The English teachers are developing a science project, so I'll be able to help out a lot with that (mostly about water). Anyway, Ian has been my secret special project because at first, he was one of the few students who seemed like he didn't care about anything. Laura noticed a big change when I explain different things and do various activities with them. I think seeing a "real" example of an English speaker is helping a lot. Now, he comes up to me like everyone else and talks about different things. Yay!
I brought several gifts with me to give everyone, and the children loved everything. They're so easy to please! :-) Everyone (minus the 3-year-olds who aren't in English class. It's so cute to watch them stare at us, open-mouthed and wide-eyed!) got a penny, which turned out to be the perfect gift. It led to discussions about currency, Abraham Lincon, our dog (named Penny), and...well, some not-so-pleasant-things. I gave pennies to the little ones today, and the boys made an immediate connection that the name "penny" sounds almost exactly like a body part in Spanish (which I will not discuss! :-P). Awkward. I quickly tried to emphasize the word "coin" or "money" to them, but I think it's too late. Fortunately, no one else mentioned this linguistic similarity!
I also had stickers for most of them, so some got some sparkly stickers with the US flag, and others got some with various US symbols (Statue of Liberty, Liberty Bell, flag, eagle, etc.) Talk about a great cultural conversation piece! All of the older ones know about New York thanks to King Kong, and those little stickers led to geography discussions, history lessons, etc. It was great! Many of them still come up to me with the stickers, proudly showing that they still have them. Hee! Oh, and one boy gave me a euro cent, and another girl showed me a dollar from China (where she's originially from. Actually, there's quite an ethnic diversity in these small schools, which is so neat to see! China, Ecuador, Morocco, etc.). I also gave some animal flash cards to the little ones--another big hit.
Ah, the library's closing soon, so I'll stop for now. More will come eventually!
Thanks to everyone for the emails! There's nothing more depressing than checking an empty email inbox, and reading the latest from everyone makes my day. Thanks again for the prayers, and as I hope to elaborate eventually, God is continually protecting, providing, shaping, and growing me. May He be glorified in everything!
Until next time,
Sarah
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
At last! Time for a post!
As you might have noticed, Big Sis added an update. Thanks, Amanda! It has been a busy, crazy, and fantastic week. So much has happened, and I think the best thing will be to start from the beginning and see how far I get. Feel free to skim, skip over parts, etc. At this point, this is more for me than for anyone else.
:-) Having limited internet access has been...interesting. It certainly makes me realize how much time I spend on the computer!
I flew from Cincinnati to Philadelphia on Saturday, Oct. 2nd. Dad and Mom both went to the airport to see me off (Penny, our dog, came along as well, but she stayed in the car :-)). Everything went pretty smoothly, and I had plenty of time to wander around before the plane took off. I went ahead and bought some Reece's Pieces, a water bottle, and a few Ohio/Cincinnati postcards for the teachers. There was a buy-3-get-one-free deal, so when I say a postcard with buckeyes on it, saying something like, "Ohio, the Buckeye State: We're just a bunch of nuts!" I had to get it. :-)
No one was seated next to me on the plane to PA, which was really nice. It's a fairly short flight, but I realized that I didn't have much time to go from that plane to where I needed to go for the flight to Barcelona. The PA airport was HUGE, and I had to take a shuttle to the terminal I needed. Naturally, where I needed to be was waaaaaay back as far as you can go. I got there just in time for them to call for all zones to board. Whew! Since it was an international and overnight flight, the plane was both the largest and the coolest I've used before. All announcements were in English and Spanish, and once again, no one was seated next to me! It's a little crazy with so many people, but the flight attendants were nice, and tuning out the world with an iPod was great. :-) The plane took off just as the sun started setting, so I took some neat shots of the sunlight shining off of the plane's wings. I love flying!
The food was okay, but it had pretty small portions. That is, the edible stuff had small portions. :-P Airplane green beans are weird. Just...weird. The bathrooms are a little weird as well, but I won't give details about them. :-) There were some movies playing, but you had to pay for special headsets, and the films looked boring (The Last Airbender--blah. A-Team--double blah). So really, I spend most of the time looking out the window, listening to music, and staring at a book I didn't feel like reading. It was amazing how fast it turned dark outside! Once I couldn´t see cool stuff out the window, I started getting restless. I tried sleeping, but it was only for an hour or two. When I finally was able to sleep, the flight attended annouced to everyone (in an annoyingly perky voice) that the plane was soon going to land, and the time in Barcelona was 7:00am. So suddenly I went from 1:00 in the morning to 7:00 in the morning. Time is so subjective! I felt like I got a little glimpse of eternity in that moment. What seems so natural and important is really just...nothing. However, it was still dark outside, so I got an amazing first view of Barcelona: darkness with everything lit up. It was breathtaking. I took a few pictures, but they turned out blurry and would never do justice to what I saw.
Anyway, the flight landed way earlier than I thought it would. This concerned me a little because Laura, my tutora, and the principal were planning on meeting me at the Tarragona train station around 11. But it turned out that I REALLY needed that extra time!
First, I wasn't really sure where to go or what to do next. Do I go through security and show them my passport and that little paper they make you fill out on the plane? Do I get my luggage? But throughout the day, I discovered a rule of thumb for when you're travelling and don't know what to do next: follow the crowd. So like a herd of sheep, we followed each other, first through customs, and then to the baggage claim. Once the luggage hit the belt, everyone turned in to crazy maniacs. It was as if you didn't grab your bag RIGHT AWAY, you'd never see it again and would be punished by unspeakable horrors. My bags were one of the first to come out, but there were just too many people around. So I hung out in the background until I could make my move. :-) With a large rolling suitcase, a duffel bag on my shoulders, a backpack on my back, and a purse in there somewhere, I trudged along to the next destination.
My goal was to find a train station, but there were people and signs everywhere. But nothing about a train! I asked someone from the information desk about it and found out that I had to take an elevator down to a creepy looking place and take a shuttle to another terminal. This was much harder to do with lugging bags around! Not cool. Necessary, but not cool.
When I arrived at the other terminal, my "follow the crowd" thing didn't work. Most went to an area for connecting flights, and only one guy went in a different direction. I should have followed him, but I followed the others instead. I basically walked around the crowded and colossal terminal, dragging my luggage along with me. Finally I found someone to ask, and then I had to go alllll the way back to the front of the terminal to go up some stairs, through a long corridor, and then to a train station. Ugh. Regardless, I purchased a ticket to Sants, which I was hoping would be Barcelona Sants, the stop I needed. All of the information Laura gave me seemed different, so when I realized that I was headed to Sants Celon (or something like that), my inward panic level rose. I just knew I was headed to the wrong place. However, Barcelona Sants was one of the stops (yay!), and I was once again lugging stuff out and in another terminal.
This place was more crowded than the others! I basically just wandered around asking people how and where I should get a ticket to Tarragona. Finally, I purchased one, but once again, the time was different than what Laura sent me. Armed with my ever-present luggage and a purple ticket with "Tarragona" on it, I once again wandered around and asked where I should go. :-) It REALLY helped knowing Spanish!
I went down one escalator and realized I was in the wrong area, so after more up-and-down issues, I finally found out where I should be. Via 9. Okaaay. But there was nothing about Tarragona! I finally saw something that mentioned Reus at the same time as my ticket said, so I just went on that train (I mean, how many trains leave exactly at 10:03? And how many of you are still reading this? Hee hee). I FINALLY saw something for Tarragona and knew I was okay. Yay! But by then, I was exhausted, inwardly stressed, and very, very sweaty. Like every pore was sweating kind of sweaty. I quickly tried to make myself halfway presentable for Laura and the principal, sneaking deodorant on, etc. I will say that the RENFE trains are really nice. They're modern and comfortable.
At the Tarragona train station, which was gloriously smaller than the others, I sat and waited for two people whom I never met and didn't know what they looked like. I'm sure I looked ridiculous, peering at everyone's faces and toting luggage around! :-) I almost called Laura's cell phone from a weird-looking telephone booth I found, but Javi (the principal) and Laura soon came. They knew me right away because I mentioned what I'd be wearing and, well, not too many people had quite as much luggage as I had. :-) As they both gave me the typical Spanish greeting, a kiss on each cheek, I felt like Christian in Pilgrim's Progress when his burden fell off. I made it! To Spain!
Javi doesn't speak very much English (although I later learned that he knows way more than he claims to know), so most of our conversation was in Spanish. I was relieved to find out that I could understand them both pretty well, and they told me that I spoke castellano, or Castillian, or Spanish well.
The next several hours were a flurry of calling home from Javi's flat, buying some basic groceries for me for my first few days, looking at the flat that was ready and waiting for me (such a blessing!), meeting Laura's husband (Jordi) and 3-year-old son (Quim, which sounds like Kim), and processing loads of information. Everyone was so welcoming and sweet, and I will always cherish these amazing people.
I (finally!) ate lunch with Laura and her family at a restaurant in Montblanc, my home for the next several months. It was very Catalán, which is an adjective that means a lot but is hard to describe. :-) It was nice, and I was amused to discover that the bathrooms were labeled "Adán" (Adam) and "Eva" (Eve). :-D So clever!
Quim is a cutie, but he speaks only Catalán with just a few English or Spanish phrases. He speaks very well and clearly, but I couldn't understand most of what he said. Jordi doesn't speak English and actually rarely speaks Spanish, but we had a decent time communicating in Spanish. I couldn't figure out why I could understand the principal, Javi, so well, but I had more trouble with Jordi. It's because Jordi has a very thick Catalán accent, but Javi and his wife use Spanish regurlarly and were born outside of Catalunya.
Anyway, I tried some fishy-like things, like some sort of shellfish and a breaded squid or something. They both tasted okay, but that squishy, rubbery texture was...well, squishy and rubbery. I chickened out and ordered pizza, which was good but HUGE. It could've served 3 or 4 people, and by the time I started eating, I wasn't really hungry. I was just tired and really, really wanting a shower. :-) I saved a good portion of it that made a good 2 or 3 meals later on, so it worked out. We also ate dessert, and I tried crema catalana, which was pretty good. Not chocolate, but good. :-)
Quim started acting up, being the typical 3-year-old he should be, and as he loudly cried over random things, I realized that I felt exactly like Quim. I just wanted to sleep and cry over random things. :-) But it was still a nice welcome lunch. Oh, and everyone kept paying for everything. Jordi paid for the meal, Javi paid for my grocieries, etc. I couldn't get anyone to accept my money! :-) It was such a humbling and happy feeling. I felt truly wanted and welcome.
We then drove around to see all four schools. The scenery is amazing! Rolling hills and fields, views that go on and on, and just a tranquil, peaceful setting. Quim fell asleep in the car, and by the end of our drive, I was close to doing that as well. The plan was to meet up with Javi again for dinner, but I asked if we could postpone it and just have me rest in the flat until the next day. Laura quickly agreed and said that everyone would understand, so by 7 or so, I was in the flat. That was probably the hardest time for me, being alone in a strange place. I couldn't get the shutters to close, and since you can look out on a terrace and pratically see your neighbor's TV or something, I felt exposed and paranoid. I finally got an extra sheet to try to cover the window, but it fell down. So I just huddled by the couch, away from the windows, quietly crying to myself. Talk about a pity party! :-) God was so good and gracious to me the whole way, and all I could do was feel sorry for myself and wish I was back home. But it wasn't too long before I discovered the strip of cloth INSIDE the apartment, sort of like a long suspender, that you pull to open and close the shutters. Whew! I then colapsed on the bed, dozed off for about 30 minutes, took a shower, turned on iPod music, and slept a good 12 hours. Yep, 12 hours. The next day, I was like a new person. :-)
The flat (or apartment) is really, really nice! It had probably 90% of the stuff I needed already there. I go up one flight of stairs (the main door can only be opened by a key or buzzing specific rooms. I have my own phone buzzer! Woo!), and my flat is on the right, while the owner, Rosa (a sweet grandmotherly person) is on the left. Anyway, there's a hallway that leads to a closet of sorts that had a broom, mop, and drying rack. The kitchen and "living room" are in one room, but it's divided accordingly. The living room area has a small table with chairs, a couch, a TV, and several closet/cupboard type things. The kitchen has a refigerator, a dishwasher (that would take me forever to have enough dishes to load! I just wash the few I use by hand), a washing machine (Yaaay!), plenty of counter space and cupboards, a digital stove, and plenty of pots, pans, etc. The bathroom is small but nice, and the bedroom is a spacious area with two twin beds and all sorts of dressers and closets (one with shelves! "Shelves in the closet. Happy thought indeed." Pride and Prejudice reference :-)). The walls vary in color, from orange, to yellow, to pink, to purple, and even though that sounds weird, it actually works. Okay, the pink and purple doesn't quite work, but it gives the bedroom a homey, feminine feel. :-) One of my favorite parts is the glow-in-the-dark star and moon stickers in the bedroom. They're all happy and fun. :-) It adds a nice touch.
So in terms of living arrangements, it works out really well. It's clean (well, the tile floors not so much, but the important things are!), safe, and nice. I actually kind of like living by myself. I'm always right (hee hee!), can come and go as I please, never have to fight over the bathroom, and I always have a quiet sancuary when I need it. I find myself...quite content (another Pride and Prejudice reference!).
Haha. Well, that was day 1. Are you ready for day 2? :-P
Let me just sum up the highlights of the week. Mondays Laura and I have off, but I´ll rotate with different teachers and schools during the coming months, so my schedule will change. For October, however, I´m in Rocafort (the smallest school) and Pira. During the first few days, I had lunch with Laura, met and walked around Montblanc with Javi's wife, Cati, and another teacher, Anna (or Anna María), spent time with Javi and Cati and their two children, Paula (16) and Sergio (8), signed the contract for the flat, went to the schools, and went to Barcelona for my makeup orientation session.
Javi and Cati are two of the nicest people I've ever met, and it reflects on their children as well. In some ways, I feel the most comfortable with that family. They speak Spanish among themselves (rather than the typical Catalán), and they also live in Montblanc. Actually, a LOT of the teachers live in Montblanc. :-) I've had two meals in their home, and I love it there. They're always helping me with all sorts of things, and Javi, being the teacher he is, is really pushing me in my Spanish practice. He gave me some tips on using newspapers, magazines, etc., and I really love the cultural exchange with Javi and his family. They're always curious about how things are done in the States, and at the same time, they love to talk about Spanish and Catalán customs and ideas.
Laura is also really nice, and today, we finally had time to plan some lessons together. I went with her and her family to Poblet, where a famous monestary is, and a nearby cave. Once again, they paid for my tickets to both places AND the lunch. After I thanked Jordi for the 4,000th time, he just laughed and said that I can do the same if they ever travel to the US. :-)
Anna is another sweet person who lives just down the street from me. We've walked around Montblanc several times, and she's married but with no children. She's always ready to lend a helping hand.
And speaking of lend, I guess I should talk about the ATM issues! I found out last week that Wednesday I had to go to Barcelona, so on a walk with Anna, I mentioned that I should get some more money for the train and taxi ride there. We stopped by one of the many banks, and I soon realized that what was so easy in Mexico was NOT so easy here. The card didn't work. I tried using my credit card as an ATM card, and that didn't work. AHHH! Anna was quick to lend me 20 euros for Barcelona, for which I was extremely grateful. However, later in my flat, I got a call from Cati (Laura talked to Anna, found out the problem, called Javi, and his wife in turn called me on my newly purchased Spanish cell phone. Seriously, everything I do eventually gets out to these wonderful, protective people!). Cati and Javi were concerned that I still wouldn't have enough, so Javi literally picked me up the next morning, drove me to the train station, gave me 100 euros, PAID for my train ticket, and stood there with me in the freezing morning air while I waited for the train. He also took out money from his own account to cover the first rent payment. Wow! God's been so good to me. It's just incredible to witness. Anyway, after a crazy process that I don't have time to explain (seriously, you don't want to know!), Mom was able to set up a checking account in the States, and now I can take out money. Whew. I'll have a Spanish bank account soon, but in the meantime, it's nice to have money! Hee hee. It sounds like Dad and Mom were a lot more stressed out about it than I was. For me, it was another "do you really trust God, Miss Sarah??" moment. One night, I just sat on my couch holding my ATM card and credit card, thought about the Bible passage about not worrying what you'll eat and wear, and simply dedicated those silly cards to the Lord. He'll take care of me, and he certainly has this week!
Ah, the library's closing soon. I still have so much to talk about. Barcelona, the amazing children in the schools, life in Montblanc, etc. Tune in next time for more Ramblings with Sarah! :-P
For those of you who have been praying, and I know there are many, thank you!
I LOVE IT HERE!!
Until next time,
Sarah
PS: I don't have time to proofread, so if you see any mistakes, IT DOESN'T COUNT! Ha! :-)
:-) Having limited internet access has been...interesting. It certainly makes me realize how much time I spend on the computer!
I flew from Cincinnati to Philadelphia on Saturday, Oct. 2nd. Dad and Mom both went to the airport to see me off (Penny, our dog, came along as well, but she stayed in the car :-)). Everything went pretty smoothly, and I had plenty of time to wander around before the plane took off. I went ahead and bought some Reece's Pieces, a water bottle, and a few Ohio/Cincinnati postcards for the teachers. There was a buy-3-get-one-free deal, so when I say a postcard with buckeyes on it, saying something like, "Ohio, the Buckeye State: We're just a bunch of nuts!" I had to get it. :-)
No one was seated next to me on the plane to PA, which was really nice. It's a fairly short flight, but I realized that I didn't have much time to go from that plane to where I needed to go for the flight to Barcelona. The PA airport was HUGE, and I had to take a shuttle to the terminal I needed. Naturally, where I needed to be was waaaaaay back as far as you can go. I got there just in time for them to call for all zones to board. Whew! Since it was an international and overnight flight, the plane was both the largest and the coolest I've used before. All announcements were in English and Spanish, and once again, no one was seated next to me! It's a little crazy with so many people, but the flight attendants were nice, and tuning out the world with an iPod was great. :-) The plane took off just as the sun started setting, so I took some neat shots of the sunlight shining off of the plane's wings. I love flying!
The food was okay, but it had pretty small portions. That is, the edible stuff had small portions. :-P Airplane green beans are weird. Just...weird. The bathrooms are a little weird as well, but I won't give details about them. :-) There were some movies playing, but you had to pay for special headsets, and the films looked boring (The Last Airbender--blah. A-Team--double blah). So really, I spend most of the time looking out the window, listening to music, and staring at a book I didn't feel like reading. It was amazing how fast it turned dark outside! Once I couldn´t see cool stuff out the window, I started getting restless. I tried sleeping, but it was only for an hour or two. When I finally was able to sleep, the flight attended annouced to everyone (in an annoyingly perky voice) that the plane was soon going to land, and the time in Barcelona was 7:00am. So suddenly I went from 1:00 in the morning to 7:00 in the morning. Time is so subjective! I felt like I got a little glimpse of eternity in that moment. What seems so natural and important is really just...nothing. However, it was still dark outside, so I got an amazing first view of Barcelona: darkness with everything lit up. It was breathtaking. I took a few pictures, but they turned out blurry and would never do justice to what I saw.
Anyway, the flight landed way earlier than I thought it would. This concerned me a little because Laura, my tutora, and the principal were planning on meeting me at the Tarragona train station around 11. But it turned out that I REALLY needed that extra time!
First, I wasn't really sure where to go or what to do next. Do I go through security and show them my passport and that little paper they make you fill out on the plane? Do I get my luggage? But throughout the day, I discovered a rule of thumb for when you're travelling and don't know what to do next: follow the crowd. So like a herd of sheep, we followed each other, first through customs, and then to the baggage claim. Once the luggage hit the belt, everyone turned in to crazy maniacs. It was as if you didn't grab your bag RIGHT AWAY, you'd never see it again and would be punished by unspeakable horrors. My bags were one of the first to come out, but there were just too many people around. So I hung out in the background until I could make my move. :-) With a large rolling suitcase, a duffel bag on my shoulders, a backpack on my back, and a purse in there somewhere, I trudged along to the next destination.
My goal was to find a train station, but there were people and signs everywhere. But nothing about a train! I asked someone from the information desk about it and found out that I had to take an elevator down to a creepy looking place and take a shuttle to another terminal. This was much harder to do with lugging bags around! Not cool. Necessary, but not cool.
When I arrived at the other terminal, my "follow the crowd" thing didn't work. Most went to an area for connecting flights, and only one guy went in a different direction. I should have followed him, but I followed the others instead. I basically walked around the crowded and colossal terminal, dragging my luggage along with me. Finally I found someone to ask, and then I had to go alllll the way back to the front of the terminal to go up some stairs, through a long corridor, and then to a train station. Ugh. Regardless, I purchased a ticket to Sants, which I was hoping would be Barcelona Sants, the stop I needed. All of the information Laura gave me seemed different, so when I realized that I was headed to Sants Celon (or something like that), my inward panic level rose. I just knew I was headed to the wrong place. However, Barcelona Sants was one of the stops (yay!), and I was once again lugging stuff out and in another terminal.
This place was more crowded than the others! I basically just wandered around asking people how and where I should get a ticket to Tarragona. Finally, I purchased one, but once again, the time was different than what Laura sent me. Armed with my ever-present luggage and a purple ticket with "Tarragona" on it, I once again wandered around and asked where I should go. :-) It REALLY helped knowing Spanish!
I went down one escalator and realized I was in the wrong area, so after more up-and-down issues, I finally found out where I should be. Via 9. Okaaay. But there was nothing about Tarragona! I finally saw something that mentioned Reus at the same time as my ticket said, so I just went on that train (I mean, how many trains leave exactly at 10:03? And how many of you are still reading this? Hee hee). I FINALLY saw something for Tarragona and knew I was okay. Yay! But by then, I was exhausted, inwardly stressed, and very, very sweaty. Like every pore was sweating kind of sweaty. I quickly tried to make myself halfway presentable for Laura and the principal, sneaking deodorant on, etc. I will say that the RENFE trains are really nice. They're modern and comfortable.
At the Tarragona train station, which was gloriously smaller than the others, I sat and waited for two people whom I never met and didn't know what they looked like. I'm sure I looked ridiculous, peering at everyone's faces and toting luggage around! :-) I almost called Laura's cell phone from a weird-looking telephone booth I found, but Javi (the principal) and Laura soon came. They knew me right away because I mentioned what I'd be wearing and, well, not too many people had quite as much luggage as I had. :-) As they both gave me the typical Spanish greeting, a kiss on each cheek, I felt like Christian in Pilgrim's Progress when his burden fell off. I made it! To Spain!
Javi doesn't speak very much English (although I later learned that he knows way more than he claims to know), so most of our conversation was in Spanish. I was relieved to find out that I could understand them both pretty well, and they told me that I spoke castellano, or Castillian, or Spanish well.
The next several hours were a flurry of calling home from Javi's flat, buying some basic groceries for me for my first few days, looking at the flat that was ready and waiting for me (such a blessing!), meeting Laura's husband (Jordi) and 3-year-old son (Quim, which sounds like Kim), and processing loads of information. Everyone was so welcoming and sweet, and I will always cherish these amazing people.
I (finally!) ate lunch with Laura and her family at a restaurant in Montblanc, my home for the next several months. It was very Catalán, which is an adjective that means a lot but is hard to describe. :-) It was nice, and I was amused to discover that the bathrooms were labeled "Adán" (Adam) and "Eva" (Eve). :-D So clever!
Quim is a cutie, but he speaks only Catalán with just a few English or Spanish phrases. He speaks very well and clearly, but I couldn't understand most of what he said. Jordi doesn't speak English and actually rarely speaks Spanish, but we had a decent time communicating in Spanish. I couldn't figure out why I could understand the principal, Javi, so well, but I had more trouble with Jordi. It's because Jordi has a very thick Catalán accent, but Javi and his wife use Spanish regurlarly and were born outside of Catalunya.
Anyway, I tried some fishy-like things, like some sort of shellfish and a breaded squid or something. They both tasted okay, but that squishy, rubbery texture was...well, squishy and rubbery. I chickened out and ordered pizza, which was good but HUGE. It could've served 3 or 4 people, and by the time I started eating, I wasn't really hungry. I was just tired and really, really wanting a shower. :-) I saved a good portion of it that made a good 2 or 3 meals later on, so it worked out. We also ate dessert, and I tried crema catalana, which was pretty good. Not chocolate, but good. :-)
Quim started acting up, being the typical 3-year-old he should be, and as he loudly cried over random things, I realized that I felt exactly like Quim. I just wanted to sleep and cry over random things. :-) But it was still a nice welcome lunch. Oh, and everyone kept paying for everything. Jordi paid for the meal, Javi paid for my grocieries, etc. I couldn't get anyone to accept my money! :-) It was such a humbling and happy feeling. I felt truly wanted and welcome.
We then drove around to see all four schools. The scenery is amazing! Rolling hills and fields, views that go on and on, and just a tranquil, peaceful setting. Quim fell asleep in the car, and by the end of our drive, I was close to doing that as well. The plan was to meet up with Javi again for dinner, but I asked if we could postpone it and just have me rest in the flat until the next day. Laura quickly agreed and said that everyone would understand, so by 7 or so, I was in the flat. That was probably the hardest time for me, being alone in a strange place. I couldn't get the shutters to close, and since you can look out on a terrace and pratically see your neighbor's TV or something, I felt exposed and paranoid. I finally got an extra sheet to try to cover the window, but it fell down. So I just huddled by the couch, away from the windows, quietly crying to myself. Talk about a pity party! :-) God was so good and gracious to me the whole way, and all I could do was feel sorry for myself and wish I was back home. But it wasn't too long before I discovered the strip of cloth INSIDE the apartment, sort of like a long suspender, that you pull to open and close the shutters. Whew! I then colapsed on the bed, dozed off for about 30 minutes, took a shower, turned on iPod music, and slept a good 12 hours. Yep, 12 hours. The next day, I was like a new person. :-)
The flat (or apartment) is really, really nice! It had probably 90% of the stuff I needed already there. I go up one flight of stairs (the main door can only be opened by a key or buzzing specific rooms. I have my own phone buzzer! Woo!), and my flat is on the right, while the owner, Rosa (a sweet grandmotherly person) is on the left. Anyway, there's a hallway that leads to a closet of sorts that had a broom, mop, and drying rack. The kitchen and "living room" are in one room, but it's divided accordingly. The living room area has a small table with chairs, a couch, a TV, and several closet/cupboard type things. The kitchen has a refigerator, a dishwasher (that would take me forever to have enough dishes to load! I just wash the few I use by hand), a washing machine (Yaaay!), plenty of counter space and cupboards, a digital stove, and plenty of pots, pans, etc. The bathroom is small but nice, and the bedroom is a spacious area with two twin beds and all sorts of dressers and closets (one with shelves! "Shelves in the closet. Happy thought indeed." Pride and Prejudice reference :-)). The walls vary in color, from orange, to yellow, to pink, to purple, and even though that sounds weird, it actually works. Okay, the pink and purple doesn't quite work, but it gives the bedroom a homey, feminine feel. :-) One of my favorite parts is the glow-in-the-dark star and moon stickers in the bedroom. They're all happy and fun. :-) It adds a nice touch.
So in terms of living arrangements, it works out really well. It's clean (well, the tile floors not so much, but the important things are!), safe, and nice. I actually kind of like living by myself. I'm always right (hee hee!), can come and go as I please, never have to fight over the bathroom, and I always have a quiet sancuary when I need it. I find myself...quite content (another Pride and Prejudice reference!).
Haha. Well, that was day 1. Are you ready for day 2? :-P
Let me just sum up the highlights of the week. Mondays Laura and I have off, but I´ll rotate with different teachers and schools during the coming months, so my schedule will change. For October, however, I´m in Rocafort (the smallest school) and Pira. During the first few days, I had lunch with Laura, met and walked around Montblanc with Javi's wife, Cati, and another teacher, Anna (or Anna María), spent time with Javi and Cati and their two children, Paula (16) and Sergio (8), signed the contract for the flat, went to the schools, and went to Barcelona for my makeup orientation session.
Javi and Cati are two of the nicest people I've ever met, and it reflects on their children as well. In some ways, I feel the most comfortable with that family. They speak Spanish among themselves (rather than the typical Catalán), and they also live in Montblanc. Actually, a LOT of the teachers live in Montblanc. :-) I've had two meals in their home, and I love it there. They're always helping me with all sorts of things, and Javi, being the teacher he is, is really pushing me in my Spanish practice. He gave me some tips on using newspapers, magazines, etc., and I really love the cultural exchange with Javi and his family. They're always curious about how things are done in the States, and at the same time, they love to talk about Spanish and Catalán customs and ideas.
Laura is also really nice, and today, we finally had time to plan some lessons together. I went with her and her family to Poblet, where a famous monestary is, and a nearby cave. Once again, they paid for my tickets to both places AND the lunch. After I thanked Jordi for the 4,000th time, he just laughed and said that I can do the same if they ever travel to the US. :-)
Anna is another sweet person who lives just down the street from me. We've walked around Montblanc several times, and she's married but with no children. She's always ready to lend a helping hand.
And speaking of lend, I guess I should talk about the ATM issues! I found out last week that Wednesday I had to go to Barcelona, so on a walk with Anna, I mentioned that I should get some more money for the train and taxi ride there. We stopped by one of the many banks, and I soon realized that what was so easy in Mexico was NOT so easy here. The card didn't work. I tried using my credit card as an ATM card, and that didn't work. AHHH! Anna was quick to lend me 20 euros for Barcelona, for which I was extremely grateful. However, later in my flat, I got a call from Cati (Laura talked to Anna, found out the problem, called Javi, and his wife in turn called me on my newly purchased Spanish cell phone. Seriously, everything I do eventually gets out to these wonderful, protective people!). Cati and Javi were concerned that I still wouldn't have enough, so Javi literally picked me up the next morning, drove me to the train station, gave me 100 euros, PAID for my train ticket, and stood there with me in the freezing morning air while I waited for the train. He also took out money from his own account to cover the first rent payment. Wow! God's been so good to me. It's just incredible to witness. Anyway, after a crazy process that I don't have time to explain (seriously, you don't want to know!), Mom was able to set up a checking account in the States, and now I can take out money. Whew. I'll have a Spanish bank account soon, but in the meantime, it's nice to have money! Hee hee. It sounds like Dad and Mom were a lot more stressed out about it than I was. For me, it was another "do you really trust God, Miss Sarah??" moment. One night, I just sat on my couch holding my ATM card and credit card, thought about the Bible passage about not worrying what you'll eat and wear, and simply dedicated those silly cards to the Lord. He'll take care of me, and he certainly has this week!
Ah, the library's closing soon. I still have so much to talk about. Barcelona, the amazing children in the schools, life in Montblanc, etc. Tune in next time for more Ramblings with Sarah! :-P
For those of you who have been praying, and I know there are many, thank you!
I LOVE IT HERE!!
Until next time,
Sarah
PS: I don't have time to proofread, so if you see any mistakes, IT DOESN'T COUNT! Ha! :-)
Monday, October 11, 2010
An Update on Sarah--from the Sister in The US :-)
Hello all! Sarah has given me permission to write on her blog. So, knowing all of her passwords etc, I have hacked into here and entered myself in to write. :-) She is very busy and her internet access has been rather sporadic this week, so I'm going to gather some of her emails she's been writing and give an update on her using MY perspective! Hee! :-) You will just have to endure the comma splices and not so perfect grammar, I'm sure Sarah will edit this post at some point to make it perfect. :-)
Yesterday she went to a monastery with one of the teachers and her family and enjoyed it a lot.
First off, Sarah made it to Spain, in case you didn't know. :-) We got a call from her at 6:30 a.m. our time on Sunday Oct. 3. She has been in her flat since day one and really likes it. The only thing she really needs at this point is a microwave and an iron, otherwise she has the stuff she needs. She doesn't have a dryer, instead it's a drying rack.
The area she is staying at is very beautiful and safe. She loves the area and loves the kids and teachers as well. The older kids on her first day wanted her to sign their hands and arms. :-) I will let her give you more details on that. The teachers have been amazing in getting her settled and have an excellent network to help her. She is still looking for a church, but did run into another Christian girl last week when she and some others got together to learn what they missed at orientation. This girl goes to church in Barcelona, and Sarah may try to go over there some weekend.
I asked her if she has seen any cats and dogs around, and she has, she isn't able to have any at her apartment. (a good thing too, what would she do with it when it's time to come home??)
Yesterday she went to a monastery with one of the teachers and her family and enjoyed it a lot.
One of the main problems she's had this first week in Spain was getting her ATM to work, after lots of calls, emails, texts, etc. Dad and Mom had to set up a checking account for her here, scan the document for her to sign, then Sarah had to send it back, and we were finally able to get it set up. Thankfully, the teachers loaned her money while we worked to get her set up over here. Happily everything is now settled and she can get money now. :-) It's been a crazy week for us here in the States. :-)
She does have a cell phone, however it's expensive to call from it, so we really have not talked with her a whole lot yet, she's hoping to figure out a system for calling us soon, and hopefully a system to have more time to write emails and blog.
I believe those are some of the major highlights. She is loving her time over there. Big Sister (me) is already wanting to go visit her. :-) We will see if I can work that out sometime early next year. :-)
Thank you for your prayers for Sarah and feel free to send her an email! She loves to hear from you, but may not have time to respond anytime soon.
--Amanda the Big Sister in the U.S. :-)
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Today's the day!
Lord willing, I will be in Spain by this time tomorrow.
My flight is still active and on time, and in about two hours or so, we leave for the airport. There is a travel advisory for Philadelphia (East Coast flooding), but it seems as if the flight will still go as scheduled. We shall see! :-)
Laura and the principal of the school are going to meet me at the train station in Tarragona. I'll take a train out of the Barcelona airport, take a train to Tarragona (about an hour or so away), meet my party, and then head to Montblanc with them. If nothing's changed, I'll be staying with one of the other teachers and her husband for a few days until we get the housing finalized. They found a really nice flat that's new and only rented to doctors and teachers, and I'll probably be staying there by myself. More details on that later!
These last few "extra" days have been nice, but I'm definitely READY TO GO! :-)
Until Spain,
Sarah :-)
My flight is still active and on time, and in about two hours or so, we leave for the airport. There is a travel advisory for Philadelphia (East Coast flooding), but it seems as if the flight will still go as scheduled. We shall see! :-)
Laura and the principal of the school are going to meet me at the train station in Tarragona. I'll take a train out of the Barcelona airport, take a train to Tarragona (about an hour or so away), meet my party, and then head to Montblanc with them. If nothing's changed, I'll be staying with one of the other teachers and her husband for a few days until we get the housing finalized. They found a really nice flat that's new and only rented to doctors and teachers, and I'll probably be staying there by myself. More details on that later!
These last few "extra" days have been nice, but I'm definitely READY TO GO! :-)
Until Spain,
Sarah :-)
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