Nochevieja

Haven't figured out your New Year's Eve plans yet? Why not bring it in like the Spanish? Here are some interest facts I have learned about how the night is celebrated in Spain:

Men and women alike wear red underwear which is supposed to bring good luck.

Rather than starting early and bringing in the New Year with a strong buzz the Spanish don't go out to bars until 12:30am.

Instead of smooching your date at the stroke of midnight you devour 12 grapes to ensure a year of prosperity

FELIZ NAVIDAD

Tomorrow I will travel back to the US for the first time in three months. Therefore, I will be taking a short hiatus from my life in Spain ( and this blog) to celebrate the holidays with friends and family at home. It is unbelievable how fast it went by! ¡Feliz Navidad!

Plaza Mayor

I thought Plaza Mayor was only in Madrid, but a few days ago I discovered and visited the one in Málaga. Unlike the Plaza Mayor in Madrid, this one is a huge mall located near the airport. It was FABULOUS. They have every store you could possibly dream of going to in Spain along with dozens of restaurants, bars and a huge movie theater. In typical Spanish tradition, there are many outdoor areas and plazas. Right now they have an ice skating rink set up in one of the main plazas. Come to think of it, it actually looks like a little village of stores. The whole complex was beautifully decorated for the holidays and I am looking forward to going back there in January when Spain has its famous sale on absolutely everything.

Lost in translation

I was walking around Corte Ingles the other day when I came across this t-shirt. I'm sorry but SERIOUSLY? I cannot believe in this day and age a company cannot hire or consult a bilingual person when designing graphic t-shirts. Also, even if this was gramatically correct what are they trying to say to begin with: "I'm such a golden girl?" or "Girl, I'm gold" or "I'm so golden" ?!?!?! Something has been very lost in translation..."I'm such gold girl company", can you please hire me to do translation work? It will put an end to your ignorance and embarrassment and I could really use the extra dinero.

GRACIAS.

To go along with this theme, I remember in middle school the Abercrombie graphic Ts with Chinese writing were all the rage, not that any of us spoke or understood Chinese. I definitely had one or two and bought them because I thought the writing looked cool. For all I knew it could have said something really perverted or innappropriate, but I along with my friends still bought them and wore them with pleasure. Emily took the picture on the left while she was in Cambodia working in an orphanage. When Emily asked him why he bought this t-shirt, he said it was because he likes the color green. My first thought was my middle school Abercrombie t-shirts and how I could have been innocently walking around at age 12 with something easily just as embarrassing. Well at least it makes sense grammatically...

Pen Pals

As part of the bilingual program in my school, the fourth grade has "pen-pals" in an elementary school in England. So far they have written one letter back and forth to each other in English introducing themselves. Most of the letters looked the same. Here is a typical example of one of the British letters:

Hello Maria,

My name is Charlotte. I am from England. I have one sister and two annoying brothers. I love pets. I play cricket at school. I have six fish, 2 cows and 5 chickens.

Are you a boy or a girl? Do you have any brothers or sisters? Do you like sport?

Anyway the letters were all so cute, and now they are working on a Christmas card in both English and Spanish to send to their pen pals. After Christmas our school will send a letter in Spanish to the British pen pals. It's such a fun way to learn another language and hopefully they can eventually visit each other.

"Españoles en el mundo"

This is a TV show that some of the teachers in school have been talking to me about. I have yet to watch it, but I think the premise for each season is a group of Spaniards move to a different city in the world- so maybe it´s like the "Real World"? Anyway, this season they are living in NEW YORK, so everyone has been watching and telling me I need to do the same. It´s on Tuesday nights on Channel 1 here, but considering I have never watched TV in my flat before I think I will be watching it online at the website above.

You know there is something seriously wrong when...

• You are wearing gloves, a sweatshirt, sweatpants, a scarf and socks to sleep

• You find yourself turning on the toaster not to make food, but to keep the feeling in your hands

• You are petrified of getting out of the shower

• You think there is a chance it is warmer outside

• You want to go to bed at 9pm just so you don't have to be awake anymore

• You squat every time you pee because the mere thought of not doing so sends shivers down your spine

• You think about which item of furniture could be sacrificed for a fire and not be noticed during the end of year inventory check

Alternate title for this post: You know it's winter in Málaga when...

Christmas in the classroom

It´s Christmas time in the classroom this week! Each class will learn the same Christmas vocabulary in English and then have different activities and worksheets to complete...Christmas bingo, Christmas multiple choice, Christmas connect the dots, Christmas coloring...
Here is the list of vocabulary:

Merry Christmas: Feliz Navidad
Santa: Papa Noel
present: regalo
candle: vela
cracker: petardo
stocking: calcetín
star: estrella
reindeer: reno
Christmas eve: noche buena
Christmas tree: árbol de Navidad
Christmas card: carta de navidad
snowflake: copo de nieve
holly: acebo

In every class we will be singing,"Santa Claus is coming to town:"
("Santa Claus se viene a la ciudad")

Estate atento
y no llores mas
no hagas pucheros
te digo por que
Santa Claus se viene a la ciudad

El hace una lista
y la vuelve a hacer
Apunta a los buenos y a los malos
también
Sant Claus se viene a la ciudad
El ve cuando tu duermes
Y también tu despertar
El sabe si vas bien o mal
Te tienes que compartar

Welling Market

Today "C" took me to a mercado in "Welling," an area of Málaga. We walked around for almost two hours trying on different scarves, jewelry, boots and sweaters. Every five seconds you would hear a man or woman shout out, "VENGA GUAPA," trying to catch your attention and lure you into their stand. There were great deals (2euro scarves) and so much to choose from! Aside from apparel there were also fruit and vegetable stands. I can't wait to go back!

Rays of Light

Another magical view seen from the bus on the way to work...oh the joys of commuting in the Costa del Sol.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

It is definitely beginning to look a lot like Christmas in Málaga (aside from the fact that some people are still going to the beach). Every street is decorated with the most elaborate lights that are bright and beautifully lit at night. In the plazas, such as Plaza Constitución there are Christmas trees and other festive additions which give the city such a romantic and joyous feel! ¡Que guay es!

Above: Calle Larios at night

Above: Enlarged Christmas decorations in Plaza de la Constitución

Above: Christmas tree in Plaza de la Constitución

Above: Christmas tree made of Heineken bottles inside a restaurant.

Aminatou Haidar in Spain

Today there was a peace protest on calle Larios concerning the Western Sahara activist, Aminatou Haidar, who campaigns for the independence of the Western Sahara from Morocco.

If you want more information please check out this article.

Here are some highlights:

Spain said Moroccan authorities Saturday again refused to allow Western Sahara activist Aminatou Haidar to return home, a decision it said it "deeply regrets."

The decision risked worsening the already tense diplomatic relations between Spain and Morocco over the award-winning activist, who has been on a hunger strike for almost three weeks.

Spain had offered to give Haidar refugee status or Spanish citizenship so she could be allowed to return home but she rejected both options on the grounds that she did not want to become "a foreigner in her own home."

Haidar responded by saying her only wish is to "go home to my children and my mother, in Laayoune."

And she again hit out at Spanish authorities, whom she has accused of collaborating with Morocco by accepting her after she was expelled from the Western Sahara.

"Spain is unable to resolve the situation," she said in a statement read by her lawyer, Ines Miranda.

"I say once again that Spain is Morocco's accomplice, and both governments want to push me to death. Spain is directly responsible for the consequences of the hunger strike that I have been keeping for 20 days."

Haidar won the Robert Kennedy human rights prize in 2008 as well as several other awards for her activism on behalf of Western Sahara.

British Pancakes

This may appear to be a pizza, but it's not... IT'S A PANCAKE! When I ordered a "tomato, cheese, chicken and mushroom pancake" (why I thought this would make for a good pancake is another story) I imagined it would resemble a standard pancake. You can imagine my surprise when this giant plate of deliciousness was placed in front of me. The guy next to us ordered the "chocolate, ice cream pancake." It had the same pizza formation, but with 2 huge scoops of ice cream on top. YUM.

Fantasy Fog

As I have said before the 45 minute commute to work does not bother because I always get to watch a beautiful sunrise (unless there is the unlikely event that it is rainy). This morning however the sunrise and the sky had the most mysterious formation. The clouds were SO low it appeared as if they were connected to the surface of the water. Not only did they seem to be connected to the water, but they looked like tidal waves themselves frozen in time. I sat completely alert on the bus snapping pictures on my blackberry hoping to capture how cool this looked. After I got off the bus I proceeded immediately to the beach to take some more pictures. Obviously it was just some thick fog along with low clouds surrounding my town and the nearby area, but it was magical!

I see London...

Above: Emily and me in front of Buckingham Palace
Above: Me and Emily in front of the Tower of London Bridge
Above: Reunion! Chrissy, Emily and me
Above: Emily in front of Hamley's (FAO Schwartz equivalent)
Above: Emily and me in front of the London Eye
Above: Me in front of Big Ben

Holiday

December 6 is the Día de la Constitución and December 8 is the Inmaculada Concepción in Spain. All you need to know is that there was no work yesterday or today. Somehow I was able to go grocery shopping yesterday, but today literally reminded me of Memorial Day weekend in New York City. There was no one around and everything was closed. So pretty much your standard Spanish Sunday. I did for some reason think that I would still have to give private English lessons. After I walked 45minutes to my student's flat only to be told over the intercom that we were in fact NOT meeting today I felt sort of defeated and that I am not as immersed as I thought. How could I think someone would want tutoring on a holiday?!

EasilytheworstJet

I managed to avoid the "cheap" airlines when I lived in Madrid. When I say "cheap" I am not only talking about price, but cheap in pretty much every other aspect of a flight- thinking you get a really good deal but then being charged a ton to check a bag, waiting in a long line to board, horrible seats, turbulence etc. It worked out that whenever I needed to fly somewhere I was able to find a great deal on Spanair or Lufthansa. Therefore my first experience on a "cheap" airline was my trip to London this past weekend on EasyJet. Although Emily and I got the flight for a great price I had heard horror stories from friends who had flown EasyJet and RyanAir so I knew not to get too excited. Greg recently flew to London on EasyJet and said that when the plane finally landed he opened his eyes and everyone was crying and practically hugging each other because they couldn't believe they weren't submerged in water.

I am happy to report that there was no turbulence on the flight, but on the way to London our plane lacked reclining chairs. I sat upright in the middle seat staring at the back of the chair in front of me praying that the flight would go by faster. I refused to let myself pay for a beverage of food item so I became extremely hungered. Uncomfortable is an understatement. Luckily on the way back I was able to score a window seat and a reclining chair. The wait to get on the plane though was ridiculous. There was one person checking the tickets for all of the passengers. However, there were two crew men sitting nearby to her just talking and laughing with each other! Why couldn't they help her speed things along? These are aspects of European culture that will continue to frustrate and confuse me.

THE LIST

For me there are several crucial, yet standard components to making a weekend abroad noteworthy. Roughly speaking: good restaurants, good weather, good sightseeing, good people, good fun.

Here is my London List:

Stay with a best friend
Gatwick Express
The Phoenix
Chelsea
Sloane Square
Eat french fries
Chelsea Brasserie
The Botanist
Hamleys
Walk around Picadilly Circus
Rack up free holiday souvenirs
The Valmont
Very attractive people
Victoria and Albert Museum (free)
Shop at French Connection
Big Ben
Tower of London Bridge
Spacious taxis
Flavored coffee
Open markets
Brick Lane vintage shops
My Old Dutch Pancake House
Find out from bbm and facebook that you actually know 10 people living in London

You say tomato...

Many people are familiar with the saying, "you say tomato, I say tomato (with British accent). You say potato I saw potato (with British accent)." This phrase signifies that while British and Americans pronounce words differently, no pasa nada...they mean the same thing . Since British English, rather than American English is what is taught in the Spanish Education System, I have learned that it is not only pronunciation that differentiates us from our Mother country. There are actually many words and phrases that my American mind can simply not comprehend/accept. Take one of my first days in 4th grade for example. The lesson was on the classroom and objects in the classroom. The vocabulary consisted of: sharpener, pencil, pen, pencil case etc. One of the activities was for me to hold up pictures of classroom objects and for the students to name all of the items.

Me: What do you see in the picture?
Student: Ruler, book, pencil, rubber.
Me: (my eyes pop out of their sockets) I'm sorry? rubber?
Head Teacher: (whispers) Alex, rubber means eraser.
Me: (what the *****?!?!?) Oh right of course...you know that rubber means something different in America right?
Head Teacher: (giggly) I know, but that's what we say here!

So for the rest of the class I listened to 11yr-olds talk about rubbers and pencils. I'm sorry but I think in the raaaare case they want to eventually study or work in the United States they should also be taught the word "eraser."

There are some other funny words that I have learned and started to get used to hearing on a regular basis in my English classes, but the real kicker has to be the grammatical phrase they use to describe someone or some thing. Here are some typical phrases I would use to describe someone:

She has brown eyes
He has blonde hair
She has a sick body
He doesn't have the best attitude
She has the best clothes

Since we teach British English, instead of saying, "She has..." we have to teach "She's got..."

She's got brown eyes
He's got blonde hair
She's got a sick body
He hasn't got the best attitude
She's got the best clothes

Even though in some cases I could definitely substitute "got" for "has," other times it just sounds flat out wrong. "She hasn't got a rubber..." did that sentence just come out of my mouth!?

La Tetería

One of my favorite places to go to in Málaga for a bite to eat, a cup of tea or just some time to relax outside is La Tetería. It is located just opposite of the iglesia de San Agustín and close to the Picasso museum on a very quaint pedestrian street. The menu is six pages of heaven. They have a wide selection of crepes, sandwiches and pastries. Milkshakes, smoothies and coffee can also be found there and are absolutely delicious. Obviously they offer tea as well: green tea, black tea, red tea, white tea, morning tea etc . My absolute favorite category though are the preventive and curative teas. They have one for diabetes, a cold, a cough, depression, energy, insomnia...you name it they have it. Whenever I diagnosis myself with having a cough or headache I run over to La Tetería and order the corresponding curative tea and I always feel better afterward! I hope it's legal to bring boxes of tea in my luggage because I definitely plan on using them as Christmas stocking stuffers!