More of Madrid

I’m back in Madrid after successfully completing two summer camps. I’m here for two days before I leave for Telford to visit the family. If you count all the different times I’ve been to Madrid I’ve been here 8 times – but if you count the number of days it is only the equivalent of about three weeks.

Madrid is not like Paris in the sense that there seems to always be more touristy things to do, but that certainly does not mean it is boring. There is always something going on each time I come here – the Eurocup 2008 finals celebrations, Wimbledon 2008 celebrations, EuroPride 2007 or just a average Monday night in Sol. It could truly be called a city that never sleeps – these days Madrid is so westernized that most stores and people don’t take a seista and still manage to be at bars until 7AM.

Now I don’t come to Madrid to see the Palace or the Prado, I come to enjoy the food at La Finca de Susanna or a good cerveza con limón.  It’s also great to know people in the city, so they can take you to El Rastro on Sunday morning for the best flea market shopping in the world. Or to a street full of Irish pubs for a pint of Magners. Or even just some some leisurely midweek shopping.

It has definitely crossed my mind, to move to Madrid after graduation and teach ESL for the rest of my life (see earlier post) After talking with the English teachers from Red Leaf who live in Spain and teach English, the lifestyle seems pretty good and they really enjoy it.

I’ll miss Spain for the next few weeks, but I’ll be back for one last night before heading home to Canada on September 1st.

The More You Teach the More You Learn

Everytime you get in front of a class you are there to impart some of your knowledge to the students, yet they always seem to teach you something at the same time – from swear words in a foreign language, to reminding you to have something prepared in case they finish early or new games to play. The kids here here in Alba are so much better behaved and really want to learn English compared with the spoiled rich kids I had in Pueyo. It makes coming to class a pleasure.

There are definitely some days that I consider permanently becoming a travelling ESL teacher for life. Everyday would be an adventure, something new and exciting - certainly no ”metro, boulot, dodo” existence. I could see the world and do something I love. But then there are the days when I have to deal with little shits for students, who just ruin it for everyone else. On those days I just want to give up teaching and never deal with kids again. That’s why I think if I take a break after undergrad for a year to teach it will be the best of both worlds. A short break to feel rested and refreshed before going back to ‘real life’ and getting a ‘real job’!

Adorable Alba

I am now in Alba de Tormes, a small town just south of Salamanca. It takes about 20 mins by car. It is wonderful – mostly because we only have 55 kids and not 93. Most of the staff that was working in Pueyo is working here in Alba as well, so we are having some great laughs. We are staying in a monastery called San Jeronimo. it is a very old building complete with a bell tower that is falling apart. In the mornings I teach multimedia (computers) and diary time and in the afternoons, I supervise activities at the pool and kayaking. One of the advantages of doing 2 camps is that by now I can come up with activities instantly – it’s almost instantaneous. I’m tired from working hard, but I am having a blast and am exploring a new part of Spain (Castilla y Leon). I’m still looking for a job for August, but worst case I will travel in Eastern Europe for a month! Stay tuned for pictures

Puny Pueyo de Jaca

I have been in the Pyranees for three days now in Pueyo de Jaca – a town in the province of Huesca only 15km from France. It was almost impossible to imagine how small this town was (it is even smaller than Campo). I have only seen one or two villagers, the bars close at 10pm, the store is new this year and it is only open until 2pm. The hostel (http://alberguedelpueyo.es/) is full with all of our 96 kids and we have probably quadrupled the population of the town. However despite the inactivity in the town, I am still having a great time. There are lots of outdoor activities to do. Yesterday we went rock climbing and moutain biking and rock climbing and today we were kayaking. Believe it or not there are tourists in this tiny town -mostly avid hikers – yesterday I met two New Zealanders visiting. It is certainly beautiful here. The lake we are next to is like glass – it reflects perfectly the snow tipped mountains and the green valleys. More to come including photos!