Poquito a Poco Pt.2 (Oct 28th- Nov. 3rd)

Continuation of my weeks away from my blog. . . .

28th – Today I decided to get a snack before class because I didn’t get up in time for breakfast and as I was trying to decide what I was this man, Francisco Palomo, came up and clapped in face, I guess he thought I was staring into space. - I was like uh can I help you -he was like what are you looking at? –I was like trying to decide what to eat. – So he starting telling me what was good to eat and asking me if I liked the cooked or cured meats. And eventually made a suggestion of jamon york. Which is what I ended up getting. Then he just started talking to me and asking where I was from, how I liked Malaga and then told me what places I should visit in Malaga (the capital and Province). Then I asked him what he did and he told me that he was an Art History professor here and if I ever needed anything I could just come by his office. We had a great conversation and he actually ended up paying for my food.
Also, today was Jari, one of my friends from Finland’s birthday. So after class we met up with other friends at Kalua, an ice cream shop to celebrate his birthday. We just talked and had ice cream, simple but a lot of fun.
29th – Today I had a lunch date with Diego, the guy from my translation class. We went to a local restaurant in Teatinos just to have a drink and talk and do a language exchange. That’s pretty much just talking half of the conversation in English and Spanish, just to help each other. It’s funny because the people here are taught British English and believe it or not it is a big difference. As far as pronunciation of words and words we don’t use in the US. So I would correct him as we were talking and realized that these were words that my British friends used, so they weren’t wrong just different! As we were talking the owner told us that he was going to give us free meal of Spanish tortillas and bread. I must say it was the best tortilla I have ever had; it had sausages, peppers, onions, and was really well seasoned, it was just great.
Later on that night I went to my friends’ Miriam, from Germany, house for dinner. We had pasta, a traditional English salad that Sophie made, Spanish tortillas, grapes and cheese, and tiramisu! The food and the night were great. I met new people and had fun tearing up Miriam’s house, well at least Chiara, friend from Italy, did.
30th – I stayed in for night and just finger twisted my hair and it turned it really nice.
31st – Halloween! They celebrate Halloween here, which I found out just integrated here a couple of years ago. I really didn’t want to dress up but since I was invited to a costume party I said why not. So after looking for a costume all day, I decided to go as a belly dancer. The costume consisted of some tights and a belly dancer top, what can I say it was last minute. That night I met up with some friends in the center to go the party. And right as I passed the main street, Calle Larios, which was full of people, there was a group of dancers that did Michael Jackson’s Thriller dance. One of my friends recorded it and it was on point, you could tell they had really been practicing.
We went to the costume party in an apartment and it was so packed and ended up getting shut down because of the noise. We were talking about going to the costume party at they boat, but I had a terrible headache and ended up going home early, around 3am, that night.
November 1st – Today I just relaxed in my room all day and watched movies. It always great to relax and my body really needed it!
2nd – We didn’t have classes today because it was the Monday after The day of the dead, a holiday here. I started off repeating my routine from yesterday, just laying in the bed and watching movies until I felt so lazy that I just sat on the floor. Then I realized that I needed to get out of my room, so I Skyped Jari and we decided to go to out for dinner because he was feeling the same way I was. We went to a restaurant close to where I live and had some really good hamburgers and loaded French fries. I was really glad that I got out of the house. I like to relax but you can over do it.
3rd – It has been 45 days, if you remember when I first got I had to go and get my student ID card from the police station and after I finished they told me I had to come back in 45 days just to receive it. After I picked up my ID card I went to buy some new sheets for my bed, just to change it up and afterwards went to my bank here, Banco Santander. I went to the bank because after my last transfer from Bank of America to here, I realized that it was always 20 Euros less than what I sent and I have been trying to get this straightened out for that past couple of weeks. I had to end up getting BOA to send me a detailed route of my money to make sure there were not any commissions being taken out during the process. So I just went to the bank with my documentation and the guy who dealt with international transfers and with out a problem he fixed everything. God is good. After that I went and got my student bus card, which is 23 Euros for an unlimited monthly pass.
After getting all that out of the way I went to the gym and had a wonderful workout. Funny thing, as you can see in the picture above my hair looks really short when I twisted it and everyone keeps asking my did you cut your hair and then I stretch it out and they are like wow. Then its what hair shop did you go to, I don’t think I am going to let anyone here do my hair, just because I don’t like just anybody in my hair.
I received an email today about the teaching position and we have a meeting tomorrow to tell us more about it.
4th – Today we had a 9am meeting about an opportunity to teach English for 300 Euros a month (about 500 dollars). They briefly gave us a description about the job and said that we would assist the teachers with anything they needed. Then she said that there were only 3 positions and there were 5 of us and she asked who wanted it. It was silent for a second, and then I was thinking 5 people, 3 positions and quickly said I want that one. I was not about to miss this opportunity. After that they gave me the information to my school and told me that I would have to call or go up there to work out my work schedule. After I left, I just decided to go straight to the school and got there around 10:30am; I didn’t want to procrastinate with this. So I went up the elementary school and they were so happy that I was there and we figured out my schedule that day. Which is Monday’s 9 -7pm and Thursday’s 11:30 – 2:30pm, we had to find a way to fit 12 hours a week into my schedule and this was the best way. They were so excited that they asked me if I could start that day, I was like sure, why not. So Ana, the Assistant Principal, showed me around the school and introduced me to the class that I was going to be working with. I really like the school and the people are really nice. I think that I am going to enjoy working here. And as it turns out I will actually be teaching some of the class and not just assisting. I am going to be teaching 3 year olds, 1st grade, and 5th grade; I will also be tutoring the principal, who is taking English classes. I start my official first day tomorrow and I am really excited.
5th – Today was my first day of work and it was wonderful. All I did today was help the teachers with their lessons and correct the students and their pronunciation and spelling errors. I was just awesome as soon as I walked into the class all the students said, Hello MiCHelle, emphasis on the “ch.” That is how my name is pronounced here. I can really tell that I am going to enjoy this year because it will not only be a learning experience for the students but for me too. Side note: I know that one day I would love to have children, but the more I am around them it reassures me that I not ready, because I not fully developed the patience needed for children. However, I know when the time comes, God will instill it in me.
After work I went shopping and just treated myself for a job well done!
6th – Today Rocio went out partying and bar hopping and just had a blast. We danced, laughed, and talked all night! And we finished the night off at White, which is a club that we frequent a lot. There we met up with more people and finished the night off right, just having fun!
8th – I didn’t go out yesterday, the 7th, because I was going to go to Antequera on Sunday. Today Jari (Finland), Alex (Washington, US), and I went to Antequera which is one of the must see places in the Province of Malaga. Antequera is a very old and small town with a rich history. We decided to take the train the train their instead of the bus because it would only be 20 minutes instead of an hour. When we arrived to the train station there, it was deserted; there were no taxis, buses, and the only people where the workers. They told us that the buses to the city didn’t run on Sunday and because it was Sunday a taxi to the city would be about 20 Euros. But hey you live and you learn. We got a taxi to the city and started to explore. We saw this place that sold churros (fried dough with sugar and served with hot chocolate for dipping) and stopped since Alex said he had yet to try them. And of course there were wonderful and we were all stuffed for only 6 Euros in total. After that we saw a map of the city and the locations of the monuments. First we saw 2 cathedrals and then the Castle of Alcazaba, which had a hilarious sign about the hours; it said the castle closes promptly at 2pm and you risk the chance of being locked in if you are still inside! The castle was really nice and the view from the top was serene. While I was at the top of the castle and looking out on the town, I thought how we needed to take time to appreciate the small things in life; just as I was doing, just appreciating the landscape, which was beautiful! After we went to the cathedral that was onside of it (starting to think that if you have seen one, you have seen them all), but it was still nice. After that we wanted to go see the Torcals, the Torcals is this amazing construction of smooth rocks that have formed themselves in various shapes over time, it’s a must see. But then we found out it was a 20-30 minute drive outside the city and we didn’t have a car, so we just said that we could come back again. Since that was a no, we went and had lunch and had the porra antequera, which is on the mist have dishes there. It was okay, I just had a distinctive taste. After lunch we called it a day and just took the bus home, we learned our lesson. It was a great trip and I Antequera is a very beautiful and tranquil town.

Poquito a Poco! (21st-27th)

Wow, so much has happened in the last month. Every time I said I was going to update my blog, it seems like something was always happening. But finally, I decided just to make the time before it becomes an entire month. Happy to say that I have been writing down everything that happened everyday, just so I wouldn't forget. And of course some days are more interesting than others.

21st Oct – Well as I said before in my last blog, I started to crochet various designs for my hair. Just getting used to being natural and doing my hair, which I am truly enjoying! As for the crocheting, I went to a yarn store and pretty much bought every color and different size hooks, a little excited I guess!! Lol. To add to that, I have received so many compliments on them from everyone and even received a few requests. How cool is that . . . I know for sure that I am going to make some from my friend Rocio because she was the first to ask. And my other friend, MariPa, said that she would but anything I need because she loves hair accessories! I also found this wonderful all natural store, LUSH, a company based out of London. That have all natural products for you hair, skin, everything. So I bought some really great shampoo and conditioners, loving the natural life.
As far as school is concerned, that only thing I can say is that I understand which is awesome! I am also meeting so many great people in my class that are so willing to help me, which is always a blessing. Reminds me of back home in my Spanish class, there were two wonderful women Sissy Bonini and Tasha Theodosi, who are just awesome people and had no problem helping me and constantly giving my words of encouragement that I could do it (be fluent). ~ Here, there is a guy, Diego, we have our translation class together and he is so awesome and super funny! We both help each other with phrases in English/Spanish that might be new for us. Also he has knowledge of Arabic, which I might be taking next semester. He said if I take it, that he would love to be my tutor, Que Guay o Que Chullo! (Here that means, how cool!!)
22nd – Today my guy friend, Tory from Canada, and I explored Teatinos. Tory had a break before his next class so we just went walking around where I lived. And Teatinos is also where the main university campus is located. As we were walking and talking, I just continue to realize how beautiful Malaga is and the rich history it has. After that I just went to my dorm and chilled before the official welcome party for the residence.
Interjection~ Let me just give you a quick update on my roommates. My roommates are Laura, Carmen, Igra, and Jenny. Laura . . .uhhh I don’t know. She confused me sometimes, I probably said before that when I met her I was a bit skeptical, but my mom just said pray about it and that next day, she offered to help me decorate my room. But now, yeah, she kind irritates me a little. I’ll give you an example, like when I am having a conversation and there is a word I don’t understand, I would just ask for clarification. And here she comes, you know she doesn’t understand, just tell me and I will see if I know it English. And I am like excuse me; I would rather for them to explain so I could understand in Spanish. Its like don’t speak for me!!! I am a big girl and God gave me a mouth to speak for myself. But I am still praying about it because I refuse to have drama with my roommates! Carmen and Igra are pretty tied together, from my point of view. I always see them together, but they are great girls. And are always there when I need help. As far as Jenny, she is wonderful! I can talk to her about anything and she just corrects me as we talk, which is great. Overall, she is a great person, we each lunch and dinner together, which is just great. Another thing I like about her is that she appreciates silence. I don’t always like to talk when I eat, sometimes I like to reflect and think about whatever else I have to do that day. Overall, I have a mixture of personalities for roommates, which keep things interesting sometimes.
Back to the welcome party; I was just talking to some of my friends at the dorm and the staff needed help setting up, so I volunteered. And as I was helping to set up one of the guys, Pablo, was like I have a question and please don’t get offended, I was like okay. He asked me if I would take it offensively if someone called me “negro,” the Spanish word for Black, because he heard that some people would take it as an offense but it’s just a word. My response was that the only way I would take that as an offense is if it was in a negative connotation. And that since I’ve been here no one has called me that, I always get “morena” but maybe because it’s coming from guys. Questions like this make me happy to be here, because this is the first time for a lot of them here to have an experience with an African American and I thank God that I am presenting a positive perspective. I am constantly developing great relationships everyday! As we kept setting up, I could see that one of the workers was having trouble moving the chairs so I started helping him and he was like wow, okay. I just said with teamwork, you could always get things done faster. And as we kept moving the other workers were like, “Michelle, What are you doing? (Que haces?) I simply said, just helping out. (Ayudando)” They were also like wow and then they started to help also. I don’t know it just felt good to help and I guess through that they saw a different side of me. After that I went and made me a flower to go with my dress that night and finished getting dressed.

The event started around 8pm and it was very nice, there were speakers for various faculties from the University and some of the residents. The program was very nice and well put together; I even received a shout out. One of the speakers was saying how there were a few students from different parts of the world, like Mexico, Argentina and Michelle from the US. I was like uh hi; everybody was looking at me and smiling. Let’s just say if I were lighter I would have been red, lol. But it was nice to receive recognition. After it was over, we went outside where the banquet was being held and just had a meet and greet. Really nice, I met a lot of new people that night. After dinner we all went out to a club, Sala Moncloa, and had a great time. Let’s just say I didn’t get home until about 6:45am, jus in time to eat breakfast and got to bed. Thankfully, my teacher had cancelled Friday’s class. But some people weren’t that lucky, some people came back at 6:45am, ate breakfast, took a shower, and went to their 8:30 am class!! WOW, don’t know if I could have did that!
23rd – Continuation from that morning; I woke up around 1pm or so, just in time for lunch. Had lunch and then decided to wash my hair because it smelled just like smoke. So I did a protein treatment (eggs, mayonnaise, and olive oil) on my hair and left it for like 30 minutes or until it got hard. Then washed and conditioned my hair and did a shea butter treatment on my hair. (If you know me, just from reading that you should be really proud of me : D ) During that day I was chatting back and forth with my friends Carmen, trying to figure out our plans for the night. We decided to go to a bar, El Pimpi, with some friends. It was so funny, we started out with just 5 of us and as the night went on people would walk by that they knew and it just continued to grow.
That night we ended with about 20 people from 5. After that we went to Morrisey’s, an Irish pub, and just talked, it was great! My Spanish friends taught us new phrases and vice versa. One for giving a toast was, “Para ti, Para mi, Para lo que paso entre nosotros.” It means, “For you, For me, For what might happen between us” It’s just a funny toast that friends do. After that my friend Rocio was kind enough to give us ride home so we wouldn’t have to take a taxi. (Recap: Carmen and Rocio are the two girls that I met who took me to IKEA) Really awesome people, happy I met them!
24th – So yeah, I am addicted to my local Teteria’s (Tea Shop) gofres con helado y caramelo (Waffle with ice cream and caramel syrup) mmmm good! My friends Yara and I just went there eat and end up talking for like an hour or two. Actually, the day before my guy friend, that I had kind of started dating came back from his 10-day business trip and we were supposed to see each other today. But he texted later on that night and told me had caught a terrible cold (which was seriously spreading around Spain), which changed my plans for the night, but we said that we would just get together later on in the week. I was a little disappointed because I really wanted to see him. But hey life happens.
I received an email from my director back home saying that he chose the people that would be coming next semester, so I am excited since I will be their unofficial tour guide when they get here. And one of the actually read my blog and said that I was an inspiration and that it made her want to do a blog when she go here. How awesome is that, it put a smile on my face!
26th – My classmate Charlene, from Canada, decided that we would study together for our history class. One thing I do not like about staying at the dorm is that you cannot have outside visitors, which really sucks especially when I live right by the university and my friends want to come and chill between classes. But it’s okay, you live and you learn. So we decided to go to the campus library and when we entered it was so quiet you could here a pin drop. There were people there but no one was talking; I was almost to talk. The library is really different from the GSU library, a GSU we at least have quiet floors not the whole library. But I asked the receptionist where in the library we could talk, and she outside or in the faculty libraries. So we just went to our faculties’ library and even there I was shushed when I was whispering. So pretty much, it is hard to do group study unless you go off campus.
27th - MY 6 MONTH NATURAL ANNIVERSARY! My hair has now been completely natural, without chemicals, for 6 months! Yay me!