Well friends, a week in and I´m happy to say that I´m getting used to the Spanish way of life. Still getting weird looks everywhere I go, but I think I´m getting used to it:) Marisela, my roommate and a Kindergarten teacher at my school is very nice and hospitable. I went in to my elementary school (CEIP de Abanqueiro) last wednesday to meet some of the teachers and I had my first official day today! The school has about 40 students and 17 teachers, and they are all precious. From the get-go the other teachers asked me how i was settling in, offering to take me places and show me around Boiro, etc. I´m still trying to keep everyone´s names straight, but there´s Justo, the gym teacher who was excited to tell me how he´s been to San Francisco and Las Vegas, and was drinking coffee out of a Star Wars mug (this is how I will always remember him), Paula, the kindest music teacher you could ever meet (I think we are going to see some Gallego music and dancing this weekend), Veronica, the pre-k teacher who is so funny and awesome and helped me figure out my phone situation (there are 4 companies and the pay as you go deals are quite confusing, even when I understood them in English), Sonia, the voice teacher who is a professional ¨cantante¨(singer) and literally has one of the prettiest voices I have ever heard. Then there is the kind, older 4th grade teacher who reminds me of a cross between Gandalf and Sean Connery- He picked me up as I was walking to class today, and while my spanish is still quite rusty, I managed to carry on a very choppy conversation with him.
The students have all been very excited to have an American teacher, and very shy at first. They are all incredibly sweet, and although it might be the novelty of a new country speaking, I´m pretty sure American kids are not this nice. A girl named Patricia (pronouced Pa-tree-see-a) even gave me a butterfly sillyband today! I was quite honored. Good thing I brought Dora the explorer sillybandz with me:)
I´m still taking everything in, seeing how Fran the English teacher does things, and getting to know the students, and then I´ll begin planning activities. I´ve talked to Fran about doing a presentation on North Carolina, but my ultimate goal is to teach dance classes for the children. I´d like to do a DancePlay class for the younger ones, like I taught in Raleigh, focusing on creativity and body awareness and a more classical dance class with the older children (although older boys would probably rather attend a 3 hour english class than go to this:) I´m also looking for a dance studio in Boiro- I miss it so much! Until then, I´ll continue to do ballet and modern in my living room to Shakira and Ben Folds.
Last night, after running into Veronica and her little son at the Beach, doing some drawings, and getting lost for an hour, I decided to treat myself to a rare meal out. I went to a local cafe Nao and asked for a typical Galician meal. I was served Langostinos (which technically means little crab butwas more like shrimp), salad of iceberg lettuce and tomatoes (iceberg is big here), bread, guacamole and a glass of Galician red wine- Mencia. It was all very good, but I have to say the bread was my favorite part. As far as the weather goes, Boiro has been surprisingly hot. I come prepared for rain 80% of the time and fall weather, and it´s been completely sunny and in the 80´s. Hey, I´m not complaining. Just an excuse to buy some cute spanish clothes and espadrilles (for any males reading this, those are platformed shoes that usually have a hemp bottom and maaterial to wrap around the ankle)!
So much to say, but I´ll stop there for now. Abrazos amigos!
Yessss!
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