Hola desde Cáceres, España. I'm currently in the library on a weird wifi connection that keeps failing, so let´s see if I can make it through the whole post. I don't have wifi in my new apartment, which is why I'm here at the lib. That's the one downside to my apartment, which is otherwise lovely, luminous, cheerful, and cheap. I live with two Spanish guys and a guy from Portugal (and his dog, which no one mentioned until after I moved in and who appeared one day out of the blue in the kitchen, but that's fine).
Anyways, to backtrack...the rest of Scotland was swell as hell. What stands out most from the last few days is a trip I took to St. Andrew's, a coastal town north of Edinburgh, with Antonio, his friend and his cousin. We had to resort to taking a convertible, since it was the last rental car available, but I can't say I minded much.
My flight from Edinburgh to Madrid was delayed, which ended up being lucky, because staying an extra night led me to meet an acquaintance of Antonio's named Javi, who happened to have the same flight as me to Madrid the next morning. We then happened to have the same train, as we were both going to the Province of Cáceres. Since I was homeless at that point, I got to stay with him and his mom for a few nights and eat her delicious cooking while they helped me get my feet on the ground. Definitely an ideal way to ease into the confusion.
And since then, the people here have been nothing but helpful. One of the teachers at my school and her sister have helped me get a residence card and set up a bank account, and a random old woman even walked with me to a grocery store when I couldn't find one. Javi and I also received a voluntary, free guided tour of the ancient part of the city one day. (An old man was pacing around the cobblestone streets, presumably in search of youngins with whom he could share his wealth of knowledge).
Cáceres is cute, with palm trees and lots of little shops. I can't say it's quite as beautiful as Granada, but then again, I can't imagine anywhere being as nice as Granada. And, of course, I've only been here less than a week and still have much to explore.
My students are also quite cute, maybe even cuter than Cáceres. Today was my first day, and I taught a class of kindergarteners, third-graders, and sixth-graders how to say "my name is," how to pronounce "crocodile," how to talk about our favorite hobbies, etc. I also had to explain to an inquisitive girl that Americans come in all colors when she asked if all Americans are "blancos" like me.
I'm still trying to comprehend that this is my life for the next eight months. I keep switching between feeling extremely happy and excited and extremely terrified. But this is Extremadura, after all, so my extreme emotions have a place here.
P.S. Sorry, the internet is too slow for any pictures.
Anyways, to backtrack...the rest of Scotland was swell as hell. What stands out most from the last few days is a trip I took to St. Andrew's, a coastal town north of Edinburgh, with Antonio, his friend and his cousin. We had to resort to taking a convertible, since it was the last rental car available, but I can't say I minded much.
My flight from Edinburgh to Madrid was delayed, which ended up being lucky, because staying an extra night led me to meet an acquaintance of Antonio's named Javi, who happened to have the same flight as me to Madrid the next morning. We then happened to have the same train, as we were both going to the Province of Cáceres. Since I was homeless at that point, I got to stay with him and his mom for a few nights and eat her delicious cooking while they helped me get my feet on the ground. Definitely an ideal way to ease into the confusion.
And since then, the people here have been nothing but helpful. One of the teachers at my school and her sister have helped me get a residence card and set up a bank account, and a random old woman even walked with me to a grocery store when I couldn't find one. Javi and I also received a voluntary, free guided tour of the ancient part of the city one day. (An old man was pacing around the cobblestone streets, presumably in search of youngins with whom he could share his wealth of knowledge).
Cáceres is cute, with palm trees and lots of little shops. I can't say it's quite as beautiful as Granada, but then again, I can't imagine anywhere being as nice as Granada. And, of course, I've only been here less than a week and still have much to explore.
My students are also quite cute, maybe even cuter than Cáceres. Today was my first day, and I taught a class of kindergarteners, third-graders, and sixth-graders how to say "my name is," how to pronounce "crocodile," how to talk about our favorite hobbies, etc. I also had to explain to an inquisitive girl that Americans come in all colors when she asked if all Americans are "blancos" like me.
I'm still trying to comprehend that this is my life for the next eight months. I keep switching between feeling extremely happy and excited and extremely terrified. But this is Extremadura, after all, so my extreme emotions have a place here.
P.S. Sorry, the internet is too slow for any pictures.
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