Welcome to my (new) world: Leisure

Ways we have found to keep entertained so far...

• Irish bar with 1€ beers
• Hit the b-ball courts
• Cook big dinners and eat together

The magnificent roast which Sean cooked for us.

• Do botellón with the locals (ie Take your alcohol to the industrial area and hang about drinking and talking to randoms)
• Join random hiking trips to Córdoba

Hiking in the Sierra Morena... yes, it's very morena atm.

• Join in with dance class/demonstration in main square
• Free salsa/bachata lessons in a bar
• Spend an afternoon at a 'fiesta del jamón' (ham festival): eating way too much ham, drinking beer, and dancing

Jamón, glorious jamón: Feria del Jamón Ibérico de Bellota de los Pedroches, Villanueva de Córdoba

• Go to the library for free wifi

Welcome to my (new) world: Language

So, to my great delight, I've found that I can cope with life in Spanish, and a little more easily than I'd expected.  I think my time in France has helped for 2 reasons:

1. I'm now not so threatened by being thrown into a situation where I'm not really familiar with the language, and I realise that - even if it's not quite right - people will probably understand.
2. There are so many similar words that sometimes I can guess from French.  Win!

That said, sometimes I feel like I need to make a sign which says 'I may not be talking much but, trust me, I'm listening to everything!'  Jeje.  When Spaniards get chatting in groups, I vaguely follow... most of the time.

At the moment, I'm setting up a couple of language exchanges (since I spend so much time speaking English with the other auxiliares, and a lot of Spanish people want to practise their English), and (very, very slowly) reading a novel in Spanish.  Plus trying to watch tv in Spanish, with Spanish subtitles.  Last night, we watched the Lion King (El Rey Leon).  That was fun, 'cos even the songs are translated!

Welcome to my (new) world: School

My school is great.  It's an 'instituto' (high school) but you can't do the 'bachillerato' (university entrance qualification) there, so I think the students are from 11 to about 16 years old.  There are only about 400 students, and I have to say that it's quite nice  to be in a small school.

I have 11 to 13-year-olds, but it's totally different to what I was doing in France.  I really am more of an assistant here, instead of having groups to myself, planning my own lessons.  What's more, I'm in subjects like Maths, Music, Social Studies, and Technology, which are being taught in English, instead of being in actual English language classes.

The kids are really nice and pretty eager to learn, but they chat a lot!  Feel like things are a bit more relaxed than in France, although I haven't had too much of a chance to judge yet.

As there aren't a lot of teachers, they all seem to know each other quite well, and socialise together.  I've already spent an afternoon having tapas and cervezas with a few nice teachers!

Welcome to my (new) world: House

So, a little over a week since I arrived in La Carolina, and hard to believe both that it has gone so fast, and that I feel at home already!

HOUSE

Am sharing a 'piso' with 2 other English-speaking auxiliaries.  It's great because no two accents in the house are the same!  We have one Welsh girl, a Mexican-American girl, and then me.  Plus, our 'brother flat' contains a Texan and a German, with a Frenchman to follow next month.  ;p

The piso's close to the centre of town (well, most things are), about 2 minutes' walk from my school, it has a washing machine, big kitchen, and a bathroom for each of us.  There's really nothing to complain about!  It came furnished and all.

The view from my bedroom window.

La Carolina Rocks

Just a quick update, but La Carolina is really awesome.  I get the feeling I'm gonna have the time of my life here!

I admit that, with all my anglo friends (and a German with fantastic English), I guess I don't speak a heap of Spanish.  But I make sure I go for wanders/library expeditions/Orange shop visits/etc by myself, so I can.  So many people here want to practise their English, though... it's not at all like France.  ;p  (It's ok, France; I still love you).

But, seriously: I'm in the land of tapas, eating at 10pm, late-night parties, we've already scored some free salsa/bachata lessons in a bar, there's a sweet sports centre, a young'un who loves English befriended us and showed us the town, we've joined in with a dance display in front of the town hall, we've already got inside jokes, the German makes a mean chicken curry with bananas and honey...

¡Pues, me lo paso muy bien aquí!  (I hope that's correct Spanish.)