It Should Be Called "Liz in País Vasco"

I've been here in Bilbao for almost 2 months now, and I've been realizing more and more every day that País Vasco really is not Spain. Or at least the Spain that I experienced before.

 This part of Spain isn't what you would think of when you think of Spain. It rains a lot, and there's no flamenco in the streets. You don't eat tapas here, you eat pintxos. You don't drink sangria, you drink txakoli. The traditions are very different from the rest of Spin.

Many people (including myself, before I came to Bilbao), don't know much about the history of this region of Spain. It's very political, and if you want a detailed explanation, you can click  here and check out this video about the Basque country. (Side note-that video makes it look super violent and controversial here. Sure, sometime I see the occasional protest, but I feel as safe here as I do anywhere.)

Basically, the Basque people want to be separate from Spain for a variety of reasons. Some may say they have good reason, for example, the Basques were around before many other people groups in the Iberian peninsula. Many Basques have a very strong sense of pride and this is obvious everywhere in País Vasco, or Euskal Herria.

These are some of the biggest differences I have noticed about the Basque Country vs. Spain

1. The language

    There are a few regional dialects in Spain. For example, they speak Gallego in Galicia, and Catalá in Catalunya. However, if you speak Castellano (the Spanish we learn in school), you are still able to pick up on some of what is being said in Galicia and Catalunya.

But if you think you can pick up Euskera by knowing Castellano, you are dead wrong. Euskera, the language spoken in País Vasco, is one of the oldest languages in the world. It's pre-Romanic, and cannot be linked to any other language, which gives it a very unique sound. This is an example of someone speaking Euskera.

  I don't hear it too much in Bilbao (my school teaches in Castellano), but travel to any small pueblo and you will hear it in abundance. However, I have picked up a few words, like "kaixo"-hello (pronounced kai-show) and "eskerrik asko"-thank you, and "agur"-goodbye.

During orientation, they gave part of our welcome in Euskera. It's interesting because the pronunciation is generally the same as Castellano, but it's like hearing Spanish and not being able to understand a word.

2. Lack of Spanish Flags

    I think there may be one Spanish flag in all of Bilbao, and it's on a government building. It's much more common to see the ikurrina on balconies, in stores, and on buildings.

In the same vein, I never see anyone wearing jerseys from Spain's national football team. Even though they won the World Cup. It's all about Athletic Bilbao, who only recruits Basque players.

3. Basque-isized Spelling

    Calimocho-1/2 red wine mixed with 1/2 Coke. In Basque-Kalimotxo

    Chorizo- type of sausage. In Basque-Txorizo

    Chocolate-same as in English. In Basque-Txokolate

Pronounced the same, but spelled totally differently.

It's interesting because when you go to the grocery store, all the labels are in Castellano and Euskera. Talk about a niche. 

4. Anti-Spain/Pro-Basque country displays

    Many people know that País Vasco has it's own "terrorist" group, ETA. They haven't been as active since the bombing of the Madrid airport, and have recently declared a cease-fire. Many of ETA members have been arrested, and are jailed in Madrid, Paris, and other locations around Spain.

Commonly seen as a flag

Graffiti in Gernika

This flag is common throughout País Vasco. It means that they want the Basque prisoners returned to País Vasco instead of being jailed in other cities/countries.

You also can see a lot of graffiti similar to that around País Vasco.

5. Government

    While País Vasco is not legally recognized as it's own country, they do get some special treatment. They have their own police force, and can make their own laws. This is the reason that most schools in País Vasco teach in Euskera. 15 years ago, the Basque government mandated that all teachers needed to learn Euskera. Since many teachers didn't know Basque because of Franco's oppression during the Spanish Civil War, it was a huge deal. 

These days, most kids in País Vasco speak Castellano, Euskera, and either English or French.

Another side note: most cities/towns in País Vasco have Castellano names, and Basque names/spellings.

For example:

San Sebastián-Donostia

Bilbao-Bilbo

Guernica-Gernika

I'm not sure when or why some towns are called by which name. You often hear people refer to San Sebastián as Donostia, but you rarely hear Bilbao called Bilbo.

Delicious pintxos in Donostia

So these are just some of the basic examples of the differences between País Vasco and the rest of Spain. I am definitely not an expert on Basque culture, these are just some observances I have noticed. Any questions, just ask me. Or just come visit!

Originally published 11.22.10

Clases Particulares

As any Auxiliar de Conversación knows, that 700 Euro/month stipend does nothing more than pay your rent and get you bread and lentil soup. After ruling out busking and painting myself in silver paint and standing on Grand Via for eight hours a day, I decided to go the easy route and teach English classes on the side. 

I didn't really do much to find these classes, they kinda just fell in my lap, via school or different auxiliares.  Here is the rundown:

Isabel: A history teacher at my school, we sit around for an hour and talk about traveling a lot. She asks a lot of questions, a lot of which are about grammar and I don't know how to answer. But I think she's getting better and I'm learning just as much as she is. 

Begoña: A French teacher at my school. She has been teaching herself English for 2 years, which I am thoroughly impressed by.  She also speaks fluent French and Euskera (Basque). Seriously, we are slacking on foreign language in the US.

Adriana and Marina: 7 and 5 year old girls, respectively. We sing songs, we play games, and do girly things. I enjoy working with them because it's a change of pace from my adults/high school students. Also, I think their English is better than some of my students at school. Also, their mom is really cool. 

That's all I have for now. I might add a couple more, but I like my schedule and my estudiantes at the moment. 

                               Here are some cool things I've seen this week: 

Cool house in Portugalete, a suburb of Bilbao

Bermeo, on the coast

Out for Elvira's (our roommate) birthday

Originally published 11.19.10

The Rain in Spain Falls Mainly on Bilbao

Halloween in Bilbao with my roomie, Amy

It's been raining for the past 3 days, and the forecast predicts that it will continue to rain for the rest of the week. I will entertain you (and myself) by sharing random information about my life here in Spain.

• I rarely use my cell phone, and almost never text. 
• As a "teacher", I have a key to the elevator. Will I ever use this key? No. 
• I eat waaaaaaay healthier here than back home. Lots of fruits and veggies. 
• If the Basque Government doesn't pay me soon, I'm going to start teaching improper English. Scratch that, I'll only teach them Jersey Shore English. Once the kids start using words like "smush" and "GTL", they'll have no choice but to pay me. 
• There are some libraries in Bilbao where you cannot check out the books. This baffles me. 
• Almost every time Rosa, a teacher at my school, takes me to coffee during our break, a random person in the bar pays for us. 
• Ikea meatballs taste the same in Spain-delicious. 
• No one dresses up for Halloween here. At least no one that is not an American/British expat.
• Drinking is ridiculously cheap here. A box of wine is 40 cents, an a 40 is around a Euro. Legit. 
• They have already started putting up Christmas decorations here. 
• Doner Kebabs are still the most delicious thing I've tasted. Thanks for not changing. 
• They freak out about saving energy at school, but I can ask for 200 photocopies and it ain't no thang.
• I can still only understand about 30-40% of what comes out of my Spanish roommate, Elvira's, mouth. 

Originally published 11.9.10

Time

An interesting thought came to me today as Matt and I were sitting around watching TV.

"You know," I said, "In Spain, when you see people having coffee, they're never doing anything BUT having coffee. They're not on computers or doing work, or homework...just having coffee."

"That's a very good point," Matt replied.

I like that people take their time here. I like that when we were at dinner with Matt's supervising teacher the other night, it took us from 3 pm to after 6 pm to eat lunch. I like that they have a nap factored into their workday.

Just one of the many things I like about Spain.  I think I'll stay awhile.

Originally published 11.2.10

How to Make Chili in Spain (Without Tomate Frito)

The Ayuntamiento, City Hall, of Bilbao

The other evening, Matt and I were feeling a bit homesick. That, combined with the drop in temperature, prompted us to attempt to make chili. After going to 3 different grocery stores, we cooked it up and it turned out AWESOME. I thought some of my other expat friends might want the recipe, so I have decided to share.

"Brown" 1 kg of "ground beef" with a chopped medium sized onion. I say "brown" because the meat doesn't really get brown, more of a gray color. I say "ground beef" because all we found was a mixture of lamb, pork, and beef, shaped into hamburger patties.

Stir in...

-2 cans of chopped tomatoes. We found them pretty easily.

-A can of red beans

-A can or half a package of black beans...feel free to experiment with the beans, since there's so much variety here. You can never have too many beans in chili!

-A squirt of beef bouillon ("caldo de carne")

-Tabasco sauce to taste

-Dash of salt and pepper

-Dash of cumin ("cominos")

-Dash of cayanne pepper...both spices were easy to find. I added a lot more since the recipe I had called for chili powder, and I couldn't find that anywhere.

Bring to a boil stirring occasionally. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 20-30 minutes.

This makes quite a bit, so we froze some of it for later.

We also found that "Boca Bites" were a great substitution for Fritos, which I love in my chili.

Obviously, since it's chili, you can add really whatever you want. Just thought that this would be a good start to anyone in Spain who wants a little taste of home!

Originally published 10.24.10

In Which Matt Scores Us Free Opera Tickets

Anyone who has ever traveled to a country where English is not the prominent language can attest to this. You're in a public place where everyone is speaking the native language. If you hear even one word of English (or whatever your native tongue may be), your ear goes directly to it, and you have the intense urge to talk to this person, even though this may be the only thing in common you have with this person.

Sometimes, this results in a somewhat awkward conversation, like when a (drunk) kid from Michigan started talking to us on the way home the other night, telling us he had nowhere to stay that night and hinting that he would like us to invite him to stay on our couch.

However, last Sunday, taking that risk really paid off. Matt was at the Guggenheim and heard a couple wondering (in English) where the bathrooms were. He directed them the right way and discovered they were American, which is somewhat unusual, as 

there are not very many American tourists in Bilbao as in other parts of Spain.

Matt discovered that this man was Carlisle Floyd, an opera composer who was in Bilbao for the opening of his award-winning opera, Susannah, which was premiering for the first time in Spain. Matt mentioned that he had never been to an opera before. Mr. Floyd then told hi

m that he was leaving on Tuesday, but still had 2 tickets for the show on Tuesday night, and would he like to have the tickets?

So, Tuesday night, Matt and I found ourselves in the 9th row of the opera palace in Bilbao, watching an amazing opera, in English.

 I suppose it pays off to talk to those people you hear speaking English.

Originally published 10.23.10

Life Goes On in Bilbao

I've started getting into the swing of things at school. I'm finishing up with my "introduction" week, and I'm getting really bored of talking about cows, cheese, and the seasons of Wisconsin. In some of my classes the kids won't say a word, and it's hard to get them involved.

Another issue I'm having is that the level of English falls within a huge range, even in my highest level classes. For many of my kids, they moved to Spain from another country, such as China, Bolivia, the Sahara, Belarus...so for many of them, they are trying to learn English without having a firm grasp on Spanish. For many that come from a Spanish-speaking country, they have only had a few years of English. This is a challenge because some of the kids have absolutely no idea what I'm saying, no matter how many times I repeat or how slowly I talk, and others I feel like are understanding me perfectly.

I'm also starting to get to know a lot of the faculty. The other day, my tutor pretty much dropped me off in the staff lounge with a cup of coffee, and told her colleagues to just speak Spanish with me so I could practice. She then left the room. I was then bombarded with question from 5 teachers, at the same time. Good practice, eh?

I also managed to successfully open a bank account, which was the last thing that I had to cross off my list, after finding an apartment and getting a residency card. Now I can get paid (and hopefully on time!). It was quite the mission, as the first bank I went to told me I couldn't get an account until I had my NIE, which I will receive in November...which would be bad news, because I would like to get paid, and soon! But, as most things in Spain, I just went to a different branch of the (same) bank, and had no problems. I would also like to mention that I did this on my own. I know that most of my fellow assistants are used to this, but since I came here with Matt, we have done a lot together. So it felt like an accomplishment that I could do this on my own, in Spanish.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, we did find something to do on our day off. Matt, Amy, and our friend Andrew took a bus an hour to Haro, in La Rioja, the wine-producin

g region of Spain. We figured we could walk around the town, take a vineyard tour, and drink some delicious vino. Well, 2 out of 3 isn't too shabby. By the time we got there at 11, all of the bodega tours were full. Who would have guessed? But we still wandered around the vineyards and ate at a sweet restaurant. We split a bottle of Crianza and a platter of jamón serrano, fries, and a delicious meat treat that we had no idea what it was. So I would say that it was a very

successful trip.

Not very much planned for this weekend, as we're trying to save $ until we get paid in November. Once that happens, more excursions will commence.

Originally published 10.14.2010

France Ruins Everything, and My First Day of School

In the past 2 weeks, the country of France has inconvenienced me in not one but 2 ways. This is more than it has ever inconvenienced me before, unless you count the time I missed my flight to Paris, but technically, we were in Madrid, so not sure if I can count that.

The first time France inconvenienced me was when Amy's flight to Spain was canceled because of air traffic controllers in France going on strike.

The second time was today when we decided we wanted to try going to Biarritz (a bit over the border from Spain) for our long weekend off of school and discovered there would be ANOTHER strike affecting transportation in France. So, in short, we could get to Biarritz, but there would be questionable transportation running on Tuesday, the day we would return. I know they love their strikes here in Europe, but this seems a little gratuitous.

In other news, I had my first day of school with the students today. It was great. I had 2 classes, one was 4th ESO (14-15 years old), the last year of required school, and the other was 2nd Bachillerato (17-18 years old), the last year of optional schooling before college.

Today, all I did was do a little presentation about myself and where I'm from. Then the students asked me questions. I was pretty impressed with their English, as I was expecting a lot worse. My tutor had told me they were very badly behaved and to expect the worst from them, so I was pleasantly surprised. 

Here are some of the best questions I was asked:

-"Do you like Jacob or Edward?"

-"Do you have Wendy's in Wisconsin?" (This was from a girl who lived in the States for the past 3 years)

-"What is it like between Muslims and non-Muslims in America?"

-"Were you a cheerleader?"

-"Do you have a gun?" (This, I hear, is a very common question for American English teachers to be asked.)

-"Giggle giggle giggle giggle" (the 14-year-old girls when I showed a picture of my brother)

-"How many famous people have you met?"

Stay tuned for what I'm sure will be more hilariousness in my classes (and for what we will end up doing this weekend, since every hostel in Northern Spain seems to be booked)

originally published 10.8.2010

Busy Busy Bees

Plentzia

It's only been a few days since I last blogged, but a LOT has happened in these past few days!

Luckily, the strike did not affect our beachy plans and we rode the metro to the end of the line to the coastal town on Plentzia. Really pretty, and Amy's friend Iñaki came with us and brought his friend Marta, which was nice, for there was mucho Español spoken.

We are pretty much settled in to Bilbao. On Thursday morning, we got up earlier than we ever have in Spain, at 6 am (!!) to go get in line for our residency cards. There are so many foreigners in Bilbao and Spain in general that EVERY MORNING outside the police station, there is a line of people waiting with paperwork.

Luckily, it was uneventful. Being American worked wonders and we had no problems getting in. Amy, with her European Union-ness, was whisked to the front of the line, and only had to pay ten euro for her card, while the rest of us Americans had to pay 10.20 euros. We came back on Friday to turn in paperwork, and were told that our cards would be ready within the month, which is a major relief since our visas expire in 3 months.

Friday was also my first day at my school, IES Martín de Bertendona. I had been in contact with the teachers from there, and was looking forward to meeting everyone and seeing the school.

My new school

I was astounded how nice everyone was. When I walked into the staff room, on the white board it said, "Staff, please be here at 10 on Friday. Welcome Elizabeth!" I met all the teachers in the English department (6 women, and one man) and my tutor, Marisa who will be helping me out. They then proceeded to introduce me to everyone who worked at the school, from janitors to the Head Mistress. No way am I going to remember all those names. The choir teacher was especially excited for me to be there. She said they are working on songs from "Mamma Mia", and wants me to come to her class and help with the English pronunciation, which I would LOVE to do.

Everyone seemed very excited that I was there, especially the kids. Since my school is one of 2 all-Spanish speaking schools in Bilbao (as opposed to most of them that teach primarily in Basque, the regional language), a majority of the students are immigrants. A lot of Chinese, South American, Eastern European. They're a little rough around the edges, but they were all really excited for me to be there.

It seems like it's going to be a really fun year. My schedule is Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, which is pretty amazing. Matt has Mondays off so it works out really well for traveling. And our vacation schedule is ridiculous. It's a wonder they learn anything in Spain with all the days off we get.

Friday night we met up with a group of Auxiliars in Bilbao. I thought it was going to be mostly Americans but it was pretty split with those from the UK. It was good to get to know more people, and everyone was cool. A fun group, for sure.

Yesterday, weather reports indicated that it would be a whopping 32 degrees here...or about 90 for the Fahrenheit crew. We figured it would probably be one of the last really nice days, so Amy, Matt and I went to Santander, which is in the region of Cantabria.

It was a perfect day, nice enough to get in the water. Matt tried surfing for the first time. The waves were a little big, but we still had a great time.

This week should be pretty busy as well. We have 2 separate orientations (why, I have no idea), one in Vitoria and another in Barakaldo (where there happens to be an IKEA). So I won't really be back at school until Friday.

Originally published 10.3.2010

Our Luck Continues

Well, our luck in this program continues.

When I left off last, we had just found an apartment. I knew it was perfect, Matt knew it was perfect, even Amy who had yet to set foot in Spain knew it was perfect. Little did we know HOW perfect this place was.

We went around 2 yesterday to move in. Rosa, the mother, was there, and so was her daughter, Elvira, who currently lives in the piso. I'm pretty sure it's Rosa who pays for the apartment and Elvira just lives there and works as a dental hygenist (she's 25).

From the second we walked in the door, they were the nicest people I've ever met. Asking if we needed anything, showing us all the cupboard space, bringing us hangers...

Then Rosa told us to meet her at 4:30 so we could go to the lawyer's office to sign the contact. I've never been to a lawyer in the States so I was a little apprehensive about going to one in Spain.

But we met Rosa (dressed up in the fashion only a Spanish señora can pull off, complete with purple lipstick), she paid for our bus ticket, and we went off to the lawyers.

The contract was very easily written and the lawyer made sure we understood everything, pretty basic. Make sure we pay rent and utilities, blah blah blah.

After, Rosa took us out for cafe con leches and a delicious pastry treat that I do not remember the name of.

Later last night, Amy arrived (yay) and Elvira got home from work. We all stayed up watching TV and talking til about 1:30. It's nice to have so much practice with Spanish, since I wasn't sure how much we would get teaching English. But Elvira is nice and pretty easy to understand and easy to talk to. She's young so she knows all the good places to go and what to do.

Today the wonderfulness continued. Rosa informed us that she would do our laundry, since she already comes here to do her daughter's. She also comes over at random times and cleans. Yes, it's kind of like Host Family Part II, but as long as I get to speak Spanish, I don't really care much about my independence.

We went back to the lawyer's office with Amy for her to sign and again Rosa took us out for more cafe con leches. We also got to meet Iñaki, Amy's friend who lives in Bilbao. Again, very happy to know more Spaniards.

Tomorrow we want to go to the beach, but there is a strike throughout Spain so we don't know how the transportation will be. Hopefully we'll be able to figure something out. Some people from our program who booked flights for tomorrow can't come because of the strike.

We're going to try and get appointments for our Foreigner's Identity Card on Thursday morning...yuck. Should be quite the adventure.

originally published 9.28.10

Settling In

The river that intersects the city

We're slowly starting to settle into our new home for the next 9 months. Strangely, things have been working out pretty well for us.

Our hostel, Hotel Bilbi, despite being in a questionable part of town, is pretty nice. They have been very accommodating with letting us stay extra nights since it took us longer than expected to find an apartment.

Speaking of finding pisos...it's annoying. On one hand, I thought it was going to be a lot easier to find a place. I assumed there would be signs or flyers all over and we would have a plethora of choices. Wrong. Instead, I emailed about a million Spaniards about pisos that I found online, and have had hardly any luck hearing back from them.

On Thursday, our new roommate, Amy, who is from the UK, called me in a bit of a panic. Air traffic controllers in France were striking, and many of the flights out of London, including hers, were cancelled. She would not be able to get to Bilbao until Monday. This threw us off a little, because how were we going to find a place without her?

However, fate intervened. When we got back to our hostel, we had an email from Amy saying that she had received 2 emails from people who were interested in renting to us, and would we please go check the places out, even though she wasn't in Bilbao? So...we did.

The first place was in an amazing part of town, Abando. It's a higher end neighborhood, and it's near a lot of shops, bars, cafes, and my school. The lady who showed us the place was a typical Spanish woman. Her daughter lives there now, and is a student at the local university. The apartment was clean, in a great location, and within our budget. We told her we had one more place to see, but we would contact her when we made our decision.

We sent pics to Amy, and Matt and I agreed that we had a really good feeling about this place. The location, price, and Spanish-speaking roommate were all things on our list.

The second place we looked at had just been recently renovated. Everything was totally new. However, the price was a lot more (she wanted 2 months security deposit), the location was not as good, and there was a Latvian guy who already lived there. Even though this place was clearly a lot nicer, we went with our gut and decided on Piso #1. We get to move in tomorrow!

Last night was our first Athletic Bilbao game. They played Barcelona, and we went to the stadium to see how much the cheapest tickets were. 55 euro...nope. We decided to watch it in a bar. It was quite a scene, about 8 of us Americans (mostly girls, save for Matt) traipsing in and watching the soccer game. Sadly, and as was expected, we lost to Barca. But I did get to meet a lot of the other assistants in Bilbao, and I think it's going to be a great year with them.

Things to look forward to this week:

-A general strike...not sure what this will entail, probably a lot of transportation

-A trip to Santander and/or San Sebastian

-Starting classes on Friday!

Originally published 9.26.2010

Oh Hey, Spain. Haven't seen you in Awhile.

Our new football team

After a very long day (days?), Matt and I arrived in Bilbao. And it was virtually a stress free trip, which was a lovely treat.

We had at least 6 of us (that we know of) from the Auxiliares de Conversacion program on our flight, so it was good to make some connections with people doing the same thing as us.

Flights were on time, buses went where we needed them to go, and bags were not lost. Very successful.

Now, just gonna meet up with a girl from our program tonight, and tomorrow we hit the streets apartment hunting, which will be an adventure, to say the least.

Bilbao, from what I've seen of it, is beautiful. It's very old-world and lots of beautiful buildings and churches. So it will be fun to explore it! I'm definitely looking forward to calling Bilbao home!

originally published 9.22.10

Can We Start the Official Countdown?

T-minus a week...kinda. Well, a week til I leave the lovely town of Menomonie for a year and head down to Matt's parents in Milwaukee for a few days before we fly out of Chicago on Tuesday the 21st.

Everything is pretty much set...except for the minor issue of packing, of which I haven't begun to even start. Oh well. Just 4 more days at Buckle store 80 and 2 days to get packed, then I am out of here. Yowza.

It seems that since I've been waiting for so long that it's not actually going to come. I mean, I'm leaving the country for 9 months in ONE WEEK. I don't think it's really set in yet.

People have been asking me if I'm nervous, and the answer to that is a resounding YES. If I even start to think about it for more than a few minutes I kind of feel like I'm going to puke.

However, I realized a trend in my anxiety. Not that this is anything profound or original, but I realized that really what I'm anxious about is the unknown.

Do I know where I'll be living? No.

Do I know if the teachers at my school will be nice? No.

Do I know that I'll be able to survive on 700 Euros a month? No.

But I think that's kind of the rush I'm looking for, that I need right now in my life. I don't know what will happen during this experience, but I do know that I get to go with Matt, and that there are a handful of awesome people that are going to the same city as me and will be going through the exact same trials and tribulations that I will be. And I'm sure they're freaking out just as much as I am.

As long as I keep reminding myself that what I'm really nervous about is the unknown, I think I'll be able to handle this whole Spain thing.

originally published 9.12.10

Spain Please?

I can officially see the end to this looooooong process-or the beginning, you might say. As of today, I have exactly 1 month left at work (YAY) and 35 days until my flight departs Chicago for Bilbao. Now that the countdown is more feasible, it feels like this is actually happening.

On the downside, since I'm leaving relatively soon, I've already begun to say some goodbyes to friends that I won't see until I get back. Did I mention I HATE saying goodbye? Obviously, a lot of people hate goodbyes, but I would much rather just not make a big deal about them. But still, it's a bit sad to think that I really don't know when I'll see some of my closest friends for (at least) a year.

But I'm so ready to go. I need a change, and pronto. Things are becoming too routine, and this makes me a little antsy. Going to work every day, watching the same things on tv every night, eating the same food, seeing the same sights...the complacency is slowly killing me. I'm ready to see new things, meet new people, and not feel so comfortable with my life.

And thank goodness things are falling into place! My visa is ready (after a paranoid feeling that some unreturned library books in Valladolid may come back and haunt me), found a possible roommate, and am getting my packing list narrowed down (not an easy task for a girl with over 20 pairs of jeans).

I have a feeling once we go pick up our visas at the end of August, time is just going to fly by...and I'm perfectly ok with that!

originally published 8.16.2010

One More Thing to Cross Off the List

Checking out Lake Michigan after our appointment

So...after an incredibly busy weekend of wedding shenanigans, La Furia Roja winning the World Cup, and moving the store back into our newly remodeled space, Matt and I drove 6 hours to Chi-town to drop off our visa paperwork.

After spending some time with my aunt and uncle/family and getting lost trying to find Elmhurst to meet Tony for dinner, we woke up at 6 am Tuesday morning and took the Metra to Michigan Ave.

The whole appointment took 16 minutes, but we made a few connections at the consulate with some other people in the same program. All of our documents were in order (thanks Andrew for the insurance papers!) and we were told to email them in 6 weeks to check on progress. Hopefully it won't take that long, and we'll have the visa before September.

Everything seems to be coming together, we have our tickets (21st of September!), visa stuff is in the consulate's hands, and I put in my last day at work (yessssss). So now it's just saving $$$ and waiting for departure!

originally published 7.16.10

Departure Date Set

We have our tickets for Spain...leaving from Chicago the 21st of September and arriving in Bilbao on the 22nd...exciting, yes, but makes this whole thing seem a lot more real.

I've been waiting to do this program for over a year, and to actually have a set date to leave for SPAIN is crazy. After all this preparation (and a lot more to come), I still can't really believe that I'll be moving to another country for 9 months. Matt and I were talking the other day about how we really can't believe that we'll actually be in Spain in a little over 2 months.

Here is a list of things I'm super excited about:

-Living in a city that I've never even been to

-Being reunited with Spanish food...tortilla, jámon, kalimotxo...

-Access to easy travel

-Seeing old European friends

-Meeting new friends

-Living on the coast

-Not having to drive

-A winter that doesn't come anywhere close to Wisconsin's

-Getting away from the "normal" routine here

-No more working retail!!!

-Fútbol

-Zara, Mango, Corte Ingés, and all the other fab Spain shopping

-Seeing buildings that are older than 200 years on a regular basis

-Siesta

-Speaking Spanish again

-Working 12-16 hours a week

-Ryanair flights

-Spanish wine and fiestas

-Socibus and trains

-Bars that are open past 2 am

However, there are a few things that I'm pretty nervous for:

-Finding an apartment...in a new city...in Spanish

-Working in a classroom...even thought I'm not technically the English teacher, I have absolutely no training in teaching kids (I'm a Comm major, for pete's sake!)

-Money...money...money...

-Spanish bureaucracy...I've already come to loathe it, and I can't see it getting any better once I'm actually in Spain

-Speaking Spanish again...while it's not bad by any means, it's been awhile since I had a conversational Spanish class, and my grammar is far from perfect.

The good obviously outweighs the bad, and since I've been looking for a way to get back to Spain ever since I left in 2008, I'm pretty confident that this is the best choice for me. Yes, it's going to be challenging and I'm sure there will be times when I just want to come home, but I also know that if I don't do it, I'll always regret it.

Oh, and Viva España on Sunday for the World Cup!

originally published 7.8.2010

Final Destination: Bilbao

Guggenheim Museum

Bilbao...largest city in País Vasco, home of the Guggenheim Museum, and, in September, ME!

However, as with pretty much everything else in this program, it wasn't as easy as just getting the letter.

A few weeks ago, the Spanish Consulate in Chicago (where we will go through to get our visas) changed their requirements for getting a student visa. In May, I emailed the consulate to ask them what kind of police certificate we needed to get the visa. They informed me that a police certificate from the Wisconsin Department of Justice would be fine, so I sent my request.

Well, a few weeks later, the consulate posted on their website that an FBI background check, complete with fingerprints and a stamp from the Secretary of State (Apostille of the Hauge).

Now, to get the FBI background check takes about 13 weeks. Then, you have to send it to the Secretary of State for the stamp, which is another 3-4 weeks. THEN you can apply for your visa, which takes 6-8 weeks...which puts us in Spain in late November at the earliest.

Obviously, with our contract starting in October, this doesn't really work well. After numerous calls, emails, and Facebook groups, the consulate relented and told us we could get away with the police certificate...victory!

Thankfully, that got cleared up, which was a BIG relief. Then, last week on Wednesday, Matt received his letter and placement for Bilbao. I was really excited, but anxious to get my letter.

Thursday...no letter.

Friday...no letter.

Saturday...no letter.

On Saturday I called my mom since I was out of town and asked her to check the mail, and finally some truth was revealed. My letter actually came on Wednesday, but because it was registered mail and no one was there to sign for it, it was at the post office.

Finally, on Monday, I got to the post office and got my school placement at IES Martín de Bertendona in Bilbao!

An IES is a secondary school, so I'll be in a high school located in the city center, which will make finding housing a lot easier.

I have never been to Bilbao, so I'm excited to explore a new city!

We have our visa appointments in the beginning of July, and we finally have all of the documentation we need to get our visas! It's beginning to feel a lot more real now.

originally published 6.29.2010

Placed in País Vasco

First time in País Vasco (San Sebastián) 2008

After a few anxious day, I finally got my placement in País Vasco (Basque Country), Spain!

The Spanish Consulate in DC started doing placements last Friday. Everyone is placed in order that they turned in their online application, so I knew that unless they were really speedy, I wasn't going to get my placement til after the weekend (I am #562).

Monday they placed 6 people...boring. Tuesday they really started cruising and Matt (#295) and our friend Tony (#389) both got their placements in País Vasco and Murcia, respectively. I was getting nervous because I wanted to get placed in the same region as Matt, and I knew spots were filling up fast. I wasn't sure how many people they were accepting to País Vasco. I was pretty much a nerd the past couple days, looking at the numbers that were being placed and trying to figure out when I would get my placement. I have to give a shout-out to http://www.expatriatecafe.com/forums/index.php for keeping me from totally freaking out!

On Wedesday, I worked from 8:45-6, and I was pretty sure that would be the day I received my placement. I told Matt he HAD to contact me somehow if/when I got it. I was obsessively checking my phone all day (don't tell my boss) and around 3:00 I was thinking that maybe it wasn't going to happen, since it was already 4 in DC, and the Spanish aren't exactly known for their work ethic.

However, at 3:30, I got this from Matt:

Pitt , Elizabeth Estadounidense Adjudicada ESPAÑA País Vasco...We're going to Pais Vasco!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So then I was happy. I accepted the position as soon as I could and jumped around at work a bunch.

It was a relief to have my placement, and my first choice, nonetheless. I'm so excited to be in the northern part of Spain! It was one of my favorite places to visit when I was there in 2008, and living there will be amazing. Here is a link that talks a little about País Vasco: http://www.red2000.com/spain/region/r-vasc.html

The next step will be getting my school placement, which will let me know what I'll be teaching and help me decide which city/pueblo I want to live it...they said they want to send them out at the end of May, but I'm not crossing my fingers, especially since they have to come via snail-mail from Spain. I'm just hoping PV is on top of everything!

originally published 5.13.2010

Admitida!

Sevilla, Spain, 2008

Admitida: Application complete, application has been processed and has all required

hard copy documents, eligible for assignment.

After a few nerve-wracking weeks and a few lost documents, I FINALLY received my "admitida" status! Granted, this doesn't mean I am 100% going, but it's a pretty good shot since I am one of the lower numbers in line.

The Consulate General of Spain, Jesús Alvarez González, and I have become pretty good friends these past few days. I have been pestering him via email about my documents, and it seems like he has taken quite a liking to me.

Last week, he asked me if Matt (my boyfriend who is also doing the same program) and I wanted to be placed in the same area. We didn't put down the same places for our top choices when we applied, and had pretty much resigned ourselves to the fact that we'd be taking a lot of trips to see each other during our time in Spain. However, since I kind of like my boyfriend, I was quick to take Jesús up on his offer. He also asked where we would like to be placed, which was pretty awesome of him.

So it looks like come September, we will be somewhere in the Basque Country, País Vasco, which is arguably one of the most beautiful parts of Spain.

Glad to be done with this step of the process, I have to say I was getting pretty nervous with the deadline coming up!

Stay posted for more!

originally posted 3.23.2010

And So it Begins...

Study abroad in Valldolid, Spain in 2008

Application...check

Copy of passport...check

Letter of recommendation...check

Letter of intent...check

Police record...check

Medical clearance...check

Copy of diploma...check

After 2 months of gathering the above paperwork, tomorrow I will send them all off to the Spanish Consulate in New York, to finish the application process to become a North American Language and Cultural Assistant (Auxilar de conversación) for the 2010-2011 school year in Spain.

Every year, the Spanish government gives out over 1,000 grants for native English speaker to live in Spain and help in the public schools teaching English. Working up to 12 hours a week, living in Spain for 9 months, and getting the opportunity to see more of Europe seems like a great deal...plus, a paycheck this time around. With no immediate job offers after graduation, a degree in Spanish, and a economy that has yet to take a turn for the better, I decided this was a pretty good option for me.

The online application process was a little stressful, but I am officially #526 in line to receive a placement...odds are good, considering last year they took around 1,800 people, from what I can gather from Facebook groups and other various message boards.

It's a pretty big leap of faith, considering I won't know where I will be until mid-April at the earliest. 

My top 3 choices were:

1. Cantabria-up on the Cantabrian Sea, beautiful countryside, right on the coast

2. País Vasco-Some of the best food in Spain, not to mention awesome surfing!

3. Castilla y León-The region I studied in 2008...the purest Spanish in the world, plus close enough to Madrid for all that European traveling I plan on doing

So, all in all, I'm extremely excited about this opportunity and will try to keep this up to date as things progress...hopefully in September I'll be writing this from Spain!

originally published 2.10.2010