My days continue to be filled with new challenges. Yesterday saw my first visit to Albelda de Iregua, the second school in which I will be working. José Luis (the Jefe de Estudios in Alberite) gave me a ride and told me about his experiences in the United States, particularly how overwhelmed he was when he stepped out of Grand Central Station in New York. He then helped me get acquainted at the school and took me to Albelda's Cajarioja to open my bank account (using the Alberite school's address). This country seems to have more banks than the Sahara has grains of sand - I haven't counted, but here's a few names to give you a taste: Caja Laboral, Caja Rural de Soria, Caja Rural de Burgos, Caja España, Caixa Catalunya, Banco Popular and BBVA. Cajarioja is the regional bank (as you can probably guess) and has branches in both towns in which I will be working, so I guess it's as good a choice as any other.
Apart from opening a bank account, searching for an apartment (many good leads, no results yet), and going to a meeting with others from my program, my days have been filled meeting the students. Although I generally don't enjoy the company of children, things have gone well so far because of the curiosity they have for me. I never imagined that blue eyes could be such a conversation starter! Indeed, the best exchange I have yet had with a student was this:
Me: "Does anybody have a question for me?"
Student: "Your eyes are beautiful!"
Me: "That's not a question."
Oh, I am so cruel.
I always talk about the weather in Canada, because the first picture I show is one of a frozen Lake Nipissing. Today I made the specific comparison between La Rioja and North Bay, and watched the kids' expressions change as I wrote how low the temperature gets in North Bay during the winter. Some kids were still excited by the idea of experiencing it, but I have to say that I am generally doing very little to boost Canada's tourist industry.
Another question that almost always gets asked is which soccer team I prefer: Real Madrid or FC Barcelona? I can probably relate to this question more than any other, as I undoubtedly would have asked a Spanish language assistant if they liked the Red Sox when I was that age. My response varies between "I don't like either, but I do like players on both" to "I won't answer for fear of starting a fight."
Today I had my first experience in a first-grade classroom, which was entertaining. Since they are not proficient enough in English to ask questions, I did more watching and listening than speaking. But I have to say, children that young really are a breed apart. Monica, the instructor, is absolutely brilliant at controlling them, which is saying quite a bit when the mere mention of a rabbit can inspire one student to hop up and down with his hands held as rabbit ears, and another to hop up and down slapping himself in the face (I guess he just had to be different). Needless to say, this was the class in which my presence drew the least curiosity.
Perhaps to put it all in perspective, once I leave the classroom, I become a student myself - of the Spanish language. Trying to understand another language is like reading a really boring book - you really have to apply yourself to gather any meaning, unlike in English, which I can understand whether I want to or not. And much like reading a dull book, I occasionally find myself thinking of other things, and today, I reminded myself of a scene from the Big Lebowski:
Walter: "Were you listening to the dude's story, Donny?"
Donny: "No."
Walter: "Then you have no frame of reference here, Donny. You're like a child that wanders into a movie and wonders..."(the dude interrupts here)
I'm just worried that now every time I find myself not paying attention to a conversation in Spanish, I'll think, "Jody, you're out of your element!"
Apologies to those who haven't seen the Big Lebowski.
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