A Taste of Scandanavia - Stockholm Part 1

Besides the icebergs running down the rivers and the snow still covering the ground, my first real interaction with Stockholm was the coffee. Coming from Spain, which has about the same quality of coffee as Italy, I wasn't highly impressed with their pots of coffee. I started the day off in a small coffee house in Gamla Stan, the Old Town of Stockholm. Spread between 14 islands in Lake Mälaren Stockholm's Old Town is situated on a small island named Riddarholmen in Swedish, which means The Knight's Islet. Connected to North and South Stockholm with multiple bridges Gamla Stan's streets are filled with winding cobblestone streets, some dating back to the 13th century, and brightly colored buildings that stretch high and make the already small roads feel even more narrow. At 8am on this Sunday morning, the old town seemedmore like a host town and after a few cups of Folgers-like coffee I ventured out and had the island to myself. Soon after however, tourists started clogging the streets and this is when I decided it was time to meander across one of the bridges to North Stockholm - or Norrmalm as they say in Sweedish.

The bridge I took gave me a great view of the Royal Palace situated in the Gamla Stan, overlooking Norrmalm, and emptied out in the King's Gardens - where the King actually used to have a vegetable garden that was used in the Palace kitchen. The bare trees let the colored buildings peek through and I could imagine the tree-lined walkways full of greenery during the Spring. Although on my busride to Sweden we changed over to European Summer time, it still appeared to be quite Wintery in Stockholm. I stopped off at the tourist information center to aquaint myself with the city layout, because up until now I had miraculously wandered from Södermalm (South Island) to Gamla Stan and now to Norrmalm. With map in hand, I was easily equipped to meet up with my two Swedish friends, Mattias and Olle, when they called. I caught the spotless metro and headed back to Södermalm to meet them in the trendy area where my hostel was located. Mattias and Olle are two Swedes who lived in Spain for a few months last year that I have kept in touch with. Even though everyone in Sweden speaks almost perfect English, I was excited to see the city from a local perspective. First stop with the boys was more coffee! Again, the Folgers pot of coffee wasn't so impressive but the hole-in-the-wall cafe with live music that seemed like a mix between gypsy tunes and Irish dancing music was entertaining enough. They decided I should try apple pie, which I thought was quite American, but was pleasantly surprised when an apple pie, with RED apples, came out and was topped with what tasted like homemade cream. I also tried Olle's blueberry pie which was equally as tasty.

With full tummies we started to walk it off and headed to another part of Södermalm towards a large hill that overlooked the old part of the city and another island to its left. Since it was quite misty it wasn't the best view, but the boys made sure to tell me that during the summer its a great view, to which I replied, thank you for telling me that since I am here now haha. Down the hill and towards the south to a riverside street filled with bars and fun mirror and mosaic art and then eventually to a pizza place where I was introduced to Sweden's finest - Kebab Pizza. Made with the shavings of meat just like a kebab, complete with tomatoes, yogurt and all, the pizza was huge and surprisingly good. Now to me, a Turkish kebab pizza doesn't strike me so much as a Swedish dish, but the boys were insistent that no one makes as good of a kebab pizza as Stockholm, so I took their advice and ate it up. By this time, the night had fallen and the heat had went with it, so I jumped on the metro and headed back to the hostel to rest after a long and scattered first day in Stockholm.

When I got back to the hostel at like 8pm, I got into the room (which was a 12-bed room) that I shared with a bunch of other people and there were 3 people already sleeping?! It was 8pm!! Turns out a German mother and her two teenage kids were staying in the hostel with us and apparently they go to bed that early in Germany! I immediatley had a flash-forward to Berlin and hoped that the Germans we were going to meet there weren't so lame! The other guests in the room were fun young travelers so we managed to talk in small voices and I got some good tips about Berlin and talked to a few girls about San Sebastian and then called it a night and crawled into my top bunk (honestly...when was the last time I slept on a top bunk? 12 years ago?!)

More to come on my Stockholm adventure soon!

Puss!
Amanda

Copenhagen aka Blondehaven

Fresh back from my trip, I am super excited to tell you all about my Easter travels. First on the agenda was Copenhagen, and for the short 30 hours that I was in Denmark, I tried to make the most of my time and take the city by storm. I arrived, waited about 40 minutes for my bag (had a mini-heart attack that they lost it) and then got the metro to the city center. It was on this metro ride that I first noticed what a minority being a brunette was. In my entire train car, I was the ONLY non-blonde person. Not only that, I was short - not your typical tall, blonde Dane, that's for sure!

Once off the train, it was quite easy to find the hostel. A few turns and ta-daaa there was the graffiti-covered alley way that led to the hostel! It kind of threw me off, so I poked around the alley for a few seconds, when a man who looked like he hadn't showered in days came up to me and in Danish asked me a question. I smiled nervously and just said 'hostel, hostel' and he motioned for me to follow him. I did and thankfully he took me to the hostel, which was at the end of the alley where it opened up to the other street. After I checked into 'Sleep-in-Heaven' as it was called, I headed back out to check out the city and couldn't help but take a photo, mostly to show Grammy that I can survive scary alley-ways!

I didn't really have a good idea of the city when I set out, so I mostly just grabbed the tourist map and started walking. The first thing I noticed were bikes. Endless amounts - which in a sense reminded me of Amsterdam. The different thing about these bikes is that they are so special they merit a bicycle street light. There are street lights for cars to go, people to walk and bikes to ride! I couldn't believe it! As I neared the Old Part, not only were bikes pedaling around but they were stopped in every corner and in the center of all the squares all sans bike racks. I was surprised that no one bothered to lock up their bikes, just trustingly left them standing on the kick-stand. At one point the wind picked up and one bike toppled, which created a domino effect and about 10 bikes fell over. Because I was standing so close I probably looked like the culprit, but I swear it wasn't me!

Since all of the streets aren't perfectly straight, I spent no time getting lost and ended up on Strøget - the longest shopping street in Europe. However, I did not buy a single thing, nor was I tempted. I think that Copenhagen is one of the most expensive cities in all of Europe. Their sales tax is super high which makes it sort of cost prohibitive to go on a shopping spree for a girl like me. Probably better that way, as my suitcase was already bulging from my stupid over-packing. Something I did enjoy about the Danish Kroner (their money) was that it has hearts on it - which is the symbol of the Royal Mint. When Strøget ended I happened to be at the City Hall and the famous Tivoli Gardens. This amusement park, opened in 1843, is the most famous in Europe. While it is not as extravagant or fancy as Disneyworld, I am sure Walt got some excellent ideas from this place. Sadly, it doesn't open until mid-April, so I couldn't take advantage of the old-fashioned rollercoasters.

After trying to peek in the gates and through the fences, I re-started my wandering, just hap py to be plodding along between all of the different colored buildings. With blues, yellows, oranges and pinks, the streets of Copenhagen sure aren't lacking in the color department. They say that Danes are some of the happiest people in the world, and I wonder if all the bright colors they have around their city contributes to that at all. It sure put me in a good mood to see all the pastel houses with bikes parked in front! Walking was only made better with a Frankfurter in hand. Over canals, past palaces, through colorful alleyways and next to big sailboats, I was a happy tourist with no care in the world. I guess this is how Danes feel everyday!

One of the buildings that impressed me the most was the old Stock Exchange. Built in 1640, the thing that impressed me the most was the tall spire that tops the building. The tower, often referred to as the 'dragon-tower' has 4 dragons whose tails make up 3 crowns at the top of the spire, which were made to represent the 3 Nordic powers at the time - Sweeden, Norway and of course Denmark - which at the time was known as the Kalmar Union. Somehow, this place has survived all of the fires that have ravaged Copenhagen, and is one of the oldest and best-preserved buildings in the city. Looking at it, you can't help but feel a little Viking spirit!

Continuing with my Viking spirit, I stumbled upon Nyhavn Canal - the oldest canal in the city - a place for locals and tourists alike. On this Friday night it was full of Danes meeting for happy hour - some sitting at the outdoor bar seating with pints of their favorite beers and blankets that each barseat has, and others sitting on the dock with their cans of store-bought beer, just as happy. I opted to buy a cool glass of Carlsberg (Denmark's famous beer) and sit myself on the dock in front of a blue sailboat and read my book. You would have thought I was a Dane, except for the obvious brown hair ha! I couldn't help but think that if I lived in Denmark, this would surely be my favorite place to spend the sunny days. Carlsberg beer's slogan is 'Possibly the best beer in the world' and although it was good, I would say that I've had better, but at that moment, it was a perfect fit - but I think that the boat-lined canal, the pastel-colored buildings and the sunset helped make such a positive effect.

Once the sun set, I decided to wander back towards the center (see Grammy, I'm safe) and after a few streets came upon a large building that was lit up. Curiously, I stepped inside a large church-style building that had a sign saying 'concert' well it said it in Danish but it was something like 'konkertzen' so I figured it out quite easily. Since I was already there, I thought, why not, and bought a ticket for this concert that I had no idea what it was. Turned out, it was an Easter concert with a full orchestra, 100 singers (a mix between young boys dressed in blue sailor suits and middle-aged men in tuxedos) and some special guest singers (all with Danish names) who showed off their baritone, soprano and baas voices. I ended up sitting in the balcony next to a couple whose son was performi ng. After two hours of classical music, the concert ended to non-stop applause and thunderous cheering for the young boys. Four encores later, I headed out with tired feet from a day full of walking and traveling. I made my way back to the hostel but of course took scenic routes, noting the night scene of the city. On my way back, I stopped off at a 7-11, something we don't have in Spain, and got a slice of pizza and an Arizona Iced Tea (mmmm America) and called it a night.

The next more I awoke to the pitter-patter of rain and my heart sunk. With only one day left in Copenhagen, I didn't want to waste the entire day inside. I got around, and headed to the lobby for the desk man to call me a taxi to the central station. I wanted to leave my suitcases there so I wouldn't have to come back to the hostel before catching my night bus to Sweeden, and in the meantime, I met a nice girl who was also traveling alone and asked her if she wanted to come to the center with me. Lias, pronounced Lies, was a Brazilian anthropology student living in Léon, France, and was just in town for the weekend like me. Since she had been in town the day before as well, we both had the same things left to see and set out when the rain thankfully slowed to a light drizzle. My hair become quite curly as we headed to Christianhavn, a small island connected to the city center by a bridge. This part of town is where the oldest neighborhood is situated and of course was filled with rainbow colored streets as well. Inside this neighborhood is Christiania, a sort of free-town. With 850 residents, the people living in this neighborhood have proclaimed the area an autonomous anti-national and by some special Danish law, don't have to abide by the same rules as the rest of the city. They have their own rules, and accept anyone and everyone. Originally this mural-filled acreage was the site of the Danish baracks in the 1600s. Eventually they stopped using it for this and only a few watchmen were set to guard the grounds. In 1971 Danes in the neighborhood torn down the surroundin g fences and took over the area for themselves. Jacob Ludvigsen, a well-known Danish journalist, soon after published an article stating the new area a free town, with the following mission statement: The objective of Christiania is to create a self-governing society whereby each and every individual holds themselves responsible over the wellbeing of the entire community. Nowadays its filled with homeless, beggars, addicts and a whole mix of people, but still is quite interesting, and a one-of-a-kind place to visit. When we entered, I saw a sign that said 'We seek a lower standard of life for a higher quality of living', which made me stop and think for a minute. We really liked the murals and interesting art of Christiania, but the harshness of the people didn't keep us in the area for long, and soon after entering we opted for a warm café to get away from the chill of the air and the people.

Along with my coffee, I got a DANISH! Well, not an exact Danish as we Americans would think, but a delicious Danish pastry to accompany my drink. When we finally got our temperatures high enough to venture out again, we had the National Gallery as our destination. Free, it seemed like a great idea, and after an hour of getting lost and a lot of Danish help, we finally found it. It was filled with a lot of shocking photographs and some really nice Danish art as well as some interesting modern pieces. Closer to the center than we thought, when we left the museum we easily found the shop where I bought my necessary Christmas ornament. A glass frosted egg with a dainty velvet bow and silver top, my Danish egg will decorate my tree perfectly one day and remind me of my Easter holiday trip to my first Scandavian country.

Ornament purchased, we headed off to one of the most popular tourist attractions - the Round Tower. Completed in 1642, this is the oldest observatory in Europe, and when it's not nighttime (or cloudy like it was) it's a great place to get a good view of the Latin Quarters from the sky. Looking out over the city, the majority of houses were dotted with red-roofs, no matter what easter-egg color the house was, and the towers and spires of the churches reminded me of Prague, because walking around the city from the street, I hadn't noticed how many there were. If it hadn't been for the wind, I am sure we would have stayed up there longer to soak in the view, but we opted for a cold beer instead. Another Carlsberg for me!

After we had a beer to warm us up, Lias and I parted ways, her to dinner and me to check out the Amalienberg Palace, a 15-minute walk away. As the winter home for the Danish Royals, I thought I might get a glimpse of Queen Margrethe II but no luck. Another major thing tha t I missed while in Copenhagen is the famous Little Mermaid - (yea, Ariel's role model!). Known as the most famous sight in the city, Hans Christian Andersen's mermaid was no where to be found - supposedly she was on a trip to Shanghai! Sad but true.

The sun was setting and so was my time in Copenhagen. I headed back through the narrow stone streets towards the Central Station and settled in on the bus for a 9 hour-ride to Denmark's Nordic neighbor - Sweden. Although only in the city for a short time, I really liked it and the easter-egg colored buildings really started off my Easter holiday right.

Kys!

Amanda

Easter Vacations!

Well, I'm quite aware I have been the worst blogger this month. Only one blog the entire month so far! Shame on me! Nothing too significantly exciting has been happening here, but tomorrow morning I will start my Easter travels, so I am quite pumped about that.

This week at school, I had the kids working hard on some Easter arts and crafts. Last year we decorated eggs, but with SO many students, I decided to pass on that activity this year and instead we made birds with real feathers (which the kids think is possibly the coolest thing ever). I had about 40 kids make birds and after the holiday break I will come back and hang them all up from the ceiling so it will appear that all the different colored birdies are flying. I liked the hanging butterflies from last year so much, I wanted to repeat something similar.

The Easter trip will go something like this: Copenhagen (2 days), Stockholm (4 days), Riga (5 days) and Berlin (6 days). I am so excited about each one, I don't know which to look forward to the most! Sadly I think it might be rainy/snowy in Copenhagen and Stockholm, so I might be in for a cold start to the trip, but the forecasted sunny skies in Riga and Berlin give me hope. As always, I will be a blog-master when I come back and let you know how all of the places went! Until then, I hope you have a good rest of the month and enjoy your Easter holiday!

Besos!

Amanda

In like a león out like a oveja

Well, March is already here and it seemed to have started opposite than the 'in like a lion out like a lamb' saying. On Saturday, the last days of February, we were supposed to have the 'perfect storm' and the newspapers and radio were warning people not to leave thier houses after 6pm. We shut all the windows, pulled the shutters and waited...and waited and waited. No big storm ever came. At 6pm on the dot, I was walking along the beach with a t-shirt, not feeling any perfect storm hitting! Somehow it missed San Sebastián and made a big ruckus in France, but we got lucky.

After that, the weather was gorgeous for a few days, so Heather and I took advantage and planned an Hondarribia tourist day. I go there every week day, but am pretty used to getting off the bus and speed-walking straight up the hill to work, and really never appreciate it for the little beach town that it is. After Spanish class we took the bus, and Heather was quite excited to see the bus ride. It has become quite mundane for me, but it really is a gorgeous ride, between rolling green hills and through little villages. Our first stop in Hondarribi was the beach of course! It's funny, I have worked there for a year and a half and have NEVER seen the beach. It was quite big and of course deserted, but as the warm weather comes, I am sure it will be packed. I definitley won't ever go to the Hondarribi beach in the summer - can't imagine seeing all my students when I'm in a bikini. There has to be some student-teacher rule against that no? After some beach strolling we stopped at Il Capo, a cute little Italian restaurant where we sometimes order pizza from at work. With our tummies full with tasty pizza and some pasta we continued our walking tour of the city and headed up the hill to the old part. Alde Zaharra in Euskera if you were curious. This part of town, I have seen before, because sometimes I come to work early and just wander around. The houses are basically built right on top of each other, smooshed into a small walled part of the city. All painted white with green and red (the Basque colors) and sometimes blue accents, the town is quite picturesque and makes you feel like you've really walked into a walled-city from many years ago. The cobblestone roads warn you when a car is coming, which still amazes me that they even fit on the narrow and steep roads. Heather found Hotel Obispo and was tickled pink, because her last name is Bishop - which is Obispo in Spanish! I didn't know that. As time neared for me to go to work, we decided to finish up the trip with a coffee to counteract the wine we had a lunch. We entered the Parador - the 4-star famous hotel in Hondarribi. Built in an old fort, the grey stone blocks made me feel like I was drinking a café con leche in a castle! I wish we could have stayed the night there! When we were finished feeling like queens, I headed across the bridge to work, where Jon and Xabi, my favorite 14-year old students, were anxiously waiting for me. Usually I am at work like 20 minutes early, so arriving 4 minutes early had scared them and they were worried I wasn't going to show haha.

Other than that excursion, nothing too big has happened. I successfully booked my Semana Santa (Easter Week) plans. We have two weeks and for these two weeks I will be hitting Copenhagen, Stockholm, Riga (it's in Latvia - a place I didn't know existed until two weeks ago), and Berlin! Counting down the days! I leave the 26th of March and will of course make blogs alllll about the trip. I will write more blogs before I go for sure, but wanted to share the future plans with you!

Hope your March is starting off well - getting more to the lamb part quickly! It's going to get colder here, so I will pull the boots back on soon, but hopefully not for much longer! I need some warm weather over here! I have started buying flowers every week though - makes it feel more like Spring. This week I bought some daffodils from the center outdoor market and put some blue food-coloring in them to give them a little spice, just like Grammy does! They brighten my day every morning :)

Besos!

Amanda

Leftovers for weeks!

Hi everyone! I know it's Tuesday and I'm just starting to write about the weekend, but I was so full, I couldn't bare to write haha. Just kidding, but honestly, this weekend I saw the biggest paella of my life. This weekend, one of my classmates and I headed to a small village named Zestona, where another one of our classmates lives with her husband and kids. It was her 13-year old son's birthday and they were celebrating with a huge lunch and she invited some of the people she likes from class. I figured it would be a normal lunch until they brought out the paella! I have seen big woks and large frying pans, but this thing was enormous! I know the picture here is not the best quality, but I wanted to give you an idea of the size of the pan in relation to the people and the table! My portion was HUGE and I couldn't finish it, but it was delicious.

Happy Birthday was sung in many different languages - Portuguese because they are from Brazil, Basque because we are in Basque Country, Spanish because everyone speaks it, English because I was there and Senegalese because our other classmate is from there. Quite a festive little lunch! In the end we (a group of about 18 people) only ate half of the paella, so I imagine they are still eating it!

Besos!

Amanda

Spanish Teacher...fingers crossed!

Well, I've done it. I've submitted my application for Grad School to get a Master's in Teaching with a focus in teaching Spanish. I'm applying to DePaul in Chicago, but won't know for a few weeks but obviously already have my fingers crossed. Once I hear back from them, I can start planning what I will do next year, because it is still quite up in the air. I am just writing this blog to share with you guys the essay I wrote for application, because I think it will give you an idea of how much I've grown to enjoy my job. The prompt was: state your reasons for wanting to become a middle school or secondary educator and speak to your potential for becoming a teacher. Here it is...
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I may seem like an unlikely candidate for the Masters of Education, seeing as a I have earned a BS of Marketing and have the bulk of my experience in Corporate America, but after teaching in Spain for two years, I feel like I have found my calling.

There are many reasons I know I want to be a secondary teacher, but deep down I think the most important are the fact that I find it to be a rewarding profession and I desire to share my love of cultures with young adults.

In one word,I would describe teaching as fulfilling. When I worked at Pepsi Bottling Group, spearheading a 3-city multicultural marketing event was thrilling. When I landed my first sale at News America Marketing, it was exciting. However, neither of these emotions can compare to the feeling I had the first time a student excitedly told me that our previous study session really helped her pass her exam at school.

Working as an English teacher in San Sebastián, Spain, I've been rewarded with similar moments which made my heart swell. Nothing can replace the sensation I get when I've helped a student succeed or when I steal a smile from an uninterested student who finally wants to learn.

Working in Spain has also immersed me in the language and culture of the country. One of my favorite Spanish phrases is estoy en mi salsa which basically translates to I'm in my happy place. I would say I've been in my salsa since I arrived - be it traveling or celebrating a Spanish fiesta. I love experiences different cultures and want to share that enthusiasm with future students, just as my high school Spanish teacher did for me.

Along with desire, I have a great potential to be a secondary teacher because of my passion to learn. Upon starting my current job, I had no teaching experience. As soon as I began, I focused on how to be an effective teacher and spent house creating and implementing educational and engaging lessons. It is an ever-evolving process, but one that I love and want to continue.

I also believe that my interpersonal skills are a great asset in becoming an educator. I can effectively communicate with a wide range of people, be it corporate board members or 14-year old Spanish-speaking students. I relate well with whom I am speaking and tailor my communication style to them and the situation. I know this will play an integral role in not only teaching secondary students the language but also how to effectively communicate in Spanish too.

Another quality I have that demonstrates my potential is a strong work ethic. From a young age,I learned to work hard for what I want. I put myself through college by taking the earliest classes so I could work 8-hour days. I studied hard, graduated cum lade and secured the job I wanted in New York. Then I jumped the ocean and came to a country where I barely knew the language or a single person when I arrived. I've tried to make the most of my time in Spain by attending a daily 2-hour language class and living with native Spanish people. When I set my mind on doing something, I put my entire self into it.

Lastly, I think that my firsthand experience with the language and culture will be an asset when I am a Spanish teacher. I believe that learning a language is more than just memorizing the words and that culture, literature and people play a priceless role too. Knowing the word for dance is great, but to tell my students about a tanned color-fully dressed woman dancing flamenco on a hot night in Seville brings a different dimension to their learning. My goal is not only to teach them the language, but to open their eyes to the world.

When I moved to Spain, I never expected to fall in love with teaching but it has truly happened. Ever since I realized it,I have done everything I can to make myself the best English teacher possible. At the same time I've been soaking up the culture and rigorously studying the language so that I can become an inspiring Spanish teacher when I return.

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So, that's it! I hope it shares my love of teaching and inspires them to admit me! Thanks to everyone who helped in the editing process. I will keep you all posted :)

Besos!
Amanda

My split personality

Have you ever thought that you had a second personality? Well, maybe it's not that normal to think, but this weekend confirmed it for me - there are two Amandas in me! One is Amanda, good old American girl, chatty and really outgoing, and the other is Uhmunduh (that's how the Spanish pronounce my name) who is kind of shy and gets nervous when she speaks in Spanish. Righty-o, I have two personalities.

Most of you know the regular Amanda, so you would be suprised to meet my Spanish personality. I guess because I can't speak perfectly in Spanish, I get jittery when I start talking to new people. I'm great at the introducing, telling about my life and all that jazz, but if I were to start having a conversation about who knows - politics or something like that - I kind of clam up.

I noticed it this weekend when Erika and I were at the parade in Hondarribia for carnival. We met up with two of her friends who only speak Spanish. I had met one of them before and she noted how much my Spanish has improved since last year. Still though, as soon as the conversation turns to Spanish I seem to turn off my quirky comments and silly anecdotes, but I guess with more and more practice they will come back.

I've started to make more of an effort to hang out with Spanish-speaking people as well as talk to the bartenders at the coffee shops and such, just to practice. Everyone says my accent is spot-on, but I of course keep wanting to improve my grammar and vocabulary! An on-going quest it seems :)

Nothing too exciting this week, I just got to thinking about my dual-life and thought I would share it with you all - those who know the real Amanda!

Besos!

Amanda and Uhmunduh

Oh and PS - the picture is of me and Heather, on a day we happened to have the same eye color, but I thought it kind of reminded me of a split personality hahaha!

Today is more than Valentine's Day!

Hi everyone and Happy Valentine's Day, but also, Happy Carnaval! I didn't go out last night because this morning, my boss Erika, picked me up at 10am and we headed to Hondarribia to watch the Carnaval Parade there, which had most of our students in it.

Last year I had all intentions of going but I partied til too early in the morning and couldn't manage to get myself up, so I promised myself I would go this year and see the kids perform.

Erika and I arrived and it was snowing - how can it be snowing at the end of February?! Well, it stopped by 11 when the parade started, but it was still freezing. I figured that sine Hondarribia is such a small town (think Castle Rock) that the parade wouldn't be big or long, but to my suprise it was a huge hit! People came from the neighboring towns and there were more cars in town that I have ever seen in my life! Probably more cars that all of Hondarribia owns haha.

The majority of my students danced with their dance school. It seems like the majority of Hondarribia kids go to this one dance school, so it was a good way to see them all in one swoop. This year, under much secrecy, they dressed as Pippy Longstocking - each age group in a different color variation of Pippy. It was so sweet, because I was standing right on the side of the road, and all of my students got to see me. They were all SO excited, most stopping mid-dance to wave to me. Kinda makes your heart swell. I kind of felt like a mom, so excited to see my kids dancing and snapping pictures like an over-excited grandma haha. Regardless, they are all cheeseballs and were really smiling and kept waving or pointing me out to the rest of my students. You can see in the photos that they are either looking directly at me smiling or pointing :) Hooray Amanda came!

My favorite float/group of the parade was the American tribute. Driving in 'Force One', Barack and Michelle (played by a lovely tall man with face make-up), the President and his First Lady saluted the crowd as a brass band played the National Anthem. Of course I sang it haha, but no one else knew a single word. Following the autocade was the Statue of Liberty, but with a Basque twist. This lady liberty wasn't holding a torch, instead she was gripping a bottle of Basque Sidra (cider) that from time to time would splash into the cup she was holding in the other hand. I loved it!

A lot of people watching the parade were dressed up, but I refrained. I went out on Friday night with some girlfriends dressed up. I went as a devil and Heather as an angel. We were quite a hit because most people dress up on Saturday night but we were sporting costumes a day early. It was quite a fun night, but I paid for it the next day when I was soooo tired.

Tomorrow is also Carnaval day in some smaller cities, but I think I am all carnavaled out! It's only 2pm and I've already seen a two-hour parade and done a blog, so I will consider it a successful Sunday! I hope you're enjoying your Valentine's Day/Carnaval!

Besos!

Amanda

¡Feliz Día de San Valentín!

A very single Amanda is wishing you a Happy Valentine's Day! I spent the week making valentine's with the kids, pop-up heart cards that they seemed to think were the coolest things ever. The girls, of course, gobble it up, and I was surprised at how many boys actually were excited to make them too. I did have a group of boys who cut out their hearts and then drew daggers or bloody arrows through them - not so romantic. I made sure they knew that their little 7-year old girlfriends probably wouldn't want to receive such a scary card hahaha.

Also, my mom had sent me some lick-a-stik valentines and to my youngest students, I gave them the treat, explaining that in the USA we exchange presents of love on this day. They celebrate Valentine's Day here as well, but not to the commercial extent that we do in the States.

My 13-year old girls were perhaps the funniest, because the thing they are most interested in this month is if I have a boyfriend. I don't, but they will just never accept this answer, and constantly ask about my love life haha. I always make examples of the arts and crafts we are doing that week, so when my girls saw the Valentine I had made, they suspected that I made it for my boyyyyyyyfriend and wouldn't let up haha. I embarrass them equally as much as they go red when I ask them about their boyfriends!

Overall it was a fun week - arts and crafts are always a good time and all of the classes really liked it, so that makes me smile. I hope you have a very Happy Valentine's Day and are surrounded by the people you love!

Besos!

Amanda

EL blog y LAS palabras

A few days ago, my Grandma Jodene sent me a cute email about Spanish. As some of you may know, every noun in Spanish is either masculine or feminine. For example, they say 'la mapa' for the map and 'el libro' for the book. Usually the trick is that if the word ends in 'a' it is feminine and if it ends in 'o' its masculine, but there are some tricky words that end in a consanant and you can't tell, you just have to remember.

So, the joke starts with a student asking whether the word for computer is masculine or feminine. Without telling her class the answer, the teacher split the class into boys and girls and asked them to come up with a reason why it should be one or the other. The boys presented first and said that computers should be feminine - la comput because 1) no one but their creator understands their logic, 2) the language that computers use to communicate with each other is incomprehensible to anyone else, 3) even the smallest mistakes are stored in long-term memory for possible later retrieval, and 4) as soon as you commit yourself to one, you find yourself spending your paycheck on accessories for it!

The girls thought it should be masculine - el computador - because 1) in order to do anything with them you have to first turn them on, 2) they have a lot of data but still can't think for themselves, 3) they are supposed to solve your problems but half the time they ARE the problem, and 4) as soon as you commit to one you realize that if you would have waited a little longer you could have got a better one! The girls won hahaha. I thought it was quite a cute and clever joke that anyone who uses a computer will chuckle at.

The funny thing is that in Spain, they don't even use the word computador or computadora, both of which are correct, but instead they used 'el ordenador'. I learned computadora in high school, but apparently it means nothing in this type of Spanish. There are a few other words that I have learned that kind of strike me as funny when you think of them with as masculine or feminine. For example, earrings, a quite girly thing, is actually named 'los pendientes' and another is lipstick which is called 'lapíz de labios', another masculine word for a non-masculine thing...unless you know guys who sport earrings and lipstick!

Another funny thing are the bad words that are designated female. Like this one - 'la problema'. Sure you can figure out what that word means! Now can someone tell me why the problems have to be female?! Or what about 'la crisis'? Another pretty shameful term deemed to be feminine! If they are going to give us these words, they could at least give us diamond, but no, 'el diamante' is masculine!

It's become an every-day part of my life, giving a sex to a noun, but when I received Grandma's email it reminded me that there are some pretty funny things about this language! Glad we don't have it in English!

Besos! (Another masculine term, along with hug 'el abrazo'. Come on! Women need love too!)

Amanda