Sorry it's been so long since we've put up an actual post; we don't have internet in our piso yet (we're hoping sometime this week). Until then, we're using the internet at the library, which is only about a 15-20 minute walk from where we live. It's a little inconvenient, seeing as the library closes for siesta everyday from 2-5, but we've been making it work.
Our time in Spain has been amazing so far; we really love it here! Our city is great, not too big but not too small, and the weather is at least 85 and sunny everyday (not to make all of you Wisconsin people jealous or anything...). One of the best parts is being able to see all of the 2,000 year old Roman ruins which are all over the city. They're so impressive that it's hard to even fathom how something so old can still be standing today.
We've been in Merida for about a week and a half now, and have been quite busy! We were able to move into our piso after only being in the city for 2 days, which was a huge relief! After moving in, we took care of all the little things, like getting a cell phone, getting a residence card, buying groceries, etc. We've also been exploring the city quite a bit, which has entailed A LOT of walking around! It almost feels like we're on a long vacation right now, as I haven't started working yet (I start on Tuesday of this week!)
Speaking of school, I met the teacher I'll be working with, Mari Fe, and she's very nice! I'll be working Tuesday through Friday every week, which means three day weekends! My schedule will vary from day to day, so sometimes I'll go in from 8:30 to 11:30, and other days I'll go in from 12:30 to 2:25, which is when the school day ends. I definitely can't argue with that! The only thing I'm slightly nervous about is working with the kids --teenagers can be ruthless!
We've been in Merida for about a week and a half now, and have been quite busy! We were able to move into our piso after only being in the city for 2 days, which was a huge relief! After moving in, we took care of all the little things, like getting a cell phone, getting a residence card, buying groceries, etc. We've also been exploring the city quite a bit, which has entailed A LOT of walking around! It almost feels like we're on a long vacation right now, as I haven't started working yet (I start on Tuesday of this week!)
Speaking of school, I met the teacher I'll be working with, Mari Fe, and she's very nice! I'll be working Tuesday through Friday every week, which means three day weekends! My schedule will vary from day to day, so sometimes I'll go in from 8:30 to 11:30, and other days I'll go in from 12:30 to 2:25, which is when the school day ends. I definitely can't argue with that! The only thing I'm slightly nervous about is working with the kids --teenagers can be ruthless!
To shorten this up a bit, here are some highlights from our time in Spain so far:
- Finding our favorite tapas place, 100 Montaditos (they basically serve 100 different types of little sandwiches - but the best deal is getting a jarra, which is a 17 ounce glass of beer, for only 1 Euro)
- Patrick trying (and hating) the Spanish jamon
- Finding a piso
- Admiring all of the old Roman ruins throughout the city
- Being able to enjoy siesta from 2-5 every day
- Learning new Spanish phrases like "Madre mia"
We could probably go on and on about things that we love here, but there are a few not so glamorous sides to life in Spain:
- No Packer games on Sundays :(
- Basically everything closing during siesta, making in thoroughly impossible to accomplish anything
- Everybody stares at us (slightly creepy)
- Hangers (of all things) are expensive (where's Target when you need it?)
- The Extremaduran accent -- virtually nobody says the -s on the ends of their words (adio instead of adios) and se comen las palabras, meaning they don't say complete words -- but it's getting easier to understand
The Plaza de Espana
El Acueducto de San Lazaro
Basilica de Santa Eulalia
A couple pictures of our piso:
Until next time, hasta luego!
Love the update! Can't wait to hear how the new job goes!
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