"Children are just like, miniature people!"

Hey guys,

I was going write about this aaaaages ago, but for some reason I never got round to it (read: I am extremely lazy and procrastinate from EVERYTHING).

Basically, it’s about my experience of being a babysitter here in Toledo. If you’re reading this and you know me well, you’d know that I was an au pair in Barcelona for two months during the summer of 2009. I’m not going to write about that right now because that would be, well, not even another blog post; there are far too many stories from that time....

Anyway, as I’d had that experience, I thought it would be good to do something similar here in Toledo, even if it was just a boost of cash (which God knows we all need!)

Sadly, I only did it for a month. I started early January, and it finished early February. Nothing to do with me (I hope), just that they only really needed me to fill in the gap between Mummy leaving for work and Daddy getting back from work. As a lot of people have experienced during this hard time, the Mummy no longer was working and therefore there was no need for me.

However, my time there did add to my Spanish experience, and my experience working with children. I was with them for a couple of hours twice a week, and attempted to teach them some English.

This is my observation for Spanish parents (I can’t say parents in general because I only have experience with Spanish parents trying to get their children to speak English)- they expect a LOT from their children. Most parents want their children to reach their potential, obviously, mine did too. However, when it comes to languages, it takes a very specific attitude to actually want to learn it. Unless you have been raised in a multti-lingual household and it’s second nature to the point where you don’t really realise that you’re speaking different languages, it’s going to be hard for you to learn another language.

Coming from the UK, where there is such a poor attitude to learning other languages (although, not quite as bad as the Spanish attitude, as I have come to realise), you have to really push to get yourself into the position where you can speak properly. I’ve loved Spanish since I started it in my first year of senior school, but I barely learnt anything until year 10, where I had taken the iniative and started listening to what my mum calls “eurotrash”- basically foreign music, a lot of which was Spanish. Then I started college and I actually started to learn how to conjugate verbs, and within the next two years I’d progressed to watching Spanish telenovelas and actually understanding them (well, most of the time). Although my mum doesn’t always approve of my music taste, I can definitely say that it helped me to learn Spanish and to speak with a proper Spanish accent.

Anyway, back to the Spanish parents. These children were being raised in a purely Spanish household, and the only English they were hearing was that taught in the school, or from learning Cd’s. When they brought in someone like me who speaks English fluently and with a (British) English accent, the children couldn’t really understand. They didn’t want to try to repeat the words to gain the proper pronunciation.

Perhaps it is simply that I am a poor teacher (which could well be, I’ve had no training for it). But I know how hard it was for me to learn Spanish and I WANTED to learn it. Most of these children just want to play; they don’t want to come home from school and have to do yet more classes.

I love children (in theory), although seeing as children are quite simply miniature adults, there are going to be some that are going to be difficult to handle. It’s also very hard to handle children that are in no way related to you- I am very good with my two brothers, and helped with the youngest a lot as he was growing up, but when it’s blood I think it’s a lot easier be involved. If I did something wrong my mum would tell me off and that would be it. I wouldn’t be fired or, worse, arrested or sued. In Barcelona it took a lot of my patience to not snap at the children, I’m not quite sure how I survived that....xD

Anyway, the two that I babysat for here were characters. A 9 year old boy and a 7 year old girl, they behaved well (most of the time). When they weren’t trying to wrestle each other, the girl wasn't shoving things down her trousers and the boy wasn't avoiding doing his homework (which was every single time). They both loved Spongebob, which was a great topic of conversation and was one way I incorporated English into the conversation without them really realising it- draw pictures of the characters and then write down the English names, and explain what the different parts of Spongebob’s world were called in English. To be honest, I’m not quite sure who enjoyed that part more, me or them. They had some of the best Spongebob things- even a Spongebob cheese-toastie maker.

I’m 20 years old and I’m impressed by those things.....I’m a bit worried.

Anyway, even though it came to a pretty abrupt end, I’m glad I had the experience. It’s experiences like those that make me realise what I really do (or don’t) want to do when I’m older. I’m not sure nannying is quite my thing. Going to Barcelona was without doubt one of the most challenging things I’ve ever done, but in turn it was one of the most rewarding- it was the longest I’d ever been out of England for at that time, the longest I’d gone without seeing my family, and the first time I’d ever lived abroad. All at 19. Working with these two children here in Toledo just cemented the fact to me that I couldn’t do that as a full-time job. I’m not totally rejecting the idea of teaching a class of young children, because I think there are a lot less pressures on you (that might sound paradoxical, as there are many more children and many more parents, but at the end of the day the parents have a lot less control over what you do, or what they want you to).

I’m sure this seems very unorganised, and that would be because it is.....

xD

A show of bravery or the ultimate cowardice?- The Spanish Bullfight

I haven’t posted for a while. I am sorry.

This blog post could be quite.....controversial. I know there are a lot of people out there who are very against bullfighting, and I understand all the reasons why. It is not a humane sport, by any means.

However, whenever we had to do the obligatory debate about bullfighting in whatever Spanish class I was in at the time, I could see both sides of the argument.

Bullfighting has been, and still is in some parts of the country, a big part of Spanish culture. Whether for the fights themselves, or purely for the stadiums, the pictures of bulls everywhere, the cry of “ole!”

I went to my first (and most probably my last) bullfight ever on Saturday. When my flatmate told me that there was a bullfight coming to Toledo, to be honest it didn’t cross my mind that I wouldn’t go. When else am I going to be able to experience something so Spanish, apart from whilst I am here? Love it or loathe it, it embodies for many people Spanish culture (along, of course, with flamenco dancing, siestas and tapas). Good or bad, this was going to an experience.

I write my next sentence tentatively. I can’t say that I enjoyed it per se, but I must admit that I felt a huge sense of excitement, adrenaline, being swept up with the crowd watching these magnificent beasts charge around the bullring until their untimely death. And they were magnificent beasts. You could see their muscles moving underneath their shiny coats as they ran.

Some were more angry than others, some more strong. Generally it went from the first bull being the weakest until the last (in this case the sixth bull) which was the strongest, the most angry, the most likely to give a good show. And that last bull.....well, that last “fight” blew me away.

I don’t think you can really call it bull “fighting”. True, bulls and man were not born equal; bulls are an awful lot stronger than a man and have a much higher capacity of being able to kill (without having to use weapons such as knives or guns). However, this aside, when the bulls get into the ring, of course they are pretty quickly stabbed in the back with a lance by a man (a picador) on a horse. Later on he is stabbed again. These lances are left inside the bull, so that gradually, the bull loses it’s strength.

So then, a fair fight? Absolutely not. Of course, they have to weaken the bulls to be able to perform the “dances” with the bulls, but this is supposedly a show of man’s power over the bull. Except, of course, the bull has been weakened so much that it doesn’t really have a chance. And that’s where the element of cowardice comes in.

Not to say that I would be able to stand in a bullring with a bull and not run away screaming. I’m not sure I could ever look a bull in the eyes knowing that he could disembowel me with one flick of his head. But then, of course, that is one of the many reasons why I would never be a torero.

The last fight, as I mentioned before, was the one that stuck with me. I knew the torero was crazy when he knelt in front of the gate from which the bulls entered. On his knees, he had the pink flag in his hands. As the bull entered, the torero used both arms to pull the cape around his body, making the toro follow it. Later on, after a scuffle, the torero ended up on the floor. After getting up and recovering, he knelt in front of the bull, and blew it a kiss. All for show of course, but I have to admit that in that moment, I understood why people would want to attend bullfights.

It’s something that I am never, ever going to forget. I wish that the bulls didn’t have to die, that there was some way they could do this whole thing without killing....but of course, that is the whole point of these things. It’s like the Romans who used to attend gladiator fights; partly for the show of skill, and partly the excitement of knowing that someone at least was going to die that day, in front of their eyes.

I am in no way glorifying what I saw that day. I am glad I went, if it only means that I can better form my opinion about it. That I’m happy that six bulls had to die that for me to do so? Absolutely not. But before this I had never understood why bloodlust was so entrenched in human nature; now I have a much better understanding.

(I'm sorry for the poor writing, I only slept for one hour last night :()

Opening up old wounds only causes deeper scars....

Not a very happy bunny atm. Hoping that some nicer weather and a few hardcore runs will cheer me up!
Hope everyone is well.
:D

Some places should come with a warning.....

Hello,

Today has been a very interesting day.

First of all, I spilt coffee on part of my keyboard, and so some keys don’t work, or they add lovely groups of letters after them. Thanks for that guys. I’m gonna wait until tomorrow before I start to panic, but typing on this thing is rather annoying.

Second of all, me and a friend went to the local Chinese buffet place in Toledo. There’s only one of these places in Toledo, and after this visit, I know why.

When we first walked in, there was only two other customers; we didn’t think much of this as, being a Sunday, a lot of places aren’t even open on a Sunday, so I thought it maybe just a slow day.

We sat down, and was told we could eat whatever we wanted. Awesome. However, there wasn’t actually a lot of food under the hot plate. No problem, as many of these places cook and replace the food as it goes along. We ate the first plate. A bit cold, but no problem. However, we there for half an hour , and no additional food had been put down. A bit strange, but maybe they were just having a break? They were sitting by the bar, chatting away, but no problem.

After two plates, we heard the sounds of cooking. Hmm, maybe they are making more food? We waited for a bit before we tried the dessert. They did indeed bring out food; but not for us, the customers. Four sat down and began to eat some kind of soup and meat that they had made for themselves.

So, we decided to try the desserts. The door to the freezer wouldn’t open. “Ask them how the door opens my” my friend asked me.

“I can’t”, I replied, “they’re eating.”

We waited for a while, and then asked for the bill, after watching the poor chef, who didn’t get to eat any of the soup, put cling film over the remaining food on the “hot” (more like cold) plate. Funnily enough, the bill came with no real wait- no qualms about taking our money then.

We left.

On a side note- the sushi was quite nice.

:D

Like swift water, an active mind never stagnates...

Hola,
Today has been an absolutely gorgeous day weather-wise. It's still as cold as anything in the flat, but as soon as you step outside in the street, you can feel WARMTH. It was really sunny, blue skies, the works. Not a cloud to be seen.
I went for a walk down by the river (again), and fell even more in love with Toledo. I've got 5 more months left, but I'm already getting the feeling that I won't want to go back to England. It gets a bit depressing when I think about it too much.
Anyways, I took some more pictures down by the river:


On a side note, ever since I moved into my flat I've been ill- cold-like symptoms, but they keep coming back. I'll be ok for a day, and then the next day I'll be sneezing like noone's business. I'm wondering if it's the cold of the flat, it wouldn't surprise me...I walk around in two pairs of socks, all of my clothes (well not ALL of them, but always a t-shirt, jumper and then hoody at least...), getting in and out of the shower kills me, and I have to be under my covers constantly otherwise I'm cold. This cannot be normal...
:D

Not saying goodbye, but instead, "Hasta luego!" (see you later!)

Hey people,
I'm just going to a "goodbye party" so I feel this is the right time to post this blog, especially seeing as most/everyone has gone now.....
This is the crazy thing about Erasmus. You meet people who you would never have imagined meeting before in your life. People from all different countries, different walks of life. Some you meet and think you'll become fast friends, and that sadly doesn't happen. But the most surprising and amazing thing for me is when you meet someone who you at first thing that you have nothing in common with- but you end up becoming very very good friends.
Now, I guess that is a life thing too, but there's something about Erasmus that is unique- you're all in the same position. You've all come to a foreign place, with a foreign language, and you've all been thrown into the deep end.
Some people only come here for 5 months. I'm here for a total of 10 months, which for me although at first it seems like a lot, having been here for the first half it seems to have gone sooo quickly. I'm not sure that I will want to leave when it comes to it. Actually, what am I saying, OF COURSE I won't want to leave. I always miss England, my family and my friends, but living here and having this opportunity is something that I may welll never have again.
Anyway, back to the goodbyes. Some of them have been horrible. One of my best friends here has already left me (you know who you are :( ) and she was someone who I always talked to (about anything), we went out, we went to Salamanca, we made an awful lot of memories. And there are my flatmates too, who put up with me :D and who have made my experience here so far very special.
It's very sad to say goodbye especially when you think that some of these people you may never see again, but I hope that some day, I will. (Also, you know who you are, we definately WILL be seeing each other again ;))
Anyways, that's it for now I guess. Hope you all have a great night!
:D

I have returned....with a new flat!

Helloooooo,
So I haven't blogged for a while! I don't really have a legitimate excuse, just the fact that I've been extremely lazy/went back to England for Christmas/had exams to revise for and sit/had to move flats/had to say goodbye to everyone :( I've got a few blogposts that I need to do, and I'm not sure that I'll be able to do them in chronological order as everything has happened so fast since I got back after Christmas!
I guess the first thing I'll share is my new flat :D I was perfectly happy with my old flat, and I loved my landlords (a couple) as I never had any problems with them and I felt like if I had any problems I could go and ask and they would sort it (like when the toilet lock broke and I got locked inside- that was a scary time!). So why did I move? Well, a lot of the Erasmus students only stay for 5 months, and that's what my German flatmates did. So, it was either stay in my old flat and look for two more flat mates, or, I had the offer of moving in with my English friend higher up in El Casco (the historic part of Toledo) which was a lot closer to the university. Also, something else which really motivated me was the fact that this new flat has an oven. For some reason, and I never realised, ovens aren't really on high priority in Spanish flats. I found this extremely odd, but I've realised that it's not that uncommon. However, it did impede me from cooking a lot of things that I used to in England :(
Another huge motivation? My bedroom has a double bed :D I have never had a double bed before, so that for me was a huge luxury that I couldn't pass up.
Sooooo, here is my bedroom:

And this is the living room:


(I apologise for the lighting it's quite a sunny day today!)
So now I am living with two lovely girls, one English, and one that isn't English but has lived and studied in England for several years. :D (although we are worried we're gonna just end up speaking English and not Spanish, nooo que pena....)
The building is a lot different to my old one. It's a lot bigger, and there's a lot more residents (in my old building there were only three flats, so you were unlikely to bump into anyone). So it's more of an adventure going up and down the stairs, will I bump into anyone :O There's a lady on my floor who looks to be in her sixties, and she's wears this huuuuuuge fur coat....The older ladies always get dressed up in Spain, even if they're just going to the local food shop, but I guess that's a different blog post....
The only thing I have against this flat so far is how cold it is, especially at night. However, it's cold in general in Toledo at the moment, probably not by England standards, but it definately is by Spain standards. I'm just hoping it warms up soon!
:D