Happy Halloween!!

My kids made versions of jack-o-lanterns and brought them to school to show off today. Love them!! I also learned about a Spanish All Saint's Day custom. People combine walnuts with figs and eat it; it's called in casamiento which means wedding.

Haunted Houses

I am doing this really fun activity with my first and second years to teach them some Halloween vocabulary and give them a bit of a break. I found these Haunted House hand-outs for them to color. They have to draw the Halloween-related things where I tell them to; for example, there is a jack-O-lantern in front of the house...there is a witch flying over the moon. At the end, I gave them some time to color it however they wanted. Then I took their pictures :) so precious!!

2nd years <3

Here are some of my second year students in their natural science class. I will try to snap some more pics later of them with their Halloween Haunted Houses we are going to draw!!

Elevators

Strange experience today...I went into a elevator at an apartment building, and inside there were buttons for nine floors. That would have been fine, except there were only 3 floors. Huh?

Merida--Capital of Extremadura

Today we (me, Marissa, Rebecca, and Masha) headed to Mérida to explore the town and the ruins, which date all the way back to the time period when Spain was part of the Roman Empire.  In one word, it was AWESOME!  I could probably write a separate blog post about each site that we saw, considering I read up on them all in this nifty guidebook we got when we purchased our tickets!  Instead, I will just tell you the basics, but if inquiring minds want to know, shoot me a message!  One interesting little tidbit is that Mérida has more ancient Roman ruins than anywhere else outside of Rome.  It is extremely fascinating to see how the city has just built up around them.  You are walking along and then BOOM, there is a Roman Forum right across from the café where you are eating tostada.  I acted as official coordinator and timekeeper to make sure we got our money’s worth and see all that we could, especially since the sites that we needed tickets for all closed down during siesta. 

First we hit up el Teatro and el Anfiteatro (the Theater and the Amphitheater), where the gladiator fights took place and where the plays/dramas took place respectively.  Of everything we saw, this was probably the most impressive.  It was relatively intact and easy to imagine the bloodshed, the events that took place in these ancient ruins.  I can't wait to see them in Rome later this year :D

Me, the gladiator!

Amphitheater

Marissa and I

Ok, point is, we saw a ton and it was really really cool.  It is probably my favorite place that I have seen since I have arrived.  I will probably update this post again soon, but we have been at the cafe during a busy time for entirely longer than is appropriate.  It is such a tough life to be so busy doing fun things and seeing awesome sites! 

these places.   

Rebecca's Birthday

After we got back from Almendralejo today, Marissa and I got in touch with our friend, Rebecca, because today is her birthday!  We went out with Rebecca and her roommate, Masha, to get some tapas and drinks.  I know how y’all love to read about the food here, so this is what we ordered and ate.  We had longastinas (giant shrimp slathered in garlic), croquetas caseras (which you may remember from last week; these ones were of jamón), bacalao dorado (shredded fish with potato and onion, I think; SO GOOD!!), and lomo de cerdo con patatas (pork loin in this awesome bleu cheese sauce with steak fries).

Afterwards we went back to our flat to eat my attempt at making Chocolate Mousse pie here.  Let’s just say that I tried really hard, but it didn’t exactly come together.  Our hand mixer is probably better suited for mixing up a cappuccino than for beating egg whites, so our mousse was more liquid than mousse.  Despite that, it was yummy and chocolate-y, and a good time hanging out with friends J

Taking care of business

Today marissa and I are taking care of several of the last logistical things of living in Spain. This morning we headed to the bank. I needed to give them my phone number (now that I have one) and my NIE. I also needed to get this form filled out that we have to send into the Junta de Extremadura in order to get paid by direct deposit. Finally I got my debit card too; see how pretty it is!

Now marissa and I are headed to Almendralejo so that I can finish applying for my TIE. She went and finished it on Monday, but she is still going with me. What a good friend! :)

Marissa "fly killa" Mitchell

So Spain has a fly problem, as in there are flies everywhere. Seeing as our sanity depends on a fly-free home and Marissa has better hand-eye coordination (which is funny since she has had 4 eye surgeries and can only see out of one eye at a time), Marissa has officially been dubbed Fly-Killer of the flat.

Brush your teeth!!

You don't think about the small cultural differences until someone is laughing at you because of your differences. So people in Spain brush their teeth and so do Americans. The major difference is where this can occur. If you watch enough American TV or movies, you will see people do a large variety of activities like cleaning, writing emails etc while brushing their teeth in the kitchen, family room, bedroom wherever...Spanish people thought it was one of those funny things you see on TV, but isn't true in real life. Only it is, I will admit it: I, Sandy Suhling, proudly walk around and do other activities while I brush my teeth. Apparently, this is strange, but what can I say, time is money in a way that is purely American.

One month down!

Today marks the completion of my first month in Spain. It is amazing how much has happened, how many challenges I have faced, and how quickly time has passed. Only 7 months until I will be heading back! Having 4 day work weeks and taking trips on the weekend helps the time to pass.

It is amazing to see the changes that have happened here as Spain moves from summer into fall. When I arrived I remember thinking how dry everything looked. October has brought rain to Spain, and the same park I walked through one month ago today now seems green and inviting. It has been all over the place with the weather lately, first sunny and warm then the next day freezing or rainy. Our flat is usually even colder, and we need to buy extra blankets.

New hobby!

I have decided to pick up drawing as my new hobby using some lessons I found online. Here is my first attempt!

Badajoz: Not so Bad-ajoz

This weekend Marissa and I headed to the capital of our province, both of which are called Badajoz.  I had not heard very positive things about Badajoz; people had said that it was dirty and boring, actually.  I don't know that I completely agree, but we will probably not be going back, except to get to Portugal. 

First semi-funny story that reveals my true English/American nature.  We see this status, and I immediately say, "Look, it's Shakespeare!"  If I had thought for more than a second I would have remembered that a city in Spain has little reason to celebrate the like of a British playwright.  Though all men from the 16th century look the same to me, it is definitely Miguel de Cervantes, author of Don Quijote, which makes a lot more sense in Spain.  Further adding to my shame was the fact that we were standing in the Plaza de Cervantes, which should have made it obvious. We went to the biggest El Corte Ingles in Badajoz, which is basically like the Macy's in New York City.  It was huge, like 6 floors huge!! I bought some drawing supplies to attempt to take up a hobby to keep from going insane, but what we were really excited for was the new knife we bought!  I know, lame, but it sliced right through my tomatoes last night.  I even gave myself a little cut on my finger to christen the knife (on accident)! 

This is Marissa standing in front of la Guadiana, one of Extremadura's two main rivers.  The other one is in the North Province of Caceres called el Tajo.  It wasn't quite as picturesque as Lake Anna, but it was water and there were some great reflections of the clouds and the sky on the water.  Saturday we walked around some of las Plazas and the streets, getting a feel for the place.  We also went to El Faro, the brand new shopping mall that just opened last month.  The crowds were completely overwhelming, especially after getting used to the quiet way of life in Zafra.

Sunday we planned to explore some of the oldest parts of the city. The city's history is long and storied, dating all the way back to the 8th century when the city was taken over by the Moors.  Over the next few centuries a giant citadel/castle called Alcazaba was constructed to provide protection to the city.  To this day, a large part of the city is surrounded by a wall originally built to aid in this protection.  A large part of the citadel has been restored and still stands as you can see in the picture, but our favorite part was the ruins that stood around the garden.  There were arches and staircases and designs in the rocks that really inspired the imagination.  Check out my facebook page for more pictures soon! I LOVE CASTLES! 

I love flowers :) They make me happy.  Los jardines de Alcazaba

Castle in Burguillos del Cerro

Today Marissa and I went to Burguillos del Cerro, which is a small town nearby where Marissa does her teaching.  It was nice to explore somewhere different.  We have been feeling a bit stir-crazy, but Burguillos was beautiful. 

The main stop of the day was a castle built during the 13^th century.  We couldn’t find out very much about the castle; it doesn’t even have a name.  Despite that, we had an excellent time exploring a world from a different, somewhat simpler time. One of the best parts, it was absolutely 100 percent free!  It was the first castle I have ever visited, and I was definitely impressed.  It makes you think, what will be left from our time 800 years from now? 

Castle in the sky!

The Pit of Despair! (There were two, and they totally made us think of "The Princess Bride")

Preview of today :)

Breakfast in Spain

What a wonderful morning for sitting in one of my favorite cafés with a typical Spanish breakfast of cafés con leche y tostada con mermelada (coffee with milk and toast with jam)! It is really raining hard today and I would like to cuddle up here or in bed all day. Oh and it is great to be a regular somewhere, where they bring you your café without you even asking :)

Teaching

Mondays and Tuesdays I spend most of my time at school in content classes. That is when I have my three sections of first year social science and my two sections of second year natural science. It is super hectic, but I think I am going to like these best. It is easier in some ways to help them practice their English in less conscious ways by learning content rather than practicing English in a more conscientious manner in an a formal english class.

Today in my natural science classes, I led the classes through some worksheets and activities about nutrition, including photosynthesis. I felt like the students actually understood what I was talking about, and many of them are getting more comfortable and willing to participate. I love my 1st and 2nd years so far; they remind me a lot of my 11/12 year olds from swim team :)

When I don't have classes, I go and sit in the teacher's room. Sometimes I talk to other teachers, prepare lessons, or work on homework for my VCU classes. The picture is of the lounge. I have Internet at my house now, but we are on a limited diet, so still hanging out in a lot of cafes!! I got the school password today, so tomorrow I might be able to get online at school too :)

I was trying to find or class here to get involved in, but so far I have not been very successful. I found some classes but they were already full...so I don't know what I am going to do, but I need a hobby or something. Suggestions?? I might take up drawing or something, but I am more crafty than artistic...hmmmm

Sites in Zafra

Yesterday we decided to get to know more of our town.  Soon we will start taking some trips on the weekends, especially to some of the cities that are fairly close in the South, but we thought it made more sense to get to know our town better first.  We started at la Iglesia de Nuestra Sra. de la Candeleria.  It was built in 1546 and seems to be rather representative of typical catholic churches in Spain, though I will have to let you know for sure after I have seen more of them.  I was really struck by the number of women (Las Virgenes) represented in various images and status in the church.  Even Catholicism in the States does not have this same emphasis.  It was also very amazing how much of the church was plated or painted in gold, all of the altars and special areas.  

Afterwards we headed to el Arco de Cubo and el Arco de Jerez, which were both constructed in the mid-1400s.  I don’t know why humans are so fascinated by arches and domes; it is like they seem to defy physics (even though they don’t).  I love them, and it is amazing that they have been standing for this long.  

El Arco de Cubo--you can see the convent on the other side

El Arco de Jerez--you can see cute houses on the other side, but I theorize that  this side points to the town of Jerez (which is where Sherry comes from)

Finally we went to el Museo de Santa Clara, which is a museum for the convent of Santa Clara, which is still functioning today.  I heard a rumor that the sisters make and sell these amazing candies around Christmas time, so Marissa and I are definitely going to have to check it out!  If there is candy, I am there.  

Painting of the Last Supper that I liked

Chapel in the Convent (gold again!)

Duffin Dagels

 Welcome to Spain’s slightly strange version of Dunkin Donuts.  Though overpriced, it does a body good when you have a special hankering for a donut.  In addition to the expected chocolate and vanilla donuts, as well as a wide assortment of crème-filled (read more expensive) donuts, they also have strawberry, orange, and banana.  Noticeably absent from the mix is the classic glazed donut.  I really wanted something sweet, so I went for two: one chocolate and one cappuccino.  They were DELICIOUS! Now I just have to find somewhere that sells donuts…

CONGRATULATIONS TO EMMA AND RICHARD!

Congratulations to my very dear friends, Emma Hurd and Richard Moffet, on their engagement this weekend!  I couldn’t be more excited for you.  I know that this is just one more happy step in spending your lives together!  I can’t wait to see all that the future will bring for the two of you :D