Preparations

Good morning gentle readers! One month before departure!

I finally received my city placement! Vera, on the Almeria coast! It is a small desert town on the water. It’s nearby attractions include the set locations of several spaghetti Westerns, which you can visit so you can pretend it is high noon aaaaand… Draw! I’ll let you know about the tumbleweeds. There’s also a famous church and a waterpark, but the most famous attraction is the nude resort.
Go, google it. I’ll wait.

Back? Good. I am somewhat disappointed not to be given a big city like Sevilla or Granada, but I suppose it is better to plan to visit exciting places on the weekends, rather than spend most of my time studying, feeling like I am missing out. The irony has not escaped me that I am going from one sunny tropical paradise on the beach to another.

Becky Ryan (http://heybecky.moonfruit.com/), the other auxiliare, will be in Cartagena, which is very close to me. I suppose we shall go a-venturing together!

New College did quite a lovely press release for Becky and I! Look here: http://newcollegeofflorida.wordpress.com/2012/07/31/two-recent-new-college-grads-awarded-spanish-government-teaching-assistantships-2/ The picture is quite wonderful, usually I don’t photograph so well. The writer used the personal statement from my application, and I must admit some surprise at re-reading my words almost a year later. I sound like a pretty awesome teacher if I do say so myself! I got several hard copies from the admissions office, and sent them to all my relatives (quick! There are refrigerators in this world that are bare of my accomplishments!) and family friends.

When I tell people that I am going to Spain, people never fail to mention that the men are beautiful. Spain is apparently a single lady’s paradise. I only care that Penelope Cruz lives there.

Of perhaps greater concern is that Spain is experiencing a great deal of political unrest at the moment (25% unemployment does civil resentment make) and I have been encouraged to bring my marching shoes and protest pants. Experiencing the political underbelly is not only hanging out in Revolution Bars and discussing socialism, it requires participation and raising your voice. Even though I will be an employee of the Ministry of Education, I can still participate in civil disobedience. Do I feel excited about exploring a country that is going the same way as Greece? Certainly not, but I am not going to let that stop me.

To prepare I am working on paperwork and internety things in Spanish. Let me add to the general cacophony of Visa diligence. Don’t leave it until the last minute or (singsong) You’ll be sorry. I started 9 weeks early and I am still scrambling to get it done in time. Of course my background check got delayed. Of course there is no way to expedite the process. Of course it costs an arm and a leg AND I need to apply for another one the hot second I get to Spain. I spilled coffee all over the application materials two days before the appointment.

Packing has been hard. I have no idea what I would need to bring! Less than I want, more that nothing. It goes hand in hand with giving away a lot of my possessions: a grocery bag of books and all of my CDs went to the library, my roommates get my cooking tools, furniture and unloved clothing to the free table, my bike to a trusted individual, jewelry tools and a few odds and ends into my grandmother’s storage unit. Surprisingly “Will I want this when I get back from Spain?” has been a surprisingly effective litmus test for save/discard decisions. It should be easy, but it helps to imagine that when I unpack it all, perhaps it will be for the last time (fat chance).

Relevant quote: Wish for what you want. Work for what you need.