OK, I know I'm incredibly lucky to be moving to Spain in the fall, but I can't say that I won't miss a lot of things I have in my life here. So here are the top 10 things I'm gonna miss... and how I'm gonna deal with it.
1) Flip flops - How could I not? Flip flops are worn throughout the States almost year-round. I have to admit there's not a freer feeling than putting on a pair of flip flops and enjoying some warm weather. HOWEVER I hear that Europeans don't wear them too much. So, not wanting to stick out more than I already will, I may have to forgo my love of flip flops.
In place of flips flops I've bought some really great Pumas that allow your feet to breath. They're a heavy mesh that covers your feet but keep them cool at the same time. I think that's a pretty great compromise!
2) My Blu-Ray / DVD collection - *sigh* I'm a movie nut and have well over 1,000 Blu-Rays and DVDs. Sadly I can't take these all with me to Spain so a large portion of them will be left behind. Luckily my folks are letting me store some of my stuff at their place. They'll be happily waiting for me when I get back. I'm sure any kind of disc will be obsolete by then anyway. HAHA!
I have bought a DVD case that will hold 100 discs, and I have had to carefully pick which movies will be making the trip with me. Of course I have to take a lot of movies to reference with my thesis (including every single feature film by Almodóvar) as well as movies and TV shows that instantly put me in a great mood (Ab Fab, The Lady Vanishes, Reinas etc).
3) English - OK, I know I'm almost done with my master's coursework in Spanish and that I'm fluent. I will have no problem getting around Spain, and I'm really looking forward to perfecting this ability. Heck, I even wanna learn another language while I'm over there. Even so, I will definitely miss my own language. Being able to converse with someone in your native language is not like speaking in a foreign language. Sometimes there are things you just can't say in a foreign language. They're so connected with your first language that there's no other way to express it. I'll sure miss it.
That being said, I will be teaching English during all 8 months of my stay. Although I won't be able to converse with many people in English, I will be passing on my knowledge and love of the language. If I can't speak it all the time, I might as well spread it. :)
4) Driving - Those who know me well know that I do very well without a car. For about 2 years I was car-less, and I was walking and biking EVERYWHERE. I also learned to deal with our terrible public transportation in Texas. Even the train systems here are pretty crummy. But I'll tell ya, know that I have a car again, I love it! The freedom that it provides is invaluable here in Texas. Even though gas is pricey, it's definitely lower here than in most other states. It also helps you clear your mind and relax. Most importantly it's a nice way to beat the heat during these brutal Texas summers. GUH!
In Spain I will be walking, biking and using public transportation. After my love letter to personal transportation, I do have to admit that Europeans have it together in regards to public transportation. Who needs a car when you can use the subway so easily? Luckily Palma has a metro system as well as a great bus system. It'll be much easier than having a car. Additionally walking and biking will help keep me in shape. I was in the best shape of my life when I had no car, and I'm looking forward to that again.
5) Amazon and Netflix - I have a huge love for both of these companies. As I said before, I'm a huge movie buff and these two companies have single-handedly fed my addiction. I'm very grateful. As far as I can tell there's no way to transfer my Netflix account in Europe. Maybe they have some sort of NF equivalent. As far as Amazon, I know there is Amazon.es, but my comp will only play region 1 DVDs and region A Blu-Ray's so their movies won't do me much good.
But who the heck cares?! I'll be living in Spain! If I sit and home and watch movies all day then I'm really missing out on the wonderful country I'm in. Who needs to spend their money on movies when they can go out and enjoy Mallorca for free?
6) Tex-Mex - Oh it's gonna be rough without my Tex-Mex. They may have some version of Tex-Mex in Europe, but I can promise you it's not gonna be the same. Let's not confuse Spanish food with Mexican food or Mexican food with Tex-Mex. They're all different! Because of my home state I am forever in love with Tex-Mex, and I don't know if that's ever going to change.
But it's time to step out of my comfort zone. Spain has a glorious selection of different dishes, and I can't wait to sample them all. I'll try the weird, the gross, the ugly. I'm sure it'll all taste wonderful. Hopefully I'll leave Spain with a deep love for tapas.
7) Theatre - My heart is in the theatre. Being a shy kid (especially in high school) I really came out of my shell in college when I started performing. I'm so thankful to the theatre community of the DFW Metroplex (especially both theatre companies in Denton) for teaching me every single thing I know. Every moment on stage has been an absolute blessing, and leaving that will leave me fairly incomplete.
But they've got theatre in Europe, too. :) Understatement? Hopefully I'll get a chance to audition and perform in Spanish (a long-held dream of mine). At the very least I will be able to see a wealth of great theatre. Palma has an auditorium which brings in touring shows and concerts. Additionally a short flight to Barcelona will give me a wealth of theatrical options. From musicals to drama, Barcelona has them all. Looking forward to seeing some stuff at the Barcelona Teatre Musical, Teatre Victoria, Teatre Apolo and El Molino.
8) Dr. Pepper - This one might kill me. I'm gonna miss the elixir of the gods. It's so commonly available in Texas and almost impossible to find in Europe. I did a creepy little happy dance when I found it in Oslo on my last vacation. Even so it doesn't taste like Texan DP. ;(
Although without DP I may lose a little weight. :) It's good, but if it's not available there's nothing I can do about it. I'm sure I'll find something equally addicting in Spain. Fanta?
9) Friends - I was a loser in high school and didn't have many friends. That changed completely when I came to college. I've actually lived in Denton longer than I have lived anywhere else in my life. Because of that I have made some life-long friends here. I wish I had a pic with all my hundreds of wonderful friends, but the one above shows you just how close we are. Really love all the wonderful people who have made my life so much better for being a great friend.
I sure hope I do make some friend in Spain though. It'll be lonely if I don't. I'm sure they're very friendly, and I can't wait to find some new buddies to spend my time with. It'll not only help me learn the language, but it'll make me feel more at home.
10) Family - Well I'm gonna miss my family the most. My parents and brother are the most important things in the world, and I can't imagine them being halfway across the planet. We've been like four musketeers all my life, and it'll be my first Christmas away from home, without my family.
Luckily our planet isn't THAT big. Planes are wonderful inventions, and I'd love for them to come visit me. *hint hint* Also I have Skype and can stay in contact with them, as well as my friends.
So as y'all can see, I'll be giving up a lot of things in my life that I'll be sad to live without for 8 months. Of course I'm not complaining. What doesn't kill me will make me stronger, and I'm sure I will find 10 more things in Spain I won't want to leave behind when I come back. Life is good!
Hey again! I couldn't help but notice I included very little information about my new home. In September I'll be moving to the Balearic Islands (named les Illes Balears in Catalan and las Islas Baleares in Spanish), and I couldn't be more excited. So what does it mean to be Spanish?
Flamenco?
Bull fighting?
Comida?
La tomatina?
El encierro?
La Cruz?
Well yes all of these are Spanish, but there's so much more to Spain than their portrayal in the media. I'll spare you a big historical and cultural lecture, but there's more than one way to be Spanish. Spain is a country of a little of 46 million people and has quite a varied landscape. They have at least 4 official languages with just as many sub-dialects. The country is situated between France and Portugal, and it also borders Andorra (MUST VISIT!).
I have the privilege of moving to a strand of islands in the Mediterranean. From what I've noticed, most auxiliares are placed on the largest island named Mallorca. OK, now is your cue to start being jealous. This gorgeous island with a population of just over 860,000 is unlike anything on the mainland. The predominant language on the island is a form of Catalan called mallorquí, and I can't wait to learn the ins and outs of the language. I'll be teaching in a public school most likely and can end up with students anywhere between 5 and 18. I hope to learn as much from them as they do from me *cue the Rodgers and Hammerstein* Below I'm gonna add a few pics and vids of the island, and you can get an idea of what I'll be around for 8 months. I'm definitely ready for this!
OK, folks. Here goes! So I've started this blog to document my preparation for the Auxiliares de Conversaciónprogram in Spain. So far this has been quite a trip, and I haven't even received my city placement yet. First I'd like to give an explanation of the program, and why I'm very excited to get started.
In the summer of 2011 I decided to re-start my master's degree at UNT in Denton, TX. Although I have a very comfortable and stable job situation, I am not currently using my bachelor's degree in Spanish. I have always been very passionate about foreign languages (as evidenced by my music collection), and I kind of lucked into my Spanish degree. Sadly I didn't use the language for a long stretch between 2007 and 2011 even though I did manage to study Germany, Italian and Portuguese during the gap. I only took one graduate course in the fall of 2007 immediately after my graduating from UNT with my bachelor's, and I decided I was not ready for such a commitment. Luckily I got the urge to finish the degree and return to UNT's Department of World Languages, Literature and Cultures. So in just a year (Summer Institute of 2011 - SI of 2012), I will have finished my coursework. Just 2 more courses this June, and I'm ready for my thesis! I know I complain about UNT a lot, but this department has really been a blessing. There are some great professors and a wide array of studies. I'm truly grateful for my time here finishing my master's.
At the end of my first summer semester someone told me about this program. It's really a perfect fit. I've always wanted to live in a foreign country, but it's impossible unless your rich or are able to work. There are so few reasons to get a visa in a foreign country so I had researched a number of study abroad options. Sadly, American students can rarely work while studying abroad so that put me out of the running. (I'll have to do a completely different blog entry on why I think studying abroad is a complete crock! Only for the rich as far as I'm concerned.) So you can imagine my excitement when I found an opportunity to "work" abroad. In reality the program is an academic grant that pays native English speakers (mostly from the U.S. and Canada) to assist Spanish teachers in their classrooms. I'm not quite sure what the position entails. From what I've heard each school is different. Either way you slice it, it's a fair amount of compensation of 12 hours of work per week. That's right... you heard it right! 12 HOURS A WEEK! So I've been working on paying off my debt and should be good to go, free of debt, this coming September.
So on the night of November 12, 2011 I applied for the program. The website named Profex which handles applications for this program is a beast. You need a manual to be able to use it... no joke. There's one included on the program's website. Well after a little fumbling and lots of help from my auxiliar friends on Facebook, I finished my application. My top three picks for placement were 1) les Illes Balears/las Islas Baleares/the Balearic Islands, 2) Catalunya/Cataluña/Catalonia and 3) Euskadi/el País Vasco/the Basque Country. Can you tell I have a preference for communities that speak more than one language?
The top 3
For the 2011 - 2012 school year the Spanish government placed just under 2,700 auxiliares in the program. This number has risen steadily each year. The placements are assigned on a first come, first served basis regardless of qualifications unless you're woefully under-qualified, i.e. no degree, don't bother to turn in all your forms, mentally insane etc.) I luckily ended up with # 130, and this gave me a huge sense of security. So after November I made sure to mail in all my physical forms as well as send the electronic versions. At the end of December I was switched from inscrita to admitida (which means they had officially received and processed all my docs). I knew it would be a long wait until the next step in the journey (the almighty adjudicada status which leads to me accepting the position.) The year before it seems that the auxiliares found their regional placements around March. However the manual for the 2012-2013 school year stated we would find out around mid-April. OK, only a month more. Yeah...
So April 15th arrives, and the FaceSpace is blowing up. People are so excited and talking about placements. About half-way through the day we all received an e-mail saying that we wouldn't hear until May. Some forms simply stated May while others said anywhere between mid- to late May. At this point I was ready to pull my hair out. We all waited semi-patiently until the beginning of May. First week of May passes... nothing! Second week... nothing! Then on the 14th of May we were told they would start placing us "right away." I think something got lost in translation. Placements certainly didn't start on the 14th. Furthermore the 15th was a Spanish holiday. No placements on the 15th. Then the 16th and 17th came and went with no notice. I was ready to give up!
This could have been me...
On the morning of the 18th we were all chatting on Facebook, jaded as ever, commenting on how they surely wouldn't place anybody on a Friday. Silly me! Just when I was about to throw in the towel they started placing first years. They had already been placing second-year renewals (who have preference over first years) and third- and fourth-year renewals as well (even though we were told they would have no preference over first years whatsoever.) It's all water under the bridge now. They started placing folks in the middle of the day on Friday the 18th, and stopped about 2 hours later... Neat. Now we had to wait another weekend. Brain fried!
Luckily we knew it was coming. So after a long weekend more placements started coming in. Early in the day I was overjoyed when I found that my application had been adjudicada. They offered me my first choice: The Balearic Islands!!!! I couldn't have been happier. I quickly accepted the position. Now for more waiting. It'll be another month before we are given city/school placements, but this is definitely enough good news to tide me over for a month. Additionally, it's going to be a busy month. I'm working full-time at the moment and will soon start classes (9 - 3:30, M-F) on the 4th of June (Happy Birthday shout out to my big bro). These will be the last two classes of my master's degree before I start my thesis in Spain. Excited? Who? Me? Nah! I also started rehearsal yesterday for Oklahoma! at Lyric Stage in Irving. Glad to see so many familiar faces. I also have the pleasure of carpooling with two fabulous Dentonites, Mandy Rausch and Whitney Hennen. Could I be any luckier?!
So here's to another month of waiting and a fun summer. I'll be studying, rehearsing, tanning (nobody wants to see this white flesh in a bathing suit!), getting medical/background checks and finally going to Houston to get my visa. I apologize for the long and boring initial post. Just wanted to give everyone an idea of what an ordeal this has been. Also wanted to document this information for future auxiliares. It's been tough but completely worthwhile. Do not hesitate! I have a feeling this is going to a life-changing year. Keep your fingers crossed! So, I'm gonna finish this post with a big Latrice-sized yell! Hope to have more to post soon!
Un beso,
Tyler from Texas
