6/30/05 Almansa Spain

Your ATM Card has Expired

And here I thought I was doing better. I tossed and turned for hours last night. It must have been after 2AM sometime when I must have finally dozed off. Hence, I got up late.

I thought I didn't have class till 11AM because of some meeting. But that is where I translated wrong. Class was at 9AM because Amparo needed to register Miranda for school this fall at 11AM. So I was barely awake but jumped right in. What else could I do.

Later I checked email for correspondence to the two schools I was looking at. Which to choose? My head hurt. I'm almost getting sick with worrying. Amparo could really tell at lunch today. My whole thought process is falling apart. I can't seem to remember anything I've learned.

Santi and my teacher Amparo

And their son German

Finally, I just needed to make a decision. I chose Málaga ¡Sí! I think it is in a larger school where I could find myself in a class with others at my own level. But I cold be completely wrong too.

After class, we all went for a walk to get my bus ticket to Málaga. Then we went to an ATM so I could finally get some cash. But, guess what? It didn't work. So we tried another. No dice! Even though I was using the card right before I left, the ATM said that it was expired last year. What else could go wrong!

6/29/05 Almansa Spain

Looking for Schools

I just couldn't get to sleep last night even though I was very tired tried meditation reading and even the TV. Not much helped but I did eventually fall asleep.

Woke up too late for my run, and barely had time to check my email. When Amparo got here, we decided to call a few of the schools I had found on the internet.

The first was “Diologo” but they must have all been at class, as I had to leave a message. The other was “Málaga ¡Sí!” After asking a few questions, in English, I asked who I was talking to. “Tilde” she said. Turns out she's Swedish, not Spanish. Later I found on their website that over half of their students come from Sweden (only 8% from the USA).

The Castle towers over Almansa

During the morning class, I tried to explain my interest in Buddhism, all in Spanish. In the afternoon, my job was to watch a film (“Red Planet”) and practice trying to hear the words, even though they were all mashed together.

After class, I finally went for a walk down towards the city center. So many people out and about. The park packed with children playing teenagers talking and the older adults just looking on. Saw the castle that overlooks town and the church built near the base. But still couldn't find an ATM.

Everyone out and about

6/28/05 Almansa Spain

The Words are Just Under the Surface

I went for a run this morning. Took me eight minutes to get tot he edge of town, and that was the long way. There is a nice path that separates the city proper and the train tracks. Amparo says that many people walk there in the evening.

It rained today which appears to be rare at this time of year. Not a drenching rain, but just enough to show you the dirt on the car windows.

More class today. It's as if I know words but they're just under the surface of my consciousness. It's going to be a long summer.

I went with Amparo and German to the 'supermarket'. There are several built on the edge of the newer part of town. These are very different than the smaller markets in the city.

Amparo is amazing. She seems to have a limitless supply of energy and patience. Not only is she teaching me one-on-one, but still working on building her school/hostel business. And still has time to take care of 16-month old German and cook wonderful meals.

Tonight, with Santi, we talked about where to look for another school. Because it is so hot this time of year, pretty much everywhere would be bad except the coast. The city we decided on is Málaga. Online I found four of five schools that looked promising. The only downside is that this is the beginning of the tourist season, and every Spaniard and his family will also be trying to escape the heat by going to the coast.

6/27/05 Almansa Spain

First Day of School

Started class today. I think Amparo has a higher opinion of my Spanish than I do. We started off with a test where I listened to a sentence and then had to choose from a multiple choice of responses. I think I got 2 out of 14 right.

The hardest part of the class was when Amparo told me that they were worried I wold not have a good experience with them. Right now, they have been both busy getting the school/hostel started and also trying to raise a 5-year old and a 16-month old. Because of this, they haven't put a lot of effort in to getting more students yet. As of right now, I am the only student for the summer.

Amparo feels that I might do better where there are more students, maybe in a school in Seville. She wants me to think about it. They have to drive to Madrid this coming weekend to pick up Miranda at her grandparents. So that would be easier time to get me to another city. Part of me agrees with her, but I hate to leave my two best friends in Spain. But with me here alone, they probably feel they have to keep me company when not in class.

I've been fortunate that they've included me in their meals every day as I still haven't gotten any money or gone to the store. They are so busy with unpacking into their new apartment. At least Santi has taken a couple of days off before he has to return to work.

Lots of thinking to do, and in a short time too.

6/26/05 Almansa Spain

Moving Day

I got up early enough and did all those normal getting up things like a shower and getting dressed. But as I was sitting in the salon, I just couldn't keep awake. So I spent the better part of the day sleeping again. Part of it could be the heat. I feel like I'm in New Mexico, very hot but no humidity.

As Amparo and Santi were finishing up their move, they took me to their previous home town in Mogente, to drop off the truck at Amparo's brother's furniture factory. Even though Mogente is just down the road, it's in another province and they speak another dialect called Valenciano. This is where Amparo's family live and work. The town is prosperous because of thriving furniture businesses that ship all over the world. Santi said we would return someday so he could show me the town.

We stopped for lunch in Mogente at a bar/restaurant. First came a communal salad of lettuce, onion, tomatoes and olives. Then I had ordered the chicken plate which was grilled chicken with stewed tomatoes with asparagus, and always french fries. Everywhere seems to serve bottled water. At least today we passed on dessert.

It turns out that their new apartment is just around the corner from the school. It is a lot smaller than their previous home, but now they can be at the hostel in seconds instead of the drive from Mogente. I stayed to help them unpack but ended up sleeping some more on the couch. I claim it was the heat this time.

As evening came, the town came alive. From their window I watched as the whole town seemed was out for their evening walk (called 'paseo' in Spanish). It was encouraging to see so many young families with baby strollers. Santi soon arrived with German, their 16-month old son who was at the grandparents while they moved. A very active little boy.

We ended up eating a light supper of omelets, pimentos and bacon followed by cheese and watermelon, all after 11PM. Remember, they eat late in Spain. I finally walked home to the hostel before midnight.

6/25/05 Across the Atlantic

What better way to face battle, than with a send off with the families next generation. My nieces Andrea and Lauren picked me up to give me a ride to the airport shuttle pickup. Andrea seems so grownup, much more than I was at seventeen. Watching her drive with one hand on the wheel and a cell phone in the other, all on five hours of sleep she said, was a little frightening. But I love my nieces to death.

Flying into New Jersey gave us a great view of the New York skyline. I even saw the Statue of Liberty for the first time. The oddest thing that I saw in the airport was a 'Meditation Room' Go figure. After a long delay, we finally made it back into the air. On my right are three Spaniards who speak no English. And on my left is a teenage girl with her family but she doesn't talk because of the iPod plugged into her ears.

Found this in the airport

It wasn't really a long flight, only six and half hours, but to leave the sunshine, fly at night, and then arrive in the sunshine just throws your internal clock off. I tried to sleep but airplane seats are not conducive to that. [smile] And it wasn't until we landed that I realized the teenager sitting next to me was flying alone and didn't speak English. No wonder she didn't talk to this American stranger.

The surprise at the airport was that not only was Santi, my teacher's husband, there but also my friends from the Camino, Sonia and César. I was happy to see them all. After a short conversation of English and Spanish, Sonia and César said their goodbyes but promised to come and see me in Almansa on their way to Alicante in July.

Santi was the one who picked me up at the airport the last time I came to Spain in 2002. I could speak a little bit more Spanish but it was mostly words slammed together instead of real sentences. But most of the dri I drifted in and out of sleep. We did stop once so Santi could feed a little chick that his daughter Miranda had found a few days ago. Just like a mother bird, he gently opened the chick's mouth so he could push in some overripe apple.

It was about a three or four hour drive to get to Almansa. The town sure feels bigger than Salas (2002). Lots of people out but then it's Saturday too. After saying hello to Amparo, Santi took me to get some pizza. We walked around town while we waited. There are lots of sops, a big park, and some of the streets are for pedestrians only. Traffic is a mess, lots of narrow one-way streets, but they all zig-zag so much it would be easy to get lost. Santi says that the main industry in town is making shoes, but just like what happened in the US, cheap 'made in China' products are hurting the shoe industry here.

I didn't realize it, but I came on a hectic weekend for Santi and Amparo. They had decided to move into a home closer to the hostel (they live in the next town) and this weekend was when they were moving.

Let me tell you about the school/hostel. Amparo designed this 16-bed building to both accommodate her students, but also to rent out the spare rooms as a hostel. I guess officially the place is called “El Estudio”. The room I have is nicer than anything I've ever stayed in, even counting all my trips across the US. I have a small kitchenette with pans and dishes, a huge bathroom that would easily be handicapped accessible. Just outside my door is a huge 'salon' that leads to an outdoor patio. Everything is very modern, like the electronic keys for the doors, and Amparo even had an elevator put in. Downstairs is the school/hostel office, along with classrooms and a computer room. She has done an incredible job with the building (I saw the original plans in 2002 when in Salas).

My room

A good kitchen

And bathroom

After taking a five-hour nap when we got back from lunch, I tried to settle in. That's when the culture shock hit me. Pretty scary finding yourself in a town where no one speaks English. Even though I have a place to stay and friends to look out for me. I still feel a bit isolated because of the language, or at least my lack of it. It's not like Amparo can be with me all the time. So I guess this is what they really mean when they say total immersion, that sink or swim kind of experience. Only time will tell, since the last time I couldn't get out of the 'shallow end of the pool' so to speak.

Got cleaned up and just relaxed for the evening. I watched the 'Dirty Dozen' in Spanish of course, and explored the hostel. Tomorrow could be a bit scary as I will mostly be on my own while Amparo and Santi move. I did offer to help but they wouldn't think of letting me do that. [smile] Then class starts on Monday.

Chasing Windmills

Learning Spanish in the Land of Don Quijote

What better way to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Cervantes celebrated work "Don Quijote" than to read it in Spanish. I am a firm believer in the need to speak other languages so that we may open ourselves to new cultures, thoughts and ideas.

Total immersion seemed to be my best option to learn a language like Spanish. I spent the first week studying at Aula sin Fronteras in Almansa, then headed to Málaga to study for 10 more weeks at ¡Málaga Sí! this summer. I went from the small town atmosphere of Almansa in the hot plains of La Mancha, to the huge tourist city of Málaga on the Costa del Sol along the Mediterranean coast.

Half the day was spent in class, entirely in Spanish. And, just like Don Quijote battling his windmills, I too struggled at times. Sometimes it was the heat, and sometimes it was trouble of my own making. But through it all, I met wonderful Spaniards, along with many other students learning Spanish from countries like Sweden, Scotland, England, Switzerland, Austria, Germany and the Czech Republic. Another truly international adventure. And when I wasn't in class, I spent time exploring the city and taking a few side trips to Tetouan in Morocco and Granada. And last, I visited friends in Madrid before flying home.