A Day In The Life of C.E.I.P Issac Peral

I cannot believe it's almost November! Time is really flying! I must admit that the past week I have been a little homesick, but do you know what the cure is for my homesickness? My job. My kids- seeing their faces, teaching them, being in Alhaurín de la Torre, all of those things make it so worth it. I am so very blessed to have this job and to be in this place. I thought it would be appropriate to give you a sneak peak at what I do in my school.

Alhaurín de la Torre is a CUTE little city just 30 minutes outside of Málaga capital. The city has the backdrop of gorgeous mountains. I hop off the bus at the city center, walk down several curvy streets, and sit down at my favorite cafe for desayuno where I eat un pitufo de bacon y queso (it's actually ham and cheese) and drink the famous cafe con leche. I go to this cafe so often that they don't even ask what I want anymore, haha. After desayuno I walk off a whopping five minutes to my school.

My schedule varies from each day. I work Monday-Thursday and work with many different classes. I work with three year olds (yeah...that's interesting), first, second, and sixth grade. The school is relatively new in their bilingual immersion program. There is not much I can do with three year olds since they barely know Spanish. My bilingual coordinator, the other axuliar, and myself sing songs in English and do art projects. I float around with the first and second grade to their content classes such as P.E, art, and science. In these classes I prepare activities and translate content from Spanish to English. My sixth grade classes are primarily English classes, and are my favorite :). As much as I adore the sweet younger kids, I am able to have more of a conversation with the older kids because there English is somewhat more developed. I should also mention that I have strict orders to ONLY speak to the students in English.

I'm not going to lie, it has been somewhat challenging learning to teach these Spanish students. Some classes are harder than others, but it has definitely been an adventure. I have discovered two main challenges in my teaching endeavors: 1) the adjustment from British English to American English 2) cultural differences within the classroom. You wouldn't think that British English would be a problem, but it has been somewhat difficult. First off, they use words that even I do not know. For example, "please stand in the cue" (line) or "pass the rubber" (eraser) or even "put a tic" (put a check mark). It's a learning process for us all! My American accent also poses a problem for these little ones; they cannot understand a word I say. I know that with any language learner you must speak exceptionally slow and give lots of visual cues but this is extra, extra, extra slow since they are fighting to understand my accent. I could say a few words with a slight British accent if I really wanted to, but part of my job is to expose them to North American culture and my accent is part of that. The second challenge is the cultural differences I am faced with in the classroom. In Spain, it's not impolite to talk over people where as in the US we would consider that very rude. In Spain, everyone merely talks and there is no waiting turns. It's not rude, it's just a difference. I think that this has a great affect on the classroom. If the students are Spanish, and the Spanish talk over people in everyday conversations, why would we expect them to not do that in the classroom? My point of this is saying that they are ALWAYS talking. I mean, always. Sometimes it makes it difficult to get words in :).

Despite these challenges, my job is literally the highlight of my week. I look forward to seeing the students and their smiling, curious faces. They are so precious and so affectionate. A good friend told me the other day that I have been given a gift and it's important to appreciate this gift that I have been given. Wise woman, that Brittany Bristol :). I am cherishing every moment spent with these kids.

Here are some pictures of the little ones- I'll try to get some of the older ones soon!

Abrazos, Kerianne

"Dime, guapa"

"I've never seen a smiling face that was not beautiful." ~Author Unknown

Guapa\o- adjective- good looking; woman- beautiful, pretty; man- handsome


If I have been reminded of anything since being back in Spain, it's how much the Spanish find beauty in every single person. The word guapo or guapa is an adjective that you hear about 10812038107081 times a day in Spain. Whether you are greeting friends or complete strangers, 9 times out of 10 you are greeted with this word. When ordering food, standing in line at the market, or even greeting my colleagues and students at school, I am always greeted with, "Hola guapa!" Hearing this simple word all the time makes me feel really special, and the Spaniards are really good at making someone feel valued and beautiful.

Being American, my values of beauty are (sadly) strongly influenced by what the media portrays. Myself, and millions of other girls, compare ourselves to models and actresses thinking that only this is what is accepted as beautiful. Being in Spain makes you feel like the most beautiful person in the world. I didn't even realize the need for this kind of affirmation all of the time simply because I'm just not use to hearing it. It may be a cultural thing but it still makes me feel pretty darn special. Can you imagine if everyone in America started to greet by saying, "hello gorgeous!" even if by a complete stranger? Talk about starting someone's day off right.

On the flip side, the malagueños sure know how to dress- everyone in Málaga dresses up all the time! The only time you see someone in sweats is if they are on their way to or from the gym. Girls wear heels or boots throughout the day. When going out, almost all of the girls wear heels and dressy dresses. The boys all wear nice pants, dress shoes, and mostly collared shirts. In order to get into the discotecas here you have to be dressed appropriately, meaning heels for girls and dress shoes for boys. Lets just sum it up by saying malagueños are always put together quite nicely.

While I'm adjusting nicely to being called beautiful all the time, dressing the part is somewhat challenging. Sometimes I don't feel like getting dressed up just to go to the market. Sometimes I just want to wear my gym shorts and tee shirt if I'm only walking down the street. Nonetheless, I am still being challenged and learning every single day.

Missing and thinking of you all. Hasta pronto.

KA

The Malagueño Swag

As each day passes I am falling more in love with gorgeous Málaga. The beach, the perfect weather, the style- I love it all. Although I do miss the little things that I took for granted at home, like a dryer and an oven to name a few...all a part of the adventure :). Still, Málaga feels more like home every day. The "no pasa nada" atmosphere sinks in and people loose all sense of time. Most beach towns cause us to forget about all of our worries and to vaca our life so to speak... Málaga is no different, except this "vacation" really is my life.

There is a certain attitude about this place that is unlike anything you will find in the US. I wake up in the morning with the rest of the town, very rarely having to ever use my alarm clock (my neighbors quite enjoy waking me up each morning :)). I leave my apartment and begin my 30 minute hike to the bus station. I pass people young and old in the streets- some just coming in from last nights party, some beginning their shopping at the local markets, and some walking off to work like me. At two o'clock the city begins to shut down, with the exception of a few cafes and las tiendas de los chinos (the Chinese stores- little cheap stores all over the city). Government offices and schools remain closed after two while other stores will open back up after the famous siesta. This period from 2-6pm is a time for families to gather to eat lunch (their biggest meal of the day), to take a nap, and to relax with family and friends (who wouldn't want that after a whopping 4 hour work day?).

Suddenly at 6pm the streets come alive once again, the stores are open, and the night has begun. People hustle and bustle through the streets and it is the most energetic time of the day, which is so different from the good ol' US with our 9-5 work day, dinner with our family, and typically remaining at home for the rest of the evening. Between 8-11 the Malagueños enjoy a very long cena (dinner) with friends and family usually in the form of tapas and drinks. People sit outside for hours simply enjoying each others company. After la cena the night officially begins. Parties begin and people stay out until the early morning hours. At home this means 2 or MAYBE 3am...here that means rolling in at about 6am (no wonder that siesta is needed). Then the day starts over yet again!

So that's what life is like here for the people of gorgeous Málaga. I must admit I am quite enjoying adapting to this new life. I have a lot of "American" in me- like never wanting to be late, always walking extremely fast, and being ready to leave dinner immediately after I've finished eating. It's a process but I'm adjusting :).

Thinking and missing you all. Until next time!

Besos, Kerianne.

The face of love

Today was my first day at my primary school in Alhaurin de la Torre. Let me tell you it was quite the adventure getting there. Jessica and I started our hike to the bus station at 6:50am, thinking we would be there in plenty of time to catch the 7:25am bus and arrive early to our town so we could find our way around and relax. Well. It didn't exactly happen like that. We trucked all the way to the bus station only to find out that our bus is actually at a different bus station, the bus station that is connected to the train station- a pretty far walk. So we rush to the bus station and make it there at 7:50. I'm a little disheartened by this point because according to the website, the next bus doesn't come until 8:30 and I am thinking we will definitely not make it to work on time. Lucky for me, I forgot what country I am in. I've noticed the websites in Spain are not always (or mainly never) up to date. This actually worked in my favor because we left on a 8am bus. Perfect. :). The bus ride was only like 20 minutes, too, which was different from the 45 minutes to an hour commute the internet told me. Nonetheless, I made it to Alhaurin in plenty of time.

We arrived in Alhaurin and Jessica and I went our separate ways to our schools. Alhaurin is a really beautiful town, it really is like pleasantville. The town has a backdrop of beautiful mountains and the streets are curvy and narrow. There are many fountains, which I found slightly humorous due to Andalucia's shortage of water. All the houses were tan or white. For the most part it is a very quiet, residential town. I continued to walk down one of the curvy streets not really having any sort of clue as to where I was going and I saw a mother walking her daughter to school. I chased after her like a crazy person and asked if she knew where C.E.I.P Issac Perral was. She told me that that's where they were going and that I could walk with them. We enjoyed a good five minute conversation before we arrived. All of the children were waiting in a line outside. I took a deep breath and entered the school.

Everything happened so fast it's like I didn't even have time to be nervous. I walked in and asked the first teacher I saw where the office was. Clearly she heard my accent and knew who I was. She smiled, gave me dos besos, grabbed my hand, and dragged me into the teacher's lounge. There I was greeted by about 20 teachers and staff members, all giving me dos besos and welcoming me. I met the bilingual coordinator, Susanna, and she also greeted me with open arms. Any anxiety and sense of fear immediately vanished because of their warmth and kindness.

After signing some papers, Susanna took me around the school for a tour, stopping at every classroom to introduce me. The children were so adorable!!! I followed Susanna around to some of the younger kids (3 year olds) in the morning and then hung out in the lounge with the teachers for "desayuno" (breakfast, at 11:30am). The teachers were so sweet to me, asking me all sorts of questions and making me feel comfortable and right at home. After the break, I went to a third grade science class and then to a third grade art class. In both classes I showed the students the United States and Spain. They couldn't believe how far it was! In both classes I was asked multiple times how long was the plane ride. They almost fell out of their chairs when I said nearly 7 hours! haha. I asked the students their names and how old they were. My favorite response was a boy who is half Spanish half Italian (kids tend to offer information easily), his response to "what is your name?" was "Jonny Depp." It's going to be a fun year!

I saw the face of love in the teachers and the children at that school. The teachers were so friendly and welcoming to me it was unbelievable. And those beautiful children- their eyes so curious and full of wonder, staring me down from head to toe. There sweet hands, tugging at my shirt every five seconds, "teecchhh urrr, teeecccchhh urrr!" Their little feet following me everywhere as they tried to say anything they could in English (Spanglish).

I feel completely blessed to have this job and to be where I am. I know without a shadow of a doubt that this is where God wants me to be and that's the most comforting thing ever. I look forward to see what the next few months hold. Hasta Luego.

Besitos.
KA