Hasta Siempre

Just a heads up, my thoughts are all over the place right now so this blog may be a little spacey. You have been warned.

Today was a painfully sad day as I went to C.E.I.P Isaac Peral for the last day. I said goodbye to the students and teachers that I have grown to love so very much. I honestly cannot believe that my nine months here are nearly over. It feels like just yesterday that I hopped off the bus and followed a little girl with a backpack, hoping that she would lead me to the right school. She did, and that little girl happened to become one of my first grade students :). My experience working in Spain would not have been the same without the people who have touched my life in such a powerful way.

My heart ached as I hugged and kissed each student goodbye. I was flooded with thousands of letters, drawings, and gifts. The day was filled with many laughs and many tears. The teachers threw a goodbye party for Keri and I in the lounge and accompanied us after school for a farewell lunch. I was really touched by all of the love and support that was shown to us today. It makes me believe that I did something right.

My students have given me unimaginable joy. When you have something good it is only natural to want to hold on to it and not let go. My teachers have comforted the students (and myself) by saying that we should be happy because "hemos conocido." It is very true- I am so grateful to have been given this amazing opportunity. If I could go back knowing that I would fall in love with these kids and have to say goodbye, I would still do it again in a heartbeat. People come into our lives unexpectedly and completely turn our worlds upside down. Sometimes people come into our lives and open up a world that we didn't know existed.

I have learned so many things during this year abroad, but one of the most important things my students helped me learn...and that is I deserve love and should strive to always be a person worth loving. To explain how each student and teacher has touched my life would take a lifetime. So instead I will leave you with a few memories of my last days at school, as well as a link to a slide show video that I made for my students.

Until always, or hasta siempre.
Kerianne

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5z4bEutBQrY

At least I got to say hello...

Today was an awfully sad day. My last day at school is on Tuesday, and today I had to begin saying goodbyes. I had to say goodbye to my favorite 2nd grade class. Words cannot explain what an ache I felt in my heart. I have been in many classrooms over the years and have had to say goodbye over and over again. I have never been as sad to leave students as I was today. Not only was I sobbing, but the entire class was crying. I couldn't believe it. I couldn't believe that I touched these kids lives enough to where they were crying that I was leaving. My heart completely broke.

They made me a beautiful book with photos of each student in the class and artwork they had made for me. The notes were heartfelt and sweet. Many of the students drew hearts with F.C Barcelona colors on them (they know me too well).

I came to Spain thinking that I would help children to learn English and with a hope of inspiring them. They have taught me so much and have touched my heart in amazing ways. From 3 years old to 12 years old, each student has impacted my life in a beautiful way. I'm not prepared to close this chapter of my life but I know that it has to be done. I'm going to miss them so much. I'm going to miss their sweet faces lighting up when they see me. I'm going to miss their little voices when they speak in perfect Spanglish ("yo finished!"). I'm going to miss the older kids, who I now view less as students and more as friends.


One thing is certain: I am sad to say goodbye but at least I got to say hello.

Lions and Tigers and Bears, oh my!

Yesterday I had the opportunity to go to the Selwo Adventura Animal Park with the 5th and 6th graders. Initially I think I was more excited about this field trip than the kids. I kept telling everyone all weekend about it! Opps ;). Selwo is a huge animal reservation in Estepona, about an hour west of Malaga. The park is huge and has a safari feel to it. Throughout the day we saw all kinds of animals; tigers, zebras, crocodiles, anacondas, monkeys, giraffes, etc. We also split up into groups and rode in safari-like jeeps while our guides told us more about the animals we were seeing. Not only did we see animals and ride in jeeps but we did some hiking as well. One of the coolest things was climbing over these long, wobbly bridges. It was pretty windy and we were very high up. Some of my girls were freaking out a little (not me of course ;)) so I encouraged them to keep their eyes on one of the girls pink backpacks ahead. They repeated, in perfect Spanglish, "I follow la mochilla pink, I follow la mochilla pink." I couldn't help chuckling but hey, whatever gets you across your bridge, right? :)



































































There was no schedule for the day and the kids kind of ran off on their own in the park. This stressed me out a little but I realized again that's just the American in me. I have to admit, it was really nice being able to walk around with the kids all day and go wherever they wanted. My favorite thing about this trip was continuing to build relationships with them. We told stories, laughed at jokes, and really enjoyed each others company. I've been pretty strict about only speaking in English in the classroom because I feel like it's a disadvantage for me to be here and them not get all of the English they could get (that, and I'm too intimated to speak in Spanish in front of the whole class :))....this day, however, I decided to only speak in Spanish with them. The students LOVED this. They taught me many new thinks and were very patient with me. It was a really cool thing for them to see me in a student perspective and seeing me make mistakes just like they do. I was also able to communicate with them (and have them understand) that I care about them.







































































The day, although very long, was rewarding beyond measure. I am going to enjoy every second left with these absolutely amazing kids. So thankful for this amazing experience.

Feria- Rota style!

One of the most significant cultural events that occurs in Andalucia is the spring fair. Many cities in Andalucia celebrate this fair throughout the year. The feria in Malaga happens to be in August, when Jessica and I will both be back in the states. We decided to venture to Rota's feria to celebrate with friends.

Each feria differs slightly according to their own city but they all last for several days and provide an exciting atmosphere. There are many covered tents or casetas set up throughout the fair grounds. These tents are owned by families, political parties, groups of friends, clubs, and restaurants. You will find people inside and outside of the tents dancing, eating tapas, or drinking delicious drinks, like rebujito. Walking around you will see tons of people dressed in traditional outfits, like the traje corto for men or the traje de flamenco (also known as traje de gitano) for women. The dresses were absolutely gorgeous and very flattering on every woman. It was really neat to see young girls to old women all dressed in the same attire, celebrating the culture and tradition that they are so proud of.

Aside from the drinking, eating, and dancing there were lots of rides and games! Like your typical state fair these rides are a little sketchy. However, I think it would be safe to say that some of these rides would definitely be illegal in the U.S, like la carcel for example. Dangerous or not, they sure were fun!

The weekend ended a little sad as we said goodbye to some of the friends that we made in Rota and to two of our good friends in Cadiz. Leaving Cadiz made me realize that our days literally are numbered and this is just the beginning to the many goodbyes that will follow.

My Germany Top Ten

This past week we had off work for Semana Sanata (Holy Week). Having a whole week off work means one think for your typical travel bug: GO! Thus, my sweet friend Megan and I packed our bags and headed to Germany! This trip was by FAR the best trip I have ever been on but more on that later. I will write another blog telling you about my adventures. For now, I'm going to leave you with the top ten things I loved about Germany. By the way, these are not in any particular order.

1. BERLIN.



Berlin. Berlin. Berlin. I am officially obsessed with this amazing city. There is so much history everywhere you go. The city has encountered an enormous transformation since the fall of the Berlin Wall. It's like as soon as the wall came down the city completely revolutionized. While it's not the most beautiful place I've been to, Berlin is edgy, trendy, and full of character. I completely loved it :).


2. Take away food and drinks

Go ahead and laugh. I know what you're thinking, "You traveled all the way to Germany and THIS made your top ten list? Something that is so prevalent in America??" Well, the answer is yes. Germany is a lot like America in the "go, go, go" sense. Germans pick up their coffee and pastry or sandwich and are literally eating it on their way to wherever they are going. Spain has no concept of take away coffee. So many times I want to grab a coffee on the way to school but the people in my favorite cafe always look at me like I'm crazy when I ask for a to go cup. It was nice to order my coffee and not have people look at me like I'm an alien. Don't get me wrong, I like the "no pasa nada"-take a break-enjoy life kind of atmosphere that Spain provides. But I also don't like to be forced to sit down and eat for three hours. It was a nice change of pace.

3. Beer












LeftPicture: the middle drink is Bananenwiezen.

There is really nothing to say here except that German beer is phenomenal. ESPECIALLY this interesting mix called "Bananenwiezen" which is Wiezen beer and banana juice. I know it sounds disguising, but it is the best drink I think I've ever had. I am SO bringing that back to the states.


4. Bratwurst





Yum. The first thing on our list to eat was Bratwurst and it surely did not disapoint us, as we would continue to eat Bratwurst almost every day. My favorite was getting a Bratwurst sandwich, with roasted onions on top. YUM. You can order Bratwurst at almost every restaurant or you can stop at one of the MANY local bratwurst stands and get one to go.

5. Restaurants

A cool thing about many of the restaurants in Germany is that they have long tables and you just fill in the seats (meaning you basically eat with complete strangers). I found this really cool because it kind of forced you to talk to the people next to you. You could try to keep your conversation secluded, but that would only work for so long. We sat next to Americans, Italians, Spaniards, and of course Germans. Prost! (cheers)

6. Susi










One of the highlights of my trip was getting to visit my sweet friend, Susi, in her university town of Dresden. It was so nice to catch up with her, laugh with her, and spend time with her. She even was a tour guide, despite having a neck injury. Miss you, Susi!













7. History



Left: Memorial for the Murdered Jews of Europe.
Right: What's left of the wall


It's no secret that Germany has a painful history. Although extremely sad, it was very eye
opening to learn more about the horrors of WWII and how the country has revolutionized since then.












Top Left: Crematory at Dachau Concentration Camp.
Top Right: Dachau Concentration Camp


8. Wombats City Hostel










Best hostels ever!!! We stayed at the Wombats City hostel in both Berlin and Munich and it was such a great choice. The facilities are great and each hostel organizes walking tours, pub crawls, and many other activities. They also have bars in the hostel (the one in Berlin is on the roof....sick!) which were a great way to meet new people.











9. Language

I'm not going to lie, the German language is CHALLENGING. Especially since it's so different from English and Spanish. I always thought that the language was so rough and hard and I guess comparatively to English and Spanish it is...but it's not near as rough as I thought. After listening to it for a week, I really wanted to learn more but Megan and I completely butchered everything we tried to pronounce. Maybe one day I will learn....until then, I'll continue doing what we did when we were looking at our map, "Turn left at the 'S' word, then go straight by the long word that starts with a 'd'." :)












10. Neuswanstein Palace












Coolest part of my trip was seeing the Neuswanstein Palace! This is the castle that inspired Walt Disney's Sleeping Beauty and let me tell you, it was a fairy tale experience. We enjoyed a beautiful day exploring this castle as well as a nearby waterfall.