The good, the bad, and the ugly

So I just got back from Madrid, because I had to attend a mandatory orientation thing before my first day of work this Friday. But, I guess I should write this post in chronological order so it makes the most sense. As a disclaimer, blogging is therapeutic for me -- since I don’t really have anyone to talk to here, I need to get my thoughts out somehow. I apologize in advance if this turns out to be lengthy (which it likely will), and none of the visitors to this site should feel obligated to read everything, as I don’t expect anyone to really find my rantings of very much interest.

Alas, I left Thursday morning around 9am. One thing I find rather convenient about living here is that there are buses to Madrid about every 15 minutes, so not much planning in advance is needed. It was the first time I had left San Lorenzo since arriving, and on this occasion I was better able to enjoy the paisaje, as I wasn’t all depressed and crying and whatnot as I was when I was initially on my way here. Parts of the vistas we passed were truly quite lovely, and I’m glad I was in a state where I could appreciate them. Anyway, I got to the city and found my hostel. It was relatively nice, had all of the basic amenities covered.

The place where my jornadas de formacion were located was five minutes away from where I was staying. Being in Madrid was refreshing. I like the stimuli of the bustle of a big city -- lots of people, lots of stores, etc. However, I did notice that the locals weren’t necessarily hustling; folks seem to amble along, and in contrast to some metropolitan areas back home in America, there didn’t seem to be the sense that anyone was in a rush to get anywhere.

I should document, before I forget, that I was easily able to find my destinations thanks to Google Maps, specifically Street View. Some people may complain about the fact that it is an invasion of privacy, and they may have valid points, but I found this resource extremely helpful. I didn’t even remotely ever feel like I was going to get lost, because I had done my research beforehand and was able to plot my route exactly and note landmarks that I’d have to walk by, as there aren't many street signs available for reference. I'm not sure if that holds true for all of Spain, or just El Escorial de Arriba and Madrid, but it reminds me of Hartford, haha.

In any case, the first day of training was kind of pointless. I’m not sure that I got much out of it. I mean, it felt cool that we were given such a warm welcome and that we were wholeheartedly being thanked for our service, but apart from that, it was kind of a waste of five hours. Really it could have all been condensed into an hour at most. The first session we had was an introduction to the Spanish education system. It’s actually pretty fascinating, but could have been summarized in probably 20 minutes (or just explained in a handout to read at our own leisure), instead of taking sixfold as long. But whatever. What’s absolutely amazing about how the bilingual program works is that every subject is taught in English, so the students are learning a second language in context. It’s quite innovative and I was impressed. What a difference from the way I learned French, for instance: class a few times a week where all you do is verb conjugations by rote. Therefore, it was emphasized how important our role is, and I’m now especially looking forward to meeting all of the kids and hopefully helping them out!

In the later part of the afternoon/evening, we had a visit from some officers from the United States Embassy. They were friendly, and gave us safety tips (mostly common sense stuff, like don’t carry around your passport or a bunch of cash), but their workshop then devolved into a recruitment seminar for the Foreign Service, lol. I thought it was interesting, but I’m sure that for many of the auxiliares there, it was silly.

The next day was a little mejor, but not by much. We started early with some boring material (I honestly don’t remember what it was), and then we received our official e-mail addresses from the Ministry of Education, and got assistance filling out paperwork in order to be assigned a NIE (Numero de Identidad de Extranjeros). Again, I felt that all of this could have been abbreviated. We proceeded to a two-and-a-half hour break for lunch, which was kindly provided for us. Nothing fancy, but delicious nonetheless. I chose a “cheese sandwich,” which was really just a piece of fresh-baked artisan bread and a few slices of fantastic queso. I should have asked what kind it was, because it was so amazingly tasty. Simplicity at its finest.

When we were back from our pause, everything got much more exciting. We had two presentations from actual teachers, and they were great. So dynamic and engaging. They had a ton of ideas that they shared, and overall it was a very motivational way to conclude.

My upbeat mood didn’t last long, though. When I returned to my lodging, I encountered a rude surprise. Immediately upon entering my room, I noticed that none of my belongings were where I had left them. Now, I’m no seasoned traveler à la George Clooney and Vera Farmiga in Up in the Air, but it has been my experience that housecleaning people don’t usually touch a guest’s things, or if they do, they do it a little more subtly, so maybe you can’t tell. But this was quite obvious. And unsettling. I must report that I’m not one of those people that is messy when staying at a motel or something. I don’t leave clothes all over the floor or on the bed, for the very reason that I realize someone needs to come in and vacuum and change the linens and what have you. So I was über annoyed that all of my stuff had been rearranged -- including my dirty socks and underwear! I had left these aforementioned items in a corner on a ledge in a little pile, but someone had folded them and placed them elsewhere. Not only did I feel violated, but I also wondered who could possibly be compelled to touch a complete stranger’s unmentionables? Even an orange that I left behind had been placed in a different location. In the bathroom, my shampoo, conditioner, etc., were also repositioned, as if someone was practicing his/her feng shui skills. What made me really angry, though, was that all of the Ziploc® bags that I keep my toiletries in (so that in the event that they explode in transit, they won’t spill onto my clothes) had apparently been thrown away. I was planning to reuse them until they ripped or something, and so to have my personal property done away with, as trivial as Ziploc® bags might seem, was upsetting. I let the front desk know about this disturbance, but I think they just thought I was being an annoying customer, and therefore I don’t think they’ll be getting my business again in the future. (We have to go to two other meetings at the same facility during our time as Language and Culture Assistants, and even though I liked the accommodations and the fact that it was nearby, I will probably try to find another hostel.)

I finally made it back to my town today after being harassed by two drunk men when I was trying to buy some breakfast (I ditched the place and decided to forego eating until I was safely at "home"). All in all it wasn’t the worst, but could it have been better? Absolutely.