Spain

In mid-October, I took a journey to the north, out of the dry mountain bowl that is Madrid to the green green pastures of the Netherlands. With my friend Andrew Meyer, we traversed the country, hitting five cities and towns in just four days. Andrew and I reminiced about life back in Minnesota and caught up on our new lives in Hamburg and Madrid and being a Teaching Assistant with Fulbright.

Our first stop was the Olsder household in Delft. Delft is a university town and the Olsders live right across the street (and a canal) from the campus. The Olsders are friends of my parents and it was fun to look back at their guest book and see the entry from the 1990's when we went to visit them and I was just a little girl. When I arrived at the Schipol airport in Amsterdam, I was so nervous about actually getting to Delft what with taking public transportation and signs being in Dutch (of which I know about two sentences). I shouldn't have worried though – in the end the only necesary thing was a deep pocket as the train system in the Netherlands is great but expensive! Of course, as we found out, if you're a Dutch student riding the rails is practically free. So, I arrived safe and sound in Delft, ate a delicious dinner with Elke and Geert Jan Olsder, sat by the fire, and then Andrew called from the station and he joined us too.

In the morning, Andrew and I took the train to the Hague (called la Haya in Spanish!) and checked out the old parliment buildings and experienced our first dash with death – ten seconds longer and a tram coming around a blind corner might have taken us. People would have said, “Look at those silly tourists! They didn't understand the rules of movement in this country.” The rules seem to be something like this: Bicycles rule the roost. If you're any other form of transit, refer to the previous sentence. It's a little complicated being a pedestrian because you've got to watch out for cars in the car lanes, bicycles in the bike lanes (and sometimes on the sidewalk), and trams on what look sometimes like pedestrian streets. I must say that I was in awe of all the bicycle traffic. It was lovely!

Also in the Hague, we visited the Maurtshuis, a museum that houses paintings from Netherlands golden age. We saw the famous “Girl with a Pearl Earring” and “A View of Delft” by Vermeer. The museum just happened to be doing construction that day but in exchange we got in for free in addition to audio tours. My favorite painting was done by the Dutch painter Hendrick Avercamp who showed a lively winter canal scene with people skating, working, and even a view of a woman's bare bottom who fell down on the ice! (Back in those days, the audio guide informed us, no one wore underwear!) It must have been pretty cold.

After visiting the Hague, we managed to cram in a tour of the university and also the town of Delft with Elke as our apt tour guide. We went by the new church, the old church, saw the side of the city with the Catholics, the side with the Protestants, looked at the leaning church tower (it looked like it might fall into the canal!) and checked out the house where Vermeer lived. At the University we saw the library, a building that appears to be a hill with a metallic pyramid on top. In reality, the library is the hill and the pyramid, with architectural features on the inside that give the place a very natural, upward-lifting feeling. Unlike many modern buildings that I see, I genuinely enjoyed this one.

We said goodbye to Delft and the Olsders, and continued on in the afternoon across the country by train. We passed by green pastures and cows, big city buildings with clusters of houses, and as the sun began to set later in the day, we saw forests and houseboats. The sun had already set my the time we reached our destination: Enschede and the Kramers house. The setting was incredibly different than Delft. The center of Enschede was pretty much bombed away during the Second World War which meant that most of the buildings had been built fairly recently. In general, too, though, Enschede had less of the hustle and bustle feeling of Delft and was more tranquil. Henny and Vim picked us up at the station and took us back to their house. At their bungalow we were treated to a delicious home-cooked meal complete with a festive ambience of classical music in the background. Henny and Vim brought out their visitors book from the 1990s and we smiled and purused a French song I wrote when I was ten in their guest book! “Mon bonne homme de neige....”

In the morning, Henny and Vim took us around the university campus – the first university to have a campus in the Netherlands! We saw the building that my parents and Henny had lived in, and various other academic (and modern) buildings around the place. Perhaps the most impressive part of the tour was Henny's garden plot (or shall I say plots) at the communal garden. So many different types of fruits, vegetables, and flowers!

After the University, we headed into town to see the Saturday market in the main square. It was huge! Andrew bought some typical fried fish to share. We also met up with Jakob Kramers (son of Henny and Vim) who when I asked how he got to town told me he rode his bicycle, “like any good Dutchman!” We strolled through the town, looking at old haunts of my parents and checking out the great modern art statues (like a yellow cement bench in the shape of a sofa with two big red hearts). The five of us enjoyed some yummy capuccinos in a local Italian ice cream shop before heading saying goodbye to our lovely hosts. This time we travelled first class!

We took a stop along the way in Utrecht, a busy city sitting just about in the middle of the Netherlands, home to Janneke Kramers (daughter of Henny and Vim) and family. We stopped by for tea and to see Franke, the lovely granddaughter of Henny and Vim. We played blocks with her for a while and climbed the steep steep stairs up to the attic to see the view from the roof. Utrecht struck me as incredibly gorgeous and cosmopolitan. It's definitely a place that I would enjoy returning to.

Our next and final stop was Amsterdam. Andrew and I were embarking on a new adventure: Couch Surfing. Before the trip, I had registered online at the website, a completely free service that connects travelers with hosts for cross-cultural exchange. When we arrived in Amsterdam Centraal I felt a little nervous. Was this a good idea? Should I be a little afraid of sleeping on somebody's couch who I've never met before in my life? Well, little did I know I read my directions from our host Hans just a little bit wrong. Instead of Amsterdam Centraal, he actually lives near Amstel Centraal. I, naive English speaker that I am, thought that the latter was just an abreviation for the former. Luckily, the difference didn't turn out to be too severe. With a quick phone call and a metro ride we soon righted the problem and met our host Hans.

And I needn't have worried in the least. Hans was a terrific host. In that late afternoon we sat around sipping tea with his English roommate Cathy and her Dutch friend Maikke, chatting about travels and all things Dutch/American/British. In the evening, Andrew and I ventured out into the city for dinner at a Thai restaurant and then met up with the three of them for a night on the town Dutch style.

The next day we spent traipsing around the city, eating Turkish food, visiting the FOAM photography museum, and seeing the sights of Amsterdam. My main goal of the day was to go canalbiking or paddleboating. I dragged a semi-reluctant Andrew along with me!We looked and looked and looked for a place to rent paddleboats but to no avail. (October does not seem to be peak tourist season I learned!) After I had given up all chance of fulling my dream, we chanced along a rental place. I was so happy. We hopped in and immediately discovered that we were horrible at steering along with having a semi-broken rudder. Of course, just at that moment, mammoth tour boats approached us on all sides, honking at us. Andrew grumbled but sprang to action and saved the day. We managed to get the hang of it eventually and paddled through lovely canals with the sun dusting its rays on the brick buildings.

We spent the evening watching a movie with Hans and avoiding the chill of the night. And the next morning, I returned to Madrid.

Check out my albums online to view some pictures to see what I've been doing these past two months. They include photos from around Madrid and also a couple trips that I've done.

Around Madrid:

[url=http://picasaweb.google.com/beckyalper/AroundMadrid?authkey=qKcyJ_sbqZz4rnL3txdxSwh2Bdc

Trip to Alcala de Henares:

[url=http://picasaweb.google.com/beckyalper/MedievalFestivalAtAlcala?authkey=UnCweHvYPKoamsCBmJRBth11X5g

Trip to El Escorial and Valle de los Caidos:

[url=http://picasaweb.google.com/beckyalper/TripToEscorialValleDeLosCaidos?authkey=BN61O4n8wZrVN0DUmPSW3XySYcU

Trip to the Netherlands:
[url=http://picasaweb.google.com/beckyalper/NetherlandsTrip?authkey=O1mXs_lolt5jbUOBZ1ANcJSd2C4

I'll keep updating this list so check back from time to time.

Right after Fulbright orientation ended, I began my job as a teaching assistant in Boadilla del Monte. My official title is auxiliar de conversacion, but it's very versatile. It's a lot easier just to say that I teach English instead of going into the specifics of my exact role.

Boadilla del Monte is a separate pueblo west of Madrid of around 50,000+ people, located in the Community of Madrid but outside of Madrid the city. The village has old roots with an old palace alongside a small stream. However, Boadilla del Monte is a growing community, akin to what many Americans would call a suburb. The older section of Boadilla boasts the town hall, tiny shops located on the bottom floor of 3-4 story high residential buildings, and a walking street with little cafes. The newer sectons of Boadilla are primarily residentail and consist of chalets - rowhouses, duplexes, or detached homes. In general, Boadilla del Monte appears to me to be quite a luxurious place to live: lots of social services, low crime, near to a big city but also far enough away to avoid urban issues such as pollution, noice, poverty, and immigration.

When I began working, I was commuting from one side of the city to the other and beyond! In order to arrive at school at 8:30am, I had to leave Kerbin and Yeison's house on the eastern edge of Madrid at 7:00am in order to arrive on time. For a couple weeks, the metro was also under repair so I took a bus, then two metros, and then another bus. Now that I've moved to the southwest center of Madrid, I can arrive in less time, although it still takes me quite a while (a little over an hour). I figure though, that for one year it's worth it to live in Madrid the city and commute, especially since I'm only working four days a week for a total of 16 hours!

At school in Boadila del Monte I work with Primero, Segundo, and Tercero de la Eso, which roughly translates in 7th, 8th, and 9th graders. The bilingual program is only in its third year which explains why older students are not involved since the school adds one level each year as the students progress. I have a fixed schedule in which I either attend classes with various teachers (Marcela, Gonzalo, Carmen, and Maria), or have hours in which I help them with preparation. In my free time I often find myself wandering down to the cafeteria where Pascuala serves up delicious cafe con leche or a bocadillo de tortilla - a sandwich made with fresh bread and Spanish tortilla, similar to an omelette with potatoes...

But back to work! In prep time I plan activities jointly with the teachers (such as a question and answer round robin on the universe for a science class), answering English language questions (such as the English pronunciation of the Euphrates River), or do tasks like make photocopies or correct assignments. When I'm in class sometimes I describe parts of the lesson to the students (such as physical relief terms for a geography class), listen to students do presentations and correct their English, or sometimes even substitute! (Of course, these occassions have improved my classroom management skills vastly!)

While I'm not sure that I want to be a classroom teacher in the future, I am enjoying this opportunity to work in an academic setting and see a little more of what it's like to be in front of the blackboard instead of behind a desk.

Well, it has been quite a while since I've updated this blog. For those of you who have been waiting patiently, thank you. So many things have happened in the last month that it has been hard to find time to write. (I also couldn't figure out for a while what my password was...luckily that has been resolved now!)

At the end of September, just when I thought I would never find a place to live permanently, I received a tip from a fellow Fulbrighter that a teacher at her school was looking for a roommate. And that's how Aida came into my life; madrilena, 25 years old, non-smoker, and a teacher for preschoolers, Aida is full of life, very knowledgeable about the city and very friendly. I moved into her apartment shortly after.

(A side note: in Madrid, and indeed all across Spain, there exists a culture of buying, not renting apartments. Therefore, most young people live at home all throughout college and even into their late twenties until they can afford to buy a flat themselves. House-prices (flats) are quite high and have been going up in recent years; however, salaries are quite low in comparison. Housing prices is one of the prime political issues in Spain.)

I have an interior room (it looks out on to an inner courtyard) with one window, a bed, a dressor, and a desk. When I started out the room was an ugly light green color - a legacy from the previous owner. However, Aida and I embarked on a weekend endevour to paint it a lovely soft yellow! We moved most of my things out to the living room including my bed and covered everything else. I am very glad we did it but I have learned a valuable lesson from this experience: painting is a lot of work!

The rest of the apartment is quite modern - electric stove, refurbished cabinets in the kitchen, new tiles in the bathroom, etc. In general, the apartment has a very airy, light feel, and Aida has been very welcoming. I added a couple pictures to my photo gallery so that you can get a better feel for the place.

The apartment is located south of the center city in Piramides, a neighborhood named after two Pyramid-like structures that welcome you across the river and up the hill. Located outside of my apartment is a fish market, a bread store, a few bars, a little park, not to forget the Estadio Calderon, the stadium where the Atletico futbol team plays. I'm a bit of a hike from the metro (10-15 minutes) but I suppose that's good for my napolitana de chocolate (chocolate croissants) eating habits!

It's been about a week since orientation has gone by and about a week and a half since I've updated this blog. The main reason is that I've been running around like crazy looking for a place to live. With the advent of the internet, it's very easy to search for places to live. The problem is, however, that everyone has access to that information! So instead of five people looking at an apartment, sometimes 50 show up to look at one room. That makes you just one person on a list, a name without a face. It also doesn't help that I really want internet and really really really don't want to live with smokers. And in Spain, not smoking makes you the odd man out.

Let me give you some examples:
A bottom floor (in the US this would be the first floor except in Spain the first floor is the second floor) dormitory style apartment with smokers for 350 euros gastos no incluidos (expenses not included)
A nice roomy apartment with three French guys and one american but with 25 people on a list to get the last room.
A lovely apartment to be shared with a quiet twenty-something woman but no internet or guests and 425 euros a month.
Do you get the picture?

Nonetheless, I am persevering. Unlike others in my state, I at least have a great place to stay for the time being. In fact, I would even stay here except that my friends (Kerbin and Yerson) live so far from my job. The two times that I've been there it has taken me 1.5 hours and 2.5 hours, depending on the metro. And of course, in the process I have met a ton of people! In fact, it's been quite a great experience to see the inside of so many different buildings and explore different neighborhoods.

If you're interested in checking out the world of apartment hunting in Madrid, take a look at the following websites:
www.loquo.com(select shared flats)
www.segundamano.es(select inmobiliaria, then pisos compartidos)
www.craigslist.com(select Madrid)