When You’ve Been Blessed, it’s like Heaven

Hello to all my loved ones. So, I recently moved to Seville, Spain and even before I came here I was reminded of how much God continues to bless me. I graduated from Spelman College on May 18, 2008 (congratulations to all of my 2008 graduates!) and I was plagued by the constant question of “what’s the next step?” As many of you may already know, I took great interest in journalism after being a part of my high school newspaper. I didn’t think much of it until I got to college and went through the possibilities of becoming a Psychology major and an Economics major. I then took a look at what I liked to do (write) and what I was decent at doing (writing short bits of information). I put these two together and decided to become a television news producer. This was of course after looking at becoming a newspaper reporter, magazine reporter, magazine editor, magazine creator, and television news reporter. So it was not an easy decision (and I think I still would like to begin my own publication). I decided that majoring in English would be my best bet, as it could lead to endless possibilities of law, journalism, business, etc. Basically, it was the safe choice. I also, like most undergraduate students, was required to take a foreign language. I tested out of (was exempted from) taking any Spanish courses, so I figured I would take a conversation course for the fun of it. I had enough time and credits to do so. It was the decision that would change my future (although I didn’t know it at the time). I had a wonderful time in the conversation class, so I decided to continue taking some more courses. Then I studied abroad in Oaxaca, Mexico. After that, I decided to double major in English and Spanish because the Spanish major track looked fairly easy and I had already completed so many courses. While a Spanish major, I was blessed enough to have some great professors, one being Dr. Gonzalez Ruiz (we called him Julio though). He was one of my favorite professors at Spelman and he made Spanish classes enjoyable and relaxed. I became pretty close to him and my senior year he was my thesis advisor. While I was wondering what I would do with my life, he forwarded an e-mail to me that had information on teaching abroad in Spain. I had never been to Spain and only heard wonderful things about it so I asked if he knew of any ways I could make it there and get paid. He said the program was the only one he knew of and proceeded to advise me on applying to it. I was faced with a dilemma, I was already thinking about taking a job with a news station I interned at before and I interviewed for a national news station as well. But after consulting with my mentors, I decided to pursue the Teach in Spain program. There was only one problem, there were program fees and they were not cheap. I wondered how I could possibly pay for them and God answered my question with a scholarship from UNCF. I already received a scholarship from them the previous year and I asked if it was renewable and they said probably not. Isn’t it funny how God works? When people say He works in mysterious ways, they are so right. The scholarship would be enough to pay for my plane tickets to and from Spain, the program fees, and any additional costs. If I had not received the scholarship, I probably would have not moved to Spain to participate in the program.

I arrived in Seville on September 28. I thought it would be very emotional to leave my family and friends but everyone was so happy that I was going to participate in such an interesting adventure that I could not even bring myself to tears, I was happy right along with them. When I arrived, I was given the news that my two checked bags had been lost. I was not worried as I prepared myself for something like this to happen. I had enough clothes to last a week. I definitely wasn’t alone when it came to lost luggage either, there were many others in my situation and that is how I came to meet some other participants from the program. We then were transported to the hotels we would be staying in for the 10-day orientation. I was placed in Hotel Hesperia and it looked very beautiful from the outside. I checked in and received all my orientation materials and went to my room. It was nice but the two beds were placed together (so this would be awkward as I would be rooming with someone I had never even spoken to before) but I was excited. I can honestly say that my stay in the hotel made me appreciate what we have in the States. We are truly blessed. I felt like a spoiled American because (as I came to find out the hard way) there is no such thing as a local call and in Spain you are charged for every call you make from the hotel room. It was a nice little surprise but I am glad I found out sooner rather than later as one participant said he had a bill of over 100€. There were also dead bugs in our room like they had not cleaned it since the last people who stayed there left. I thought that things like that would not fly in the States because people would be quick to complain. The orientation was ok but if I had it to do over again, I would spend way more time searching for an apartment rather than attending the sessions. Not to say the sessions were not somewhat helpful but we had little time after orientation was over to find housing (five days). I also had to buy a cell phone and do a whole bunch of online searching, e-mailing, and calling, which all takes precious time that I did not really have. Our last day of orientation was Friday and we started school on Monday so I basically just had the weekend to look. We were to be out of the hotel by Wednesday. I didn’t even get my cell phone until Saturday so I was really behind. That first Sunday we arrived I met up with some girls in the elevator and they invited me to dinner with them. We went to a restaurant down the street from the hotel and I ordered my first Spanish tortilla (or omelet). It is basically a thick potato patty and it is extremely common here. They have it with everything and because I am a vegetarian, they consider it to be one of the main vegetarian options. It was delicious! But I would soon find out that not all tortillas are made equally and there are some good and bad ones. Our meals also came with bread and it is common here to eat bread with olive oil (like in the Italian restaurants). So I got into the habit of pouring olive oil onto a plate and sprinkling salt and pepper on it to taste. So yummy I will definitely be continuing that custom. Unfortunately, I had yet to set up an appointment to see an apartment and it was Sunday. I had school to worry about and then the internet in our hotel stopped working. I could not believe it! I was able to set up some times to see some places Monday but there were only 2 or 3 to see. I saw my perfect apartment but it would not be ready until November L. The other places would just not work because they were super expensive and had no internet (as I came to find out is very common here) or had some other flaw. I saw a few places on Tuesday but none of them were acceptable either. One would have been good but it was just too far and then the people that were in it were very pushy (calling me many times to rush and see where I was when I told them I would be late, then rushing for me to make a decision, then showing up at the hotel the next morning to help me move my stuff in-there was some miscommunication because I told them I would call them if I needed to be picked up and they told me they could pick me up at 9, meaning 9 in the morning and I thought they meant night). I was so discouraged Tuesday night that I started to have a breakdown. I had been running all over the city trying to look at places, I was tired, and my feet hurt. On top of all that, I was lost and trying to find another place. I started crying in the street on the sidewalk close to one of the University schools. Then I started praying for God to help me and I told myself I had to get it together and ask some people where I needed to go. Once again, God stepped in. I asked two people and they had no clue what I was talking about. But the second person I asked must have seen how upset I was and she decided to walk with me and help me find the place. It turns out the place was nowhere close to where I was and she helped me by stopping and asking people along the way and talking to one of the roommates on my phone. She was truly an angel as she took me exactly to where the place was (mind you she had no clue who I was, it was nighttime, she had somewhere to be, and she got a phone call while she was with me from a friend asking where she was). I couldn’t believe that someone could be so helpful, I was so down it seemed like it was a miracle. All that work only to decide that the place was entirely too far from me. That night I texted the girl I would be working at the school with to ask her if I could stay with her when I moved out of the hotel, she happily said yes and was ready to help. Yet another blessing from God. Wednesday morning came and I moved all of my heavy bags out of the hotel and into her place. She helped me carry my two bags that were over 50 pounds up 6 flights of stairs (elevators in apartment buildings are very uncommon here unfortunately). Her roommates were MORE than helpful and gave me advice and made me a sign to hang up advertising that I was looking for a place. God is SO good! I couldn’t believe all the wonderful people He places in my life. I found a place to live in that Thursday (the next day). I was so prematurely happy. Now, for school. As I stated earlier, we went to the school on Monday. We met the bilingual coordinator, Alain, who is from Luxemburg, Luxemburg. He has that wonderful British-like accent and is a very receptive and understanding person. We talked about our schedule and he said he would try to have us work 3 out of 5 days a week. We were to return on Wednesday. That day we observed two of his English classes and we did the same on Wednesday as he was getting our schedule together. We also met with some of the teachers to see when they were available. I must say that so far I absolutely LOVE the school and the teachers and the students. I really feel at home there. Alain gave us our schedule and we would be working Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. This would allow 4-day weekends and a lot of extra time for tutoring on the side (for extra money) and other activities. It was interesting to observe the classes because the students learn British English so there are some differences in how we speak and what they learn. They were able to ask us questions and they had fun with that. They asked pretty basic questions and then we read from their book so they could hear our different accents. I thought my apartment was pretty nice (as my dad kept telling me, it was temporary). It was not new and a lot of the common areas (bathroom, kitchen, and living room) could have used some repainting and some attention but I wasn’t complaining as the price was right and my roommate said we would be getting internet soon. I was living with 3 young men. They are students at the University of Seville. Now some of you might be wondering why I would choose to room with 3 young men and I will tell you that here you don’t choose where you live based on your roommates (of course you want to feel comfortable with them but that’s it), you choose it based on its location, price, and other amenities. It was in a fairly good location (kind of the student area so I felt comfortable with that) and it was pretty close to where I would catch the bus to my school. Plus I met my roommates and they seemed like nice enough guys and I had a big room. There was one guy from Peru, one from Morocco, and one from Spain. This would be good as I could practice my Spanish because none of them knew much English.

I soon found out that things were going to be slightly odd in the apartment. My Moroccan roommate decided to move out and I didn’t know why. I discovered why soon enough. A German young man moved into the room with the Spanish roommate and the Peruvian roommate moved into the living room. Yes, the living room! At first he was sleeping on the couch and then one day I came in and they had some mattresses and bed materials. Apparently they would have bunk beds in the Spanish roommate’s room and a bed in the living room! Mind you, the place was not that big at all so they moved the couch into my room (which was not what I minded, it was the lack of common space). So there was a small “dining room” table with two chairs and a bed in the living room. Talk about awkward. Now I understood why the Moroccan man moved out. It was interesting how I found out too, I came in one day and went straight to my room and started watching some movies. I got a knock on my door and my Spanish roommate was standing there asking me to translate for a girl that was interested in moving in. She asked abut the internet (which I had kept asking about since it was probably the 2^nd or 3^rd week and we still didn’t have it) and my Spanish roommate said it would be cheap because it would be split between five people. Five people?! When did this happen? That was what went through my mind. This was a 3-bedroom, 1-bathroom apartment. Five people and one bathroom can only be bad. That is when I started feeling like I should move. I asked my Peruvian roommate how I would be able to get my deposit back and he said I needed to give 30-day notice (which was impossible if I wanted to move out asap) and that someone would have to move into my room. I was so upset. I started to stress and become really uncomfortable. The teachers at my school knew that I was late in finding an apartment so they asked me how I liked my new one, I hesitated. Then I told them the problem. They suggested I move out and even said they would help me. My new friends offered their apartments if I needed a place to stay. Everyone was extremely helpful and nice and made me feel good about the future. I prayed and prayed to God for strength through this time. It was October 27 when I looked at my first places. I found a very nice room in a house (that did not have an oven or microwave but I didn’t realize that until later) and the owner said he was rarely there and there was another female roommate in her late twenties. I wasn’t too sure about it because it did not have internet but I told him I would take it. I prayed on it and talked to my parents and they said that if I liked it and it was better than my then current situation, I should go for it. I said it was because it was not as many people and they said to take it. I then had to talk to my Peruvian roommate about getting my deposit back (which I was afraid and thought would be almost impossible, but nothing is impossible with God and my experience here has really shown me that). I told my roommate that things were really hard for me and he suddenly became extremely nice (I was used to the person always focused on money) and said he could help me and that I could possibly have my deposit back if someone rented out my room within two days (I had already posted something online early on Thursday and was planning to move out Friday and told him Thursday night). Thankfully, people already started contacting me and I forwarded them his number and he had someone moving in on November 1^st! Once again, God shows me that I should not doubt and let go and let God. So I got my deposit back on the morning of November 1^st and I am so thankful for that. Where I live now could be better but I am sure that a lot of places could be better. Living here and being on my own has really made me appreciate what I have at home. I cannot believe some of the things I took for granted like heat, hot water, a dryer, an oven, cleanliness, food, my car, smoke free air, etc. I overlooked these things as basic and here I see them as optional. I am so thankful for the life I have in the United States that I just might kiss the ground when I return. I know there are some places here that could probably remind me of home but they cost entirely too much and they wouldn’t even be like home.

Now I will speak on the fun stuff, my job! My job is currently what gets me through the day since I don’t have internet yet and I am unable to communicate with my wonderful family and friends on a constant basis. I am a teaching assistant and it is unbelievable how fun and fulfilling it is. I never ever EVER thought I would be a teacher of any sorts. I have very little patience and that small bit is always put to the test around children. But because this was one of very few easy ways I could live in Spain and be paid for it (that I know of), I decided to give it a try. I also think that because I did not have to have any type of teaching experience, that helped my decision as well. When I return to the States, I would even consider volunteering to help out an ESL class. I assist a class with 12 year olds, 13 year olds, and 15 year olds. The classes are called Primero ESO, Segundo ESO y Quarto ESO. Sometimes I get to be really hands on with them, like the teacher will give me a group of students and have me instruct them. But other times I am just in class with them and I stand in front of them and read and help explain things in English.

The most fun I have had has been with the 12 year olds. They are always so eager and excited that it makes me excited to see them. I enjoy the other students as well, the older ones (15 year olds) are more laid back and relaxed and the 13 year olds are more talkative (in Spanish unfortunately) and hyper. In one of the English classes I am in, I had the students read a book. I had them take turns reading aloud and then they read to themselves. Once they finished, I asked one of them to explain what s/he had just read. Then sometimes I would have a student go up to the board, while the other students would describe what they saw in the picture, the student at the board would have to write what s/he heard them describe. The way the school works out is that is called “escuela secundaria” or secondary school. They go from Primero ESO up to Segundo Bachillerato. The Bachillerato is for students interested in continuing to the University level. These students are usually from 16-18 years old. Because my school is a bilingual school, they have incorporated teaching content courses in English and Spanish. So on top of just having an English class, they have Math, Social Science, Natural Science, and Music in English as well. So many times, the teacher will instruct them in Spanish one week, and then give the same lesson in English the next week. I think it is a great idea and I wish I had the opportunity to partake of such a program when I was younger. I help instruct the 2^nd year Math class, the 1^st year Music class, and the 1^st year Social Science class on top of two fourth year English classes and one 1^st year English class. I learn along with the children in classes like Music and Social Science because I learn what words are translated to in Spanish that I never thought to learn before. The classes are often split into A and B (and even C sometimes) and can range from 15 to 30 students.

I can already tell that being here for a month has improved my Spanish. I am more comfortable speaking it (not completely but very close) and I am getting better at know what to say and how to say it. I have been forced to become independent and do so in a different language. I had to find my own apartment, decide on which cell phone plan to go with,change my apartment, tell taxis where to take me and sometimes how to get there, open up a bank account (which was very scary to me), buy groceries, buy clothes, transfer planes (in Philadelphia and then Portugal), and the list will go on. All of this and it has only been a month. This is turning me into a better person, more patient, more open to trying new things. It has also made me more vocal and aggressive. I still get apprehensive at times but I am getting better and better with time. It has been hard at times but that is life. I miss my family SO much and I thank God that I have them because without them I would be totally lost. I appreciate everything they have done for me and how they are always there for me. My friends have been more than supportive and I am so thankful for them. They have wished me well and given me advice and all of the sorts. I couldn’t ask for a better group of people to be in my life.