It was my birthday here in Cordoba about a week and a half ago. It was a little hard at first considering that I don't know too many people here yet and I still haven't really warmed up with my roommates. However, one of my classes that day had remembered it was my birthday and sang Happy Birthday to me in English which was very cute.
The day got much better once I met up with the other Auxiliaries that evening. They took me out to dinner to this adorable Spanish restaurant where we tried several plates of typical Cordoba and Spanish Food. We ordered a plate of Flamenquin, which is a typical plate from Cordoba consisting ham and lamb fried in a type of bread coating, a plate of jamon (ham) and melon, a plate of Chorizo ( a type of Spanish sausage), Croquetas, which is a small fried roll with mashed potatoes and ham inside and finally an egg dish. In Spain it is typical to order many plates that you share with everyone.
Pictures of the Dinner:
We also got a plate of delicious mixture of desserts.
After dinner we proceeded to go out to this jazz bar next store. There we met some locals and it ended being one of my most fun nights in Cordoba yet.
Outside of the Jazz Bar
We even got a picture of us on stage pretending to play the instruments which was pretty cool.
Everything else is going well in Cordoba. I am still enjoying the school I am teaching at. I have managed to pick up quite a few tutoring classes in the evenings during the week which has kept me pretty busy and provides me with a little extra cash.
I have successfully finished my first week in the class rooms at my school, Grupo Cantico and I can already tell that I am going to really enjoy working there. All of the other teachers are so nice and friendly. We had our orientation on Tuesday for all of the Auxiliars in Cordoba so I was only able to do one of my English class's this week. It was with 4th ESO which is the highest level class. It was a rather big class probably around 3o students or so but it all went pretty smoothly. For the class I did a power point presentation about myself and where I am from. I showed pictures of my hobbies, New Hampshire and Amherst, along with friends and family. I then asked them questions about Cordoba and what they would like to learn about this year regarding the United States and its' culture. They all seemed pretty engaged in the class. I just hope to keep my enthusiasm up with all the other topics I present in class.
I do all of the English classes with the Director of the Bilingual Department, Antonio, who has been extremely helpful. I was a little anxious and worried going into my first class considering he has worked with many other Auxiliars through the years and I was unsure of the expectation he may have for me. However, he seemed pretty impressed with my class and said he could tell that I have done this before, which was definitely a big relief.
On Friday in my History class I had my youngest level students, 1 ESO, all around 12 years old and absolutely adorable. It was probably by far the most fun I have had teaching. They were all excited to participate in class and have me there. There is a little boy named Jesus, who sits in the front and was itching to answer every question that I asked. I was trying to give other students a chance. When I would call on him he would do this big fist pump when he got the answer correct. It was so cute. I was impressed with the amount of English they were able understand, especially since this is their first year in the secondary schooling. However, the history teacher, Rafael, still had to occasionally translate certain things into Spanish.
In addition I have managed to pick up a few Clases Particulares, which are private tutoring classes, this past week. I will be doing the classes at their house and I think it will be a really good way to meet other natives in Cordoba. I had my first class with an older woman on Friday and she just seemed so appreciative on how I was willing to help her become a better English speaker and improve upon the things that were lacking in the English class she has been taking at the Adult Language School.
I have been spending my nights and weekends going out with the other Auxiliares, Laurel, Angelica and Kimzey who are all really nice. I am hoping to soon meet other Spaniards from Cordoba and becoming more involved. Below I have posted a few pictures of us.
Laurel and I in Plaza de La Corredera
Angelica and I A few tapas. We made the mistake of order sardines in vinegar which was definitely an experience. Solmorejo is a typical dish of Cordoba which is a creamy Gazpacho soup with pieces jamon (ham) and eggs. Olives are also very popular in Spain, which I am also not a big fan of.
So it has been about a week since I have arrived in Cordoba, Spain and it feels like so much has happened. Leaving the states and going over as a second year Auxilliar was so much easier; I felt a lot more prepared and confident in what I would be doing this year. Now that I am here back in Spain I am so content and happy to be part of the Spanish culture again.
As soon as I arrived to Cordoba, I headed straight to my hostel where shortly after I met three other Auxilliares from New York City. Two of them would be leaving for a Malaga, on the southern coast of Spain, and one, named Laurel would be staying in Cordoba for the year. It was great to immediately meet some other Auxilliares since I had come to this city all on my own without knowing anyone. I went out that night with them for tapas and we later discovered a really cool club that overlooked the river.
I spent the next couple nights in the hostel continually looking for apartments. It was a little frustrating at first because it seemed like every ad we called either posted online, on the streets or in the paper was no longer available. It was nice to have met another Auxilliar to go through the whole process with. I finally found an apartment on Monday in Ciudad Jardin, the name of the neighborhood, which is apparently a very good location with lots of young people. Within a day or two I decided that I wasn't so sure about the apartment and the overall environment. Going over to Spain for my second year, I had the intentions of finding an apartment with all Spanish people really immersing myself into the Andalusian culture and forcing me to speak the language as much as possible. I though that living in the first place wouldn't help me improve my Spanish which I feel like has gotten so much better from when I arrived last year at this time.
I ended up find a place on the same street with three Spanish boys. I never would have imagined myself living with three boys but I think it will all work out. It is a very nice apartment and looks as if it has all been renovated. I of course have my own room which is amazing and makes everything a lot more enjoyable. My roommates are named Emmanuel, Samuel and Jose Felix. They are in their early 20's and study at an institute doing something along the lines of media and sound. They are all from a small town outside of Cordoba and go home on the weekends. They only speak Spanish which is great and will force me to learn the Andalusian accent. Below are some pictures of my apartment. Mi Habitacion (My room)
View 2
La Cocina (The Kitchen)
El Salon (The Living Room)
I have spent a lot of time with the two Auxilliares that I have met, Laurel and Angelica. We all live in our own places but it is great to have other Auxilliares that I have already met. I am also working with an Auxilliar from England, Henry, who seems really nice.
I have been to my school a few times this week (we don't officially start until Monday) to meet all of the teachers and learn more about the program. It is going to be a little different from what I did last year. I am part of the Bilingual program, which I don't think existed in my school last year at least for English and Spanish. This means that I do not only help out in English classes but I am also working in the history classes once a week where we will only speak in English. In addition to that I have some conversation classes where I am paired with another teacher who would like to improve their English and we speak in English for an hour at the school. So my responsibilities definitely seem a lot more diverse which I think will make things a lot more interesting.
As I was leaving the school today, one of the teachers introduced herself and invited me to go on a walk with her and another friend through some of Cordoba late tomorrow morning and then go over to a friend's house for lunch. I think that will be a great way to see more of Cordoba, get more of the local feel and maybe meet some more people. Everyone here seems so nice and I am already excited for everything I am going to get to experience this year.
Below I have posted some pictures of Cordoba. The Old Part San Basillico
By La Mezquita (The Mosque)
One of the many beautiful parks/plazas
View of the city from the other side of the river.
