The title of this post reflects the four food groups that can be found in Madrid (the first three I am consuming currently and the last of which I constantly find myself trying to avoid). I've already begun to contemplate whether I will go into pork withdrawals upon vacating Madrid or I will be so thoroughly overjoyed I won't know what to do with myself. It's a tough call. Even crappy things (like an excessive amount of pig products) can give you nostalgic value so who knows. Take songs for instance, there are ones I don't particularly enjoy for the sound but they never cease to make me sigh and smile simply because they remind me of someone or something that I do love. Although U.S. music is fairly common in Spain, I can't help but get a little bit giddy whenever I hear a song playing in English. For instance, yesterday an overly remixed version of an already upbeat Ke$ha song came on in one the stores while I was shopping (turns out you should bring more than 2 pairs of jeans and umm...no jackets when you move to Madrid) and I started glowing! The same sensation just occurred when "Give Me Just One Night, Una Noche" by 98 degrees came on my iTunes, but this time it's because there are a few words in Spanish! Music has profound affects on me. In my mind, a good singer is one who has the ability to bring tears to my eyes by belting a few words.
On that note, I saw Train in concert a couple of weekends ago and the lead singer turned off his mic for a bit so we could hear is voice in a more pure fashion. Let me tell you Soul Sisters, it was fantastic! Also, it pays to see "big bands" in foreign countries because we were in a bar with Train a few measly feet from us! Holy smokes! Got to meet the lead singer and chat with the bassist for a bit after the show. It was quite lovely.
Let's rewind a few hours before the concert to Barcelona... Such an awesome city! Jen and I stayed in the Gothic district surrounded by tons of tiny shops, winding streets, museums and the waterfront only a few blocks away. We went to the Picasso Museum followed by Picasso's fave restaurant (4 Gatos), waded at the beach (with a totally naked old man sunning within view...), toured one of Gaudi's buildings, saw one of my fave street performing bands (Made in Barcelona) do a set, ate delicious food (trust me, this is huge!), etc... It was an awesome weekend but there is still so much to see! We'll have to go back again soon.
The following weekend I went to England for my cousin's wedding. Alright, she's probably more like my 2nd cousin twice removed but that's way too confusing! Anyway, it was lovely seeing that side of my family. Since we live so far apart, our visits are also far apart. I even got to meet more "cousins" that I didn't know I had. I spent over 24 hours straight with Gracie before we realized we were related! My little nephew is growing into the cutest boy and so big! He's a gem!
School is going alright. I'll try not to go into too much boring detail, but it's a fairly dysfunctional school system. The school is tracked beyond belief, this means that the smart kids are in the highest class and the "stupid" ones are in the lowest. With this style of classroom divisions comes a greater widening of the gap between the highest and lowest levels with each school year. In general the academically advanced get the better teachers, are pushed harder, have higher expectations set for them, and the lower students have just the opposite. Plus, they are not given the opportunity to be surrounded by students who care, offer inciteful ideas and push their peers to do well. Granted, this is a huge generalization, but statistics don't lie THAT much. Tracking can cause huge problems in education. Then again, I was an A.P. student at a mostly white school so I fear that I may have reaped the benefits of this system without knowing it. My students took one single test to be placed within the 5 classrooms (A being the best, E being the worst) at their grade level. This test was partially (if not fully) based on their English abilities. If they have learning disabilities, were tired/nervous, or having a bad day on the day of the test, they are now trapped in a level where they don't belong for 2 year until the test is administered again. I have students in the D group who can speak to me in better English and have more enthusiasm for the language than many of my students in the A group. Can someone please explain the logic to me on that one? I really wish we could mix the groups for at least a few subjects but very little exchange is going on.
Teachers yelling at kids is getting better but that's a whole different beast. During our English lessons for teachers, we have been trying to include some topics of education in our vocab practice, readings, etc... Hopefully our subtle hints will start to sink in. I know some already have, which makes me feel like it's worth trying over and over until we see a difference in teaching methods.
One thing that I find hard to adjust to, is the fact that teachers change room between classes, not the students! It makes the halls far less noisy and chaotic, but it severely limits what you can do in class. At my school there are no computers, projectors, maps, etc... in the classrooms so if a teacher needs any sort of supplies for their lesson, they have to carry it from room to room. Again, this severely limits what you can do in class!
I think I am going to help plan a trip to London for my students. It will hopefully fulfill one of my assignments for grad school as well as give the students and myself a chance to experience an awesome city and all that it has to offer. My hope is that the trip will be available to all of the student groups so anyone who genuinely wants to learn English will have the chance, not just the ones that are viewed as "the good kids." Man, usually the "bad kids" are my favorite. They have more character and aren't afraid to be real.
Let's see... Next weekend I am going to Valencia which looks beautiful. I've never been, so this will be a new adventure for me! I'm also babysitting a 4th and an 8th grader overnight on Monday. They seem like awesome kids so I'm excited to spend some time with them. I think that's all for major updates?
Sorry, I'm not a fan of journaling which is essentially what blogging is. That's why I'm pretty awful at actually updating this thing! I'll try to do better...sort of.
Love to all!
