Birthday in the Canary Islands- Fuerteventura

So this past Saturday, I entered a new age group... my mid 20's! How scary! Now, I'm not one to enjoy getting older. Actually, I'm petrified of adding another year to my age, but that's another story.

To avoid accepting my old age, I decided back in September to have a destination birthday: Canary Islands.  The Canaries are off the coast of Africa, south or equal to the southern most part of Morocco. The climate is comparable to Florida or Mexico!

Unfortunately it rained the whole weekend (we did get a good 45 min- an hour of pure equator heat)

The island was beautiful in most parts, but I decided Fuerteventura life is not the life for me  Especially since where we were staying was filled with retired chubby gente from the UK.  (and the landscape is not very pleasing to the eye)

It didn't even feel like Spain... porque:
1) Spanish was not necessary at all during our trip
2) All restaurants featured "English Breakfasts" and at night the entertainment consisted of "f ABBA lous" and drag queens
3) Making dinner reservations for 930 was TOO LATE
4) Jamon Serrano was not forced upon us every meal
5) Coffee was served in large mugs and you requested "coffee with milk" rather than "cafe con leche"

Some things we did:
1) basking in the sun while drinking cava
2) eating delicious indian food (yay spice!)
3) Pedicures
4) Volcano tour (in the rain)
5) Got my iPod stolen
6) Saw chicken cooked over a volcano pit
7) delicious birthday dinner consisting of dorado fish and even a bite of GOAT
8) spa day! heated pools, hot tubs and saunas
9) Relaxation
10) A sad attempt at mexican food
11) Sparklers

Dodging the rain

largest volcano on Lanzarote

The volcano tour was pretty cool! We saw how the heat of the volcano could still start a fire, and can still cook chicken. We learned about how the Active volcanoes destroyed the island of Lanzarote back in the 1700's and the series of eruptions and earthquakes changed the landmass tremendously. 

We've experienced hell on earth

Delicious birthday dinner mmmm

I will definitely have to return to the canaries for some sun, and bananas! Who's with me?

Now although I tried to forget my birthday, my students at school would not allow it! I was surprised with numerous birthday cards, perfume, a gorgeous bracelet from Maria Jose, a bracelet from my 6th level class, and a necklace from 6th level! They almost made me cry! Here is a picture of a card from my 5th graders (inside was about 4 more smaller cards!)
Although I loved it! It was awkward to drag around on the metro- it released too much info!

1) Its my birthday
2) Im 24 (ew)
3) My name is Chelsea
4) I'm American

As if my blond hair wasn't enough!!! ;)

La Inundacion de 2011

This little wake up call made us realize we need a new apartment, rain boots, and a pedicure. Note the water ripples

After a week of insomnia, I sure did have ganas (hopes) of a good nights sleep. Everything was going great, I was out like a light. Then I was slowly awoken by what sounded like a game show buzzer.
Bzzzzzzzzzzzz (wrong answer)
Bzzzzzzz Bzzzzzzzz
Bzzzzzzzz Bzzzzzzzz Bzzzzzzzz Bzzzzzzzz

Finally I realize that I'm not on Jeopardy, and in fact, our door bell is ringing. So I throw the covers off of me, and get out of bed.
Splash!
I think: "crap, my water bottle opened. Oh well Ill clean it later".... but then I continue towards the door
Slosh, Slap, Splash  Bzzzzzzzzzzz Bzzzzzzzzz Bzz bzzz bzzzzzzz
(insert foul language here)

Then I open the door, to sweet Pepita from downstairs, the approx 90 year old woman who was not feeling so sweet at what I realize is 330 am.

She starts yelling at me in Spanish, and I can't process anything that's going on, except for the fact that my feet are frozen under an inch of water. So I yell for one of the girls to talk to Pepita because honestly, appeasing her is the last thing on my mind. Number 1 thing on my mind is to turn off the gushing of water, wherever its coming from.

So the troops aka Margaux Nora and Addie (sort of) get up and get all hands on deck. Margaux tries to calm down Pepita, as Nora and I try to to turn the water off and assess the situation. Addie sits in shock in her room, staring at the floor with her head in her hands.

Addie in disbelief

Finally Nora the Explorer turns off the water, and I go in my room to realize that i have electronics now submerged in the lake that is my bedroom. I start to save my electronics, my UGGs, and my space heater. Then I see all the clothes that I was too lazy to put away when they fell out of my tiny closet, so the remained on my floor until now.

I go outside to hang them out to dry, and I see the Police outside.

I think to myself: perfect! They can help and tell us what to do because Pepita yelling about insurance sure isn't helping.

The police yell up to me while I'm on the terraza like Romeo yelling to Juliet: "Who lives in that apartment?" (ok so it wasn't very romantic)

I realize they're speaking about our apartment. Crap, we're in trouble.

So they want to come in. Then we realize, they can't even buzz to come in because OUR BUZZER IS BROKEN. Then they come in, and see our broken door window covered in frutaria bags. This does not look good.

They ask for our documentation (I think soon Ill be on a first name basis with the police) and tell us to put on shoes so we don't get electrocuted.
Then they ask us what we were doing? Im pretty sure they thought we were smoking crack or some other illegal substance, because now I'm laughing at the situation of the water, the broken door buzzer, and the door glass. and the water, and our pants hiked up, and we're all wearing funny footwear, and we look like a big hot mess.
Then they tell us to clean us as quickly as possible. And they leave probably to go tell all their buddies about the stoners on c/ Reverendo Jose Maria Pinazo 14-4. Thanks guys.

Then Sweet Pepita being the "angel" that she is, drops off a mop and bucket, and leaves.

So all hands on deck. Throw down any towel or sheet you can find. We moped, and squeezed, and wrang out, and repeated... for 1 and a half hours. We emptied out at least 8 BUCKETS of water.

baracading the water from going FURTHER throughout the building. It may have filled the hallway and gone down the stairs.

all hands on deck, including table cloths

We made the best out of the situation with music, and jokes and lots of laughs.

No time like the present for a little Snack! Mopping was hard work!

Addie is the only lucky one with Rain Boots in Valencia

Rubber Ducky got some action... he could almost float! Again, note water ripples next to mop. This is after 1 hour of mopping

this is a great workout

Nora looking fashionable

Oh and you may ask where was your landlord for all of this? Unreachable. Of course!!!!

Paco, the apartment is flooded. The police were here. Call us!!!!!

Look Both Ways before Crossing the Street!

Every morning to meet my carpool, I have to cross an estimated 17 intersections in a matter of 20 minutes. Now, some times I can just cross because it is one where there is no light and pedestrians have the right of way, or they are small side streets which are usually giving me the green means go. But today I realized that the lights here are so much different than in the US!

Now in the US, usually you have about 20 seconds to walk, and then it starts blinking for you to hurry up, but you still really have an additional 10 seconds to complete your cross, giving you about 30 seconds of cross time. This includes that approximately 5 second gap of time they give you for the Americans who don't feel the need to push themselves and think "Hey, let 'em hit me, I could use the money!" (yes, I may be guilty of this too)

But here, the light for pedestrians and cyclists is green for, yes, a decent period of time. However, then the light starts to blink telling me to put some pep in my step... but before I know it- the light is red and a car is coming at me!!!! These lights only give me a small grace period of about 3 seconds to finish my cross!

Then I noticed that as cars are coming, and their light turns yellow, they do not slow down. Not even when its red. They continue putting the pedal to the metal. And you know what? There is about a 7 second grace period the, for the cars to finish crossing the intersection!

It has completely changed my method of crossing the road as the light turns red... because there have been so many instances where I have almost turned into a Crepe (no pancakes here). It is also kind of funny, it is almost an example of how much Spaniard drivers can not be trusted to obey the law and the pedestrians have to suffer the consequences by longer wait times.

Is this the New Yorker in me speaking? Unfortunately so! I've got places to go!

Castillo de Xátiva

The girls and I ended our wonderful weekend with a trip to Xátiva, Spain. It was a 50 minute train ride on the C-2 train (from Xativa station) and cost us 7.20 euro round trip!

When we got to Xativa on this cool, foggy sunday morning, we quickly learned from the Tourism office that there's nothing much to do on a Sunday afternoon except subir (go up) to the castle... and eat.  So that's precisely what we did.

Addie and I chose the overachiever route of walking up the mountain, and Margaux opted for the touristic train. The walk took us about 45 minutes at a brisk pace.

The views were amazing despite a slight haze. I could have stayed up there for days except for the fact that we would starve because the restaurant wasn't serving food and I learned the hard way not to eat the olives from the trees.

The Castle, as viewed from the watch tower

View of the city of Xativa

Yoga capris in January folks

wall leading up to the castle

Spanish norms of education that to Americans, are not so normal

I have been working in the Spanish Education system for 4 months now; and in these 4 months I've learned a lot more about Spanish culture and Education- more notably, the differences between American culture and education.
The reason these differences jump out at me like a rubia in a sea of morenos is possibly because I've studied education... I have a very pricey piece of paper saying I know my material! Not only have I myself played the part of a student for at least 20 or 21 years, but I have also played teacher- I know what it takes, what is expected, the norms and more! Yes, I still obviously have a lot to learn and I am not a professional, but it does not take a professional to notice these notables:
1) My name in the classroom in America: Ms. Dixon.   My name in the Spanish classroom: Chelsea.  That is right, Spain throws formality out of the window and calls all of the adults in the schools by their first names! We have Vicente (the principal!) Elena, Maria Jose, MariCarmen, Ferran, Susana, etc etc etc.

2) Dress Code. Spaniards say: "what's that and why are you so dressed up?".  In the US as a student teacher, I wore dress pants and nice blouses and shoes EVERYDAY (maybe I would dare to rock jeans on friday... maybe) Here in Spain it is expected that you wear jeans, or leggings, or sundresses, or tank tops, or skirts. And flip flops and sneakers are the normal footwear (and of course fabulous Boots)

3) Classroom management. Now everyone who did NOT major in Education I'm sure remembers in their elementary school having rules and incentives. Rules posted on the walls, jars of marbles, sticker charts, names on blackboards, index cards (red, yellow and green)... I could go on for days!  Except now I'm Spain and the only classroom management plans I can find are in my portfolio (oh and thanks Cortland for deleting that soon)
 But seriously, there is no classroom management, and for the most part in my school, the kids do fine without it! It makes me wonder if I wasted semesters upon semesters formulating lesson plans, classroom management plans, and writing philosophies of education?? Yes, Sometimes kids can be rude and interrupt and they can get rowdy and hard to control, but for the most part, there is no real plan, no "sense of community", no positive/negative reinforcement... nada.... sort of

4) Ok, so there may be some sort of punishment. Here are the two punishments I've seen... Loss of Patí (Recess)... and get this... writing a sentence 100 times. Is this 1950? I have seen students sit in class the whole time and write "No hablaré en la fila" (I will not speak in line) or "Llevaré a la escuela mi cuaderno" (I will bring my notebook to school). 

5) "I don't feel good, can I go to the Nurse?" is a phrase that came out of my mouth a few hand full of times throughout my years. But in Spain, or at least in my school... there is no School Nurse! Sorry kids... you're stuck... until....

6) Break time.  The whole school (minus the teachers who supervise) goes on break from 11 am until 1130 am. At this point in the day, the kids whip out their bocadillos (hero's/subs/hoagies) or large pieces of delicious bread and chow down and play futbol outside.

7) Then from 1130-1230, the kids go back to school. But at 12:30, they're free again! They can go home to eat with their families the big Comida, or some stay at school to eat and play futbol again. They don't come back until 3pm when school resumes until 4:45! (What a long day!)

8) Transportation. All students either walk to school, or are driven-there are no school buses. The parents then stand at the gate and watch their kid until they enter the building and they wave goodbye and blow lots of kisses.  On excurcións (field trips), the school rents big COACH buses to buss the 7 year-olds around- what a life! American kids would pee their pants if they knew!

9)Teacher/Student Contact and interaction- In Spain, it is perfectly acceptable for a teacher to give a student a little tap on the butt (playfully) or for a student to return the action to a teacher (yes, they got me too)... and no one looks twice at it! (except for me!!) I am not used to this- i am used to avoiding hugs from students! Here, if you dont hug a student, or touch someones hand or shoulder or back while talking to them- its almost considered rude!
Students are also very free and nonchalant with their vocabulary. Although I am not fluent and do not know all the "dirty" words in Spanish, I do know some and I'm pretty sure I hear them flying around daily! (of course unpunished!)  The teachers laugh!

What Ive thought about from these differences, is America takes things too seriously. Maybe if we tone down the rules and expectations and social norms, then maybe kids will calm down. Rules were meant to be broken, but if there are no rules, students will have no reason to do wrong, there's no thrill of  the chance getting caught or getting in trouble! And then maybe teachers and students would all be a little happier at school and maybe our education, intelligence and sense of fulfillment will increase.

Morrocan Lessons

After our Nochevieja celebration and somewhat recuperation, my girl Amber and I woke up too early to embark on a new adventure: Fez, Morocco.

View through the beloved "Blue Gate"

Fez is one of the largest cities in Morocco, and one of the oldest. It is also one of the "least touristy" so we've heard, and so we've expereienced. The New York Times calls it "the soul of Morocco"

View of Old Fez. Reminds me of Aladdin. Magic carpet ride anyone?

The New York Times also says: " Fez seems to have stopped marking time several centuries ago (cellphones and occasional soccer jerseys aside). And like the water clock, this mazelike city of minarets, shrouded figures and forgotten passages can seem impossible to decipher — yet tinged with a deep enchantment"

Yes yes yes, NYT, you make it seem so magical, and wonderful; but the truth is that Fez is scary at first with its 9,000 streets filled with donkeys, decapitated camel and goat heads, rug salesman, men saying "hello beautiful, Moroccan men make great sex!"and people trying to squeeze every cent out of your pocket!



Our first hour in Fez was filled with mixed emotions. It entailed excitement to be in AFRICA, then fear of whose jalopy of a cab we should get in, and who we should trust! We had no choice but to trust the first person who offered us a ride. So we hop in, and buckle up (however my seat belt was broken- but Moroccan Lesson #1: some cab drivers prefer you do not put it on- they may even yell at you!)

When we got into old Fez where our Riad was located (Riad is a word for Guesthouse) we payed the taxi driver 100 dirham (Moroccan currency.. .equivalent to 11.6 USD or 9 Euros. He spoke to a 10 year old in Arabic, and told us to follow him. This is when we thought "what did we get ourselves into!?!?" Then we look back, and see our taxi driver RUNNING in the opposite direction looking back with the fear of Allah in his eyes. Luckally, the little 10 year old did not lead us to some torture chamber, and we did find our way to the Riad. Moroccan Lesson #2: you have to pay everyone. Nothing is free, not even directions. So Amber handed the little boy over a nice crispy 1 dollar bill featuring George Washington.

Our host at the Riad, Abdul, happily seated us outside in the garden and served us delicious tea and cookies which calmed our nerves a little, until he handed us a map in French and spoke shattered English to us. Moroccan Lesson #3: English is pretty much useless. Arabic, French, or sign language. Abdul though, he was an angel. He was always serving us tea, water, and even gave us beatiful souvenir plates with our names engraved in them! (we can thank Amber, his "beautiful princess")

Abdul, our amazing Host!

Whiskey tea and cookies

Well if I continue with every detail of the trip, this blog will be entirely too long and boring! So here are some highlights, lessons learned, and photos!

Moroccon Lessons continued:
4) When getting in a Taxi, be sure the driver starts the meter!
5) Things to pack: pepto, tampons and razors
6) Be prepared with some Arabic phrases- they will appreciate it!
7) Real Madrid or Barcelona. There is no in between! 
8) Don't ever settle for the first price offered in the Medina. Hit em with 1/4 of the price, because its actually probably worth less than that.
9) Pretend your from Spain and speak in Spanish
10) Moroccan Whiskey tea does not actually contain Whiskey
11) Just say NO. if not, you will be dragged shop to shop by shop owners family members
12) Try the Pastilla- seriously

caution: contains too much flavor! Chicken, parsley, puff pastry, coated with honey and almonds!

13)There are no rules for sanitation, nor are there garbage pails
14) Put down the fork and knife and get down and dirty with your hands! 
15) Old Fez is stuck in midievel times. New Fez is just like any other city!
16) It is perfectly acceptable to pay a random man with a big car to drive you around for cheaper than a cab
17) It is also acceptable for cab drivers to pick up someone else off the side of the road while driving you to your destination.
18) Moroccan homes are the most beautiful I've ever seen. Take off your shoes before entering!
19) Carry toilet paper with you at all times. You WILL use it.
20) Be Prepared for the unexpected! Anything can happen!

Tanneries, where fur is removed with pigeon poop and the hides are dried and dyed to make leather goods

shoes for sale! thank goodness this woman didnt try and charge me for her photo!

view of the tanneries... hold up mint leaves while there- it helps shield the stench!

brass and copper work

Moroccan Food is my new favorite!

Our tour guides and saviors Mahmoud and Mehdi!!

amber and I on a rooftop bar, probably learning arabic!

Our new best friends in front of the Fez train Station

Highlight of my trip, by far was the dinner at our guide and friend Mahmoud's home. We thought we were going over for Pastilla (photos will follow), but it turned ito a 5 course meal!!! On the menu: Pastilla, Moroccan tapas, turkey with delish Moroccan stuffing,  a roasted lamb covered in potatoes and green beans, followed by a fruit platter, then Moroccan sweeties!

Posing on our friend Zak's beautiful couch. I want a Moroccan Living room!

second course is served!

It got better! After a lovely tour of the Moroccan home, we were invited to sit next to Mahmouds dad on the couch... when all of a sudden his belly started to hurt... and he let out a huge fart! We didntk now what to do so Amber gave him a high five! The gas continued until we realized it was a FART MACHINE! We laughed so hard with our full and happy bellies!

post fart machine prank! still laughing hard!

In conclusion: Although Morocco could be frightening to an outsider, it is an enchanting place filled with inner beauty and amazing people.... just always be prepared ;)

La Nochevieja.... New Years Eve, Madrileña style

So we spent New Years Eve in Madrid trying our best to assimilate to the Madrileño traditions. This included two nights of festivities:

Night one: We gathered at puerta del sol (center of Madrid) around 11:30 (2300) and bought each of ourselves a little baggie of 12 grapes. Then we wondered through the plaza looking for a fun group to stand by. When we found one, we waited for the clock to strike midnight, and then ate our grapes when the Spaniards told us to.

Why are we eating grapes you ask? Well, each grape symbolizes one month of the year. And each grape successfully eaten at the bell signifies a month of good luck and prosperity! (just watch out not to choke on the seeds!)

So after our practice run, the next day was time for the real deal. La Nochevieja is a family holiday. Families usually have a nice big dinner that night. Although we are not lucky enough to have our families with us, we were lucky enough to have each other (so grateful for my girls Addie, Amber and Rosemarie!) So we cooked ourselves up a delicious meal of fish and veggies (and goat cheese stuffed mushrooms as well mmmm)

Next we got on our dancing shoes and headed down to Puerta del sol again, this time, pushing through a few extra thousand people! We waited for about 45 minutes for the bells to strike as we fought off pushy crowds and wondering hands

When the clock struck twelve, it was very hard to know when to start eating because it was so loud in the plaza! But we went for it and quickly chewed one grape after the other, popping them in our mouths like the next year of life depended upon it!

After pushing our way back to the metro, it was time to celebrate. We celebrated in true Madrileña fashion by dancing the night away at a discoteca and leaving when they kicked us out at 7 am. Then we followed it up with chocolote con churros and wondered back to bed around 9am!


So what are some of my propinas (resolutions) for el año nuevo??
1) More exercise (i will no longer count lugging suitcases around airports and different cities as exercise)
2) Try to enjoy Valencia a smidge more
3) Love myself
4) Journal more often
6) Always look for the silver lining
7) Stay calm in stressful situations
8) Make friends wherever I go
9) Give someone a compliment (wholeheartedly) every day
10) Live my life to the fullest