The Daily Grind

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been teaching my little ones some basic weather vocabulary. Through coloring, songs, and games, Lucia, Paloma, Marcos and Aitor all have a general idea of how to say “It’s sunny,” “It’s raining,” It’s snowing,” and “It’s windy” in English. Luckily, or unluckily, the kiddies have had first hand experience with all types of atmospheric phenomenon this winter. Ha llegado el frío a Madrid de nuevo. Just when it looked like Spring was arriving on the early side, the cold returned to Madrid with plunging temperatures, snow, and painfully chilly winds. In contrast with the fickle weather, my winter experience has evolved into a slow and steady rhythm, a well-known beat as familiar to me now as the streets of my Madrid barrio.

While I admit that I’ve had quite a number of adventures over the past year and a half (and for each one, I am very grateful for that experience), my daily life really isn’t that exotic or even exciting. The “daily grind” has become the norm, now more than ever before. A typical work day goes like this…

-I get up around 7:45 and get ready for school, arriving slightly before or slightly after Victor (5^th grade teacher).

-I “teach” English or Science to 5^th and 3^rd graders for a few hours. My level of involvement in the teaching depends on the class, kids, and teacher with whom I work. Some days are better than others…

-For the two hour lunch break, I either go home to eat and to lesson plan or I go to the pool and scarf down a sandwich before class begins again.

-I return to school around 2:30 and help kids/teachers with their English for another 1.5 hours.

-I start my private classes immediately after school… typically, I have three a day. They are all quite enjoyable and are all going pretty well.

-I usually get home around 8; I have some dinner, make lesson plans for the next day, and connect with friends and family as much as possible.

-I go to bed and before I know it, another day has come!

Like I said, not very exciting. In fact, I have become quite preoccupied with my joys and frustrations of working in Madrid. Sometimes I think being a teaching assistant is more difficult than being an actual full-time teacher! Despite the limitations, I am continuing to learn how to be a teacher, by watching what things to do and what things not to do. For example, I’ve learned that it is a bad idea to not know which science chapter you’re teaching your kids and to make up an exam on the spot. I’ve also learned that bringing in the heart, trachea, and lungs of a lamb is a great way to help illustrate the respiratory and circulatory system to your kids. I still haven’t decided if letting them touch was a good move or not. I don’t know if those kids used soap when I sent them to the bathroom.

Weekends in Madrid have been pleasant, moving at a slower and relaxed pace. Ida has visited twice since Christmas break, and we’ve gone out dancing at “our spot,” Sol y Sombra. Other nights I chose to stay in, watch a movie, hang out with friends, or cook. On one occasion, Elaine and I invited some girls over for dinner, and I made chipotle chicken chili, which turned out to be almost too spicy for everyone except SK and me… Ida couldn’t even eat it, poor thing.



Two weekends ago, Sarah Tilley, a fellow American who’s living and teaching in Bilbao this year, came to Madrid and stayed with me. That weekend also happened to be Elaine’s 26^th birthday. A small crowd gathered at our favorite restaurant, La Soberbia, for dinner; we stopped by another favorite bar before hitting up the dance floor of Sol y Sombra. (Where else would we go?) Because of Elaine, I’ve met a number of new people, mostly who are from the UK but others from Brazil, Italy, and elsewhere around the world.

My Sundays in Madrid have been spent attending church or playing volleyball or doing both! It’s always a pleasure to go to the Community Church of Madrid, and I leave each service feeling refreshed and energized. I’m really enjoying playing volleyball. Not only is it fun to keep up with my favorite sport, but I’ve also made good friends with several of my teammates, hanging out with them off the court too.

This past weekend was interesting. All around the world, people are celebrating Carnival with brightly colored displays of outrageous costumes, floats, and music. Spain definitely gets into Carnival; yet, unfortunately for me, the city of Madrid is not the leader of the Carnival fiestas. I went to Saturday’s parade with some friends, and we were a bit disappointed by the lack of big floats and exciting displays. But who am I to complain? It was still a treat to see people walking around on stilts or dressed up like strange creatures from Tim Burton’s imagination.

Just prior to the Carnival craziness, SK & I took refuge in Alcalá de Henares for the afternoon, enjoying free tapas and a peaceful setting. Thanks to Shenning living here and showing us the ropes last year, we were quite familiar with the best places in town to get some complimentary food with a drink order… including a slice of pizza!

It is strange how the days are really long (and it’s staying lighter longer) but the weeks are flying by. I am counting down to March for several reasons. Hopefully, March will kick winter out of the Iberian Peninsula and bring the beautiful promise of spring. Justin arrives the first weekend of March, and I’m anxiously awaiting his visit. We’re going to spend his second weekend in the Canary Islands (his Christmas present from me). Additionally, March is the month I begin my Semana Santa travels… and Sarah and I have got quite the lineup!

But for now, it’s back to the grind. And I’m ok with that.