On My Home Turf

Late September I got a call from a woman at the city hall informing me that somebody had asked her for my number to offer me a job teaching.  She hadn't felt comfortable handing out my number to a stranger so she passed the woman's contact on to me saying that she had warned her that I was already working and the woman had insisted that this was a very low time commitment and to please have me get in touch...  As usual, the number sat around on my kitchen table for at least a week before I called.

I was in no hurry.  I have a job and I'm quite happy there.  I didn't really see any reason to call, except that the kind lady at city hall had gone out of her way for me, and I appreciated that she didn't just give out my number.  When I called, I discovered that this is a contracting company that hires English teachers in different towns and cities.  They had been hired by the parent-teacher association of La Roda to put together classes (mainly for primary students) here in town.  They wanted a native speaker who was available once a week for a maximum of five hours of teaching.  I would be given a full contract and paid quite well by the hour.  I told her I'd think about it and get back to her.

After discussing with Angelines, we decided that this was a great opportunity to supplement income with very little extra stress.  I wouldn't have to travel to classes.  I could teach Thursday afternoons, which is a day I usually only work in the morning and a day that's pretty slow at the bar.  Angelines could just open a bit later, and then take Emily with her to the bar for a few hours until I was finished.  It seemed like an ideal opportunity, so I didn't take but a day to get back to the woman and accept the position.

Yesterday was my first day of classes.  In the weeks and hours leading up to the start of these new classes I have many time wondered if this was the right choice to make. I have a tendency to say "yes" too easily to these kinds of things and then suffer from burn-out.  More stress is the last thing our household needs--it can be trying just to juggle the schedule that we have worked out and still satisfy Emily's needs and our needs for some family time together.  Over the phone I was assured again and again that this would be a very low time commitment.  I would be given all the materials, books, etc. that I needed, and my classes were to be more conversation/game focused rather than too grammar heavy. By this time I have quite a stock of games and materials of my own, so I decided it was a safe bet; but even so, I was wondering in the back of my mind if these classes wouldn't end up being a mistake.

As four o'clock Thursday afternoon rolled around, I reminded myself that we needed the money, and that it was only a contract through May, then I gritted my teeth and headed out with my bike to cross town with my laptop slung over my shoulder.  No more did I step through the door, than I was greeted with hugs and kisses by children and parents alike.  I would say except for the oldest group of students (14-15 yrs), 90% of each class is made up of my previous students.  I felt immediately at ease with them.

When I originally accepted the job last year at the academy outside town, I had been very sad to say goodbye to the children here.  Many of my older students had been with me since they had been in preschool.  All of them had been loyal students year after year.  In such a small town, it's unavoidable to grow quite fond of one's students.  As is always the case, there were some children who were more trying or who often misbehaved and disturbed class, but even they were sweet and admiring when I'd see them on the street over a weekend.  Although I have been repeatedly thankful for the job I have in Estepa, it is true that I often think about and miss my students here.  And when I first took that job, I couldn't help feeling a bit like I had betrayed them.  It was quite redeeming and a very beautiful thing to see that the affection I feel for my students here in La Roda is mutual. 

My five hours of classes went by relatively quickly.  Of course, these first classes were a bit difficult just because we have no books yet, nor had we had a chance to previously scope out the facilities to know what would be needed to give, good quality classes.  One of the women who hired me (the one who convinced me over the phone to take the job) stayed and observed my first two classes and then approached me during a short break to give me a run down of all the things she thought would be useful for me to have for future classes, and ask me if there was anything else I could think of (!).  I was very pleasently surprised to feel so supported from the very first day and we've arranged to get a projector and speakers to hook up to my laptop, plus some crayons and basic materials for the children to use.

When I locked up at 9:10pm, I had a warm fuzzy feeling in my heart and a smile on my face despite the fact that I was quite tired after my first ten-hour day. :)  I rode my bike to the bar, hopped in the car and drove off to my sister-in-law's to pick up my baby who was contentedly reading on the couch with her auntie when I arrived.  In the end, I think this may just be a great experience.

The Rain

Wednesday it rained.

Emily was shocked.  I am sure that she doesn't remember rain.  She was thrilled when I showed her how to open her hands, palms up to the sky, to catch the drops.  Though the weather lost all enchantment when we told her she couldn't ride her bike because it was raining!  Some rainboots and a raincoat are in order for her so we can let her run around without worrying that she'll get soaked.  Of course, for all it rains here, she'll very possibly only be able to use them once or twice all winter!

We were in desperate need of the rain, and although this little storm was welcome, we really need a whole lot more before anyone with olive crops can breathe easily.  The drought has been intense.  This time of year is when they harvest the still green olives for table olives... but this year many farmers are leaving them on the trees and waiting for them to rippen in hopes of getting more money for the deep purple, oil-destined olives.  If we don't get more rain, I'm affraid some will choose not to harvest at all.

The cloudy sky and fog shrouded hills around La Roda were a sight for sore eyes.  The sun's heat and intensity seems only to increase at the end of such a long summer when the calendar reads October and all you want is to need a sweatshirt and long pants, or an extra blanket on your bed.  Instead we are still scrambling to find shade as we walk along the streets in flip-flops, tank tops and shorts.  It seems like a cruel joke to feel the need to wear SPF 50 sunscreen to go for a morning walk in mid-October!  But so is life in Southern Spain.

I don't think any of my friends or family in the Pacific Northwest can truly appreciate the rain and clouds the way I now can.  Yesterday was intermittenly overcast, but without much precipitation.  The air was crisp and cleaner than it's been in months--all the summer dust hanging in the air was washed away.  The trees were a new green, rinsed of their coating of dirt.  Everything seemed to sparkle in the sunlight that slipped out from behind impressive storm clouds.  And the smell after the first rain is always the best.  The world smells fresh, vibrant, clean.  I found myself near hyperventilation for the huge, deep breaths I couldn't resist taking in through my nose.  Indeed, it was sensory overload.

I am so grateful.  And also so contented to be snuggled in a sweatshirt as I type this.  Happy Fall, y'all!!

A Baking Day

The weather has cooled to a chilly 80º and so I thought it was safe to do some baking today.  In the heat of summer the last thing anyone wants to do is turn on the oven!  Chocolate chip cookies were in order.  It's been ages since I made a batch.  I made up the dough while Emily was sleeping, but she helped me put the spoonfuls of dough onto the sheet for baking. 

Although I am a huge fan of cookie dough... I am reluctant to let my daughter eat it.  Memories of my childhood best friend's father singing "Sal-mo-ne-la, Sal-mo-ne-la" to Händels halleluja chorus, come to mind. ;)  Of course, Em inevitably did suck a little bit, but when I told her not to eat it, she contented her self with kissing the dough ball saying, "Love you, cookie!"

Now we're munching cookies and sipping milk.  It's beginning to feel a bit more like October around these parts.