culture: education system

On Friday, I observed an elementary classroom for a day to see how it compared to the American school system. It was such a good day, and the teacher invited me not only to return every Friday that I can, but he also wants me to teach a lesson or two, and gave me three lesson books to choose from.

In only one day, I saw so many cultural differences in the classroom. The most obvious was the school day schedule. They started at 9, just like most elementary schools. But then they had a small "lunch" (which is called media día here) and recess for 20 minutes. They returned and had more lessons until 1, when they had an hour and a half for lunch and recess, and then came back and had more lessons until five, when class was dismissed. 

I personally think that this would be difficult for me as a child, because I was always very tired by the time I got home at 3. But children here are raised to have their days run longer. It is nice that they have so much time to eat and play during the day.

Another difference I noticed was the relationship between teacher and student. The most obvious was that the students all called the teacher, David, by his first name. I really like this. I think that it breaks a barrier so that the teacher is more approachable. In the United States, we see this as a lack of respect, and almost making the professional barrier non-existant between teacher and student. But from what I saw in the classroom, the students had so much respect for this teacher because they felt comfortable with him. I think that this is essential to creating a good learning atmosphere. Another difference I noticed with the teacher-student interaction is that it was acceptable for teachers to have physical contact with the students. I have learned in almost all of my education classes that it is extremely illegal for a teacher in the United States to touch a student. But here, kids were running up to their teachers for a hug, and the teacher would lift them up and twirl them around. Again, I think that this shows how important relationships between the student and teacher are, and that not all physical contact is inappropriate.

Something that was shocking to me was how the students began their day. I came to the classroom at 8:45, class started at 9. No one was there. the lights were off, nothing had been touched. I had seen children coming into school, so I was very confused as to where they could be. I looked out the window and saw that they were all playing outside. But class was starting in 10 minutes! So I waited and waited... and finally I heard them storming down the hallway and they all burst through the doors of the room. I was greeted with lots of "holas" and smiles, but the teacher was still nowhere to be found. The kids were playing, talking, singing, scampering all over the room and I had no idea what to do. So I waited. All of a sudden a song came on over the loudspeaker. Everyone stopped what they were doing and headed to their seats, and by the end of the song everyone was silent. And then the teacher walked in.

I think that this is such an effective way to start the day...that is, if the students were to cooperate. The only thing I can think of for this to actually work is that they have been trained since an even younger age that this is how the mornings work. In the United States, it is rare that a classroom of young children is left unattended, let alone that the children are allowed to go from an unofficial recess to class on their own. I think that if this were to be initiated in the US, it could be a disaster.

In only one day, I saw so many cultural differences in the classroom. I plan on returning, and even teaching. I am looking forward to what else I can absorb from this amazing class.

language: this and that

The other day, my madre and I were looking through the fridge deciding what to eat for dinner. She asked if I wanted a yogurt. We had two types to choose from, so I pointed to the one I wanted and said "yo quiero esto, no eso." (I want this, not that). But she still handed me the one I did not want. Then I realized that to express this, it is done differently in Spanish.

What I should have said, was "eso, no. esto yo quiero" Let's call the yogurt I wanted Dannon, and the yogurt I didn't want Greek. So I originally said "yo quiero Dannon, no Greek," but what my madre understood was "Dannon, no. Greek, si." In spanish, to say "not this", they put "no" after the subject. This can go for many things:

No dogs= perros no

not me= yo no

not here= aquí no

etc. Now that I've figured this out, I will be able to correctly say what I'd like for dinner.

language: death

Last weekend, my "padres" brother passed away. From talking to them, I learned a lot of new vocabulary about funerals and death.

funeral- entierro

cremate- incinerar

tomb- tumba

sympathy- compasión

wake- velatorio

Las Fallas was also this weekend, a celebration with a lot of fireworks. Here are some words I learned from the festival:

fireworks- fuegos artificiales

sparkler- bengala

sunflower seeds- girasol

culture: transportation

At home, I live in a suburb where everyone has a car. Teenagers look forward to their 16th birthdays to get their shiny new vehicle-- and are almost identified by what they drive. I drive my car everwhere. I never take public transportation, and walk simply for the exercise. That is, until I came to Alicante.

   Alicante is a small city, so a major part of the daily grunge is riding hte bus. Every day to get to school, I walk to the bus stop, wait for the blue 24 bus to come roarin down the street and take me on my way. Once on hte bus, forget about personal space. People squeeze in until passengers are literally on top of each other. I always stand instead of sitting, because I have grown up knowing that other people need to sit down more than I do. But in the culture here, it is definitely a "first come, first serve" attitude. I saw a woman, very unsteady, who couldnt have been younger than 85 climb onto the bus. At least three young people were sitting, and watched her look around helplessly for a seat, yeat no one relinquished theirs. She waited until someone got off at the next stop.

Even though busses are greatly utilized here, I have heard that by percentage, Alicante has the most cars in Spain. But unlike our cars in the United States that are washed and waxed and sitting proudly in our driveways, the cars here sport scratches and dents, and may not have been washed in years. Cars parallel park so closely together that they actually touch, and when trying to leave, it is a game of bumper cars. But this is the norm. Here, if the car carries you from point A to point B, it is a good car. No pasa nada. 

Another difference is the abundance of motercycles and how they rule the streets. Tons of people here have them, and I can see why. The weather is usually nice, it is easy to park, and not to mention, being able to weave through traffic like magic. Another thing I have noticed is the variety of people that drive them. In the US, motercycle drivers have a steryotype (men, leather, tattoos, etc) here, those stereotypes don't exist. Men, teenagers and young women drive them, and it is completely normal. 

After using public transportation for 4 months, I can't help but wonder if I will be able to remember how to drive when I come home.

language- parecer

The word "parecer" means "to seem". In daily conversation with my family, I have needed to use this word, and have realized over time that there are many ways to use it. 

The first way it can be used is to describe something as "seems". For example, you can say, "este parece facil" (this seems easy)

Another way to use parecer is with expressive opinion. For example, "vamos a la playa. ¿te parece?" (let's go to the beach. what do you think?)

Parecer can also be used to give an impression. "Parece que fue ayer" (it seems like it was yesterday)

The most recent example of parecer that I have used is to compare people, in which it must be used as a reflexive verb. "el bebé  se parece a su madre" (the baby looks like his mom), or "se parecen mucho" (they are very similar).

language: health

My gastronomy class is learning about health right now. Here are some words that I have acquired:

health- salud/bienestar

work out- hacer ejercicio

vegetables- verduras

thermometer- termómetro

fever- fiebre

anorexia- anorexia

bulimia- bulimia

obese- obeso

overweight- demasiado gordo

underweight-  de peso más bajo que normal

blood test- análysis de sangre

"I don't feel good" - no me encuentro bien.

This can be confusing, because my initial thought was to say "no me siento bien," but that means "my feelings aren't good".

Culture: Work

In Spain, the work system is different from in the United States. The first thing I learned in my culture class here was a set of phrases that described the differences. It is: "En Estados Unidos, se viven para trabajar. En España, nos trabajamos para vivir". This has a very strong, clear meaning. It translates to "In the US, they live to work. We work to live." In the United States, we identify ourselves and take pride in our work. We choose a job according to our interests, but more importantly, based on the salary. In Spain, work does not identify a person. Here, a person can work very hard and perform well, but still not get paid well. According to my professor, the ideal job for a Spaniard is to bea  teacher, because of the hours and vacations. Speaking of chours, the work schedule in Spain is also much different. The day begins at 8 or 9, like the scheudle at home. But the big difference is that Spaniards get a break from 2-4, where they come home to eat lunch with the family, and return to work until 7. It is also very easy for a person in Spain to lose their job. There are currently 4,000,000 unemployed Spaniards in the country. The good news, however, is that becuase it is so common to lose your job, if you are in that position, you receive 60% of what you originally made for two years so that you can find a new job. Opinons of this vary. Of course, it is very fortunate for those who lose their jobs and their families so that they have financial support while going through a tough transition. However, there are some people that argue that this makes Spaniards "lazy," I have even heard someone say that people will get injured on purpose so they have to take a year off, and then they receive their 60% pay to do nothing. I can see how this would be feasable, and it makes me wonder what would happen if this was the case in the United States.

language: sports

Sports are a great conversation topic. Here are some words to keep the conversation going:

fútbol- soccer

gol- goal

futbolista- soccer player

competedor- rival

ganadores- winners

voliplaya- beach vollyball

arbitro- referee

juego sucio- foul

temporada- season

camiseta- jersey

capitán-captain

equipo- team

partido- game/match

Language: movie observations

In one of my classes we have been watching a lot of movies. In the United States, if i have a class that consists of movie watching, I see it as almost a waste of time. But since I am learning the language, it has been extremely helpful to picking up new vocabulary.

From the movie Te Doy Mis Ojos

Orejas- ears

darle perdon- tell them youre sorry

reconocer- recognize

coño- damnit

cucho- shot (drugs)

chiquetes- kiddos

From the movie Volver

un rato- a while

que te pasa- what's wrong?

ya no- not anymore

A lot of these are phrases that aren't of huge importance, ones that haven been big parts of tests. but in conversation i have always wanted to express things like "a while" and "not anymore". Watching movies is a great way to pick up these phrases.

Lanugage: Passive Voice

The passive voice is used to describe things that are impersonal. For example, when describing a restaurant, a person says "they close at 10", referring to "they" because it is impersonal. Also, the passive voice is used wehn asking, "How do you say...?" This is passive voice because they are not literally asking how do YOU say it, but "how is it said" in general. There are two parts to passive voice:

1. Used with Ser

2. Used with Estar

Example:

SER

When using ser, the passive is always plural and the "lo" or "la" agrees with the subject.

-los coches los fabrican.     

Fabrican will be plural no matter what, and the "los" agrees with "coches"

- Ese tipo lo venden.

Again, the verb is always plural, and the "lo" agrees with the subject.

Another way to construct passive voice is with the use of SE

Example: 

-las puertas se cierran por la mañana.

unlike using lo/la, the subject will always agree with the verb.

se vende, se dice, se usa....

culture: going out to eat

Similar to Americans, Spaniards like to go out to eat. Like everything else though, there are a few noticeable differences. Let me take you through a normal dining experience in Spain. Upon arrival, one rarely is seated by a hostess. it is very common to find a seat outside and wait for someone to take your order. The waitors are pretty casual. While eating, its common to order a beer, no matter what time it is. Meals, especially with a group, can last a long time--up to three hours! People just keep ordering new courses and drinks. The waitor never checks int o see how you are doing or how the food is. If you want something, you have to wave them down or call for them. This goes for the bill, too. I learned this the hard way. If you're ready to go, you have to give the waiter a head's up, or else you'll be sitting htere for a while. When you do get the bill, don't expect spearate checks. And if all you have is a credit card, you're in trouble. In Spain it is custom to split the bill equally among diners, no matter who ate or drank waht. If i got a salad, for example, and you got chicken and wine, we would pay the same. Because to spaniards, they eat together to be together. Money doesn't matter. (I am quoting my gastronomy professor on this). 

The last major differnece is that in Spain, it is not custom to tip. People dont tip waiters, cab drivers, hair stylists, nothing. It makes me wonder how much money I have spent in my life on tips, but at the same time I feel bad that these people don't get a little extra money for their hard work.

Dining out in Spain is definitely different than in the United States. Sometimes I like it though, because it is more casual and comfortable.