Primeros Días en el Colegio.

Finally Internet!

So here I am at the end of day three of school and so far so good. First day was more of an induction. I met my mentor teacher at the front of school and she took me off on the grand tour! First stop the staff room: pretty small with desks and computers and a few teachers working away during their free periods. Next stop – the head masters office: two kisses (how European!) and Bienvenido! Then onto el departamento del Inglés – English Department. A pretty small long room with shelves either side full of text books, cd players, the usual! There I met most of the department. As well as Nieves there is Lourdes who studied for a year at John Moores and therefore loves Liverpool. Her job was to organise worksheets for a couple of Beatles songs to play in my first week of lessons in which I have been introducing myself to the different classes. I also met Carmen and Teresa, was given my timetables (I have a different timetable every other week so that as many classes as possible can make the most of me!) and also asked by a couple of teachers whether I would like to give private classes to their children and children’s friends (more money!!). After that Nieves took me around the school to show me where all the buildings are, there are four named A B C and D so I shouldn’t get too lost! By that point it was breaktime – the time of day when Spanish teachers escape to the nearest café for coffees! And then I received my 1st task – Find them an English School to do an exchange with!

So that was day one at school. On day two my classes began. I had 3 classes of primer bachillerato – year 12. The first class was with Lourdes so it was great to start with someone else who was enthusiastic and knew a lot about Liverpool. I spoke about the city, they asked questions, we showed some pictures and then listened to two songs – Penny Lane by the Beatles and Woman by John Lennon. Although this class were really noisy it was great because they were asking and answering questions. The second class were a lot more difficult. We did the same activities but there were two pupils who spoke really good English and the others therefore didn’t want to participate (apart from the cheers I got when answering that Barca was my favourite Spanish football team). At the end one of these two pupils came over to me and chatted to me – I had mentioned about studying in Germany and she told me she was half German so if I ever needed any help with German then I could ask her. She also said the other girl who was talking a lot was half English – that explained everything! My final class was the perfect balance – not to loud but willing to participate. Their teacher is Pepe who is head of English and he is so enthusiastic as well! He was just as excited as the pupils (if not more!) to hear things about Liverpool! In between classes I met another member of the English department. Mabel, who can’t be much older than me, works part time teaching English in school.

Day three was today – and my first 8.30 start! I began with year 11 – year 11 at 8.30 was so difficult! They were all very reluctant to speak so I did most of the talking! After this lesson I went off with Nieves to open a bank account and register with the doctor (doctors were no help – we have to go back later in the week!) and then we came back to school where I sent off relevant details to the ministry of education in Madrid. Time for coffee break again (and because we had a free we beat the rush) and I had the chance to meet a few more teachers whose names and subjects I can’t really remember but whose faces I can! Nieves had to go off to prepare an exam for one of her classes so I was left with all these teachers chatting away in Spanish about things teachers talk about! One of them was really keen to get to know me – shes a music teacher who has to teach music in French but wants to learn English! The school has a bilingual program for both French and English whereby each year group has a small class who do extra classes in English/French as well as certain subjects in the foreign language. Anyway this teacher was telling me that she is about to start basic English conversation classes at the language school in Huesca, and in February after she has finished lots of the things she has to do this time, she wants to do private classes with me – another one to add to the ever growing list! After that I had another year 11 class who were a bit more talkative than the last one and took it upon themselves to recommend bars to me in Huesca (in English of course), a free period spent chatting in English to 3 of the English teachers, and finally the best class so far – the year 10 bilingual program English class – 11 pupils. This class have Nieves as their teacher, so as we walked to the class where they were waiting outside most of them realised straight away who I must be and started firing questions at me, whats your name, where are you from etc. when we got into class and did the same activities as with the other class they all sat and listened “in awe” as Nieves put it, whilst I told them about Liverpool, gasps as I said I live near Penny Lane and Strawberry Fields, and laughter when I told my ongoing joke about how English people associate two things with Spain – Fiesta and Siesta! When the chance came to ask questions they were firing away. When I said I was only twenty the girls all became my new best friends, when I said I hardly knew anyone in Huesca they offered to take me out. I also have my token favourite pupil in each class – the one boy who knows that Everton is the other team in Liverpool (and the best as I keep telling them) and who manages to name our one Spanish player (I have so far told every class that there’s nobody better than Mikel Arteta he’s the best little Spaniard we know). And we finished this lesson with a mass rendition of Penny Lane. As I left school two of the girl were stood by the school gates and shouted Bye Siobhan! So if all else fails I have a bunch of year 10 girls willing to befriend me.

So that was school, in between time I have wandered through Huesca in hope of finding decent shops (Bershka, Mango and Stradivarius.. that’s it!), met my other flatmate who’s nice – and is exactly as described to me by the one I had already met… what an odd bunch we are! Met a friend of my flatmate who wants me to give a private class to her son, watched Spanish TV attempting to understand at least half, watched the Bodyguard in Spanish, and I think that’s about it!
Hasta Pronto!
x

To be more Spanish I must:
Get used to this whole eating lunch at 3pm and dinner at 9.30pm thing!
Drink more coffee and still be able to sleep.
Find things to say other than Si Vale all the time!