Celebrity Status (Or how I came to know half of Linares)

The other day, one of my private lesson students, Gema, exclaimed to me, "Dahlia, you know everybody in Linares!" Apparently she had spoken to four or five people that week who knew me. I laughed it off. That same night, I was walking to the gym in an outfit that basically said I really hope I don't see anyone I know (gym clothes, neon running shoes, trench boat buttoned all the way up, scarf wrapped tightly around my face) when two of my kindergarten students called out Teacher Dahliaaa and introduced me to their parents. Then, while doing my weight class, I looked behind me and saw one of my high school students waving to me from a treadmill. At the end of the class, I was talking to an acquaintance (incidentally, he had approached me several weeks earlier and asked what my name was because he'd heard that Andrés's friend Dahlia often went to classes at the gym) when Gema herself walked in. At that moment, I started to believe her.

If there's one thing I've learned about living in a small town, it's that everybody you meet somehow knows somebody you know. And you know what? I love it! While Madrid remains one of my favourite cities, I couldn't help but feel some nostalgia for slower-paced, friendly Linares as madrileños piled into the subway and moved at a decidedly quicker pace in the streets. Probably the aspect of this year in Spain that I will miss the most is the people I've been fortunate enough to meet. Linarenses are incredibly warm people. When I first arrived, I was overwhelmed by how welcoming everybody was, offering to help me with anything I need and inviting me to come for a meal and meet their families. It's amazing how many people here are determined to learn and master English. It's been very rewarding to help in my small way through conversation classes—not to mention I've learned a great deal about Spain, its culture and its language as a result! My schedule has become so packed with private lessons that I've actually had to start turning people away or else squeeze them in in my few huecos (little spaces/time slots). And to think that before coming to Spain I was worried about having too much time on my hands! (My real job here is only 12 hours a week.)

So, awkward though it may be to be doing weights alongside my students, I feel quite content with my situation here and am trying my best not to let time pass me by too quickly. It looks like I'll be back to school next year, so I am especially determined to make the most of this less stressful lifestyle!

Well, that's all for now. 'Ta luego!

Madrid and Cádiz

The more I see of Spain, the more I am falling in love with it. My trips to Madrid and Cádiz were amazing and very busy, so I will try not to ramble on too much here!

Three weeks ago, I spent the weekend in Madrid with Elena, Andrés and their friends. It was a great weekend! Despite being mid-February, we were lucky enough to have 15–20 degree weather both days. Andrés was in a course all weekend, but the rest of us were in full tourist mode and visited everything: Puerta del Sol, Plaza de España, Plaza de Cibeles, Parque del Retiro, Gran Vía… needless to say, we were exhausted once we got back to the hotel! As promised by everybody I spoke to leading up to the trip, estaba flipando (an expression meaning I was enchanted/overwhelmed/in love with the city). Madrid is up there with Paris for me in terms of its charm: it’s a perfect mix of gorgeous, old architecture; beautiful green spaces; good food; and amazing shopping. Overall, un lugar con encanto (it has a certain charm). We were also lucky to be in Madrid during the Carnaval. The streets were packed with people, and on Saturday night there was a parade. Unfortunately we couldn't see much because of all the people, but it was a fun atmosphere nonetheless. I did come to appreciate the relaxed, small-town feel of Linares, though, as I was pushed on the metro and had to dodge crowds of people in the streets!

Last weekend was a puente (four-day weekend) for teachers in Andalusia, so my fellow language assistant friends and I took advantage and spent four days in Cádiz. What a gorgeous province! Between its spectacular white sand beaches, blue skies, warm sun, two beautiful castles, cobblestone streets, and cute shopping district, the city of Cádiz stole our hearts. We found ourselves staring longingly at every bilingual school we came across, thinking “if only…” However, we realized that all the comments we’d heard from linarenses about how Linares has good, inexpensive food were by no means unfounded: we were shocked at how pricey going out was considering that tapas, unlike Linares, were not free and at times were not as good as Linares either. Unfortunately, I couldn’t try Cádiz’s famous pescado frito (fried fish) because it was breaded, but Levi and Gabe assured me that it was delicious. We had great weather all weekend, and I was even able to dip my feet in the Atlantic! A stark contrast with the weather back home for sure. We also visited two other cities in the province of Cádiz called Jerez de la Frontera and El Puerto de Santa María. Both were very nice cities and are known for their sherry. ("Sherry" is actually the translation of "Jerez.") Levi, Gabe and I did a sherry wine tasting in Jerez, which consisted of the five different types of sherry ranging from Fino (the driest) to Pedro Ximenez (the sweetest). Levi was not a fan at all, Gabe liked two types and I liked them all. Luckily we decided to order a plate of cheese with the sherry because it was quite strong, and even with some food in our stomachs we felt it go to our heads when we stood up. We were only in each city about four hours, but we managed to see the gorgeous Alcázar (Moorish castle) and massive cathedral in Jerez and the medieval castle in El Puerto de Santa Maria, as well as wander around both cities a bit. Levi, Shannon and Gabe had to return to Linares early Monday morning, but I decided to stay in Cádiz city until the afternoon. I had a relaxing morning just callejeando (wandering down small streets), doing a bit of shopping and walking barefoot along the beach.

Bueno, I think I've rambled enough for now! ‘Ta luego!