Spring is in the air

It's hard to be depressed when it's ridiculously beautiful outside. Since I've been kind of--natch, mostly--down on myself as well as my time thus far in Spain, I thought I'd do a complete 360 and attempt to cheer up a bit by presenting my scant readers a list of some of my personal Madrid favorites:

* Terrazas -- With the good weather about, all the gastronomic establishments are busting out the outdoor seating. Gaudeamus in Lavapies is a perennial favorite, but unfortunately, they only open up in the afternoon on weekdays, at 8 on Saturdays, and are--gasp!--closed on Sundays. On weekends, I like any of the places giving out to the Plaza de Olavide.

* Los Alpes -- Because this ice cream shop can make any flavor into a very delicious shake for 3,20EUR, and because I can walk to it, and because it's not yet packed with the summer crowd.

* Panta Rhei -- My preferred design bookshop in all of Madrid. The owners/employees are nice, help you when you need it, and otherwise leave you alone to peruse the excellent selection. Sure, it's all expensive, but it's a great place for inspiration.

* CD Drome -- Caters to (most of) my music needs. Again, browse for hours! And if I can't find it, there's that behemoth in Callao.

* Mingote -- I've personally never seen the illustrious illustrator's work on paper, but its city-wide presence never fails to elsmile. Find the drawings on the facade of a building on Duque de Osuna, behind the staircase near Plaza de España, on C/Sal in Las Austrias, and in the Retiro metro station platforms.

* Centros culturales - A great and cheap way to get your kicks in your own neighborhood. In April, for example, my local center will be offering a slew of conferences, concerts, a few exhibits, and even a weekend guided hike in Cuenca.


More to come when I think of it.

C'est la vie

After work today, I headed to the airport to file a claim for a lost item through Air Europa. I went against my own will, let's say, and only because I had been given the telephone run around the previous night, passed on to one office from another. I must've asked for Lost and Found a million times, and was constantly referred to Luggage Services, who kept passing me to a different office.

Afterwards I tried to see if I couldn't send a message by email. Even if it took weeks for a reply, at least I would have proof of an attempt at reconciliation. And, of course, something was wrong with either both of my browsers (Firefox and IE) or something was wrong with the website, and of course, there was no other way to send an email besides filling out a form.

Exasperated, I once called the general customer service number and tried to explain my situation (calmly, because the loss is my fault.)

The very patient woman on the other line recommended that I call the various numbers that I'd already dialed, and to make my way to Barajas to file a reclamación in person. So, off I went, asked one of three representatives at the service desk. Of course, she had to direct me to the adjacent office...that was closed. I hightailed it to the metro and sulked all the way home.

Sure, there were a lot of unfortunate though overall insignificant occurrences during what was supposed to be a relaxing week and a half off. I became upset, but quickly got over it and "dealt."

Losing my camera is another matter.

All the little things kept piling up, and this was just the icing on the cake. I've not yet given up on retrieving the camera, although I keep trying to convince myself that it's "just" a camera, that I've done without one before, that it's one among many items that I can do without, but that's not the point. For the lone, introverted traveler like myself, the camera (much like my journal) is an important tool for documentation. For memory.

I don't necessarily want to boast about where I've been, or what I've seen; I just want to remember.

It may be foolish to hope for its reappearance, magically or not. The friend I visited during this trip jokingly referred to karma, and despite being the skeptic that I am, I wonder if she may not be right. If luck has anything to do it with it, then mine's definitely been skewed.



(Image: From a mousepad available here)

Collective nouns

Semana Santa can't come any sooner. You can tell that everyone--from the staff to the children--are ready for a break. I don't doubt that there's some sort of sordid telenovela-ish tale going on at about every school, as there's definitely been a fair share of intrigue at mine. And everyone is painfully aware that, unfortunately, no drama is complete without preconceived notions, miscommunication, and outright exaggerations. An "us" against "them," and lately, "me" against "you" mentality that's slowly festering the halls.

P, one of the women who's doing her practicas at my school, asked me if some of the assistants had been making fun of one of the teachers during the morning break. Nervous, I chuckled lightly, and tried to explain that the laughter had a "background story," that it was all in "good fun," and that, actually, we were also laughing at one of our fellow assistants. Somehow, this led P to remark that for the most part, we assistants (at my school, anyway) keep to ourselves, occupying one corner of the humonguous staff table like a knight occupying a chessboard, speaking in our rapid English and not bothering to commiserate with the rest of the staff.

I nodded in agreement. Everything she outlined was spot on. I offered that some of us perhaps felt too awkward, too intimidated to speak in Spanish, or that there were maybe cultural or--more likely--generational differences, as only three teachers are under 30. I was aware that P didn't mean to be on the attack. She was just stating the obvious. The more I reasoned, however, the more it seemed like I was making excuses for our proclivity for comfort, for the familiar. So, I let "slip" that there also seemed to be, or at least, there had been, some unresolved "issues" between teachers, and between teachers and their assistants.

I left it at that because I've been pretty much oblivious to the hostilities. I work with the program coordinator, with two groups of second-years, and from what I can tell, we're getting along fine. There's no scandal, so to speak, no heinous crime committed. So, the only time I am brought back "in the loop," is when one assistant confides in another and I just happen to be in the same room. By dint of recording events, however vaguely, I am indeed involved. Because I'm in the same room half-listening to this would-be intimate conversation I'm involved. And because I'm also an assistant, also a foreigner in self-exile, I'm sometimes roped into agreeing, as an act of solidarity. "Us" against "them," "me" against "you."

Truth is, nobody knows the whole truth, just fragments. She said, he said, they said, but that's not what I heard!

Exhausting, but kind of unavoidable. I wanted to explain, not apologize. I wanted to share with P that the laughter was more complicated than a mere jab, that it wasn't about that specific teacher, or any of the staff, really. More about "us," than "them," whoever we may be.



(Image: Learning Page)

RV: Mensaje sobre renovaciones

De: LLANEZA VILLANUEVA, JOSE AURELIO
Enviado el: lunes, 03 de marzo de 2008 11:08
Para: FERRER ALVAREZ, SALVADOR
Asunto: Mensaje sobre renovaciones


Mensaje importante para todos los auxiliares que quieren quedarse un segundo año:


Para la renovación, hay ciertos documentos que tendréis que aportar. Os rogamos que, si es posible, los llevéis a la reunión del día 7. Si no los podéis conseguir todos antes del viernes, por favor llevad todos los que podáis. Si estáis interesados en quedaros otro año pero no podéis ir a la reunión, puede ir otra persona en vuestro nombre y llevar la documentación. A continuación tenéis una lista de los documentos que debéis llevar a la reunión:

* Curríclum Vitae e instancia con la solicitud de participación en el programa de auxiliares de conversación. Tenéis que ir a la página web:
https://segucert.mec.es/profex/jsp/login/login.do?identificadoEnLaAplicacion=no. Después de registraros en el sistema, tenéis que completar vuestro C.V. e imprimirlo. La copia impresa de este C.V. es el primer documento que tenéis que aportar para la renovación. También tenéis que completar e imprimir la instancia de solicitud de participación en el programa de auxiliares de conversación que también encontraréis en esta página web. En esta instancia debéis especificar que se trata de una renovación de la Comunidad de Madrid.

* Copia de la tarjeta de residencia en vigor

* Copia del pasaporte

* Carta de aproximadamente 300 palabras en las que expliquéis las razones por las que os gustaría quedaros un año mas.

Aceptaremos las solicitudes de todos los que quieran renovar siempre que el director o directora del colegio estén de acuerdo. Después de saber los nombres de los que queréis continuar, hablaremos con vuestros directores para preguntarles si apoyan la renovación.


Un cordial saludo,

J.Aurelio Llaneza
Asesor Técnico Docente
Consejería de Educación, COMUNIDAD DE MADRID

Thank you, global warming!

Spring seems to have sprung prematurely, and as foul a mood as I have been in lately, it hasn't take long to desist. Indeed, I often feel guilty if I dare to do nothing, overcome with the concept of "wasting time." Why have I not yet been to Sevilla? Gijón? Cuenca? Or El Escorial, for that matter?! It seems as though half my decisions are predicated on the fact that my time here is limited, but let's face it: I'm a homebody, wherever I am. Especially now that I've found more habitable digs, I prefer to stay in within the confines of my temporary home.

On the other hand, I do believe that I've opened myself to a lot more in my short time here than I have stateside. For instance, I walk a lot, and often. This may not be much of a big deal, but after years of living in a car culture, walking a little under two miles "just" to get bagels is actually a welcome respite. Sometimes I'll check out exhibits or live shows or simply sit in a favorite coffeeshop and read. Such trivialities, perhaps, though for me requires a lot of effort.

As far as making friends goes, I admit that I'm still quite cautious, and don't like to "bond by default," due to shared nationality or cultural interests, for example. On most days, I would prefer to hang out with dogs. Folks here may say that no se relaciona bien con gente but I've definitely tried my hand at being more sociable, precisely because I don't have the "support network" that is my family and friends. In steps, of course.

Don't worry; I'm not so insular as to think that loneliness is a condition unique to me. I'm also aware that complaints are null if I don't try to reach out to others.

So, what solution(s) would I propose, then?

I'll take it in strides, I guess. I'll continue to do as I do, and if someone wants to join me for a shake at Los Alpes, all the better.