So I've been here just shy of two weeks and I have to say I couldn't be more happy with my decision. There are things I miss and one person in particular, but I make sure to keep in contact as often as possible.

Finding my way in Ubrique.

So it's a pretty small town, but it's very beautiful here and now that it's finally stopped raining the weather has been fantastic. Finding an apartment and getting settled in, was interesting to say the least. I met another launguage auxiliar Phillipa from the UK and she's just awesome in every way. We found a great apartment on the main avenue right in the middle of town which is big even by American standards. 3 bedrooms, 2 bath, kitchen, living/dinning room etc. AND IT HAS ORANGE COUCHES!!! Though getting used to a Spanish apartment hasn't been my easiest experience.

Let me introduce you to a bit of Spanish life. This is a bombona tank. 30% butane 70% propane. In many places (like my apartment) This is what heats your water, and runs your stove. Well, both of ours (water and stove) were empty the day we moved in. 

 The realtor who helped us find the place has more than earned his commission at this point. We couldn't find the magic switch to turn on the water, so he came over and did it for us, at which point we discovered that we didn't have any fuel. He calls a buddy and in ten minutes we have two fresh tanks. ONLY THEN did we find out that the pilot light for the hot water heater doesn't work. A few hours later our good friend Mr. Realtor (Manolo) shows up with a buddy and VOILA fixes it.

All of this in the first night of being in our apartment! But thankfully we both rolled with the punches and finally had hot showers at the end of the night.

Hasta Luego!

So it was awfully hard saying goodbye to my family and especially hard walking away from Josh to go through the security terminal but after much crying and goodbyes, I've arrived in ESPANA!!!! I really have forgotten how much I love it here which is hard to believe since I already loved it a whole lot haha.

The trip was exhausting as always but THANKFULLY for once I didn't miss a single connecting flight, or have any late departures etc. The food was a very tiny portion but not what I expected for airline food.

 I was pretty shocked by that, because as far as I remember I think it might be the first time. I was able to move seats on my 8 hour flight across the big pond so I stretched out over two seats, even though I did have to this creepy man talk for hours! He was nice enough but I'm pretty sure he does mail order bride type online dating. Told me about how he dates these easturn European women trying to find a wife... lol The flight we were on he was flying to somewhere in Russia I think to go on a date with a woman he met A MONTH AGO!!! (jaja  = haha in spain) The best part about the trip being that when I arrived in Seville all of my luggage was waiting there for me!

Anyways, in my first few days here I got a lot accomplished. I arrived in Seville about 10:30 am and picked up my rental and had a relatively short and pleasant ride to my town in Ubrique despite the rain. But much like a friend of mine experienced in Greece earlier this year... my little 4 cylindar Nissan was NOT mean to climb hills and since my town is in the valley between two smallish mountains, it wasn't my most pleasant driving experience.

This is the view of the beauty around my town looking out from the balcony of my hotel room. 

I was gladly able to spend my first weekend relaxing with my godparents at their country house which was only about 2 hours away. Unfortunately I left my favorite flip flops in my rental and they overcharged me but all's well that ends well. 

 Observations about Spain for today:

- Children are still dressed to the nines. Little boys look like stately old men with their cardigans and clean clothes haha.

- Lemona fanta is still as delicious as ever. AND CHEAP!

Receiving my placement and feeling like I'm starting to climb Everest.

Here's a quick rundown on how I applied and was accepted into this oh so amazing program. It actually has absolutely nothing to do with merit, training, or experience. As a matter of fact it BARELY has anything to do with education, except for the fact that you have to have a degree, but that can be in any subject so long as you have that oh so important Diploma! lol Basically the day they open the application period, you create an account which require a bit of info and hit submit hoping you have a low application or "inscrita" number. AKA the lower your number the better change you have of making the cut since they only took approximately 1600 of the 4000 or so this year that have applied. I believe mine was 197. Mostly because I screwed up the first time and had to redo it otherwise i was about 105? So that's that. Then came the MONTHS of waiting. and I do mean months. According to the manual we should have received our placements the first of April. We didn't. We did however start hearing rumors about the program canceling. 3 regions did back out because of the horrible budget cuts but thankfully it will continue. Finally after 3 regions backed out I received my email, not only had I made it, but I was put in my first choice region. Andalusia which is in the southern part of Spain, and pretty much my favorite place on earth.

A few weeks later I received the news that I would be teaching at I.E.S Francisco Fatou aka middle school + high school kids 12-17 in Ubrique, Spain. Which as previously stated is in the middle of NOWHERE! You would think the people who applied first would have received the best placements seeing as how most people prefer a more mainstream life closer to a city. But alas, that is once again Spanish bureaucracy. I'm pretty sure then just have a giant map and throw darts at it while trying to place us assistants and laugh while they do it. Needless to say I'm just a little bitter that people who are hundreds of numbers higher than mine have received better placements and I'm in the equivalent of Spanish farmville. lol Then again at least I'm in spain doing what I want to do so I'm making the best of it. Besides, if I renew next year who knows maybe I'll be in Madrid or something.

The Big Decision: To move out of the country or NOT to move out of the country.

Well for me it was definitely an easy answer. I AM OUTTA HERE!!!!

For those of you who don't know me,  I'm Becky. AKA Beckers, Bex or Little Bo Peep. The super awesome American girl moving to Spain to teach English for a year in the TINY southern town of Ubrique. Please refer to the map below, curtsey of Andalucia.com.

Thanks to the grant I am receiving from the Spanish government, I shall be working in a public middle school helping to teach English to I believe middle school aged kids. (I still haven't had the official ages yet.) From October first through the end of May. I found out about the program from a fellow blogger who was repeating her second year in Spain and was kind as to give me the information. Hopefully next year I can pass on that same kindness. So I applied for the program on November 1, 2011 and was officially accepted on May 21, 2012. After a VERY long and arduous process that required much paperwork, the promise of my first born and a blood donation for testing to make sure I was human; just kidding about two of those, I was finally eligible for selection. 7 months of waiting to find out where I would be placed. Since the Spanish have a very relaxed was of life, I waited several weeks past when we were told we would find out to actually receive my placement. Almost a full two months actually. Then came the background check, notary stamps, half a dozen trips to fed-ex, and lots of nervous shakes worrying I didn't have the necessary documentation when I needed them etc. But that was just the start of this tremendous journey and I shall write more about the lead up next time.

I would like to put a disclaimer on this blog in case you've already gotten a bad taste in your mouth from my not so perfect style of writing. I am not an English major, nor do I care that I am not the most eloquent blogger. I have started this blog to make it easier for my friends and family back home to keep up with me while I am abroad. So please, if you don't like it, please feel free to not follow this blog. :-)


Hasta Luego!