Highlights, thoughts, and observations from week one

I'm coming up on my first full week in Spain. You know what that means (well actually you probably don't). What that means is that it's time for an update. Going to try to keep up with this thing this year.

• Work will be more challenging this year, but that's a good thing. Last year I wasn't asked to plan much outside of class. It was nice not having "homework," but I think I would have gotten more out of it had I been a larger part of the preparation. This year I can already tell the expectations will be higher. Also, I get to help out with bilingual Geography and History classes. Score.
• Apartment found! I'll be moving in on Friday at the latest as the landlord has some last minute shuffling to take of. I'll be rooming with an English guy and a Spanish girl. The place has a great feel. It's open, spacious, and well-lit. Fortunately Spanish apartments always come completely furnished so at the most I may have to buy some bed sheets. Another bonus: Heat is included in my already cheap rent. So unlike last year, I won't be using the "can I see my breath test" to decide whether to turn on my heat.
• It's nice to be in a city. Ok, so Valladolid (around 300,000 strong) isn't a major metropolitan area or anything. However, compared to my living situation last year (2,500 people), everyday here seems like a gift. I can be anonymous yet I can still run into people I know. I can walk anywhere I need to be in 25 minutes or less. There is a university which means the local "scenery" is never lacking. I can catch some of the world's best soccer teams right here in town. And the best part? I don't feel like I'll go insane if I don't get out of town on the weekend, and that alone is enough to keep me happy.

From a Café in Spain

It’s one o’clock on a sunny afternoon in northern Spain. I sit at one of the outdoor cafes that stretch around the large square of Valladolid’s plaza mayor. Three stories of balconies sit outside the evenly spaced windows that look out from the pricey apartments above. The weather is nice, probably in the low 70s. Day’s like this in many ways define what it is to be Spanish, whether in the north or the south, or in separatist Catalonia or Basque Country. Spanish people like to accent their regional and ethnic differences. But as an outsider, one sees their commonalities. Spaniards, as one tour guide once said, are street people. They like to be out. They like to have a good time. The streets will clear some around five, then around nine, finally coming back in full force starting around 11 and then going deep into the night.

But for now, it’s one in the afternoon on Saturday in a northern Spanish city. I’m drinking a Mahou beer and scarfing down a late brunch; two jamón bocadillos. Yes, in Spain you can drink a beer at one in the afternoon and not have anyone think any less of you. I figure these are opportunities you just can’t miss out on.

But it’s time to go apartment search. I’m hoping all those hours watching House Hunters International come in handy.