Profe. Teacher. Bictoria.

These are the faces that I run into almost every other day from my students!! Motivated, can't you tell???

Have you ever walked into a room full of people and all of a sudden the talking and laughing stops,you seem to hear every pin that drops,the room feels just a tad bit warmer than when you first walked in, you try to find your place in the room and suddenly every pair of eyes are on you! That has been my story for the past three weeks. The Tuesday after my arrival in Spain, I jumped head first in to the role as a Language Assistant. Prior to coming to Spain, I struggled with coordinating with the teachers at the school to figure out my schedule. I struggled for the simple fact that making the attempt to call my school from the U.S, the secretary doesn't speak English, I for sure don't speak Spanish either, so at the attempt for success in that, it ended up being an EPIC FAIL! Anyway, I gave up with the calling, and I sent an email, another email, and more emails, and not one single response. Silly me, it took me almost a month to realize that schools in Spain are closed in mid July to the first week of September. The obsessive calling began again, until I was able to reach someone, the secretary wasn't available, no one else really spoke English, and the teachers of the English Department were MIA. I was just one girl who had to wait, I was mortified with the idea of waiting to arrive in Spain to have my work schedule in a disarray. The only thing that I needed to do was just be patient and wait.

I tell you patience is a virtue! Trust, Belief and Faith in God is everlasting! Despite, the distance from my family we have found ways to stay close, and in the loop with each other. In light of that God, has been the captain on this ship for me, and HE works wonders. Now, going back to that Tuesday, October 1st to be exact, I woke up at seven on the dot, prepared myself physically and mentally for what I was about to do. I always start my day reading the 91st Psalms, and that day I did just that. I had a light breakfast, my nerves were out of control that morning, and I walked the 20 km to work. The walking was great for me, I needed that time to myself to think, think about what I will say, how the teachers and students will receive me, and I needed that extra talk-time with God, so HE can tell me just one more time what my purpose is. I tend to lack confidence in myself when I'm nervous or I over-think the things that I need to do. Shame on me! I know, it's a bad habit that I have adapted to lately, and I'm working on that. I know exactly what I want, and FAILURE just isn't an option for me, so I am very hard on myself.

This is where I work. I.E.S Las Lagunas 

Anyway, I finally make it school and BOOM, its like the twilight zone. The school looked exactly like it did on it's website. The students however, looked and sounded like a group of swarming bees in the main entrance of the school building, before the first bell rang for the morning. School starts promptly at 8:30, there is no free period/home room, so these groups of swarming bee students stand,talk, laugh, and are extremely loud mind you right smack in the middle of the entrance of the school. Surprisingly the school has been patiently waiting my arrival. The guardia (guard) at the desk asks me, of course in Spanish...Estas Ms. Taylor? (Are you Ms. Taylor?), I smiled one of my bright smiles and said, Si, Senor. I watched as he phoned someone, and I was then introduced to Virgilio. He is one of the teachers that I am working with, as well as Felipe, MariAngeles, and Patricia. 

Everyone has been waiting for me to arrive, and I was greeted with open arms and excitement. Right away I am sent on the quest to locate my classes and introduce myself. I met four classes that day and they were all interesting. I'm taking you right back in the moment when the talking and laughing ceases, and the attention is brought right back to me. I found myself stuck in a trance, gasping for air, and looking for someone to hand me the end of the paddle stick so I can get myself from the depths of the sea. I think back for a second on that walk that I had, and that conversation that I had with God, and I felt cool again. My skin wasn't moist from the nervous sweat that I worked myself into. The first thing I did, was smile at everyone. I realized I was one of them, two years ago when I was struggling in my Spanish II course. 

The night before,  I prepared a presentation about myself, which included pictures of my family and I, Brooklyn (my favorite places in Brooklyn), The Brooklyn Bridge, Times Square and a poem that I wrote about NYC, and my boy Jay-Z's Empire State of Mind played in the background. Unfortunately, due to the difference in power-point packages (the school's is the latest version BTW), my song wasn't able to be heard, but my voice made up for that. I talked about myself, and I enjoyed it! The students were so intrigued by me, they asked questions, we made jokes, and it flowed effortlessly.

I realize that learning any language has to be the most difficult yet challenging thing that anyone can sign up for. English is not the first language of many Spaniards. What I have discovered thus far in teaching my high school students, there are some students that are eager to learn and then you have students that look like this (Check out the girl in the Blue Sweater). It is a bit challenging and also this language barrier KILLS! First of all, I am not allowed to speak Spanish to my students at all (the little that I do know), then I have to pretend like I don't understand Spanish (which is so hard to do because I understand very well). Solo Ingles! I have been challenged already with some classes that just lack motivation, but that's OK. It only makes me work harder to reach my students the way I need to, so that English will be a language that they develop a liking to. My face has become quite popular, and my students run up to me in the hall way to say Hello! (in their cute, thick Spanish accents). It amazes me how my name Victoria has suddenly been changed to Bictoria. Despite the difficulties with my older groups, ages 16-18, it warms my heart to know that my younger students (11-14) have a level of respect for me. I enjoy hearing "Hello, Profe" as I make my way from class to class!

Un abrazo y besitos!

V. Artess 

A Brooklyn Dream Come True...

This is so long overdue, but here it goes! 

I've survived my first official week in Spain. I wake up everyday thinking that somehow I've traded places with someone else, and by chance I'm living their life. I remember telling my sister that, and her response was "you better pinch yourself", and believe me I did just that until my skin looked blueish-purple. LOL. I dreamt of this moment for a long time, I've desired to live in this moment for a while. I've always said to myself, or said to anyone who would listen to me dream with my eyes open that I wanted to move out of the country, embrace a new culture, learn a new language, and most importantly LIVE in a place that was so far in a dream, without realizing that it was so close to happening.

I'm currently living in Rivas-Vaciamadrid, Spain (which is just 20 kilometers from the center of Madrid), and I am here after 2 1/2 years of hoping, wishing, and dreaming. Keep in mind that not everyday you hear about a friend, or a relative receiving a grant to move overseas and partake in something that is beautiful, exciting, new, different, and so many other things, but one thing I do know for sure, is that after this journey that I will share with all of you, I will be departing from Spain a wiser, dedicated, strong, and powerful young woman! Back in February 2013 I put in the application for a program named  Teach, Travel, and Learn as a Cultural Ambassador in Spain for the second time around after being wait listed the first time :-(. It was a very sad moment for me at that time because I thought I worked so hard in getting the application finally completed (mind you, the application was in SPANISH), and I just knew I was doing something! Tuh! WRONG! Yes, I fulfilled the requirement to complete the application, but my application number was so far in the sky, that they couldn't reach me, and besides submitting the day of the deadline probably didn't help me at all! In the words of mi madre "God Knows Best, and HE works in HIS own time". Yes he does! It just wasn't my time then, and I had to accept that. I had no choice but to accept that, because if I didn't I wouldn't have applied for the following year, and I wouldn't be here getting my feelings out about my first week in Spain. :-)

I've packed my whole life (or what I could pack in my suitcase), made it to JFK airport with a  hour and a half to spare, to depart from New York to Barajas airport in Madrid to work as a English Language Assistant to high school students. I remember that Thursday, the day of my leaving Brooklyn, my family, my boyfriend, friends, things that were so familiar to me, I packed and unpacked my suitcase at least 6 or 7 time. I was so nervous, I had no idea what would be on the other side of that plane door, I saw what it looked like through the window seat (which I didn't have to begin with, but my plane buddy Alex was so nice enough to switch..he probably saw that scared little girl looking back at him), but I didn't know what it would feel like, smell like, and be like. All I knew of Madrid was that was the place to be, and if you didn't want to be there, you better make your way there. It is the City Center, Life is happening there, all those parties, the people, the music. I know touching Spain's ground that it wouldn't happen that way, but the fact that I am living just 20 kilometers away, and I have no problem meeting friends, it makes this time here so much better.  Teaching in Spain as an English Language Assistant is just the half of it, I'll be living here for 9 months, I would be getting paid, I can travel all of Europe, I will drink the BEST wine, I will eat plenty of food, and great food at that. Most importantly I will enhance my knowledge of Spanish  Spaniards DO NOT speak English. Luckily I am staying with a family where the lady of the house and her children do speak English, but nonetheless I will LEARN and SPEAK Spanish. I mean why not? Spanish is such a sexy language, it's the language of LOVE!! And, I am a girl who loves, love. 

More to come though...

Ciao.