tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2515261074724081842024-03-13T22:29:37.754-07:00Adventures in SpainThis blog chronicles my life as a Fulbright English TA at a secondary school in Madrid.michelle.e.koohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14502511570684993427noreply@blogger.comBlogger37125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-251526107472408184.post-80562267297721683452009-06-10T06:15:00.000-07:002009-06-10T06:21:36.132-07:00Leaving SpainRight now, I am sitting in the Madrid airport waiting for my flight to Philadelphia. I can’t believe my European adventure is coming to end. It seems like I just arrived in Spain. Lately, I have been spending a lot of time saying goodbye to other fulbrighters, and it feels like the beginning again when we would hang out in big groups and explore the city together. I still remember living in the residencia and having to do the housing search. Yesterday, I had a déjà vu moment. I had to go to the atm to take out money for a cab ride to the airport and the first Citibank I went to had the door to the atm vestibule locked. It wasn’t that I needed to insert my atm card in order to get in but the door was physically locked. I couldn’t believe it, so I went to another Citibank and luckily that one had the vestibule open so I could take out money. However, I feel this is a fitting way to end my time in Spain, being frustrated with banking.<br />These last few days I have been feeling a mix of emotions which I guess is normal. I am sad to be leaving Spain, my apartment, way of life, and all the amazing people I have met, but I also quite excited to see friends from college and be back at home. I have two weeks to adjust to life back in the United States before I begin TFA. Lately, I have been on the TFA website a lot and I am getting super excited. I am still waiting on an actual placement and I would really like to know whether I am teaching middle school or elementary but I am trying to adopt the Spanish way of life and realize everything will work out and that I will get a job eventually.<br /> As I look back on year, my memories are filled with tons of amazing events, people I have met, and funny/awkward experiences. Here is a summary of the highlights and things that stick out in my mind.<br /> • Running around Madrid, having to go to five different citibanks in order to open my account and take out enough money to pay my landlord<br /> • Hosting a huge thanksgiving dinner for about 35 fulbrighters in our apartment, not to mention plucking the feathers out of the turkey<br /> • Organizing prom for my students. The concept of a long dress has not hit my students yet. In their minds the shorter, the tighter the better.<br /> • Giving my students peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and having them actually like it<br /> • Seeing a double rainbow outside my kitchen window the day before I left <br /> • Hiding my purse under my jacket in order to avoid the ryanair checkin fees<br /> • Having my students confuse the word sheet and shit and having to explain the difference<br /> • Hiking in Cinque Terre along the Mediterranean<br /> • Seeing my students compete in the Model UN conference and having them win top honors<br /> • Stumbling upon an 80% off Salvador Bachiller outlet sale, ie running around the entire store and grabbing every purse in sight and figuring out after the fact if I even like it<br /> • Having it be sunny until 10 pm in the springtime<br /> • Taking my parents to my favorite Chinese restaurant which is located in parking garage<br /> • Receiving the sweetest goodbye cards from my students and getting a standing ovation as I left the classroom<br /> • Taking a rickshaw ride through Old Delhi with my mom clutching onto me for dear life<br /> • Seeing my landlady trying to unclog our sink after pouring four bottles of drain-o down the sink by using a coat hanger and plunger (she was unsuccessful and finally agreed to call a plumber)<br /> • Spending the weekends in the park reading, relaxing, and napping<br /> • Staying up all night to watch the presidential election resultsmichelle.e.koohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14502511570684993427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-251526107472408184.post-35363372211722254872009-05-22T08:06:00.001-07:002009-05-22T09:22:55.667-07:00Prom<div>Prom was a huge success. I could not have hoped for the night to go any better. We had 220 students out of a possible 300 students come to the event. Parents and Fulbright grantees helped pass out boutonnières and corsages as the students arrived. We found a florist in Spain who caters to the American international schools in Madrid who was able to make the corsages and boutonnières, and surprisingly they were really cheap. We only paid 30 cents for each boutonniere and 1.10 euro for the corsages.
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<br />This way all the students got a souvenir from the dance.
<br />At the dance, the teacher seemed to have as much fun as the students. They were dancing to all the songs, and in a way it was their prom as well. Their main focus was not chaperoning the students but rather to have a good time, and luckily the students behaved themselves and there were no major problems. One thing I really enjoyed about the prom was seeing the teachers dancing with the students. This was not awkward. It just seemed so natural. I could never imagine teachers in the states dancing at a high school prom. </div><div>
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<br />In addition to the teachers dancing, there was a couple of other only in Spain moments.
<br />The prom was held on a Thursday night from 7 -10 pm, and we did not serve dinner. There were snacks but the students were sent home to eat after the dance.
<br />The students were allowed to leave the dance area and go off the school grounds in order to SMOKE. My school really enforces the no smoking on school grounds rule but you have to be 18 to buy cigarettes and none of the students in attendance were 18 years old.
<br />We used sheets to decorate a photo booth area, and our principal who really got involved in the event offered to do the ironing of the sheets in her office. What American principal would be this hands on? She also stayed to help set up and clean up!
<br />We served some snacks and drinks including non-alcoholic beer.
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<br />One of the best parts of the dance was that a really nice but punk and alternative girl won prom queen. She came to the dance with a bandanna wrapped around her head.
<br />I got to relive the music of my middle school days. The dj played a mix of Spanish and American music including grease lightning, ymca, wannabe by the Spice girls, and So Kiss Me. The only thing that was missing was some backstreet boys or nsync.
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<br />While the dance definitely had a Spanish flair, there were still some classic prom moments.
<br />My friends and I started taking joking pictures with us the standard prom poses by the photo area such as the guy hugging the girl from behind and then the students started imitating us.
<br />I witnessed one break up complete with tears, a girl storming away from a boy, and the boy throwing the corsage at her. I found the event hilarious now that I can appreciate how dramatic high students are.
<br />The girls wore high heals and their feet were aching by the end of the dance.
<br />The prom king and queen shared a dance.
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<br />Picture of the principal grabbing a student and dancing with him.
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<br />The next day at school, the teachers were more excited about prom than the students. In the teachers’ room, everyone was comparing photos and commenting on the clothing. They are already talking about prom for next year which means Jim and I did a good job. I am so happy the event was a success and we were able to expose the students to a fun part of American culture.</div></div></div></div></div></div></div>
<br />michelle.e.koohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14502511570684993427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-251526107472408184.post-90187336416314924952009-05-16T01:56:00.001-07:002009-05-16T01:56:50.294-07:00Prom PreparationProm preparation at San Juan Bautista is in full swing. Next Thursday we will be holding prom. Out of a possible 300 students, 212 have bought tickets! I am really happy with the turn out considering about a month ago my students had never heard about prom. In order to get the school excited for prom, Jim and I gave “All About Prom” presentations to all the English classes. Some of the serious questions the students asked were whether beer would be served at the prom (the drinking age is 18 and the students are 15, 16, and 17 years old), how short could the dresses be, do I have to have a date, and why is the prom on a Thursday. I responded to the students no alcohol would be served at the dance, your dress does not need to be ankle length but must adequately cover your body while you are dancing, you do not need a date, and Rosa, principal of the school, chose the date because she didn’t think teachers would come if it were on a weekend.<br /> This past week we have voted on the prom court and king and queen. When asked what the criteria was, the first thing that came to mind was popularity. Clearly, this is not the message we wanted to send, so Jim and I decided to tell the students it was based on leadership, dedication to the school, and someone who you would want to represent the school. After the prom king and queen are announced, the king and queen will share one dance. We asked the court to select a slow song, and get this they picked the Titanic song (My Heart will go on by Celine Dion). I truly feel like I am back in middle school reliving the awkward school dances. I am expecting a lot of cologne from the boys, girls going to the bathroom every five minutes to fix their makeup, awkward slow dances, and tons of laughs.<br /> The prom will be held this Thursday, from 7 – 10 pm in the outside patio of the school. One thing we did not take into account is that it is going to be light out the entire dance. I guess that means the dancing will be a little tamer. Another only in Spain thing is that the students are going to go home and eat dinner after the dance. We are serving snacks but only in Spain can you get away without serving dinner for an event scheduled from 7-10 pm. I am keeping my fingers crossed that the weather stays nice and we do not have any rain otherwise the dance will be moved inside.michelle.e.koohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14502511570684993427noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-251526107472408184.post-58292520741077028772009-05-15T03:19:00.000-07:002009-05-15T03:25:17.748-07:00Leaving Spain in Less than 1 Month<div align="left">It seems like yesterday that I arrived in Madrid daunted by the fact that I would be living here for the next nine months. The time has truly flown by which I guess is a sign that I have had a good time.<br /><br />Since my computer died, I have not been blogging and I thought about recapping the past two months but that just seems to daunting, so I decided to just start up with I feel right now. One of my roommates is leaving in about 1 week and I am leaving in four weeks, so lately I have been thinking a lot about going home and what lays ahead. Here is a running list I have compiled of things that I will miss and things that I am looking forward to at home. I am sure the list will grow as I spend more time thinking about it, but these are the obvious things that came to mind.<br /><br /> Things I Will Miss About Spain </div><div align="left"><br />• All the plazas and cafeterias where one can order a coffee or cheap glass of beer or wine<br />• All the fountains, arches, roundabouts<br />• Being able to walk or take the metro everywhere I need to go<br />• Having a grocery store less than a minute away<br />• Three day weekends<br />• Having sunlight until close to 10 pm<br />• Cheap produce, 1 kilo of strawberries only costs 2 euros (ie 2.2 lbs of strawberries for about $2.50)<br />• Being able to travel on the weekends and find really cheap flights. So far the best deal I have received was 30 euros with all the fees included on a roundtrip flight from Madrid to Porto, Portugal<br />• All the amazing fulbrighters. Everyone has such an interesting story and background. It truly is an amazing group of people<br />• Going to retiro park on Sunday and having no homework to complete over the weekend<br />• Not watching tv, This year we barely have a functioning tv, and it has been nice to take a break from tv. However, my guess is that once I am home I will get back into my old habits<br />• My roommates and my apartment. For my first apartment out of college, I feel totally blessed. I have a great place with lots of light, plenty of space to entertain, and quirky oven that keeps things interesting.<br />• The fresh squeezed orange juice that my school serves. It is delicious.<br /></div><div align="left"><br /> Things that I am looking forward to<br />• Having a dryer so that my jeans are no longer stretched out<br />• Eating dinner around 7pm instead of 9 or 10 pm<br />• Being able to go non-smoking restaurants, sporting events, concerts<br />• Eating bagels, and good Mexican and Japanese food<br />• Seeing my cat<br />• Having a bank that is open past 2 pm and that has hours on Saturday</div>michelle.e.koohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14502511570684993427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-251526107472408184.post-82911505985757440622009-04-22T01:27:00.000-07:002009-04-22T01:30:09.135-07:00new post comingAbout a month ago my computer died but I have a new (well new to me, actually very old) computer and will start posting shortly.michelle.e.koohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14502511570684993427noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-251526107472408184.post-24134216116406031072009-03-12T14:59:00.000-07:002009-03-12T15:27:53.063-07:00Global Classrooms Follow Up<meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5CunionR52%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="place"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="State"></o:smarttagtype><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} a:link, span.MsoHyperlink {color:blue; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed {color:purple; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal"> After the global classrooms conference, Jim and I gave our students questionnaires regarding their preparation, the conference, and their thoughts on global classrooms. I have copied some of the quotes the students wrote because they really moved me and illustrated the importance and effectiveness of the program.</p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>One girl wrote, “I think it was a good opportunity to learn new things and to learn how to listen to different points of view.” Another student said that “we learned how to speak and reach agreements with other delegates.”
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<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style=""> </span>One of the most poignant comments came from a girl who participated in the conference for her second time. She wrote “what I had learnt this year is the huge problem of disease in all societies and the main that I’d learnt is that what seems to affect only specific people at the end<span style=""> </span>you realize that the problem is also affecting you some way.”</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">If only we could all realize how interconnected we are and that we have a responsibility to help all people around the world. I am now a firm believer in Model UN and global classrooms because it makes the students think critically, learn to respect others’ ideas, use English in a useful manner, and teaches them public speaking.
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<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>Based on the success of global classrooms, the secondary Fulbrights in <st1:place st="on"><st1:state st="on">Madrid</st1:state></st1:place> are starting to organize fundraising efforts with our students related to the conference topic of malaria, tuberculosis, and other infectious diseases. Most of our students are really interested in the topic and we did not want their enthusiasm to go to waste. We have decided to support an organization called Nothing But Nets (<a href="http://www.nothingbutnets.net/">http://www.nothingbutnets.net/</a>) which is an organization dedicated to providing bed nets to people in Africa. One bed net only costs $10, so even if each school only raises a little money students will be able to see direct results related to their hard work. Currently, we are thinking of organizing a basketball tournament between the ten schools and selling tickets to the parents. In addition, if our school makes a profit off of the prom we are throwing, the proceeds would also go to support Nothing But Nets. However, we are very open to fundraising ideas so if you can think of anything let me know. </p> michelle.e.koohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14502511570684993427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-251526107472408184.post-67963745257509663462009-03-07T10:23:00.001-08:002009-03-07T10:33:00.722-08:00Model United NationsOn Wednesday, we had our global classrooms model United Nations conference. Global Classrooms is a relatively new program sponsored by the United Nations to bring the Model United Nations experience to disadvantaged public schools and spread the program throughout the world. Therefore, Global Classrooms allows students who would not normally participate in Model United Nations get exposure to international relations and diplomacy. Currently, Global Classrooms operates in 24 cities around the world. <br /> <br /> The main idea behind the project is that students are grouped in pairs and are forced to represent a country. The topic of this year’s debate was malaria, tuberculosis, and other infectious diseases. The students must research their country’s stance on the topic, the current measures that are being taken to combat these diseases, and solutions to these problems. Furthermore, the students must write a position paper articulating these ideas and defend their ideas in a debate format. Needless to say this is a difficult job for any student, let alone a student who has to do it in their second language, English.<br /><br /> In preparation for the conference, Jim and I first started teaching parliamentary procedure which basically means the rules of debate. At the conference, the language is very formal and there are specific rules that must be followed. For example, the way in which a question is asked depends on the type of question. If a student cannot hear a speaker, then they need to say “point of personal privilege” can the speaker please talk louder but if a student has a question regarding something another delegate stated they need to say “point of inquiry” can you please clarify what is meant by educational programs.<br /><br /> After teaching the rules of debate, Jim and I had to split the students into countries. Each school was allowed to bring 22 students representing 11 countries to the conference. However, Jim and I were working with two third year classes. In total we had close 50 students from which we had to select 22, so initially we assigned four to six students per country. In January, after reading sample position papers and hearing the students present opening speeches we had to cut almost half of the students. This ended up being a very difficult task because for a couple of countries we had three really motivated students who were doing solid work and could have really benefited from the conference. However, I kept reminding myself that it was a good thing that so many of my students were well qualified and excited about the program.<br /><br /> With the cuts made, we continued teaching about debate, revising position papers, and working on opening speeches. This took a lot of time and effort. Students in the Spanish school system students are not required to write papers and do a lot of critical thinking. For most of my students, this was their first research paper (it only had to be one page single spaced) and they are equivalent to sophomores in high school. While some had trouble finding reliable sources, most of our time was spent teaching basics related to writing mechanics such as having an introduction, transitions between paragraphs, and citing sources appropriately. I spent multiple nights grading papers, and while doing so I gained a greater appreciation of why grading strong papers is easier than weak papers. Some of the drafts that were turned into me were so incomprehensible I wouldn’t know where to begin with revisions and suggestions. Plus, the definition of plagiarism seems to be a lot looser so I found myself writing is this your own words on almost every paper that was turned into me. In the end, the papers improved a ton. In fact, we had four very strong papers and had to select one to turn in as our best paper from our school. The paper we selected ended up winning the Best Position Paper award in comparison to the 9 other bilingual schools who participated in the conference. <br /> <br /> The conference was split into two days. On Tuesday, we had the opening ceremony in the Asssemblea de Madrid which is the Communidad de Madrid’s government building. This would be comparable to holding a conference in the state legislature chambers.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdp-PZXidMOkdFdiV1HD_V3IagDV_PjHaczjfuqxJPJQk4uFw_WHSVeuZnhXOn0UYk8Z_K7RsraLPOmXCqBc6vn7chelBi1-9F869UhURqYUTOl0fdYxxDBOTIUy9sIdSC466hQHVtKgw/s1600-h/global+classrooms+005.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdp-PZXidMOkdFdiV1HD_V3IagDV_PjHaczjfuqxJPJQk4uFw_WHSVeuZnhXOn0UYk8Z_K7RsraLPOmXCqBc6vn7chelBi1-9F869UhURqYUTOl0fdYxxDBOTIUy9sIdSC466hQHVtKgw/s320/global+classrooms+005.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310514161310016482" border="0" /></a><br />Assemblea de Madrid<br /><br /></div>All of my students went home after school, ate lunch, and changed. I was completely surprised by how well they dressed after seeing them in their normal everyday clothes. Almost all the boys wore ties and sport coats and the girls had on skirts and dresses with heels.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4gj1FDax3G4MGVJCjlTv3vPPcSIlp1tnCkegAgUlF5ABGzr1OrKC_6pRvbdN2EiqYKif51gwN-nvMH1NriEHi8NR_kZDrvIjFaLIAAkW55Q0rR2CDBaO74OQ7TZQwP0IIwKWHO7BbfqE/s1600-h/global+classrooms+004.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4gj1FDax3G4MGVJCjlTv3vPPcSIlp1tnCkegAgUlF5ABGzr1OrKC_6pRvbdN2EiqYKif51gwN-nvMH1NriEHi8NR_kZDrvIjFaLIAAkW55Q0rR2CDBaO74OQ7TZQwP0IIwKWHO7BbfqE/s320/global+classrooms+004.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310514171947350002" border="0" /></a><br />My students all dressed up<br /><br /></div> At the opening ceremony, all of the sponsors spoke and a student from my school who participated in the conference last year spoke as well. Afterwards, our director (equivalent to a principal in the US) took all the kids out for soda. I thought this was such a nice act that the kids will remember for a long time. Instead of calling for the bus to pick us up right away, she marched the kids into cafeteria restaurant and ordered 22 cokes for the kids. This reinforced the idea that doing something small can really make someone’s day.<br /> <br /> On Wednesday, the conference began early in the morning. The students were split into five committees depending on region. I was the secretary for the Eastern European committee and I got to see two delegations from my school debate. One of the delegations completely surprised me and actively participated which I was not expecting. Overall, my students felt pretty comfortable and enjoyed the debate. They told me that they were glad they participated in the conference and felt proud that they could debate in English.<br /><br /> After five hours of debating, there was an awards ceremony. There were 30 awards that were given for the ten schools. My school won 8 awards!!! I felt so proud of my students. While it is not fair to compare the number the awards each school won because the students come in with different levels of English, this is still a huge accomplishment. It reinforced to my students that hard work does pay off and that English is a useful skill.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmn3eAScYUiPHVtPuoG8WLRs_HZ2ZV6AdRKQCUs1wOkDm4S9DVnsCrGZPzIOHbj0B_NsLJ27bohxnRokHeVw5W9LL8CAjO-w48BmUWBVEcDxpz2LckpA6rEyHPGI2TwQLevCPpWnMfe1c/s1600-h/global+classrooms+008.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmn3eAScYUiPHVtPuoG8WLRs_HZ2ZV6AdRKQCUs1wOkDm4S9DVnsCrGZPzIOHbj0B_NsLJ27bohxnRokHeVw5W9LL8CAjO-w48BmUWBVEcDxpz2LckpA6rEyHPGI2TwQLevCPpWnMfe1c/s320/global+classrooms+008.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310514180262089890" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHywZDVP97mdIzfBuZApyQ9sY2ytoAvOxuvTMgKrnsJvoifWmxidtJ3ACw90Y-Xsu4Shpezna9NW9ZKQ-HIEz5G323488BEbAaxijf5aVvwg0GBR-bQyZfAh5qpdTIVvsI-_GNC0qsa80/s1600-h/global+classrooms+009.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHywZDVP97mdIzfBuZApyQ9sY2ytoAvOxuvTMgKrnsJvoifWmxidtJ3ACw90Y-Xsu4Shpezna9NW9ZKQ-HIEz5G323488BEbAaxijf5aVvwg0GBR-bQyZfAh5qpdTIVvsI-_GNC0qsa80/s320/global+classrooms+009.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310514187844948114" border="0" /></a><br />at the awards ceremony<br /></div><br /> Overall, I am really glad I got to participate in the global classrooms program. It provided me the opportunity to lead my own classes and design the lesson plans and handouts. Furthermore, it teaches the students critically thinking, research, and paper writing skills that are often lacking in the Spanish school system. In addition, it makes the students more aware of global issues and it lets them use English in practical situation instead of focusing on verb conjugations.michelle.e.koohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14502511570684993427noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-251526107472408184.post-64097186530915970222009-03-01T09:54:00.000-08:002009-03-01T10:25:21.909-08:00Andorra<meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><link style="font-family: times new roman;" rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5CunionR52%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--><span style="font-family: times new roman;"> Holy crap, I can’t believe I am writing this blog post on March 1</span><sup style="font-family: times new roman;">st</sup><span style="font-family: times new roman;">. I officially have three months and 1 week left in </span><st1:country-region style="font-family: times new roman;" st="on"><st1:place st="on">Spain</st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="font-family: times new roman;">. I don’t know where the time has gone. There is still so much I want to do and so little time.</span><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">This past week has been a whirl wind. I spent Friday through Monday in <st1:city st="on">Granada</st1:city> and Sevilla (see previous post) and then came back to <st1:state st="on"><st1:place st="on">Madrid</st1:place></st1:state> on Monday. I worked Tuesday and taught a couple of private English lessons and then Wednesday morning I left for <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Andorra</st1:place></st1:country-region>. <span style=""> </span>I was in <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">Andorra</st1:country-region></st1:place> from Wednesday until Saturday evening for a Fulbright midyear conference.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://media.maps.com/magellan/Images/andorrarap.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 550px; height: 413px;" src="http://media.maps.com/magellan/Images/andorrarap.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">The conference and the location were amazing. <st1:country-region st="on">Andorra</st1:country-region> is a landlocked country in the <st1:placename st="on">Pyrenees</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">Mountains</st1:placetype> between <st1:country-region st="on">Spain</st1:country-region> and <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">France</st1:place></st1:country-region>. <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Andorra</st1:place></st1:country-region> does not have a commercial airport, is not a member of the European Union, and is entirely duty free.<span style=""> </span>Other interesting Andorran facts are that Andorrans have the second longest life span at 83 years, their official language is Catalan, and it is the 6<sup>th</sup> smallest country in Europe following Vatican City, Monaco, San Marino (in Italy), Lichtenstein, and Malta. <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Andorra</st1:place></st1:country-region> gained independence in 1278 and its borders have remained practically unchanged since then. Before the introduction of the euro, <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Andorra</st1:place></st1:country-region> accepted Spanish pesetas and French Francs because Andorran currency was very rare and it currently uses the euro. The population is 80,000 people, and there are about 90 Americans living in <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Andorra</st1:place></st1:country-region>. Therefore, when the Fulbright group of 80 Americans arrived, we almost doubled the American population. <span style=""> </span>Its main industry is tourism and there is Andorran university. Students have the option of attending French, Spanish, or Andorran school systems. If a family wants their child to attend a French or Spanish university they generally choose that school system. The Andorran school system is multilingual which means classes are taught in Spanish, French, and Catalan and English is taught as a foreign language.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlXVjkr7xb5FIA0ta9C_pr7jZ4Vpk29OJdGG8IOc8WPgKR3dSyIto3deEpRtsdibpfExXv9denEzKBD67flTWAHQYs0BC5kFRdfuSHQTHtBWNSia3nHt4lmwjWLhNJ5RWZHsmcOqtsMUY/s1600-h/granada+and+andorra+105.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlXVjkr7xb5FIA0ta9C_pr7jZ4Vpk29OJdGG8IOc8WPgKR3dSyIto3deEpRtsdibpfExXv9denEzKBD67flTWAHQYs0BC5kFRdfuSHQTHtBWNSia3nHt4lmwjWLhNJ5RWZHsmcOqtsMUY/s320/granada+and+andorra+105.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308286070522176786" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJBQusXqXKQyZAcvLYyCucW44GcKx6haNwR0cLzKd7k_BVzFyUCo3f2E7MH8LdmPwqB-R2OWPeIn6j-3ZhVS16co6NPJzquMc5pkWy2S9cbqEf5EXwZwKQYP7onNEHlwUEyiLvWMXt5o4/s1600-h/granada+and+andorra+098.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJBQusXqXKQyZAcvLYyCucW44GcKx6haNwR0cLzKd7k_BVzFyUCo3f2E7MH8LdmPwqB-R2OWPeIn6j-3ZhVS16co6NPJzquMc5pkWy2S9cbqEf5EXwZwKQYP7onNEHlwUEyiLvWMXt5o4/s320/granada+and+andorra+098.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308286056432208690" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; text-align: center;">Andorran Landscape, set in the Pyrenees Mountains
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">As for the conference, it was a great opportunity to reconnect with other Fulbrighters who are living throughout <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Spain</st1:place></st1:country-region> and to reflect on my time in the country. Unlike our orientation, the mid year conference was for the most part helpful and productive. We were able to discuss our concerns and try to come up with solutions. Plus, it was interesting to learn about others research and challenges they have experienced. We also had time to visit some of the Andorran tourist attractions and many representatives for Andorran government were present at our opening and closing ceremonies. One of the best parts about the conference was the weather. It was sunny and warm. Everyone in <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Spain</st1:place></st1:country-region> told us it was going to be freezing but when we were there it was quite warm and we only needed our jackets at night. We also stayed at a really nice hotel with a great lunch and dinner buffet, and by the way we ate you would think we were starving in <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Spain</st1:place></st1:country-region>. Most of us have gotten sick of our cooking and we rarely go out to eat, so having multiple main course options in addition to tons of desserts to choose from was quite a treat. The first day we arrived I think everyone went up to the buffet at least three times but by the second and third day we cut back.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZZ1n7zdVEq8fe7mHF4GcEQ8kNu-f-EyhbqLmaXT0QYNfmpuxV41RkTxUsUSjVqcxId6-fTTXEY3R08E98WiHkST2EdD8O5kIQGvv2IE69uzphYHriUxyTbhA7GjR3FJt6e926BXXRbU4/s1600-h/granada+and+andorra+102.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZZ1n7zdVEq8fe7mHF4GcEQ8kNu-f-EyhbqLmaXT0QYNfmpuxV41RkTxUsUSjVqcxId6-fTTXEY3R08E98WiHkST2EdD8O5kIQGvv2IE69uzphYHriUxyTbhA7GjR3FJt6e926BXXRbU4/s320/granada+and+andorra+102.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308286067790225746" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; text-align: center;">Turn Left for France, Turn Right for Spain</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; text-align: center;">
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQkUe-W-L9xSx7gW998-9SlaQX1TBsdqRMJOkWNA8qv8lSWJ4tLwt4lzrjXi-GN_YrdwAdPrVF8O74FEs6obYKByfjuaJJyycHG-KzWPNtHnL6GCEP_fQGjUqvdBI21_E5eYNaamrKqFA/s1600-h/granada+and+andorra+091.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQkUe-W-L9xSx7gW998-9SlaQX1TBsdqRMJOkWNA8qv8lSWJ4tLwt4lzrjXi-GN_YrdwAdPrVF8O74FEs6obYKByfjuaJJyycHG-KzWPNtHnL6GCEP_fQGjUqvdBI21_E5eYNaamrKqFA/s320/granada+and+andorra+091.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308286055287970018" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; text-align: center;">Enjoying the Mountains</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; text-align: center;">
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Next week is the model UN conference. I am really excited for it because my students have been working really hard and I think they are going to do a great job. The model UN project is great because it forces my students to use English in a real and practical setting, teaches them how to do research, and it makes the think critically. After the conference I will be sure to write up an article explaining how everything works in more detail. </p> michelle.e.koohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14502511570684993427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-251526107472408184.post-83626888811754924592009-02-25T22:47:00.000-08:002009-02-25T22:49:13.338-08:00Becky and Qtym come - Granada and SevilleThis past weekend, I spent I spent in Granada and Seville with two friends from university. We took the bus from Madrid to Granada on Friday night. Granada, like Porto and Lisbon, is a very hilly city. The Alhambra is built on the top of one hill and the old Moorish neighborhood is on another hill with the main plaza in the valley in between. Despite my pension for planning ahead, I did not read the section about Granada in my guide book until we arrived. Well, that was a mistake. It is highly recommended to buy Alhambra tickets ahead of time. They only allow a certain amount of people in every half hour and in total they pre-sell 6,000 tickets and sell 1,800 day of with the box office opening at 8 am. Considering the main reason we went to Granada was to see the Alhambra, my friends and I decided to get up early on Saturday to be there when the box office opened.<br /><br /> The Alhambra is a complex of gardens, two palaces, and a fortress. We spent about 6 hours touring the entire site. The main palace is gorgeous with tons of Moorish architecture. Unfortunately, I am in Arabic architecture overload and while I really enjoyed the Alhambra I was not in complete awe. The carvings are beautiful and I love the way arches frame everything. One of my favorite parts about the Alhambra was a hot air balloon that we watched in the country side. At one point, it was really well framed by one of the arches. In the Alhambra, there were a lot of stray cats which were pretty friendly and fun to watch. In addition, I really enjoyed the gardens.<br /><br />The Moors (muslims from north Africa) really value water because in northern Africa and Spain water is a scarce resource. As a result, they have tons of fountains and gardens with flowing water which is really relaxing. In one of the patios, the moors built a fountain with twelve lion heads. The fountain also functioned as a clock with one fountain head going off each hour. The funny part is that the Christians disassembled the fountain when they reconquerred Granada in 1492 and tried to figure out how it works. However, they were unable to put it back together properly so it has worked since then.<br /><br />On Sunday morning, we did a really cool walking tour through the Moorish neighborhood. Our tour guide was a twenty four year old from Oregon who had moved to Spain and started his own walking tour company. He lived off of the tips he made and ended up working about two hours a day. Granada is also known for amazing tapas. With a beer or glass of wine you get a pretty generous tapa for free. Two to three tapas can definitely fill you up and only cost 6 or 7 euros and include two to three drinks.<br /><br />On Sunday afternoon, we took the bus to Seville. I think Seville is my favorite towns. The weather is warmer, people seem friendlier and more laid back, and there are orange trees everywhere. We didn’t do much in Seville because I only had half a day on Monday to explore (but I had already been there so it was okay). We spent the morning in Plaza Espana and walking around by the river. It was just so relaxing I had no urge to return back to Madrid. However, I guess I can’t complain, I only worked one day this week and I currently in Andorra Wednesday – Saturday for Fulbright conference that is paid for.<br /><br />As I was sitting on the bus back to Madrid, I came to the startling conclusion that I basically have three months left in Madrid. I leave June 7th and February is practically all gone. In the next couple of months, I have trips planned to the north of Spain, Munich, Barcelona, and Italy. Plus there is still a lot I want to see in Madrid. I am definitely going to be pretty busy these next couple of months.michelle.e.koohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14502511570684993427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-251526107472408184.post-83475669006999307492009-01-30T06:33:00.000-08:002009-01-30T06:42:13.069-08:00Feeling Blessed<meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5CunionR52%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="country-region"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="place"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="City"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="State"></o:smarttagtype><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">Even though I sometimes get depressed/fed up with my school and job (see the previous post), I want to express how blessed I feel to live in <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Spain</st1:place></st1:country-region>. No matter how frustrating my job can be, I try to remind myself how lucky I am to have a job in this economic climate. Furthermore, who else gets to work four days a week, have health insurance, and have enough money to travel?
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<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>Recently, a friend of mine was in car accident. Her car was totaled, but luckily she is okay. When I heard this news, I was so surprised and felt like the wind had been knocked out of me. This reality check made me take a step back in my life and think about how lucky I am and realize how quickly things can change. It reminded me not to waste my time in <st1:state st="on"><st1:place st="on">Madrid</st1:place></st1:state> but to really take advantage of it, and do and see as much as possible. Who knows when I will ever come back to Spain?</p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">These past few weeks I have been feeling antsy, wanting to get out of <st1:state st="on"><st1:place st="on">Madrid</st1:place></st1:state> and travel. Unfortunately, my plans have fallen through a couple of times. However, today I was able to find a cheap ticket to <st1:city st="on">Lisbon</st1:city> so next weekend I will exploring <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Lisbon</st1:place></st1:city> by myself. While I am slightly nervous to travel on my own, the prospect of traveling solo kind of excites me. I won’t have to compromise with anyone and I can do whatever I want. Over my winter break, I went to <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Porto</st1:city>, <st1:country-region st="on">Portugal</st1:country-region></st1:place> for five days and loved it. It was very relaxing, had an historic charm, tons of wine cellars, and was pretty cheap. As a result, I decided I wanted to see another city in <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Portugal</st1:place></st1:country-region>.
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<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>Over the past couple of months, I have slowly been refining my list of places I want to go. Up to this point, most of my travel has been influenced by where I have friends and people I know. So far outside of <st1:country-region st="on">Spain</st1:country-region>, I have been to <st1:city st="on">Paris</st1:city> and <st1:city st="on">Toulouse</st1:city>, <st1:country-region st="on">France</st1:country-region>, <st1:city st="on">Porto</st1:city>, <st1:country-region st="on">Portugal</st1:country-region>, and <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">India</st1:place></st1:country-region>. In the next couple of months I have travel plans to <st1:city st="on">Lisbon</st1:city>, <st1:city st="on">Munich</st1:city>, and <st1:country-region st="on">Andorra</st1:country-region> (a tiny country between <st1:country-region st="on">Spain</st1:country-region> and <st1:country-region st="on">France</st1:country-region>) and would like to go to <st1:country-region st="on">Morocco</st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region st="on">Greece</st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region st="on">Turkey</st1:country-region>, and <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Italy</st1:place></st1:country-region> if possible. Within <st1:country-region st="on">Spain</st1:country-region>, I have gone to <st1:city st="on">Toledo</st1:city>, <st1:city st="on">Segovia</st1:city>, <st1:city st="on">Avila</st1:city>, <st1:city st="on">Cordoba</st1:city>, and <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Seville</st1:place></st1:city>. Before I leave, I hope to see <st1:city st="on">Granada</st1:city>, <st1:city st="on">Barcelona</st1:city>, <st1:country-region st="on">Valencia</st1:country-region>, <st1:city st="on">Santander</st1:city>, and <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Galicia</st1:place></st1:country-region>. Clearly, I am going to be quite busy these next couple of months! However, because my list of places to go is constantly revolving based on recommendations I would love to hear your suggestions on places to visit in <st1:place st="on">Europe</st1:place>.
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<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>It must be my dad’s interest in airplanes and airlines that sparked me to list all the airlines I have flown on since I started my journey in September: United, Air <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Canada</st1:place></st1:country-region>, Easy Jet, Ryan air, KLM Royal Dutch Airline, King Fisher, Jet Airways, and Northwestern. I cannot believe I have been on eight different airlines and how connected/small the world really is. I feel so lucky to have this opportunity to live abroad, see new places, and meet amazing people. </p> michelle.e.koohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14502511570684993427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-251526107472408184.post-36156628271384941852009-01-28T07:10:00.000-08:002009-01-28T07:11:56.689-08:00Back at itFor the past three weeks, my life has been relatively quiet after all the travel I did in December. Things at my school are going pretty well. I have come to accept my job as just that a job and nothing more. Some days are really great and others I feel completely worthless. The problem that makes this challenging is that I don’t have much control over the tasks I am given so it is difficult for me to improve the situation. For example, on Wednesdays, I pretty much spend the entire day translating a textbook from English to Spanish. Now, this seems like a waste of my time for multiple reasons including the fact that history textbooks quickly go out of date and are no longer used, I could compile the equivalent information from doing a couple of google searches, and most importantly I am not spending any time with the students. A large part of the reason I am here is to help students with their accent and oral comprehension and to teach them about American culture. These areas cannot be addressed if I don’t see the students. Thus, on Wednesday I often feel like a mouse on wheel spitting out translations that I don’t think the students will ever see or really use.<br /><br /><br /> However, not all my days are like this. Some days are great. Last Tuesday, inauguration day, I walked into a class and my students started cheering Obama. Because the actual teacher had not arrived yet, I started a discussion about Obama and what they knew. When the teacher arrived a couple of minutes later, she let the discussion continue for the entire period. It was so nice to see my students enthusiastic about a topic and also quite knowledgeable. Many of my students mentioned that they hoped Obama would close Guantanamo and I found myself thinking how many 7th graders in the US even know Guantanamo exists.<br /> <br /> Right now my school is gearing up for a model UN conference. Bilingual students from all over Madrid will participate in the conference. It is a lot of work for the students and the teachers. The students are assigned a country and must research their country’s opinion on the given issue which is TB, malaria, and infectious diseases. They will need to be able to discuss and defend their country’s position which is not easy considering English is their second language. For the teachers, it can be quite difficult because if the students do not do the research it is impossible to help them.<br /> <br /> Currently, the students are writing position papers regarding how their country views TB, Malaria, and infectious disease. During this process, it is becoming quite clear that the students have never really been asked to write a research paper or for that matter a regular composition before. Most papers completely lack organization but what bothers me the most is that the students don’t understand what plagiarism is. Not only are they copying other people’s work, it is clear they do not understand all of the concepts in their paper and do not actually understand the material. Therefore, the next couple of weeks will be devoted to helping the students improve their position paper and teaching them how to research more effectively.<br /> <br /> Outside of school, things have been pretty low key. I have started to tutor a four year old girl in English. Basically, we play games, and I read to her. The other day I was doing an alphabet puzzle with her and she told me it was missing pieces, that the ñ was missing. Then I had to explain that in English there is no ñ but I thought the girl was pretty perceptive to notice its absence.michelle.e.koohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14502511570684993427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-251526107472408184.post-2899566946061655982009-01-15T09:22:00.000-08:002009-01-15T09:22:00.722-08:00India Part 3December 27 – Udaipur<br /> Udaipur is known as the city of lakes. There are five small man made lakes that surround the city. The city like most of the cities in India is composed of an old city and the new city. The old city is composed of old streets that are not meant for cars or modern life and a newer section with wider roads and more modern homes. Generally we have stayed in the new city and then go into the old city to see the famous locations.<br /><br /> In the morning we stopped at an active Hindu temple. People were immersed in prayer and everyone must take off their shoes to enter. This temple had a guard for the shoes which I had been wondering about because due to the extreme poverty in the country I wouldn’t be surprised if someone tried to steal the shoes outside the temple. Its not that I don’t trust the locals, but I could understand them taking shoes out of necessity.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhipVPPyyfzHbcsp-mVLS3bFhucER5eeEUZ3GBv3DL2EUsGYyIryDMFnZOQ7FHp_QMyMK9PWCKVWyN1AMDcmRh4tCR2WaMKonBliXTn1vwML9ZTAoiadw_V2ErJLGQSoFdKGYuddOFlu48/s1600-h/india+199.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhipVPPyyfzHbcsp-mVLS3bFhucER5eeEUZ3GBv3DL2EUsGYyIryDMFnZOQ7FHp_QMyMK9PWCKVWyN1AMDcmRh4tCR2WaMKonBliXTn1vwML9ZTAoiadw_V2ErJLGQSoFdKGYuddOFlu48/s320/india+199.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290832742878032802" border="0"></a>lady selling marigold flower chains, to use as offerings outside a hindu temple<br /><br />As we were talking with our guide, he reiterated a fact that we have heard many times. Most of the marriages in India are still arranged. I have heard between 60-80% of marriages are arranged for Hindus and Muslims. In contemporary times, the children have the right to refuse a spouse but generally the children accept who their parents have chosen with them. A large percentage of children continue living with their once they are married. It is traditional for the girl to go and live with her husband’s family and for all the males of the husband’s family to live with their parents. Thus, many homes have three generations living together. While the caste system is technically outlawed, in the smaller villages I get the impression that it is still followed and that marriages are within one’s class and that it can be difficult to obtain a prestigious job if one is from a lower caste. With regards to marriages, the bride’s family still pays a large dowry to the husband’s family and as a result, India has more males than females. The government has outlawed embryonic testing in order to find out the sex of the baby because many couples were aborting female embryos. We were told the male to female ration was between 1000 males to 800-920 females depending on t he state in India.<br /><br /> After visiting the Hindu temple, we went to see the City Palace. It is the largest palace in Rajastan which is a state in Northwest India. We only saw a portion of the palace. Part has been turned into two different hotels and one section is still occupied by the royal family. India’s economy is largely based on tourism and many former royal palaces, hunting lodges, and other buildings have been converted into high end hotels. One day I was one the street looking at pashimas and was bartering with a man. Once the price had been reduced significantly he said please buy it, since November 26th my business has been down greatly, please help me. I felt so terrible I bought the scarf even though I probably could have bargained some more but it is quite evident that there have been major chances in India since the attacks in Mumbai. Most of the hotels are in compounds with private fences surrounding them. Before entering hotel grounds, the cars are stopped and the use a mirror attached to a rolling cart to check if there are any bombs on the underside of the car. In addition sometimes they inspect the trunk, and engine of the car in addition to confirming our names before letting us enter the premises. All of these regulations are new since the attacks.<br /><br /> The city palace had beautiful views of the Lake Pichola. There were separate quarters for men and women with interior patios. Unfortunately at this point in my trip I have seen so many forts, palaces, and mausoleums that they all blur together. In everyone, the intricate detail is amazing. There is a lot of hand carving of marble and sandstone to produce beautiful screens and columns.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcJGuIZFYj4VlyYWd9Ttvp1TqvBmaQjsPw74TTwWJ1CAXPRRmnIsXjeYWRMuR__dkemS6mmMg3YUmI7x7QuCEMTRC8cUC7ZHlDHv5KMFtdKIafFhK7xwyHVW2JuR9MFPca3P7i_to_ckc/s1600-h/india+207.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcJGuIZFYj4VlyYWd9Ttvp1TqvBmaQjsPw74TTwWJ1CAXPRRmnIsXjeYWRMuR__dkemS6mmMg3YUmI7x7QuCEMTRC8cUC7ZHlDHv5KMFtdKIafFhK7xwyHVW2JuR9MFPca3P7i_to_ckc/s320/india+207.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290832749691559778" border="0"></a>view of Lake Pichola<br /> After lunch we went to the Garden of the Maidens where members of the royal used to spend their time and relax. During the 18th century, men were not allowed to enter the garden which featured a swimming people for the women. My favorite part about the garden was people watching. Currently, most Indians have off from work this week (Christmas week) so most of the sites are overrun with Indian tourists rather than foreigners. In the garden we saw one dad place his son (about 2 years old) on the top of a five foot fountain in order to get a good picture. This made me crack up because the kid was close to tumbling yet the father seemed unaware.<br /><br />While taking a moment to enjoy our surroundings, my mom and I saw a group of school children. They were all well dressed and behaving very well. As they walked by our tour guide asked them where they were from and if they attended a private or government school. The girls were from a neighboring state and attended a free government school. After pausing for a moment, the girls about 40 of them asked to take a picture with my mom and me. I don’t think they had met or seen many foreigners before. It was cool to be able to make someone happy by just taking a picture. The girls instantly clamored around trying to be in the center of the photo and then some of the girls with their own cameras (film, not digitial) took individual pictures as well.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia6fkG-oRilpXb_BpAt2jL4izIDz_V6hDakoQivZq4FdSa2OsX-dvaxWbgDn8C9Jb33lPfoHdvX7YjHLY76TJcOfiof4S5AmqU9LAzlSY_AGwSzDwGI54TSpjXjQhoA7w7ibRLRoG8_74/s1600-h/india+219.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia6fkG-oRilpXb_BpAt2jL4izIDz_V6hDakoQivZq4FdSa2OsX-dvaxWbgDn8C9Jb33lPfoHdvX7YjHLY76TJcOfiof4S5AmqU9LAzlSY_AGwSzDwGI54TSpjXjQhoA7w7ibRLRoG8_74/s320/india+219.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290832759887340706" border="0"></a><br /><br /><br />December 28th Saturday<br /> On Saturday, we flew from Udaipur to Mumbai and then Mumbai to Trivandrum. From Trivandrum we drove one hour to Kovalum. The entire journey took about five hours. Trivandrum and Kovalum are located on the southwestern coast of India in the state of Kerala.<br /> The feel in Kovalum is completely different than the feel of the other cities. Kovalum and Trivandrum are beach communities and the feel Caribbean or Hawaiian in feel, as opposed to the cities in the north that feel more religious and more “Indian”. In Kovalum there are a lot of palm trees and it does not a typical urban center. There are no large multistory buildings but rather a lot of single family homes. I did not see any apartment buildings and the main industry seems to be tourism. In the northern cities, tourism was definitely important but so was agriculture, handcrafts, and merchant shops. In Kovalum, I have not seen any cattle standing in the middle of the road and the temperature is about ten degrees warmer and more humid.<br /><br /> Our hotel is a series of bungalows located on hill that overlooks the ocean. It is gorgeous and really secluded. To go down to the beach, there is an elevator that goes down about three stories to the beach level. It is really interesting the mix of tourists that come to India. There are people from all over the world. There are a lot of European, Australian, American, Chinese, and Japanese tourists in addition to the large number of Indian national tourists. I love hearing the mix of languages spoken and trying to guess where someone is from.<br /><br /> I am definitely getting used to Indian food and finding more and more dishes that I like. Some of my favorite drinks include fresh lime soda and lassi, a yogurt based drink. The fresh lime soda is a mix of pure lime juice, with club soda, and then you add in as much sugar as you want. The drink is very light and refreshing. I also enjoy lassi which helps me cope with the spicy Indian food. As for food, I really enjoy garlic naan, most chicken dishes, and tandori.<br /><br />December 31st – good breaks, good horn, and good luck<br /> On December 29th dad arrived. He started his journey from Beijing on the 28th and flew to Delhi, however due to fog dad’s flight was delayed 8 hours and he didn’t arrive in trvandrum until 1 am. He tried calling us on three different cell phones but because we were on vacation my mom and I did not have them on so luckily I saw an email from him.<br /><br /> The hotel we are staying at, the Travancore Heritage is quite quirky. The land is beautiful but some parts of the hotel remind you are in a developing country. The power outlets in our room only work if the switch next to them is turned on. Its like having a light switch by each outlet to ensure power isn’t wasted. The weird thing is that after you unplug something you can’t replug anything in unless the outlet is reset. I was having trouble with the outlets so I took the plug out of the tv because I new that worked. However, when I tried the plug the tv back in, it wouldn’t work. When we called the reception to let them know about the problem they sent someone from maintenance. He has a metal device that looks like a screw driver which he sticks into the outlet in order to reset so that something new can be plugged in. I freaked out the first time I saw this because he was sticking metal into the outlet but after the fact I realized he had used the switch by the outlet and turned off the power before doing so. The outlets at the hotel are not very stable so off times to get a connection you have to wiggle the outlet for a while to find the correct angle to plug things into. Then my dad jimmy rigged a contraption to maintain the angle.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyz-VsskDE4RZfgnkCUL5iEhEU54MQ_PZxo2c8sxOooSS3DXdqr4718bm6cRZmx_8SGr6J3RBUve_ygT852o63-9FwrAGkkE3iOAp-fqF32Wa_9y5bDx5XgodQ1Rc3Us60GxXTvqGJRtY/s1600-h/india+244.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyz-VsskDE4RZfgnkCUL5iEhEU54MQ_PZxo2c8sxOooSS3DXdqr4718bm6cRZmx_8SGr6J3RBUve_ygT852o63-9FwrAGkkE3iOAp-fqF32Wa_9y5bDx5XgodQ1Rc3Us60GxXTvqGJRtY/s320/india+244.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290834864691300738" border="0"></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNsjL8qXhKk5oFXQHd1KNhdfPh6MNeBalXhp_RY7aAXmw7Xa9XNYU6daSnm43RCXZbFX2RlYIoEfahlgfzbE6H4ASgvO-spVBjbd_i_9YxsUEk7FmCs8ltslfc91C22ChLv8IyE6qb4jY/s1600-h/india+248.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNsjL8qXhKk5oFXQHd1KNhdfPh6MNeBalXhp_RY7aAXmw7Xa9XNYU6daSnm43RCXZbFX2RlYIoEfahlgfzbE6H4ASgvO-spVBjbd_i_9YxsUEk7FmCs8ltslfc91C22ChLv8IyE6qb4jY/s320/india+248.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290834872210389250" border="0"></a>sunset view from our hotel<br /><br /> Yesterday we went to Kayakummari. It is at the southern tip of Indian where the Arabian Sea meets the Indian Ocean. The drive there and back was the most frightening ride we have had. The lane road is a two lanes one in each direction but cars are constantly passing and making a third lane in the middle of the road. On the way there, I had fallen asleep and I heard a distinct thud, now this not something you want to hear while riding in a car. I am not sure what we hit but I think it was a telephone poll. We only hit the side view mirror and are driver did not hestitate and kept driving. On the way back we were forced into the shoulder about 4 times when oncoming traffic that was passing other cars came into our lane. Let me tell you, it is frightening to see a big bus coming directly at you.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNTE9lfZuN-_uO-OkxfcOEZTILiOOziAlsqbSFqPEoanUHHD8CLdJ-2W45hNUIcErR7MaRwn4xjY_JU4_WenfFRVF5rmNE-4F7D35GwbNOe5EW03TAaEA0zX-gI973bf4QI5Lav-sQriU/s1600-h/india+235.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNTE9lfZuN-_uO-OkxfcOEZTILiOOziAlsqbSFqPEoanUHHD8CLdJ-2W45hNUIcErR7MaRwn4xjY_JU4_WenfFRVF5rmNE-4F7D35GwbNOe5EW03TAaEA0zX-gI973bf4QI5Lav-sQriU/s320/india+235.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290832763608408402" border="0"></a>My dad and I at a temple in Kayakumari which is the southernmost tip of India.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgki3CfUYrrW0xEc6Aupy_d1H4dUV0ygbtUjNkOPaIydsVeoTNB8Pzy0lSNUYrCJFsbjTAdqUkRSIyZVBwvA0hZobuMR8fDelXkV5uM4runULAtltjwWpZVNVVwtFWe7nR2VbZ69Tg-2zs/s1600-h/india+237.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgki3CfUYrrW0xEc6Aupy_d1H4dUV0ygbtUjNkOPaIydsVeoTNB8Pzy0lSNUYrCJFsbjTAdqUkRSIyZVBwvA0hZobuMR8fDelXkV5uM4runULAtltjwWpZVNVVwtFWe7nR2VbZ69Tg-2zs/s320/india+237.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290832768023948306" border="0"></a>Yes you have to pay to use some bathrooms. When traveling in India it is essential to carry small change and toilet paper with you at all times.<br /><br /><br />January 1-3rd<br /> The rest of the time in Kovalum we spent relaxing by the poolside and down by the ocean. New Years was very low key. There was dinner by the beach but I ended up going to bed around 10 pm because I didn’t know anyone and my parents had already left the party.<br /><br /> On January 2nd, I started my way back to Madrid. I flew from Trivandrum to Mumbai but because I had a 10 hour lay over my parents arranged for a driver to take me into the city. The only problem was that I arrived around 3 pm and didn’t get into the city until close to five so not everything was open. First we stopped at Dhobi Ghats which is where over a thousand workers wash laundry in stone troughs. At first my tour guide said we were going to Laundry which I think is the most literal translation of Dhobi Ghats and I was quite confused wondering if he was taking me to do my laundry or if I just wasn’t understanding him. Despite the fact that all of our guides spoke English, some had quite thick accents and at times, I could barely tell they were speaking English. I would just nod politely although a couple of times I said yes and it was clear that they had not asked us a yes or no question.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWxnSK0dk0WQvQZ7bnjbo59iSSdl5cpQvBaSiokHtOrOPUrJhruEe-ViUsjeKQNp0fspAohzpSFZcPyMXX57Ubx5-KEmzIbYcRYTexvIjMsF9tMScbReCZn31yX_Faf8QLoq_W6Adf44Q/s1600-h/india+264.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWxnSK0dk0WQvQZ7bnjbo59iSSdl5cpQvBaSiokHtOrOPUrJhruEe-ViUsjeKQNp0fspAohzpSFZcPyMXX57Ubx5-KEmzIbYcRYTexvIjMsF9tMScbReCZn31yX_Faf8QLoq_W6Adf44Q/s320/india+264.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290834878065529586" border="0"></a><br /> At Dhobi Ghats, there were a lot of beggars. It was heart wrenching to see, and I am sure for as long as I live, the words “Madam, baby” will make my stomach turn. I hate ignoring the beggars because I don’t want to treat them like they are no human beings, but there are many organized begging rings which I don’t want to support.<br /><br /> After Dhobi Ghats, I toured the Gandhi Museum which is located in what used to be his house in Mumbai. The museum was really interesting and informative. Then we drove to the Gateway of India which located right by the Taj Hotel. The entire plaza around the Taj was blockaded off and only official guest staying at the Taj can enter it.<br /><br /> Afterward, I got an amazing garlic tiger prawn meal before returning back to the airport. At first my tour guide tried to take me to McDonald's in an attempt to cater to my “American” palate, but I kindly asked to go to a normal Indian restaurant. Although, I currently wish I had gone into a McDonald's to see the menu because I am wondering if they serve hamburgers considering almost no restaurants in India serve pork or beef. The ride back to the airport took two and a half hours. Luckily, I had plenty of time because my flight was scheduled to leave at 1:50 in the morning but we didn’t end up leaving until close to 4 AM. As a result, I missed my connecting flight in Amsterdam and got back to Madrid after 36 hours of travel.<br /><br /> All in all, I had a great trip in India. When people ask me to describe it, there is no one word. It was exhausting, but at the same time relaxing. It was beautiful and gut wrenching. There are incredible palaces and forts which are juxtaposed next to endless slums. To get an idea about what idea is like I recommend reading White Tiger which won the Mann Booker prize or watching Slumdog Millionaire. While they don’t’ compare to seeing it in the flesh, they provide a pretty accurate depiction.michelle.e.koohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14502511570684993427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-251526107472408184.post-25468537503514320682009-01-13T08:25:00.000-08:002009-01-13T08:48:46.477-08:00India Part 2
<br /><meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Times; panose-1:2 2 6 3 5 4 5 2 3 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:536902279 -2147483648 8 0 511 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Arial; mso-fareast-font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; font-weight:bold; mso-bidi-font-weight:normal;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:12;" >December 23<o:p></o:p></span> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:12;" ><span style=""> </span>The next day we drove from <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Agra</st1:place></st1:city> to Jaipur stopping in Fatehpur Sikri along the way. Before entering the site, we saw a snake charmer sitting outside. Tourists can take pictures and give him a small tip. After the fact, I learned that the snakes are usually venomless but it was still cool anyways.
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU9KdBy9NhNDLTU4zyBQ-fLipHZG0zBEkppkvyjnS3yvmyMVe10-98sLzi2eeKziRhESbLuLByJCXLT34e6uUNno5begqG5qZfQ5lC3dhpWdeicg31lvP6HN781PSzPJileMy6F9pT6js/s1600-h/india+112.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU9KdBy9NhNDLTU4zyBQ-fLipHZG0zBEkppkvyjnS3yvmyMVe10-98sLzi2eeKziRhESbLuLByJCXLT34e6uUNno5begqG5qZfQ5lC3dhpWdeicg31lvP6HN781PSzPJileMy6F9pT6js/s320/india+112.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290816739209183090" border="0" /></a>
<br /><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:12;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:12;" ><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:12;" >Fatehpur Sikri was the capital of <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">India</st1:place></st1:country-region> for fourteen years under the rule of Akbar during the 16<sup>th</sup> century. The emperor Akbar who ruled had three different wives: one who was Muslim, one Hindu, and one Christian. As a result he was able to able to bring the entire region under his rule.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIS3cgVUFDVpiU-5KYofVP3EqfccgzsbXAJUSEkdQCFgUlLLENNHXggrqz-3iyHHkhADZdvWgMK6rqej4OEG0f-MRIJnQFzhdA3tTztw8KDLD2ben58XcF8H36FLiCaS6Zwhn6H7wjhQE/s1600-h/india+114.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIS3cgVUFDVpiU-5KYofVP3EqfccgzsbXAJUSEkdQCFgUlLLENNHXggrqz-3iyHHkhADZdvWgMK6rqej4OEG0f-MRIJnQFzhdA3tTztw8KDLD2ben58XcF8H36FLiCaS6Zwhn6H7wjhQE/s320/india+114.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290816740380549250" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6YMe3qI2N0TdVM4AKSaGaWRk63-Jv-g9thdTjJee7DOvzaxp6Nxly-rNkFa84O16CLqARj4S4v-lzjJFBRIdAls5gPOZMwdzTsV0BrcoJQBN5jl8Jw4RL5bA6t1_2athJHd-nJhe5qK8/s1600-h/india+121.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6YMe3qI2N0TdVM4AKSaGaWRk63-Jv-g9thdTjJee7DOvzaxp6Nxly-rNkFa84O16CLqARj4S4v-lzjJFBRIdAls5gPOZMwdzTsV0BrcoJQBN5jl8Jw4RL5bA6t1_2athJHd-nJhe5qK8/s320/india+121.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290816748959939202" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:12;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:12;" >December 24 jaipur<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:12;" ><span style=""> </span>In Jaipur, we visited the Amer fort and palace. The city used to be along the silk trading route so large wall was built to encompass the entire city in order to keep the traders and merchants protected. The fort sits on the top of the hill and while we drove up to the entrance, in olden days people used to ride elephants up the hill. While this is still option, we decided against it, because some of the guidebooks mentioned that the elephants are treated poorly.
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgjfXc6daJ3dF2Hk1VjnWEEL8105Ra5NUKtuW9zAMfTKuPB6xbj1J1LkcCWdPNqQJ3U-9XyWy-xOGzdEa8EWkXadu61hOsz5HKZYDYsiLkwp3d09VdsgcltZHcxY60xIcnKJvbDrr2SGg/s1600-h/india+158.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgjfXc6daJ3dF2Hk1VjnWEEL8105Ra5NUKtuW9zAMfTKuPB6xbj1J1LkcCWdPNqQJ3U-9XyWy-xOGzdEa8EWkXadu61hOsz5HKZYDYsiLkwp3d09VdsgcltZHcxY60xIcnKJvbDrr2SGg/s320/india+158.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290816754711801346" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:12;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:12;" ><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:12;" ><span style=""> </span>As I mentioned, it is normal to see four people crammed onto a motorcycle. Here is a photo I took after our tourguide made a funny face at one of the girls.
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitR0q_WtVKk_LkiZSA9s1lda2mYOgULecb66z02sqs1U0tNOuyC5EyuZSNW0cISX4PkSvVN3rMijJr2GMmhI8IlfB1HX-qHrkIfwHR1JaeYj3dKkN3VRk1JOKFeXQPniljzQr1c0QSz5w/s1600-h/india+163.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitR0q_WtVKk_LkiZSA9s1lda2mYOgULecb66z02sqs1U0tNOuyC5EyuZSNW0cISX4PkSvVN3rMijJr2GMmhI8IlfB1HX-qHrkIfwHR1JaeYj3dKkN3VRk1JOKFeXQPniljzQr1c0QSz5w/s320/india+163.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290816769078327458" border="0" /></a>
<br /><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:12;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:12;" ><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:12;" ><span style=""> </span>In addition to seeing the Amer fort, we also saw the largest sun dial in the world. The park had about 15 different sun dials which were used to figure out a person’s horoscope. Because most of the marriages in <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">India</st1:place></st1:country-region> are arranged based on people’s horoscopes matching, it is critical to know the exact time of birth when matching horoscopes. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:12;" ><span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:12;" >December 25<sup>th</sup> <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">jodhpur</st1:city></st1:place><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:12;" ><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:12;" ><span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span>On Christmas day, we flew from Jaipur to Jodphur. In Jodphur, we visited the Mehrangargh fort and the Jaswant Thada marble crematorium.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXDOYDR-nFSFUVv1T3a2Ypb0MNK6ywV1DUCdjv6vZLnHAB3MFiuf-MQ8eeRui8FEHDSdfkQGR8zCodooscUTTjqiBBsL-TqiIypXbuEz5qwlqIGlKLQiv2svwZ66O2atyKCeV_IXLOas4/s1600-h/india+169.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXDOYDR-nFSFUVv1T3a2Ypb0MNK6ywV1DUCdjv6vZLnHAB3MFiuf-MQ8eeRui8FEHDSdfkQGR8zCodooscUTTjqiBBsL-TqiIypXbuEz5qwlqIGlKLQiv2svwZ66O2atyKCeV_IXLOas4/s320/india+169.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290819141911813938" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:12;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:12;" ><span style=""> </span>The crematorium had excellent views of the city and is where many members of the royal family have been cremated. Traditionally, their ashes are then scattered, often times in the <st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Ganges</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">River</st1:placetype></st1:place> but the crematorium acts as a burial site in that people can build monuments and return to the site to honor their loved ones.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUUOPfMqvzkyUT5ATE1Fmvtt6S_L7ff1VpAE9p20CPmR69-tByCLkCarFRc47qWPZQHHKcdXM_PauwanML7XJfSUjLqlEt35SPkZDa2nYFiSNkfjslsJZbFiZLWTVkXzAZZ_qhuf6ir3A/s1600-h/india+180.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUUOPfMqvzkyUT5ATE1Fmvtt6S_L7ff1VpAE9p20CPmR69-tByCLkCarFRc47qWPZQHHKcdXM_PauwanML7XJfSUjLqlEt35SPkZDa2nYFiSNkfjslsJZbFiZLWTVkXzAZZ_qhuf6ir3A/s320/india+180.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290819146863993602" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:100%;" >photo from the</span> </span><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:12;" >Mehrangargh fort</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9QyZbuagKJrWyzQ1IDrZBkrpQfYynmimsswSrXe2bpiCZjYLEFF2THZ8gVDtRPKoPQlq0NwZsQWw1h86qUEAGggoZSgIevEa-hAy1KKirVS31bVlly4u8xjBq4dWL5thga3xf3L0GPCM/s1600-h/india+184.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9QyZbuagKJrWyzQ1IDrZBkrpQfYynmimsswSrXe2bpiCZjYLEFF2THZ8gVDtRPKoPQlq0NwZsQWw1h86qUEAGggoZSgIevEa-hAy1KKirVS31bVlly4u8xjBq4dWL5thga3xf3L0GPCM/s320/india+184.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290819153249070850" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:100%;" >kids enjoying a camel ride</span>
<br /><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:12;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:12;" ><span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:12;" ><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:12;" >December 26<sup>th</sup><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:12;" ><span style=""> </span>Today we drove hours on hectic Indian roads from Jodphur to Udaiper. I have come to the conclusion that the most dangerous part about driving is the animals. On every road there are tons of cows, water buffalo, sheep, dogs, and boars. Cows are the most common animals and sometimes they will just stand in the middle of the road and some even lie down. This makes driving really crazy because there is no way to predict whether an animal will be crossing the street or which direction it will go. As a result we came to a couple quick stops when cows decided to stop midstream and stand in the middle of crowded busy roads.
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<br /><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:12;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:12;" >On the other, the other drivers seem to have a controlled chaos system going on. Most of the roads we have been driving on have been two lane roads with one lane and in each direction. As a result, cars are constantly going into oncoming traffic to pass the rickshaws, autorickshaws, and bicycles. This systems works pretty effectively except on curving roads in which case in order to pass a car one must honk their horn before going around a corner to ensure no one is coming in the opposite direction. Occasionally it looked like were going to hit oncoming cars but at the last minute are car would finish passing another car and go back on the correct side of the road (which is the left side, a remnant from British imperialism).</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:12;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:12;" >Along the way we stopped at a Jain temple. The temple was made of white marble. Inside is an interesting mix of being inside and outside there are no walls just pillars and over hangs so there is an interesting play of light. No leather is allowed to be worn inside the temple and shows must be taken off. In addition there is a sign that says women who are menstruating should not enter the temple.</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji17HF-QB1IS78oj-cIGg9PNV5JOSSK98oZ6fIArN35KNsq_2qjF4HGiHweC2QBGmR6ax2rIqe3dYxLvAcWVL1ykkullD3rbwpcZ6hSx63zAMjIu7fUV4tABpIUodnEMVVdD5zhUznKUQ/s1600-h/india+192.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji17HF-QB1IS78oj-cIGg9PNV5JOSSK98oZ6fIArN35KNsq_2qjF4HGiHweC2QBGmR6ax2rIqe3dYxLvAcWVL1ykkullD3rbwpcZ6hSx63zAMjIu7fUV4tABpIUodnEMVVdD5zhUznKUQ/s320/india+192.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290819154773762834" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:12;" > Again, the temple was intricately carved with fine detail along the columns, interior walls and ceiling. I was entertained by two boys who were racing their match box cars along the walls of the temple.
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOhD2gCKLLgUxLK2OvIFo3x-yaSgsSLYQAna7Zwuv80elWbLN-vjNc2S-zECnTA2oPv6oblq7sHaFZHaW802RHGIFVZD7DWekO0g6kCMO9QgdlDaxXhyphenhyphenuKFPWSRzZRLTuVMERkow-cb14/s1600-h/india+194.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOhD2gCKLLgUxLK2OvIFo3x-yaSgsSLYQAna7Zwuv80elWbLN-vjNc2S-zECnTA2oPv6oblq7sHaFZHaW802RHGIFVZD7DWekO0g6kCMO9QgdlDaxXhyphenhyphenuKFPWSRzZRLTuVMERkow-cb14/s320/india+194.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290819158930115218" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4QNrpAgQ72VNCjxTjna_m6c2AEUkfMAXkGC3dZ97QsRsF71I_-Z66B8_WcDyWmiquO6nCylYxNiet27IK8EdbXiBMw87ELeCig4dV2hN-f_52OXwPVW6ONEpYXzx1idtlsVJmOLq7QfQ/s1600-h/india+195.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4QNrpAgQ72VNCjxTjna_m6c2AEUkfMAXkGC3dZ97QsRsF71I_-Z66B8_WcDyWmiquO6nCylYxNiet27IK8EdbXiBMw87ELeCig4dV2hN-f_52OXwPVW6ONEpYXzx1idtlsVJmOLq7QfQ/s320/india+195.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290820732299206690" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:12;" >One interesting thing is that you often have to pay to use a camera. The fee is not large only a dollar or two but this different from the other traveling that I have done. The money goes to restore the and maintain the buildings so I don’t mind. When I saw these signs, I was surprised that the Chinese have not started to charge to use a camera.
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<br /><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:12;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:12;" >When we left there were tons of monkeys on the road. Someone had recently fed them and they were eating carrots. Monkeys seem to be pretty common in <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">India</st1:country-region></st1:place> but I am still fascinated by them.like most of the animals they are not disturbed by cars or people and are scared by the noise they make. <o:p></o:p></span></p> michelle.e.koohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14502511570684993427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-251526107472408184.post-19859177363321287662008-12-30T20:35:00.000-08:002009-01-13T08:15:00.262-08:00India Part 1Saturday December 20th – My day started early. My flight left Madrid at 5:50 AM so I left my apartment at 2:15 in the morning. The night before I got about and hour and an half of sleep, so needless to say, I was destined to be jetlagged. In order to get to India, I flew KLM, a Dutch airline, to Amsterdam and then flew to Delhi. I was presently surprised by the food on KLM. Everything tasted pretty good and there were enough snacks to keep me happy. The airport in Amsterdam almost felt like a mall. There were large travel stores, chocolate and tobacco stores, in addition to book shops, clothing stores, restaurants. After a 7.5 hour flight from Amsterdam, I arrived in Delhi. After going through customs, I claimed my baggage and then was met by my tour guide and went to the hotel.<br /><br />Currently, the Delhi airport is undergoing renovations. After leaving the airport, you have to walk about a quarter mile on uneven and sometimes unpaved road to where cars are parked. The second after leaving the airport facility it was quite clear that I was India. By this I mean, on the road (the main highway leaving the airport) there were people walking, people on bicycles, people riding in auto rickshaws (aka as Tutus in Thailand which are small three wheel motorized vehicles), motorcycles with 2 to 4 people riding on one, and regular cars. My driver was constantly weaving in and out of traffic to pass the slow moving bicycles and auto rickshaws that take up one of two lanes on the road.<br /><br />When I arrived at my hotel, the gate to the hotel was closed and there was security outside. They checked under our car using a mirror to check for bombs, in the trunk of our car, and confirmed my name before letting us onto the premises on the hotel. When checking in, I had to provide my passport information as well. It is clear that many check in procedures have changed since the attacks in Mumbai and one can no longer walk into a hotel at whim. Guests would have to be announced and I think non-western looking guest would have a hard time getting through security.<br /><br />December 21st<br />On Sunday morning, we met our tour guide and headed out for the day. First we went tot he Jama Masjid Mosque which is India’s largest mosque. The structure is made of red sand stone. Before going in any mosque, it is necessary to take off your shoes. The mosque was built to hold 900 worshippers with each person taking up one tile square. Muslim mosque are generally adorned with flower patterns because they don’t believe in creating idols which is in contrast to Hindu temples that are decorated with carvings of their gods which often are portrayed as having animal qualities. In order to call the Muslims to prayer, a blind man was employed to climb up the minaret. The reason for using a blind man was to protect everyone’s privacy because the mosque is located on a slight hill and the minaret goes up a couple of stories so they didn’t want anyone looking into people’s homes.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBflInQuh-qfkgvi5JQNUaRjK4eSBElWS8G4DO_KzI61Rzn84rjLvx9qQc_zIb53e4H3EwqoceMiE1Ic6kLA_qxgiY81xi8WGRk1tCD1IKR5TP9etCXROBhV8AZc1vuTgzQmthHjArDQk/s1600-h/india+020.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBflInQuh-qfkgvi5JQNUaRjK4eSBElWS8G4DO_KzI61Rzn84rjLvx9qQc_zIb53e4H3EwqoceMiE1Ic6kLA_qxgiY81xi8WGRk1tCD1IKR5TP9etCXROBhV8AZc1vuTgzQmthHjArDQk/s320/india+020.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290810903474351922" border="0" /></a><br /><br />After visiting the mosque, my mom and I took a rickshaw ride through Old Delhi. The roads are very narrow. They were not built to accommodate cars and tour buses. While on the rickshaws, cars narrowly squeezed by us as we weaved our way throughout the traffic of bicycles, motor cycles, and pedestrians. The buildings are close together and there are a lot of stands selling goods on the sidewalk. The power lines hang low down between buildings and twice we saw water buffalo in the middle of the road. This experience really let me see the “real” India which cannot be experienced when riding in a private car. The sights, the sounds, and the smells were overwhelming. Throughout the entire ride, I don’t think my mom loosen her death grip on my leg and I just thought the experience was comical and something my friends and I would have done on term abroad.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnlpG4ZKeMMQHUTMGm8SKVrd412bHL922KYJTg5DS9fce3MmViBiP_7nZ6rZzq3gaa4T_jfjcQ2hkUrgqP3CJaR-4tsucp1ONU4XeqiA4rrRd-YRQwdQMZ3ndO-K2XypQqGewp6e5vuiI/s1600-h/india+027.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnlpG4ZKeMMQHUTMGm8SKVrd412bHL922KYJTg5DS9fce3MmViBiP_7nZ6rZzq3gaa4T_jfjcQ2hkUrgqP3CJaR-4tsucp1ONU4XeqiA4rrRd-YRQwdQMZ3ndO-K2XypQqGewp6e5vuiI/s320/india+027.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290807679103462482" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbHMLv3hb2gU-kNa_uDAhPjO8zKy5X9X5gZfK4HWcZUIdHrtOmWHM6tO6czZ_mqoSRVtwF0Qy9U9Fz-RyNozoxZCBr5713ymjBA6c_rfZQTvI05X2fnjyGlT-MqqVt4RlcIfLD3DE_WxU/s1600-h/india+025.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbHMLv3hb2gU-kNa_uDAhPjO8zKy5X9X5gZfK4HWcZUIdHrtOmWHM6tO6czZ_mqoSRVtwF0Qy9U9Fz-RyNozoxZCBr5713ymjBA6c_rfZQTvI05X2fnjyGlT-MqqVt4RlcIfLD3DE_WxU/s320/india+025.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290807673989213490" border="0" /></a><br />candid shots taken during the rickshaw ride, trying to capture the pandemonium<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivWMTn4hlHRTQsU9DRYQsVy8065tB_2Wer5d0TfL6znhWpPzoQ9PaonlAu3twiYcvbCCtD4lk3HziZyhRTHzNsRFMKizgO-vdJd65xGASvQam-4oyi_sjYPLRSXk1QQ84XzZKxV4DWMoc/s1600-h/india+045.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivWMTn4hlHRTQsU9DRYQsVy8065tB_2Wer5d0TfL6znhWpPzoQ9PaonlAu3twiYcvbCCtD4lk3HziZyhRTHzNsRFMKizgO-vdJd65xGASvQam-4oyi_sjYPLRSXk1QQ84XzZKxV4DWMoc/s320/india+045.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290807682313343890" border="0" /></a><br />at one point i looked up, and there was a cow blocking our way. i soon learned this quite typical to have cows in the middle of the road.<br /><br />After the rickshaw ride, we went to see the sight where Gandhi’s ashes were scattered. Hindus believe in cremation so there is no cemetery or burial site. The spot where Gandhi’s ashes were scattered is in a public park. Our tour guide reminded us how incredible Gandhi’s accomplishments were. Much of what Gandhi preached can still be applied today, and the world would probably be a much saner and safer place if we all lived by the principle of non violence.<br /><br />For lunch, I had my first Indian food in India. The food was really good and similar in taste and flavor to dishes I had in the States. In a way this surprised me because the Chinese food in China is a lot different from Chinese food in the US. One new drink that I enjoy is fresh lime soda in which they bring a glass with fresh lime juice, a smaller pot filled with sugar water, and a bottle of club soda and you add as much soda and sugar as you want. In India, nothing comes with ice because it is recommended for tourists to only drink bottled water. In the major cities, I think the water is safe but our bodies are not used to the bacteria however in rural areas I don’t think the water is even safe for locals.<br /><br />In the afternoon, we went to see Hamayum’s Tomb. This building was built in honor of the Moghul Emperor Humayun by his widow. Many of the architectural principles seen in the Taj Mahal were first used in this building. Great emphasis is placed on symmetry, gardens, the use of arches, and fountains.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNPwbW1XoQWYZmzPNu9nooyi4oINdc54fI1nKPvf1ZCKalygjQNelP0xDYgEfvj4WPIdfX73xbgZ8TAqemEKgWKgJ-2vD3rQxXbhDONDiQ_j1QmB_pSfpti_QgiTUzS9oW4aa18BNtquY/s1600-h/india+054.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNPwbW1XoQWYZmzPNu9nooyi4oINdc54fI1nKPvf1ZCKalygjQNelP0xDYgEfvj4WPIdfX73xbgZ8TAqemEKgWKgJ-2vD3rQxXbhDONDiQ_j1QmB_pSfpti_QgiTUzS9oW4aa18BNtquY/s320/india+054.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290807692561605650" border="0" /></a><br /><br />To end the day, we went to the Qutub Minar which is known as the 7th wonder of Hinduism. The tower is 234 feet tall. The site is a mix of Hindu and Muslim architecture because the tower commissioned by a Muslim emperor on the site of Hindu temple.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAao2hZY9k85J3KJs_V7Vq49PZcbIY7ml96NNTOuBdrlbpY-4kDhwoTMlLCnZeHerlbODbceahFr13Pfqz5lPxptgPdH5IEQTD5GpBTWEegKelEoXi6qjXp1loH6bklPrTpuS9YAnZ6MY/s1600-h/india+063.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAao2hZY9k85J3KJs_V7Vq49PZcbIY7ml96NNTOuBdrlbpY-4kDhwoTMlLCnZeHerlbODbceahFr13Pfqz5lPxptgPdH5IEQTD5GpBTWEegKelEoXi6qjXp1loH6bklPrTpuS9YAnZ6MY/s320/india+063.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290807696303231186" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />Random facts:<br />In India, people drive on the left hand side of the road. There are very few traffic lights rather there are some round abouts or triangle interchanges in the road which force you to bear left or right and merge with oncoming traffic.<br /><br />The poverty is overwhelming and like nothing I have ever seen before. There are a lot of people begging on the streets and children will bang on the window of your car and motion to their mouths that they need something to eat. It is very hard to watch but we have decided to make a donation to a reputable charity when we return instead of giving money to the beggars. Many of the children on the street are part of organized begging units.<br /><br />Delhi is actually divided into 7 towns. The first Delhi dates back to the 12th century. No one currently lives there. All that is left is the ruins from this period of time. New Delhi got its name around 1850 when the British decided to move the capital of India from Agra to Delhi and thus rechristened the city as New Delhi.<br /><br />December 22, 2008<br /><br />On Sunday, we took an early morning train from Delhi to Agra. The train was a high speed train that took two hours. The train station in Delhi is like nothing I have ever seen before. In order to make our way to the train, our car had to fight through a large crowd of beggars, bicyclers, vendors, motorcycles, and other vehicles. There are tons of people everywhere. I don’t think I have ever seen this extreme of poverty before. Children carrying babies would come up and knock on our car window making motions to their mouths indicating that they were hungry and needed food. Many slept outside the station or in the waiting area. They clearly did not have any food and it felt like we were invading their personal space. Porters carried large amounts of goods on their shoulders while others manipulated large hand rickshaws.<br /><br />The train ride was pretty pleasant but at parts the amount of poverty was quite evident. From the train, I could see people doing a bucket shower, cooking their food in fire outside, and others going to the bathroom. Very few people had any privacy and their houses were merely brick shacks that were falling apart. In many villages, it was obvious that there was no plumbing, electricity, or sewage system. I was quite struck by the number of people I saw walking presumably to school or work and others going to the train station with many carrying large loads with them as they walked.<br /><br />In Agra, we saw the Taj Mahal. We had a lovely guide who showed us around. She is one of eight female tour guides in Agra out of 1000. The Taj Mahal took 20 years to complete and 22,000 workers. The amount of intricate work is astounding. Not only is the architecture and engineering of the building impressive but so is the fine detail. The Taj was built as a mausoleum to honor the wife of one of the Persian maharajas. On her death bed, while giving birth to her 14th child, she requested that the king build a mausoleum to honor their true and everlasting and unique love. The Taj Mahal is supposed to represent heaven on earth which is why white marble was chosen. The white is supposed to remind people of cloud, peacefulness, and purity. The taj was well designed and engineered, even 350 years after it was built it has not been retrofitted or repaired. The four towers that surround the taj are built at a slight angle so that if anything ever goes wrong, such as an earthquake, they will fall away from the taj.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkaESYyAn1ruMRJY2njNUPNDmnPk9fZ7H6HqzOVOVXwXy3yU7pb0mzx4eTXU4xeb_3gqiBxlk8DAxagSTfCklVBuQyv3_FBvqyZwoPitaQDJr96bllAwV501vDtY8WzaiAEwKSrRklur8/s1600-h/india+074.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkaESYyAn1ruMRJY2njNUPNDmnPk9fZ7H6HqzOVOVXwXy3yU7pb0mzx4eTXU4xeb_3gqiBxlk8DAxagSTfCklVBuQyv3_FBvqyZwoPitaQDJr96bllAwV501vDtY8WzaiAEwKSrRklur8/s320/india+074.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290810911747573730" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYqMd_8mKsOBcqk_-eUauZWHxf1Zb5I836V_M8A3qOOzlAaNpG3gdQ1aFEg0DLR5FA8K4wjNsGfuV0GM51RYbYxW-ZG6QslX5T5F3iQW1U3l5LwJ-Y6aZyb1vrZAnoOdDGxbPJXfF85yE/s1600-h/india+078.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYqMd_8mKsOBcqk_-eUauZWHxf1Zb5I836V_M8A3qOOzlAaNpG3gdQ1aFEg0DLR5FA8K4wjNsGfuV0GM51RYbYxW-ZG6QslX5T5F3iQW1U3l5LwJ-Y6aZyb1vrZAnoOdDGxbPJXfF85yE/s320/india+078.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290810912791206226" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Luckily, on the day we went, the crowds were not that big. We were able to walk around freely and the weather was nice. I could not imagine doing this tour in the sweltering summer heat where it often reaches 120 degrees.<br /><br />After visiting the taj we went to Agra fort. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-C5uG_zdhtyz4V31RYYbohFZdM3f_CM4E60DKbV6sodrTEeWaYnCjz9g6DZTlJ1wFCgO2bDoIExWnWEKfcy4xiNByXi04m9aRQ31rAE8uk6zSB-lvtQ9lMWHJ72vqJMtICK7dOkmOa5k/s1600-h/india+089.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-C5uG_zdhtyz4V31RYYbohFZdM3f_CM4E60DKbV6sodrTEeWaYnCjz9g6DZTlJ1wFCgO2bDoIExWnWEKfcy4xiNByXi04m9aRQ31rAE8uk6zSB-lvtQ9lMWHJ72vqJMtICK7dOkmOa5k/s320/india+089.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290810921275205586" border="0" /></a>Once again, I was impressed by all the intricate detail. The building is made of red sandstone with many columns and screens carved into the stone. Many of the palaces in India do not have walls. Rather there is a series of pillars and from them they used to hang rugs. One interesting thing about the Agra fort is that at one point the builder of the Taj Mahal was under house arrest in there. His son had arrested him after taking the throne from his father because the father wanted to build a replica of the taj across the river in black as mausoleum for himself. However, his son who was now already king refused to spend another 20 years building and wasting tax payer money on a mausoleum for his father. As a result, the son had the former king arrested and placed under house arrest until he died. For this reason the taj mahal is not perfectly symmetrical. Everything on the grounds is symmetrical. There is a temple facing mecca and identical fake temple was built on the opposite side of the grounds in order to maintain the symmetry but the King’s tomb throws the symmetry of the taj off. His wife’s coffin is in the center of the taj mahal and he is buried slightly to the left instead of having the wife and husband’s tomb balanced with one on the left and one on the right.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn4uAFc6z13T6UrEYY9R2P3XZi5CA4K2f5mNCnoiBAlZVCgG7zcSJKxfFAi_ZqAfFBUd0usa2GBReCwv6zfu_xWdPNbOJy4p8A0ZEu0B4jIsuj0a0yE3z7PsVOISOtBK5mzlzmzQJsNWs/s1600-h/india+087.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn4uAFc6z13T6UrEYY9R2P3XZi5CA4K2f5mNCnoiBAlZVCgG7zcSJKxfFAi_ZqAfFBUd0usa2GBReCwv6zfu_xWdPNbOJy4p8A0ZEu0B4jIsuj0a0yE3z7PsVOISOtBK5mzlzmzQJsNWs/s320/india+087.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290810922044543026" border="0" /></a><br />monkeys outside the red fort, turning over a trash can looking for foodmichelle.e.koohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14502511570684993427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-251526107472408184.post-16944288267262695632008-12-19T01:03:00.000-08:002008-12-19T13:14:28.105-08:00Paris!This past weekend I went to Paris. I had an amazing time despite the rain and wind. The main reason for my trip was to visit two of my good friends from college. Megan was in Paris for three weeks on a mini-term through Union studying art in the Louvre and Hilary is doing a masters in French in Paris.<br /><br /> I arrived Friday night and took the metro into the city. My flight was late so I was worried about meeting up with Megan. I had called some of my friends in Madrid to send an email to her letting her know that I would be late because she did not have a cell phone with her in Paris. As I boarded my flight, I hoped that Megan would check her email before going to meet me. While on the metro into Paris, I realized that I had forgotten to write down the name of the café I was supposed to meet Megan at instead I had just printed out a local map showing the neighborhood I was supposed to meet her in. Luckily, when I got out of the metro (which has about 10 different exits) I went to the correct exit and found the café I was supposed to meet Megan at. This was definitely peer luck that she checked her email before going to meet me and that I figured out where to go after leaving the metro station. This experience left me feeling quite lucky and gave me a better appreciation of how difficult it was to coordinate meetings before everyone had cell phones.<br /><br /> On Saturday, Megan and I went to the Arc de Triumph and then walked along the Champs Elysees where there was a Christmas market.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiePgqE56PywbVZj7cwTgYSVqkuE30drNm0xKxKu3C5KSDzcybo4jN_crPdxX2J3tmwvWqTK5GppjDPp1-8_RTzz73A57hEhGklXpl8on2nf7PWGWRGxe_oauQmVWMdePvPqPNJz_NXbUk/s1600-h/paris+005.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiePgqE56PywbVZj7cwTgYSVqkuE30drNm0xKxKu3C5KSDzcybo4jN_crPdxX2J3tmwvWqTK5GppjDPp1-8_RTzz73A57hEhGklXpl8on2nf7PWGWRGxe_oauQmVWMdePvPqPNJz_NXbUk/s320/paris+005.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281599268047975170" border="0" /></a> By this time, it was pouring outside but Megan and I decided to take our time and look at the booths. Some of the stalls were really commercial with stuff that could have been sold in a department store and other booths had homemade goods that reminded me of art and wine festivals. I was able to find a couple of presents there.<br /><br /> Along the way, Megan and I had crepes from a street vendor. I didn’t realize that crepes were equivalent to a New York hot dog or pretzel stand. They are sold on many major streets and they are wrapped so you can walk and eat. My first Persian crepe (nutella and bananna) was delicious but a little too rich.<br /><br /> After walking for two hours, we ended up at the Louvre and Megan showed me around. It was so nice to not have to look at a map and to have someone to show me the important pieces in the museum. We spent about three hours there until the museum closed.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbw6weQNcfWS9Er2sG-o-bpABFRc5kIoNpZCAXUnVXWuxLZGnjrxbfDPDsgX2qJgLEKODwohjWlOR8SlQX6wyLDqalflQHiTi06quTuz2f_8KU_-Z2XgzQb48nmmoH1YI4fpYvs1fU5AQ/s1600-h/paris+028.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbw6weQNcfWS9Er2sG-o-bpABFRc5kIoNpZCAXUnVXWuxLZGnjrxbfDPDsgX2qJgLEKODwohjWlOR8SlQX6wyLDqalflQHiTi06quTuz2f_8KU_-Z2XgzQb48nmmoH1YI4fpYvs1fU5AQ/s320/paris+028.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281599293713620722" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"> Picture of me by the Mona Lisa<br /></div><br />During the night, we went to the Eiffel Tower and saw it all lit up. Currently, it is lit in a blue light with yellow stars at the base to honor Sarkozy as the EU president. I enjoyed seeing the monument up close and from various angles.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGaHKn60k4LtErcoGVBGj0cgV4tG7iSqmlH6-iAzdqOhDtHugR43T8gHtFzY4llchNKHxD7RbPTLwrYApEVr9bdIIWzVhR1rxkDY759yXj3OaZOTP9Vfb_89MLtAZFE6R1we20zp2_jjM/s1600-h/paris+067.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGaHKn60k4LtErcoGVBGj0cgV4tG7iSqmlH6-iAzdqOhDtHugR43T8gHtFzY4llchNKHxD7RbPTLwrYApEVr9bdIIWzVhR1rxkDY759yXj3OaZOTP9Vfb_89MLtAZFE6R1we20zp2_jjM/s320/paris+067.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281599315688942658" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgONYrNpDZEKvaoCvQqnOMSconsdWm7w47IgNLIA0fLw20v9dcjIaZsw_ixDCn69DUO5pGrjcKmpuIjqG7Q0TRCRk9bQpzS-9uqVTt0q4amwhZU2kJltV0L1HcK3TQLH_mDCAIFHK0Be-I/s1600-h/paris+066.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgONYrNpDZEKvaoCvQqnOMSconsdWm7w47IgNLIA0fLw20v9dcjIaZsw_ixDCn69DUO5pGrjcKmpuIjqG7Q0TRCRk9bQpzS-9uqVTt0q4amwhZU2kJltV0L1HcK3TQLH_mDCAIFHK0Be-I/s320/paris+066.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281599311026246242" border="0" /></a><br /><br />On Sunday, Megan and I went to Notre Dame and walked around Paris. We got more crepes and spent time in a cute café catching up. It was so nice to see a familiar face. I have decided that most of my travel will probably be dictated by where I have friends instead by the locations because no matter what happens on your trip it is always better if you are with good friends.<br /><br />Sunday night I met up with Hilary. We went out to a delicious dinner. Once again, it was nice to have a local to show me around and take me to an authentic restaurant instead of a tourist trap. As a rule, I try not to go to places with English menus. I figure I will get cheaper and better quality food at these restaurants and it will always be an adventure deciding what to eat.<br /><br />On Monday, I went to the Holocaust memorial museum. One interesting thing about the museum is that it is technically the Shoah Museum. In France they don’t use the word holocaust and it was unclear whether there was no direct translation or whether this was an attempt to mask the truth such as the Clinton administration calling the Rwandan genocide ´´ethnic cleansing¨ instead of genocide. Either way, the museum was really well done. One part of the museum chronicled the Holocaust in France and the collaboration of the Vichy government while another part of the museum covered the Holocaust in Europe and the Nazi participation. The memorial to the children who died in the Holocaust was very moving and well done.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJdinsEMZ-weHG0WfklzWfp8CXs_AI6kf8K-KKnxqAlszeO7khoT4J7Q3Bvpy97NbCql-PtmmsAiwzfhSXdpBjFrv-ZwL__Pm33pdb3pH8J26FhW-spzRViRdXi3OVehjAuqrjBSUGTvw/s1600-h/paris+092.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJdinsEMZ-weHG0WfklzWfp8CXs_AI6kf8K-KKnxqAlszeO7khoT4J7Q3Bvpy97NbCql-PtmmsAiwzfhSXdpBjFrv-ZwL__Pm33pdb3pH8J26FhW-spzRViRdXi3OVehjAuqrjBSUGTvw/s320/paris+092.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281599321614614962" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"> Children's Memorial at Holocaust Museum<br /></div><br />After the museum, I had lunch with Hilary. Luckily she was with me because the metro line I needed to take to the airport was on strike but she was able to take me to a shuttle bus pick up location. Otherwise, I would have been completely confused on how to get to the airport.<br /><br />Overall, I had a great weekend in Paris. I definitely would like to go back at some time and spend more time getting to know the different neighborhoods. On Saturday, I am off to India for two weeks. I hope everyone has a great holiday season!michelle.e.koohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14502511570684993427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-251526107472408184.post-58768886406441199992008-12-18T08:31:00.000-08:002008-12-18T08:33:23.520-08:00Spanish Education System<meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5CunionR52%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="country-region"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="place"></o:smarttagtype><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>I have spent over three months working in the Spanish schools. Some of the things that I have encountered have really impressed me while other things drive me crazy. Most of the teachers at my school and the Spanish educational system seem to value rote memorization over creativity and critical thinking. The students in my history and geography class had to memorize all the major oceans, seas, rivers, and mountains in the world, yet they lack the skills to write a persuasive essay nor do they know how to look up information in a library or on the internet.</p><p class="MsoNormal">
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<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span>One thing that I really like about the Spanish educational system is tutorial system which is similar to having homeroom. Each class of about 25-30 students is assigned to one teacher who is their tutor and the whole class meets once a week for one period to take care of official business, make announcements, and answer questions. In addition to this time, the tutor is responsible for monitoring all the kids in his/her class and if the parent has any questions they call the tutor. This means the parents have one point person to contact if there are any problems. Parents come in about once a month to meet with the tutor and discuss how the student is doing in all of their classes. The tutor is responsible for talking with all the teachers that the student has before meeting with the parents so that they can discuss the overall performance of the student. I think this a great idea because many students in the <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">United States</st1:place></st1:country-region> slip through the crack and there is often little communication between teachers regarding an individual student. This way, if there is a major change of behavior the tutor will probably know about it because they have to be in constant communication with all of the teachers that a particular student has.
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<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>One thing that is different from the <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">United States</st1:place></st1:country-region> is that the teachers move from class to class instead of having the students switch classes. This has both positive and negatives associated with it. First the students don’t have the opportunity to leave the classroom in between periods so sometimes I think they get restless from sitting all day. Second this means each class (25-30 students) stays together all day instead of switching classes<span style=""> </span>and being with different students every period. As a result, the students feel comfortable around each other but they often adopt class personalities such as the class clown and the nerd which can be hard to change.</p><p class="MsoNormal">
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<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>One thing that drives me crazy is that most of the teachers do not write the homework on the board or pass out a handout explaining the homework. I have been in many classes where it is unclear to me what the students are supposed to do so I can only imagine how the students feel especially considering they are listening to directions in a foreign language. Furthermore, great emphasis is placed on taking neat notes and having everything in the correct format with little attention paid to the content. Sometimes it takes my students five minutes to get out a piece of paper and title it because they all use rulers to underline the heading and they are obsessed with making everything pretty. However, this is due to the fact that the teachers value work that is neat rather than the ideas expressed by the students. For example, I have had multiple teachers show me students’ exams and comment that there is no way the student could have done well on the exam because the hand writing is too messy. This frustrates me because I know that many of the students have good ideas but have messy handwriting.</p><p class="MsoNormal">
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<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>The students at my school just finished their first trimester (it made me think of <st1:place st="on">Union</st1:place> except they don’t get a six week long break). The students are enrolled in 10 classes but they don’t have every class everyday. Some classes like English are five times a week while history and biology are three times a week and some such as citizenship are only once a week. Most of my students failed at least one class and some failed up to as many as 8. Grades are out of ten with five considered passing. I understand there is a different grading policy but what bothers me is that the teachers don’t care that their students failed. No attempt at extra help or attention is given. Rather the teachers write the students off as lazy or unintelligent and do not bother to try to help the students learn the material. Multiple teachers have commented to me that certain students are disasters and that there is no point trying to help them. This goes against everything I believe in. I think everyone can learn and you just need to figure out how to capture their attention and motivate them.</p><p class="MsoNormal">
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<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>Overall, while I may not incorporate a lot of the methods the teachers in <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Spain</st1:place></st1:country-region> use, I am learning a lot about education and how to be an effective teacher. Hopefully, I will be able to take what I have learned and apply it when I return next year and have a class of my own. </p> michelle.e.koohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14502511570684993427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-251526107472408184.post-67135965829073857642008-12-01T09:43:00.000-08:002008-12-01T09:57:17.873-08:00Thanksgiving Part 2My Thanksgiving dinner was a success. On Thursday, my roommates and I had to work so we did not start cooking until about 3 pm. After picking up our turkey, Liz and I quickly realized our turkey had feathers! Unsure what to do, we looked online but found little advice as this is not a normal occurrence, so we spent the next twenty minutes plucking feathers off of our turkey. I found this quite gross and I don’t like thinking about the meat I eat in animal form.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLbgkSjd0u6dcoQ0EnKmqdQjUnKAqbif6vrVjAeN3cVWQAb-LSDpeVGCfr72mLMHbWgXCM__xx7ruefvIBRNXhRnS36vt4ESr-MvY-W8MtmrUBhyNXrft5D1r6xms0Pn8c15j9BNPGVhQ/s1600-h/dia+de+accion+de+gracias+034.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLbgkSjd0u6dcoQ0EnKmqdQjUnKAqbif6vrVjAeN3cVWQAb-LSDpeVGCfr72mLMHbWgXCM__xx7ruefvIBRNXhRnS36vt4ESr-MvY-W8MtmrUBhyNXrft5D1r6xms0Pn8c15j9BNPGVhQ/s320/dia+de+accion+de+gracias+034.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274880418364459842" border="0" /></a><br /> Some of the feathers from our turkey<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbWbobZPsIy1HaSz5fbi2DuiOtSka7u-__FBFMpukBVzhj156SnoKHj8lMDWpMgaLjKAFfZB2wW1J-Fh25CO9DSv-4xGczEP0rYqeAOu53EtGXfK1ZYs5K2hEztvK6kpZKyuteq9Dnlso/s1600-h/dia+de+accion+de+gracias+029.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbWbobZPsIy1HaSz5fbi2DuiOtSka7u-__FBFMpukBVzhj156SnoKHj8lMDWpMgaLjKAFfZB2wW1J-Fh25CO9DSv-4xGczEP0rYqeAOu53EtGXfK1ZYs5K2hEztvK6kpZKyuteq9Dnlso/s320/dia+de+accion+de+gracias+029.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274880425390194834" border="0" /></a><br /> One successful pie and one not so successful one<br /><br />At 3 pm we realized our turkey barely fit into our roasting pan so I went out to see if I could buy a disposable pan. The problem I encountered was siesta. The stores that sold disposable roasting pans were closed which I found ironic because in the states everyone tries to avoid going to the grocery store on thanksgiving to avoid the last minute rush while I couldn’t find a store that was open. After stuffing our turkey, we placed it in the oven at about 4 pm with the oven on number 3. Thirty minutes into cooking our turkey we realized the skin was getting dark too quickly so we tinfoiled the entire turkey. We cooked our turkey on number 3 most of the day and by about 7 pm the meat thermometer said our turkey done.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4w7W__m9AhUCgelGaWu0uzu_tsTW3YjQ1DMfbj0tsqgFxdLjFnF0rhT3cgdx82koRC_CfxfcH8PBbB1jwKLkzxLgBHGKED_uFA4mSX-vViVtaEz1FUbzRpxxsEe575guNChvqshrXtTM/s1600-h/dia+de+accion+de+gracias+035.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4w7W__m9AhUCgelGaWu0uzu_tsTW3YjQ1DMfbj0tsqgFxdLjFnF0rhT3cgdx82koRC_CfxfcH8PBbB1jwKLkzxLgBHGKED_uFA4mSX-vViVtaEz1FUbzRpxxsEe575guNChvqshrXtTM/s320/dia+de+accion+de+gracias+035.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274880432288524962" border="0" /></a> our beautiful turkey<br /><br />The rest of the afternoon was spent cleaning the apartment, laying out the furniture, and mentally preparing for hosting so many people. I ended up carving the turkey which if anyone knows my dad’s turkey carving skills and my mom’s culinary abilities would find this hilarious. I think I did a pretty good job although I had to keep the pieces pretty small so that as many people as possible could have a taste.<br /><br />People starting arriving around 8:30 and kept coming until close 10. When they arrived, we took their dish, heated it up if necessary, had them a plate and told them to start eating. The food was set up as a buffet and after people got their food they could sit down and eat. As more people came, those who had already eaten would get up and mingle with others so that the newcomers could sit down and eat. We had so much food! Everyone’s dishes were amazing and it was so nice to be surrounded by such great company. At around 11 pm we went around and said what we were thankful for. Everyone gave great answers including skype, the small things in life, Uncle Fulbright, our students, and having found a great group of friends. At this point, I counted there were 35 people in our apartment but somehow it all worked out.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivK4a3phfWqNWgJoD3tMp0GM10Hu1AhQlRG-RKxzD2TD6gtegZ_lt3ICuaifwZ4MD_1uh6vfetehsZOB9hCh-OZs6PrCEDBHems1znvgVhebzLxgc0dd0smyCMJHmjMstz98ayywj_Ak0/s1600-h/dia+de+accion+de+gracias+042.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivK4a3phfWqNWgJoD3tMp0GM10Hu1AhQlRG-RKxzD2TD6gtegZ_lt3ICuaifwZ4MD_1uh6vfetehsZOB9hCh-OZs6PrCEDBHems1znvgVhebzLxgc0dd0smyCMJHmjMstz98ayywj_Ak0/s320/dia+de+accion+de+gracias+042.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274880444803141442" border="0" /></a> the buffet spread<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOp0rH73nAKGE4rbdbAQz8FJQv7_wjoZv_G5QXSbPoeu12YPx1suMCQWKD3EXCqcQdMptJiN4x-oIs7d8wRkMR2cIxcy0TuYuSME9LCzsk2l7ZBgBCkYxKSZjVsTGSTv1Be8zhmIwCKsM/s1600-h/dia+de+accion+de+gracias+053.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOp0rH73nAKGE4rbdbAQz8FJQv7_wjoZv_G5QXSbPoeu12YPx1suMCQWKD3EXCqcQdMptJiN4x-oIs7d8wRkMR2cIxcy0TuYuSME9LCzsk2l7ZBgBCkYxKSZjVsTGSTv1Be8zhmIwCKsM/s320/dia+de+accion+de+gracias+053.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274880453581786354" border="0" /></a> everyone crammed into our apartment<br /><br />This was definitely one of my most memorable Thanksgivings. I feel so lucky to be in Spain this year, to have made amazing friends in Spain, and to have great family and friends back in the United States.michelle.e.koohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14502511570684993427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-251526107472408184.post-82185840422402319032008-11-26T04:14:00.000-08:002008-11-26T04:15:23.326-08:00Thanksgiving Part 1This year my roommates and I decided to host a Thanksgiving dinner because we have one of the bigger apartments that can hold a lot of people. We initially invited twenty people, however over the last week the list has grown to almost forty people! Most of the people who have been added are people in the Fulbright group that we know but now we definitely do not have space for everyone. The problem is that we are all friends and we don’t know how to say no to someone. Currently the plan is to have a buffet and when someone comes they put their dish out and they can start eating whenever they want. There is no way everyone will be able to sit down at the same time so we will probably end up eating in shifts. One of our friends is bringing an extra folding table she has and we have asked those with folding chairs to bring them as well, however very few people have any.<br /> <br />Everyone is expected to bring at least one dish. We are cooking a turkey on Thursday which we had to preorder because the supermarkets do not normally carry them. When we went to order the turkey, the butcher told us they would kill the turkey on Wednesday and we could pick it up on Thursday. I don’t think I have ever had a turkey that is this fresh. However, we are all quite nervous about cooking it. Our oven only has numbers 1-10 with no temperatures listed. I have looked at other ovens in Spain and they have actual temperatures listed. Our oven is about thirty years old so there is no hope of finding a manual online to explain the numbers. Because we have no idea how hot anything is, I will try to find a meat thermometer in order to ensure we cook the bird enough, however because most apartments do not have ovens they can be hard to find. <br /><br />In order to prepare our Thanksgiving feast, multiple trips to Taste of America (an American grocery store) have been necessary. They are the only place that sells cranberries, pumpkin pie filling, stove top stuffing, and brown sugar. <br />Tomorrow, (ie Thanksgiving Day), I will get off of work around 1 and go straight home. We will cook for the next six or seven hours and people will start arriving at our apartment around 8 pm and we will start eating around 8:30 pm. Wish us luck!michelle.e.koohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14502511570684993427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-251526107472408184.post-29883755625285316962008-11-18T11:01:00.000-08:002008-11-18T11:03:17.234-08:00Veterans Day and VolunteeringThis past week I had a discussion with my students about Veterans Day in the United States. In Spain, they do not have an equivocal holiday. After talking with some of the other teachers and thinking more about Spanish history, I realized this makes sense. The only recent war in Spanish history is their civil war (1936-1939); however, considering that this is still a contentious issue of debate, Spaniards do not often bring this topic up in conversation. As a result, Spaniards do not have a holiday that celebrates those who have fought in war to defend their country. <br /><br /><br /> My discussion on Veterans Day also included topics related to national pride and service. When I asked my students if they are proud to be Spaniards, they sorted shrugged the question off and yes but who cares. My students did not take that much pride in being a Spaniard nor did they have much regional pride (in areas such as Basque Country, Galicia, and Catalonia people have a lot more regional pride than Spanish pride). My students’ response surprised me at first because in America children are taught to be proud of their country even if they don’t quite understand what it means. <br /><br /> When discussing the military with my students, I asked if they thought every young person should perform some sort of national service or volunteering. I explained that most people would not fight or be in the military but that the majority would help in the social sector. Their jobs could include tutoring younger children, helping the elderly, feeding the homeless, taking care of national parks, or providing disaster relief. Some of my students thought this was a good idea, but in general they didn’t think national service should be mandatory. Only two of my 28 students had participated in a volunteer activity in the last year. In Spain, volunteerism is not very prevalent. There are fewer organizations and one has to be proactive and seek them out. At the school, there is no key club or volunteering group. Therefore if students decide to volunteer, they have to contact the organization on their own and figure out what help they can provide and when. As a result, only a small percentage of students are engaged in volunteer work. Part of the reason for the low rate of volunteering is that the Spanish government does provide a lot more services to needy than the US government. However, I think it is important for everyone to learn about helping others so I have decided to organize a canned food drive at my school and have the different grades complete to see who can bring in the most food. I have yet to work out the logistics of this plan but I will keep you updated as it moves forward.michelle.e.koohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14502511570684993427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-251526107472408184.post-28601959547024517612008-11-06T09:13:00.000-08:002008-11-06T09:35:19.351-08:00Election Night Parties
<br /><meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5CunionR52%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="State"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="place"></o:smarttagtype><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal"> While in college, I never pulled an all nighter. On election night, I did. I spent the night watching the election results come in at two different parties. The first party that I went to was hosted by the American embassy. Everyone in attendance had to have an invitation. All of the fulbrighters were included on the guest list. When we went to sign in, the lady working asked immediately if we were with Fulbright. She was able to tell because we were the only attendees under the age of forty. Everyone else working for the embassy or had close ties to someone at the embassy. Below is a photo taken at the American Embassy party. I made sure to find the California state flag.
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgX3y9z_VY9jVCs9ImQqlGkqAuE6a4wvxx0gmeOz8fj4lq0LZJmXCUVbyj4Rawm68KEjYc88B9N4qVHk4UIPnmWV9M_Gx3gzseSxgdCQWOjjqTzzNsHmTBn8Bhyphenhyphenza6lH9fcBPCqitwUfk/s1600-h/Election+Night+and+Animal+Parade+037.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgX3y9z_VY9jVCs9ImQqlGkqAuE6a4wvxx0gmeOz8fj4lq0LZJmXCUVbyj4Rawm68KEjYc88B9N4qVHk4UIPnmWV9M_Gx3gzseSxgdCQWOjjqTzzNsHmTBn8Bhyphenhyphenza6lH9fcBPCqitwUfk/s320/Election+Night+and+Animal+Parade+037.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265598345810746450" border="0" /></a>
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<br />The party was pretty low key, so we decided to go to the Democrats abroad party. The majority of people in my program are democrats and we wanted to be able to cheer and express ourselves as the results came in.</p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>Even though I had bought my ticket to the democrats abroad party, I still had to wait in a big line. The problem was that there was not separate lines for those who had already purchased tickets and those who had not. As a result everyone was trying to push their way in at the front door. I was stuck in a massive group of people and for about twenty minutes they stopped letting people in which angered everyone. The group was so tightly packed and everyone was trying to push their way in even though they weren’t letting anyone in. At one point, it felt like it was two or three pushes away from being a stampede. Luckily, I got in soon enough without any injuries.
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<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>Once inside, the party was amazing. It was held at the Circulo de las Bellas Artes which is normally used for an exhibition hall but can be rented for private parties. I would estimate that there were close to 1,000 people at the party which took place over four floors with each floor having a bar set up, a large projection screen and one or two plasma flat screen tvs.
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<br />Below is a picture of the crowd on the fourth floor. Clearly the building was quite crowded.
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimCgSncjdPfyjMGxAKJln_R5rAgbbyVzhjn6aGlp9gQkbG36RkPngvIS1WucjuIJVUGASMSW3WhHafc8_FImw1S2uUYtIEfiSVbcaVPe3d1-IYoNxA2Y5unayhvyUbfZ97KEo729CbwnY/s1600-h/Election+Night+and+Animal+Parade+042.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimCgSncjdPfyjMGxAKJln_R5rAgbbyVzhjn6aGlp9gQkbG36RkPngvIS1WucjuIJVUGASMSW3WhHafc8_FImw1S2uUYtIEfiSVbcaVPe3d1-IYoNxA2Y5unayhvyUbfZ97KEo729CbwnY/s320/Election+Night+and+Animal+Parade+042.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265595815211814114" border="0" /></a>
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<br />The whole night they showed the CNN broadcast which I thought was pretty good but I got sick of watching the commercials. I got to the party around 1 am (7pm eastern) when the first polls were closing. We would all get really excited when any news came in but then there would often be a lag for about thirty minutes before next polls closed.
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<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>At the party, I hung out with about 12 other Fulbrighters in a jammed packed room. The atmosphere was amazing. Everyone was really excited, energetic, and optimistic. As the results started coming in, we started sharing bottles of champagne. In our group of twelve, we probably went through about 8 bottles of champagne which started to make me feel sick because there was no food at the party and I had not eaten anything since 9 pm. As things started to go Obama’s way, I considered going home but decided this was a once and lifetime opportunity and that I wanted to stay up all night.. Shortly after 4 am, after the mountain states results had come in, it was clear Obama was going to win but I wanted to see them call <st1:state st="on"><st1:place st="on">California</st1:place></st1:state> and see how they would announce Obama as president. At 5 am, when the west coast polls closed, CNN did not call the individual states, but rather flashed on the tv that they were calling the election for Obama.
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTPaiLT68sLGJJjYOkivS9nMDPisaNir-PH2j1T0R284966rGGt7kFR3ZS3C2f9MA3lAi4XBTRtaWbUKEWckPXAfwGrh_O8gvduiBnE4ZF8uAsfEvPT19uvtDSCbiEIASbZ_JuT59xQFM/s1600-h/Election+Night+and+Animal+Parade+045.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTPaiLT68sLGJJjYOkivS9nMDPisaNir-PH2j1T0R284966rGGt7kFR3ZS3C2f9MA3lAi4XBTRtaWbUKEWckPXAfwGrh_O8gvduiBnE4ZF8uAsfEvPT19uvtDSCbiEIASbZ_JuT59xQFM/s320/Election+Night+and+Animal+Parade+045.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265595818343020226" border="0" /></a> Everyone was so excited and happy. People started jumping up and down and cheering. Some started crying and at one point, the room started chanting “si se puede” (yes, we can) which is an Obama slogan but also the Spanish version was also used by Cesear Chavez when campaigning for farmers rights in <st1:place st="on"><st1:state st="on">California</st1:state></st1:place>.
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<br />Below is a picture of us celebrating Obama's victory
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPZg1uNwkrNk3b4CdHBzqBrP4z7KYqhVHumyqy5aoo_BfIYq0nNA3qicDvmtHLwdfj-Dcb8_E8Hy8OuICMQ_FevqmeYkH372GrXk9ryTYsz4k3nnXn0Mz7PKZD2a6-H7H7hQzgPf-gSic/s1600-h/Election+Night+and+Animal+Parade+046.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 328px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPZg1uNwkrNk3b4CdHBzqBrP4z7KYqhVHumyqy5aoo_BfIYq0nNA3qicDvmtHLwdfj-Dcb8_E8Hy8OuICMQ_FevqmeYkH372GrXk9ryTYsz4k3nnXn0Mz7PKZD2a6-H7H7hQzgPf-gSic/s320/Election+Night+and+Animal+Parade+046.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265595824307627426" border="0" /></a>
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<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>After watching McCain’s concession speech and Obama’s acceptance speech, I took the metro home around 6:15 am, slept for one hour, and then went to work. However, I am fine with sacrificing one night of sleep for all the change that is supposed to come.</p> michelle.e.koohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14502511570684993427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-251526107472408184.post-45729890672914470952008-11-04T10:00:00.000-08:002008-11-06T07:20:29.264-08:00Election Day<span style="font-style: italic;">This post was written the day of the election before I knew any of the results. The other post regarding the election describes going to hear election results live at 6 AM Spanish time and the reaction of the outcome. </span><br /><br /><br /> Being away for the election has been an interesting experience with some positives and some negatives. While I am sad that I have missed some of the Saturday Night Live Tina Fey skits, I do not miss being bombarded with negative political advertising. However, as a result of not watching American television, I am not very in touch with California politics. I would have liked to have read and heard more about the propositions related to the ban on gay marriage, the humane treatment of farm animals, the renovation of children’s hospitals, renewable energy, and high speed commuter railway.<br /><br /> Since my first day of work back in September all of my students have been interested in my political views. During the first week of school, after giving a presentation about myself, my students asked me who I was voting for. I felt comfortable telling them that I was an Obama supporter but their teachers tried to step in and explain that people are not as open in the United States as in Spain. In Spain, it is normal to know everyone’s political views, how much money they make, and the grades they get in school and it is not considered rude to ask about these topics with strangers.<br /><br /> Almost everyone here is an Obama fan, based on my informal conversations I would guess close 90% of people support him or rather oppose Bush, McCain, and Republicans in general. I am sure how much they know about Obama; however they are clear in their hatred for Bush and about one month ago McCain made a comment that he would not sit down with the President of Spain (lumping Zapatero in with leaders of terrorists and non-democratic countries) which clearly annoyed many Spaniards. Perhaps Spain's obsession with Obama is best represented by this 2.5 acre depiction of Obama on the beach front of Barcelona. Jorge Rodriguez-Gerada, a Cuban American, created this portrait over the weekend with the land donated by the city of Barcelona. The portrait is 445 feet by 264 feet and is made up of gravel, stone, sand and soil.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAe3RKYruEhlu3DKWqgCKoP2kAUg03qtCufl8bAsM7PZ8RA9xnPV8W_kJuzk9_EL34m5QUr6V6uZH2_7YyDj0WBcicm_PH_klPe-ZmJtdH73cJfBRRzV4pwbXU2IU731oxr9ri0QiJAfs/s1600-h/art.obama.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 292px; height: 219px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAe3RKYruEhlu3DKWqgCKoP2kAUg03qtCufl8bAsM7PZ8RA9xnPV8W_kJuzk9_EL34m5QUr6V6uZH2_7YyDj0WBcicm_PH_klPe-ZmJtdH73cJfBRRzV4pwbXU2IU731oxr9ri0QiJAfs/s320/art.obama.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264866062984936466" border="0" /></a><br /><br /> At the school, Jim and I have been discussing the election with our fourth year students. We have tried to present some of the key issues and discuss how Obama and McCain have varying viewpoints in order to provide some substance to the conversation. This week I will end the discussion on the election by discussing the outcome and explaining how Americans vote.<br /><br /> One thing that many people have commented to me about is that despite being a very advanced country our system of voting is very ineffective. In Spain, elections are held during the weekend which means everyone has the chance to vote regardless of whether they have time to take off work. (The teachers at my school were shocked that election day is not considered a national holiday). When I studied abroad in Costa Rica, I learned elections are held on a Sunday and starting on the Friday before election Sunday no grocery stores, bars, or restaurants can sell alcohol in order to increase voter turnout and prevent people from being too drunk or hung over to vote.<br /><br /> Not only have people commented to me about the specific day in which we vote, but many are surprised to find out that there is no national identification card for the United States and that the elections laws are governed by each individual state which results in people using different mechanisms to vote. Most importantly, Spaniards cannot believe that there is no paper trail for many of the voting machines and that you do not receive a receipt or copy of your ballot. After talking with the teachers at my school, I began to wonder why our voting system was so complicated and why we do not mandate a paper trail of some sort.michelle.e.koohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14502511570684993427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-251526107472408184.post-24304760860170731582008-10-31T11:46:00.000-07:002008-10-31T11:55:39.223-07:00Two Month UpdateToday marks my two month anniversary in Spain. It is quite fitting that today I picked up my residency card and I am now a legal resident for the next year. For the most part, I feel very well adjusted to living in Madrid. I know my way around the metro and I am beginning to connect different parts of the city in my head. I have learned which grocery stores have the best prices, the location of the best bakery in my neighborhood, and have discovered a new clothing store called lefties that similar clothes and prices to H & M.<br /> Below is a list of my goals I created before leaving for Spain, and the ones in italics I have completed. Others, I am still in the process of completing such as trying new foods and learning to be more laid back about being on time.<br /><br />Goals<br />1.<span style="font-style: italic;"> Find an apartment!</span><br />2. Become fluent in Spanish<br />3. Try lots of new foods and learn how to cook some authentic Spanish dishes<br />4. Visit at least six countries and go to Africa once, get lots of passport stamps<br />5. <span style="font-style: italic;">Learn to navigate the metro system in Madrid</span><br />6. <span style="font-style: italic;">Become familiar with the neighborhood I live in and explore other neighborhoods in Madrid</span><br />7. Become a better teacher and teach my students to be better people<br />8. <span style="font-style: italic;">Stay in contact with friends and family</span><br />9. Take lots of photos or learn a new craft/art form<br />10. Volunteer and get my students involved as well<br />11. Go to a concert, theater, and <span style="font-style: italic;">flamenco</span> performance<br />12. Learn to be more laid back and not have everything planned ahead of time<br />13. <span style="font-style: italic;">Visit a temple, mosque, and church</span><br /><br />14. Make friends with Spaniards<br />15. Do something natury like rafting, zip lining, hiking<br />16. <span style="font-style: italic;">Host a dinner party</span><br />17. <span style="font-style: italic;">Enjoy reading an entire book in Spanish</span> - I read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory but I am hoping to move on to adult books in the near future<br />18. Buy a piece of art from my travels<br />19. Find intercambio partner<br />20. Have no regrets<br /><br />In addition to the initial goals that I set, I have added a couple more now that I have been here for a little bit.<br />1. Rent a rowboat at retiro<br />2. Go to Bilbao and see the Guggenheim Museum<br />3. Have someone stop me on the street and ask for directions, and for me to be able to understand the question, know the location they want to go to, and provide proper directions<br /><br /><br />Some of my highlights of my time in Spain including spending two beautiful afternoons in Retiro park loosing complete track of time and falling asleep while reading, sharing a delicious Rosh Hashanah dinner with friends, seeing an amazing free flamenco performance in the metro, teaching an entire lesson by myself, and traveling to Seville and Cordoba.michelle.e.koohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14502511570684993427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-251526107472408184.post-86462202015075395902008-10-27T06:37:00.001-07:002008-10-27T06:37:59.859-07:00Acting Like an AmericanToday, I acted like an American, but not in the bad way that makes me cringe when I see obnoxious tourists around Madrid. First, I went to the American embassy so I could vote. I have yet to receive my actual ballot so I filled out a write in ballot. I doubt my vote will actually matter but after discussing the election with my students and going to a democrats abroad meeting, I felt obligated to voice my opinion. The embassy was actually quite helpful. After showing my US passport, I was given a write in ballot and a ticket number. Luckily, there is a separate line for US citizens trying to vote which is quite short and is not the same line as everyone else who is applying for visas and green cards. After filling out my ballot, I talked with the representative who provided the address of where to send my ballot and was able to tell me whether I needed a witness to sign my ballot.<br /> After the embassy, I walked to Taste of America, an American grocery store. I was expecting some over the top grocery with an overabundance of products from the states. The store was actually pretty small and mainly had baking supplies (many kitchens in Spain do not have ovens, hence the lack of baking supplies in normal grocery stores), Halloween candy, Pop tarts, oatmeal, pasta sauce, and BAGELS! I initially went to the store to see what products they had related to Halloween because my school informed on Friday we are celebrating it in our classes. The Halloween candy was too overpriced, close to seven euros for a small bag of candy but I did buy four bagels for three euro at the store. I had the first bagel today and it was actually pretty good. While the price is high, I am willing to pay it once and a while. <br /> My third and final stop today was at Al Campo, the Spanish equivalent of Walmart. At Al Campo, I found more reasonably priced Halloween candy (ie fun size bars of candy), decorations, and a costume. I am going to be witch this year. I was able to buy a hat and face paint for pretty cheap and I have enough black clothes to complete the outfit. <br /> On a side note, the other American thing I did this weekend was watch NFL football. One of my friends paid to watch the NFL games live on his computer and we had an American Football party. It was so much fun to get into the games and talk football with people who actually understand the game and have intelligent things to say. The only bad thing about the football was that we had some trouble connecting to the site and at times it would replay parts of the game that we had already seen, and because we could not get the full screen option to work we were unable to see the game clock without looking closely. As a result, we watched the same three minute section three or four times before we noticed anything was wrong. During this time, we thought Cassel, the New England quarter back was playing horribly because it kept showing him getting intercepted. Once we realized the problem, we paid closer attention to the game clock and enjoyed the rest of the game.michelle.e.koohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14502511570684993427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-251526107472408184.post-12863340892891867222008-10-16T09:14:00.000-07:002008-10-16T09:15:08.551-07:00Indian EmbassyYesterday I went to the Indian Embassy to apply for a tourist visa to India because my family and I have decided to go to India during my winter break. I am super excited to see a completely different culture, travel around the country and most importantly visit my friend Emily is volunteering in an orphanage in Mumbai.<br /> After reading the Indian embassy website multiple times, it appeared that the application was simple enough. Anyone going into India needs a visa, even if one is just stopping over on layover. In order to apply for the visa, you need to fill out the simple two page application, provide three passport photos, have your passport and pay the corresponding fee. This seemed simple enough. I did not need additional documentation, no appointment was required, and I did not encounter any horror stories on the web about transactions with the Indian embassy in Spain. <br /> When applying for a visa, you must relinquish your passport for one week and because I will need my passport for travel and to finalize my paperwork to get a residency card I wanted to get the visa application over. You must apply between the hours of 9-12:30 so I can only apply on Mondays when I have my day off. I got to the embassy at 9 am and figured I may have to stand in line for a while but that the process couldn’t be too difficult. Boy was I was wrong!<br /> When you arrive, you must take a number. There are two separate numbering systems: one for Indian nationals and one for everyone else. The problem is that there is only one person who helps all non-Indians so if someone holds up the line with a complicated application no one moves forward. Twice while I was waiting, an individual took over forty minutes to file their application. <br /> The nice thing about taking a number is that you don’t have to stand in a strict line, instead you are able to mingle and wait inside or outside which is key because I think some people would start a riot if they were not able to smoke while waiting for their number to be called. <br /> After waiting about an hour and realizing the only seven people had been seen I began to get nervous and realize my number would probably never be called. I had number 78 and they were only on number 14 by 10:30. Furthermore, posted on all the walls are signs saying they stop taking applications at 12:30 and that the numbers are not good for the following day which means you can wait all day and never be seen and have to start all over the next day. At this point, I started talking and listening to other people’s conversations. Multiple people informed me that the consulate only sees about 40 people a day and that they realize the process is inefficient but they do not care because the Spanish consulate in India is so bad they are trying to get back at the Spanish government by running a horrible embassy in Spain.<br /> When I asked what time one needs to arrive at the embassy to get a “good” number and to be assured one will be seen, I was told to arrive by 4 am and that the person with number 1 had arrived at 6 pm the previous night. While I have heard crazy stories about people having to camp out at embassies in order to get their visas, I was shocked and not looking forward to coming back a second time. <br /> To make matters more complicated, there are companies that will apply for the visa for you. They charge a large fee but you don’t have to deal with the hassle of going to the embassy. This complicates things because with each number a person can bring up one visa application for themselves or he/she can bring up 100 applications for others. This means that one person can hold up the line for a long time and it also leads to a lot of side business being conducted at the embassy.<br /> While waiting in line, I met 5 different people who worked for companies that helped individuals get their visas. While these employees had been given a set number of applications to apply for, the employees also conduct side business in which they inform those who are waiting what number they have and that they are willing to take their application up with them if they pay an extra fifty euros. Because all of these transactions are conducted in Spanish and I did not know any of these employees, I did not want to pay someone some extra money and give them my passport. While I knew what was going on, I was nervous about losing my passport and I didn’t want to pay any extra money.<br /> The employees who take on the extra applications pocket the money but they also ask for the ticket number of the individual. This leads to black market for the numbers. Because no one is standing in line, it is hard to tell if anyone cuts and no one enforces any rules stating the person who takes the ticket must be the person to use it. Thus, I saw one man walk in around 10 am but he either knew someone or paid someone to get a low number ticket.<br /> By 10:30 I realized my number was never going to be called but I didn’t know whether I should leave. I had nothing else to do all day and I was not sure when I could come back to the embassy. I decided to stick around to see if maybe someone would give up and leave and possibly give me their ticket. <br />At 12:30 the embassy was still packed and there no way they could close without having a riot on their hands. Each person who was seen after 12:30 breathed a sigh of relief that they had been helped. By this time they were serving number 50 but still very far away from my number 78. At this point, I had waited almost half a day and decided that I was going to stand and wait until someone would help me or until I was removed from the building. This strategy paid off. A nice lady with number 55 told me I could go up with her. Luckily the agent at the window did not care that this lady was applying for a work visa and I was applying for a tourist visa and that we were clearly not connected. Thus, at 1:30 an hour after closing, I submitted my application. Now all I have to do is go back next Monday to pick it up in the afternoon. I have been told the pick up process is a lot smoother and that you do not have to wait long but I am not holding my breath.michelle.e.koohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14502511570684993427noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-251526107472408184.post-70787660449974418592008-10-12T01:46:00.000-07:002008-10-12T03:30:38.532-07:00Smoking, Siesta, and SunriseIn Spain, three of the things that bother me the most are smoking, siesta, and the sunrise.<br /><br /> 1) <span style="font-weight: bold;">Smoking -</span> Almost everyone here smokes. It is almost impossible to find a bar or restaurant that is smoke free. Last weekend I had to leave a bar because it was so smoky my eyes started watering. I have cordoned off a section in my closet for smoky clothes so that they do not contaminate the rest of my clothes. Every time I come back from a smoky place, I douse my clothing in Febreeze and hope the smell will go away. Worst of all, when I leave my school, I have to walk through a cloud of smoke from students and standing next to my students are the teachers smoking. I just want to remind everyone how bad smoking is for their health.<br /> On a brighter note, I am feeling even better about my decision to live with American Fulbrighters because multiple Fulbrighters have been placed in difficult situations because they have been told their Spanish roommates do not smoke when in fact they do, thus forcing them to confront their roommates or possibly move to a smoke free environment.<br /><br /> 2) <span style="font-weight: bold;">Siesta - </span>I love the concept of siesta and taking a break in the midday. However, the reason it drives me crazy is because there are no standard hours businesses are open. Some places such as banks open at 8:30 while others tend to open around 10. Some places close at two and remain closed all day while others reopen at five and stay open until eight and those that remain open for seista close at five or six. This makes it difficult to know when anything will be open and because I am teaching most of the day and have to run most of my errands during siesta or the early evening I end up wasting time going to closed shops.<br /> Also, because everyone has different work schedules, I have found the best time to ride the metro on weekdays is between 10-12 in the morning. Any other time, the metro is somewhat crowded because people are constantly going to and from work and almost any hour can be considered the rush hour.<br /><br /> 3) <span style="font-weight: bold;">Sunrise - </span>Sunrise is really late in Madrid. Right now, the sun does not rise until close 8:30. Therefore, when I get up, it is really dark and hard to get out of bed. I am nervous that I will not want to get out of bed in winter when the sunrise is even later. The reason the sunrise is so late is that Spain is on the same time zone as France, Germany, Italy, Hungry, Austria, Sweden, and Norway. However, Great Britain is one hour behind Spain even though it is more east than Spain.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.brojon.org/images/articles/einstein1/Eurotimezones.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://www.brojon.org/images/articles/einstein1/Eurotimezones.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /> As the map shows, it would make more sense for Spain to be on the same time zone of Great Britain. Although because the sunrises so late, sunset is really late as well which works with the Spanish time schedule. It does not feel like you are eating dinner that late (around 9)when the sun does not set until 8 pm.michelle.e.koohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14502511570684993427noreply@blogger.com0