my school is adorable!!!!!!!!!!!! everyone is so nice! i am very excited! my first day is on friday. the trip to my school takes about 1/2 an hour. not bad! i figured out the route and i feel good about it. there are 3 other people who will be assistants at my school and they all signed on for a 2nd year from last year. so thats cool. i am about to go and get my public transport card. then i am going to meet up with manuel one last time before he leaves. tomorrow i get my bank account probably at banco santender and then next week i visit the house i will be living in more permanently. i am super tired and was going to take a nap but i dont have time. i will sleep early tonight.
love/miss you all!
xoxo
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
tuesday
ok going to visit the school today! i need to figure out my route and time it.
i need to ask them what my schedule will be, what grade specifically i will be teaching and what bank they use.
then i am going to get my public transport card.
then i am going to open a bank account based on what my school says.
dad i need to do an impression of the spanish voice for you!
keon i saw the cutest floppiest baby puppy cocker spaniel!!! the dogs here are so cute! everyone has a mini one... i adore them!
ok i'll write again soon!
i need to ask them what my schedule will be, what grade specifically i will be teaching and what bank they use.
then i am going to get my public transport card.
then i am going to open a bank account based on what my school says.
dad i need to do an impression of the spanish voice for you!
keon i saw the cutest floppiest baby puppy cocker spaniel!!! the dogs here are so cute! everyone has a mini one... i adore them!
ok i'll write again soon!
Monday, September 27, 2010
soy lo que soy
its 3 pm and i am about to take a nap. i slept for 11 hours last night, i had a 2 hour nap the day before, and i slept for 9 hours before that. i guess i'm still adjusting to jet lag.
id say the 2 most american things about me so far are: my camelpack water bottle (its just as bad a waving an american flag) which i LOVE, i dont think i could live without it. and also, the fact that i get excited when i see chinese grocery stores. haha! apparently only chinese people shop in those...
so, some people here can really be freaks about trying to understand me when i'm speaking spanish. yes, obviouly i have an accent, but when i say "donde esta un phonehouse?" they should understand that i'm asking where there is a phonehouse. the girl stares at me like i am an alien, so i say "para los telefones mobiles..." to try and help her out ( for mobile phones) she just says "no...." and i KNOW FOR A FACT that there were like 5 phonehouses close to where we were because she was working in a shop in puerta del sol which is the most central plaza in madrid and there are seirously 5 if not more phonehouses...so her friend interupts and is like "ya theres one just up the street " (in spanish) some people just dont even try to understand you where as others are able to think ok i'm hearing the words "phone house" so shes probably asking for a phonehouse, even if i dont understand the other words shes saying. which, i know my accent isnt THAT BAD. sheesh.
im really really working hard to improve my spanish. it can be very scary living in a country where you are not fluent in the language they speak! i dont know how people can go to other countries as international students and get a degree! i have a clearer perspective on that now. i always sympathized, but now i empathize.
the spanish accent is hard:
d is pronounced like dth and sometimes like th
t is pronounced like d and sometimes like dth
p is pronounced like b
v is pronounced like B
ll is pronounced like j
y is sometimes pronounced like j
j is pronounced like kh
h is not pronounced
s is pronounced like sh
c and z are pronounced like th
g is pronounced like g and sometimes like gh
so my name here sucks. they cant pronounce shayan so they call me chayang. which is actually chayanne who is kind of the spanish equivalent of yanni...hes a really cheesy singer. so... not only can they not pronounce it but it also conjures up really ridiculous images of this loser. my name has given me hell in the only 3 languages i speak. english=cheyenne / farsi=boys name / spain=chayanne male freak singer. que guay!
the weather here is very dry, i had a very small nose bleed and my skin is very dry. also its a bit dusty and my contacts bug me a bit but i'm getting used to it.
i cant beleive how many people here smoke!!!!! its so excessive! the other night when we were out for manuel's dinner his friends smoked 4 times THROUGHOUT dinner!!! smoking inside is perfectly acceptable i just cant beleive it. they have smoking and non smoking sections, but really you can smell it no matter what. but atleast you dont have direct smoke wafting into your eyes/nose while youre eating. oh ya when we were out at the irish pub, my eyes were burning from the smoke in the bar.
i walk here SO MUCH!!! everywhere! and even in the metro you have to walk up and down stairs a lot and also the place i am staying here is on the 5th floor (no elevator) i love walking. it feels good and also its fun to site see.
the shoes in spain are amazing! i have my eye on a pair of shoes that i want to buy when i get my first pay check. hopefully they will still be here when i get paid. so far i think this is what my expenses are:
310 for rent and internet /mo
60 for public transport ticket/mo
not sure how much the bills will be for water/garbage/electricity
and my phone is pay as you go. i think maybe i should do 30/month for the phone. i dont want to over use it.
ok i am very tired siesta time!
love you/miss you
xoxo
id say the 2 most american things about me so far are: my camelpack water bottle (its just as bad a waving an american flag) which i LOVE, i dont think i could live without it. and also, the fact that i get excited when i see chinese grocery stores. haha! apparently only chinese people shop in those...
so, some people here can really be freaks about trying to understand me when i'm speaking spanish. yes, obviouly i have an accent, but when i say "donde esta un phonehouse?" they should understand that i'm asking where there is a phonehouse. the girl stares at me like i am an alien, so i say "para los telefones mobiles..." to try and help her out ( for mobile phones) she just says "no...." and i KNOW FOR A FACT that there were like 5 phonehouses close to where we were because she was working in a shop in puerta del sol which is the most central plaza in madrid and there are seirously 5 if not more phonehouses...so her friend interupts and is like "ya theres one just up the street " (in spanish) some people just dont even try to understand you where as others are able to think ok i'm hearing the words "phone house" so shes probably asking for a phonehouse, even if i dont understand the other words shes saying. which, i know my accent isnt THAT BAD. sheesh.
im really really working hard to improve my spanish. it can be very scary living in a country where you are not fluent in the language they speak! i dont know how people can go to other countries as international students and get a degree! i have a clearer perspective on that now. i always sympathized, but now i empathize.
the spanish accent is hard:
d is pronounced like dth and sometimes like th
t is pronounced like d and sometimes like dth
p is pronounced like b
v is pronounced like B
ll is pronounced like j
y is sometimes pronounced like j
j is pronounced like kh
h is not pronounced
s is pronounced like sh
c and z are pronounced like th
g is pronounced like g and sometimes like gh
so my name here sucks. they cant pronounce shayan so they call me chayang. which is actually chayanne who is kind of the spanish equivalent of yanni...hes a really cheesy singer. so... not only can they not pronounce it but it also conjures up really ridiculous images of this loser. my name has given me hell in the only 3 languages i speak. english=cheyenne / farsi=boys name / spain=chayanne male freak singer. que guay!
the weather here is very dry, i had a very small nose bleed and my skin is very dry. also its a bit dusty and my contacts bug me a bit but i'm getting used to it.
i cant beleive how many people here smoke!!!!! its so excessive! the other night when we were out for manuel's dinner his friends smoked 4 times THROUGHOUT dinner!!! smoking inside is perfectly acceptable i just cant beleive it. they have smoking and non smoking sections, but really you can smell it no matter what. but atleast you dont have direct smoke wafting into your eyes/nose while youre eating. oh ya when we were out at the irish pub, my eyes were burning from the smoke in the bar.
i walk here SO MUCH!!! everywhere! and even in the metro you have to walk up and down stairs a lot and also the place i am staying here is on the 5th floor (no elevator) i love walking. it feels good and also its fun to site see.
the shoes in spain are amazing! i have my eye on a pair of shoes that i want to buy when i get my first pay check. hopefully they will still be here when i get paid. so far i think this is what my expenses are:
310 for rent and internet /mo
60 for public transport ticket/mo
not sure how much the bills will be for water/garbage/electricity
and my phone is pay as you go. i think maybe i should do 30/month for the phone. i dont want to over use it.
ok i am very tired siesta time!
love you/miss you
xoxo
my first weekend in spain
wow. spaniards are obsessed with 2 things: eating food, and socializing. and as you may know, those are 2 of my most favorite things in the world!! so friday i (and 2 american friends) met up with elena and her friend juan in Chueca which is the gay neighborhood in madrid. even though i'm from (close enough) to san francisco, and i've been to castro a million times, i couldnt help but oggle the spanish gay men. they are no different than the people i see walking around castro, but because i'm in spain, out of my element, everything feels like i'm seeing or experiencing it for the first time, even the universal gay man. then the 5 us of went to a place called papatus where they serve chicken nuggets and french fries with a different sauces. that was fun. then elena, juan and i went to a place called brantesaurus or something. and we got this gigantic drink which tasted like medicine and i did not like. you'll see pictures of it. we all shared of course. this is where i saw a man who was a dolph lundgren incarnation that i knew brooke would love. then saturday day...i walked around with elena a lot. got some more madrid tours. and then i ran into the idiot american who made the inappropriate comment about my earrings. and then i went out with manuel and his friends!
at the dinner for manuels goodbye party, i was VERY shy at first. everyone was so loud and talkative and social, and i couldnt understand a word they were saying. it was all so fast and loud, and everyone was talking at once. after about 1/2 an hour. of just siting and listening, i was able to start understanding what each person was saying. apparently i have to get used to the way each person speaks before i can start understanding them. this is when i could start adding a little to conversations. making comment, a sentence here or there. manuel was really really nice and talked to me at the restaurant and made me feel included. which was so nice, it was HIS goodbye party. the food we ate was really good a bunch of side orders. i had my first sangria which was delicious. i was going to go home after the dinner because some other people who were at the party were going home too. but manuel and his friend insisted that i go out wiht them. so i did. we went to an irish pub which was packed with tourists and they only played american music. When i first walked in i felt right at home. i thought i was in america, then i realized that oh ya, irish isnt american. we just have so many irish pubs in america! (side note, the public bathrooms in spain are nasty, my quads will definitely be super buff by the end of this because i never actually make contact with the toilet seat. squatting is the only way.) it was a really fun night, i really liked the 5 friends of his that went to the pub. i hope to see them again, even though manuel wont be here which is really too bad.
i ended up sleeping for 9 hours last night. i had senegalese food with elena and her friend alba today. senegalese food is REALLY GOOD. we went to this neighborhood called lava pies which is the place where all the minorities go to live. it therefore, has a reputation for being a bit lower class (maybe how people in los gatos might view parts of san jose). but elena lived there for years (and shes aryan) and knows it well. then i bought some REAL deoderant...this tom's is NOT working and i was sick of smelling like B.O plus whatever herb scent it was i got. thought it wasnt wafting, i could smell it, and i hated it. I got some dove deoderant but its not the normal deoderant that we have in america its way smaller and its their european line i guess. its the little ball that rolls on your armpit... you know ? its cute how the same brand will ahve different products for different countries. then i came home and slept for 2 more hours which is when i missed the call from mom and dad (sorry). and mom i am taking my vitamins dont worry. then i had some dinner with elena. and we talked some politics. i introduced her to john steward and steven colbert (she loved it) i think especialy because she works for reuters. i am going to bed now, i have a head ache, maybe i'm dehydrated. tomorrow i am going to take care of the bank account, hopefully visit the house i am to permanently move into, i want to contact my school, and get the month pass for public transportation. (dad have you contacted hillbrook?)
good night to everyone! i love you all!
xoxo
at the dinner for manuels goodbye party, i was VERY shy at first. everyone was so loud and talkative and social, and i couldnt understand a word they were saying. it was all so fast and loud, and everyone was talking at once. after about 1/2 an hour. of just siting and listening, i was able to start understanding what each person was saying. apparently i have to get used to the way each person speaks before i can start understanding them. this is when i could start adding a little to conversations. making comment, a sentence here or there. manuel was really really nice and talked to me at the restaurant and made me feel included. which was so nice, it was HIS goodbye party. the food we ate was really good a bunch of side orders. i had my first sangria which was delicious. i was going to go home after the dinner because some other people who were at the party were going home too. but manuel and his friend insisted that i go out wiht them. so i did. we went to an irish pub which was packed with tourists and they only played american music. When i first walked in i felt right at home. i thought i was in america, then i realized that oh ya, irish isnt american. we just have so many irish pubs in america! (side note, the public bathrooms in spain are nasty, my quads will definitely be super buff by the end of this because i never actually make contact with the toilet seat. squatting is the only way.) it was a really fun night, i really liked the 5 friends of his that went to the pub. i hope to see them again, even though manuel wont be here which is really too bad.
i ended up sleeping for 9 hours last night. i had senegalese food with elena and her friend alba today. senegalese food is REALLY GOOD. we went to this neighborhood called lava pies which is the place where all the minorities go to live. it therefore, has a reputation for being a bit lower class (maybe how people in los gatos might view parts of san jose). but elena lived there for years (and shes aryan) and knows it well. then i bought some REAL deoderant...this tom's is NOT working and i was sick of smelling like B.O plus whatever herb scent it was i got. thought it wasnt wafting, i could smell it, and i hated it. I got some dove deoderant but its not the normal deoderant that we have in america its way smaller and its their european line i guess. its the little ball that rolls on your armpit... you know ? its cute how the same brand will ahve different products for different countries. then i came home and slept for 2 more hours which is when i missed the call from mom and dad (sorry). and mom i am taking my vitamins dont worry. then i had some dinner with elena. and we talked some politics. i introduced her to john steward and steven colbert (she loved it) i think especialy because she works for reuters. i am going to bed now, i have a head ache, maybe i'm dehydrated. tomorrow i am going to take care of the bank account, hopefully visit the house i am to permanently move into, i want to contact my school, and get the month pass for public transportation. (dad have you contacted hillbrook?)
good night to everyone! i love you all!
xoxo
Saturday, September 25, 2010
quick
had a good day walking around with elena! got keys made for her apartment...ate some good food. am going out for manuels good bye dinner just now. hopefuly i'll make some more spanish friends. i ran into some stupid americans and they started chatting with me and elena and i was wearing my favorite airplane earrings and the guy was from L.A. and when they figured out that i was persian (of course they know a lot about persians/iranians in L.A...) he said "oh you better watch out with those earrings people might htink youre a terrorist"looking back i think i should have said "oh well watch out with your blond hair and blue eyes people might think you're a aryan nazi. i was so pissed. it really bugged me. anyway i have to go meet with manuel. love you all!
xoxo
xoxo
2nd day of orientation
ok 2nd day of orientation was WAY TOO LONG. from 9 am until 7:30pm with few breaks in between. i met some new people AND i have already found a persian family to feed me persian food in madrid (ive only been here 3 days)!!!!! haha! leave it to me... ok so i met this girl named carolina who i really like she went to colgate university, and ( i also just realized i'm 1 year older than most people on the program, but there are some people older than me too) she is really cool. she asks me if i'm persian, and i said ya, and turns out she has a (boy) cousin named Shayan (typical.) and her step mom is persian and carolina is living with her step moms relatives who (very smartly) moved to spain after they left iran. and i was like NO WAY carolina! i want to meet them!! and she was like ok! and then she just sent me a message saying that her family wants to invite me over for PERSIAN DINNER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ole!!!!!!!!!!!! i met another really cool girl names jalissa. okok so let me name all the people who ive made friends with: kati, juany, marissa, jalissa, avery, reggie, carolina. oh and andy, hes mormon. the girls are all really cool, and i'm glad i met them, but i'm sure we will all be so busy once classes start and we wont see each other too much. whcih is good for the sake of my spanish learning. Also i have been making spanish friends through Manuel, who damir kindly introduced to me, and Elena who Sanam indirectly introduced to me (via Kacho). apparently Kachos real name is luis, and Kacho just means "a piece of meat" haha so i guess its a joke nick name but he seriously goes by it, as much as he goes by Luis. and also he has a friend who has been nick named Nacho. so its kacho y nacho. or maybe nacho con kacho is better! haha..lame joke. spaniards are UNBELIEVABLY LAID BACK. everything i do they always say "tranquila!" "relajate" "no te preocupes"...and i'm like, um, no, i'm not stressed or worried, i just need to DO these things!!! i dont know if its the american in me or if its just me being shayan. we'll see how laid back I am after this year. everything is very laissez faire.
for anyone who is might be worried about me (since i know people always think ive died haha...mom.), i just want to tell you that I am in INCREDIBLY good hands. I have been so fortunate and have met the nicest, most caring, giving, considerate, generous people, ever. everyone, knock on wood!
love you all!
for anyone who is might be worried about me (since i know people always think ive died haha...mom.), i just want to tell you that I am in INCREDIBLY good hands. I have been so fortunate and have met the nicest, most caring, giving, considerate, generous people, ever. everyone, knock on wood!
love you all!
Friday, September 24, 2010
first day of orientation
so i had orientation today, was a bit dissapointed because the other american students were kind of clicky and not very friendly. i was surprised because i thought everyone would be very friendly. also, i was in an orientation with only american students whos names are from m-z, just a very small group of participants. i want to meet more people though, because i guess people with last names m-z kind of suck at being nice and sociable. apparently there was a facebook group for the auxiliares de conversacion and i just had no idea. so some people had already contacted one another. but im kind of glad i didnt because i dont want a lot of american contact. but i do want SOME. i met a few nice girls today despite the general clickyness: juany, kati, reggie and avery! 2 are from new york, one from san antonio texas and one from alabama. my spanish is okay, a lot of people here were spanish majors so some speak more easily than i do. i understood everything at the orientation, they were speaking simply though. oh i learned a word today that i actualy remember now "pijos" or "pijas" it means snobby. i need to start carrying around a pen and paper so i can write things down so i dont forget. um, but ya had orientation, and i have to figure out my nie card, get a phone, get a flat, and get a bank account! cant wait for all this to be settled! oh i only teach 4 days a week! since its only 16 hours. i plan on taking fridays off. wohoo!! i really want spanish friends!!! i dont liek being lonely here because then i think it lets my mind wander and i think i get sad that way. but maybe i need to let it wander, maybe i need to feel whatever sadness is pending. it will go away, i dont know if i'm really sad. actually, i'm not. i think its just absorbing everythign thats happening. ok its 2:12 am and i am still awake, not that thats abnormal for spain, but its abnormal for me. i will report again when more stuff happens.
love you/miss you
xoxo
love you/miss you
xoxo
Thursday, September 23, 2010
ps that is a picture of me in elenas house and that is kacho in the background playing the guitar. also thats me wearing her party glasses and drinking some beer.
xoxoxox
um i think it is around 4 am spain tine. i am exhausted. i had an amazing first night. i met kacho, catherine, silvio, and another girl, and i dont know why icant remember her name...its on the tip of my toungue...they all work for reuters. all very cool people i'm just going to sleeep now because it is 3 am in cali. love you all!!!
i am vey excited about my new ffriends and life here!
i am vey excited about my new ffriends and life here!
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
first day
i cant believe i am here.
its so surreal.
i checked into the hostel, its okay. I´m so tired. but i am trying to stay awake all day. maybe i´ll take a nap because i think i´m going out with kacho and a bunch of reuters people tonight. i think we also might be going to get lunch in 20 mins. i found a locutorio (a place where you can use phones to call other phones and also use the internet) and I called him and he said he would call my hostel in a bit so i´m waiting to get a call. i hope it works out. i want to get a phone as soon as possible. oh, and my bunk number is 4. which is my lucky number. ok so he just called my phone (sorry mom and dad) and no time for food thank god because i´m so tired i will nap now and then go and eat at 5 whenever he calls. love you all and miss you !
its so surreal.
i checked into the hostel, its okay. I´m so tired. but i am trying to stay awake all day. maybe i´ll take a nap because i think i´m going out with kacho and a bunch of reuters people tonight. i think we also might be going to get lunch in 20 mins. i found a locutorio (a place where you can use phones to call other phones and also use the internet) and I called him and he said he would call my hostel in a bit so i´m waiting to get a call. i hope it works out. i want to get a phone as soon as possible. oh, and my bunk number is 4. which is my lucky number. ok so he just called my phone (sorry mom and dad) and no time for food thank god because i´m so tired i will nap now and then go and eat at 5 whenever he calls. love you all and miss you !
en route!
I'm in Toronto! freaking out a little because (as jackie pointed out earlier on the phone) there are spaniards all around me at the gate speaking spanish!!! i feel like my last experience in america was a little slap in the face, that made leaving just a little easier. They confiscated the AWESOME wine i hand picked from katy's winery in Sonoma to bring for Kacho, my cousins friend who is house hunting for me in Madrid. So now, i'm going empty handed. I was so excited to bring it for him. I dont know WHY i didnt apply the liquids rule to the wine!! i just thought since it was bottled and totally sealed and corked that it would be fine! those idiots! i seriously am so furious with whatever jerk tried to make a bomb on an airplane with the liquid he carried on, he didnt succeed in his mission thank fully, but he did succeed in making the flying/traveling experience VERY ANNOYING. and i'm blaming him for Kacho not receiving his wine. It gives me solace knowing he's still in jail somewhere for doing that.
on a brighter note... I was very calm on the airplane, I was expecting the oh-so-familiar butterflies and heart palpitations i've been experiencing all week. but none. I think i thought I was just flying back to Eugene or something. I dont think I actually comprehended where I was going. and even now, i'm still not sure if i really GET that i'm in Toronto waiting to go to Spain for a YEAR!!! i watched Shrek: Ever After (daddy aren't you proud?) on the plane. And though I was strangely calm, i did almost cry 4 times throughout the movie.... I thought it was supposed to be a children's animation movie, not a tear jerker! ;) maybe I wasnt as calm as i thought i was. hahaha.
On the map with the little airplane indicating our progress I saw portland, san francisco, seattle, denver, austin, detroit, dc... I (mentally) bid farewell one last time to all my loved ones scattered across all those cities, and I entertained the thought of living in some of them in the future (after spain).
I'm so excited about the year to come. Every cell in my body is 100% sure this is absolutely my dream coming true, and that there really is nothing else I would rather do than this...but I still catch myself sometimes, thinking: "Shayan, what the HELL are you doing?!?"
i guess we'll see!
xo
p.s. my last meal in America was Mexican food (a burrito) I know I will miss it dearly. (but it still doesnt compare to Ghorme Sabzi! :) )
on a brighter note... I was very calm on the airplane, I was expecting the oh-so-familiar butterflies and heart palpitations i've been experiencing all week. but none. I think i thought I was just flying back to Eugene or something. I dont think I actually comprehended where I was going. and even now, i'm still not sure if i really GET that i'm in Toronto waiting to go to Spain for a YEAR!!! i watched Shrek: Ever After (daddy aren't you proud?) on the plane. And though I was strangely calm, i did almost cry 4 times throughout the movie.... I thought it was supposed to be a children's animation movie, not a tear jerker! ;) maybe I wasnt as calm as i thought i was. hahaha.
On the map with the little airplane indicating our progress I saw portland, san francisco, seattle, denver, austin, detroit, dc... I (mentally) bid farewell one last time to all my loved ones scattered across all those cities, and I entertained the thought of living in some of them in the future (after spain).
I'm so excited about the year to come. Every cell in my body is 100% sure this is absolutely my dream coming true, and that there really is nothing else I would rather do than this...but I still catch myself sometimes, thinking: "Shayan, what the HELL are you doing?!?"
i guess we'll see!
xo
p.s. my last meal in America was Mexican food (a burrito) I know I will miss it dearly. (but it still doesnt compare to Ghorme Sabzi! :) )
Friday, September 3, 2010
preparations
Packing in Eugene is almost complete! I am horrible at packing, its difficult to throw things out. I hope everything will fit in my car! (the window was broken monday night so i'm a bit nervous for the drive down but I will put cardboard there to minimize highway sounds) Saying bye is so painful! I wish going to Spain didn't mean leaving Oregon, haha! Hope to return to Oregon in the near future though (Portland). I think i might go to 80's night tonight, one last time! Tomorrow is a small goodbye party, I'm looking forward to seeing all my dear friends who can make it, and those who cant, I miss you terribly! Then Saturday Amy and I will load up the car and drive 10 hours to Los Gatos, where we will hang out until the 8th, until Amy goes to Japan. I get my visa on the 7th, very exciting...then I fly out sfo-toronto-madrid September 21! cant wait!
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