Spanish tailgating!

SPAIN WINS THE EUROCUP!!

Okay, so I´m a little late but even a week later, the country hasn´t stopped celebrating. During the semifinals (Spain vs. Russia) the Sara[h]s and I went to the Plaza de Colón to watch the game. All of Madrid´s young people flock to this plaza to drink with friends and then watch the game on two huge screens placed in the middle. Spilling over the sidewalks, the fans cover the streets and essentially stop traffic. It was a sight to see! And a blast to be a part of!

This is the crowd celebrating just outside of the plaza and the other picture is inside where we watched the game on the screen to the right.

Before the game, the Sara[h]s and I walked around and did some Spanish tailgating of our own. Once the game began, we entered the plaza and stood shoulder to shoulder with some of the teams biggest fans and watched as Spain won their trip to the finals! By the end of the game we were covered in every type of alcohol which was thrown in the air after each of Spain´s 3 goals. The celebration continued on the Metro the whole way home. It was so exciting!

During the next 3 days until the big game, Madrid was nuts! But the mood changed when President Zapatero announced he would be attending the game with the King and Queen. Apparently it is well known that Zapatero is a bad luck charm. Everyone was sure we´d lose if he was in the audience.

On Sunday, the Sara[h]s and I met up with another Iowa student to watch the game at a bar. Although we weren´t in the center of the excitement like we were in Colón, it was great to actually get to see the game. We ordered drinks and tried to blend in by cheering and yelling at the TV with everyone else. And in the final moments, we stood up and sang, "Que viva España!" with the whole bar. I´m not sure we fooled anyone, but we certainly had fun.

Halfway there...

As yesterday marked the halfway point in my time here in Spain, I am looking back on the past five weeks. The time seems to have flown by and dragged on all at once. Although this isn´t my first time alone overseas, I have to tell you it really doesn´t get any easier to say goodbye to family and friends. Not being able to pick up my cell phone and call any of them the moment I want to is always the hardest thing to get to used. And of course, leaving Cody behind hasn´t been easy either. When I think about everyone I miss back home, it feels like I´ve been gone forever.

But when I think about everything I want to do and see while I´m here, it feels like time is flying by. I´ve been looking forward to this trip since December of last year. And here its already halfway over! What have I been doing all this time? Well...working and living it up in España, of course. The truth is, work is going much better. I am finally getting used to dealing with the clients and learning not to take anything personally. I am getting to know my coworkers and actually starting to enjoy my job here at Hombre y Tierra. In fact, last week my boss, Maive, took us all out for lunch after work on Friday (see picture below). It was a chance for her to say goodbye to me and Janet (the other intern) as she is leaving for vacation next week. She even had gifts for us! I couldn´t believe it!

After work, I usually roam around the city with my friend/roommate Sarah. There is a big park next to our apartment with a pond and trails where we like to run in the evenings. We also bought passes to the public pool in the same park and have been adjusting to Europe´s love for topless sunbathing :) We usually meet up with the other Sara at least once during the week (although she lives just a few blocks away, she works 12-9pm, so we don´t see her as often as we´d like!). On Thursday we are meeting her to watch the Spain vs. Russia soccer game. Like the rest of Europe, Spain is crazy about their soccer team. The other night while lying in bed, I could hear the entire block celebrating Spain´s victory over Italy. We´ve been told that Plaza Colón, where we are meeting Sara on Thursday, is a really popular place to watch the games. I´m really excited to experience this huge part of Spanish culture.

Also, last weekend we visited Toledo with our director from EUSA. Its a really beautiful town outside of Madrid known for its unique religious history. We toured a cathedral, synogogue and monostary and tried some traditional Spanish food and wine. It was a really nice trip.

So what will I do with the time that remains? The Sara[h]s and I have planned trips to Pamplona (to see, not participate in, the running of the bulls!), Lisbon (Portugal) and Barcelona. Also, there´s lots I still haven´t seen of Madrid. Parks, museums, and of course since Madrid is known for its nightlife, a few clubs. This coming weekend the Sara[h]s and I are hoping to visit Aranjuéz, a small town outside of Madrid. My coworker, Kris, lives there and has invited us to a birthday party for her boyfriend on Saturday. Its a fiesta hawaiana, that is to say, a luau! I can´t wait!

Until next time...adios! (Aloha?)

Please don´t say 'I told you so'

Its hard to believe I´ve just finished my second week of work. I can´t believe how far I´ve come since that first day. From crying all the way home, absolutely certain that I was going to ask for a new job to.........well, I´m not entirely sure where I´m at right now. I wouldn´t exactly say I´m completely comfortable with my job, but I´m getting there. I´m understanding more about the organization and my responsibilities a little more each day. There have been several moments of sheer frustration and confusion these past 14 days, and I´m positive there will be plenty more, but of course, I have learned from each of them. 'Now I know...'

Facing the clients at the front desk continues to be the most difficult part of my job, and often the other student/intern takes over this task, but during my turn I am learning that I have to quit being so timid, just do my best and not take it personally when the client doesn´t understand me or complains about the service.

Today was easily the best day I´ve had at Hombre y Tierra. Fridays seem to put everyone in a good mood. Clients weren´t as grouchy and my coworkers were in kind of goofy, fun moods. Kris, the main secretary/assistant to the director, told me today that work will be much different once we begin our summer hours in July. 'All of Spain is on vacation,' she told me. So our doors are only open from 9:30-5 and we only provide consultations until 2 pm. (This really doesn´t make any sense to me. Why would we keep the door open till 5 if we´re not giving consultations?I guess I´ll just wait and see.) Kris told me that there are a lot fewer clients and our boss, Maive, takes the months of June and August off to go back to her native Peru. Sounds like it will be much more relaxed and I am looking forward to it.

Besides the stress and challenges of work, I have been enjoying my time in Spain so far. I can´t believe its been over 3 weeks! I have been very fortunate to make some good friends (the Sara[h]s!) and am having an great experience in my homestay. One of the Sara[h]s and I live together with our host mother, Julia Isabel (whom we affectionately call Mama Isa, but never to her face). Mama Isa is always cheerful and excited to talk with us (and repeat things for us!) and recommend sites around Madrid and the rest of Spain. Also, she has a cook who happens to be extremely talented. All in all, I´ve been really lucky!

This weekend I´m heading to Sevilla with the Sara[h]s. We´re excited to see more of Spain and we´ll also be meeting up with one of my friends from elementary/high school, Danna, who is studying there. I can´t wait!!

finishing the first week of work

...but of course I had to.

I dreaded going back to Hombre y Tierra. By 5 pm on Tuesday, I was dragging my feet in protest the whole way. At least this time I know what to expect, I told myself.

And sure enough, the first few hours were just as miserable as they had been the day before. Maive was there, but consultations can be lengthy and one lawyer just wasn´t enough to keep things running smoothly. People complained and walked out, then returned and complained again when they learned that it still wasn´t their turn. I tried to smile and make small talk with a few clients, but I was nervous and my voice shook as I stumbled through Spanish. Kriss did most of the work, but she´d often have to run to the back offices to find someone´s file or something, leaving me alone in front of the crowd. And sure enough, everytime she had to retrieve a file, a new client would enter and I´d have to explain that I was new and that they´d have to wait for the other receptionist to return. They almost never understood me the first time I explained myself, so I´d try again. If they still didn´t get it, the cranky person next to them would speak on my behalf. This would surely result with either a thoroughly annoyed eyeroll or a laugh at my expense, or sometimes both.

Around 7:30, there was a brief pause in attending to clients and Kriss was finally able to explain a few things to me. She told me about the other American student that works in the morning, and about some of the things I´d be doing around the office. She told me they receive students all the time. I still haven´t decided if thats a good thing or not. Is that why they´ve made no effort to get to know me or explain anything to me? They just figure I´ll pick it up as I go along? Or am I fortunate that they have so much experience with interns? Will it somehow be more worthwhile than it might be with other employers that have never had an intern? Despite these questions, I did feel a little relieved to finally get to speak to Kriss directly and not just have to sit back and watch.

When 9 o´clock rolled around, I ended the day by asking Maive if I could switch and work in the mornings. Mama Isa had suggested it because my roommate & friend, Sarah, was also working mornings and as summer was on its way, we´d want to go out together in the afternoons (to the park or pool, etc) Maive hesitated at first, but then agreed that it´d be okay. This might be okay afterall, I thought.

I worked the morning shift the rest of the week. And its an entirely different experience all together. In the morning there are 4-5 lawyers working alongside Maive, Kriss and another receptionist, and the other intern. Things just run so much more smoothly. There are fewer clients and the mood is noticeably less hostile.

I particularly enjoy working alongside the other intern, Janet. She is has been helpful in showing me around the office and finding things to do when it gets slow. Also, she has a great big laugh and easy smile and she uses both of them to make people forget about whatever Spanish mistake she may have just made. She´s made me realize I need to just relax and not be afraid to screw up.

For now, things are looking up...

At the beginning...

I began my internship here in Spain on Monday and it was hands down one of the most difficult days of my life. Any amount of confidence or composure I had mustered during the 45 minute trip there pretty much came to a screeching halt when I opened the front door to discover a waiting room overflowing with irritable and impatient clients. I quickly realized that it was a much larger operation than I had anticipated. But there was no turning back now. I pushed myself forward to the front desk and asked for the director. I was to wait in her "office" which was actually a large room with high ceilings and makeshift partitions creating several work spaces. She came flying into the office a few minutes later in a whirlwind of files and copies while talking rapidísimo on a cell phone. Despite the chaotic environment, she was calm and professional. She was very polite and asked if I'd like to work mornings or afternoons, and I answered that I was available whenever she needed me (although I was under the impression that I was supposed to work all day {?}). She told me to come back at 5pm that day and the another receptionist, Kris, would show me around. She was gone as quickly as she had arrived. And just like that, the interview was over. It lasted exactly 4 minutes. As I walked out, my jaw hung open and I suddenly remembered the dozen questions I had meant to ask.

During the 15 minute walk back to the Metro, my stomach ached as I realized that none of my nervousness about this internship had subsided. I still had no idea what I'd be doing, what my responsibilities would be, or even a general idea of what the nonprofit itself meant to accomplish. I tried to relax and tell myself that I would be able to ask all my questions when I returned later that evening. But then I kept replaying my entrance and my interview over and over in my head. When I first walked in, I had expected to see a handful of workers typing quietly at their desks. I had expected to by greeted by friendly faces; by people eager for my help. But instead, I was met by 30 pairs of eyes that immediately knew I was out of place and scared out of my mind. I had expected my future employer to tell me all about her business and my place in it. And then I assumed she´d ask me about myself and my previous work experience. I´d hoped she have a big smile and tell me how anxious she was to begin working together.

I´d been blindsided. I was totally unprepared for this kind of work and environment. I cried the whole way home.

I returned at 5 pm as my new boss, Maive, had asked. My hands shook as I reached for the front door and prepared myself for the crowd of angry faces that were waiting to stare me down all over again. I watched my feet and moved as quickly as I could to offices in the back. Kriss was there and she said it was time to get started. (Hombre y Tierra is open from 9:30am-1:30pm and then again at 5-8pm). As soon as we sat down on our side of the front desk, the entire waiting room rushed up for their turn. Everyone spoke at once, each claiming that they had arrived here first. Elbows were flying and for a moment I was pretty sure someone was going to start a fight. To make things worse, the only lawyer on duty during the evening shift (Maive) had to go to a doctors appointment so there would be no consultations until she returned. Of course, we didn´t know when she´d be back. This made our loud, angry crowd even louder and angrier. People shouted out questions and demands and Kriss did her best to answer them but I was frozen. I was terrified. And had no idea how to help these people. I knew any minute now they were going to tear me apart. I sat silently and watched Kriss work. Two hours later, Maive returned from the doctor. She began consultations right away, but when Kriss and I were leaving at 9pm, a dozen more clients remained. Kriss told me that Maive often stays until 11 pm or later. I was glad to be out of there.

As soon as we were outside, I asked Kriss if there were always so many clients to wait on. She said no, there were usually more than that. I couldn´t believe it. Kriss hadn´t had a moment to explain anything to me during our entire 4 hour shift. I felt just like I had after my interview, lost and confused and completely overwhelmed. Only now I was covered in sweat. There was no way I could return and do it again the next day. I pouted the whole way home. And then again when my roommate, Sarah, and my host mother, Mama Isa, asked me about it. They tried to assure me that it would get better, but I knew better. There was no way. I would never be ready to meet the stare of all those angry eyes. I´d never be willing to speak up and risk them laughing at my Spanish. I couldn´t go back...