Wine Makes Teaching Easier

It’s so cold here. I mean, compared to Virginia, it’s probably warmer…but everything is relative. Compared to the wonderful weather we'd been having, the frigid wind is not something I look forward to facing when I leave my apartment. Every winter is always the same. I’d rather hibernate than be social on a Friday night. This would happen in university too. Especially fourth year, I remember going out every Thursday night to “Survivor Hour” (cheapest drinks in the world all night long) in the first months of the year…but come December, I would spend my weekends in my living room with roommates watching movies and building up our fat stores with popcorn, pizza, and whatever else. Main point: I want spring to come to Navalmoral. Although I have managed to keep up with el jueves social here a bit…

I think spring will be here before I know it though. January absolutely flew by. On February 1st, I second-guessed myself as I was writing the date because I could have sworn it was only just Christmas. Especially with Carnavales coming up (could not be more excited) and having a week off of school to party, it’ll be March really soon. Then, at the end of March, I’ll be spending my Semana Santa (spring break) with one of my biffles, Ivana, traveling through Northern Italy. I know Italy is the only other country I’ve visited this year so far (Venice and Rome), but I’m in love with it. Let’s just call this year "the year of Spain and Italy." I have the rest of my life to see other countries…but for now, I want to eat all of the pizza and gelato I can.

In the next few weeks, I found out I have to know for sure if I want to come back here or not next year. My tutor/mentor/coworker told me that I if apply and then later decline, my school won’t get a language assistant next year. So, it all rests on my shoulders. If I decide not to apply, they will definitely get a new one. If I do apply, I have to be certain I’ll accept, or else I’ll be screwing them over. I’ve made so many pros and cons lists over the past few weeks, but one major pro to add to the list happened this past week…

On Wednesday I was sitting in the teacher’s lounge in the period before break time, looking up stuff to do with my tutoring classes when two women came in and started laying out long white table clothes on the big table in the rooms. As they set up, I got more and more curious, but I had work to do. I turned back to the computer and a few minutes later heard, “Plop! Plop! Plop!” The women had placed about 6 wine bottles on the table and were starting to put cans of beer out. I decided work could wait and moved to different table where another teacher was working so I could have a better view. Then, the women started bringing out plates of cheese, ham, chorizo, tortilla, other meats, and cans of soda. Eventually, I caved in and asked the other teacher what was going on. She said that one of the women setting up, a grounds caretaker, was retiring after over 30 years of working at the school and that this was her going away party (yes, the guest of honor throws their own party...just like birthdays). When the bell rang at 11.15, all of the other teachers came in and the bottles of wine were popped. For the next 30 minutes, everyone ate, drank, and chatted. Even the school director was in there, having a glass of wine or two. Then, when the next bell rang, everyone left and went to teach class. I couldn’t believe it. Day-drinking at school, on the clock, then going back to teach. Not that anyone was drunk, but it’s just a whole different mentality over here and I love it.