With the first working week of Granada under my belt and the new one on the rise, I'm feeling a little more comfortable and not going to lie, a tiny bit worn out. This past week has flown by! On Monday everyone had there first day of internship - Austin, Brianna, Jillian, and I went to San Rafael's while Maya and Caleb spent their morning at the art store (El Color de la Granada). Like Jillian, I also work as a CNA back home and have experience in settings like San Rafael. Even so, walking into a brand new setting with little to no Spanish with brand new people..... a little scary. For the first part of the morning, I sat and watched the routine. One of the teachers in my classroom explained some of the things they were doing via hand gestures, rapid Spanish and a little bit of google translate. I found they were really open to questions so after the first nerves passed I was able to ask a couple.
In my classroom, I have children of all different capacities. One of the things I was able to do was a few sensory activities. In the playroom between mine and Austin's classroom they have little mason jars filled with different spices - anything from orange (naranja), thyme (tomillo), lavender (lavanda), and anise (anís). I wave one of the jars under the nose and have the children take a whiff then I watch for a reaction. It's funny to watch them react to the strong smells - I usually get a wrinkled nose or a head turned away or a laugh. The other thing I did was using the sensation of touch. Again in the playroom, they have the squishy foam tiles covered in different materials. Sometimes its felt, or beans, or beads, or buttons, or sand, or straws, or anything else super textured. I would take the child's hand and guide it across the patterns and again watch for a reaction. I did both of these activities throughout the week.
I also watched a couple of feedings and helped with some arts and crafts. Austin and I got to cut up a bunch of shirts - these were used for another textural activity. The shirts were cut long and tied to a couple of hulla hoops to form a kind of canopy. I still haven't figured out the exact purpose of this yet so more to come on that. Austin thought it was funny because I was given a dull pair of scissors and couldn't cut things as easily or quickly as him :) Throughout the week at the school I got to experience the chromotherapy room (relaxation for over stimulation), go on a couple walks with a couple students and teachers, participate in some medication time, and I have gotten to meet some really truly lovely people. The amount of kindness and compassion and good hearts surpasses all the space of the building.
On Monday afternoon the group and I got lunch at the Inmaculada Universidad. It was our first time without Mike so we were all a little nervous about the Spanish menu... with help from our good friend google translate we were able to order without many snags. After lunch, Caleb and I decided to split off from the group to walk around and explore. We walked around and along the way found a place for some churros. It was the first time I had had any and they were one of the most delicious things! They are served warm with real chocolate and I think I am going to miss them very much when I go back home (I'm going to miss a lot of the food here).
Tuesday we had our first Spanish class. I was a little nervous since the day before we all had to take a "placement" test to see what level Spanish the group would be at. We were all overwhelmed and tired so we didn't know what to think for this first official class. It ended up going really well. Miguel our teacher went really slow and was patient with us all. He helped us learn the alphabet and the start of vocabulary. Thursday we did the same thing... even though we had some mishaps with directions and the bus routes! We made it though! Though it isn't a lot, its really helped in distinguishing sounds in a conversation. Same with mine and Maya's host family - they all speak rapid Spanish but are so helpful in repeating and going slow and teaching us new words.
On Fridays there isn't any work for us. So this first Friday we all went up to La Alhambra (a 500+ year old Muslim castle and grounds). Honestly.... there aren't really any words to describe how beautiful it was. One of the most amazing things I have ever seen in my life. We visited different parts of the grounds like the gardens and the summer palace and some of the towers. The entire thing is covered in geometric designs. High ceilings and grand entrances and lots of light - its a place that truly demands respect. After the La Alhambra, we all went to get tapas. On Saturday, the group and I all met up at Jill and Bri's house. We took some time to hang around and relax and had breakfast for lunch. After we hit the street to see what sort of shops were around. A little while later Austin, Caleb, Maya, and I stumbled upon a concert in front of the Cathedral. It was so interesting! People were dressed like old fashioned minstrels with their instruments. On Sunday we all met up with Mike, Cassie, a preacher friend of theirs, and Alfonzo (another preacher friend) for a hike up by the Sierra Nevadas. Though exhausted, we all had a good time going "over the river and through the woods". It wasn't gramas house we were going to though but a restaurant on top of one of the smaller mountains. We found out that Mike and Alfonzo are both mountain goats and in places (especially with the bridges!) we were all wondering how they could go so fast.
That's all for this week! Adios till next time!
