The rest of my vacation in Mallorca went smoothly, although I was anxious to get to Menorca so I could stop living out of a suitcase. Which I still am at the moment, but I´ll get to that later.
I ended up meeting a lot of really fun, interesting people on Mallorca. I went to an orientation session for all the language assistants on the Balearic Islands and ended up connecting with a group of American and French assistants. (Oh yeah, and I also learned more about my teaching job. But really, after the excitement of the "moving to another country" thing, the whole "oh wait, I also have to earn a living" thing was kind of an afterthought.) One of the American guys from the group, Tony, found this gorgeous apartment (I´m jealous, I admit it) with one of the French girls from the program, JoAnna, and a French student named Maxim. We all ended up going out that night, along with Elizabeth, a fun French couple - Sven and Matilde, and a few other people. It was a very multicultural experience, given that we were a group of Americans who don´t speak French along with a group of French people who don´t speak Eglish, all communicating in Spanish. But we had a really good time together. The French people were so funny and down-to-earth, completely defying the snooty nose-in-air stereotype, partially because they were from a modest, outdoorsy region of northern France. We did acknowlegde the internationally known French-American rift, but agreed that as a group we all seemed to click very well.
Our last night there we had a a little fiesta at that gorgeous apartment I would love to live in (for only 300E a month!). It was exactly the type of get together I find particularly satisfyig - just a group of good people enjoying stimulating conversation, ranging from topics such as why Americans have "French fries" and "French kisses" to the upcoming US election. Apparently I am capable of having an intelligent political discussion in Spanish, although that was a few glasses of wine deep. (I know from my first time in Spain that there´s a positive correlation between my Spanish fluency and alcohol intake). So anyway, it was a relatively low-key night until we decided to go to the discoteca at 3 in the morning. So I ended up doing the typical Spanish "marcha," which got me back to the hostal just in time to pack my things and head for the ferry to Menorca at 7am.
The ferry ride into the Puerto de Mahon was just breathtaking. I´m not going to try to describe it here, but I have about 1,005 pictures, and I´ll try to figure out how to post some in this blog. Long story short, I had been told on Mallorca by locals that Menorca was actually the more beautiful island, but I didn´t believe it until I saw it. So, yes, Menorca is more beautiful, mostly because it is considered a biosphere preserve, and thus it has strict regulations in terms of construction (no buildings over 2 stories high) and environmental consciousness. However, this also means that Menorca is VERY "tranquila" as they say in Spanish. It is just what you would expect island life to be - peaceful, calm, quiet, with most things shutting down before 9pm. The city of Mahon is small but charming, and I´m happy because I can walk everywhere. I´ve heard through the grapevine that there is an undercover nightlife, so I´ll have to check that out when Friday rolls around. I´ve done most of my exploring with another language assistant from the program named Trevor. He´s a super-chill, hippie type from Denver who´s so laid back that he makes me look like such a spazoid. Before this trip he had only spent a week in Spain, although he had studied in Italy for a year. Trevor had been here for a few days when we arrived, so he had already scouted out the important sights, i.e. a free wireless zone and the true gem of the island: a deli where you can get a large sandwhich and a drink for only 2 Euro.
One thing that is great about Menorca is that the locals are so welcoming, and have thus far insisted on taking me under their wing and making sure I feel comfortable here. I started my job yesterday, and all the teachers at the school were so helpful and excited to meet me. The language program here is different: the kids do have general English classes, as well as Castellano (typical Spanish) and Catalan (the local dialect). However, they also split up the other subjets by language as well (science in Castellano, math in Catalan, etc.) Which is how I ended up being the assistant to all the general English classes, as well as the Art/English classes, even though I´ve never been much of an artist. (Although I´m not expecting 3rd grade art to be too challenging). So, all in all, I will be working with all grades in the elementary school (1st through 6th), 2 classes per grade. So far the kids have been just adorable. They all wanted to know if I have been to Hollywood, and if I know Hannah Montana. At first I thought they were asking if I know OF Hannah Montana, and then when I said yes I could tell from their excitement that they thought I was like, FRIENDS with Hannah Montana. So I had to clear that up, to their disappointment. But I did say that if I ever ran into her I would be sure to say hi for them.
So why am I still living out of a suitcase? I am living with Eva, who used to be an English teacher at LaSalle (the school I´m working at). She´s super sweet and more than accomodating, but I have decided to look for a different housing situation. I´ve arranged to stay with her for the week, but I am openly searching out other options. And I´ve had some luck. I looked at a room last night in a house with three other girls, 2 of them are locals and 1 is from England. It is a very appealing option, and I think it will work out. I will be happy when this week is over and I can finally unpack! I will keep you all posted...
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