First week in Linares, Andalucia, Spain!

After the most fun month ever I have made my way to Linares.  So nice to have Reggie pick my haggard ass up from the train station on Saturday afternoon. I wanted to make the most of my last night in Sevilla, therefore sleeping was not an option. A week of rest and navigating Linares I know my way around some of the town. I spent a whole month learning the ins and outs, the side streets, the weird shanty bars in Sevilla, and I am having a hard time building the motivation to start over. I know with some time I will be psyched again, but for the time being I am content to find that stuff in time.

Ruins above the town of Cazorla

            I am so happy to be here with Reggie. We have been super motivated this last week to go out and se what is surrounding Linares. We made our way to a town called Cazorla for hiking. The town was gorgeous… sitting right in a mountain side. The flora is so similar to Colorado. I still remember a bunch of the latin names from pingree park, and I’m curious if they are all the same? Cazorla was such a breath of fresh air. Going straight from Sevilla (a big city) to Linares (a smaller city) was hard for me. I like sunsets, I like to look out over viewscapes, etc. That just isn’t super feasible in Linares. There is hardly anywhere to go to get above the buildings.

In front some famous arch, Baeza

            We have also been to Ubeda and Baeza, two sister cities know for their historic and awesome architecture, to visit some friends. The towns are gorgeous, much smaller than Linares and a bit more touristy. This is one of the reasons I am happy to be in Linares. This is a city of local people, no tourists. I feel like I can make this city my own, make it feel like my home without that feeling of trying to stand apart from the tourists that come to visit. Baeza was so cool though. The streets are old and cobblestone, the old city walls are still there in remnants, and it feels so… Spanish!

Skyline view of Baeza

Reggie climbing below the castle (not shown), Jaen

            I am happy to say Reg and I have also made it to Jaen to go climbing!!  Jaen is where it’s at. It’s a city surrounded by mountains, and this city is huge! I don’t know how to begin to describe it, but I love Jaen. Siestas have been throwing me off the whole time I have been here. On Sunday things are even worse! We tried to catch the 10oclock bus to Jaen. The last one left at 9am and there wasn’t another one until 3pm! We wanted to make the most of our Sunday, so we decided we would just go at 3pm… this worked out great, but when we got to Jaen, there was no buses up to the castle (where all the climbing is located) because it was Sunday and there isn’t anything going on on Sundays! We walked part of the way, but because we didn’t know where we were going, we decided to take a taxi. A 4 euro taxi dropped us off so close to the crag. After a 15 minute walk, Reggie and I were standing underneath a castle (!!!!!) putting on our harnesses and flaking out the rope. It was so so beautiful. From the rock we had a view of all of Jaen and all the surrounding mountains. The rock was SHARP, but so much fun and such good classic climbing. We were climbing on the south face, needless to say, the sun was beating on us something awful. I know this will be one of our favorite spots through the winter months! I love it there. Now we know the way and we won’t need to take a taxi in the future. It’s probably only a 20/25 minute walk from the bus station through the city up to the rock climbing area!

Spreading the love, Jaen

Climbing at la Cara Sur, Jaen

            I started my first day of school today. I was so thrown off last week when I met my bilingual coordinator… she didn’t speak English! This was confusing to say the least, since she is in charge of all English/Spanish communication between the company I was hired through and her school. Well, it’s a little more sink or swim than I thought, but I know it’s going to be awesome. I understand ENOUGH of what she says to make it through, and I know with time it’s hopefully, only going to get easier. I am still living with Reggie. This has been a bittersweet stay. I am happy for the comfort because I was so sad to leave my friends and life in Sevilla, but I am also speaking much more English than I had hoped for. Reg speaks to me in Spanish, but it’s so hard for me to turn my Spanish on and off. He is teaching me a lot more Spanish and I am happy to be here, but today I am going to look at another apartment with 3 Spanish girls who are studying at the University in town. Wish me luck I hope its awesome!

            The school year really starts tomorrow for me. I have my first full day of classes and I am nervous! Who would of thought… well I am working in a primary school, which means ages 6-12 years old. These kids don’t speak English who am I kidding? Most of our communication will need to be in Spanish, so I guess this is where I pull through, while sometimes looking like the biggest fool ever. I will be helping in English class, Phys. Ed, and Science classes. Science class? This should be entertaining.  I have also hung up a few papers in town to see if anyone would like to do an intercambio. This will give me even more opportunity to sit and practice Spanish and help someone as well with their English. I was trying to find a Spanish class somewhere in Linares, funny though, there are none!

            So this is my life in Linares so far. I appreciate the structure and the opportunity to make a bunch of new friends. I know I just have to be so patient with my Spanish. 9 months is a long time to practice. I love you all at home and I will write again soon. Besitos!