So I’ve officially ended my very first week of school this week. The only thing I can say is that I’m tired! I forgot how much 12 hours of work can do to a person! HAHAHA!  Monday was a national holiday so nothing was open and it was like another Sunday. On Tuesday I headed down on the bus early in the morning to S’Alqueria Blanca. I must say that it was not as bad this time and I actually enjoyed myself a little even though at some points I felt very bored watching them color or play with “plasticine”, which is what they call “playdo” (actually the British call it this).

In my last class yesterday at the elementary school there were two German girls. One had lived here for 8 years and spoke perfect Castilian, Catalan, and German. She spoke pretty good English as well. The other girl had only been here 3 months and couldn’t say a lick of anything in any language except German. It is crazy that parents would leave their country when their child is a this age and when the child doesn’t speak the language. I think that it will seriously hinder the girl as she is about 9 or 10 years old.

On Wednesday, I got up and went and opened a bank account. My bank here in Spain is called Santander. I was under the impression that I didn’t have to put any money in to open the account but I ended up having to put in about 30€. I gave my account number to my school today so that they will be able to pay me at the end of the month. On Tuesday night I went to a Basque Cafe/Bar to eat tapas and celebrate the Canadian, Molly’s, birthday. It was fun and I met two really cool people, Kate, and Lucas. After eating our share of tapas we went to get ice cream and then sit by the Parc de la Mar just below the Cathedral. It looks amazing at night and it was my photo of the day for Tuesday.

Today was my first full 6 hour day at the high school. On Fridays, the German teacher, Gloria, doesn’t come in until nine so I had to find a ride with other people. The head of the English dept. Maria, found two teachers who work at eight on Fridays and they live very very close to me. So I got a ride with them this morning. Classes were fun today. I spent most of my time introducing myself and answering their crazy questions. In one of my classes, I was with a teacher who is 24 years old and quite good looking. In this particular class the students were aroudn 12-13 years old. She asked them to ask me questions and they were non-stop. At one point this mischievous boy who was sitting with two other boys in the back asked if I had a girlfriend after he had asked me my age. After answering to him, that no I did not, he asked the teacher how old she was. She told them to guess and didn’t tell her age, but they never really guessed right and just kept saying she was very young. Then they turned to me and the boy asked me if I thought the teacher was sexy. He started to smile and started raising his eyebrows up and down and tried to get an answer from me and the teacher and I were both laughing and trying to change the subject. It was very awkward and embarrassing and for the rest of the class the boys would look at me and do the eyebrow thing while nodding towards my female co-worker!

The last class of the day I taught the oldest students. I was given the task of teaching them the phonetics of English, which proved to be very very difficult under the circumstances. The consonants were fine as they are the same in British and American English. The vowels were more difficult and I found myself trying to imitate the British vowels, which is completely difficult. I ended up giving up and telling them the differences between British vowels and American ones.

Last weekend I put up the following ad on the loquo.com website, which is like craigslist here in Spain, to offer English tutoring sessions.

CLASES DE INGLÉS! Nativo, Titulado en Lingüística (Palma de Mallorca)

-Profesor Nativo

-Con experiencia docente

-Titulado en lingüística (entonces conzco mucho sobre la fonetica y de los dialectos y acentos)

-Para particulares y de grupos (al mismo nivel) de máximo 4.

-Para todos los niveles, todas edades

-Preparación de exámenes oficiales (IELTS, TOEFL, TOEIC)

- Precio: A convenir (la primera clase es de 10€ para determinar el nivel y otras cosas)

-Zona: preferentemente cerca de Plaza de España

-Para solicitar más información o pedir una cita: derron.s.borders@gmail.com

(I’m not going to translate it) I got one hit from a guy who is applying to do a Master’s of Journalism and I’m going to be tutoring him four days a week for the next two weeks in order to prepare him for an entry English exam for the program.  I’m going to repost my ad so as to find more tutoring jobs so that I can make more money to supplement my having to travel to S’Alqueria Blanca.

I also just received an e-mail not too long ago, today, that my flight to Barcelona has been moved from 6:30pm to 11:00pm on the night before I take my GRE so I’m going to have to really be prepared so I can be ready and well rested. I’m going to try and find a hotel or hostel really close to the place where I need to take it so I can just sleep enough and get up and walk over there and take it.

Well, it’s 9:33 pm and I need to prepare dinner. I don’t think I’m going out this weekend as I have a lot of GRE preparation and study to do as well as work on Grad school stuff! I need to save my money anyway and tell myself that so that I don’t feel like a big loser! I’m tired anyway and it is actually getting colder here in Mallorca. It barely got above 70 this week and the past few days have been mid to lower 60s. With the wind it makes it worse and at night it gets down to lower 50s. I’ve been sweat pantsing it here at the apartment for the past week.

This post is stored in the category of Made in Spain, Personal Post, Written in English, Written in Spanish and was written by Derron Borders

Tags: Bank, German, Grad School, GRE, Loquo.com, S'Alqueria Blanca, Tutor

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I’ve decided that my sleeping habits have been the downfall to my existence. I’m a night owl and love to stay up late wasting time away and sleeping in really late. By time I get up and moving the day is well half way over for those normal people. I’m going to stop staying up so late and getting up at 9:00am every morning for the rest of my time here in Ohio. I’ve realized that my sleeping habits are the cause of many of my problems in France and the reason why I missed so many classes. That is not going to happen this year. I can’t let that happen as I need to form good sleeping habits if I plan on being successful in Graduate School.

I was lucky enough for one of my friends, Visa Warren, to give me her e-mail and password to the My GRE Tutor website. On this site they have tutorials on how to do well on the GRE and the different sections of the GRE, practice questions with hints and help, and practice tests. You have the option of picking different study plans and I’ve decided that I will do the 6 week study plan in the 3 weeks that I have left until I actually take the GRE on August 26th. I will take two hours in the morning to do “one day” of the 6 week plan and two hours in the afternoon to complete a “second day’s” work in the 6 week plan. I’m also using my Princeton Review GRE review book as well. I think that taking an extra hour a day looking at, studying, and learning words should help me to prepare the best I can in the next three weeks for teh verbal part of the test as this is the most difficult.

Besides using my days to practice and prepare for the GRE test, I’m also studying Catalan using the Parla.cat website. I’ve started at the very beginning of the lessons in the Basic level 1. There are 4 levels: Basic, Elemental, Intermedi, and Suficiència. Each of these four levels has 3 level lessons, which have multiple units. The level that I’m on, Basic level 1, has 7 units.  Within each there is an introduction part, three lesson parts, and an evaluation part. I’m vowing to try and to one unit per day which would put in me into level Elemental 1, unit 2 by the time that I leave for Spain. You can also download a PDF file of the units in each unit. The Parla.cat website is one of the best language learning websites that I have ever seen and I’d love to use its format to creat similar lesson plans of endangered languages that I hope to study in the future!  Along with the Parla.cat website I’m also using the following books to help progress my Catalan language learning along: “Teach Yourself Catalan”, “Llengua Catalana Nivell Llindar 1 i 2″, and “Catalan, A Comprehensive Grammar”.

I also received an e-mail from the English teacher in my elementary school in S’Alqueria Blanca, Mallorca. Below is her e-mail followed by my response in Spanish (which I will translate for the purpose of this blog).

Hi! I’m Marga.

How are you? I am writing from Majorca, concretely from the school you are
going to spend your time in Majorca.
I am the English techer from Mare de Déu de la Consolació, a school in
S’Alqueria Blanca. You are working both in S’Alqueria and Campos, so, do
you know where are you going to live or do you prefer that I give you some
advice? I live in Campos, so if you want to live in Campos there is no
problem in order to go to my school. Moreover there are two more teachers
from Campos working there. So, for the transport, there is no problem if
you want to live in Campos and to the HIgh School in Campos you can reach
it alking or by bike. So, you don’t need a car if you dan’t want to have
it.
Hoping to hearing from you soon,
Marga.

My response:

Bon dia Marga,

Com està? No parlo bé el català entonces voy a escribirle en castellano para practicar lo que ya conozco! Quiero empezar diciendo gracias por haber escritome.  Tengo que decirle que hace mucho tiempo que hablo (y escribo) en castellano. Desde que el mes de septiembre del año pasado, he vivido en francía como auxiliare de conversación, entonce olvido mucho del idioma castellano pero quiero practicar. Entonces, voy a comunicar con usted en castellano.  Si quiere, puede escribirme en catalán como quiero aprender a hablar catalán y quiero mejorar mi castellano. Puedo leer y entender el catalán muy facilamenta por que hablo francés entonces no está un problema si habla y escribeme en catalán.

Bueno, he pensado mucho sobre el lugar donde voy a vivir allá en Mallorca.  El problema es que quiero mejorar mi castellano y quiero aprender a hablar catalán con fluidez. Yo sé que en Palama hay más hispanohablantes (como lengua materna) que las otras ciudades o los otros pobles en Mallorca. Yo sé también que peudo hacer clases de castellano y catalán (gratis) en Palma. El problema es que no quiero pagar por el autobús para ir a Campos o S’Alqueria blanca tods los días.  Ricarod Sanchez me ha dicho que hay quizás alguien qui enseña a Damià Huguet que vive en Palma y que puede quizás conducirme a la escuela.  También, si vivo en Palma puedo hacer más en la tarde y los fines de semana. Si vivo en Campos, creo que teneré una experiencia más cultural y aprendaré más facilamente el catalán. En Palma sería solamente un otro turista y en Campos seré el americano que enseña inglés. Me gustaría ver que piensa.  Quiero también ofrecer clases de particular afuera de enseñar a las dos escuelas.  Pienso que si viviré en Campos voy a ver si puedo comprar un escúter. Por favor de me sus consejos.

Ahora tengo algunas preguntas para usted. Cuantos alumons hay en la escuela Mare de Déu de la Consolació?  Voy a enseñar cual(es) nivel(es)? Teneré cuantas clases?

Bueno, gracias de nuevo por haber escritome! Espero su respuesta.

P.S. Lo siento por mis errores y la calidad de mi castellano.

Translation:

Hello (Catalan) Marga,

How are you? I don’t speak Catalan very well (Catalan) so I’m going to write to you in Spanish to practice what I already know. (Spanish) I wanted to start by saying thank you for writing me. I have to say that is had been a while since I’ve spoken (and written) in Spanish. Since the month of September of last year I’ve been living in France as an English Asssistant, so I forget a lot of Spanish but I want to practice. So, I’m going to communicate with you in Spanish. I can read and understand Catalan really easily because I speak French so it isn’t a problem if you speak and write to me in Catalan.

Well, I’ve thought a lot about where I’m going to be living in Majorca. The problem is that I want to improve my Spanish and I want to learn to speak Catalan fluently. I know that in Palma there are more Spanish speakers (first language speakers) than in other cities and towns (pobles=pueblos in Spanish, I used Catalan here accidently) in Majorca. I know that I can also take Spanish and Catalan classes (for free) in Palma. The problem is that I don’t want to have to pay for the bus to go to Campos or S’Alqueria Blanca every day. Ricardo Sanchez told me that there is maybe someone who teaches at Damià Huguet (my high school) who lives in Palama and can maybe drive me to school. Also, if I live in Palma, I can do more during the evenings and on weekends. If I live in Campos I believe I will have a more cultural experience and I will learn Catalan more easily. En Palmam I would only be another tourist and in Campos I will THE American who teaches English. I would like to see what you think. I also want to offer private tutoring lessons outside of school as a second job. I think that if I lived in Campos I’m going to see if I can buy a scooter. Please give me your advice.

Now I have a few questions fo ryou. How many student are there in the primary school Mare de Déu de la Consolació? I’m going to be teaching which levels? I will have how many classes?

Well, thank you again for having written me. I await your response.

P.S. Sorry for the errors and the quality of my Spanish.

This post is stored in the category of Made in France, Personal Post, Written in English, Written in Spanish and was written by Derron Borders

Tags: Castellano, Catalan, Catalan A Comprehensive Grammar, Damià Huguet, GRE, Llengua Catalana Nivell Llindar 1 i 2, Mallorca, Mare de Déu de la Consolació, Parla.cat, Sleeping, Spanish, Teach Yourself Catalan

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Wow! The internet is really really scary! By putting my name into google search I found two old blogs! One was going to be a Basque Tutorial blog but I deleted it and the other I’m working on trying to get rid of, but I need to figure out what e-mail I used to create it! The funny thing is some of the posts that I wrote on there. I wanted to copy and paste one particular post, Titled, “One year 6 months 12 days 21 hours 18 minutes and 9 seconds “.

”

Well, it has been one year 6 months 12 days 21 hours 18 minutes and 9 seconds (roughly) since I arrived home from the most amazing experience of my life. A lot of people were able to come home and forget Belgium ever happened. Some were able to hold it in their memory and move on with life. Some of them, like me, have thought about Belgium almost everyday of their life since coming home. How can I not? What has happened in the past year 6 months 12 days 21 hours 18 minutes and 9 seconds to make Belgium only seem like a memroy? Nothing. When I got back from Belgium I had to start looking for a job. My third host sister came and stayed with us for a week and then went home. I found a job in a plastic molding factory where I worked about 6 weeks until I started school at Columbus State Community College. I got a job working at Abercrombie and Fitch Customer service and I lived about an hour away from both job and school. I have lived with my parents for the past year 6 months 12 days 21 hours 18 minutes and 9 seconds. All of my highschool friends are gone at school and I lost touch with them while I was in Belgium. Life has not been so exciting this past year 6 months 12 days 21 hours 18 minutes and 9 seconds. A lot has happened really. My parents and I have grown closer over the past few weeks and I lost my job at A&F two weeks ago. So now I am just sitting at home doing nothing with no real friends to do anything. I did get accepted to OSU which I knew I would and will be starting at the end of next month. On Tuesday I have to go to orientation and meet with and advisor and take my French and Spanish entry exams. The thing that is such a pain in the a** is that I am pretty sure I will test out of the prerequisite courses for both French and Spanish. So I will not really be able to schedule on Tuesday because I will still have to meet with both individual departments and apply for Majors. Then I will have to take the EM credit exams to get credit for the courses that I pass up! I am glad I am doing this now instead of waiting next fall to start with all the incoming Freshman. I need to find a job here quick because I cannot pay bills with my savings. I am definitely going to work at my dads factory this summer and will make a butt load of money there. I need it. It is going to get rough over the next few years paying for OSU. Plus I want to live on campus. I want to experience the REAL college dorm life. I mean come on. I have hardly any friends that I can actually do anything with on a regular basis. All of my friends live at least 45 minutes away and if I want to do anything it ends up costing a lot more than it has to. Maybe I am just going through a depression period and I suppose it feels good to write. I miss my Belgian mates. I miss Diana, Aaron, Katie, Drew, Heather, Mary, Karla, Victor, Caitlyn, Kate….I miss all ove them SO much especially Diana! Sorry guys…but Diana and I are soul mates! lol I really beleive that. I was reading my journal today and I was reading about how Diana and I wanted to learn Swedish and we went to Charleroi to look for a Teach Yourself Swedish book, what dorks! The thing I am really struggling with I cannot really discuss on a public blog that just anyone could read! It just would not be right! I am sure everything will work out fine I am just stressing a little because of school, because of this issue I am having with my parents, and plus being lonely!

Bueno voy a escribir un poco en español. Hace dos trimestres que comienzo a aprender el español. Es facil para me por que es como el francés. Ahora estoy tratando de estudiar el portugues que es como es español. Tengo que practicar mi francés, por que haces un año 6 meses 12 días 21 horas 18 minutos y 9 secundos que lo hablo courammente en una situación de todos los días!

Ben aujourd’hui on a fêté l’anniversaire de ma soeur. Mes granparents, mon nieve, mon beau frère et mes parents ont mangé du jambon avec des pommes de terres au fromage, des haricots, et du pain. Après on a pris du gâteau à la glace de Dairy Queen. Il fondait mais ça va on l’a tout mangé quand même. Putain, je travaille toujours sur mon livre des memoires de la Belgique. Je fais seulement les pages de ma première visite de Liège. J’ai encore 8 mois à faire! Je me suis dit que je l’aurai fini par le fin de mars!

Speaking of March I turn 21!! Yay I will be a real legal adult here in the US! I need to find some friends before then to go celebrate! Celebrate! Celebrate dance to the music! Well anyway that is all for now.”

This post is stored in the category of Made in France, Made in USA, Personal Post, Written in English, Written in French, Written in Spanish and was written by Derron Borders

Tags: Basque, Belgium, Diana Barger, Nostalgia, Old Blog, OSU, Spanish

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Este post es para practicar mi español! Hace demasiado tiempo que lo hablo. Creo que voy hacer la programa de assistente de idioma en España en el proximo año! Quiero merjorar mi español! Hace casi cuatro año que hago cursos de español! No creo que yo puedo escriber lo que ya hice! En Francia estudiaré español más con la lenqua vasca! Creo que voy a hacer una programa de interpretación y tradución en Francia despues el año en España. Entonces puedo estudiar los idiomas ABC (inglés, francés, y español) y no solamente AB (inglés y francés)! Quizás puedo merjorar mi italiano o mi alemán para dominarlos passivamente! Supongo que veremos!

şi vreau să estudiez limbă română din nou! Poate o să aduc carte mea din limbă română!!

This post is stored in the category of Made in USA, Personal Post, Written in Romanian, Written in Spanish and was written by Derron Borders

Tags: Romanian, Spanish

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