Today was La Tomitina...we spent 2 hours getting to the small town it´s held in (which was probably only a 20 minute drive away) and missed it by 15 minutes... all because we forgot to push our clocks forward one hour.
We still walked around the town, saw the sights, bought a coke to support the locals, but were needless to say disappointed we missed out. However, we did hear a lot of girls saying how much they hated it. In fact one said she would have preferred getting raped up the butt, so maybe it was fate we didn´t make it in time. On the train home the man next to us puked in a bag. But we met a really nice Canadian man...
After today I think I´m a little more ready to come home.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Hello Portugal!!!!
So I have safely arrived to Portugal and having an absolute BLAST!!! I am staying in the upper level of a house and sleeping on the top bunk with the three girls I'm traveling with. Let me just say that I have been hot and sweaty since the moment I have arrived, I have yet to see a cloud, and am enjoying every second of it...even without AC!
There have honestly been nothing but good times since the moment I arrived. I had a position waiting for me when I can at Heather's bar as a flyer. Which is such a great time. Basically I walk around town or chill at a corner, always surrounded by other flyers because each and every bar has about 4 of them on a night. I'm basically a salesperson trying to get people on the street to come to my bar, Whytes! At Whytes we have the 9 deadly sins, which are nine different shots. If you beat the record they are free, but either way you get a tshirt. Needless to say my bars a good time. I drink for free, in fact I'm expected to be drinking throughout the night, and had a few inductions shots last night!
After work last night a group of 20 flyers headed to the beach and had a bon fire!!! We all went swimming in the ocean in our bras and underwear and then just dried off next the the fire. We didn't end up getting home until 530am!!! Which I'm coming to find is very common. Typical daily schedule of a flyer:
12pm wake up, lay around until 1pm when the rest of your house mates are up and ready go get something to eat. 2pm head to the beach, lay out and swim in the ocean until 5 or 6pm. Shower, chill, internet. 7pm dinner, 8pm work until 230-4ish depending if you stay after hours and drink with the staff! It's a pretty excellent schedule, completely devoid of responsibility! I'm loving it right now!!!
For those of you who may be wondering, I will be returning to Minneapolis on August 28th. I will be back in Appleton over Labor Day weekend and then back to Minneapolis on Tuesday for class!
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
My Apologies!!!!
It has been far too long!! Very VERY sorry! Living on a mountain I have learned a few things, you are extremely isolated from mankind (I have cabin fever like no other,) weather is extreme, I am either surrounded by cloud which is cold and depressing, or the piercing hot sun feels as though it is a few feet away, and finally the internet is not dependable :( Because of this I had not had internet for 5 days.
I literally JUST booked my flight to Portugal and am Freaking OUT with EXCITEMENT!!! I have four days of work left, tomorrow being Earth Day and a 4 hour hike up the mountain which will be GREAT!!! Than 3 of the easier camp days!! The end is Definitely in sight!!!
As of right now I am a tad concerned about money and what sort of situation I am going to be in upon returning to the States, but I told myself early on that money could not be a worry of mine. Who knows the next time I'll be travelling around Europe!! But I will definitely be seeking out work in Portugal, I'll be in a city that is run by Brits and Aussies so fortunately everything is done under the table!!! While my parents are a bit freaked by this, I'm pumped for the experience!!! Employment sounds very fluid in Lagos!!
While I'm pumped for Lagos and Valencia, I'm really looking forward to returning to all my great friends and fam waiting for me!! I am going to be spending all of Labor Day weekend in Appleton, which I have not frequented since Christmas!!! I am VERY excited! And then I will be driving, oh yes, that's right, driving back to Minneapolis!! Goodbye Megabus!!! Hello transportation options!!!
That's all for now!!
I literally JUST booked my flight to Portugal and am Freaking OUT with EXCITEMENT!!! I have four days of work left, tomorrow being Earth Day and a 4 hour hike up the mountain which will be GREAT!!! Than 3 of the easier camp days!! The end is Definitely in sight!!!
As of right now I am a tad concerned about money and what sort of situation I am going to be in upon returning to the States, but I told myself early on that money could not be a worry of mine. Who knows the next time I'll be travelling around Europe!! But I will definitely be seeking out work in Portugal, I'll be in a city that is run by Brits and Aussies so fortunately everything is done under the table!!! While my parents are a bit freaked by this, I'm pumped for the experience!!! Employment sounds very fluid in Lagos!!
While I'm pumped for Lagos and Valencia, I'm really looking forward to returning to all my great friends and fam waiting for me!! I am going to be spending all of Labor Day weekend in Appleton, which I have not frequented since Christmas!!! I am VERY excited! And then I will be driving, oh yes, that's right, driving back to Minneapolis!! Goodbye Megabus!!! Hello transportation options!!!
That's all for now!!
Saturday, July 25, 2009
The Stars Have Aligned!
By some act of cosmo power I am no longer working the last two weeks of August!! While I was told this would only happen if I straight up terminated my contract, which I did not do, it happened anyways!!! So now I'm planning on staying in Lagos Portugal for 10 days with some girls from camp. Two of them have been there before and have many connections for lodging and work!!! Than late August we will be going to Valencia Spain to celebrate La Tomatina, which is a tradition where everyone dresses in white, means in the center of the town, garbage trucks of tomatoes arrive, and everyone throws them at each other for hours...because why not?!
I also found out my new site assignment. I will be living in the Pyrnees for the next two weeks and I was also asked to do convoyage, which means I will be accompanying campers to camp from Paris!! So I was able to get two weeks to travel, I get to go back to Paris for a few nights, and then I get to live in the Pyrnees in the south of France for two weeks! Hella awesome!
I also found out my new site assignment. I will be living in the Pyrnees for the next two weeks and I was also asked to do convoyage, which means I will be accompanying campers to camp from Paris!! So I was able to get two weeks to travel, I get to go back to Paris for a few nights, and then I get to live in the Pyrnees in the south of France for two weeks! Hella awesome!
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Pedigocial Concerns
Today I was covering an ESL class for a co-counselor who had the day off. It was American History Day, I was given instructions to break the class into pairs and give each pair a different historical event to research and then teach the class about. I did that and then decided to share a historical event myself, so I showed my class the 'I Have a Dream' speech, and prefaced it by saying MLK was pivotal in the Civil Rights Movement and that he lead many of the demonstrations that led to equal rights.
While we were watching the speech I became extremely upset with myself and AmVil in general. I have spent the past year and a half studying social justice and working with kids that are effectly negatively daily due to racial injustice, and the only thing I had to say about it was the MLK created racial equality. Beyond that, each day at AmVil is themed, each theme perpetuates many of the stereotypes minorities have battled years if not decades to eliminate. The kids I work with are 15-18 years old and we feed them the same ignorant bullshit people learn from cowboy and indians & mobster movies.
While I recognize the language difference, and could argue a disadvantage when attempting to discuss current racial hardship in American, I still think it is worth the effort and possibility of difficult communication. I realized today, that while it may be within AmVils Pedigogy to teach various aspects of American culture through the use of inaccurate stereotypes, my personal pedigogy disagrees. Since being at camp I have not been challenged, often due to lack of diversity, to continue to think about the different social structures that are set up in my favor and put those of lower economic status or darker skin through greater obstacles. I miss working for PL, having conversations with young people about the difficulities they face and what they are willing to do to change them. And more than ever, I'm excited for HECUA in the fall. It's exactly what I need!
While we were watching the speech I became extremely upset with myself and AmVil in general. I have spent the past year and a half studying social justice and working with kids that are effectly negatively daily due to racial injustice, and the only thing I had to say about it was the MLK created racial equality. Beyond that, each day at AmVil is themed, each theme perpetuates many of the stereotypes minorities have battled years if not decades to eliminate. The kids I work with are 15-18 years old and we feed them the same ignorant bullshit people learn from cowboy and indians & mobster movies.
While I recognize the language difference, and could argue a disadvantage when attempting to discuss current racial hardship in American, I still think it is worth the effort and possibility of difficult communication. I realized today, that while it may be within AmVils Pedigogy to teach various aspects of American culture through the use of inaccurate stereotypes, my personal pedigogy disagrees. Since being at camp I have not been challenged, often due to lack of diversity, to continue to think about the different social structures that are set up in my favor and put those of lower economic status or darker skin through greater obstacles. I miss working for PL, having conversations with young people about the difficulities they face and what they are willing to do to change them. And more than ever, I'm excited for HECUA in the fall. It's exactly what I need!
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Second Session
Last session I served as an ESL teacher. Meaning I taught English for two hours a day, created my own lesson plans, and was responsible for making the evening programs run smoothly. As and ESL teacher and the General Store manager (which I did during free time) I had very little time to engage in the activities. This was frusturating to me and also my assistant director, because she realized I was athletic and could teach games well the second day in.
So for this session I am now an Activities Counselor!!! So my responsibilities are now to prep Congress (an hour long activity after ESL; we teach a song, cheer, do some sort of 'aerobics' and then a skit to represent the theme of the day.) Prepping Congress entails switching out the signs and creating any necessary props. Because we have many of the same theme days as last session, our prep work is extremely limited. So the past two days I have had at least one hour to myself in the morning, and then in the afternoon I get to play different sports and activities for three hours! I can go to bed right after our 11pm meeting with no lesson to plan, and I can wake up right before breakfast because I have no classroom to prepare. As of right now I'm really enjoying the switch.
A few things that have recently occured:
I began reading Twilight...yes I gave in after watching the movie and being told repeatedly the book is better. And it is in fact MUCH better, I'm in LOVE!
Yesterday I realized I have been vegetarian for 4 years!!!
So for this session I am now an Activities Counselor!!! So my responsibilities are now to prep Congress (an hour long activity after ESL; we teach a song, cheer, do some sort of 'aerobics' and then a skit to represent the theme of the day.) Prepping Congress entails switching out the signs and creating any necessary props. Because we have many of the same theme days as last session, our prep work is extremely limited. So the past two days I have had at least one hour to myself in the morning, and then in the afternoon I get to play different sports and activities for three hours! I can go to bed right after our 11pm meeting with no lesson to plan, and I can wake up right before breakfast because I have no classroom to prepare. As of right now I'm really enjoying the switch.
A few things that have recently occured:
I began reading Twilight...yes I gave in after watching the movie and being told repeatedly the book is better. And it is in fact MUCH better, I'm in LOVE!
Yesterday I realized I have been vegetarian for 4 years!!!
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
An Ode to Bureaucratic Bullshit
I have officially finished my first of four sessions with American Village. It is odd to say but the kids and schedule were the least exhausting part of my job. Instead of the likely sources of exhaustion and frustration, it was my staff.
As I have mentioned there have been many issues with staff. The two that left were an obvious problem. Two will be leaving tomorrow because of AWFUL work ethic, and one of the replacements is as good as gone because all he does is take smoke breaks. But worst than the counselors that are unproductive and lack a team mentality is our Site Director.
The first few days of work many of the counselors were put off by the way that my SD speaks to us. She will often yell at people for not following her vague orders and tell us that we are conducting the day in a horrible fashion while offering no suggestions or constructive criticism. Successes go unmentioned, and failures are always broughten up. We shrugged it off after being told that it is the French Way of dealing with staff. She is the Director, what she says and the manner she says it in goes. While I would chose to direct a staff differently, I have tried not to let her poor managing skills effect my attitude or outlook on this camp. However, in addition to yelling at and embarassing us she constantly changes rules and breaks French laws and camp policies.
The past three nights me and three fellow counselors have shared wine after the campers went to bed and just vent about all the bullshit and inappropriate choices my SD has made the past two weeks. Without these times to get it out of our system I don't think we would be able to maintain the energy we do throughout the day. But it's complicated by the fact that one of my fellow counselors is the Assistant Director and she is in a constant struggle whether or not to report the wrongdoings to our SD's supervisor. While this seems like a simple decision it is complicated by the fact that our SD is dating her supervisor, and the things that the supervisor has already been notified of have been completly dismissed and ignored. So if we were to get anything changed the AD would have to go over the head of our SD's supervisor and go straight to the top Director of AmVil. This would not only piss off the SD but in addition would piss off her supervisor!!!
Oh Bureaucratic Bullshit
As I have mentioned there have been many issues with staff. The two that left were an obvious problem. Two will be leaving tomorrow because of AWFUL work ethic, and one of the replacements is as good as gone because all he does is take smoke breaks. But worst than the counselors that are unproductive and lack a team mentality is our Site Director.
The first few days of work many of the counselors were put off by the way that my SD speaks to us. She will often yell at people for not following her vague orders and tell us that we are conducting the day in a horrible fashion while offering no suggestions or constructive criticism. Successes go unmentioned, and failures are always broughten up. We shrugged it off after being told that it is the French Way of dealing with staff. She is the Director, what she says and the manner she says it in goes. While I would chose to direct a staff differently, I have tried not to let her poor managing skills effect my attitude or outlook on this camp. However, in addition to yelling at and embarassing us she constantly changes rules and breaks French laws and camp policies.
The past three nights me and three fellow counselors have shared wine after the campers went to bed and just vent about all the bullshit and inappropriate choices my SD has made the past two weeks. Without these times to get it out of our system I don't think we would be able to maintain the energy we do throughout the day. But it's complicated by the fact that one of my fellow counselors is the Assistant Director and she is in a constant struggle whether or not to report the wrongdoings to our SD's supervisor. While this seems like a simple decision it is complicated by the fact that our SD is dating her supervisor, and the things that the supervisor has already been notified of have been completly dismissed and ignored. So if we were to get anything changed the AD would have to go over the head of our SD's supervisor and go straight to the top Director of AmVil. This would not only piss off the SD but in addition would piss off her supervisor!!!
Oh Bureaucratic Bullshit
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