A Week Full of Firsts
This past week really flew by as Elena and I moved out of our Airbnb and got right to settling into our new places. We met some lovely new friends (American and Spanish alike!), had our first few days of school, and experienced our first ever running race in Spain. Like any time of change, there were definitely a few ups and downs, but overall I feel very lucky and happy to be here.
On Monday, after a very interesting HIIT class at the gym, Elena and I met up with two American auxes, Andy and Karsten, for drinks at a plaza recommended by my roommate. We had a great time getting to know our new friends by sharing some whacky travel stories and embarrassing Spanish language moments (everyone has at least a few). Sadly, Andy and Karsten aren't based in Santander and live in the town of Reinosa which is about a two hour bus ride from us. However, we're already planning to all get together again the next time they're in the city!
Tuesday was a BIG day for us because it was the orientation for all of the language assistants in Cantabria and I was hoping to be well rested and ready to go. Pitis, my roommate the cat, had other plans...I have moved into the room that she has claimed as her own and turns out we do not sleep well together. Or at least I don't. She kept me up from 4:00 am onwards and I was quite grumpy and groggy arriving to orientation.
Elena did most of the social outreach for the both of us since my brain was foggy for most of the day, but we met some other auxes from Santander who we'll hopefully get together with soon. Afterwards, we took a very crowded bus to run some errands at a shopping complex a bit outside of the city. I got some items that the smaller stores don't carry including potentially the world's best peanut butter. The flavor of my morning oats has been greatly elevated since this find!
Wednesday was my first day of work with my new students and I was so excited to get to meet them! My coordinator Belén and I showed two classes of second graders and two classes of third graders my "About Me" presentation and they really loved all the pictures of Mystic and Reina. I was so surprised by their level of English in comparison with the students I had last year in the south. There is a reputation that the north of Spain is much more serious and studious, and I can say that this stereotype holds true in the case of language level.
It rained all day long on Wednesday and the weather definitely started to get to me during the afternoon but thankfully Elena and I had signed up for a nighttime spin class at our gym. The combination of early 2000s pop music and sweating profusely cured my down mood instantly and I left feeling so much better.
On Thursday I spent all of my work day with an English teacher named Paula who moved to Santander last year from Madrid. We really hit it off and I am so excited that I get to work with her every Thursday for the duration of my time here. I think we're going to make a great team!
Wanting to take full advantage of the sunshine, I met up with Elena and her roommate Laura for an afternoon walk along the coast. Laura recently moved here from Galicia and she is working as a hospice nurse in the city. She doesn't speak English so hanging out with her is the perfect opportunity for us to practice our Spanish! We had so much fun poking fun at Elena together despite my broken Spanish and we are planning to play some soccer together in the near future.
Our casual afternoon stroll wound up as an eight mile walk for me since I live farther from the coast than they do and I had to pick up my pace on the return to make it back in time to get ready. Elena and I had plans to meet up for drinks with two Spaniards we met while house hunting and despite rushing around and leaving late, we still beat them there. Classic Americans. And, classic Spaniards.
We first met Sergio and Samuel the day I landed in Spain because Elena had set up a tour of the free room in their apartment. Although neither of us ended up being interested in the room, we had a good time chatting with them and thought it would be nice to get drinks together to do a little intercambio. We all had a good laugh that we met through the housing app Idealista and Samuel told us about some typical dishes from his town including rooster crest and fried lamb brain...I'm very glad they seem to be using every part of the animal but I'm not sure I could ever be convinced to do a taste test.
With my work schedule this year I have Monday and Tuesday off which I feel very fortunate about. I think this arrangement is going to come in very handy for traveling and getting some cheap flights. That being said, this past Friday I worked a normal day and was introduced to my youngest kiddos (5 years old) where we did a lesson about colors and emotions in English.
Elena had taken a day trip by herself to the nearby town of Santoña which I am hoping to replicate this coming Tuesday if the weather holds. After she returned to Santander, we met up to buy some groceries and cook a nice dinner in together. We opted for a classic pasta dinner since we had both signed up to run a 10K the next day. It was a simple meal but really hit the spot and we spent almost all of the night laughing about our Thursday drinks outing.
On Saturday morning the two of us stumbled upon a high school judo tournament while we were picking up our race bibs and t-shirts. I have never watched judo, wrestling or anything of the like live and it really made me anxious. We got out of there and headed to buy some rain boots at a place my coworker Paula recommended. I did not fully pack properly for the amount of rainy weather here and I needed some shoes where my toes would not be constantly soggy.
It was nearing siesta time but I had wanted to check out a cheese fest that was happening in the cultural center, so we stopped by on our way home. We got to try so many samples of delicious goat, sheep and cow milk cheese from local farmers and dairies. All of the cheese makers were so passionate about sharing their product and it was such a cool atmosphere!
After a long (and much needed) nap, I took the bus to Elena's so we could get ready for our race together! This was my first time running "for time" since high school and also my first time "racing" 10 km so I was excited but also quite nervous. We got to the start very early but it was such a great environment with a DJ and lots of people milling around. The race was a part of the Binter Night Run series meaning our race was going to start at 8:30 pm, well after the sun went down.
The two of us met up with a new friend (and fellow aux) named Marshall who had also signed up to run. We warmed up together and danced our way to the start line. It was such a unique experience running through the car-free streets of Santander with hundreds of people in bright green shirts. In classic Cantabria fashion, it was drizzling for most of our run but it helped to keep me from overheating so I really appreciated the rain. The race organizers had two bands spaced out along the way to cheer us on and the music truly helped so much!
I had a goal to run the course in under 50 minutes and before we started I was really doubting whether or not I would be able to accomplish that. However, once one mile was under my belt, I started feeling a lot more confident and I ended up finishing in 49 minutes and change! I am so happy with this result and I definitely have the running race bug...since last night I've already been searching for more races around the north of Spain.
Once the three of us regrouped with our medals and goodie bags, we walked to a nearby restaurant for some carbs and a much deserved Radler. It was nearly midnight by the time we made our way slowly home but it was such a fun experience! I am really looking forward to some more group runs and meeting new friends this way :)
So far Sunday has been off to a pretty slow start and I am surprisingly less sore than I anticipated. The weather is really lovely today so I have been trying to take advantage of that because the rest of the week is projected to rain.
I am hoping to check out some markets, libraries, art museums and the movie theater tomorrow and Tuesday while I have some free time. I need to find some books in English to borrow since I am nearly finished with the one I brought from home. And, I am hoping to befriend some vendors in the market and become a regular there!
Love your photos and your commentary, Jessica! You are having a blast! Your sunrise photo looks like it is out of Cezanne's repertoire. Beautiful! It sounds like you and your friends will be ready for the Olympics before you leave Santander--you go girl! Love you mucho, Mimi
How great. I am so happy for you Jessica!! and Elena!
wow.. so much fun you are having and making great friends . Hope you will invite them to meet you on cape cod some day. Hugs x 10 GR