The Night Before - Day 21

Today was a recovery day for me, spent a lot of it just trying to relax after walking do much yesterday and just being pretty tired.

Done some laundry and called some of my family to talk. I'm pretty much packed and ready to go so that's good. After a few hours I went for one last walk around Alpedrete, for old times sake I suppose. Took some pictures and just took it all in one more time. 

I went to a local restaurant for dinner as I planned, they basically know me there I'd say in the case of some of the staff. Food was good enough, generally just enjoyed the moment of it. 

Came home and continued to try and just relax before tomorrow, while I can't wait to get home I am not looking forward to the airport. I have very few problems with flying, airports are a whole different thing. 

I think I made the best of the time here, while I didn't go out exploring every day I did do what I wanted to do for the most part. The teaching was the best part but seeing Madrid was an experience, particularly yesterday on my own. 

Ava (the homeowner) told me I'll always be welcome here and that if I'm ever coming back over to just reach out so I can stay here, even with friends. We agreed that if she comes back to Ireland and has time we'd try meet up which is nice, it's good to have global contacts and connections.

She loved the flowers thankfully and so did her cat. I popped back into the florist to tell her how much the flowers were appreciated and she was very happy about that. 

Well, tomorrow's the big day. 

Until the final installment. 

- Reece

Some flower appreciation. 

I don't know how it got like this but I wasn't missing the photo op. 

Gotta have a nice sky picture of course. 

Free Roam Unlocked - Day 20

Today I spent the majority of my time walking all over Madrid, went to a few different comic shops and even got some badges and a magnet as souvenirs.

The day was great for walking, lovely weather and very warm. I made my way all across the city and back. Took so many photos that my phone didn't want to let me open the camera for a while (not even joking).

Spending the day in Madrid by myself was very freeing, doing whatever I want without having to deal with other people. I hope the others had as good a day as I did.

I booked some flowers for Ava as a thank you for letting us stay here and for being so kind. I'll pick them up tomorrow.

Until the next installment.
-Reece

Some of the man

i love the james joyce bar - day 20

It’s weird being in Madrid and having it start to finally feel like a holiday after so long, since we’re finally done school. Today I met with Laura in Madrid and we did some shopping, and later met up with Eloah for dinner in the James Joyce bar near Retiro Park. The food there is soooo goooood!!

We had been trying to plan to go to an escape room today, something to make the most of our last couple days but all the slots were booked up. We’ll probably go back to Retiro Park tomorrow just to have something to do. I’ve got lots of assignments to do in the morning before we go anywhere though :/

This morning I packed my suitcase, cleaned up my room and the kitchen a little bit and threw out all my rubbish to get ready for leaving on Sunday. Still can’t wait to go home, and get into my own bed!!!! Proper cup of tea !!!! Dying for it. 

I had a really nice time today in Madrid with the girls. While we were walking to the pub for dinner we passed this huge building which is just so pretty. I think it’s a hotel, but most of the buildings in Madrid have this really old timey parliament-esque look about them. 

Until I catch u again tomorrow,

Ciara

brains left in the carlos sainz centre - day 19

Well, that’s a wrap folks. Our work here is done. Today we had our final two classes with the year 7s and 8s. They presented their stories to the class by having one kid from each group to stand at the top of the class and present the result of all their hard work the last 2 weeks. 

The quality of their stories was incredible and I’m super happy with the outcome of their work! It was an incredible experience to be a part of. I brought in sweets for the kids and their faces lit up more than they ever did during our lessons but either way, I know they enjoyed our company. At the end of both classes the kids had loads of questions for us about ourselves and what Ireland is like, and asking us to speak some Irish which of course I was only delighted to do, but it does have you on the spot trying to remember anything at all. 

After school, I dropped the rest of the kids worksheets back to Felicity and Andrew so they can continue the lessons if they want to. Laura and I went back to the gokart centre we went to last week and I crashed really hard into one of the barriers, never ever ever let me drive a car it was absolute carnage hahaha, but I’m fine... I think.... I also grabbed a t shirt from the centre too which is a nice little

memory :))

I’m just on the bus home now, and super tired. I can’t wait to get home into bed and conk out. We’ve no set plan for tomorrow but you’ll eventually see what we get up to !!

Talkche later,

Ciara

School's Out - Day 19

The day has come and gone, the final visit to the students here in Alpedrete.

We had them read out their group stories and the rest of the class reviewed it, giving comments and asking questions. Both teachers got involved but in different ways. The year 7 teacher was very good at complimenting each story and getting involved with the class. The darkest story was the most popular surprisingly. The year 8s teacher was more involved through constructive criticism and making sure that everyone was involved.

We gave the teachers and students sweets and chocolates as a thank you for having us, some key chains too. They were all very thankful for us being there and the kids wished for us to come back. Admittedly I was a bit sad to go, having gotten used to being in that environment.

We gave the groups time to ask us questions. Some were about writing (they asked me to go through the rest of the Arrival in summary, the stories I wrote and more), some were about Spain, others about Ireland and even a few were a too personal to answer (if ciara and I are related, since we're not then are we dating. Those were questions I was not expecting to say the least but I laughed it off and the teacher told them to stop).

The staff were very grateful to us and gave us tremendous feedback about how well we've done and how much the kids have opened up to the experience. I said my thank you's and goodbyes, dropped in my visitors ID and walked out.

The rest of the day was uneventful but how can you follow that? The others went go karting and I was going to go but I had an issue come up that I had to deal with. I think tomorrow I'm gonna try go into Madrid by myself, visit a few places and maybe let myself buy something. Should be fun and as long as the trains and buses are working I'll know what I'm doing.

Almost at the end now...

Until the next installment.
- Reece

iiiiiiiiii forgot last night - day 18 (but it’s actually 19)

Ooooooooops I forgot to update this last night as I got home a little late. Wednesday we had the day off as the kids had finished their stories and we didn’t end up needing to take them for extra classes. I went into Madrid in the morning for a little while, just for a stroll around and came back home and worked on a bit of an assignment I have due when I’m back. 

When Laura finished school, we went to a nearby shopping centre in Villalba but it was quite underwhelming and didn’t have all that much in it, mostly food places and a big cinema. We ended up just going to the supermarket beside it and picking up some stuff for our last day in school - sweets for the teachers and kids. 

Apart from that, nothing else really happened. At least nothing that I can remember as I’m writing from memory soooo... :/ I was keeping up such a good streak with the blogs too:( 

Aaaaaanyways, as today is our last day in school I’ll have plenty to update on when I write tonight’s blog!! 

See you in about 10 hours or so!

Ciara

One of those in between days - Day 18

I spent today mostly trying to get anything done for college, I am still very confused but I attempted work and feel like I got some progress on a few things.

Asides from that I went for a walk and talked to my family about working here and how it's coming to an end tomorrow with my last sat in class.

They are looking forward to having me back home and I feel the same. I explained to them how it will be strange going back to the usual schedule and routine.

Anyway, I have the presentations tomorrow to look forward to.

Until the next installment.
- Reece

A picture from my walk today. 

The Story Ends - Day 17

All of the year 7s finished their stories and all except one group of the year 8s but that was just because one more paragraph had to be copied out.

Thursday is our last day with the students seeing as we don't need to take extra classes
They were trying to convince us to take them anyway.

I am very impressed with how this has all turned out and on Thursday we will have them read out their group stories in front of the class. Feedback will be given by the others and it should all be fun.

We talked to Felicity and the class about how they can continue their stories as an exercise or in their spare time after we are gone. The idea was well received.

I spoke to Felicity about how strange it will be to not come in and be a teacher soon. While I don't know if I would take it as a career, I have enjoyed it more than I thought I would.

The kids are the best part and luckily we're spared from any of the other responsibilities that come with teaching.

Well, I should get ready for our final day on Thursday.

Until the next installment.
- Reece

successful day of story completion - day 17

Today was our second last day with both groups, which was bittersweet for us both. I really can't wait to get home, but I'll definitely miss the little routine I've settled into. Both groups managed to finish their stories on time today which was great, as we thought we'd have to take them for an extra class on Wednesday. For Thursday, we'll have their stories corrected and ready to be presented in their class groups. I'm really excited to hear the kids reading out the stories they've come up with as there are some really interesting ideas.

As for the rest of the day, I got home and got a good bit of some assignments done which has taken some pressure off. As were not in school tomorrow I can take the day to focus on finishing some college work, and I'll probably head into Madrid at some stage too. The time has been flying by so quickly it's just blowing my mind. Before I know it I'll be on the plane home and this whole trip will feel like it was a fever dream of some sort -  but I'm so grateful to have gotten to have this experience, not many people do.

My plan for the rest of the night is just to go and make some dinner (chips and nothing else. maybe pasta. don't know yet. living on the edge) and maybe watch some movies, let my brain relax before the stress I'll be under tomorrow doing college work:((

Won't be an awful lot to update on until Thursday, and the remainder of the weekend, so I'll fill you in on my adventures as they unfold.

Catch u next time chicas y chicos

Ciara

The Adventures of a Tired College Student in Spain - Day 16

In school we continued the story writing with the year 7s. One group of boys even finished theirs, Ciara and I read through it and while it was very dark it was undoubtedly good. We just told them we'd have some corrections for them the next day.

One student had been out and we had to get his group to catch him up. Another group continues to be fascinated by us, asking us to speak Irish and similar things. I'd say its partially curiosity but not without the motive of getting out of work. I remember what it was like being their age after all so I can't blame them but they're definitely going enjoying the classes, we've been told by the teachers too which is a big reassurance for me and I'm sure Ciara.

After that I tried to attempt college work because I wanted to get more done but I honestly couldn't stay awake. I tried to sleep for a bit and by the time I felt somewhat rested it was late in the evening. I haven't been sleeping well due to the house feeling so cold at night but I've gotten extra blankets.

I went out and got dinner in a local restaurant. The waiter was very good, the food was great. Since the waiter was nice and spoke some English I told him to take a bit out as a tip for himself from what I paid.

Overall not a terribly exciting day but it could always be worse. I for one am happy with the student's progress and look forward to getting back in to classes tomorrow.

Until the next installment.
- Reece

yet another sleepy day - day 16

Well, the start of our last week here is already upon us. I’ve said it before and will continue to, but time just passes so insanely fast here. The last two weeks have came and went in the blink of an eye. Today in school with the year 7s we just furthered their story writing, and their groups are making good progress so far. We’re hoping to take them for an extra class again on Wednesday, just to make sure we get the most out of the rest of our time here, and to make sure their stories are ready to be presented on Thursday, our last day in school. 

Otherwise, today’s been really quiet. Eloah invited us into Madrid for dinner but I had lots of college work to do (which I didn’t even get around to doing:/ ). I came home from school, had some noodles and then took a nap. Contemplating dinner right now but I’m not really that hungry anyways. I promise I’ll get up to more and update you tomorrow !

Til then,

Ciara

Attempted Productivity - Day 15

I was not up to going into Madrid a third day in a row, so I stayed home and used my time to do laundry and attempting college work.

While I didn't get as much done as I'd like I did my best despite my confusion with assignments. I did some house work too but that's not that interesting, mainly just cleaning and then shopping when it was too late and the supermarket was closed.

The bulk of my day was with college work though. I'm excited to get back into the school tomorrow as it gives me something to focus on. I'm interested to see how the students and their stories progress from last time.

We've only got the one class tomorrow which is both a positive and a negative. I don't know what to expect really but I'm sure it'll be entertaining either way knowing these kids.

Until the next installment.
- Reece

what’s a gominola? - day 15

Well well well, the end of week two is already upon us! the time is going by SO quickly. I really can’t get my head around how differently time passes here in Spain, it’s nothing like at home. Days only feel about 10 hours long here, not 24. I really cannot wait to get back home into my own bed. 

Today Laura and I went into Madrid to do some shopping, and it was a nice and peaceful day. We didn’t get up to much. In one shop we went into, Ale-Hop, we found little animal keychains that light up and make noise when you press them. All the animals made normals skins except for one - the giraffe. It makes such a horrible screeching sound that Laura and I found hilarious. We were crying laughing in the shop pressing these little giraffes. Probably really annoyed all of the staff there too, sorry guys :(( I bought one of the giraffes and it became a running joke between us to press it in large groups of people. 

On the metro back we were in tears again making the giraffe scream down the carriage and getting weird stares from people. In Moncloa station, we went to a sweet shop before grabbing the bus. One of the signs under a box of sweets said ‘gominola’ and I asked out loud, “what the hell is a gominola?” which started another laughing fit as Laura pointed out that all the boxes said that, not just one. We had a right giggle today :)

Tomorrow we’re back in school with the 7s, and hopefully we can make some good progress on their stories!! 

Til then,

Ciara

Retiro Park is pretty crowded - Day 14

Today was my first time at Retiro Park, I wasn't able to go last time unfortunately. It was massive and the weather was very good for it, a bit too warm for my liking but nonetheless we endured.

We rented bikes and rode them around the park for an hour, I hadn't been on a bike in several years but it all came back just like riding... Oh wait. The amount of people who kept getting in the way was a bit frustrating but what can you expect when in a public park on a Saturday, at least I didn't fall off the bike.

We had been in Madrid for some time after we returned the bikes. We made our way back to an Irish pub where we had food that was too familiar not to be good. I think we all enjoyed that meal to say the least.

Following that we walked and talked, got ice cream and after wandering for hours and seeing more of Madrid we eventually decided to head home. The bus to Alpedrete was a wait, so we walked around Moncloa for the first time. Its a nice enough place but not very exciting.

After such a tiring day it is good to be back in the house. I don't know if I'll go to Madrid again tomorrow with them because I'm very drained and I also have things I need to do myself but I'll see how I feel tomorrow.

My legs and back are so gonna hurt tomorrow after the cycle and walking so much.

Some moments captured from the day, a statue in the park, a street we walked down and a crowd dancing to music.

Until the next installment.
-Reece

the return to retiro park - day 14

Hola chicos! Today we spent the day in Madrid centre, and went back to Retiro park to rent bikes. We cycled down ya big hill inside the park and didn’t realise our mistake until ölt was too late: we still have to come back up to get out. My legs will NOT be thanking me in the morning, I can already feel the pain kicking in. Oops. 

After our cycle session the three of us went for food in The James Joyce, an (obviously) Irish bar around the corner from the park. Maybe it’s the Paddy in me, but it was definitely the nicest food I’ve had since I got here. You can take the girl out of Ireland, but you can’t take Ireland out of the girl. 

After we had food, we just spent the rest of the day walking around the city and got some ice cream. There’s not much more to update on, we had a pretty quiet day, but I think tomorrow we’re going ziplining so stay tuned for the recount of that!!

bis morgen,

Ciara

formula one babyyy - day 13

In school today, we got both groups to begin writing their stories - and both groups made some really good progress. Comparing to their plans from the last few days, some groups have made some tweaks and changes to their stories already. One group from year 8 even manages to finish their entire story in the 50 minute class which was really impressive. We‘ve only got 3/4 more days with the kids left, and even though I‘m excited to home, I‘ll definitely miss it here. 

After school, Laura, Reece and I went bowling in a nearby bowling alley. To put it shortly: I suck at bowling. Or at least I did today, the lane we had was wonky at the end so the balls kept skewing to the right which was kinda annoying but I saw some humour in it and didn’t really mind. 

After, we went into Madrid and grabbed a taxi to the Carlos Sainz Centre, a gokarting course just outside the centre. It was sooo much fun and I couldn’t recommend it more, I had a blast. Here we are in our racing suits. Gokarters or astronauts? Not telling. 

broom broom baby!! We plan to go back into Madrid tomorrow and maybe do an escape room, or go back to Retiro Park and rent scooters again. You‘ll find out what we do tomorrow, tomorrow. As will we :))
Till then racers,
Ciaraaaa

Go-Karts and Good Starts- Day 13

Both year groups started their short stories today. Each table wrote out the same thing but a different person was in charge of each paragraph.

While one wrote out the section, the others copied it so they would all have the same.
The year 7s were talkative but worked well enough. They were getting caught up on a few small parts but by the end of the class every group was making their story.

The year 8s were a bit more difficult, they needed help more than they should have in my opinion but we gave it to them nonetheless. The group with only two people in today actually finished the beginning of their story, we looked at it and while it was very impressive to be done so quickly, we agreed there was corrections necessary. We told them and they will make the changes needed next week.

I found myself quite tired today in class but it didn't get in the way of my job in the school. The students were very excited by me wearing the baby yoda shirt I told them about.

There are some students who seek to make the stories needlessly dark, involving murder and what not. I didn't know what else to say so when I was asked if anyone could be killed in the story I told them that a character can die but it has to serve the story and be a group decision.

Myself, Ciara and Laura went bowling and then into Madrid for go-karts. I won in bowling and it was my first time doing go-karts. I was admittedly anxious about a few things going in but decided to do it and take my mind off of everything. It was fun but had an extra layer of difficulty due to everything being in Spanish. Regardless it was a good time for all and we managed to catch the metro and bus home without incident. I was forced to try and make small talk with one of the taxi drivers and while I tried my best I was admittedly not able to understand most of what he was saying.

It's strange to think that today was the last classes we have with them this week. The final week will probably pass by like nothing, which has both positive and negative emotions tied to it for me but I am looking forward to going home, seeing my dog and my family.

These are the ground rules I wrote down and Ciara transferred to the board.

The three of us post go-kart racing.

Until the next installment.
- Reece

She can't have hobbies because she's depressed - Day 12

Development of characters was the focus of today's classes. The year 7s were very excited for the most part. The different groups worked together to craft who their protagonists were going to be, filling in different sections such as name, ages which were a given but there was also sections on personalities, hobbies and more.

The stories and characters were so different from each other and had their own feel to them. In particular one group made a story that was quite dark and the character was even more so. She was attempting to survive an epidemic and her family had already perished. An aspect of her character I found oddly amusing was for the hobbies section, it said she had none because "she's depressed".

The year 7s continue to show potential but I spoke to Ciara about how they are getting less receptive to direction and announcements.

The year 8s were surprisingly hard working for the most part today, even though they are not at the same level of enthusiasm as their younger counterparts.

They still struggle with concepts like hobbies but the two of us and their teacher explained and spelled what they needed us to.

Tomorrow they start writing their stories, each will be in charge of their own paragraph(s) which means spelling, punctuation and the like.

It is strange to think this is almost the end of the second week. I should enjoy it while it lasts I suppose. But I admit I am looking forward to going home.

I've spent most of the free time today trying to get college assignments done and I feel a bit better after having gotten some things completed or progressing them further. I ended up having a small conversation with some students about star wars and now they want me to wear my baby yoda shirt in tomorrow, I told them I'd think about it.

The descriptions of their characters from today's exercise.

Until the next installment.
- Reece

the whole house stinks of burned lasagna - day 12

In class today with both years groups, we got them to start thinking about their protagonist for their story, and had them complete this sheet:



We stressed to the kids that it's incredibly important to build a rapport with your characters before you implement them into a story, otherwise their role in the story itself can lose its strength. Using their completed sheets from yesterday, the kids filled out these worksheets really quickly and got onto drawing pictures of their protagonists. Some of the drawings were... Detailed, to say the least. I adore the imaginations of both year groups - they come up with ideas that I would never have. Kids here in Spain are so ineffably unlike Irish kids their age, and it shows in their writing. There is still a lot of childlike wonder and creativity in their ideas- but that it not to say these kids aren't smart. Not at all, they're extremely intelligent. Some of the things and ideas these eleven year olds hit us with leave us speechless for a few moments as we're discussing their ideas. From one boy in year 8 who knows far too much about the history of Yugoslavia, to a girl in year 7 comparing the city in The Arrival to how London looked after the Great Fire, these kids have us wracking our brains in search of replies to the absurd things they say. But it's truly a joy to get to experience this, and I'm having a great time teaching.

Here are the groups' characters biographies and story titles, based on today's worksheet:


Year 8 groups' ideas ^


Year 7 groups' ideas ^

The kids have some great vocabulary and I can't wait to see them exercise it more when they begin writing their stories tomorrow.

In other news, after school we went to the shop to pick up some bits we needed for the house, and I got a ready made lasagna for dinner. Can't go wrong, surely. No. Of course it can, because it's me, and now our whole house smells like crispy cheese because I burned it EVEN THOUGH I did exactly what the box said to do:( Dinner plans need to be adjusted.

Until tomorrow chicos,

a very hungry Ciara

Losing Focus - Day 11

The group story writing project begins!

We took over Clive's class with the year 7s and used it to have then begin to create their own stories in their groups.

Some of them complained about the groups but I decided that they shouldn't change this late in the game. Regardless of this they still got work done. We both walked around and helped them with developing their ideas and making sure they all took part.

The groups were very talkative and that made keeping them on track rather frustrating but we managed. There was an incident with two groups where they were shoving each other over an apparent attempt to steal elements of a story. I walked over and asked for an explanation, whe I was told what had supposedly been happening I told the student from the standing group that remained to go back to his table.

I then made an announcement to the class that they were to remain in their own groups and that I didn't want to hear anything about stealing ideas.

There was a particular group that was fascinated by Ciara and I speaking Irish (not as well as we should be able to though). They even included Ciara's name in their story, I'll try not to be jealous.

The year 8s definitely did not take to it as easily as the 7s but they had some interesting ideas.

I had to bring one student up to date because he had been out due to an arm injury. His group were fixated on war in their story and I told them it was about going somewhere new and being like the character in The Arrival. They eventually got the message.

This exercise was more difficult compared to previous days but we have one for them tomorrow in which they create their characters in more detail.

Both groups still struggle with the concepts of metaphors and themes and it is in truth rather tiring to have to explain it several times in one class.

I think with help and the right inspiration they can make great stories, just getting them to do the work is the challenge. They get distracted quite easily without the book.

Hopefully tomorrow's exercise goes more smoothly.

Until the next installment.
- Reece

conas atá tú, catalina? - day 11

Hola amigos. Today in school we got the kids to start looking at developing their ideas for stories based on the arrival. We weren't actually meant to be in today, but Andrew suggested we come in to take his year 8s instead of them having their drama class, to keep the flow of the week going. We decided it would be better to ask Clive if we could also take the year 7s then as well. He had no problem with that, and everyone has been really impressed with the work we've been getting done with the kids.

In our first class with the year 7s this morning, we got them to work on this sheet to develop ideas for their story:



They took to the exercise right away, and Reece and I went around to give them any help they needed. They came up with some really great ideas and had some really interesting themes and metaphors, like monkeys and  for example. Their childlike imaginations coming into play with this worksheet was great fun and it was really entertaining to see all their ideas. One group even added me as a character in their story because they really like my name and it was one of the sweetest thing ever. 

They were also asking me if Ireland had its own language, and I said yes. They asked me if I could speak some Irish for them, which I had to agree to of course! They seemed so entertained and a little confused to hear our language, and the way their faces lit up when I asked them "Conas atá tú?" was the sweetest thing. Hearing a chorus of "Dia duit" in Spanish accents was probably the highlight of my day. I promised the groups I'd teach them some Irish once we finish their stories:)))

The year 8s definitely had some good ideas but we had to kind of pull the information out of them, more so than them coming up with it themselves. I think they're a great group, but I think the majority of them just don't have as much of an interest in story writing - which isn't a diss at all! I totally acknowledge it's not for everyone, it can just be a little challenging sometimes to get them working and using their brains creatively.

Tomorrow we plan to get them to further develop their protagonist, coming up with a whole background for them and again we'll emphasise why character development like this is so important. I'm really having a great time teaching the groups :)

After school, I tried to work on an assignment I have to do, it just ended up napping instead. Priorities, am I right? (I'm not right) (Don't encourage me) (I really need to get it done) (Help).

Right now, we've got food ordered for dinner and are just waiting for it to arrive. Will update y'all on how school goes tomorrow!

Hasta luego cocodrilo ;0

Ciara

impromptu madrid trip - day 10

Today in school we had our second lesson of The Arrival with the kids. We introduced the book to they years 8s and they seemed to enjoy the lessons, but still didn't offer as much as the year 7s did. I really enjoy teaching the kids and hearing all their ideas and interpretations of the story, as they all think of things differently and we got some really interesting results when we did the same exercise as yesterday where we put up their answers from the sheets onto the board. Getting the class involved in open discussions like this has worked really well for us so far.

Tomorrow is meant to be our day off, but we got permission from Andrew and Clive to take over their classes tomorrow to start with story writing based on The Arrivals themes. Andrew thought it would be better to keep the flow going for this week, so the story is still fresh in the kids' minds. He did suggest we could then take the Friday off, which is really tempting, but I'm struggling to get the hour in for my work experience even while doing extra work at home. Here's hoping I can find the hours somewhere:/

After school, Reece and I had planned to just go home to do some assingments, but then got a text from Laura asking if we wanted to go into Madrid with her and Eloah. We went with it and had a little shopping trip around the city for the evening which was nice. Story writing update to follow tomorrow!

Til then,

Ciara

The Arrival Reiterated / Expanded - Day 10

The year 8s were less engaged with the book when compared to the 7s. But some of them were very involved and participated in everything.

The ideas were not as varied as yesterday but they were unique in some cases, a few answers we got were the same or similar to the previous day. 

The mention of concentration camps, Jerusalem, the second World War and so on. 

They made a good effort and in the second class they were the first to try the next exercise we had ready for them. 

More of them got involved this time around and it was great to have such an imaginative atmosphere in with them. 

The year 7s were not at the same level of energy as yesterday but they were still very interested. Everyone answered at one point or another.

Each group struggled with our question on themes and metaphors but I explained it the best I could and that seemed to help them thankfully.

We told them we would be starting a group story project tomorrow and the year 7s were more excited but neither was put off by the idea.

All four of us went to Madrid today, walked around and went to a few shops. I even found my way to a Spanish comic book shop  while the girls looked in a particularly store. I didn't get anything because it was all in Spanish, but the shop itself was really cool. There are three comic shops in Madrid in total apparently.

Until the next installment. 

- Reece

Here is a section from the comic shop I was in, some very famous and highly praised graphic novels.

These are the answers we got from both years today. 

the arrival arrives - day 9

Today was our first official day as teachers with the year 7s. We only had one class today and it didn't start until 1 so we had plenty of time to prepare our lesson out fully, and it could not have gone any better!! The class were so engaged and interactive with the topic. We tried to make it as fun a lesson as we possibly could. At the end, one of the girls asked if we would be back with them tomorrow, to which I replied yes, and she had a huge smile on her face:))

We started by getting the kids to make name tags for themselves so we could identify them, as we hadn't properly been introduced to the year 7s yet. Then Reece introduced the book itself and we talked about the themes it has: loneliness, isolation, feeling lost etc.. We plan to have the kids come up with stories based on these themes.

After the introduction, I handed out a sheet I made up for the kids to fill in to get them engaged with the characters in the book and to help them understand the importance of knowing who your characters are. Here's the sheet:




The kids filled out the sections at the bottom of the sheet in relation to this picture from the book:

They made up names, ages, descriptions, etc.. for the characters. Some of them were really imaginative, where their characters were 3.5m tall, or had ginger hair and one of the character's dislikes was "being ginger".


^ another image we had the kids examine

After looking at both pictures, the kids answered the questions on the right side of the page. Here's what they came up with:



Both Reece and I were really impressed with how smart the kids are and all the suggestions they gave. It was an incredibly successful first day at teaching.

We plan to do the same lesson tomorrow with the year 8s in the morning, and then for the second year 8 and 7 class, we'll choose different images from the book but use the same question format to get the kids talking in class and engaging with the material. Here's to tomorrow being an even better day for us as teachers:)

adiós por ahora,,

Ciara

The Arrival / Taking over the Class - Day 9

Today was not only out first day as teachers but our first day going through the Arrival in with the year 7s.

They were very lively when we had our class today, lots of ideas and talking about the book.

They filled in a sheet based on a picture of two characters, coming up with personalities and identities for them from one image.

While several uses the same information, others were quite out there and different. Some features they made up were "3 ft tall" and "ginger but they don't like it" and several mentioned characters liking "dick alcohol", quite a few mentioned they interpreted the characters as "sad or depressed".

We read through the first chapter and I asked them about each page and their interpretation. They had a lot of detective or spy themed ideas which I found particularly interesting.

When I asked them where they thought it was set the answers were varied wildly. From "New York" to "Dragon Town" and believe it or not "Chernobyl". The images made them think of things like the fire of London and jurassic Park.

Ciara took down every idea they had on the white board, there were a lot of similarities but some were truly individual.

I was very happy with how the class turned out, they really enjoyed the book and that definitely helps. I will take the same approach with the year 8s tomorrow and then proceed with the 7s.

Until the next installment.
-Reece

Here we have the white board on which their ideas are displayed.

Metro Mishap - Day 8

The three girls went to a theme park, I was going to go but felt too sick to go on roller coasters. I decided to try get in and out of Madrid by myself while I had the opportunity.

I managed to get the transport card topped up and got the bus to Madrid. Once I got there I found my way to the metro only to discover the line was not in use.

Spending time trying to figure out if I would be able to get another train in I eventually felt worse than before and had no luck with getting another train so I decided to head home.

When I got back I called my family to catch up and get some familiarity back once more.

Tomorrow I begin being a teacher, this should be interesting.

Until the next instalment.
-Reece

parque de atracciones !!!! - day 8

Hola amigos! I can't believe we've been here for a week already, it only feels like we landed here about three days ago. Here's hoping the next two weeks pass just as quickly as this one did, as much as I'm having a great time here I also can't wait to get home.

Today, Laura, Eloah and I went to Parque de Atracciones for the day. Sunday tickets only cost about €20 for the whole day, and it's only a 10 minutes metro ride from Moncloa bus station. We were like little kids as soon as we got in through the gates, and my head is still spinning from the centrifugal force of all the rides. We got really lucky with the day that we went, as the park wasn't too bus and the longest we had to queue for any ride was only about 30-35 minutes. It's definitely the most fun I've had since I got here!!




After we were done on all the rides we got waffles with nutella (yes, they were as good as they look), and then we made our way back to Moncloa as the girls are in school at 9 tomorrow.

Tomorrow we start our takeover in classes as teachers, so in the morning I'll have to go over my lesson plans for 'The Arrival' and make sure I know exactly what I'm doing.. Fingers crossed, I've never had to teach before so it should be interesting?????

Will update in due course! Adios chicas :))

Ciara

lotta love for retiro park - day 7

Today Laura, Eloah and I spent the day in Madrid in Retiro Park. Originally we were going to just walk around the city because google had told us that the park was closed, but we decided to walk that way anyways just in case. Lo and behold, google had lied to us and the park was absolutely full of people. In Retiro Park there's a big lake that you can rent paddle boats on, and it's only €8 an hour???? Some deal. We queued up for about half an hour but it was honestly so worth it.


Monument outside Retiro Park


Me, Laura and Eloah by the lake in Retiro

After we finished on the boats, we walked around to try and find electric scooters to rent. after almost 20 minutes of searching we gave up and decided to head back towards Sol, only to accidentally find a bike shop that we could hire scooters from. We hired one each and went back into the park for another hour whizzing around on our scooters. They take off like jets the second you press the 'go' button and go as fast as 20km/h, which doesn't seem like its even that fast, but when surrounded by people walking it feels like you're flying. We had a couple incidents of almost crashing, including me driving my scooter down a flight of rocky stairs because I kept forgetting which button was which, and accelerated instead of braking. No injuries received - yet. Here's us on our scooters.



After we returned our scooters, we got McDonald's and then headed for our busses home. I can't get over how much better the Spanish McDonald's menu is compared to the Irish one. They serve wedges???? Unbelievable. 10/10 from me. I had such a good day today in Madrid with the girls, I'm really glad we finally got to hang out as I haven't seen them properly since the day we arrived here. Anyways, sleep is calling me, so I gotta go. Back tomorrow to update on my shenanigans :)))

Ciara

House Keeping - Day 7

Today I spent the day at home while the rest of the Erasmus group went on a trip to Madrid.

I spent time doing my laundry for the most part, super exciting. Unfortunately the warmest part of the day was over by the time I was ready to let it dry so thats when I had to use the heating.

I talked to my family while I worked on things today, I got to talk out loud about a lot of the things that have been on my mind as of late. Things that have been making me feel quite down but I've been making the best of every day.

I had to go shopping for myself again today and go to the pharmacy again, I'm feeling a little bit better than before.

I need to get out of the house but unfortunately today was not the best time. I have a friend from Cardoba who I'm hoping to meet up with next week so that's something to look forward to.

Until the next installment.
- Reece

ex girlfriend hypo-potamus??? - day 6

feliz día de san valentín!:)) Today was a really nice day in school, and our last day as observers before we start to teach next week. In class this morning with the year 7s we read over some of their stories and sat with two kids who needed a little more help to perfect their story writing skills, but were otherwise still good. I think the year 7s have a better grasp of creative writing than the year 8s, as their standard of writing and inclusion of similes and metaphors as well as ability to depict scenes and describe things was much better.

With the year 8s I conducted their spelling test for the day. They had 10 words to spell, and most of their results were in the 9/10 or 10/10 category which was really impressive - although Andre did mention to us that most of the kids tend to just memorize their spelling for the test itself and don't actually implement correct spelling into their writing,which is a skill they'll need to work on. I did notice that a lot of the year 8s seem to spell 'want' and 'went' as 'whant' and 'whent', which I'll have to point out to them when we're teaching them again on Tuesday if the errors arise again. After their spelling test, Andrew did an exercise with them from their checkpoint book. The kids had to give the meanings of the prefixes post-, hyper-, ex- and pro- (and one more which I forget oops). They also had to give the prefixes' opposite, and an example of a word for each i.e. post-: after, pre, postnatal. When the prefix 'ex' was being discussed in class, one of the boys said 'oh, like ex-girlfriend?' which we all found really funny. When discussing the opposite of hyper-, hypo-, another boy asked if we meant hippopotamus (hypo-potamus) which got even more laughs. We all had a case of Friday giggles.

After school I came home and did some more work on a college assignment and then went out for a walk and took some photos with my camera. I met a really cute cat just as I left the house to go on my walk but she was pretty camera shy so I didn't get a good picture of her:( I let myself get a little bit lost in the town and found loads of little alleys and streets I never even knew were here. Here are some of my favourite pictures I got.. Usually I photograph people so I had to make do with what I could. Still, this town is super super pretty:)




Alpedrete's funky street lights


Little bookshelf I found outside a shop


A pretty little romanesque church


Probably my favourite picture that I took today


Door of the lil funky church


Another funky door


Shot of a little alley I came across

Between saving the pictures to my phone and uploading them here, they did lose a bit of their quality but I still like them enough to share. I'll get more photos tomorrow in Madrid :)

Buenos noches 

Ciara

Spelling Test and Alien Encounters - Day 6

With the year 7s the two of us had to review some of their alien stories and then go through them with the students.

The stories I got to read were enjoyable but I had to talk to the kids about their spelling, language consistency, pacing, and the like. One story in particular felt very derivative of a certain film and I was proven right.

Other stories had a wider vocabulary behind them, better spelling but at times felt disjointed and switched in tone quite suddenly.

The year 7s have an excellent imagination to say the least.

The year 8s had a spelling test and homework to be corrected. I've been feeling quite ill the last few days so I let Ciara take the spelling test task for today. I took notes on their results.

10/10 was the most common.
9 and 8 were the next and unfortunately one student had a 0.

They had to go through words, their meanings, their opposites and an example.
This was very funny and everyone had a laugh due to jokes such as "hypo"potemis and other attempted guesses.

We will begin being teachers next week!
Wish us luck.

Until the next installment.
- Reece

día tranquilo - day 5

Today was a very quiet day all round. School was a breeze, and we were let go home early by Andrew as his year 8s really need to finish up their stories. Their deadline is tomorrow and some of the kids are really falling behind. Not that I blame them, creative writing isn't for everyone. There are some kids in the class that really stand out as creative writers, and I would love for them to nurture their talents as much as they can. That's what we're here for though, right? I would have loved to have something like this in primary school when we did our creative writing modules. Andrew's year 8s face a possible detention if they don't have their stories in by tomorrow which I find worrying, and I hope the few kids in mind pull through tonight with their stories. I offered help to some of them today when we sat outside and gave them individual feedback again like we did on Tuesday, but they insisted they were fine and I didn't want to hold them up from their writing any longer than was necessary. With a little push and a bit more attention I'm sure they'll do just fine.

The year 7s were also finishing up their stories today, so for the whole class we sat quietly and I took down the points Felicity wrote on the board for the kids to follow - I'll keep them in mind for when we take over with teaching the classes. Both year groups have spelling tests tomorrow. Andrew said we could be in charge of his year 8s spelling test which I'm excited for - call me nerdy but spelling tests were one of my favourite parts about Fridays in primary school... Okay, that definitely is nerdy... Just a little...

In other news, Colin went home today, so we've to brave the rest of our time here alone:( No one to guide us around and plan our days for us anymore ahaha. We haven't hung out with the girls yet at all since we got here on Sunday, but I think I already mentioned we had plans for the weekend in Madrid which I'm really looking forward to. 

After school today I had planned to go for a walk and take my camera out with me to get some photos, but as soon as I got in I decided to spend the rest of my day in bed watching some Netflix. As beautiful a town as it is, I'm not entirely inspired to take photos while I'm here - but I have started to write some poetry again which I haven't done properly in quite a while so I'm pretty happy about that:) I think I'll bring my camera with me next time I go to Madrid, but I'm just really paranoid about it getting lost or broken or stolen. When I eventually get out with it to take some funky snaps I'll include them here! I've been really enjoying updating this blog each day, which surprised me, because I thought I was going to find it kind of boring. I keep finding myself thinking 'oh, I can't wait to write about this later!'.. Maybe being a blogger is my true calling? Nothing even really happened today and this has been the longest blog post yet. I'll stop while I'm ahead and leave it here. Update you tomorrow on the kids' spelling tests.

Adioooooos

Ciara

Rewrites - Day 5

We spent a class with the year 7s but they were just finishing their alien arrival stories. They are very well behaved for kids of their age, when their teacher left they barely made any attempts to stop working.

They are reading books like Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and books by David Walliams, Roald Dahl and Terry Pratchett which surprised me because it would seem those writers connect with young children the world over.

The year 8s was a case of looking at how their stories have evolved since the last day, their rewrites and new drafts. Some of them definitely need work to improve, they have little idea of what they want to write and their deadline is tomorrow. All we can do is try and help them increase their skills and understanding of writing.

We were allowed leave early today so that was an unexpected surprise. I'm looking forward to being in with them tomorrow, although we will apparently be doing spelling tests which will be a bit different.

Until the next installment.
- Reece

soy un turista???? - day 4

Hola mi amigos:) Today wasn't a very busy day for us, as we don't have school on Wednesdays. I took today to myself to finish a college assignment in the morning, and I also visited Madrid again and had a little exploration of my very own. Madrid is such a pretty city to get lost in by yourself. Well, not lost in, but you know what I mean. It was really nice to be on my own and get to see and do whatever I wanted. It's impossible to get lost anywhere these days with google maps, and I've got just enough Spanish to get to where I need to go if I ever did really get lost. I'm starting to pick it up really quickly while I'm here, and my Spanish accent isn't half bad either, I'll have you know. I'm also pretty confident in my ability to navigate the bus/metro system in Moncloa and Sol by now. On the first day it was crazy complicated, and if it wasn't for Colin I'm certain I'd still be stuck in there now.

Shop workers in Madrid can be pretty intimidating because not many of them speak English (which surprised me a little to be honest, but how and ever). I went into a sock shop and all the workers there spoke English and helped me pick some funky socks out for my friends. They were so so nice and it made me feel a lot better about being in a place where I've been finding it somewhat difficult to communicate with the locals.

Not much else to document on today, tomorrow we're back in school with the kids which I'm excited about. I really enjoy being there with the kids, it makes me feel like I have a purpose while I'm here. I was super homesick on the first day but I've been getting better day by day.

Til tomorrow chicos y chicas,

Ciara 

Time to ourselves - Day 4

Today we were not in with the students so we spent our time separately. One of us went to Madrid for the day and the other tried to do some leftover college work.

We are still only observing the classes so we do not need to have our plans for when we get back tomorrow.

I went out for a walk around the town and ran into two of the students from year 8. We exchanged hellos and I said we'd be back in with them tomorrow.

While I was walking around the town I finally began to take it all in.

Until the next installment.
- Reece

Below is a picture I took while walking in Alpedrete.

The Storytellers - day 3

Today was our third day in Alpedrete and our first proper day in the school. Everyone in the school calls us The Storytellers which I think is so very cute. We started at 9 this morning with Andrew, one of the English teachers, and his year 8 English class. The kids have already been writing their own stories based on 'A Poison Tree', a poem by William Blake. The kids' stories are generally good but they do need some work, however they are impressive as English is not their first language. We read their stories and gave them feedback one on one sitting outside on big steps in the courtyard outside their classroom. It was nice to sit out with them and get to talk to them individually and ask them in depth questions about their stories. We also observed Felicity's year 7 English class. They were doing an assessment so we didn't get to do much with them, but it was one of the boys' birthdays and he brought in some cake and gave us some which was nice.

We made up a lesson plan for when we start reading the arrival with them next week. We're going to focus on the images in the book and use them as a basis for the kids to develop their own complex characters - and particularly the year 8s - look into metaphors within the story, as they are doing with Andrew and 'A Poison Tree'.

We also met Clive, who is head of English at the school. He's going to be my supervisor for my work experience which I started today. I just hope I can make up 60 hours while I'm here, as I've only got 5 done so far.

After school Reece and I went to Madrid with Colin again. We split up when we got there and went on our own little trip around the city. On Saturday we plan to go in with the girls and do some more exploring. 

Until tomorrow,,,

Storyteller Ciara

First day of school - Day 3

We went to the school and introduced ourselves to each group we will be working with.

The year 7's and year 8's are both interesting, the 7's seem to be more interested in writing and take to it more than the others.

The year 7's spent most of their time writing their alien arrival stories

We spent a lot more time with the year 8's, after introducing ourselves we talked to each of the children about their stories and if they like writing. For the most part it was very positive towards writing, there were some who weren't doing as well due to either a lack of interest or perhaps they didn't like what the topic was.

We spent time individually with them and sat outside while discussing their stories.
They have some great ideas but need encouragement and help to develop them, which is what we tried to do.

Until the next installment.
- Reece

school + madrid - day 2

This morning we went to the school we'll be teaching at for the first time. We were shown around by Andrew, whose class we'll be teaching. The school actually used to be a really big house before it was converted into a school which I think is really cool, because it looks nothing like a school. It's got a much more relaxed feelings to it than schools in Ireland which can feel like prisons at times. Only downside in my opinion is that the school is a little bit like a maze, but it's made up for by the fact that Andrew is really nice and showed us around, and there's also a mini golf course out in the yard??? How cool is that??? Irish schools could never.

After being shown around the school, Reece, Colin and I went into Madrid for the day. On the way in, our bus turned a corner too early and crashed into a street sign and one of the windows smashed, so we had to get off and wait for the next bus. Very exciting journey if you ask me. 

Colin gave us a mini tour and explained their metro and bus transport system to us for when we go in again on our own. I've never been to Madrid before, and it was so lovely to see it finally. It's such a beautiful city to walk around and just explore. We got really lucky with the weather too, it was clear skies and about 15/16 degrees while we were there. We didn't do any shopping or anything, but I made a list of places I want to go to when I go back. Here's some pictures of Madrid below:









(technically this photo is a little bit of a cheat because we hadn't left for madrid yet but shhhh)





It was really really nice to just walk around the city and take in all the pretty streets and the architecture. I'm not great with the names of all the streets but I'll try to keep a better record of them when I go back again so I can keep this blog as factual and informative as I can.

It's almost 8pm now, and we're meeting with Colin, Laura, Eloah and Ava for half to go for dinner together which I'm very excited for because I feel like I haven't eaten properly since I got here. Anyway, that's my cue to sign off for tonight. Tomorrow's entry will be about our first proper day at the school and what our plans are for teaching etc.. Until then, hasta luego cocodrilo!

Ciara