Andorra & Malta

It doesn’t seem possible. After what seemed like an eternity of anxious planning and excited anticipation, I suddenly find myself back in Madrid after two weeks of non-stop traveling. Did that really just happen? Did I really spend six days learning how to ski in Andorra and a week on the beaches of Malta? I suppose I have the pictures (and tan) to prove it, but the whole thing still feels unreal.

Andorra was, in a word, wonderful. To start with, the skiing lessons were challenging, rewarding, and — despite a few moments of unmitigated terror — quite a bit of fun. Early on in the week we were divided into ten-person groups according to skill level. Luckily for me, a bunch of my older students (between the ages of 15 and 16) enthusiastically pulled me into their section, so I didn’t feel completely incompetent when 10-year-olds started skiing past us backwards at alarming speeds. I don’t know if it was because we were outside of a classroom setting, or if it was because I was finally allowed to speak in Spanish, but the kids really opened up to me that week. I heard about boyfriends, girlfriends, family, drama, you name it. And they expected no less from me, which means that I got a lot of questions about my current relationship status and private life in Madrid. Fortunately, most of the students accepted an eye roll, laugh, and pat on the back as an appropriate response to these inquiries.

I also got really close to some of the other teachers on the trip. Carolina, one of the Physical Education teachers from the school, and her boyfriend, Jose, were an absolute blast to be around. We ended up spending most of the week talking on our walky-talkies in code and laughing at the absurd positions we were put in every day by the students and other teachers. There were some minor bumps along the way, but all in all, I think the trip was an absolute success. I was really sad to see it all end. When we pulled back up to the school at midnight, the kids that I had worked with the most ran up to give hugs and kisses before rejoining their parents, and I definitely got teary-eyed thinking of all the fun times we shared. Truth be told, I didn’t think the Malta trip could possibly live up to Andorra in terms of camaraderie and laughs, but I was wrong.

Four hours of sleep later, I was on a plane to Malta with a whole new set of students. We were greeted by absolutely gorgeous weather. Frankly, I don’t know how my brain managed to process the dramatic shift in climate from snowy mountain peaks to humid tropical island, but somehow it all seemed to compute. We dropped our students off at their host families, and then proceeded to spend the rest of the week exploring the island’s stunning cities and bright blue coasts. Malta’s history is fascinating, but I would bore you with the details here. Suffice it to say that Malta has been conquered by just about every powerful imperial force ever to roam the seas, and it shows in the country’s beautiful architecture, food, art, and dialect. Once again, the students were great. It felt like every ten minutes someone was running up to me yelling “teacher, teacher” to talk to me about the sites we were seeing or ask me about my life back in the States. Again, they lovingly pestered me about dating and nightlife, but once again they accepted being ignored as rather routine. More than anything, I was shocked at how sweet and respectful the students were even while they were trying to get to know us. At one point, one of the students offered me a cookie, and when I declined, he exclaimed in Spanish “Come on, you should try one! I mean, you’re like one of us! But, just here. I mean…don’t worry, at school we still respect you a lot…but have a cookie!” It was one of the sweetest things anyone has said to me here.

And, now I'm back in Madrid! These past two weeks will definitely stay with me for a lifetime, and I am unbelievably grateful to have been afforded such enriching opportunities. At this point I just need to register the fact that I'm actually back in my own flat! I’ve had a day to recover from all of the traveling insanity, and tomorrow I will be visited by the lovely Laura B. right here in my very own hometown. Needless to say, I’m looking forward to some domestic tourism for a change!