TEFLees in Spain

Coming here with a clean slate as far as Spanish speaking is concerned hasn’t been nearly as bad as I’d first thought it was going to be. I’ve taken the time to study on my own whenever I’m on a lengthy metro ride or in the time spent waiting for my students to arrive (an extra fifteen to thirty minutes per class, guaranteed). I think I’ve picked up quite a bit in my first few months abroad, but like I said, when I first arrived on Spanish soil, my vocabulary was definitely still in its infant stage.

If this is the case with you, no problem. You can get around fine, the trainers at TT will do everything they can to help you out and guide you with whatever your situation may be, but if you decide to purchase a cell phone on your own, make sure that you’ve got a solid grasp on Spanish linguistics. I on the other hand, had to learn the hard way.

During the third week of the course, my roommate (a friend of mine from home) and I, decided that it was finally time to get our Spanish cell phones. So we headed over to the nearby supermarket (where apparently you can buy phones) and did tried our best to negotiate the deal. We both agreed that we wanted the cheapest phone possible as long as it had a camera, and after a lot of frustrated finger pointing and Spanglish, we finally completed the cash transaction.

With a sense of accomplishment and relief to now be plugged in to the Spanish communication network (like a real Spaniard!), we hurried home to activate our phones and make some long overdue calls. As soon as I got into my room I began attacking the phone package like a kid on Christmas, tearing at the tape and ripping out the Styrofoam padding. When I finally made it down to the bottom, I was unpleasantly surprised to find that my phone was there alright – but it was Barbie pink! Well, lush pink is what it actually said on the sticker. Judging by the gasps of shock from the adjoining room, my roommate had just discovered the same…