¡Olé!

A few things on my Madrid must-do list (so far) are:


Go to a Futbol (Soccer) game

Go to the Bullfights as Las Ventas

Visit The Prado, Thyssen and Reina Sofia Museums

Stroll through the Parque del Buen Retiro

Buy trinkets and other fun stuff at El Rastro

Eat Chocolate con Churros at Chocolatería San Ginés

Eat at the world's oldest restaurant and, to Hemingway, "The Best"; Casa Botin (enjoy the music :-)

Watch flamenco dancers and musicians at Casa Patas

Getting my Bearings

My new Madrid apartment is close to Metro lines 1 & 6, approximately two miles from The Parque de Buen Retiro, one of the most beautiful parks in Europe, and the famous Prado Museum and three miles from Sol, the very center and busiest part of the city.

I will be working at the Artica School, a bilingual charter school southwest of the city center.

The distance from school to home is about seven miles by car, but I will be taking the Madrid's Metro public transportation, reportedly one of the best in the world.

I will be doing a few test runs of my commute to make sure I'm on time my first day, but it may look something like this:

Walk less than 1/2 mile from my apartment to the Pacifico Metro Station (Lines 1&6), take line 6 for six stops to the west to Plaza Elíptica, then take Line 11 out five stops to the end, La Peseta.

It will probably take me about 45 minutes to an hour; pretty comparable to an average commute in Boston, MA.

Acronym Excess

I've been going on and on about how I'm going to Spain, learning Spanish and, in the near future, eating and seeing all sorts of fabulous things. But I haven't really explained how this is all possible. Here is all the information:

In May 2008, I finished my M.A.T (Master of Arts in Teaching) graduate program at Simmons College in Boston, MA. In addition to a graduate degree, I also earned my Massachusetts initial licensure for grades 5-8 and 8-12 in English. Before I fully plunged into a job search for my first teacher-of-record job, another graduate program at Simmons caught my eye. For lots of personal and professional reasons, I chose to continue my studies for a C.A.G.S. (Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies) in E.L.L (English Language Learners) through the Simmons in Madrid program. Here is a link for more information:

http://www.simmons.edu/gradstudies/education/madrid/

and some streaming video about the program:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n58SkgdtKDA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjj9OVtqEuQ&feature=related

Habla Español bien? Ummm...no.

I took a total of six Spanish language classes in high-school and college. The only "practice" I have had since then was during a two week trip about 10 years ago through the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico and 'muy' basic conversation with Spanish-speaking co-workers in various restaurants. My dusty Spanish skills needed a serious brushing up.

I asked everyone from a high school Spanish teacher to a salesperson at the bookstore what they recommended for someone like myself who wasn't a total novice to Spanish. Here are some great resources I found or reacquainted myself with:

Destinos
I still had books from a video-based Spanish course I took in college. I remembered that the class and the programs were a lot of fun and almost against your will were drawn into the dramatic situations in each of the 52 episodes of the telenovela Destinos. I found the videos online here: http://www.learner.org/resources/series75.html%20pop=yes&pid=366#

No Fear Spanish
Very basic guide with explanation and exercises. The size of the book (7 1/2 x 5 in.) is perfect to pop into your purse or backpack and use when you get a bit of spare time. http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbninquiry.asp?r=1&ean=1411401344#TABS

Spanish in 10 Minutes a Day

Another very basic workbook that comes with a CD, flashcards and stickers that you can label everything around the house to build vocabulary.

http://www.bbks.com/languages/spanish.aspx

Start Spanish and Spanish Whiz software by Braser Soft

Drill and kill software with exercises and explanation galore. The programs are quite the sticklers for spelling, too. Download and pay (reasonable cost) online.

http://www.braser.com/

501 Spanish Verbs

My favorite, all-time Spanish reference book it contains common verbs and all their conjugations. I lost it once and promptly bought it again and have held onto this copy for over 10 years. Also contains helpful hints regarding usage.

http://www.amazon.com/Spanish-Verbs-Easy-Learn-Alphabetically/dp/0812092821

English Grammar for Students of Spanish

this book was recommended to one of my college Spanish classes by my Argentinian instructor. She said Americans didn't know their own English grammar, so how could they expect to learn Spanish grammar. I still find it useful for comparisons of both languages.

http://www.amazon.com/English-Grammar-Students-Spanish/dp/0934034362/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1217956517&sr=1-1

Simon & Schuster's Pimsleur Language Programs

I needed a jump start for speaking Spanish and working on pronounciation and I got it with Pimsleur. Great for aural and oral language practice when you get a half hour (during your commute, perhaps?)

http://www.simonsays.com/content/index.cfm?sid=128

Lorousse Mini Spanish/English Dictionary

I have the mini and pocket size of this dictionary, but I've been very satistfied with the mini -- almost anything I want to look up is in there. Plus, it is so small I can carry it anywhere!

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Larousse-Mini-Dictionary-Espanol-Ingles-English-Spanish/Larousse-Editorial/e/9782035421258/?itm=6

University of Texas Spanish Proficiency Exercises

These are online listening and speaking exercises featuring native Spanish speakers from all over the Spanish-speaking world. Very intersting to compare accents, pace and vocabulary. This was recommended strongly by a high-school Spanish teacher.

http://www.laits.utexas.edu/spe/