October~

My first week in the school was darling. I regularly see pupils around town and they shout, "Cari, hello!", "Hello!". When I ask, "How are you?", they usually turn towards each other and say, "Que me ha dit?" or "What did she say?" In class I have them repeat me and ask them to use full sentences in English when answering me, but they usually don't have the habit to use full sentences in their native languages much less in English. Communicating to them to use a full sentence, or "complete phrase" which sound more similar to "phrase completo", is a hassle depending on their level of English. I am required to speak only English with the students and most think I only speak English, with a minimal level of French. I make sure they write down vocabulary, repeat what I am saying and answer me with complete sentences, but sometimes they just don't understand and start repeating my full question. It can turn out quite comical.
I went to Barcelona to apply for my residence card, the process of which I had started in the Basque Country this last spring. I went to one place and was sent to another in a completely different neighborhood from the first and there I was told I would need to make an appointment. The security guard at the front was no gentleman, and It turned out frustrating. Currently, I believe I am waiting for a response from the government delegation regarding where I need to go and where exactly my foreigner number "trámite" lies in the ether. The earliest I could make an appointment was for November 5th and I am hoping it will not be too late, or that I get a response via email before too long and can return somewhere without an appointment. I tried to ask the security guard about whether or not I was in the right place and he just sent me away telling me I needed an appointment and he couldn't help me. I spent some more of the day seeing Barcelona, but with my slowly-healing ankle wasn't much cut out for playing tourist. I purchased an exercise practice notebook for my Catalan class and the funniest bookstore attendant asked me for a face tissue. It didn't appear that he was in special need of any but said he had given his to a co-worker. I left him with my half empty mint-scented package. He was very appreciative.

A picture from Plaça de Catalunya

I spent a lovely day out in the countryside with Ciona and "els nens" or the children. We went looking for mushrooms in the forest. This year is a great mushroom year because it has been so wet. He found lots of mushrooms, but Balbino, the father picked through them and only half of our goods were worthwhile to eat. I ate fabulously while there, homemade wine from their own grapes, their lamb cooked over an open fire of hot coals, ali-oli made from scratch, fresh cow's milk from the neighbors and I came back to Malgrat with a handfull of fresh-picked herbs for cooking and teas. They had a bay-leaf tree and an asundry of other things in their garden, including a fig-tree! Random factoid: corn in Spain is left to dry on the stalks and then picked. Els nens, Cristina and Joan, are really darling and asked me to stay for the whole long weekend. Spain is fabulous regarding vacations and has a long "bridge" weekend. Tuesday is the celebration of a virgin and so Monday for the schools was given off too.

Escole & hopsitalet

My Catalan family here is hilarious. Kristina is hyperactive at home, but one wouldn't recognize her at school. She was so well-behaved and timid in class, even though I had said hello. Joan is calm for a 9 year-old boy and similar in disposition to his older cousin Andreu, but the oldest cousin, Adriá, is supposedly more like Kristina. Kristina said yesterday that I'm like part of the family and we have a mutual trust. It was quite sweet and made my day. Being part of the family does mean that she is comfortable to be her crazy self around me.
So I rolled my ankle two blocks or so from the house on my first attempt of a run here in Malgrat. I didn't even make it to the beach and came limping back to the house. Adriá, my flatmate, is a physical therapist so had looked at it a few times for me, but after it did not improve despite icing, rest and ibuprofen, he said to go to the hospital for an X-ray. So I called my insurance company about places to go and they said they would call me with a place where I could go. A few hours later someone called me and said a taxi would be on it's way to take me to the Creu Groc, or Yellow Cross instead of Red. I was somewhat stunned and asked if I would be paying and they said I wouldn't have to pay for anything. So Paquita, the mother of the house, went with me and told me that it was quite quick. They poked my ankle, took an X-ray, and then concluded it was just a ligament and wrapped me up tight. After 5 days I will have to return to the hospital to have my "bandage" or temporary cast taken off. I can't get it wet, so will have to shower with a bag on my foot. I'm about to go experiment with that before heading to work for the day, but last night was just bizarre. It was such a change in attention from the temporary travel insurance I had in Euskadi to front door taxi service. Then we were laughing about it and some other funny word things in the kitchen and I accidentally closed us in, because the kitchen door locks from the outside. Una pasada!
I am just observing at the school and am a little anxious to start with the little ones next week, as the reigns are quite loose and there isn't really any certain material I have to use. The classes are all over 20 students and full of excited rambunctious children as well as quiet timid ones, but who all love to say "Hello" to me when they see me, with a big wave.