Galicia later, alligators!

Yes, so as you may be aware, I, Jordan Patrick Sanders, will be leaving for Galicia, Spain on September 15th. The journey to obtaining my acceptance in the program and the current preparation for my visa has been a testament to my patience. With most things in life, you apply for something and find out quickly whether you're appointed to do the thing or not. I waited for four agonizing months to finally get placed in the region of Galicia, to then wait for another month-and-a-half to learn my school and city. Officially, I will be living in the city of Ourense and helping out a primary (elementary) school in the small village of Cortegada. The population of Cortegada is 1100, so that gives you an idea of how small it actually is. Here's the website for the school if you're interested in checking it out: http://www.edu.xunta.es/centros/ceipoteronovas/

Fortunately, I'm now in correspondence with the P.E. teacher at CEIP Otero Novas, Manuel, and he has offered to help me find a place to live, and also informed me that he and 3 other teachers live in Ourense and will graciously offer me a ride to work. This really takes a load off of my mind since I just now have most of my visa situation figured out (fingers crossed that there are no problems with my state background check *not saying they will find anything on me, but I just hope there isn't any unforeseeable issue I haven't considered*) and haven't had a chance to even consider where I'm going to live. Manuel says normal rent for a flat with roommates is 150 euros a month, which will leave me with a lot of extra cash for travelling and experiencing the nightlife. I can't imagine other expenses such as a cell phone plan, utilities, or groceries will add up to much per month, so I'm excited. I also know from reading blogs that many auxiliars teach private English lessons for extra cash, which is probably what I'll end up doing once I'm comfortable.

Ourense has a population of about 110,000, which is a big step up from the suburban cities I'm accustomed to living in. I've never lived in a real city where shops, restaurants, bars, and the like are within walking distance of my place, so experiencing city life in a different country is going to be EXTREMELY EXCITING (note the caps lock as a representation of my vigorous intensity in expressing this). Ourense is noted for its beautiful architecture, Roman spas, and rich scenery. The buildings are made of old brick and the roofs appear to be topped with clay shingles. Here are some examples:

(This is a street perspective of some street in Ourense)


(Here's a bird's-eye view of the tops of a bunch of buildings)


I don't know much more about it yet, so I'll report back with more information soon! This is real, guys, I'm going to be living in the beautiful country of Spain for 9 months! As an extremely country southern person would say... YEEEEHHAAWWW!

P.S. Once I finally get all of my visa information together, I will be driving down to Houston, TX with two of my besties (Chris and Isaac) to turn everything in. We will then be spending a few days hanging out in Austin, TX with our friend Scruff. Expect some interesting future blog posts.