After having lived in Jerez de la Frontera for almost half a year now, I wanted to show a typical day in the life--from waking up to working to living abroad to sleeping (a. bit too much...). Every day I have a different schedule depending on which alternating week it is and what day of the week it is. Today was a Monday (oof), or lunes, so time to see how we start the week Spanish style!
This specific lunes was week 2 of my rotation, meaning geography and P.E. classes; but, today, I only had two geography classes which began at 11:30am. Normally this would mean sleeping in, but remember--I live in Jerez but I work in Arcos de la Frontera which means a commute! Because of this, I wake around 9:15am to catch the 10am bus from Jerez to Arcos. But not before I catch a glimpse of the sunrise from my porch, like this.
From there, I walk 15 minutes to the bus station near my house and take the 35-minute ride to Arcos, during which I make my presentation for the day (call me a procrastinator, but it's 35 minutes of free time!) Today's was about American Livestock--enthralling, really. But I love powerpoints because I am nerdy and love the transitions, so it was fun!
Once I arrive to Arcos, the sunrise is finally just peeking above the school building where I work. I work with grades 7 and 9 if you want the American equivalent, but it's labeled as instituto here, which is the last before the two-year bachillerato before college. Below you can see just why I don't mind the occasional early mornings.
Normal days in class is two to three classes spread across the day in which we present on America, do a lesson/review in English or, if you're in P.E. like me, get hit in the stomach by a dodgeball! The students are really the best part and really treat us like royalty, but it does make it harder to not break into Spanish.
Every day, I go to the nearby cafe on my breaks and order a mollete de jamón y queso y un café con leche--basically the greatest bread for a warmed ham and cheese sandwich with coffee/milk. It rules and is only four euros, so a double win. It might not look like much, but here it is the best sandwich I've had (and have...daily).
Today, after my classes, the school had a parade for infantile leukemia with the youngest group I have (might seem a bit random, I'm not really kept in the loop so I just went with it--great cause though!). Arcos is known for being a very hilly, which I know from my work so far, but this parade really combined the steepest parts...but again, worth it.
Needless to say, it left me sweaty! On the bright side, it's January so it could be colder (looking at you Cincinnatians). As the day ended, I would normally leave class early to make it to the Arcos bus station (about 20 minutes away) by the time the bus leaves, passing the beautiful sights.
BUT today was a special day and I had some extra time on my hands to explore the city, so I decided to embark on the other side of the hill that makes up the city and see the landmarks.
Arcos de la Frontera is known as one of the best Pueblos Blancos, or white towns, in Spain and it all stems from the white paint on the majority of the city. In the town's early days, they painted it white to keep the temperature inside cool during the summer, as black absorbs heat. With the heat of Andalucía in the summer, I can't blame them, but It's no joke--there's laws about paint color! The first place I stopped at was the Castillo de Arcos, or Arcos Castle, which has an amazing view over the city.
I then headed to the place I have been dreaming about since I was placed--the Mirador de Abades, or Abbott Lookout (a religious term). Painted on this arch (hence the name Arcos...) is the words "bésame en este arco," which translated to "kiss me at this arch." The flowers (that they changed from pink to yellow, as I learned...) that cover it are so beautiful and I actually painted a picture of it back before I left--compare below:
Still waiting on someone to take me up for that offer of a kiss, but nonetheless--through the arch is an even more gorgeous view of the city in about all directions. My legs were well in need of a break, so thankfully they have benches as well! WHEW!
Then began the walk back which--surprise!--I took a special route just to be able to show off how beautiful this city really is. Beyond the white walls is natural beauty and rolling hills that I get to bus through every day--but these pictures are actually a secret path from my school to the bus station...kind of. It might be a bit roundabout, but boy are these photos worth it--THE HILLS ARE ALIVE, IT SEEMS!
After a 35-minute bus ride back to Jerez, I had an appointment at a traveling thrift market set up in a nearby bodega that had everyone talking. It was called vinokilo and it was 35 euros per kilo measured in bags, which was cool--even though I didn't end up getting anything (a rarity).
Once I got home, I took my normal siesta and headed out for drinks to end the day with friends. Aren't we lucky I didn't show you a day in my life like tomorrow that starts at 6:30am...thanks for following along, ¡Salud!
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