Getting My Feet Wet

¡Hola a todxs!

I have been in El Hierro for almost a month now, and feel like I've really started to settle in to my school, town, and apartment. I successfully got a bank account and WiFi in my house (yay!) but am still working on some government paperwork. Things around here do not move fast. :D

One thing I've found is that people love it if I give them the opportunity to call someone else and scream at them over the phone. This happened twice to me this week. First, I went in to City Hall to ask them about my empadronamiento (oof, what a word to pronounce!). I applied four weeks ago, but they are still waiting for someone to confirm that I live alone. However, I found an ally! The lady working was stunned my paperwork was still not ready, so got on the phone and yelled at someone about incompetence and taking too long. So hopefully the finished paperwork is just around the corner. :)

A similar thing happened at the hardware store. I went to buy a Brita filter last week because the water here tastes weird, metallic or full of minerals perhaps. The first one I bought might have been working but the button on top, which is supposed to tell me when to change the filter and which proves that the filter is working, would not turn on. Every human in that store got involved: the clerk, the supervisor, the manager, and a random customer. We tried prying open the lid with a screwdriver, re-reading the instructions eight times (in three languages), and taking out and re-inserting the filter. Finally, the manager got on the phone with the supplier and reamed them out for sending a filter that didn't work. They filled out an IOU receipt and said they'd send a new one! And just yesterday, I got the new one and it works! :D What a success!

One of the best parts of my day is seeing the sunrise. I have two great big windows in my apartment, facing the ocean and one of the mountains. The dawn is really a sight to behold. Pictures can't do it justice, of course, but check out some of the best sunrises I've seen so far!

I also have gotten to know some of the teachers at my school a bit better. In Spain, teachers regularly take exams for placement in public schools so there is a fair amount of turnover. This is especially true in El Hierro because it is so small and isolated; most people who live and work here were born here. So, a few weeks ago, we had a welcome lunch for all the teachers at my school. It was a lovely event that included a cute little welcome note, a free candle and keychain, a salad with nothing green, steak with mushroom sauce, and coffee cake. Yum! It was great to get to chat with some of my teachers more and the cliffs towering over the restaurant were also quite a sight to see!

"Teaching that impacts is not head to head, but heart to heart." --Howard Hendricks

This month, El Hierro celebrated International Tourism Day, where I got some yummy samples of pineapple, cheese, and pastries from a table in downtown Villa de Valverde. I also got a map of all the hiking trails and some beach suggestions, which will definitely come in handy!

I've been teaching fifth and sixth-graders over the last few weeks, who are a lively bunch. So far, we have played some fun versions of tag, sang several camp songs to learn and practice days of the week and present simple, and enjoyed Mr. Bean and The Muppets. For Halloween, I'm introducing them to Thriller.

I've also spent the last couple weeks soaking up the sights of Valverde. A big plus of starting work around 8am is watching the sun light up the sky over the sea. Check some of the beautiful views below!

A couple weekends ago, I went back to Tamaduste for the day! A mother of one of my students invited me, and we had a lovely day soaking up the sun and enjoying the swimming hole. There were a bunch of kids from my school there for a birthday party, and they ran about diving, splashing, eating paella, and snorkeling. For lunch, we had a yummy pizza from a place with about a hundred pizza options, Harina y Tomate. A beautiful, relaxing day!

Thanks for reading! Up next time--hiking around Valverde!

Goodbye from the very windy Valverde!

¡Hasta pronto!