Just a quick post this May Day of 2008. I had plans to spend the day
with my amigas in Salamanca, but when I arrived at the bus station
there were no more tickets. Instead of traveling on a later bus by
myself I decided to see what May Day is all about in Madrid. This
weekend also commemorates the 200th anniversary of the Dos de Mayo
Uprising of 1808. According to Wikipedia:: On
May 2,
1808 (
Spanish: Dos de Mayo) the people of
Madrid rebelled against the occupation of the city by
French troops, provoking a brutal repression by the
French Imperial forces and triggering the
Peninsular War.
They
are setting up grandstands for outdoor concerts all over the city. It´s
a good thing I slept for 14 hours last night because I don´t think I´ll
be sleeping this weekend! I also have a lot to celebrate this weekend
as I just discovered I´ve been accepted for a teaching position here in
Madrid!! I have very few details at the moment but the position is
through Spain´s Ministry of Education and I will be working 12-16 hours
a week teaching English language and American culture to students
anywhere from 7 to 17 years old. I´ll receive a small monthly stipend,
but hopefully will be able to secure a second job while I´m here! As
soon as I get back to the states I´ll need to go about securing my visa
for my stay from the end of September 2008 to May 2009 as well as
finding a place to live! Just as I was beginning to wonder why I´d come
to Spain to study Spanish, I now have my answer! I hope that during my
eight month stay I will be able to welcome many visitors from the
states to my temporary home in Madrid. Most exciting of all is now I
can rationalize the purchase of a hair straightener because I will once
again be able to use it this fall (they´re designed specifically for
European outlets).
¡Voy a celebrar Mayo y mi nuevo trabajo! Ciao!
