A Messy Excursion

I found myself Tuesday, as one of the chaperones on the 1st and 2nd grade field trip to Linares. Linares is a pueblo, 45 minutes by train outside of Jaén. I was super excited to attend because the 1st grade team, students and teachers are my favorite. I was given 11 of my 1st grade bilingual students to make sure they all had fun, and fun was what we had. The train departed from the station at 8:38am and the cars erupted in the students’ cheers. Linares, here we come!

When we arrived in Linares we took a tour of the train station and while the students enjoyed their snacks, in typical Spanish style, the teachers took shifts in ‘taking a coffee!’ I swear, only in Spain is this sort of thing allowed. We walked around Linares and my 6 year olds became my Spanish teachers for the day. They are used to only hearing me speak English, so today came as a shock. I spent the whole day talking in Spanish and when I told them to help me by correcting my Spanish, they got the biggest grins on their faces. Let me tell you, 6 year olds are the BEST teachers ever. They will correct you until you say the word absolutely perfect. After a 20 minute walk we ended up in a park, so the children could run free. As the children played, we teachers conversed.

My favorite interruption was from my student David, who picked a rose and wanted to give it to Marina. So I asked David if Marina was his girlfriend. His friend Javi, responded and said, ‘He has 8 girlfriends.’ And so matter of a factly, David says (in Spanish), “Yes Marina is my ‘school girlfriend.’(She was completely unaware that she was indeed his ‘girlfriend.’) I have another ‘girlfriend in Cazorla and other places like that." Let me remind you, this boy is 6. And if that doesn’t sum up Spanish men, then I don’t know what else could.

After lunch, we all took a walk along el rio Guadalquivir and got caught in a torrential downpour! As everyone was told to run to the nearest bridge to take cover, dirt became mud (or ‘barro’ a new word for the day) and blue jeans became brown jeans. (Oh great, parents are going think we let their children roll around in the mud.) Walking back was even more fun. The bottoms of our shoes became those wedge-like platforms; full of ‘barro’ and a once sturdy path became an ice skating rink. Needless to say all 23 of my bilingual 1st graders and the other 5 classes made it back to the train station in one piece and were all in dire need of a shower.

The train pulled back into Jaén at 1:40pm and I had a fantastic day with my students and fellow co-workers. I made sure to take in everything about that day because my time in Jaén is rapidly coming to a close. It’s days like this that I treasure and will miss. I have formed relationships and friendships with some of the kindest and most warm-hearted people I have ever met. What a great day to help wind down my 10 months of teaching and living in Spain.

David giving his 'girlfriend' the rose

My 11, 1st grade bilinguals