Marissa Moore, the new language teacher this year, gave insight on her stay in Spain. Moore gave detail on her daily life, and what she felt and saw while in Barcelona for one year.

Q. What did you see first when you got off the plane to Barcelona? What grabbed your attention first? What amazed you most?

“When I got off of the plane, my first thought was actually how beautiful the airport was. I had been to Barcelona before, but only by bus. I was surprised to see the literal shopping mall they had in the main terminal. It was more than Duty Free Shops everywhere else; this was an actual mall with high-end retailers like Rolex. Aside from that, when I walked outside of the airport, the weather was chilly and breezy and I was so happy to be away from the sweltering heat of Missouri. I immediately knew that I made the right decision when my ears were immersed with the Spanish language and English was just a memory.”

Q. What attractions were your favorites? Did you recognize any with just one look?

“My favorite tourist sights were definitely the view from Montjuic, Sagrada Familia, La Rambla, Maremagnum, and Placa Catalunya. I liked Parc Guell, but there were always too many “guiris (their word for tourists)” there, so it took away from the vibe. My absolute favorite things though, were not attractions at all. My favorite things were my metro stop,  my grocery store, several quaint cafes, the park where I went to think, and small things like that. Those were the things that my heart yearns to visit again.”

Q. Are there any similarities between the American school system and the European one?

“There are many similarities between our school system and that of Spain. It would probably be easier to highlight the differences. Mainly, they have a siesta in the middle of their day. So the schools around me started school at 10 and went until 1. Then they had a break until 3pm and then resumed school until 6pm or so. Also, at the age of 16, they take an aptitude test to see where they belong in the workforce based on their strengths. At that point, their last two years of school are geared more toward preparing them for the results of their test. This process is not optional;  however, students can decide to follow their results, or chose their own path.”

Q. Did you learn any things relating to the Spanish language that you didn’t know prior to your stay?

“ Definitely! Language-wise, I had to learn different words at a moment’s notice sometimes. One afternoon during siesta, our toilet backed up. Water was flying everywhere, so I had to run down to the market to buy a plunger. On my sprint down, I had to google what “plunger” was in Spanish and practice it so I could ask for it in the market. To this day, I will never forget “desatascador.”
  More of my experience, however, was learning some Catalan, a language used only in Catalunya, and participating in different cultural celebrations throughout the year. During my stay, my knowledge about Spanish culture went from knowing what to expect, to actually experiencing holidays. Therefore, now when I talk about some cultural things from Spain, instead of just stating facts, I describe sounds, smells, and energy.”

Q.  What was your typical day like as a English teacher like there?

“For private lessons, I would wake up and grab some coffee and bread at the cafe under my apartment. Then, I would walk to the metro stop and take the metro across town. Once I got off, I would stop and buy a bottle of water from a stand in the street. I do lessons for about two hours and take the Metro back home. Jaime (my best friend) and I would enjoy the siesta by cooking, eating, and playing videogames until it was time for our evening clients. For evening clients, my routine was pretty similar to my morning routine, but sometimes Jaime and I would meet up and explore different parts of the city.”