English language and cultural assistant in Spain 2010-2011

On January 3rd, 2010 I applied online for the position of an English language and cultural assistant in Spain for the 2010-2011 school year and now seven months later, after a long and slow process filled with many uncertainties, I have booked my flight to Spain!  I have been placed in Jumilla, a town of 25,000 inhabitants in the northeastern part of the region of Murcia, in southeastern Spain.  Jumilla is home to the world's largest photovoltaic solar power farm, consisting of 120,000 solar panels with a total annual production that would be the equivalent of the energy used by 20,000 homes.  Along with this farm, Jumilla boasts many vineyards and is famous for their fantastic wines.


We start out with a three day orientation at a very nice hotel in Madrid before we begin "working".  This should be a great opportunity to meet other folks that will be in my same region and also to gain insight on how everything works out.  According to the teachers I will be working with, I will help out in the classroom being an assistant in teaching 6 and 7 year olds Science and Art in English!  Our contract says that we will work 12 hours a week and that there will be plenty of time to enjoy our stay abroad.  I'm really looking forward to the pure immersion experience I will have in a town like Jumilla! 


 I have a few friends, Matt and Liz, that will be going to País Vasco, in the northern part of Spain and I definitely will visit them some point during the program.  Also a friend from SDP, Chelsea, will be heading to Castilla y León and I hope to make a trip up that way as well.  Before the program starts I am going to visit my friend, Toni, who will be living in Queens, NY!  Looking forward to getting a little taste of NY and NYC before leaving the country for nine months.


I also want to thank Pablo Hoff and Carter Smith, two Spanish professors that have helped me throughout my college career, my friends for always wanting to hang out and maybe even speak some Spanish, and most importantly my family, who has helped me out in so many ways for me to be able to make this dream come true...and for putting up with my random speaking spanish to them.  THANK YOU!!!!!