Chapter Eight: Building Bridges

So, it seems we've arrived at what I'll call the interlude- defined as 'something that happens during an interval'. In the world of theatre, actors and actresses use this time to assess their performance thus far, and look for areas of strength and others in which they can do better. Likewise, as my classmates and I arrive at this, the halfway point of our placements in Spain, France, Germany and even China and South America, this time serves as a natural period of reflection. Moreover, many of us will at this very moment will be writing the latest instalment of our Year Abroad Dossiers outlining exactly how we feel we have progressed since jetting off mid-September and, crucially, the areas where we feel we still need to improve. We then have another 4 months to put those into practice and squeeze everything we can out of the time we have left. Easy.

Whilst I won't bore you all to death with my own goals, it suffices to say I'm making progress on various fronts where I felt I was lagging pre-Christmas. Though not so much as Gary Neville, who in the space of two months as head coach of Valencia C.F appears to be getting to grips with the lingo quicker than I've been able to- a direct quote being 'Pasa la puta pelota!'. No prizes for guessing what he's on about there. Cutting edge football management, Nev.

 If you were to ask me the key concepts required to make a decent fist of a year as an Auxiliar then I'd fire back with two mindsets that, in my experience are inextricably linked. These are 'Confidence' and 'Consistency'. By these I mean being willing to get out there, step into the breach and making mistakes, but also being prepared to bounce back and learn from them. I believe that the beauty of both of these is that they feed off each other- confidence leads to consistency, consistency breeds confidence. I'll be the first to admit that I thought communicating would be a doddle. Needless to say when I got my first blast of the Andaluz  accent, I was somewhat taken aback- believe me, it's tricky at the best of times, and nigh-on unintelligible at its worst.

I still haven't quite negotiated this obstacle, but I've also realised recently that it shouldn't be a barrier to making the best of this year. I've stopped seeing this problem as a negative reflection on my linguistic competence and more as part of being placed where I am. Now whenever I hit a stumbling block, I remember to look back on all the times already that other teachers, my flatmates and even complete strangers have complemented my level of Spanish, rather than shrinking back into a corner. Now I remember that I can speak the language just fine, rather it's grasping the nuances of that pesky accent, even if it means just getting the gist of what people are saying, and there are so many ways of interpreting this, like body language, facial expression and tone of voice. And I just said I wouldn't bore you....

So what exactly has caused this confidence-related shift? It's difficult to put my finger on it- maybe it's the fact that January is almost out of the way, although we still get sunny, 18 degree afternoons. That's right- I'm still hitting the track in my shorts and vest in the thick of winter. Perhaps the looming prospect of a trip to my favourite city (more on that next week) has given me a brighter outlook. Or even that I'm now fully settled, feet under the table and really feel like I can get going. I'm not sure, but I'm happy regardless.

More likely though, is the eureka moment that landed me the title of this latest post. I remember reading somewhere that 'a smile is the bridge between two strangers' and it gave me the idea that, in much the same way, we too can build bridges and forge friendships we never thought we could have by just being brave and willing to make an effort. In order to do this, outlets such as hobbies and other interests are the best thing. For example, I've already been part of fascinating discussions about things like Spain's history and religious climate. I've found Spain's past particularly endearing being a student of history, so naturally I wanted to contribute a few ideas myself. Out here people are much more open and willing to talk about issues that in England are a BIG no-no. My landlord even thinks that Franco was great for Spain. I'm not entirely sure I, along with many others, would agree on that but it further illustrates the point. People here aren't afraid, so neither should you be.

Moreover, pursuing your other interests means that you open yourself to interactions with others. For example there are usually the same people using the track at the same time I do on a Thursday. Now that we're accustomed to seeing each other I'm often asked what I'm doing: 'Oh just some 800 metre reps.' When I reflect and realise that they knew what I was on about, it inevitably gives me a real boost. In much the same way people at the gym now know me as 'the Erasmus kid from England.' Fame is reaching me.

Likewise at school, though not for the reasons you'd think. Obviously, my football allegiance has made me popular with half the kids and infamous among others. This has really helped me in that it made me seem relatable. I was already sharing their world. More so now, as the traditional football-card-swapping mania has swept through Motril. The kids generosity has meant that I'm now the proud owner of half the Barcelona squad, though I'm still waiting for someone to part with their Suarez, Neymar and Messi. Let's see if I can scrounge them by the end of May.

However, without doubt the best thing I've ever done at school yet happened just this week gone, and I tell you all this entirely at the risk of losing all of my credibility. Prepare yourselves.

Friday the 29th January marked El Dia de La Paz, where the life and work of the almost mythical Mahatma Ghandi are celebrated. To mark the occassion, the music department had to lead the whole school in a dance to an Indian-related tune. The song in question? Jai-Ho, a real blast from the past I'm sure you'll agree. At the end of the first rendition, the kids naturally cheered for an encore. Me being me, I secretly got on stage behind the two teachers in question, chanelling my inner Jared Leto to whip the adoring audience into a frenzy. Needless to say the teachers obliged, on the condition that I, having instigated said encore, join them. And so it was that Ben Seymour, to celebrate the life of one of the greatest humanitarians to ever live, danced (perfectly choreographed) to Jai-Ho, in front of 200 wowed Spanish 5-to-7 year olds. Needless to say, I stole the show. And I have no regrets, unless during this age of Social Media, a video finds its way onto Facebook. Then I may think differently. Still proud though.

So how does that have anything to do with this post? Well, like I said, you've got to be prepared to step out of your comfort zone and go the extra mile (double-cliché alert) in order to build those bridges with people. If you do so, then you're experience as an Auxiliar will be so enriched, despite whatever bureaucratic issues the ministry of education, or your bosses can throw at you. It's the people you meet, the friendships you forge and the things you accomplish which you previously thought impossible that make it such a worthwhile experience. And I think realizing that has been the keystone upon which I've built my bridge.

Until next time.

'Happiness is when what you think, what you say and what you do are in harmony.'
Mahatma Ghandi

Chapter Seven: 'Ojala...'

Since my last blog post quite a bit has happened.

The first British Astronaut entered space. Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho, The Special One, became The Sacked One. There was an awakening within the Force... did you feel it? (WHAT a film, by the way!) Spain's General Election resulted in the most politically fragmented Parliament the country has ever seen. And yesterday saw the back of 2015 for good.

Star Wars hype is universal. I didn't know this at the time, but (SPOILERS) there are actually TWO Ben's in this picture...

Like many others, the period between Christmas and New Year brings me to reflect on the year gone by: the challenges and targets I set myself, what I achieved, what I couldn't quite reach, the highest highs and the crushing disappointments. I'd  say that I often dwell on the regrets a lot more than the successes, which is why this year I've tried to change my outlook. This time around, I'm using the New Year as a time to look ahead, to set new targets and goals to focus on, rather than dwelling on any regrets or heartache from the previous year. This new outlook stems from a fantastic quote I came across shortly before Christmas (which you can read at the end as always) and is what this latest blog post will discuss. I don't think it's any coincidence that my time in Spain has given me a refreshing way to view our entry into 2016- over the holidays I've faced countless questions from relatives and family friends about what it's like to be living in Spain for a year, with just 12 hours a week spent teaching classes in English. My answer? 'It just feels like I'm on sabbatical.'

Why is this? Well, first of all the novelty of the whole experience still hasn't worn off. A year ago I still hadn't decided what I wanted to do in my third year- but I can emphatically say that I made the right choice now. Because of that previous indecision I can't help but feel as if everything that has transpired since has been a bonus. I think this outlook has really helped me embrace the experience thus far, and made me get the best out of everything I've done in Granada up to now.

One of my favourite things I've put into practice during the three-and-a-half months so far that I've been in Spain is a lovely little word called 'Ojalá', meaning 'hopefully', but more often 'I wish' or 'If only'. I've been using it quite often to answer questions like 'Do you have a girlfriend in England, Ben?' or 'Have you been paid yet by the Ministry of Education?' One of these has been solved over the holidays, although the answer to the other one remains 'Ojalá', and emphatically so.

The wonderful thing about this little word is that it can be used to express so many different things: it could be used for sarcastic self-deprecation, part of a wish list or, very relevantly, to look forward to whatever goals you set for the near or distant future. It's already worked it's way into my day to day vernacular because of this flexibility. But more importantly, every time I use it I'm made to think hard about what I want to achieve and what I still have to look forward to this year. It's shaping up to be a big one: starting halfway through my Year Abroad, finishing back at NTU to round things off. I've previously referred to these two years as 'the business end' of a language degree and it certainly feels like that is the case. But all the better to go into it with a year's worth of experience of Spain's people, lifestyle and culture, along with this cracking little phrase. It all adds up to an increasing confidence with engaging Spaniards in a recognizable style- that of the everyday conversation, which makes them see you as less a tourist who wants to just take a few pictures, and a seriously committed linguist who can maintain a conversation with little apparent effort. This is one of the biggest revelations that I've experienced thus far- Spaniards who are speaking with you also need to have confidence in your abilities, so give them reasons to believe in you and then you will absolutely fly.

Believe it or not, I took this.

I certainly feel much the better for going on the Year Abroad. Living with two Spanish girls who don't speak a word of English has certainly chucked me in at the deep-end, but I'm positive that this whole experience will be so worthwhile come next September, although at the moment that feels like a very long way away. Thankfully so- I don't want this 'sabbatical' to end anytime soon.

This doesn't mean that some time at home hasn't been much appreciated: quite the contrary, the last three weeks have been a perfect opportunity to really switch off for the first time for almost two years- no deadlines to meet, presentations to prepare, various paperwork to fill out or other external pressures in personal or social areas that can be even more draining than work. So for once I have enjoyed having a true break with nothing to be worried about. I've caught up with friends who have all been quick to tell me how rubbish I am at keeping in touch, been spoilt rotten by my wonderful family, eaten and slept a bit more than normal and been to see The Force Awakens twice. And now I'm positively itching to get back to Granada on Wednesday afternoon, ready to go again.

So roll on 2016- a year that will bring all it's own challenges and goals, highs and lows. A year that begins in Spain and ends back at NTU. I can't help wonder what will have happened by then: what will my classmates and I have achieved during our time abroad? How will our placements have changed us, and what will the end result be? All these questions, and a great many others, will be answered in due course. The only one I'm concerned with however, is this: will 2016 continue to bring success and improvement?

I think you know the answer already: 'Ojalá'.

Best of luck this year to you all. I wish you every success!


Life is locomotion- if you're not moving you're not living. But there comes a time when you've got to stop running away from things and start running towards something else. You've got to forge ahead, keep moving. Even if the path isn't lit, trust that you'll find your way.