Dec 15, 2011

One month and a half in Minnesota

It’s been already more than one month and a half, and good news, I’m sill here, bad news, some things are not like we expected… It would be a long and boring story telling everything that worries and dislikes us, so I’ll try to make it easy.
Well, in general terms, the Social American System and the educational methods used in this country are not the same as the ones we use in South Europe. I’m working in a Juvenile Center, I understand that some restrictive settings need to apply, however, there are some things that I think could be different.

The American culture is also surprising me. First of all, I’m realizing that the Americans not always mean what they say, mostly in the working environment. This is the place of the forms, the trainings, the offices and papers. Another thing is what happens on the floor, day by day, when it’s time to do what is written on the paper and said in the training. You can sometimes be pissed when you realize it but you are not prepared to understand it yet.

My European fellows who share this experience are great and we get on really well, bad news, two of them are leaving soon, they have realized this is not what they expected and other issues that can not be solved here have raised, so they need to go back home. Each one has their own trip. I will not lie though if I say that all of us think about staying longer or going back home very often.

My option has been staying for now, I decided not to take any decision until two or three months have passed… Anyway, in Spain the general financial and social situation it is not great.

The Americans tell us that it is being a very warm December so far, that we should be freezing and with more snow than there is now. The average temperature now is -7ºC, getting colder in the night, and the worst still has to come. At least, as you can see in the picture when FCBarcelona plays they keep me warm! Visca el Barça in the USA!

And when FCBarcelona is not playing we just enjoy our talent The Trumpet Man who also keeps us warm! Enjoy the video and his amazing talent!

.