Wednesday
-I was feeling better so I went to school to give it a try. I survived by the kids gave me a headache.
-sometimes promotional speakers will come in and yak during the break and they always give you promotional items just for sitting there and listening (or pretending to). This time I walked away with an electric skillet thing. Hahaha. it was either that or a Snuggie :)
-I went to another doctor because that’s what they told me to do on Monday. I got more medicine. But I liked this doctor. He had more personality. I made him laugh too.
-the weather has been sucking around here. Super windy all week. I really thought I was going to blow away walking to the high school. I’m so just ready for spring weather.
Thursday
-both of my roommates left me for the weekend.
-I went for Chinese for lunch with Pilar, Miguel Angel and Carmen before my 2 classes.
-I went to Miguel Angel’s for dinner with him and the girls too ‘cuz they knew I was alone for the evening.
Friday
-I spent my morning cleaning. Finally our kitchen looked nice and organized! And for a whole weekend! Not just a few hours :)
-ventured out and got a haircut. Finally. Before I had such a fear that something would go wrong and they’d try to give me a super Spanish haircut that I can’t pull off. But my hairdresser was super sweet and she even invited me to hang out with her and her friends sometime. She’s 24. I love this town and how the most random people are so friendly.
-Pilar and I went later to pick up her 2 sisters at the bus station and then the 4 of us had lunch together and just hung out for a while.
-later I went back to the bus station, this time to pick up Libby. We didn’t really know each other at all at Eastern, but had a bunch of friends in common so last weekend when we met up in Madrid we made plans for her to come visit here to see the pueblo life. and I’m sooo glad she came. We had such a fun weekend together and it was like we had been good friends all throughout college.
-in the late evening we went to the local so she could meet some of the boys. She really struggled to understand them because they really speak pueblo.
Saturday
-we slept in kinda late and then went off to meet some of the group for some food. And by some food, I mean a ton of food. Like hours worth of endless supply.
-later Libby and I went to the one church for a concert thing ‘cuz my friend Javi was playing the trumpet and he had invited us when we ran into him earlier.
-then in the evening we went out with the guys and that was a ton of fun cuz they’re all so funny and they really made Libby feel a part of the group as well.
Sunday
-Libby left on the 7 am bus. Then I came home and slept some more. We changed our clocks so we’re back to being 6 hours ahead of the east coast.
-I went to church but it was locked and no one was there. Bizarre. I was looking forward to going because it’s been a while since I’ve been to this one.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Misc. overdue adventures
Thursday the 10th
-there was like a fight in class with my 10-11 year olds while we were playing a game. So I made us all go inside and sit in silence. We started with 5 minutes and every time someone talked we added an extra minute. I don’t even know what happened but it wasn’t cool.
-after the class I returned to the piso, grabbed my suitcase and headed off to the bus station. Seriously, I don’t stop doing things.
-I got to Madrid and then hung out in the bus station there for a good 3 hours. I felt a little bit like a homeless person as they shut things down and made me move myself and all of my things a few times.
-over night buses… I’m not completely sold on them. It was super cheap but I can’t say I really slept or was all that comfortable.
Friday
-I arrived in Sevilla at 7 am where my friend Nadia met me. She’s one of my friends from Eastern that is studying in Sevilla this semester just like I did and she was the main reason I was visiting Sevilla.
-we went for coffee, churros and then more coffee – talking lots and lots.
-Carlos met up with us and then we went to meet Nadia’s host family who is just super sweet. Her host mom is great and for some reason she thought I was funny.
- Pepe and Jose joined us for lunch and things are always fun with those 2.
-afterwards I was in dire need of a siesta and so I slept for like 3 hours.
-in the evening Nadia, Carlos, Pepe, Jose, Juan and I went out for drinks on Calle Betis, the place I avoided all 4 months of me living in Sevilla because it’s generally coated with Americans. This time it was acceptable since I went with a bunch of Spaniards.
Saturday
-after lunch, Carlos and I headed into the center and met up with Nadia. It actually stopped raining for a few hours so we went for a little stroll. We hit Plaza de España. I swear I somehow always end up there. But they’ve finished the construction stuff they were doing. They have these maps of all the provinces in Spain so we walked all over looking for Toledo’s. of course it was all the way at the end. And sadly Quintanar was not on it. Nor any other town I know around here. Lame. I was very upset. So we went to look for the one of Ciudad Real and there I met 3 men who are from a small town there and they were so surprised when I told them I’m living in Quintanar.
-later Carlos and Nadia walked with me to a bar to watch the Real Madrid game with my friend Antonio, but the other 2 left soon after for work and for dinner/homework.
-after the game and going for a walk and catching up with Antonio, he dropped me off at the Nervion Plaza where I joined up with Pepe and his friends for the rest of the night. I’m super excited because some of them will be coming to the US in June! Yay!
Sunday
-we slept in late because we were out late and then we did nothing because the weather was absolutely awful. After lunch Pepe came and then him and Carlos dropped me off at the train station.
-I barely missed the one bus and then I had to wait a good 3 hours for the next one. The Madrid bus station is becoming my new best friend.
-our bus driver kinda frightened me. And we took the long way home. So my attempt to make it home early by taking the train instead of the bus failed.
Monday 14th-Wednesday 16th
-back to school. Nothing special this week.
-my Wednesday afternoon class with the 5-7 year olds is a disaster. I really don’t know how much more of it I can take. Individually they’re all super cute, super sweet kids. But as a whole group I just can’t handle it. No matter what I try with them just fails. I don’t think I’m made for teaching small children.
Thursday
-my Thursday group of 5-7 year olds is so much more enjoyable. They’re just a calmer group and they generally do what I want them to.
-I stopped by at Cuevas for like half an hour. Mainly just to say hi to Santi since I hadn’t seen him in so long.
Friday
-I got to catch the 5 am bus to Madrid again. I’m seriously about to know everyone on that bus headed to work by name. This time I was headed to the airport to pick up Amy. She was going to Sevilla to surprise Carlos for his birthday but she had a 12 hour layover in Madrid so we got to spend the day together. It was fantastic.
-we went on a spur of the moment trip to the ritzy side of town in attempts to find my Sergio Ramos. And we definitely found his house. Thanks to an amazing police officer who will remain anonymous. We asked him if he happened to know where he lived and he was like “yup, I know exactly where he lives.” Then he proceeded to pull out a map and showed us how to get there. And then he gave me a post card of Sergio Ramos so I’d have something for him to sign in case we ran into him. But we didn’t. but we did find his house. Haha. it was a realllly funny way to spend the morning and we came out with some really good stories. I officially love the police of Madrid.
-later we met up with Libby, another EU grad. She actually just returned to Spain. It was good hanging out with her too.
-on my bus ride home, I started to feel sick. Like sore throat, head ache and chills.
Saturday
-I woke up and didn’t feel any better. Therefore my plans to go to Las Fallas in Valencia had to be cancelled. I was super bummed.
-instead I got to stay inside all day and do nothing, feel like poop.
- the only time I left the house was to go watch the Madrid game with the boys at the one guy’s house.
Sunday
-continued to feel awful, feverish and everything- so it was another day of just resting and hanging out on the couch watching a bunch of youtube…
Monday
-I called the doctor and the receptionist tells me he’s on vacation till Wednesday. So I called Piedad and she told me I could go to the urgent care place so she picked me up and went with me. I’ve got strep throat. Yay.
-but a funny thing happened at the doctor’s. the one gave me a thermometer to check my temps and I was about to put in my mouth and he was like “NOOO! Not there!” apparently in Spain they ALWAYS put it under their armpit. Oops. Piedad was just like “why would you even think of that?” and the doctor was like “I have a friend from Minnesota and he’s always trying to stick things in his mouth” haha.
-there was like a fight in class with my 10-11 year olds while we were playing a game. So I made us all go inside and sit in silence. We started with 5 minutes and every time someone talked we added an extra minute. I don’t even know what happened but it wasn’t cool.
-after the class I returned to the piso, grabbed my suitcase and headed off to the bus station. Seriously, I don’t stop doing things.
-I got to Madrid and then hung out in the bus station there for a good 3 hours. I felt a little bit like a homeless person as they shut things down and made me move myself and all of my things a few times.
-over night buses… I’m not completely sold on them. It was super cheap but I can’t say I really slept or was all that comfortable.
Friday
-I arrived in Sevilla at 7 am where my friend Nadia met me. She’s one of my friends from Eastern that is studying in Sevilla this semester just like I did and she was the main reason I was visiting Sevilla.
-we went for coffee, churros and then more coffee – talking lots and lots.
-Carlos met up with us and then we went to meet Nadia’s host family who is just super sweet. Her host mom is great and for some reason she thought I was funny.
- Pepe and Jose joined us for lunch and things are always fun with those 2.
-afterwards I was in dire need of a siesta and so I slept for like 3 hours.
-in the evening Nadia, Carlos, Pepe, Jose, Juan and I went out for drinks on Calle Betis, the place I avoided all 4 months of me living in Sevilla because it’s generally coated with Americans. This time it was acceptable since I went with a bunch of Spaniards.
Saturday
-after lunch, Carlos and I headed into the center and met up with Nadia. It actually stopped raining for a few hours so we went for a little stroll. We hit Plaza de España. I swear I somehow always end up there. But they’ve finished the construction stuff they were doing. They have these maps of all the provinces in Spain so we walked all over looking for Toledo’s. of course it was all the way at the end. And sadly Quintanar was not on it. Nor any other town I know around here. Lame. I was very upset. So we went to look for the one of Ciudad Real and there I met 3 men who are from a small town there and they were so surprised when I told them I’m living in Quintanar.
-later Carlos and Nadia walked with me to a bar to watch the Real Madrid game with my friend Antonio, but the other 2 left soon after for work and for dinner/homework.
-after the game and going for a walk and catching up with Antonio, he dropped me off at the Nervion Plaza where I joined up with Pepe and his friends for the rest of the night. I’m super excited because some of them will be coming to the US in June! Yay!
Sunday
-we slept in late because we were out late and then we did nothing because the weather was absolutely awful. After lunch Pepe came and then him and Carlos dropped me off at the train station.
-I barely missed the one bus and then I had to wait a good 3 hours for the next one. The Madrid bus station is becoming my new best friend.
-our bus driver kinda frightened me. And we took the long way home. So my attempt to make it home early by taking the train instead of the bus failed.
Monday 14th-Wednesday 16th
-back to school. Nothing special this week.
-my Wednesday afternoon class with the 5-7 year olds is a disaster. I really don’t know how much more of it I can take. Individually they’re all super cute, super sweet kids. But as a whole group I just can’t handle it. No matter what I try with them just fails. I don’t think I’m made for teaching small children.
Thursday
-my Thursday group of 5-7 year olds is so much more enjoyable. They’re just a calmer group and they generally do what I want them to.
-I stopped by at Cuevas for like half an hour. Mainly just to say hi to Santi since I hadn’t seen him in so long.
Friday
-I got to catch the 5 am bus to Madrid again. I’m seriously about to know everyone on that bus headed to work by name. This time I was headed to the airport to pick up Amy. She was going to Sevilla to surprise Carlos for his birthday but she had a 12 hour layover in Madrid so we got to spend the day together. It was fantastic.
-we went on a spur of the moment trip to the ritzy side of town in attempts to find my Sergio Ramos. And we definitely found his house. Thanks to an amazing police officer who will remain anonymous. We asked him if he happened to know where he lived and he was like “yup, I know exactly where he lives.” Then he proceeded to pull out a map and showed us how to get there. And then he gave me a post card of Sergio Ramos so I’d have something for him to sign in case we ran into him. But we didn’t. but we did find his house. Haha. it was a realllly funny way to spend the morning and we came out with some really good stories. I officially love the police of Madrid.
-later we met up with Libby, another EU grad. She actually just returned to Spain. It was good hanging out with her too.
-on my bus ride home, I started to feel sick. Like sore throat, head ache and chills.
Saturday
-I woke up and didn’t feel any better. Therefore my plans to go to Las Fallas in Valencia had to be cancelled. I was super bummed.
-instead I got to stay inside all day and do nothing, feel like poop.
- the only time I left the house was to go watch the Madrid game with the boys at the one guy’s house.
Sunday
-continued to feel awful, feverish and everything- so it was another day of just resting and hanging out on the couch watching a bunch of youtube…
Monday
-I called the doctor and the receptionist tells me he’s on vacation till Wednesday. So I called Piedad and she told me I could go to the urgent care place so she picked me up and went with me. I’ve got strep throat. Yay.
-but a funny thing happened at the doctor’s. the one gave me a thermometer to check my temps and I was about to put in my mouth and he was like “NOOO! Not there!” apparently in Spain they ALWAYS put it under their armpit. Oops. Piedad was just like “why would you even think of that?” and the doctor was like “I have a friend from Minnesota and he’s always trying to stick things in his mouth” haha.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
To the land of Doctor Mateo & David Villa
Saturday
-Angel told me he could give me a ride to Madrid in the morning. I waited half an hour for him outside in the freezing cold and he never came… so I walked to the bus station and caught the next bus but therefore missed the train I wanted to take and had to wait more than 2 hours for the next one.
-while I waited an older woman asked me for help with something and she said that she and her husband were going to Asturias to which I said “me too.” And she asked if I was from there (score! Not everyone can tell I’m a foreigner!) and I told her that I was actually from the US and she was like “wow! You speak really well!” always nice to hear :)
-while I was getting on my train Angel called to apologize. The poor guy felt awful for oversleeping.
-I saw a really attractive boy waiting for the same train and so I thought “Dear Jesus, sit us together.” So I get on the train and I sit. And then he gets on and he sits next to me. And I then I found out I was sitting in the wrong car and had to move. Poop. It made me laugh though.
-instead I got to sit by myself. But there was a man across the aisle from me that insisted on clicking his frickin’ pen for like half an hour. Thank God for Ipods :)
-The scenery on the way was absolutely beautiful. Snow covered mountains, vast fields of nothing-ness, green pastures… I think everyone needs to visit Asturias and they need to go by train, car or bus so they can see everything beautiful on the way.
-I struggled a bit to find my hotel because the streets of Oviedo, like most of Spain, are not marked very well. I think I asked at least 12 people for help but everyone was super nice and I eventually arrived.
-later I walked around the streets finding a place to eat but I’m just terrible at making decisions and I meandered around for quite a while until I eventually settled on a place.
Sunday
-I went out to explore Oviedo in the morning and was disappointed to find it was one of those cities where everything is closed on a Sunday
-then I discovered the outside market and the city came alive.
-I just kept walking and ended up finding the super charming part of the city. It was gorgeous. Just the smells and the sounds mixed with the prettiness of the city… I fell in love with Oviedo. Definitely the perfect city to travel to alone.
-I walked everywhere. Like literally. I found a beautiful park and ended up returning there after my siesta to write and eat some Pelotazos (which are these cheeto things that Abby and I used to eat on our travels together).
-in the evening I went to church. I had googled an evangelical church and went. I’m super glad I went. It was big (well, bigger than mine in Quintanar and my old one in Sevilla). It was youth Sunday which was fun and I loved the worship and I met so many nice people. Including a guy from New York, who’s doing missions with the Jewish population in different parts of Spain.
-After church I went to try to find somewhere to eat and watch the Madrid game. It was bizarre because most of the bars and stuff were closed. Yeah, it was a Sunday, but there was a freakin’ Madrid game on. Even all of Quintanar is open on game days.
-I eventually found a place but I asked the bartender for a menu and he was like “at this hour?” but it was like 9.30ish, the normal time to eat in Spain, so I explained that I just wanted tapas and he was like “oh yeah, we have tapas” so I order something and it comes out on this giant plate, like a full meal. I was really confused.
-and I asked the same guy a question about the first part of the game that I missed and he gave me a super generic answer which actually kinda made me mad because I was like “just because I’m a girl doesn’t mean I don’t know anything about Spanish fútbol. I want the details!” But whatever.
Monday
-I was super excited for this day because I was finally going to Lastres, the town where my favorite show Doctor Mateo takes place. I got on my bus and it was perfect because one of the first songs played was U2’s Beautiful Day, and that it certainly was.
-I saw my first black and white cows since PA.
-I missed my stop and ended up in the next town over, but the mistake ended up being a good thing because I got to see the one house from the show and the fútbol field from a hilarious episode. I explored this cute little town for about an hour before the next bus game.
-and I have to apologize to Chinchilla because I think Lastres may now be my favorite town ever. I mean, there’s a beach, a castle (somewhere. I never made it there), and Doctor Mateo.
- I went to try to find the castle and ended up on an actual hike in the woods. And I don’t recommend anyone trying that in wedge boots.
-but this town was beyond gorgeous. It was so beautiful I seriously almost cried. And the weather was perfect. I could not have picked a better day to go.
-Before I left I had to have some cider with my lunch because Asturias is known for it. And I learned that I should probably never drink it again. I didn’t feel that great afterwards (and honestly I didn’t drink a lot) and that was also one of the things I drank that time I ate the whole chicken. So now I’m convinced it was the sidra that made me sick.
-When I got to Oviedo I did a little bit of shopping and ate the best kebap I’ve eaten to date. Sooo gooood.
Tuesday
-I woke up early to go out and buy some Asturian milk and cheese.
-I caught a train back to Madrid at 11ish. And can I just say that seats on the train that face each other are super awkward…
-at the bus station in Madrid I ran into 3 of the people that work at the school so I didn’t have to ride back home alone, however I slept most of the ride.
Wednesday
-back to school. Nothing special happened. I had to be outside for my 2 gym classes and it was terribly cold. I can’t believe it’s this cold in March. I miss Andalucia. Heck, I miss the nicer weather from up north.
-I went to Pilar’s for dinner with her, Celia, Eddie, Bea and Benni. It’s always fun with them. I’m glad I had the chance to spend time with them since I feel like I never see them.
-Angel told me he could give me a ride to Madrid in the morning. I waited half an hour for him outside in the freezing cold and he never came… so I walked to the bus station and caught the next bus but therefore missed the train I wanted to take and had to wait more than 2 hours for the next one.
-while I waited an older woman asked me for help with something and she said that she and her husband were going to Asturias to which I said “me too.” And she asked if I was from there (score! Not everyone can tell I’m a foreigner!) and I told her that I was actually from the US and she was like “wow! You speak really well!” always nice to hear :)
-while I was getting on my train Angel called to apologize. The poor guy felt awful for oversleeping.
-I saw a really attractive boy waiting for the same train and so I thought “Dear Jesus, sit us together.” So I get on the train and I sit. And then he gets on and he sits next to me. And I then I found out I was sitting in the wrong car and had to move. Poop. It made me laugh though.
-instead I got to sit by myself. But there was a man across the aisle from me that insisted on clicking his frickin’ pen for like half an hour. Thank God for Ipods :)
-The scenery on the way was absolutely beautiful. Snow covered mountains, vast fields of nothing-ness, green pastures… I think everyone needs to visit Asturias and they need to go by train, car or bus so they can see everything beautiful on the way.
-I struggled a bit to find my hotel because the streets of Oviedo, like most of Spain, are not marked very well. I think I asked at least 12 people for help but everyone was super nice and I eventually arrived.
-later I walked around the streets finding a place to eat but I’m just terrible at making decisions and I meandered around for quite a while until I eventually settled on a place.
Sunday
-I went out to explore Oviedo in the morning and was disappointed to find it was one of those cities where everything is closed on a Sunday
-then I discovered the outside market and the city came alive.
-I just kept walking and ended up finding the super charming part of the city. It was gorgeous. Just the smells and the sounds mixed with the prettiness of the city… I fell in love with Oviedo. Definitely the perfect city to travel to alone.
-I walked everywhere. Like literally. I found a beautiful park and ended up returning there after my siesta to write and eat some Pelotazos (which are these cheeto things that Abby and I used to eat on our travels together).
-in the evening I went to church. I had googled an evangelical church and went. I’m super glad I went. It was big (well, bigger than mine in Quintanar and my old one in Sevilla). It was youth Sunday which was fun and I loved the worship and I met so many nice people. Including a guy from New York, who’s doing missions with the Jewish population in different parts of Spain.
-After church I went to try to find somewhere to eat and watch the Madrid game. It was bizarre because most of the bars and stuff were closed. Yeah, it was a Sunday, but there was a freakin’ Madrid game on. Even all of Quintanar is open on game days.
-I eventually found a place but I asked the bartender for a menu and he was like “at this hour?” but it was like 9.30ish, the normal time to eat in Spain, so I explained that I just wanted tapas and he was like “oh yeah, we have tapas” so I order something and it comes out on this giant plate, like a full meal. I was really confused.
-and I asked the same guy a question about the first part of the game that I missed and he gave me a super generic answer which actually kinda made me mad because I was like “just because I’m a girl doesn’t mean I don’t know anything about Spanish fútbol. I want the details!” But whatever.
Monday
-I was super excited for this day because I was finally going to Lastres, the town where my favorite show Doctor Mateo takes place. I got on my bus and it was perfect because one of the first songs played was U2’s Beautiful Day, and that it certainly was.
-I saw my first black and white cows since PA.
-I missed my stop and ended up in the next town over, but the mistake ended up being a good thing because I got to see the one house from the show and the fútbol field from a hilarious episode. I explored this cute little town for about an hour before the next bus game.
-and I have to apologize to Chinchilla because I think Lastres may now be my favorite town ever. I mean, there’s a beach, a castle (somewhere. I never made it there), and Doctor Mateo.
- I went to try to find the castle and ended up on an actual hike in the woods. And I don’t recommend anyone trying that in wedge boots.
-but this town was beyond gorgeous. It was so beautiful I seriously almost cried. And the weather was perfect. I could not have picked a better day to go.
-Before I left I had to have some cider with my lunch because Asturias is known for it. And I learned that I should probably never drink it again. I didn’t feel that great afterwards (and honestly I didn’t drink a lot) and that was also one of the things I drank that time I ate the whole chicken. So now I’m convinced it was the sidra that made me sick.
-When I got to Oviedo I did a little bit of shopping and ate the best kebap I’ve eaten to date. Sooo gooood.
Tuesday
-I woke up early to go out and buy some Asturian milk and cheese.
-I caught a train back to Madrid at 11ish. And can I just say that seats on the train that face each other are super awkward…
-at the bus station in Madrid I ran into 3 of the people that work at the school so I didn’t have to ride back home alone, however I slept most of the ride.
Wednesday
-back to school. Nothing special happened. I had to be outside for my 2 gym classes and it was terribly cold. I can’t believe it’s this cold in March. I miss Andalucia. Heck, I miss the nicer weather from up north.
-I went to Pilar’s for dinner with her, Celia, Eddie, Bea and Benni. It’s always fun with them. I’m glad I had the chance to spend time with them since I feel like I never see them.
Friday, March 4, 2011
“We’ve got joints in the supply room”
Monday
-the weather was super weird. After a weekend of gorgeous weather, it go super cold again. and it even flurried a little bit. Ridiculous.
-one of my students asked if I was pregnant… I think he was trying to be funny. Yeah, failed attempt.
Tuesday
-I was in the break room and Pilar the principal comes in and says in Spanish “hey we’ve got joints in the supply room” and I was just like “uh, what?!” Then she explained that one of the slang words for a joint has an actual meaning as well.
-Like usual I went to Pilar’s for conversation with her boys. They’re always a lot of fun. However, dinner… not so much. Pilar’s stressed about a lot of stuff going on- something happened in the family and there’s problems with some families at the school so we had some hard conversations.
Wednesday
-there was testing going on all week, I think it’s kinda like our Standardized Tests so I ended up actually only having one class all day. But we had churros and chocolate during the recess break so it was totally worth me coming in :)
-my class with the 5-7 years was super frustrating. Classes had been going well when I had only 9 kids, but now they’ve added more and I’m up to 14 kids and this week and last week were just disasters. The part that bothered me the most about it was that I put more planning into this lesson than I had in the last few weeks and I couldn’t get anything done.
-my class with my 10-11 year olds went better. However the concept of being relatively quiet and not yelling certainly does not exist with Spanish children.
-At Manuel and Ana’s they busted out the moonshine for me, always a good time.
Thursday
-ran some errands in the morning and I ran into a bunch of people I knew.
-my Thursday 5-7 year olds are a better group. The one boy Alberto is one of my favorite little boys ever. He always gives me lots of hugs and tells me he loves me. I was talking to his mom afterwards and I told her that I’m going to Asturias this weekend and he was like “me too! I’m coming with you.” It was super cute.
- in the evening I went to Cuevas and watched the Madrid game with the boys. At least time we had a crazy 7-0 win :)
Friday
-I ran an 8 mile. My knee isn’t 100% but it’s not so bad to run on. Some moments feel better than others. Other than that, I did just about nothing today. I try to take as many calm, do-nothing days as I can these days :)
-the weather was super weird. After a weekend of gorgeous weather, it go super cold again. and it even flurried a little bit. Ridiculous.
-one of my students asked if I was pregnant… I think he was trying to be funny. Yeah, failed attempt.
Tuesday
-I was in the break room and Pilar the principal comes in and says in Spanish “hey we’ve got joints in the supply room” and I was just like “uh, what?!” Then she explained that one of the slang words for a joint has an actual meaning as well.
-Like usual I went to Pilar’s for conversation with her boys. They’re always a lot of fun. However, dinner… not so much. Pilar’s stressed about a lot of stuff going on- something happened in the family and there’s problems with some families at the school so we had some hard conversations.
Wednesday
-there was testing going on all week, I think it’s kinda like our Standardized Tests so I ended up actually only having one class all day. But we had churros and chocolate during the recess break so it was totally worth me coming in :)
-my class with the 5-7 years was super frustrating. Classes had been going well when I had only 9 kids, but now they’ve added more and I’m up to 14 kids and this week and last week were just disasters. The part that bothered me the most about it was that I put more planning into this lesson than I had in the last few weeks and I couldn’t get anything done.
-my class with my 10-11 year olds went better. However the concept of being relatively quiet and not yelling certainly does not exist with Spanish children.
-At Manuel and Ana’s they busted out the moonshine for me, always a good time.
Thursday
-ran some errands in the morning and I ran into a bunch of people I knew.
-my Thursday 5-7 year olds are a better group. The one boy Alberto is one of my favorite little boys ever. He always gives me lots of hugs and tells me he loves me. I was talking to his mom afterwards and I told her that I’m going to Asturias this weekend and he was like “me too! I’m coming with you.” It was super cute.
- in the evening I went to Cuevas and watched the Madrid game with the boys. At least time we had a crazy 7-0 win :)
Friday
-I ran an 8 mile. My knee isn’t 100% but it’s not so bad to run on. Some moments feel better than others. Other than that, I did just about nothing today. I try to take as many calm, do-nothing days as I can these days :)
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