Blakely's Blog

Well, not too many major things have been going on here. Just getting back in routine and trying new things!

Ray laughs and says everyone will ask you what you did when you were home, and what are you going to tell them? You slept?

While yes, sleeping was and continues to be one of my favorite hobbies, I did manage to do a few more things than just snooze. Maybe never before noon, but I did do a lot of fun things.

Returning home took forever and my anxiousness was killing me. The roommates left a day before me and being alone in the city was very lonely. Packing took up most of my time, as well as watching How I Met Your Mother online. I took the 10:30pm bus to Madrid. A sold out eight hour overnight bus is not fun. What was I thinking? I was crammed into the very back of the bus after an embarrassing moment of being told by the conductor that there were assigned seats.

I arrived to the airport at 6:30am and had to sit and wait for the Delta counter to open at 8. Madrid's airport is a very good place to people watch. And I get really confused why so so many people have 2932 bags. Where are they all going? I tried to make friends with a small university group that was waiting with me but no one seemed interested. Either they were snooty or I just looked that rough.

I finally hopped on my 11am flight and made the 10hr trip home. Ray picked me up from the airport and I was absolutely so happy to see him. I always think I am going to cry but I am always just too busy smiling and smothering him with kisses. We met my family for dinner at Carrabba's. It was so nice to see them and felt so good to finally be home. Mama went all out for Christmas this year and the Hopkin's house was beautiful. She had made a large framed chalk board with a welcome home note on it. So sweet! Then, when Ray and I got to the house I saw my Charlie Brown Christmas tree he had put up for  me. He of course, made himself a Festivus Pole, which was hilarious. It was really thoughtful of him to do that and I appreciated it so much. I thinnk our little Christmas decorations should be an annual thing. Though if you know the story of Festivus (Wikipedia it), the holiday doesn't end until someone beats the head of household in wrestling...so it's not looking good for me!

The next night Ray and I went with Amy and Tim to see The Band Perry at Atlantic Station and then to see Corey Smith at Wild Bill's. We grabbed a few pitchers at the Mexican restaurant across the street from WB so I could get my domestic beer/chips and salsa fix. I was the happiest girl! The concert was a great time and even Colt Ford made a surprise appearance.

Christmas was amazing. I really enjoyed spending time with my family and Ray's. Ray surprised me with flowers and a note that said Merry Christmas Baby. I enjoyed waking up to those every morning. Everyone got me really thoughtful gifts that I love and appreciate so much.

Christmas Eve was spent at Dad's, he even fried up some pickles for me! That night was Christmas service and over to Mama's for our annual PJ's exchange. Christmas morning was breakfast with my adorable Memaw and family at my aunt and uncles then over to lunch at my Grandparents. The cousins and their men played the white elephant game. I got an awesome gift that Amy put in but Ray stole it from me. But like karma, Adam stole it and ended up with the best prize of the day. After spending time with my family, Ray and I headed to his mom's for dinner. We all unwrapped gifts and had an amazing dinner. I always have fun over there and feel at home. That night, everyone got together for a movie. War Horse put me to sleep but it was nice to see everyone and a great way to end the holiday.

While I was home I enjoyed seeing Hayley, EB, and Emily. I loved catching up with them and exchanging stories of the past few months. I'm bummed I didn't get to see everyone, the holidays can be hectic.

One night Ray took me down to his hunting camp and we hung out by the fire and drank a few beers. It was cold, but the sky was crystal clear and beautiful. The next day we went on a long ride on the 4-wheeler and he taught me how to shoot a few guns. I was intimidated at first but it was so fun and I can't wait to get back home and keep practicing.

That night was New Years Eve and everyone got together at Adam and Lindsay's for the Annual Let's Blow Stuff Up Party. Fireworks and Apple Pie Moonshine don't mix but give you great stories for the rest of the year!

On New Years Day we slept in until 2! Then we rode by a Christmas tree donation so Ray could steal a few trees so set on fire over at Buddy's. Holy cow, Christmas trees doused in gasoline go quick! Card games ensued and I ended up winning $15. Guess eating grapes and wearing gold undies on New Years really works!

One night Ray and I had dinner with his mom and Ansleigh. We played cards like we always do and Brenda and I actually LOST in Spades! We were undefeated last year. Looks like I need to teach my friends over here how to play so I can get some good practice in.

I enjoyed a last minute dinner with Mama, Mark, and Lindsay. I didn't know my margarita was gonna hit me like that, but man I enjoyed the food and the company!

On Saturday, the 7th Ray and I went to his coworker's, Knobs, house to hang out. Everyone was so friendly and asked me all about my trip. I am so surprised they remembered me, how nice. We drank a few beers and ate some amazing fried turkey. I couldn't stop eating all the skin! I hate that we missed Amanda and Colin, but there's always the summer time!

That night Lindsay and Adam also had their Engagement Party. It was beautiful. Mama and Lori did and amazing job. I enjoyed hanging out and talking with my family and getting to meet a few people from Adam's side. We are all so happy they are tying the knot, I can't think of two people who are more deserving of such great love and who fit so well together.

The last night Ray and I hosted a small BCS Championship get-together. Adam, Lindsay, Crystal, Jeremy, John Michael, Justin, Amanda, Hayley, Jack, Daniel, Mama, Mark, and Mike all got together to root against me and my LSU Tigers. We had a great time and it was nice to see everyone one more time.

All of my nights were spent with my best friend. We had some fun dates going out and some fun dates staying in. We caught a couple of movies, ate a some awesome restaurants, and even went for a long motorcycle ride. That's usually what we designate Sunday's for... motorcycle rides, laziness, and Chinese take-out. Time with him is unmeasurable and my love for him is unconditional. I am so lucky to have such an amazing person in my life!

Oh man we were livin’
Didn't waste one minute
We talked and drank and danced and said goodbye
We laughed until we cried

... And I'm Back....

Ray dropped me off at the airport. Saying bye to him was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. But knowing I have a great support system while I am over here and a great love waiting on me at home reassures me that I'll be okay. Being this far from home and all of my loved ones is a challenge unexplainable but I am overwhelmed with joy knowing that they love me just as much in return.

My flight back I slept for 30 mins maybe out of the 9 hours.
Took a public bus from the Madrid airport to the train station.
Took the 2.5hour train to Seville.
Took a taxi to the bus station.
Took the 1 hour bus to Huelva.
And I was finally back. Whew.

My first day back to school was so sweet. I hugged and kissed all my favorite teachers hello and my students were so happy to see me! Listening to all the kids say, "Mees Yackson, happy new reyear," was so adorable. It felt so good to be back in the classroom and feel missed and loved. It reminded me why I am here and how happy my job makes me.

I was so happy to see my roommates, and the rest of the girls. Last night we went over to Sara, Anna, and Lisa's Apartment and played Never Have I ever. Ale was the only boy, and the only native Spanish speaker, but he was a good sport! We had a great time catching up and gabbing like girls do. I am so happy to be surrounded by great girls in my city!

Tomorrow begins my first full week of classes. I hope to find some intercambio to work on my Spanish and get this ball rolling on my lifetime goal to be fluent. I also start working out again tomorrow. Goodbye holiday weight. Hello beach season!

What an amazing ten days!! 2 continents, 4 countries, 10 cities!!

Saturday, November 12

I woke up super early to catch a bus from Huelva to Sevilla to pick up Ray from the airport so we could start our road trip to Lisbon, Portugal. His flights were delayed so I hung out at a cafe and had breakfast while I waited on him. And of course, Knight Rider was on TV, woo! (Spain is completely random... always.)

He finally landed four hours late. I have never been so happy to see someone before in my life. I thought I would have cried when I saw him but I was completely consumed in joy that it didn't even cross my mind. I couldn't stop hugging and kissing him. Wow, I missed him. After saying our long hello for the first time in 7 weeks,we picked up our tiny car, The Clio. The drive was four hours through beautiful mountains and countryside. We arrived to our hostel, The Rossio. The hostel was absolutely beautiful. No wonder it was ranked the number 2 hostel in all of Europe! The hostel is situated in the heart of Lisbon right on the Rossio Square. Our room was at the very top of the buidling with an amazing view. We could look out and see the Rossio Square, houses stacked up the hillside, and even the Castle of São Jorge.

After unpacking, we decided to walk around then have a few beers at our hostel. Happy Hour was 2Euro for all you can drink. WHAT.A.DEAL.

About midnight we decided to walk around and find dinner since both of us hadn't eaten since that morning. When we walked outside we saw that the police had taped and booted our car! When we were looking for parking when we got into Lisbon, there was a man waving in cars at the square. We paid him 5Euros to park overnight. Well come to find out the man just stole our money, along with about 12 other cars. We were illegally parked. An American girl trying to speak Spanish to a police officer that only speaks Portuguese. How frustrating. So 91Euros later we had our car. Oh and did I mention that we had just gotten done with Happy Hour? So anyways, when trying to move the car the door rubbed against the crosswalk sign... our parking space wasn't the greatest if you couldn't tell by now. We found an underground parking garage and called it a night. Boy were we fuming!

Sunday, November 13

We slept in until about lunch time then decided to make our way to Sintra. Sintra is supposed to be a beautiful small city with amazing views. We grabbed a couple of bocadillos, Ray's first ever, and headed to romantic Sintra. 25 minutes later we arrived and our car climbed the treturous hills and tiny winding roads up to see the Moorish Castle and Palacio de Pena. But of course, it was completely foggy so the view was shot and when we got to the gate to enter it started storming. It rained so hard that we decided walking in the cold rain for a view of nothing was pointless. We turned around and were once again disappointed.

Back at the hostel we were invited to have a traditional Portuguese dinner with all you can drink Sangria. Ray and I decided to sign up and we were so glad we did. After the rain let up a little bit we walked around the city and grabbed a beer at a local bar. We headed back to the hostel for dinner and we were very surprised when we got back. Candles were lit around the dark living room with a table set for two. HOW ROMANTIC! The guy told us that we were the only two that signed up for dinner so he decided to go all out for us. We were served baked cod with rice, a salad, and for dessert mango mousse. It was all so delicious! Ray even had seconds. That was by far the best thing I have eaten in Europe. After dinner he and I did this awesome puzzle that was on the wall of the living room and watched True Romance with other guests on the big screen in our hostel.


Monday, November 14

Ray and I woke up and the weather was actually beautiful out! We walked through the city and down to the Ferry station. We took a ferry to Almada to view the Cristo Rei statue. After taking a publuc bus up impossible hills and streets that can barely fit one car let alone a bus, we were there. Cristo Rei is very similar to the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro. From the statue you can overlook Lisbon...one of the most breathtaking views I have ever seen. Also, you can see the 25 de Abril Bridge that is the sister bridge to the Golden Gate Bridge in San Fransisco. Ray and I were the only two at the site so we were able to completely enjoy it, no rush.

We headed back to our banged up car and headed down through Portugal, and not to mention 294239 more tolls, to Huelva, Spain... my home! Yes, Portugal has a ton of tolls. None of them make any sense. Some are 50 cents, some are 1.50Euros, but just to enter and exit the country it is a whopping 18.95Euros. WTH?!

Tuesday, November 15

We woke up and headed to return the rental car. To make things short, we owed almost $1000 in damage. Apparently basic insurance covers nothing!! After that shot to the wallet, we caught a bus to  my school, Juan Ramon Jimenez, in Cartaya, Spain. Ray sat in on my second grade class while I taught. I really confused them when we were going over animals. Every animal I would have the students imitate the animal. But when I got to Zebra and asked what noise do Zebras make? The kids just sat there so confused. I thought it was a given that zebras sounds like horses but I guess not. After school I introduced Ray to Hipercor and Corte Ingles... basically our version of Super Walmart. We bought some Cruzcampo, Spain's famous version of Natty Light, and made Mac n' Cheese for dinner. We watched Green street Hooligans and called it a night.

Wednesday, November 16

I worked most of the day as Ray explored around Huelva. That night Sarah, Ray, and I went out to the Red Lion for drinks. We had a great time sitting and talking late into the night.


Thursday, November 17

This day we did absolutely nothing. I introduced him to the new show, The New Girl, and we watched the entire trilogy of Ocean's. We packed for Morocco and called it an early night.


Friday, November 18

Ray, Sarah, Jen, and I woke up SUPER early to catch the 7AM bus for Sevilla. We had to almost literally run to make it on time. We are not morning people. We met everyone in our tour group at the Plaza de Cuba in Sevilla at 9, loaded the bus, and headed for Gibraltar.

Once in Gibraltar we crossed through customs and we were in English territory! It was so crazy to see everything written in English! I went with Jen to use the bathroom and it was crazy. The public restroom costs 1 euro to use. You put the euro in the slot and then the door slides open and a British lady's voice gives you instructions. You have 20 minutes and then the door will automatically open. Then, when you're finished, the bathroom cleans itself. Weird... Our tour group loaded smaller buses and made our way to Europa Point and St. Michael's Cave. The views were incredible of the ocean and the cave was fantastic. Here's a fun fact, during the war the Brits prepared the cave as a hospital. It was never used but so cool! And of course when you talk about Gibraltar you have to talk about the monkeys. They were everywhere an not shy at all! One even jumped on someone's back! Too close for comfort. After the tour we headed into town for free time. We decided to have fish and chips, a traditional British meal YAY!! Afterwards, we headed to Algeciras where we loaded a ferry, basically a jet boat the size of a huge ship with the luxury of first class, and headed to AFRICA!!!

An hour later we were in Ceuta, Morocco!! We drove straight to our hotel in M'diq! It was beautiful and right on the Mediterranean! We had dinner in our hotel which wasn't too bad actually! Fried fish, salad, and for dessert hot Moroccan tea and cookies. We had a great time a dinner, we laughed so hard I was in tears!! What a great start to our weekend. Later, we all headed to the beach in front of our hotel and collected seashells and walked around. In the background you could see the outline of the mountains. Beautiful.

Saturday, November 19

Waking up next to the man I love and the sound of waves was perfect. We repacked our things and rode our to Chefchaouen. This small city was situated high in the mountains. I loved it. We took a tour down small walking streets between buildings painted a beautiful blue. They are painted this color to keep the mosquitoes away but it makes the contrast against the mountains and sky really stand out. Our tour guide was a tiny tiny man that was hilarious. All I could make out was, "hello friend" and "how are you?" We learned how the Moroccans made fabrics and then broke away for free time. Seeing so many things in the market that are unlike home and even Europe was so interesting! Seeing a different way of life really impacts you like no other. While in the market, these children bugged us to buy items or even just give them money. They were very persistent. I snapped this picture as they became angry and demanded that I pay for the picture I just took of them. Kids, you're cute, but no. As we were leaving it started pouring rain. We made it to the bus a little wet and started towards Tetouan.

In Tetouan we had a traditional Moroccan lunch with soup, kebab, curry chicken, and tea. The restaurant was amazing and later we learned that it was a place for weddings. It was beautiful. During Lunch we had many entertainers playing music and dancing with fire! So cool. After lunch we walked around the city and even saw the palace in Medina (old town) where the king lives!

That night we headed to Tangier where we checked into our hotel and had dinner. Dinner was salad, chicken, and couscous. Once again we had music and performers. The man who danced with a plate of fire took Ray out of the crowd and had him try to twist his arm full circle with a candle on top of his hand. He did it like a pro! It was awesome! Our dinner table had people from all over the world... USA, England, Scotland, Finland, and somewhere else.. I can't remember.

After dinner the girls, Ray, and I drank back in our rooms before going out to the discoteca! We left about 1am to dance our butts off. I made a fool of myself but who cares? I didn't know anyone! Some dance moves included were walking it out, the sprinkler, MC Hammer, and everything in between.

Sunday, November 20

We woke up early, probably too early, to go out on our last day. We drove out to the beach and rode camels. CAMELS!! How awesome. It was very touristy and short but to be able to say I rode a camel in Africa is freaking amazing. After the camel ride, we went to where the Atlantic and Mediterranean meet and had a cup of coffee. I have never seen the Atlantic look so beautiful. It was an incredible blue as the waves rolled in. After sightseeing, we went to Hercules Cave. This cave was carved out by the crashing waves over many years. It was so cool to see. On our way back to the ferry, we rode through Ceuta for a small tour. The ferry ride home was amazing. Sailing away from the African coast watching the Mountains fade away in the distance. Beautiful.

Once we rode the bus for a couple hours we arrived in Sevilla. Sarah, Ray, and I checked into our hotel and met up with Ale to go to dinner. We tried a Mexican restaurant for the second time since I have been here in Spain. It was close but still nothing compares. The four of us had a great time talking between English and Spanish. It feels so good to have such great friends already and it felt even better to be able to enjoy both company of my best friend in Spain and my best friend from home.


Monday, November 21

The last day we slept in once again and went for lunch at a small cafe. We shared chorizo, carne mechada and, jamon montaditos and huevos a la flemenco. Ray really enjoyed Spanish food, and boy was I happy to eat it too! After lunch Ale took us to the Plaza de Seville. It was huge and just absolutely incredible. Then we stopped at Starbucks. I missed Starbucks! Thank you Sevilla for having sbux, I loved indulging thanks to my amazing roomie, Sarah! Mocha Praline... Yummm. After a coffe break we walked to the Cathedral de Sevilla. It was beautiful. It is the third largest cathedral in the world!! We wanted to tour it but it was too much money. Ale headed to work so Sarah, Ray, and I drank some Sangria and had a few tapas including the Spanish Tortilla. Very traditional. I think we introduced Ray to most the the good stuff! After dinner we headed back to the hotel and stopped at Triana's Bridge. He bought us a lock that we put our initials on and locked to the bridge. We took a lot of time to pick the right spot. It was very thoughtful of him to remember me talking about it from my last visit to Sevilla and to surprise me with our very own lock! I loved it!! We have now left our mark on Spain!! Once he and I returned to our hotel, we spent time reminiscing on our trip, laughing at the good times (and even the bad), and made plans for when I get home for the holidays in 30 days.

I had an absolutely incredible experience. I had the most amazing person by my side through it all. I met some new friends, became closer with my roommates, and made everlasting memories. Thank you everyone who was apart of this trip for contributing to some of the best times of my life!!

"It sure left its mark on us
We sure left our mark on it
We let the world know we were here
With everything we did
We laid a lot of memories down
Like tattoos on this town"

THIRTY DAYS UNTIL I AM HOME FOR CHRISTMAS!

So it has been a really long time since my last update and I don't think I can remember everything I have been up to!

I am enjoying my school, Juan Ramon Jimenez. Tomorrow is my first day starting my new schedule aka a now three day work week at JRJ!! WOOHOO!! My kids are starting to love me! Last week one of my 2nd graders gave me his cookie! Then that afternoon, a teacher gave me a cute pen and notepad because I went out of my way to help her make Halloween booklets for her students. My cookie boyfriend has some competition though with this chubby student named Manuel. Every time he sees me he covers me in kisses and leaves my cheek covered with slobber. On Thursday he said if he was 21 he would marry my. Then he said, "I love you! In Spanish, it's te amo!" So cute!

My second job at the Centro Idiomas Covent Garden is going well too! I have three separate classes. All classes are Adults that work for the company called Atlantic Copper.

On Monday and Wednesdays I go out to the plant and teach 5 people that are low intermediate. Mercedes is the most fluent in English but all are so nice. Last week I taught them about the difference between fun and funny and all the little things like that.

On Tuesdays at the Centro Idiomas Covent Garden I teach two adults, Manuel and Christina. Christina is so talkative and I love it! Manuel might be a little difficult to keep interested in the class but hopefully I can come up with some fun and interesting topics for class.

On Wednesdays when I get back from the plant, I teach Bella. She is a wonderful woman who is already fluent in Spanish. She is a young mother but such a delight. She grew up in Germany and is now fluent in English, too. She only wants to learn the colloquial English that comes from America so my job is easy! I have taught her about different sayings, and she had taught me a few things in return.

Last weekend Rosio, one of the teachers at my school, invited me out with some other teachers for dinner and drinks. She is so sweet and I had a blast with everyone. Sarah, my roommate, and I met them for pizza and then we went out to a bar and had a couple of beers. It was quiet at times because of the language barrier but I enjoyed being out and feeling apart of the group at my school!

Monday was Halloween so I showed up to my school, even though I am not scheduled to work Mondays anymore, to celebrate with my kids. We played pin the face on the pumpkin and pass the apple. Both were so cute and I loved seeing all of the ninos in their scary costumes! (In Spain Halloween is still new and everyone only dresses scary... witches, zombies, vampires, etc.) I dressed as a witch and during my 4th grade class the kids tried to sing a Halloween song.. they were so cute. The only thing they really got down was trick or treat!

Monday night Jen and I went to our friends apartment for a party. Anna, Sarah, and Lisa had their piso so cutely decorated. People from out program all joined together to drink and celebrate! There were people from all over the US, England, and Scotland! Pretty neat, huh? Some guy pulled out his guitar and harmonica.. so no matter where you live, there is always that one person that brings the tunes I guess! Jen and I put on our game faces and attempted to play beer pong. I guess we are both rusty! After the game everyone decided to venture out into the town. We ended up at Mombosa, this awesome bar that has a huge rhino in it. We drank, sang, and danced once we had enough to drink, then found out way home late in the night.

This weekend was a blast, too but in a completely different sense. Well first off, let me tell the lovely story of our internet..

So we signed up for internet ONE MONTH ago. Oh man, do you have to wait for everything in Spain or what!? So on Thursday night and all day Friday I was on the phone with Yacom and Telefonica trying to get someone to tell me where my internet was!! Finally on Friday our router came in the mail, but of course it did not work because our line was not installed correctly. I am proud of myself for not only staying on the company's ass to get someone out to fix it, but I am also proud that I was able to speak Spanish to every person over the phone and communicate with them. Yay I am slowly accomplishing my goal to learn Spanish! So eventually I got a hold of the guy from Telefonica who told me he would be at our apartment in an hour. An hour and fifteen minutes later I called him again. He said he would be right there. Fifteen minutes later he shows up, messes around with a few things, then tells me he would be right back. An hour and a half later, I call him asking where are you?! He tells us that he is crossing the street and to open the door for him. Again, fifteen minutes later he returns and our internet was finally working! Thank goodness!

What was the first thing I did after getting internet you ask? Well, after calling Ray jumping for joy, I watched Jersey Shore. Man I missed that show! Don't judge me. Saturday night Jen and I made homemade chili and watched the rest of the season of Jersey Shore. Now I no longer have to wonder...

During the day on Saturday though, the girls and I woke up early to meet Sarah's PE teacher and bilingual coordinator to go hiking in Galaroz, Spain. There was about 10 of us as we drove an hour and a half north of Huelva to the tiny city of Galaroz. We started hiking at 11:30 and we were supposed to hike to another town, have some coffee, and hike back. We got incredible lost so we ended up turning around about 3pm and heading back. But the walk was still amazing. There were Chestnuts everywhere. We would just pick them up and start munching away. Also, there were madroño trees everywhere, too. They are berries that are kinda sour but very good. If you look at the flag of Madrid, you can see the tree of which the bear is climbing. The fall leaves, which are not found in huelva, were beautiful. It finally felt like Fall for the first time since I have been here. The mountains in the background were amazing and it really made me miss my Georgia Landscape. I had an absolute blast just enjoying the outdoors and taking things slow. I hope we go back again before it gets too cold and rainy.

That about sums up my past two weeks. On Saturday my handsome boyfriend will finally be here to start our mini vacation! We are going to Portugal, Gibraltar, Morocco, and Sevilla together. 2 continents, 4 countries, 8 cities, in 10 days. I am so excited. I've missed him so much and we always have fun together so I know this will be a blast!!

Wednesday night went really well with Bella, the woman I am tutoring at the Centro. She is fluent and speaks English so well. She just wants practice with American English because she deals with a lot of Americans at her job. So basically I get paid to hang out with her, talk, and teach her American slang. Awesome!

Thursday I had to reprimand my students for the first time. There is only so much whispering, giggling, and staring at your expense before you take it as disrespectful. Mom told me to be a little hard at the beginning so you can have fun the rest of the year. Hopefully I got my point across!

Friday night the girls and I went out for dinner! We had squid meatballs, pizza, spaghetti bolognese, a cheese plate, and Lemoncello. It was delishhhh!! We didn't even start dinner until close to midnight. That is insane, and only in SPAIN!!

Saturday we did a lot of bebopping around town looking at different shops. We found the farmers market where families buy fresh meat, seafood, produce, and eggs. Later we went grocery shopping and our arms were sooo full!! We had so many things in our hands and were almost a Kilometer away from home. It was a full on race that left our arms sore the next day.

Saturday night Alejandro came into town and we made him an American feast. I fried chicken, and we all made baked mac n cheese with Apple Crisp for dessert. All homemade, all soo freakin good. We inhaled it and began the game Edward 40 Hands. Basically you tape a 40oz beer to each hand and can't take them off until you finish. It's more of a game to beat your bladder. I won!! Then we went out to a bar to watch a soccer game, went to another to play darts, and ended the night dancing. I found an old gordo to dance Salsa with because they aren't creepy, actually dance, and are good at it! Yay!

Sunday was our day of rest and we caught the movie Paranormal Activity 3. Scary movies definitely translate well because I was squirming and squealing!!

Sunday night it rained for the first time since I have been here. Yes, one month later and the weather finally changed from hot and sunny.

Monday I had my presentation for Halloween at my school. I dressed up like Little Red Riding Hood! My kids loved the presentation, especially the little movie at the end. I had them singing Jeepers Creepers though probably none of them knew what the hell they were saying. Cute anyways! Here is my presentation:



My work schedule got changed so now I only work Tues-Thurs. I am one lucky girl!!

Itś Wednesday and I am one day away from the weekend! But, the weather is starting to cool down (finally) so I think we might have had our last beach trip...

On Monday, I got to present my powerpoint to my 6th graders about me. They were so interested in Atlanta. Especially the fact that Coca Cola was invented there, it snows, and that we swim in the same ocean, the Atlantic. They could not comprehend baseball though, they kept saying random stuff like tennis and American football. Oh well! Some things just dont translate!



I got a job teaching Mondays and Wednesdays at the Centro de Idiomas Convent Garden instructing adults that work for a company called Atlantic Copper. I am nervous about teaching adults, kids are easier to entertain.

On Tuesday Sarah and I went to our first intercambio. Basically international students meet at a cafe and take turns having conversation in Spanish and English. It always takes me a few minutes to get in the groove of listening, but before long I am asking myself, Ẅait, did he say that in English or Spainsh because I understood all of it witout hesitation!" I am still very bad at speaking Spanish, but like learning any language, even your own as a child, that comes last in the process. I still have a ton of time for practice and I am so glad Sarah and I put ourselves out there because it will be a great tool to learn.

Today is Wednesday and I have my first lesson tonight with a woman from American Copper. We are just going to spend the class time getting to know one another. I will check her English proficiency and see what her goals are for the year with me. My boss told me that she doesnt want to work from a book but would rather practice conversation and current affairs. I think my second job may be more difficult than my first!

I just talked with the headmaster of my school and i recieved my health card, and I asked him once again about being paid. He basically said, weĺl see. If we have the money at the end of the month well pay you. Uhh.. soo.. I am hoping for the best and expecting the worst. I have bills to pay and I dont know how I am going to pay them if I dont get paid. Only Spain would hire 2,000 students to move over here and then delay paying them for months. Itś out of my hands so I am trying to adopt the Spanish lifestlye of No Pasa Nada, no worries.