The Routine

It's been a while since I have blogged, just because I feel like everything I am doing is becoming a routine, therefore I don't have anything to write about. However, not true. So here is the weekly update-

When we FINALLY got back on Sunday from Rome, Emily, Eric, and Marcy were all waiting for me at a pizza place close to my house. It was really nice to come back to friendly faces who wanted to know all about the trip and how I was doing. Even though we didn't know each other before we came here, we are really all each other has, and I am happy I have found such a great group.

Monday, we started our regular session classes! I was actually really excited about taking classes so that I would start to be busier and I was excited to start learning again. (Nerd, I know). The classes really don't seem like they will be too bad, not like Transy at least. For the most part, each of my classes has a midterm and a final and then one paper due at the end. For one or two of them I have to turn in a weekly two page paper, which in the grand scheme of things, really isn't that bad. I tried to explain to my friends here what Transy was like, but I just found myself coming off pretentious and like I was trying to say my school was way harder than theirs, which I was not. I guess you just have to come to Transy to find out what it is really like. Anyways, I have a cuisine and culture class, which should be really interesting, we get to try different types of food that is typical in this culture, which obviously I am excited about. Then I have a literature class which seems really interesting too because it is Literature of the Margins, meaning all of the authors we are studying were from some sort of marginalized group. It seems really cool. Then I have a Methodology of Teaching Spanish class, which is already super useful. I have only had two classes and I have learned so much. I really like it because Transy doesn't really have a class like that, so it is useful and also helps me justify taking a fluff class like cuisine. Finally, I have my practicum class, and the professor is awesome. He is so animated, he is basically like a cartoon character. But he is super excited and enthusiastic about what he does and about what we do, so that really helps.

I only have class from 9-11 in the morning on Mondays and Wednesdays, but then I have class from 3-9 in the afternoon Tuesdays and Thursdays. That is kind of a rough stretch, especially when you add in the fact that I have my actual practicum where I go and observe/teach from 10-12:30 in the morning on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Thank God for Mondays and Wednesdays, right?

So I went to all of my classes this week and I got to tour the school I will be working in. It was really cool to finally see it and it made me so excited to start teaching! At the same time though, it kind of made me miss home and my family a lot, seeing all the little kids run around and such. But then I remind myself that MY FAMILY IS COMING TO SEE ME. They just booked the trip this week and I am absolutely ecstatic! I didn't think it would be possible for them to come, and this definitely helps with my homesickness.

On Wednesday night, my senora and I sat in the living room and watched recordings of her performing at the resort she used to work at in the Canary Islands. We also learned the dance to this really popular song that they play at the bars at least 5 times a night. I am so lucky that I was paired with her, she has really helped me feel more comfortable here and I loved learning about her life. She is fascinating and hilarious and I am so happy here.

Then on Thursday, I kind of started to hit a wall. I'm not sure, but I was just in a foul mood and everything pissed me off. We visited the school, which was great, but it also made me miss everyone as I said before. Then I went to class and it was just one thing after the other. In my Lit class, we were talking about if there were basic values or principles that everyone believes in. Keep in mind that these classes are in Spanish, so I am already hesitant to speak my mind because I don't want to sound stupid because of how I speak. But me being me, I said yes, I believe that there are some basic values, for example, don't kill. This was my hopeful, optimistic, belief in humanity side that was coming out. Well apparently the rest of the class has learned to ignore this side because literally every single one of them raised their hands to disagree with me and I didn't get a chance to defend myself. That was awesome. Then when we were in practicum, we were doing these vocabulary exercises to help us with teaching and I just could not get an answer right. It was wearing me out. Fortunately, I have awesome friends who can laugh with me, so we all went out for tapas and drinks after class. It was the perfect way to end a so-so day.

Today, I woke up later and went to the store to buy ingredients to make guacamole for a barbecue my senora and her friends are having tomorrow. However, the avocados I got were the hardest darn things I have ever worked with in my life. Needless to say, the guacamole doesn't taste quite ripe, but that's ok. I hope... Then Eva took me out to lunch with some of her cousins and they sat and talked for hours. I couldn't really get much of a word in, but I really liked listening to them. Also, I am still timid about talking to natives because I hate sounding stupid, so that kind of held me back. (I know, who ever would have thought I would be timid about anything?) After lunch, we went to check out the place where the cookout is going to be. It was kind of like a country house with a huge back yard and patio and everything. Apparently around 50 people are coming to this and it is going to be an all day ordeal. I am so excited. An entire day of eating, drinking, and speaking Spanish. What could be better? My senora and I are also planning on teaching everyone the dance we learned... that should be interesting. I am very excited for tomorrow and I'm sure I will have all kinds of stuff to blog about then!