I'm setting up this blog to post some of my adventures while I will be teaching in Spain. Last time I was in Spain I sent out mass e-mails but I think this is a little easier and completely on your own. Now you don't have to be subjected to my incredibly long e-mails if you're not interested. You can check this blog on your own free time. Of course I'll still be checking my e-mail and I will love to get e-mails from everyone. Believe me...they keep me connected to you all when I'm feeling so far away. So I hope you all enjoying coming along for the ride. I guarantee it will be anything but boring.
Now here is a little up-date on my life:
-I finally graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno with my bachelor's degree in Spanish on May 19, 2007. I was surrounded by my entire family and amazing friends and I can honestly say that it was one of the proudest days of my life.
-A few days after graduation I went to the Strawberry Music Festival outside of Yosemite in California with the Fockler clan and a couple other friends. It was 5 very fun-filled days of music, sunshine and laughter.
-In mid-June I went to Lake Almanor with my Menante family for a week of relaxation. It was so nice to just be able to hang out with the babies and read and kayak every day.
-The day I returned from vacation was my 24th birthday. Yes, that's right...24! I had a great time out with my friends and they treated me like a princess for the night. Thanks to all who made it a night to remember.
-Now I am just hanging out for the rest of the summer and enjoying every last moment I have here in Reno. Some days it feels like I just moved here and that I'm moving on much too quickly. But I'm really looking forward to the experiences that I have ahead of me and can't wait to see where my life takes me.
And now a little about Spain:
Last year a professor of mine e-mailed me about an opportunity to be a teacher's assistant in Spain through a program sponsored by the Spanish government. On a whim, I applied for the position and was offered a job. Against every thread in my body I turned down the opportunity to finish my degree. This past February I applied to the program again and was awarded a grant for a paid teacher's assistant position in The Basque Country. I was completely overwhelmed with emotion when I found out because for a year I felt like I had made the wrong decision. Prior to receiving the e-mail I was very nervous and anxious about my future as I had no plans for my future. Reading that e-mail released a wave of emotion that I was not expecting and a big batch of tears of joy came falling down my cheeks. I immediately accepted the position and then just waited for information to come.
I will be going to a small town in the Pyrenees called Irun. It's about 10 miles north of San Sebastian and 4-5 miles inland. It's a very cute little Basque town just a few kilometers from the French border. I will be working as a teacher's assistant for students learning English at a language school that teaches English, French, German and Euskera. My students will most likely be high school or late-teens to early 20s kids wanting to learn English as a second or third language. I'll also be teaching them about American culture which should be very interesting. If anyone knows what American culture is, please send along any ideas. I'm still trying to figure it out. :)
I'll be leaving the States on September 25 and flying to Madrid for a couple days of orientation. Then I'll travel to Irun where my job will start on October 1 and go until June 30, 2008. I'm heading over to the consulate in San Francisco in a couple weeks to apply for my student visa so please keep me in your thoughts and prayers.
That's about all the information I have as of now. Please feel free to ask any questions and once I get more information I'll be sure to up-date this blog.
Hasta pronto,
Season
