Just a quick photo of Elliott and me on Christmas Eve.

I'll write more when I get a chance.

Merry Christmas to all

So once again I have been horrible about up-dating my blog. But life in Spain has been really, really, really busy and I now have a moment to sit down and write.

I am currently back in the USA for the Holidays. My parents bought me a plane ticket home about a month ago and since then it was just a countdown of the days before I got on a plane. I am really excited to be back in Nevada. It just feels like home here and so comfortable. I arrived late Saturday night and have been spending my time catching up with friends and family and eating lots of yummy food. I spent a couple days in Reno but am now back in Battle Mountain. I'll go back to Reno on the 28th and then fly out at 6:00 am on January 1! I am going to be exhausted after enjoying New Year's Eve with all my friends but it will be well worth it. I fly back into Paris and will stay there for a day to see some of the city and then will go back to San Sebastian. I will have a few days to recuperate and work on my classes before I head back to work.

I started the new job at the technical school and it has been really fun and entertaining. I only work there 3 days a week for one hour each day and I have to get up really early but I do enjoy it. All my students are males, between the ages of 18-24 so it makes for an interesting classroom. My job is to make them speak in English for that hour and as long as we do that, my job is done. We talk about anything and everything and they make me laugh with the things they say. One day I asked them what they wanted to talk about and one student told me he wanted to talk about why Americans are so weird and why we all have guns. This is a common theme I have been coming across lately and it always makes for a great conversation.

My other job is going great and I can't wait to get back to work. My students are finally starting to open up and talk more. My last week at the school before Christmas break we had little parties in each class and we talked about the holidays. I brought a bottle of cava (Spanish champagne) to each class to do a toast to Christmas and The New Year and they all just thought that was the coolest thing. Apparently no other teacher had ever done that before and they really enjoyed it. I figure that if I can get them liquored up a little bit the conversation may flow easier. Hell, I know it always works for me.

Two weeks ago we had a long weekend off from school so 2 friends and I went to Bordeaux, France. It was a quick trip...we left early Saturday morning and returned Sunday afternoon but it was a lot of fun. We basically just went to eat French food, drink French wine and do some shopping. It rained the entire time we were there but the city is really cute. Maybe one day I will go back when the sun is shining.

Gesse and I in Bordeaux

The night before I left to come home we had a dinner for the school at a very fancy restaurant in Hondarribia. The food was really good and not the typical Basque food I eat every day. It was fun to be able to spend time with the other language assistants and other professors, some of who I had never really spoken to before. I was so tired throughout dinner because it was at the end of the week, but I'm glad that I went.

Mylene and me at dinner in Hondarribia

That is all for now. Elliott is dying for me to pay some attention to him. Merry Christmas to everyone!!!!!

Long time...

So I know it has been almost forever since I have written on here and I'll just apologize in advance. The last couple weeks have been surprisingly busy with school and everything else. So I'll try to remember what I've done and make it as painless as possible for you and for me.

The last week in October I taught my classes about the joys of Halloween. I was able to find a very small, ugly and barely orange pumpkin that I was able to carve and bring to my classes to show what a jack-o-lantern is. My students thought that I was crazy but laughed and thought it was cute. I put a little candle inside and we turned off the lights to get the full affect. It was quite amusing. They seemed to like Halloween and some of them really surprised me with the amount of information they knew about the Holiday. One student was even taking her little son and daughter trick-or-treating around her neighborhood.

My pumpkin

It really was the tiniest pumpkin I had ever seen

One day with some of my new friends we hiked up to the top of one of the mountains to take some pictures and spend some time enjoying the sun and nice weather. I had already done this a few times but decided to take advantage of the opportunity and spend some time getting to know some of the girls I work with. The day was gorgeous and it was really fun.

Stefanie, Katrin and Mylene

The view of La Concha from the top of the mountain

A couple weekends ago a few friends and I went to a small town on the French/Spanish border called Hondarribia to have lunch and take a walk. I had already been a few times but had nothing else to do so I went along. We arrived in the town and went to the tourist office to get a map where after I went inside to ask for a map, I was locked inside with all my friends outside. At first we didn't know what was happening but then I figured out that the tourist office was getting ready to close for siesta and they didn't want to let anyone else in. All I needed was a map because I had already been there a few times before and knew most of the "must-see" attractions (believe me, there aren't many) and a few other people had asked for a map and then left. So I decided to follow in their footsteps and went to the front of the line to ask for a map. I was then yelled at by a scary Basque lady who told me I needed to wait my turn and that everyone else had waited and that I needed to find some patient and wait also. I tried telling her that I didn't need the whole explanation of where the one and only pintxo (tapas) bar was and that I only needed a map but this just infuriated her even more and she refused to just hand me a map. I decided that I was not going to give up and asked again and she finally gave in, only because I'm sure she was tired of me being there. I re-joined my worried friends outside with a map in hand and we continued on our journey.

Marisol, Gesse and Jesse in Hondarribia

While in Hondarribia we ran into a student of mine and we asked him where we should have lunch and he took us to this restaurant that was owned by a friend of his. Everyone at the restaurant was really cute and came over to say Hello to us and welcome us to the restaurant. They were very excited about having 4 Americans come to eat lunch in their mom-and-pop style restaurant.

A couple days after the day trip to Hondarribia I started to get a cold that turned into a very nasty cold. I ended up completely losing my voice and had to cancel all my tutoring classes and just stayed in bed for a couple days. It really sucked and I'm almost completely over it now. I still have a bit of a nasty smoker's cough but it's much better.

I also joined a gym. It's this new gym in this new shopping complex in the center of town just a block away from where I just to live. I go to aerobic-like classes every morning and it's always interesting. My very first morning was quite overwhelming. It was an intermediate step class and there was only one other lady and myself. The other lady obviously had more step experience than I did and instead of the instructor slowing down a bit for me, he just kept going faster and yelling at me in Spanish to hurry up. Since then I have decided to take Basic Step instead and it's a little more my speed.

I have found another job also. Well I didn't necessarily find the job, rather it found me. It's giving English conversation classes three times a week at a technical school. It's also in Irun and it's a pretty big school. 95% of the students are males so it should make for some interesting classes. I start on Tuesday and I'm really excited. The only bad thing is that the class starts at 8:00 am so that means I have to leave my house no latter than 7:00 am every morning to be able to catch the 7:15 am train. But it's only three days a week and they are paying me 25 euros an hour so I decided that it was worth it.

Everything else is going really well. I still love my job and my students continue to amaze me. Every week I feel like they are getting more and more comfortable around me. And every week I get a little more comfortable around them. This week I had two of my classes tell me that they looked forward to my class every week because it was so much fun and that during this hour they could relax and laugh. Right now, that is the biggest compliment anyone could give me. I'm off for now but I'll be back to write more in a few days. Un besito.

I just wanted to let everyone know why I have not up-dated my blog recently. My computer has been sucking big time and sometimes decides to connect to the Internet and then other times decides to be super lazy. So I have some photos ready to up-load and as soon as I get a chance I promise to do the blog-thang. Also, I am starting to get sick and it doesn´t exactly put me in the mood to sit at a computer. And I don´t feel like anything terribly exciting has been happening. I´ll probably get to the blog and the photos sometime later this week..maybe Thursday or Friday. Hope everyone is doing well. I miss you all lots and lots. Besos a todos!

I don't really have too much to report from my side of the pond but I wanted to share with you all this little jem that I learned last night in one of my classes.

In England they call bachlorette parties "Hen Parties." Yes, that's right. As in a chicken. Our topic for the night was Special Occasions and I was asking them to give some examples of special occasions. After one student said a funeral was a special occasion (seriously, she did) another student said "Hen Parties." At first, I didn't think I had heard her correctly so I asked her to say it again. Yup, she had said Hen Parties. I just started laughing because I had no idea what a Hen Party was but it sounded hilarious. They then explained to me that it is what we call a Bachlorette Party. I could not stop laughing. I probably laughed for a good 2-3 minutes. Then I asked what they call Bachelor Parties and in England they call them "Stag Parties." I've always thought that the Brits were crazy but now I'm completely convinced.

Oh, and they also call silverware "cutlery."

Sometimes I feel like I should be sitting in a desk and not standing at the front of the class.

Also, for all of you who don't remember what San Sebastian looks like or have never seen pictures, I will post some below. I haven't taken too many photos since I've been here only because I have about 500 photos of the city already. This past weekend I did take a couple photos and I'll get them up here ASAP.

Ok, so apparently it won't let me up-load any photos today so I'll try to get to it tomorrow.

1 week down...30 to go!

I completed my first full week of teaching on Wednesday night and the feeling was quite fulfilling. I was completed exhausted at the end of the day but I felt so accomplished that I couldn't wait for Monday to come and do it all over again. I only have class 3 days a week (Monday-Wednesday). Monday I have class from 7-9 pm and then Tuesday and Wednesday I am at the school all day. I have 11 classes in all and each class lasts for 1 hour. So that means I am only really working 11 hours a week! Yes, you can all be jealous.

I have a little prep-work outside of class but my teachers prepare basically everything for me. I just have to show up and execute the lesson. But there are a lot of other things that I want to do and teach so I'll do those on my own. I have come up with some different things using music and articles from magazines and TV shows but haven't figured out all the details yet. Not next week but the following week I am going to do something for Halloween. Right now I am searching for a pumpkin to carve and bring to class. Wish me luck!

I have almost 300 students and only see them for 1 hour each week so it's really hard to remember their names and to which class I have told certain things. I mostly remember the student's faces but only have been able to remember about 10 names so far. A handful of my students have been to The States and one even studied in Reno this past summer. It's really fun to get to teach them about Nevada or the U.S. I brought a map of the U.S. with me to each class to show them where Nevada is and I asked them if any of them knew where the state is. I have gotten the correct answer (Next to California) quite a few times but then I have also heard that it's next to Nebraska or Colorado or Texas. I just smile and show them the map.

My students also range in age from 16 to 60-something years old. It creates a really interesting dynamic in the classroom. I've noticed that a lot of the younger students will let the older ones talk over them and sometimes just don't say anything at all. So I really have to try to get them to talk and ask questions to them directly. Some of the students (especially the boys) just stare at me. I don't know if it's a good thing or not yet. Most of the time I don't want to even know what they are thinking.

I am the first American that has ever come to the school so it's been challenging for them and for me. They have learned or been taught British English their entire lives so it can be really difficult for me. For example, in one of the higher level classes I was helping them with a worksheet and after answering a couple questions I realized that I was telling them the wrong answers. The answer key was at the bottom of the paper and I had to look at it to see what the correct answers were. To me, what I was telling them was corect but in British English it was wrong. It's really hard for them also because they are accostumed to a British accent and I have a very American accent. I have to remember to slow down when I talk and really chew my words so that they can understand me. Some of the students have told me that I am the first American person they have ever spoken with. It's incredibly flattering and scary all at the same time.

In the intermediate classes this week we did a survey about physical appearances and if the students take pride in their appearance and if they are vain or not. It was very similar to the kind of survey that you would find in "Cosmopolitan" or a magazine like that. After they took the survey they got into little groups to discuss their answers and the description at the bottom of the page. I then went around to all the groups to listen to their findings and answer questions. I had to try to explain what "grunge" means and the expression "It won't do you any harm!" It was much harder than I ever imagined. In one of my classes I had a student (a male probably in his 40s) tell me that he thinks I am a very vain person! I started laughing and told him that he could think that as long as he gave me a vaild reason why. He just said something about how I am always very put together when they see me and that he could tell that I was someone who cared a lot about my physical appearance. I thought it was hilarious because I am probably the least vain person I know. Most days I run around in flip-flops with my hair in a pony-tail and no make-up. But I do dress-up more to go to class so I can understand a little why he would think that. It still makes me laugh just thinking about it.

In other news, I have found a couple other little jobs to earn some extra cash. I am going to tutor an American girl in the USAC program for Spanish and then give English lessons to a 12 year old girl in a suburb of San Sebastian. It'll bring in a little more cash and probably pay for groceries each week...by far the biggest expense I have here other than rent. I also had an interview at a different language school in Irun on Friday. It went really well and they want to hire me. I am still trying to figure out if I can even work here at another company being a foreigner and all. Hopefully this coming week or the next I can get everything figured out.

That's about all the new stuff that has been happening here. It's a lot...I know. I'm sure once I get into more of a routine life will be a lot less exciting. Hope everyone is well back on the USA. I miss you all lots and lots.

Photos...Finally

I am really not in the mood to write on my blog so I figured this is a perfect opportunity to add some photos. I'll try to write more more tomorrow when I have recovered a little more from the last week. Enjoy the photos!

This is the view from the balcony of my kitchen. This is one of the most popular streets in my neighborhood (La Parte Vieja). My roommates tease me because I am always on the balcony watching the people below but there is always so much action. I love it.

This is the kitchen where I spend way too much time. My new favorite dish to make is beans and rice Carribean style.

The view of the balcony I am always on.

The shelves and desk in my room where I keep everything.

My bed and "closet."

The front room

The English Department" at the school.

La Escuela Oficial de Idiomas en Irun (The school where I teach.)

That's about all I have for now. Once I get more time I'll get some more up.

Today I went to Vitoria for a reception from the Basque Government welcoming all the Language Assistants. I went with two of the professors from my school and we left at 8:45 am. This meant that I had to get up a good 2 hours earlier than I had been waking up for the last week. I wasn't really in the mood to go when we left so I just slept for the hour it took us to get there. When we got there we had a little presentation from some very important people (or so it appeared). It's really interesting here in Spain the presentations that they give us. In Madrid it was a bunch of information that I can survive without or information that didn't pertain to us at all. Today was no exception. Their only saving grace was that the power point presentation was written in English. Otherwise I would not have heard a word they were saying. At the end of the presentation the VIPs were telling us how seriously we need to take our job and how it is completely unprofessional to be friends with any of the students. It was quite interesting to me because that is the one thing that I wanted to get out of this experience. But maybe that comment was directed more to the people who are working with high school age kids. I really don't know.

After the presentation we have a little reception with pinchos (tapas) and drinks. That was the best part because they served us wine, beer or soda at 11:30 in the morning. The pinchos were pretty good (some better than others) but it was nice to talk with everyone. All the language assistants were there and a lot of the teachers/professors from the various schools. Everyone loved the professors that we have in Irun and wanted to switch schools with us. It's nice to be envied!

After everything was done we went to a little bar and had another drink and some more pinchos. This was probably the best part because it was just hanging out and talking and laughing. All the professors from my school are so much fun, so I have a really good time just talking to them and learning about them.

Then we came back to Donostia. All the professors had to go to Irun for class but since we don't have to work this week I went home. I got a letter and picture that Elliott (my nephew) had drawn for me. Very cute. It's also good to know that the postal service will deliver my mail to me.

Have some errands to do now so I gotta go. It's also not raining so I want to take full advantage of that.

Besos y abrazos.

So yesterday when I was up-dating my blog I was trying to remember what I wanted to post on here. Of course, when I got home I remembered a couple more things that I was going to tell about. Just a few little stories that are funny and add to my experiences here in Spain.

After I had arrived in Madrid and had been at the hotel and conference for 3 days and still didn't have my luggage, I had to go back to the airport to track down my suitcases. I went with my friend Teresa who is now in Santiago de Compostela because she was catching a flight from Madrid to Santiago. So we get a taxi from the hotel and we start talking to the taxi driver and we tell him that we are from the States and that we are going to be teaching English. He asks where we were are going to stationed at and she tells him Santiago and I say The Basque Country. He immediately starts in on how beautiful Santiago is and how wonderful the city is...blah, blah, blah. Then he starts telling us how much better Santiago is than San Sebastian and how her experience is going to be so much better. Once again, blah, blah, blah. I tried telling him that San Sebastian is a beautiful city and there is so much to do there. He doesn't want to hear a word I am saying and just keeps going on about how wonderful Santiago is. The part we didn't tell him is that Teresa is 1/2 Basque and desperately wanted to go to the Basque Country. I'm sure he would have stopped the car on the side of the freeway and thrown us both out of the car. This shows the kind of attitude and opinion the rest of Spain (especially Madrid) has about the Basque Country.

Then when Mylene and I were out apartment hunting we found this apartment to go look out. We went and saw the place and it was nice and the room for rent was big and the roommate seemed pretty nice. We were getting ready to leave and the guy started asking us what we were doing here in Spain and we told him we are working in Irun at the Language School. He asked us where we were from and Mylene told him France and I say The United States. He then starts telling me how in the United States we don't speak real English. He says that the English we speak is something completley different and that only British people speak real English. I didn't really know what to say so I mumbled something about us using lots of slang and just that it's different but still English. He didn't want to hear much about that so I just stopped talking and let Mylene do the rest.

And then on Thursday of last week, Mylene and I had gone to the Police Station to try to obtain our foreigner cards and were taking a rest on this park bench. I had woken up late that morning and didn't have time to eat breakfast so I had bought an orange at the market and decided to eat it. I was peeling the orange and dropping the peelings on the ground, which I have seen many Spanish people do. There were about a hundred birds around that I'm sure were going to eat the pieces I had thrown on the ground but the looks I was getting from people were horrendous. You would have thought that I was eating my first born child by the looks people were giving me. Apparently in Spain it's ok to let your children urinate in public places (park, sidewalk, playground) but not put your biodegradable orange peels on the ground.

These are a few examples of how Spanish/Basque people are just crazy. It took me a long time to get used to people here just saying whatever they want and it's something I have to get used to again. Spain makes me have a thicker skin. But I also feel that if they can just say whatever/do they want, I can do the same.

On Monday two very important things happened:
1. Monday was the first day that I actually really enjoyed here in Spain. It was the first day that I felt comfortable being here and confident in my decision to be move here again. I don't know exactly what it was that made me have this feeling but I liked it alot.
2. Monday morning I got up and took a shower and decided that I was actually going to blow-dry my hair and straighten it for the first time since I left the States. I got my little converter set and plugged it in and everything worked great. I have two settings on my converter-high and low. For the blow-dryer I had it on high because it has a higher wattage. After I blow-dried my hair (which took forever) I plugged in my straightner. I started to straighten my hair and then I notice a burning smell. I didn't think too much of it ( I just thought maybe something had gotten on the straightner) and continued straightening my hair. About 15 seconds pass and then I realize that my straightner is really hot and that it's my hair that is making the horrible stench. I put down my straightner and realize I have torched a huge section of my hair. Completely fried. Crispy...just like chicken. I thought that maybe I could cover it up a bit because it wasn't the top layer of hair. And I think that for Monday it was fine. But then I was just sitting here catching up on some e-mails and ran my fingers through my hair and realized that it's more than I thought. The humidity here in San Sebastian is unbelievable and my hair was already frizzy enough but I managed to add a whole other level to the disaster that I call hair. I'm going right now to buy some deep conditioner.

Address and other things

Before I forget I want to post my address here in Spain. It is:

Season Westover
C/San Lorenzo 12
3 izda
Donostia-San Sebastian Spain 20003

Please feel free to send me letters, cards, photos, care packages, whatever. I honestly don't even care. I just like getting mail.

Next, I want to say THANK YOU to everyone who has been reading this blog and checking it daily. I was a little hesitant about it at first because I didn't know if anyone was really going to be interested. But I have received many e-mails instructing me to up-date the blog so I will try to be more diligent about it.

Last Friday night I had dinner with my friend Ainhoa (ex-professor) and 6 of her friends. They get together once every couple weeks to have a girl's night and she invited me to join. It was a lot of fun to meet all her friends and see a different aspect of her life. All the women were so nice and friendly. There were about a million (or so it felt) conversations going on at the same time and I did my best to keep up with them all but it was no easy task. It definetly challenged my Spanish skills and I felt I was able to keep up for the most part. We just talked and ate and drank wine and it reminded me of dinners with my girlfriends. Oh, and there was this girl there named Ana that reminded me so much of my friend Molly Conklin (shout out!). She looked like Molly (I think it was the eyes) and talked like her and they have the same goofy personality. It was kinda freaking me out...but in a good way. But as much fun as I had on Friday night it really made me miss my girlfriends back in the States. Just to be able to have that connection and comfort around someone is a precious thing.

Then on Saturday afternoon I finally moved in to my new apartment. Ainhoa helped me carry my two incredibly heavy suitcases up 3 flights of stairs. I don't know how I always manage to find the apartments without an elevator but I did it again. I un-packed most of my things and tried to get as settled as possible in my new home. I really like the apartment. My room is a little small but I just think of it as quaint and all my own. I'll get some photos taken as soon as I get a chance, which means as soon as I get all my laundry done and everything organized.

Saturday night I invited two new friends over for dinner. Their names are Gesse and Mylene. They are both in the same program and Mylene teaches French at the same school in Irun. Gesse is from Seattle and is teaching English in a small town outside of San Sebastian also. I had talked to Mylene before coming to Spain through E-mails and then we met in Madrid. Gesse I met in Madrid and have become good friends with her also. We just had a small impromtu dinner at my house Saturday night and spent lots of time getting to know each other.

Sunday was finally a beach day!!!!! It wasn't exactly hot outside but warm enough to head over to the beach and enjoy the sun. It was the first time we had been to the beach because it has either been raining or we have been doing something else that has prevented us from going to the beach. I don't know if we are going to get many more beach days but I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Today we had to go to Bilbao for a course about teaching a foreign language. It was very boring and didn't apply to me at all. It was centered around people that are going to be working with children or high school age kids and since I am teaching mostly adults, it wasn't exactly the most exciting class I have taken. The professors at my school have prepared everything for me and all I really have to do is show up and excute the plan. But after talking to other language assistants, it seems like I have it made in the shade. Some still don't even have a place to live or haven't even been able to contact their schools. I feel very lucky that I am at the school in Irun and that all the professors have taken care of me so well.

Thursday we are going to Vitoria (the capital of the Basque Country) for a reception welcoming all the language assistants. I'm not really looking forward to it either but at least this time I get to go with the other professors from my school. Then next Monday (October 15) I start classes for real. I am really looking forward to that and being able to get to know my students better and helping them improve their English skills.

I think that's all for now. I promise to be better at up-dating this blog. I just discovered that the public library has free wireless internet and it's only a 3 minute walk from my house so I will be here more often. And I'll get some photos up ASAP.

Take Care. Lots of love to everyone!

My cell number

I forgot to post my cell phone number. It is (drum roll, please):

(011-34) 671 92 39 87

I know it´s a lot of numbers but that is exactly how you dial it from the USA. I would love to have phone calls from anyone and everyone so feel free to call anytime.

Also, you can send me texts at this number. My sisters text me all the time so I know it works. I have no idea what it costs but it is possible.

Call me, call me, call me!!!!!!!!!

I have found a place to live!!!! It´s quite exciting. It is in a very modern apartment in the Parte Vieja (Old Parte) of the city. Very cute apartment with 2 guys: one from the Dominican Republic and the other from Brazil. They seem really nice but I only met them for a couple minutes. I haven´t moved in yet. I was going to meet with the owner this afternoon at 1:30 but he wasn´t able to make it. So I might meet with him tomorrow or Thursday afternoon. I am still staying with my professor, who has been amazing to me. Her name is Ainhoa and he house is so cute and she has two dogs and a yard and a shared pool with her neighbors. She told me I can stay at her place as long as I want but I don´t want to overstay my welcome. Every night I have had dinner with her and her husband and she leaves me breakfast every morning. It´s been incredible. But I´m really excited to unpack my suitcases and have a place to call home.

I came to the school yesterday to meet all the professors and meet 2 of my classes. I am going to have 11 classes between Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Tuesday and Wednesday are going to be long days because I will be here almost all day but Monday I don´t come until 7:00 and Thursday and Friday I don´t have anything. The professors here are so friendly and nice. They just accepted me yesterday like I was one of them and I went and had coffee with a professor named Ana. And then I had 2 classes...one at 7:00 and the other at 8:00. The students are varied in age and experience with English but so nice and really want to learn. I did an activity with each class and told them where I am from in the States and just a little about me. In one class I did an activity with the differences with words in America and words in the U.K. For example, in America we say ´Highway´ and in the U.K. they say ´Main Road.´ It was a lot of fun. In the other class, they had to turn phrases into questions for me. I was a little un-prepared for this and had to think really quickly but it was fun. Very personal questions but it was fine. They all laughed at my jokes so I immediately loved them.

I am back at the school today and have 3 classes. It´s nice to be here and to see how the clases are structured and meet all the students. I have class in about 20 minutes so I need to get ready. More when I get a moment.

Besos a todos!

I have the worst jet-lag of my entire life. My body has never been this screwed up before. For example, last night I went to bed at 11:00 and was tired and slept for maybe 30 minutes and then woke up completely awake like I had just slept for 8 hours. This has happened since I arrived here with the exception of the first night. And that was only because I was completely exhausted. Every night I lay awake until about 3:30 or 4:00 am and then fall asleep only to have to wake up a couple hours later and be even more tired than I was before. And my stomach is still on U.S. time. I eat dinner every night and then go to bed and I am laying awake starving. Like, my stomach is growling...and loud. And when you are staying in a hostel I´m sure it´s really annoying to everyone sleeping around you. And during the day I am not hungry at all. I don`t have an appetite at all during the day so I hardly eat anything and then at night I am famished. If anyone has any suggestions on how to get over this jet-lag, please send them my way because I don´t think I can continue like this for much more.

More apartment hunting this morning and then I am going to my friend´s house to stay there until I find a place to live. We have some good leads and are going to go check them out this morning.

Hope everyone is having a good weekend. I´ll write more soon. Besos.

I am finally here in San Sebastian and it´s just as gorgeous as I remember. I arrived this evening and I am really tired so I am going to make this really short. I checked into my hostel which is really nice and then went to call my mom and dad and then was starving because I hadn´t eaten in 12 hours s. I went and had a bocadillo (sandwich) from Juantxo´s and it was amazing...maybe even better than before. I came back to the hostel to eat my sandwich and met a really nice girl from Australia who is sharing a room with me. I took a shower (the first in two days, the first time I washed my hair in 4 days) and now I am heading to bed. I´m quite exhausted. Tomrrow is going to be a long day of looking for an apartment and buying a cell phone and all that jazz. I´ll write more as soon as I get a moment to breathe.

I´m finally here!

Hello to All!

Yes I am finally in Spain. Let´s just say that is wasn´t the easiest trip I have ever made but I arrived, nonetheless. I arrived last night around 6:30. I had a difficult getting out of Salt Lake because air traffic control in Memphis was down so there were no flights leaving, arriving or could fly into Memphis air space. So our flight was delayed an hour and then we had to be re-routed down to New Orleans and then through part of the Gulf of Mexico. Instead of taking 3 hours to get to Atlanta it took us almost 5 hours. Originally I only had 1 hour to make my next flight to Madrid and, of course, I missed it. I was still in the air when the flight took off. So I arrived in Atlanta and they re-booked me for a flight to London and then to Madrid. I had a couple hours in both Atlanta and London before my flights left so it put me even farther behind. I hardly slept on the flight from Atlanta to London because I was in the very last row in the very last seat next to the bathrooms and the flight attendant station. And I discoved that flight attendants from the South should all be named Cathy because they are super chatty. It was quite annoying. So I hardly got any sleep and then arrived in London and had to wait another couple hours for my next flight. I didn´t have any British pounds with me and I didn´t want to use my Visa because it would have been like $6 for a bottle of water so I just walked around and looked at all the things I couldn´t buy. I finally got on the plane and arrived in Madrid only to find out that my bags were still in the States. And the Delta office at the Madrid airport is only open from 8:00 to 12:00 and it was about 7:00. Go figure! I´m convinced Spainards hate working....

Well I only have a couple more minutes on internet time. I´ll update more when I get to San Sebastian tomorrow night. Love you all. Thanks for the e-mails. I promise to respond when I get the time.

My journey to Spain is about to begin. In about 24 hours I will be arriving in Atlanta with just enough time to run to my next plane bound for Madrid. My parents and I are driving to Salt Lake City tomorrow morning at 4:00 am and then I fly out at 11:30 am.

My bags are almost packed. I thought packing was going tobe so easy this time because I was so organized (or so I thought). My dad and I started to pack and with about half my things in my 2 suitcases my dad asks: "What is the weight limit for international flights?" I tell him I am allowed 2 suitcases weighing 50 pounds each. He then says that we better weigh my suitcases to see where I am at. We weigh them on the bathroom scale and one weighs 65 pounds and the other 55 pounds...already 20 pounds over my weight limit and not even half packed! Panic starts to set in. What the hell am I going to do? My dad tells me that I better re-evaluate my "stuff" and decide what I can live without. I take out 10 pounds of books that I guess I can live without. I would rather have shoes than books anyways. I had literally already given away 2/3 of my clothes and shoes and what I am taking with me is my bare mininum. We called Delta to see what the overage charges are...let's just say it's quite ridculous. Eventually my dad decided he would pay for the overage charge and instead of sending it, I would just pack it with me.

It's been a good week here in Battle Mountain. I thought I was going to go crazy after 2 days but it has gone by faster than I ever imagined it would. Being able to spend time with Elliott and my sister and parents has been well-needed. Elliott finally knows who I am and comes running when he sees me. He calls me " Ce Ce" and it's pretty darn cute. We are going to carve a pumpkin in a couple hours. I am going to miss him so much.

That's about all for now. Once I get into Madrid I'll let everyone know. Wish me luck on the flight...I'm not exactly looking forward to it!

Leaving Reno...

Today is my last day in Reno and the emotions that I am feeling are completely overwhelming. I honestly didn't think that I would ever feel this sad about leaving a town that up until recently I despised. Being an emotional wreck these last couple weeks can only be attributed to one thing: the amazing friends and family that I have adquired here in Reno. It's really hard to explain how I feel and have never been the best at putting what I feel into words, but I need to get some things out before I leave.

I just want to say Thank You to all my friends who have supported me and loved me unconditionally throughout these last 5 years. I didn't know that friends like I have actually existed in the world. At my lowest times I have had people around me to lift me up and help me through the dark times. And when I was at my best, I have been fortunate to have those same people around to congratulate and support. The feelings that I have experienced from my friends I wish everyone could experience.

I especially want to say Thank You to Mary, Matt and Estela for letting me crash at their houses these past 3 weeks. It has meant more to me than I can say and I am so grateful. You all are more than welcome to crash with me anytime en Espana...in fact, it would be my pleasure.

Thank you to all who came to my going-away party and made it such a special night for me. Erin, you are such a fantastic friend and the party was so perfect. I couldn't have done better myself.

I am really excited about my new adventures in Spain and can't hardly wait to begin my new job. Don't get me wrong...I am terrified. But as much as it scares me to jet-off to a new country by myself, I am even more scared to settle in Reno where life would be so easy. I feel the need to challenge myself every day and this is, by far, the biggest challenge yet.

Before I forget, I also want to say Thank You to all who have showered my with gifts these past couple weeks. Lance, the necklace that you gave me is perfect and I haven't taken it off yet. Estela, I was so surprised by the LaraBars and I know it may seem like something simple, but it truly warmed my heart. I will think of you everytime I'm snacking on one. Matt and Mary, I love the travel book you gave me! All the journals I have had in the past have been from someone special in my life and this one fits in perfectly with the rest. To everyone else that has bought me drinks/dinner/coffee/snacks, they have all been very much appreciated and have added to the great memories I have of Reno.

It's hard to express how much I'll miss everyone but just know that I'll be thinking of you all often. You all have enriched my life more than I could have ever asked for and I couldn't be more thankful and blessed by the people I have around me.

These are just a few photos of the last couple weeks in Reno. As soon as I get more, I'll post them.

Erica and I
Estela and I

The ladies of the Polo Lounge

As of 3:30 pm yesterday I am officially unemployed and couldn't be happier about it. This is the first time since I entered the work force that I have been without a job and although it feels weird, I think I'll enjoy every minute. I just hope that I don't get too comfortable...I have to re-enter the working world in a few weeks when I arrive in Spain. Goodbye smelly Caughlin Club and the ugly green shirts. Hello new possibilities and new adventures in Europe.

Things I'm looking forward to in Spain:

-cafe con leche
-speaking Spanish every day
-the beach
-siesta
-my 12 hour work week
-making new friends
-Juantxo's (the best sandwiches ever are served here)
-drinking wine for lunch...or at 10:00 in the morning
-traveling
-returning to the place where I felt like I belonged
-a more relaxed life
-seeing many, many mullets every day and laughing hysterically
-being able to talk in English about others and them have no idea what I'm saying
-reading more

Things I'm NOT looking forward to in Spain:

-lack of ethnic food (a girl can only eat so much paella)
-99% of meals being made with seafood and/or eggs
-Weird Basque guys
-the 9 hour time difference
-not being able to pick up the phone and call my friends any time I want
-not being able to talk to my sisters and nephew every day
-not having the most important people in my life share my experiences with me
-the rain that doesn't stop for days
-the euro to dollar conversion
-having to pay way too much for internet
-lack of personal space in public places
-no clothes dryers

So I am already bad at this blogging thing. It's been almost a month since I last wrote anything on here and I suppose it's time for an up-date. I have a feeling this might be a bit like me writing in a journal...good idea in theory but I somehow always find something else to do.

Anyways, I finally went to San Francisco to apply for my visa. My mom accompanied me for the ride. The process was surprisingly smooth...well at least smoother than the last time. It only took an hour and a half this visit, as opposed to nine and a half hours a couple years ago. I had all the right documents but two of them were only partially complete. My arrest record needed to be certified with the Secretary of State and my doctor's letter had to be from a M.D., not a Nurse Practitioner. So I spent all of this past week working to get these documents corrected so that I can send them off. Hopefully I will be able to send them to SF sometime this week!

I'm also in the process of packing and cleaning up my house trying to get ready for the big move. Krystal moved out this weekend and now it's alot easier to get things packed and squared away. I don't have much motivation and I know I'll be doing it all at the last minute because I hate packing anyways.

Krystal and I are also going to have a yard/moving sale on Saturday, August 18. I want to extend the invitation to anyone that has stuff they would like to sell. Bring it on over and make your trash someone else's treasure. Or come over just to hang out and have a drink. Yard sales are always interesting. Let me know if you need more info.

Hello to all!

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