Take Time to Realize. 23/97

(Today's title is a lyric from Colbie Calliat's song, Realize. The one thing I was looking forward to the most before coming over here was the time that I was going to be able to spend with myself. Self-learning is one of life's most valuable gifts and already in a short time, I have had learned lots of things and discovered things about myself, hence today's title.)

OMG, I'm on the phone with my Grandmother. She just told me that for Christmas Eve dinner, we are having Thanksgiving food. I am SOOOOOO excited about this one, since it's looking like I won't be having a real Thanksgiving meal this year. The two of us have realized that I will be learning to make a lot of things from scratch, just like she and my great-grandmother did years ago. Funny how some of life's best lessons come in the weirdest times....

Another thing I have realized is that I don't miss having a cell phone. At all. My phone never rings during the day and it doesn't both at me. The only reason I even have a cell phone is in case I need to call school for something or to get in touch with Elena regarding the kids. I only send an ocassional text message. Cell phone service here in Spain works weird. (Along with everything else!) All incoming calls are free. Text messages are always extra. And plans vary in price depending on how many minutes per day you are allotted and what time of the day you can make calls. I actually have a pay-as-you-go plan. Texts are a lot cheaper than phone calls. Once I get my residency card, I will probably get a plan that has the bare minimums, just because I've had to recharge my phone once already.

Remember yesterday when I asked if I could ever go through a day without breaking out in sweat before 8:30? Well, I accomplished that feat today, but only because it was raining. And even still, I managed to get wet :( I did figure out this morning that if I catch the train at 8:45 from the transfer station, it's a lot less crowded than the one that comes two minutes earlier. I missed the first train that was packed like sardines. Two minutes later another one came. I was shocked at how empty it seemed compared to the other ones. I did a double take and had to make sure I was on the right metro!

Today, I had a first grade class, a fifth grade class, and a third grade class. The first grade class was absolutely precious. The fifth grade class wants to talk all the time and in spanish! I made a deal with them. I told them that I am going to have a competition between the three fifth grade classes. Each time a class speaks in English one hundred percent of the time, they will receive a point. Whoever has the most points by the end of the term (December) will have a party. They seemd up to the challenge. The funny thing is, when they ask me something in Spanish, I tell them "No hablo espanol." Which of course, they make a face and tell me that I'm speaking it! I laugh and say it's a joke, but tell them that during English class, we have to talk in English. It's even hard for me, because I have to stop myself from answering questions they ask in Spanish, since I know what they're saying.

My third grade class was laughing at me because I was having the hardest time learning their names. I explained to them that I have 400+ names to learn and they have it easy because they only have to learn my name. On top of that, these are Spanish names! I asked some of the teachers for class lists and also made some seating charts for two of the classes I had today. It's funny to me, because several of the boys are named Nacho, short for Ignacio. It's so weird calling them by the name of one of my favorite foods!

I am looking forward to the weekend, even though I have tons of reading and two papers to write. I'm really excited to write my paper for my Democracy of Eastern Europe class because we have to discuss Serbia's potential membership in the European Union. It will be fun to be able to write about something that I know information about!

Today in Theology, I had a quiz and I didn't know two of the questions on it. Not good. One of the questions was what does JEPD stand for. I had no clue, so I named people in the bible. Of course it was wrong. But at least I made an valiant effort :)

I have also decided that I am going to make my calf muscles even fatter as the year progresses. I walk several flights of stairs a day - at the metro stations, at school, at work. All while carrying a fifteen pound backpack. And the least thing I want right now is a bigger calf muscle. I can never squeeze those suckers into boots and it makes me quite mad. On a positive note, I am burning calories. Which is a good thing, because I can't afford new clothes right now. (Sidenote, I cannot wait to get my mouth on a neopolitana in the morning. Yes folks, it's time for my weekly treat!)

Has anyone seen the trailer for the new season of Grey's?

Quote of the Day: "Happiness is a choice that requires effort at times." -Anon