Quite the boring day....63/57.

Man I know how to rally the troops. I am so good, I should become a motivational speaker. A professional one at that. Yesterday, I mentioned that I wanted to know exactly how many people of you are following my blog and I have answered my own question in the process. One person (Natasha!) actually started following me and a co-worker of my mother also told me she was following, but wasn't quite sure how to officially follow me. Man, I'm good at what I do! (How pathetic am I?!)

I really don't have that much to write about today....quite a boring day, believe it or not. The only exciting part of my day was running into my old Spanish professor in the cafeteria at school. I have not seen him since the first week of classes or somewhere in there and he is one of my favorites! He gave me a huge hug and asked me where I have been!!!! He then told me that I needed to take his spanish class next semester (which I was already planning on doing!) I told him I was doing horrible in Spanish this semester and when I told him who my professor was, he said that the entire world suffers with that professor. I told him I got a C on my mid-term, and he said that's not right because he knows what I am capable of. So that made me feel better! And, to make me feel even better, he also pointed out that I look like I have been losing weight! Not that I believe it, but hey, it works!

This weekend, I have the entire flat to myself. The family is leaving tomorrow afternoon to go to Isabel's village. Monday is another holiday! All Saints Day. They are going to her village so on Monday they can go to the cemetery where her Grandmother is buried to pay their respects. I am looking forward to having a quiet home and also having the opportunity to cook for myself!!!! I think a trip to the grocery store is necessary. Oh. And a trip to the bakery to buy fresh bread. I'm so excited!!!! I need to start planning my menu now! :)

Quote of the Day: "You don't have to come and confess, we're looking for you. We're gonna find you, we're gonna find you. So you can run and tell that, run and tell that, run and tell that, homeboy!" -Antoine Dodson, better known as the bed Intruder dude. (I know I shouldn't find this funny. It's so not funny, because this entire song has been spurned by the fact that someone was trying to commit a rape. But I am just amazed at how we have latched onto this. I heard that this man has actually received enough profits from the sale of the song, that he has moved his family out of the projects. Sad that we live in a world like this today though. If you don't know what I'm talking about, go to youtube and look up bed intruder song!)

Spanish word of the day: disfraz - costume (like a Halloween costume or a disguise)

Prayer request of the day: Please pray for a co-worker of mine, who has been out of work for the past two weeks. I hear she is suffering from deep depression.

Please follow! 62/58.

Okay, I have a selfish request. I know what you're thinking. How could a humble person of my caliber actually ask something of others? Oh stop it, you're making me blush :) According to my blog, I only have fifteen followers. Two of which are myself, because I didn't know what I was doing at first. So that drops it down to thirteen. But then I will hear from someone that they are reading my blog or that someone told them they were reading my blog. So my one request is the following: if you are following me and reading this regularly, could you PLEASE follow it? It's not that difficult to do. I just want to know who is actually reading this, that's all. Please and thank you! Now back to our regularly scheduled programming....

I have finally come to terms with my Spanish class. Today after work, I stayed and a friend/co-worker helped me. She also commented how difficult my work is and that it is a VERY advanced level of Spanish. Anyways, I actually did fairly well with this lesson. Plus, it's always nice to have free lessons! My co-worker is bilingual in Spanish and French and I have been wanting to pick French up for quite some time. They always say that the second foreign language is easier to learn! So, once I get everything mastered in Spanish, then she is also going to teach me French! I'm so excited!!!! I also received a paper back in class today and I am happy to report my paper was not bleeding red like it normally does!

This afternoon I had to go back to the doctor's office because my ear has still not healed completely. I still have pressure and can hear myself talk :( It feels clogged. So, I went back and he looked in my ears and said I have wax build-up and he wanted to refer me to a specialist. I convinced him to see if cleaning out my ears first would work before I went to the specialist. Who of course, probably won't speak Spanish. Not that I couldn't do it, its just that there are some things I prefer to do in English. So, I have to put drops in both ears for the next week. Next Tuesday (because Monday is a holiday!), I will go back and he will do one of those syringing procedures with hot water. I hope this works because I don't want to visit the ENT doctor :( I do not like these new drops at all. I guess they are already working, because I feel the pressure inside my ear, but it's uncomfortable :(

On the way to the doctor's office, I took the metro from school. The walk to get out of the metro station was a journey in itself. Up escalators, down more escalators, through another platform, up more escalators, up a moving sidewalk thingy, more escalators, until alas, finally, the exit. It was like a neverending maze.

Why is it that Kentucky is always in the news for awful things? Can we ever make the news for good reasons without all of the foolishness and debauchery? National news, that is. The Rand Paul organizer from Bourbon County stomping on the head of the moveon.org activist who was a WOMAN?! Really, that's just uncalled for. Two men pulled her down and assaulted her. I don't care if you are republican, democrat, libertarian, or apathetic. Violence is never correct. Way to go Kentucky!!!!

On a sad note, did anyone see where Paul the Octopus passed away? So sad!!!! He is a national hero in Spain!

Quote of the Day: "I like my money where I can see it....hanging in my closet."
Spanish Word of the Day: dolor de oido  -ear infection. (I thought this was appropriate, given my situation!)
Prayer Request: that my ear will heal and I won't have to go see the ENT doctor

Sarah and the Giant Food List 61/59.

The countdown is on! We have passed the halfway point, which means there are less days remaining than there are days that I have been living in Madrid if that makes any sense. These first two months have flown by so fast. Which means I am closer and closer to seeing my wonderful family and friends. I am so excited! Although like my mother pointed out, I will probably be ready to come back to Madrid by the end of the two weeks! I don't know about that one! This weekend at the retreat, we did talk about the ups and downs are moving to a different place and then what happens when you return and how it is a never-ending cycle of the honeymoon phase, a gradual decline that eventually leads to a crisis or being homesick, then a steady climb of adjusting and adapting. Only to have the cycle repeat itself when you go back home. It's called the W-curve. Even though this was my second time to Madrid, it was still hard and there were some times where I caught myself crying after I finished talking to or Skyping with my family and close friends. Those days are gone, but there are still some days that are hard. Like missing out on family events. Or like yesterday when a good friend of mine got married and I wasn't there to see it. But that's just part of moving away....

Today was quite exciting because I got a package at school today from my Uncle Bart. It was full of Halloween candy, a bag of potato chips (regular size bag!), blue cheese dressing (now all I have to do is find some hot wings), and some other things. Oh, and a package of golden oreos, which are my guilty pleasure. I felt like a little kid in a candy store! Since I have a replenishment of goodies, this means I can go ahead and open up the package of sour patch kids and golden oreos that I have been holding out on. I am going to gain so much weight when I come home!!!! I have a long list of food that I cannot wait to eat upon my return. If anyone wants to treat me to breakfast, lunch, or dinner, let me know! I'm great company! Only thing is you will have to pick me up :) I have been craving the following: spicy chicken wings and pink lemonade from Indi's, fajita nachos and or/burrito from Qdoba, General Tso's chicken from Double Dragon, a Chicken Philly Club from Penn Station (with a large lemonade), unlimited chips and hot salsa from Tumbleweed, a Caramel Appled Spiced Cider and White Chocolate Mocha from Starbucks, a frisco or chicken fingers salad from Rafferty's with extra Garlic-Ranch dressins, Pasta Carrabba from Carrabba's, Bang Bang Shrimp (or the tacos) from Bonefish, omg a dozen Krispy Kreme glazed donuts, hot off the belt, a Cinnabon, Homemade Pie Kitchen, and whatever else I can get my hands on. This is in addition to the Thanksgiving meal Mimi will be cooking at dinner. Yes, I know I sound extremely fat right now, but ask me if I care....NOPE!!!! (My poor stomach will be having a terrible time however, eating all of that processed food! But since I only have two weeks, I need to make the most of it!)

So, according to msn.com, the minivan is making a comeback. Excuse me, I thought the minivan was always in style! My mother has been pushing one around for the past twenty five years or something like that! I mean come on, we have had every style of minivan there is. The old school kind with the ladder on the back door. (That was the first one I remember, the light blue one.) Then there was the maroon minivan and the gray one with the double dutch doors. Or was it the maroon one with the dutch doors and the rear wiper? We thought we were big stuff with those suckers! And then there is the current one, the tan one.  I remember when we first got a van with rear air. And now the tan one has rear air AND rear heat. Boo-ya! How you like those apples?! (In the words of my best friend, Ronnie George.) So excuse me, MSN, minivans have always been in style. The Trainor family was at the forefront of vehicular fashion, thank you very much. Actually, I've never known anything but a minivan. I mean, that's what I learned to drive in after all. And that's what I will be driving when I come back for Christmas, because my stingy father will not let anyone drive his beloved new car. How rude. Although, to be honest, I'm a little scared of driving now, because for the past two months, I have been watching Spanish people drive. And trust me, they take driving to a whole new level. Actually, I'm not scared of driving. It's just that I don't want to drive. I'll just be a bum again like I was for the last three weeks I was at home in August. Being a bum is so much fun!

I had a really good day today. Still on a high from the retreat. I invited one co-worker (the lady who I had the discussion about church with and who asked me if I was atheist during our conversation when I was helplessly explaining the meaning of being non-denominational) and her family (two of my students) to the Thanksgiving dinner our church will be having in a month! Not sure if she is a catolica practicante (practicing Catholic or not, but God put it on my heart to invite her! I also had a conversation with another co-worker, who had previously asked me about meeting every once in awhile so I could help her with English and she would help me with Spanish. I prayed for her this weekend at the retreat because I knew she had to have asked me for some reason to do this exchange, but I wasn't sure why. Today in our conversation, I found out that she is a Teresian, which is kind of like a nun, except she doesn't live in a convent or anything. She and the head of the school are both Teresians. Which means they actually practice their faith. Which is extremely hard to find someone who does so in Spain. I am really excited, because this is my first Christian friend outside of church! Plus not to mention she completely understood me when I told her I am a non-demoninational Christian! So exciting to see how quickly God works in our lives!

Quote of the Day: "If you want to leave your footprints on the sands of time, be sure you're wearing work shoes"

Spanish Word of the Day: Comporta - behavior. (This is a word I learned quickly....Have to remind my students they need to have good behavior)

Prayer Request of the Day: Pray that my co-worker and her family will really come to the Thanksgiving dinner!

Back in the city 60/60.

Back to the hustle and bustle of the city....after spending a nice, relaxing weekend outside of Madrid, I returned this afternoon on the train. I am a city girl, always have been, always will be. But, every once in awhile it's refreshing to get out of the city. I left Friday afternoon and took the train to a town called San Rafael. It is located in the community (similar to our states) of Castilla y Leon and in the province of Segovia. We were only an hour and a half away from Madrid, but it seemed like we were so far away! The building we stayed in was kinda creepy when you looked at it from the outside. And the inside come to think of it. Not lying. The building was VERY old and the inside reminded me of the Haunted Mansion, complete with the huge circular chained chandeliers. The building was dimly-lit and there were some suspicious looking stains on the wall that we were unsure of.

But I really had a great weekend. The entire purpose of our retreat was to discuss and think about what is our purpose in being in Madrid and why God wanted each of us here. We talked about how the concept of missional living - living with a purpose and trying to make a difference here. Western Europe is one of the places where you would think is majority religious, but in reality, it's one of the places in the world where religion, especially Christianity is dying. The statistics are crazy. 75% of the country identifies as being Catholic, but 58% never attend mass. Even sadder, is that only 22% of Spaniards think that religious faith is something important to teach their children. So the question is, did God send me here to teach English or did he send me to do something greater than I ever imagined? A friend from church who lives two blocks away from me and I are going to start meeting at the local bar, hopefully once a week, in hopes of befriending some neighbors and to also pray for them. I am excited to see what God has in store and how he plans on using me!

Our schedule for the weekend was quite funny. It went something like this. Wake up, first breakfast, morning session. Second breakfast, session, lunch. Free time, snacking, session, dinner, free time. And repeat. Because all we do in Spain is eat. No, seriously, it was really nice and our group was small - only 18 people. So it was neat to meet and interact with new people. On Saturday, we took a hike during free time. Forget the fact that it took us an hour to find the hiking trail. (Hey, that's the spanish way of life. You do things without a plan!) Yes, I was gasping for air because we were pretty high up. (Such a shame that I worked out so hard during the summer, only to have my cardio plummet back down so quickly....) But it was totally worth it. It was so refreshing to not only have the fresh air, but also to see what an amazing artist God is. His masterpieces far exceed those of the famous painters.


San Rafael, Spain

Tonight, I unpacked my backpack. Which is something my mother nor my Grandmother would believe. I have been known to leave suticases sitting in the middle of my floor for months on end. My friend, Hassan, dropped his friends off at the airport, and then we met at a metro station. We went over to Malasana, a hippy neighborhood in the center of town and ate amazing calzones at an Italian restaurant. He had never been to this part of the city before. This area of town is what I would consider a "locals" hangout. I then went with him to the bus station in the south of the city. We have nicknamed this station, the sketchy station. I had never been to it before and probably won't go back unless I absolutely have to. It was cool to hangout with him again and we talked about trying to meet somewhere next month. Otherwise, I won't see him for another two months, when we both fly home together for Christmas.

On Friday, (yes, I know my chronology is out of order this blog....) I wore my Spanish national team jersey (football). The kids went crazy. They found it unbelievable that I was wearing it and that I liked the national team. All the kids in the hallway were just going nuts over it. My sixth grade class even applauded me as I walked in the door. Seriously. And of course, the Sara Carbonero name calling continued. Which, I've said it before and I'll say it again, I take as a complete compliment.

I hope everyone's weekend was enjoyable as mine. I pray that your week will start off on the right foot.

Quote of the Day: "For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again." -2 Corinthians 5:14-15 (Don't live missionally because it's something you think you should do. be compeled to do so.)

Spanish Word of the Day: La Flecha - the (computer) mouse

How you can pray for me: That I keep an open heart and mind to receive what God wants me to do here in Spain. 

Remembering my 94 crayons! 57/63.

Does anyone remember back in the 90´s (geez, that makes me sound old!) when Crayola introduced the Box of 94 crayons? With the colors like Robin´s Egg Blue and Granny Smith Apple and Macaroni and Cheese? I remember begging my mother to buy it for me. Naturally, she gave in. I thought I was hot stuff back then. Only to show up to school and see that everyone else in my class had 94 crayons as well. But that year with my 94 crayons was one of the best ever. I vividly remember being able to color something different shades of blues and greens, and any other hue for that matter. And then I think it was the next year that Crayola released a box with 100 colors or something like that. Ahh, the neverending economy.

Let´s flashforward to 2010. This week, I have had my students color pumpkins. We are reading a book and then coloring in celebration of Halloween....Some of the kids have just regular boxes of colored pencils and markers. But then there are those who have elaborate systems. At first I thought it was just a notebook that had a zipper - like the portfolios people carry around. Oh, how I was wrong. Once my students open those things up, it´s amazing. Endless amounts of markers and colored pencils. And of course, not one, but two pencil sharpeners. All perfectly kept, neat and in order. I have to admit, I´m a tad bit jealous. I mean, these things are like the coolest thing since sliced bread. Or maybe I´m a nerd and get overly excited about these kinds of things. Hmm....

Tonight, my friend from high school, Hassan was in Madrid. I had not seen him since we graduated, until this summer when we ran into each other on Baxter Avenue one night when we were out with the same group of people! He´s over in Spain teaching as well this year. With him, were two other girls from back home, so the four of us had a nice little evening. We ate dinner at this sandwich place which was awesome and cheap. (Even better!) Then we walked around Sol and ended up walking by the cathedral and palace at night. We completed our circle with a walk up Gran Via and back to Sol.

I leave for my retreat with church this weekend and really am looking forward to getting out of the city for the weekend, even if I´m only an hour train ride away. We have free time on Saturday, so I am hoping that the weather will be nice enough to allow us to go hiking. I have no hiking boots....My Timberlands are sitting in the bottom of my closet, collecting dust. I only brought a pair of tennis shoes with me, and those are really running shoes, not walking shoes. Ugh, they will have to do. (Why is it that as many pairs of shoes I have, the ones I should have brought with me, are sitting thousands of miles away from me??!! Think I will definitely be buying a pair of Sperry´s to bring back with me when I go home in TWO MONTHS!)

I will be sans my laptop this weekend. Shocking, I know. I will update later when I return to Madrid. Have a great weekend!

Quote of the Day: "Never place a question mark where God has placed a period."
Spanish Word of the Day: goloso/golosa - a person with a sweet tooth

The Return of Mr. Cocky 56/64.

Okay, it's official. I'm at war. With the jerk at school who thinks that it's okay to ignore a RESERVATION....Matter of fact, I just googled the definition of the word reservation:

1. The act of reserving; a keeping back or withholding.
2. Something that is kept back or withheld.
3. A limiting qualification, condition, or exception: has reservations about the proposal.
4. A tract of land set apart by the federal government for a specific purpose, especially one for the use of a Native American people.
5. a. An arrangement by which accomodations are secured in advanced, as in a hotel or on an airplane.
    b. The accomodations so secured.
    c. The record or promise of such an arrangement.
And just for good measure, here is the spanish definition:
1. Guarda o custodia que se hace de algo, o prevención de ello para que sirva a su tiempo. (This means the exact same thing as above....to save or guard something!)

I'm pretty sure if I looked this up in French, Swahili, Dutch, Korean, or even asked someone to sign it to me, I am more than positive that each language would tell me the exact same thing as mentioned above. So why on earth this man thinks he can completely ignore my reservation is beyond me. I told him that this cannot happen next week. I told him (note, I didn't ask him) that if he needed the room when I had it, to please tell me so we could arrange something. (See, even when I'm fuming, I am a nice person!) Then, I also explained to him once again, that I had the reservation and I am walking aimlessly through the school with eight-year old students and that it is completely unfair and rude of him. I am seriously thinking about printing off the definition of the word reservation in Spanish and giving it to him. Okay, the old Sarah would have done that. But the new Sarah has been trying to woosah and work on her attitude problems. But he is provoking me and I'm not sure how long this whole "I am trying not to go off on you" thing is going to last. I mean, seriously? Who died and told that you could do whatever you want, whenever you want!!!! Just saying. I am convinced he is doing this on purpose and it is really pushing my buttons! I have already decided that next month, if he beats me to the reservation sheet, I am going to return the favor and ignore HIS reservation. I refuse to go down without a fight!!!!

In other news, I have spoken with the majority of my professors regarding my mid-term grade. Unfortunately, the grade only reflects one assignment. I have been reassured that my essays were actually well-written, but were lacking a few details that needed to be addressed. One professor told me on the way out that I did "an excellent job on my mid-term." So if it was excellent, then why did you give me a B+??!! Why not an A!? Although I have heard that he rarely gives out A's. So a B+ from him is like an A. I guess I'll take it. No, but in all seriousness, I feel much better after today. Compared to how I felt yesterday.

I'm exciting tomorrow, because one of my friends from high school, who I got back in touch with over the summer, also happens to be teaching in Spain this year. He is coming to Madrid tomorrow evening, so we are going to hang out and then hopefully again this weekend! Although Madrid is home to me now, it's always nice to see someone from your real home!

This may be my last blog in a few days. I know you guys are going to be heartbroken. Depending on what time I get in tomorrow night, I may or may not blog. But I have decided to keep my laptop at home during the weekend, so that I can fully concentrate on the retreat.

Quote of the Day: "It's our interpretation of love and of others that gets in the way of having joyful lives."
Spanish Word of the Day: cosquillas - ticklish

Life with controlled heating 55/65.

First of all, let me just say how lucky I am to have friends from all over the world. One friend from school lives in Switzerland and went home this past weekend. She came back to campus today and brought with her, this gargantuous bag of chocolate. Now, chocolate in itself is amazing. But chocolate from Switzerland on the other hand? That deserves its own category. So here I am, happily typing away, and snacking on a piece of Swiss chocolate. I promise the next time I go to Switzerland, I will bring back a bag to share with everyone! It's that good. On to more important things....

I just realized that I have been clean for fifty five days. From Starbucks, that is. Shocking. I have yet to walk into a Starbucks here. For those of you who know me well, I have been addicted to Starbucks BEFORE Starbucks became this huge globalized company. I was a mere eleven years old and fell in love with Starbucks (in Seattle, nonetheless) back in 1997. That was a full five years before the first one hit Louisville. And considering the fact that I practically lived at Starbucks with my friend Jessica during the summer, this is quite the feat. Starbucks just doesn't mean the same to me without being able to order drinks like Caramel Apple Spiced Cider (my fall drink) or a non-fat white chocolate mocha (my winter drink). No, I think I'll just save money and wait until I can go on a binge back home!

I received all of my mid-term grades today. Considering the fact that I have been out of school for two years, they're decent. The thing I hate about mid-terms though is that they only reflect one assignment. At least now I know what my professors are expecting. They weren't as good as I would like them to be, but they could have been far worse. The good news is, I did better than I expected on my Spanish test that I was dreading! And here I was thinking I was going to fail it. (I'm pretty sure he was more than generous with a curve as well!) Professors here though really like to use the plus and minus signs when giving out grades. Which can bring down your GPA if you're on the minus end....

In more important news, I'm rich!!!! Tonight, one of my families whom I give private lessons to, told me they wanted to raise my pay by 33%! I told them that was not necessary, but they insisted. (Hey, at least I offered!)

One thing I learned tonight is that the heat in my apartment building only stays on from 3 pm until 9 pm. The entire building has controlled central heat and these are the only hours it stays heated. Apparently, the government of Spain is trying to regulate the use of heat, thus the controlled schedule. My mother would not be able to make it!!!! This really helps me out a lot, considering I leave the house at 8:50 am, come back at 1:15 pm, leave again at 2:00 pm and arrive home at 8:45 pm....Just saying. What about people who work third shift? I'm beginning not to like this whole controlled heating thing. What am I going to do when it gets cold? Oh yes, risk my life by sleeping with an electric blanket. The perfect solution!

More tomorrow.

Quote of the Day: "Choose to live so it will matter that you did."
Spanish Word of the Day: (in honor of my mother) Tiritar - to shiver

Freeze Like a Popsicle 54/66.

The title of today's blog pretty much sums up how I have been feeling. Funny how I used to play this game with my students when it was raining and we couldn't have recess and now here I am using it to desribe myself. I am not going to survive this winter. It has been in the 50's and today I was freezing. A co-worker was making fun of me today because I was walking around the building with my jacket on. I am really turning into my mother! Scary! Just kidding, Mom. Really, I am! Love you! But anyways, he was teasing me, saying it was only October and it wasn't even winter yet. What makes it worse is the windows here do NOT have double panes. So the cold air goes straight in and stays. I've even bought an electric blanket. Which is even more scary considering the fact I almost DIED from a freak accident with an electric blanket. I slept through my own flesh burning. If you don't believe me, ask my mother or ask to see my scar the next time you see me! Anyways, I have decided that the reason why I am so cold is because my lazy behind is accustomed to walking out the door, sliding into a warm, heated car, and driving on my merry way to wherever it was I was going. (Okay, the heated car part is a lie....I never woke up early enough to run out and let me car run. In fact, I was notorious for pulling, I mean, ripping out of the driveway, frosty windows and all. I would then spray the windshield, only to be reminded that liquid sprayed on top of frozen ice does not melt it. It simply makes more ice....But you know what I mean....) I am not used to WALKING in the cool weather. This is going to take some adjusting to....Today, I wore leggings, a skirt, boots, a scarf, and jacket and I was STILL cold. At this rate I'm going to need thermal underwear, a heated bra, and boots with the fur. (Alas, I can guarantee you I will be without the Apple Bottom jeans. Sadly, since I have no sweatpants with me, there will also be no reeboks with the straps....Yes, I'm such a Debbie Downer.) As much complaining as I do, I'd rather be freezing instead of sizzling like a well done steak in the pits of the underworld, also known as the metro.

This morning as I was shivering like a penguin up in the North Pole, (oh wait, do penguins really shiver? I mean, they live in the North Pole for a reason....,) I passed the group of people who think they have all the power, more commonly known as the parking police. These people stay on top of their job! They walk the streets of Madrid, peeking in windshields, checking for parking stubs. I promise they sit in front of cars just to give them a ticket. Every morning, I pass one group of the overachievers club. They congregate every morning at the same spot. I'm sure they pump each other up. Their supervisor gathers them in a circle every morning and I'm sure they all discuss ways to hand out parking tickets. Quite funny if you ask me. And since I don't have a car for them to potentially write me a ticket for, they don't bother me. I wonder though if they will cease their competitiveness once it turns to winter....

Today at school, I read a Halloween-themed book to my students and they really liked it. Afterwards, I let them color a pumpkin. One of the students told me that her mother had told her that Halloween is quite tonta (foolish/stupid) because it's supposed to be a holiday to honor the dead and that basically, we as Americans, make a mockery out of it. I told my student that in the United States, it's a different type of holiday for us. We then ended up having a discussion about cultural differences and why it's a good idea to learn about other cultures. Pretty deep discussion for fourth graders if you ask me.

Quote of the Day: "You must begin to think of yourself as becoming the person you want to be." -David Viscott
Spanish Word of the Day: Truco o Trato - trick or treat

Hello, Fall! 53/67

I have finally given up on summer and the beyond unbearable temperatures. Tonight, I packed away the shorts, bathing suit, capris, flip flops, and other summer necessesities and placed them in an extra laundry bin I had bought and put it on top of the bed. The weather here has dropped down to the 50's at night, a stark contrast from the 100 degree temperatures I was complaining about only a month ago. What a huge change! I guess it's time to start wearing the gloves, hats, scarves, and jackets. The only thing I need to find are some leg warmers since I will be walking everyday.

I can't believe another weekend has come to an end. So sad, really it is. On Saturday, I spent the morning sleeping in and it felt so good. The kids and I ate lunch and then, I hate to admit this, but I took a nap! I then started getting ready for church, something I was looking forward to. I really do love my church! Afterwards, we all traipsed across the street to our usual post-church bar meeting spot. (Hey, don't judge us! This is Europe!!!! They drink alcohol like it's water over here. And no, Mom, this can't be classified as a cafe, sorry. And no, I did not partake either. I happily sipped on my Fanta Limon.) After hanging out for an hour or so, some of us went to the English movie theatre in town. It was an awesome night, hanging out with friends. Amy, who is my foodie guide to Madrid, introduced me to this amazing restaurant in Sol, that sells falafel. You can choose if you want a pita or a salad. And if you get the salad, you get free refills! After our gluttonous fest, we walked over to the theatre and watched Social Network, which was really a good movie. I realized that I am a true facebooker, because I was on Facebook when it was Thefacebook.com! Seems so long ago that you needed a college email to join. And now everyone and their mother (mine included) is on it. But the movie was really funny. Actually, hilarious is a better word. Afterwards, we walked around the center of the town, hopped in and out of a few places, and then headed home.

This morning, I slept in, AGAIN. Ate lunch, and took a nap. Geez, that is such a bad habit to get into and I really need to do something with my life! I read some more and actually finished my book. Now onto the next one! Then we ate dinner, watched a movie, and here I am, sitting in my room.

I am desperately trying to find some vegetable oil over here. My friends at school really want me to fry some chicken for them and I refuse to do it in anything other than the real stuff. Yes, the fattening stuff. Add vegetable oil to the list of things I'm bringing back with me. This list is getting longer and longer. And naturally, I still cannot think of anything to bring back with me :(

Depressing times, indeed....

Quote of the Day: "The more I think of it, the more I realize there are no answers. Life is to be lived." -Marilyn Monroe
Spanish word of the day: Ratoncito Perez: toothfairy

You're an Atheist??!! 51/69.

Oh, how I live for the weekends. It's true. Actually, I live for Thursdays as well. Because you see, Thursday is the last full day of the week for me. It's my last day of classes for the week. Fridays are a half day for me, since I only work until 1:10 pm, so they are a breeze. Usually, I'm so tired come Friday afternoon, all I want to do is crawl in the bed and sleep the day away. Some of you are probably asking why I keep the schedule I do. Truth is, if I don't stay busy, I become a very lazy person. I need to have a strict schedule in order to manage my time. I am a strong Type-A personality who thrives under pressure. So always feeling pressed for time, is actually a good thing for me. It makes me stay on top of things!

Today was the feast of Saint Teresa of Jesus. She is another patron saint of Spain, who was born in Avila, Spain. She was quite the "rebel" and was what we would consider a feminist. Except she lived in the 16th century. To say she took a lot of flak for her beliefs would be quite the understatement. She was also a writer, whose work influenced later saints, including Saint Enrique, who is considered the founder of our school. So that's why we were celebrating Saint Teresa today....The students/teachers at the school consider themselves Teresians. The kids have been selling little keychains all week of Saint Teresa and the girls have been hounding me since Wednesday. I finally gave in and bought one and it made their day! Anyways, we spend the entire morning doing various activities - games out on the patio, singing in the auditorium, and a little celebration assembly in honor of Saint Teresa.

Some of my co-workers were asking me after the assembly what I thought about it. Told them it was great, but that I really didn't know much about Saint Teresa since I'm not Catholic. Ended up having a long discussion with one of my co-workers. I realized that it is near impossible to describe what the word non-denomination means. In Western Europe, you're either Catholic or Protestant. Or Atheist. It's weird, because I have to tell people I'm protestant in order for them to understand that I'm not an atheist. In the states, I would never say I'm Protestant. We would simply say we attend a non-denominational church and it would be understood. Not the scenario here. They don't understand that there are so many different forms of the Protestant religion. It's either one or the other to them. So this conversation I had today was quite interesting. Try explaining a concept to another person that doesn't exist in their culture. In their language. But, conversations like this make me love living here. Because the conversation ends up being a lesson for both parties. I've learned to tell people I'm Protestant (in order to avoid being labeled an Atheist) and my co-worker learned (somewhat) about the different types of churches we have in the states.

The rest of my day was spent in relaxation. I called my doctor to follow-up. Explained to him that my ear still felt clogged, so he told me to go buy some ear drops and use it over the weekend. If it doesn't clear up by Monday, then I have to go back in for another appointment :( I am fervently hoping that the drops will work. On a good note, the drops cost me less than two euros.

Funny thing today, was that I wore my glasses because my eyes were still fatigued from all the studying I've put them through all week. The kids thought this was the surprise of the year. They all kept saying, "Sarah, llevas gafas?!" (Sarah, you wear glasses?!) It was cracking me up. Funny how kids are intrigued by the most simple things. But this was the same last year back home. My students would point out to me when I parted my hair a different way. They are so attentive!

Today, another one of my students gave me another silly band. Here, they are called magic bands and they are taking Spain by storm. And may I add that they get more bang for their buck here. In the states, the silly bands come in packs of twelve, but here you get 24! I swear my students try to have a competition to see who can come to school wearing the most silly bands, err magic bands. I have little first-graders who has a wristful of thirty or so of the bands. Personally, I love silly bands. I bought some back home before I left. Sadly, I gave them away. (Note to mom, don't forget about my replacement ones - the beach themed ones at Walgreens! I miss my sunglasses and palm tree!) I picked up a pack at the store the other day. Mind you, they are princess-themed bands, complete with high heeled shoes and a crown. How fitting for me! But as a teacher, these little plastic things are the work of the devil himself. The kids are always so distracted by them, it drives me insane! I have to consficate those things every class! Or tell the kids to put them away before I add to my collection. They need to ban the things from school to be honest. With an exemption for teachers, of course :)

I hope everyone has a safe, yet relaxing weekend! Will someone take a picture of the leaves changing colors and send it to me please? There aren't many trees in the middle of the city :( I guess I will have to make a trip to the park to go see some....

Spanish word of the day: Fin de, which is short for fin de semana. (weekend)
Quote of the Day: "It is love alone that gives worth to all things." -Saint Teresa of Avila

Sarah and el idiota 50/70.

Well folks, I survived mid-terms of Fall 2010. In the words of Madea, "Hallelujer!" I thought I was going to pass out today of exhaustion. Last night, I finally went to sleep around 3:00 am. I studied the majority of the time, but I also had a live stream going of the Chilean mine rescue. Being the history buff that I am, I forced myself to stay awake until the last miner had been rescued. What an amazing story, that really captivated the entire world. I was ready to go back to sleep as soon as I woke up. I kept yawning during work, wondering how I was ever going to make it until 8:30 pm. But, I made it. And now, here I am, sitting in the bed, before 10 pm.

The worst one of all my mid-terms was the one in Spanish. And I promise that my professor made it hard on purpose, just so he could smile about it. Not lying and no I'm not thinking crazy thoughts. I promise after he handed out our test, there was a smirk coming from his face, that said, "haha, you're all going to fail!" Dead serious. At one point, I looked up, and he was leisurely reading a magazine and stretching his feet (directly in front of me, might I add.) And each time he had that smirk on his face. I knew it was going to be hard when my co-worker from work (who is from Spain) looked at what I was studying and was like, OMG! We had to write two in-class essays as part of the test, in addition to other exercises. He announced there were three minutes remaining and then proceeded to push in his chair and stand up in front of the class. Um, no pressure? I'd rather bury that test in my head. Better yet, can I call in Leonardo Dicaprio and team to come and extract that scene out of my head???? PLEASE? By the last mid-term (following a presentation and the spanish mid-term,) I was physically, mentally, and emotionally drained. It took all I had in me to teach my private English class tonight.

Spanish men are so cocky/stubborn. Okay, so that's a generalization. Not all of them all. Like my co-workers for example. Well, except for one....But the rest of them, are great. I get so mad at them on the streets though, when I'm walking. They expect ME (out of all people,) to move out of their path, even though clearly I was there first. So me being the hard-head, I refuse to move until they do. Like I'm going to move for you. It's different if it's an elderly man, but other than that, no exceptions. Just plain rude. So I've told you this before, but to remind you, but all the teachers move throughout the building. Since I am the conversational teacher, I need my own room. So, I've been using the auditorium in the building. Last week, one of the coordinators put up a reservation sheet and I reserved the room for the entire month. Well today, some idiot decides that he needed to use the room. From the high school. He decided to cross my name off of the schedule and insert his name. I was mad! I knocked on the door and POLITELY told him that I had made the reservation. He then had the nerve to tell me that, yes, he knew, but that I couldn't reserve the room all the time and he needed it. Excuse me?! I then, more sternly, told him that I had the reservation and he clearly marked out my name. Our school doesn't have a binding legal code that says there is a limit on how many times you can reserve the room. A reservation is a reservation. Then, he tries to go and talk to MY coordinator, Griselda. We let him have the room, but I'm getting the last laugh because she's talking to HIS coordinator tomorrow. Or was going to talk to him this afternoon. How rude! Yet another reason why my Grandma has nothing to worry about me finding a Spaniard to fall in love with. We'd butt heads too much. (I'm getting mad even as I type this. Just to think of the nerve he had!!!!)

Well, I'm going to sleep. I'm exhausted. Everyone pray that my ear will decide to "un-pop" itself tomorrow. I really need to hear out of both ears. Imagine how hard it is teaching with one ear! Oh, and by the way, today, two parents told me that they can see a difference with their children and their English comprehension since I've started working with them! Good to know that I'm doing something right! (Take that, Mr. Cocky!)

Quote of the Day: "No person has the right to rain on your dreams." -Marian Wright Edelman

Self-Explanatory 49/71.

Tonight's Blog:

I DESPISE mid-terms. That is all. More tomorrow. Unless I have committed myself to a psychiatric ward before then....

Quote of the Day: "I was with God and the devil. And I reached out for God." -Mario Sepulvda, the 2nd of 33 Chilean miners to be rescued. (Side note, if you have not had a chance to watch any of the live rescue feed, please go to so. It is absolutely too amazing to put into words.)

Do I have to go back to work tomorrow?? 48/72.

This is random, but Kit Kats don't taste the same to me here. Being a HUGE fan of white chocolate, I bought a white kit-kat from the chino store tonight. Something just doesn't taste right. I don't know what it is.

Anyways, I have discovered one things that Spaniards are actually on time for. Well, I guess I should say early for. Spaniards are one of the least punctual people I have ever met. Everything they do is late (compared to our standards, that is.) Starbucks doesn't open until 8 am. (Can you imagine people in the states not getting their coffee until 8 am??!!) We eat lunch no earlier than 2 pm. Dinner is eaten no earlier than 9 pm. When people go out to a disco (club), the party doesn't start until 1 am. I don't know about you all, but the last time I went out back home, I was ready to LEAVE at 1 am. Spaniards have no worries whatsoever about the time. When I received my debit card in the mail and called to activate it, the lady told me it would arrive in three to ten days. Well, I just received it yesterday. And I activated my card a month ago....

However, the only thing I have yet to see Spaniards be prompt for is to see a movie at the theatres. Tonight, the girls and I finally went to see Cartas a Julieta (Letters to Juliet.) I saw the movie when it first came out back home, back in May. But I was excited to see it again, and in Spanish! The movie was at 6:30. We walked from the flat to the theatre, a walk that took about fifteen minutes. We were technically five minutes early for the movie. And don't you know, it was sold out already. Out of all things to be on time for, they are most concerned about the movie theatre??!! Thankfully, I pulled out my handy Blackberry and we discovered there was a movie theatre right around the corner. We walked over and bought our tickets. No joke, the movie was filled with elderly women. I'm beginning to think that we came during the senior citizen discount hour. They were all dolled up, wearing their furs and everything! The concept of the movie theatre is quite different in Spain. You have assigned seats. And they have ushers who direct you to your seat. I guess it prevents the problem we have of always leaving a gap in between people....Watching the movie got me excited though for my trip to Italy in December, especially since I will be going to Verona!

Can't believe tomorrow is Wednesday! Two days of classes, three days of teaching and then I have another weekend! Yipee! (If only we could flash forward to Thursday....)

Quote of the Day: "Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person." -Mother Teresa

Seeing the light! 47/73.

I am beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Another mid-term knocked off my to-do-list. Today, I took my mid-term in my Modern Democratic State class. I thought my essay was thorough and tetered on the brink of genius/masterpiece. Let's only hope that my professor agrees with me. With my fourth mid-term out of the way, I only have two left. Naturally, the one I dread the most is on Thursday, so I will either have a good weekend, a bad weekend, or will be too tired to care. Let's hope it's the first one.

It seemed like the majority of people at the university decided to travel this weekend and take their own puente. However, I was the "perfect" student and showed up today. In December, I'm going to take my own puente the week of my birthday when I go to Italy, so I'm going to attend classes so when I do miss in December, it's not a big deal. After tomorrow, we have another holiday coming up on November 1st. (I will be slaving away for MTV Europe on this day) and another one on November 9th, a Tuesday, which means there will be a puente on November 8th. I was told today by the father of two of my students that outside of Spain, puentes don't exist. I think he's right. I mean, what's going to happen when (and if) I come back to the states. I'm going to be programmed to ovserve puentes. I can see it now - telling my boss at work, "I'm not going to come in on Monday because we have a holiday on Tuesday." Not a good idea. I saw on msn.com this morning an article for the ten things to say that will surely get you fired from your job. I'm pretty sure this would be one of the ten things to say.

Why is it that when you are looking for something, it's never available??!! It's so frustrating to me! Tonight after class, I walked with my friend to El Corte Ingles (the super megastore of Spain), in hunt of a Real Madrid hoodie. We walked to the one near school and I must say, their selection was a bare minimum. They only had a few Real Madrid jerseys and not a single Spanish national team jersey. Quite depressing. So, I'm going to get up in the morning and traipse over to the stadium and go to the Real Madrid store. I'm sure they will have a hoodie. Still shaking my head at myself for leaving one at home, but fifty pounds is fifty pounds. Especially when I was already paying an extra fifty dollars to check the second suitcase....The reason I'm in such a hurry to buy this is because, believe it or not, but it's getting chilly here. (Yes, this is coming from the person who would probably complain about it being hot even in Antartica.) It's only 65 degrees, but just the other day, we had temperatures in the high 80's. Such a drastic change.

So it looks like I'm going to be doing the majority of my traveling during Semana Santa, which is Easter Week here in Spain. I will have the entire week off, so it will be a perfect time to travel. Guess I need to start saving now! Speaking of saving, I have decided to limit myself to one trip per month to the American store. Today I walked in and discovered they had brought in ginger ale, cherry coke, and bleu cheese dressing. Oh, and they also had 3 Musketeers bars! So, I bought a few cans of ginger ale, cherry coke, and a 3 musketeer. No bleu cheese dressing for me. I also passed up the bag of jolly ranchers they had sitting on the counter. And the double stuffed oreos. I couldn't bring myself to pay nine euros for them. Somehow, paying twelve dollars for a pack of oreos doesn't seem logical nor economical. That's robbery!

Well, tomorrow is officially my holiday. I have absolutely nothing to do. Well except for studying, buying my sweatshirt, and trying to save the world. Not necessarily in that order :)

Quote of the Day: "It's really hard to walk in a single woman's shoes - that's why you sometimes need really special shoes!" -Carrie Bradshaw, Sex and the City (I have to agree with her wholeheartedly....yet, for me, the word sometimes is completely stricken from this quote....)

Here we go....46/74.

Week 2 of mid-terms commences tomorrow. When the rest of Spain is on vacation. I wish the words here we go were had a positive effect for me. But they really don't....

I have a huge list of things I am bringing back with me to Spain in January. Sweatpants. A box of cards. Stationary. And a stack of movies. I have tried to stream movies online and it is impossible! Tonight, I attempted to watch Eat, Pray, Love online. I finally found a version that allowed me to watch it sans setting up a "free account" with some stupid provider. Only to find out that this version was in Swedish or something. Maybe I should have watched it with my friend Vikki. She would have been able to translate for me :) Of course, bringing things back with me means I will have to swap things out, in order to maintain the one hundred pounds of luggage I am limited to. I guess some clothes will have to go home, as well as maybe a few pairs of shoes. Or, I could throw away flip flops and buy new ones in the spring....there's a thought :) Geez, this is going to be hard.

I slept in today until one o'clock!!!! Last night, I woke up at 4 am with another pain in my ear. I freaked out because there was a bloody fluid coming out of my ear and I called my mommy :( I popped some more ibuprofen and eventually fell back asleep around 6 or 6:30. We had lunch around three and then I met my friend Brenna for coffee and dessert. I was planning on going home, but then I called Sol, to see if I could come over on Tuesday, instead of today. She asked me where I was, and told me that Vicky (her daughter) and Santiago (the baby) were at her house and it was a surprise for me! Naturally, I hopped on the metro and visited with them. I had not seen Vicky in over two years and I was so excited to finally meet Santiago. he is absolutely adorable!

I came home just in time for dinner. (Gosh, my timing is impeccable when it comes to food!) We ate the Spanish version of hot dogs and french fries and then watched the rest of the movie, "The First Knight." I was able to talk with Mom and Dad both tonight and now here I am, sitting in the bed. I need to finish prepping for my mid-term tomorrow....

We all need to start praying now that I do well on my Spanish mid-term on Thursday. I'm already dreading it. I cannot wait to take the English-Spanish translation class next semester. I think that will really help me out. But first, I need to pass this class. And I hear that even native speakers get a C in his class. Not good!!!! That doesn't help me at all.

Once again, let me take this time to vent my frustration to my school. Why can't we celebrate Spanish puentes again? Why is it that I must go to school tomorrow and we are the only university in the entire city of Madrid that will be in class tomorrow???? And to add insult to injury, I have to take a mid-term? I am secretly hoping that my two professors who are Spanish will decide to stay true to their country and take a puente. But I'm not counting on it. I mean, neither of them went on strike, so I'm fairly certain they will be in class tomorrow. Grrr....

Okay, enough ranting for tonight. I'm getting all worked up. For nothing. Story of my life....(insert sound of Fanta Limon can opening....such a holic, I am!!!!)

Quote of the Day: "There will be an answer. Let it be." -The Beatles

Rain, Rain, Go Away 45/75

I woke up this morning to the sound of rain, pittering and pattering on the window. I don't know if it was the rain, the medicine, or the fact that I was really tired, but I slept in until 11 am! I ate Corn Flakes for breakfast, to avoid a repeat of yesterday morning. The funny thing was though, I was trying to put sugar in my cereal. Even though it wasn't in the same bowl, I poured the white substance in my bowl. Took one bite and realized I had "salted" my cereal instead of sweetening it. YUCK!!!!

After breakfast, I was cracking up because Lourdes and Isabel were having a typical mother/daughter spat. What was even funnier, was that it was your typical Sarah/Bernetta spat, circa 2000-August 2010. They were arguing about Lourdes and her jeans. She kept saying she needed to buy new ones and Isabel kept insisting she had plenty. Totally familiar. What made it even more familiar was that Isabel marched into Lourdes' room, pulled out jeans, and made her try them on and show the Dad. Scary! That is a page straight from the national bestseller, "How to raise your daughter" by Bernetta Trainor. Even more scary is that I remember having this same argument with Mom two months ago. I was saying that I needed something for my trip and Mom was telling me I had fifty million of whatever it was I needed upstairs in my closet. She was probably right....

Anyways, the girls all ended up going shopping. In the rain. Another reason why I love this family - they are true shoppers! We went to Calle Serrano, which is the Spanish equivalent of 5th Avenue in New York. It was fun and we stayed out several hours! We came home and had a late lunch and then rested. No, I did not take a siesta today. We ended the day with a pancake party and watching part of the movie, "The First Knight" with my secret crush, Sean Connery.

So today, I noticed that people in Madrid drive however they want to. I mean, seriously. In the states, a red light means you stop. In Madrid, if no one is coming, you drive. People here also honk excessively. I mean, it's not logical to blast your horn continuously for two minutes all because you are trying to signal to the driver of the car who has blocked you in on the street that you are ready to leave.

I know some of you are going to find this hard to believe, but this stupid earache is actually making it uncomfortable to chew food. Being the overachiever that I am, I have pressed through the pain. I have NOT been deterred though in the guzzling fanta limon department. Things are going just fine with that.

Going to sleep now. More tomorrow.

Quote of the Day: "I want us to be extraordinary together, rather than ordinary apart." -Meredith Grey

Attack of the Killer Ear Day 2. 44/76.

I have decided to give my ear another chance. I know, I know, I have such a good heart. Today, I attempted to go to work. I made it through one class before I got sick. It was stupidity on my part. It's been so long since I've taken antibiotics, I forgot that you can't take the medicine on an empty stomach. And that's exactly what I did. The primary school director and the director of the entire school both sent me home and insisted on it. I kept telling them I was fine and that I don't like going home sick, but they left me no choice. Told me to rest over the next four days. I obliged. I wish I could say I came home and fell asleep, but no such luck.

For those of you that have not been fortunate enough to experience an ear infection, a fluid comes out of your ear if you have ruptured your eardrum. (I read it online. You can practically diagnose yourself nowadays!) Anyways, the entire morning and afternoon, I had to listen to my ear rid itself of this fluid. It was gross to look at, but kinda cool to hear. I can already tell a huge difference in the amount of pain. It's taken so much pressure off of my ear! I'm glad that antibiotic worked so quickly!

I did absolutely nothing all day today. I only dozed off once, for about thirty minutes. I heard the kids arrive home, so I woke up. We ended up watching the movie, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, in Spanish. It was fun to watch. I had not seen the movie in forever!

If I had to get sick, I couldn't have picked a better weekend. I have all day tomorrow and Sunday, Monday morning, and all day Tuesday to relax! (And study, of course!) I keep looking at my pile of books sitting on my desk. I think I will wait at least until Sunday to pick them up! The good thing about my test on Monday is that it's open-notes, so I won't have to go through excruciating lengths to study and prepare. I already know what's going to be on the test as well, so I just need to go thorugh my notes and highlight some things.

I think I am starting a new fashion trend with this cotton ball hanging out of my ear. The kids tonight thought it was very cool! :)

Quote of the Day: "We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope." -Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Attack of the Killer Ear. 43/77.

Hi, my name is Sarah Trainor and I want to cut off my left ear. No, I am not going "mad" like Vincent Van Gogh. And I can most certainly guarantee that if I ever cut off my ear, I will not proceed to give it to the local prostitute. But I can tell you that I am in excruciating pain right now, which is why I am up, blogging at 2:45 am :( Today around noon, my ear started to hurt and within and hour, the pain was unbearable. I called and made an appointment with the doctor and thankfully, they squeezed me in. This was only because I told her there was no way I was going to be able to wait until tomorrow to come in. That's how bad it hurt. I went to the university, took my Theology mid-term (which was more than a piece of cake for me!) and then came home. I don't know if I was having a flashback to when I was two or if it really hurt that bad, but I called Mimi and woke her up. In tears, I might add. I took some ibuprofen and tried to put some heat on my ear. This heat was in the form of my towel, which I warmed with my hair dryer. Naturally, this had to be repeated every minute, but it was the best thing I could do! The doctor told me I had a viral infection, swollen glands, and an inflamed ear which is also infected. Mom told me I had earaches when I was little and they were painful. I'm beginning to agree. I can't think which one is worse - to have them when you are young or to have them when you are older. (I'm beginning to think the latter, because this time I can actually remember/experience the pain.) Either way, I can tell you that earaches are no joke. I woke up a little while ago and could not go back to sleep. I've taken some more ibuprofen, hoping it will send the message to my ear that it's owner is very upset at it and is pondering doing without.

I discovered a bookstore today that sells nothing but books in English! I picked up a stack of books that discuss the Spanish language. I've tried to glance at them in between the times when my ear is announcing to the world that it's here and is not going anywhere. So far, they look really helpful. Funny thing is, one of the books is written by a professor from U of L. So, I came all the way to Spain to buy a book to teach me Spanish prepositions/when to use them, when apparently, I could have stayed at home and taken his class. Ironic. I also came all the way to Spain to get an ear infection. Great memories....

I am really looking forward to this long weekend. Of course I have to study, but it will be nice to sleep in on Monday and also to not have anything to do on Tuesday. It will be nice to have such a short week, considering I live for the weekends.

I am going to attempt to go back to sleep. Will let you guys know tomorrow if I end up getting rid of my ear....

Quote of the Day: "Prepare your mind to receive the best that life has to offer." -Ernest Holmes

Confessions of a Fish Head Eater. 42/78.

This is going to be short and sweet, because I am exhausted and the bed is calling my name. I had my mid-term today and I think I did fairly well on it. I knew my material and felt confident about what I wrote. I took an hour and ten minutes out of an hour and fifteen minutes of class time to complete it, but I wanted to be thorough. Afterwards my head wanted to explode, but I had to sit and suffer during Asian Politics class. After class, I had to teach private lessons.

Dinner tonight was interesting. When I walked in the kitchen, Isabel was frying fish, but they were little fishies that were whole. I'm talking head, tail, skin, etc. I was a little worried, but I ate some of them and they were really good! You had to cut them open and remove their bone. I'm pretty sure I ate their head. Kinda gross when you think about it. So now I am a shrimp killer and a fish head eater. WOW.

That's really all I have to share with everyone tonight. I am so tired, I just want to the crawl in the bed. More tomorrow after I have a break in finals.

Quote of the day: "Above all be of single aim; have a legitimate and useful purpose, and devote yourself unreservedly to it." -James Allen

English is stupid! 41/79.

I may never move back to the United States. If I do, someone will have to drug me up and carry me on the plane! Everything in Spain makes so much more sense. Even the language. More on that part later. Tonight I came home to find my delicates neatly FOLDED and sitting on my desk. My other clothes were on hangers and ironed. While on the phone with Mimi tonight, she said she can't believe that I'm actually wearing non-wrinkled clothes! Another reason not to move back? Los puentes. Puente literally means, "bridge.We have a puente coming up at the colegio (where I teach) on Monday. Why? Because the national holiday is on Tuesday, so we have a puente on Monday to make it a long weekend. Get it? Again, absolutely brilliant. Another person who I'd like to meet in person and shake their hand. The only complaint I have? That the university doesn't celebrate puentes. Which is a huge problem for me. We are an American university in Spain. Thus, certain days like Election Day and Thanksgiving Day will be normal working/school days for me. I understand that. We are in Spain, not America. Fine with me. But, let me repeat, we are in SPAIN. Which means we should recognize puentes as well. Totally not fair to not recognize both cultures. If not one, then recognize the other! So not fair! You can't have it both ways people! As a result of this non-puente, I am stuck in Madrid. (Although, I am going to see the Ballet of Madrid at a Flamenco performance on Friday.) Which is probably a good thing, considering I have two mid-terms on Thursday of next week (plus a presentation) and one coming up on Monday. This in addition to the one I'm taking tomorrow and the other one on Thursday. SCARY. Someone please remind me why I decided to move to Spain and kill myself? Whoever came up with the idea of teaching twenty hours per week, takiing 18 credits this semester, and teaching three nights a week on the side is CRAZY. Yes, I'm talking about myself.

Maybe I am suffering from brain damage. Which is quite possible, given what has happened to me. The bed I sleep in is the one that folds into the wall. (I uploaded pics on the blog from a few days ago for those of you who didn't know.) And it's like a bunk bed set-up. Well, normally I sleep towards the edge of the bed, but I guess on Saturday night, I moved over. I sat up in the middle of the night and banged my head against the bottom of the other bed. The other bed that is metal. Yeah, not good at all. Especially when you are suffering from a fever. Last night I kept telling myself to stay close to the edge as possible. Which is quite funny, because as a child, I was prone to falling off beds. (That explains a lot about me come to think of it....I also had quite the powerful kick while sleeping. Ask my Grandmother.) I was never allowed to sleep on the top bunk at camp. EVER. Now I'm thinking I should sleep on the top bunk so I don't die from excessive head trauma....

I am really beginning to hate Spanish. Which is quite funny. Okay, that is a lie. I only hate my Spanish class. My professor, as I've griped about before, is extra demanding. He handed me back a composition today and marked out an entire sentence with no explanation. And of course I can't go see him during office hours because of my crazy, ridiculous, schedule. Thankfully, I am surrounded by native-Spanish speakers. I even take opportunities in the cafe at school to ask questions to my co-workers. That's how committed (or desperate) I am. They, along with my new Spanish family, have promised to help me learn and said poco a poco (little by little) I will learn the little things. Although, I'm fairly certain that even if I become a master guru of the Spanish language, my professor would still find a way to correct me. Just saying....

As much as I complain, it is a huge benefit to be improving my Spanish/teaching English at the same time. I can explain things to my students so much better. In English, we say, "I have a brother." But in Spanish, they leave out the preposition. My students make the same mistakes I make when translating to English! Kinda funny. Speaking of English, it is also a dream of mine to personally meet the inventor of the English language. I would love to shake their hand and tell them what an idiot they are. I mean, seriously, what kind of person comes up with 26 letters, but then each letter has fifteen million different sounds. In Spanish, there are five sounds: "Ah, eh, ee, o, ooh." Nothing more than that. And guess what, no matter what context, the sounds really do sound like those sounds! Unlike English. I would like to tell this idiot that he is making it so difficult for me to teach my students proper sounds and how to recognize letters. Tonight with one of my students, we were going over the alphabet. I wanted to tell her that you pronounce the letter "A" like, "aye", but guess what? There's not a sound in Spanish that I can refer to! Imagine that! The idea of short and long vowels, silent letters, etc, etc. is such a nightmare, I could scream. Can we reform the English language? I've heard so many people complain about immigrants speaking terrible English/not being able to understand it. Has the thought ever occurred to anyone that the English language is one of the most difficult languages to comprehend? It's because we have no rules! At any given time, the letter "A" could have eight different possible sounds. If you don't believe me, try explaining how to make sounds to a non-native English speaker. I guarantee you that you will give up within ten minutes. You can't compare sounds to anything, because we have so many. Okay, that's enough of my anti-English rant for tonight....

I have realized that the English classes the students get at school are pretty awful. They only teach certain things, but mainly how to memorize certain phrases. Every day, the students and I go through the same painful routine. They sound like robots.
Me: "Good Morning."
Them: "Good Morning, Sarah"
Me: "How are you today?"
Them: "I'm fine thank you, and you."

For many of them, this is the only English they know. Sad. Clara's parents told me tonight that they are hoping she will really improve her English with me. Ha! No, seriously, the poor child has had English class for two years, but really doesn't understand a thing. So tonight, we worked on basic verbs and sentence structure. The time I will spend with my private students will allow them to receive specialized lessons, so hopefully, we will see some results! Today, I had the third grade class and all of my "special kids" are in there. Mireia, the girl who gets one-on-one lessons with me twice a week at school, Elio, who I am living with, and Clara and Carlos, two of my private students. At home we call Elio, "Mini" because he is named after his dad and to differentiate the two, we use the nickname. Without thinking, I called him Mini today in class, forgetting that at school he goes by Elio! We all laughed about it at dinner tonight!

This whole mid-term concept is ruining my life/sleeping schedule. (Although, it was a good excuse to pop open a can of fanta limon and eat a bag of my sacred Cheddar and Sour Cream chips!) No wonder I'm tired all of the time. I don't get any sleep! If I can just make it through next Thursday....

Quote of the day: "If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun." -Katherine Hepburn

Did you miss me?! 40/80

Okay, so I sincerely apologize about not blogging over these past few days. I really did miss our bonding time, sniff, sniff :( Hmm, where to start?? Well let's see, I tried sleeping in on Saturday morning, but to no avail. Even without the alarm, I couldn't stand to stay in the bed past nine-thirty. Sad, I know. Since my mother did her snooping, oops I mean, detective work on Facebook today, I guess I can tell you what I did. I go dressed and went to pick up my Blackberry. Yes, being a previous iPhone owner, this is like committing treason. However, since Spanish cell phone companies charge for EVERYTHING, I figured the best way to go was getting a Blackberry and using the messenger service on it, which is included in the monthly price. This first month I have been using a pre-paid card, but it's so expensive to keep up. What I've already spent recharging my phone is more than what I pay per month for my contract. So, this was more like making a mature adult financial decision. (If my friend Nette were reading this now, she'd tell me to go ahead and keep lying to myself!) But seriously, I will save more money and with my extra income from teaching private lessons, I can afford my Blackberry. Or, as my friend Edison refers to it, my Whiteberry. Because you see, my Blackberry is really white.

Saturday afternoon, I went shopping with Lourdes, who is the oldest child in my new Spanish family. It was nice to see how close we are to one of the major shopping streets! A blessing or curse for me. Not sure which one yet :) We came back for lunch and then I finally took a siesta! I woke up and went to church and then went to a friend's house for dinner. We ordered Chinese food. My first time doing so in Spain! I played it safe and ordered Chicken Fried Rice. It was really yummy! I then headed home and fell asleep.

Around 5 am, I woke up burning up and discovered I had a fever of 103 degrees. I took some ibprofen and an hour later, it was down to 102 degrees. I slept off and on until 1:30 that afternoon! We ate paella for lunch, and then Isabel, my Spanish mother #2, gave me some medicine that knocked me out and sent me into another two and a half hour coma, err, I mean siesta. When I woke up, I had a blank Word document staring me down. My mid-term essay was due today for Asian politics class. The only topics I could write about were China or Japan. Kinda one-sided to me, huh? I mean, at least give me the chance to learn/write about the motherland! :) Around midnight I finally finished the paper, half drugged up with medicine. Hopefully the results will not be a reflection of my pharmeceutical influence....

Last night, the fever got back up to 102, so I took precaution and called my principal at school and also emailed my professors to warn them in advance of my possible absence. This morning when I arrived at school, Griselda, the head of the primary school, jumped on me for coming to work and made me promise her that I would go home if I felt sick!

I made it through classes both teaching and receiving without any problems. My fever only comes back at night (right now included), so hopefully some more Frenadol will take care of the issue. I'm going on Friday to get my flu shot! Tonight was the first day I started giving my private English lessons, and I can tell you with one hundred percent certainty that my extra hour and a half of work makes a huge difference. I came home more exhausted than ever!

I have realized that the Spanish way of thinking is one of the most brilliant psychological theories ever created. Everything they do is so smart. First of all, I'd like to personally thank the creator of the siesta. Because if not for him (or her), I would not look forward to my weekends. The idea of taking a long, two-hour break in the middle of the day is so healthy for one's sanity. The only thing I wish is that it was a national law that everyone must take a siesta. If this were possible, then I could take on during the weekdays as well. The idea of eating a big lunch and a small dinner is also genius. This is why you see no obese Spaniards. (Although, I can't exactly say I am following this rule. We all know how I am, gotta take in as much food as possible! On a lighter note - no pun intended - I can now fit into two pairs of jeans that I haven't been able to wear in two years! All this while eating and drinking whatever comes my way. But for those of you wanting to try this, please, do not try this at home. Let me remind you that I walk EVERYWHERE, something that is virtually impossible at home!)

Spaniards also iron their clothes after they wash them, thus putting them on hangers nice and clean. That way, when you are in a rush in the morning, there is no need to walk out of the house with more wrinkles on your body than a 98 year-old woman. (Something I was famous for back home, may I add. And proud of it! Yes, somewhere, my grandmother is shaking her head at this....) I mean, anytime I can roll out of of bed at 8:30, be dressed and out the door by 8:45 is more than a match made in heaven.

Okay, enough laughs (or eye rolling) for the day. On a serious note, several of you have expressed your concerns about the recent announcements regarding the possible terrorist attacks in Europe. Kinda scary, but at the same time, I feel a little more comfortable knowing that I don't live around touristy areas and that I don't take the public transportation system. Feel free to throw up a prayer just in case :)

Headed to bed. Mid-terms start Wednesday and I need to get some sleep so I can study!

Quote of the Day: "To live, we must conquer incessantly, we must have the courage to be happy." -Henri Frederic Amiel

Happy October! 37/83.

There are some things that I've sworn up and down that I will stop doing. I've said over and over again that I am going to stop shopping. (Although actually, I have done great on that promise here in Spain....) I've said that I was going to exercise. (Well, I worked out at the gym all summer and loved it.) I could go on and on. But the one thing I really need to stop doing is drinking Fanta Limons at midnight. 



The stash of food I have. I have some other stuff hidden somewhere secret. Yes, two Fantas are already gone :)



And at one thirty in the afternoon. Sad. But come on people, I've been sober for two years. Cut me some slack. The other day, I gave up on the Fanta Limon Zeros. Come to think of it, I gave it up about two weeks ago, but who's counting?! I have discovered that you can get them cheaper at the Chinos than you can at other places like groceries, VIPS, etc. In an effort to save money, I started buying them from the chinos. I would spend one euro on a fanta limon, compared with 1.25 at VIPS. Do the math - I'm paying for one less fanta througout the week! Anyways, the other day I stopped into a grocery store and bought an eight-pack. That's dangerous. But, it's a lot cheaper than buying one every day. Although, I'm sure the chino at the chino store (who I really don't know whether or not he's a chino....the sad thing is, every asian person over here is referred to as a chino, regardless if they are from China or not. And the asian people refer to themselves and each other as Chinos. Sad, I know. I get asked so many times where I'm from. It's quite annoying. I tell them Kentucky. And then if they give me a weird look, I say, "Soy adoptada." Saying you're adopted is like you're get out of jail free card with other Asians. So serious!)

Anyways, I am figuring out that it's not fun trying to perfect my Spanish. The only things that I keep messing up are the stupid prepositions. I don't know how many of you have studied another language, but the biggest thing you have to forget is, to follow the rules of your native language. In Spanish, certain things are said that we would NEVER say in English. Like the use of double negatives? They are grammatically correct here. I always remember being taught that in Spanish, the adjective comes before the noun, which is opposite in Spanish. However, there are always exceptions to the rules! I found out tonight that "hombre pobre" has a different meaning than "pobre hombre." The first literally means the poor man (financially speaking.) The latter means that the man isn't poor with money, but he is lonely or depressed.

The good thing is that I am surrounded by people who speaking English and Spanish! Today after school, I met two friends from church and we ate lunch together and then talked about Spanish. Adriana is a Spanish teacher, so she pointed out some of my mistakes. Then, I came back to the flat and talked to Elio, the dad. He also helped me for about an hour with looking over my compositions. I think I have a better understanding of what I am doing wrong. The biggest thing is, I am writing in Spanish, what I am literally thinking in English. That's a huge no-no. I am going to try and write a composition this weekend that is due Tuesday, so he can look it over and help me! I have also decided I need to go out and pick up a few books to have as reference, one of them being 501 Spanish Verbs. (If my spanish teacher from HS were reading this, she would kill me. We were never allowed to use them in HS!) But what makes me so mad is that I have not one, but two copies sitting at home in my room. Since my suitcases were packed and books are so heavy, those were the first things not to make the trip over here :( So, I think tomorrow, I am going to hit Gran Via and see if the Casa Del Libro has any Spanish grammar books in English....

So the funny thing here is that curse words aren't the same as they are in English. Yes, there are equivalents, but people use them so much more freely over here. Even the kids. Everyday, I have a student who says the equivalent of the F-bomb in Spanish. But here, it's not looked upon badly if you say it. So that's why all the kids use them. Weird, but kinda funny at the same time.

Tonight, the family that I am living with invited me to go with them to Santiago de Compostela, which is in Northwestern Spain. Look it up on google when you have the chance. It is this ridiculously famous town that has an even more famous cathedral. Every year, pilgrims go on "El Camino" - the walk. It's a pilgrimage that they say is the "Walk of St. James" (the english name.) It's really neat, check it out. Anywho, this year is a "Holy Year," and the Pope will be in Santiago de Compostela next month. Santiago is a contraction in Spanish for Saint James (saint yago). The family is going and asked me to come with them! They also said that maybe next weekend, we will go to Salamanca or Avila since I have never been there before!

Tonight for dinner, we had pizza. This was frozen pizza and actually had what we could consider thin crust. Which is highly unusual for pizza you buy in Europe. So, remember the long weekend I was thinking about taking? Not gonna happen. Because the actual holiday is on Tuesday, not Monday. The colegio is shut down on Monday, but not the University. So I will be here in Madrid. Although, I am looking forward to having a little break.

Hard to believe that today is already October. Then November, then December. Wow. I watched the season premiere of Grey's tonight and loved it. Gotta love the writers of Grey's for always making humor out of the most solemn situations. Hulu found out I was using a fake IP address, so I couldn't pull up Episode 2, but I know of another site. I am so tired though, I'm not even going to try and watch it now. Here are some pictures of my new room, so enjoy!

Quote of the Day: "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." -Another quote by Eleanor Roosevelt. Told you guys I love her.

My room! This is the last time I'm moving for awhile....

Yes, the bed pulls out and folds into the wall. I love it! Not to mention how extremely comfortable it is!

My shelves. Complete with storage boxes to eliminate clutter and pictures of my family/friends. Wow, I really am turning into my mother....