Ha, Ha, Ha. But not really. 32/88.

Okay, so before forget, I need to talk about something I omitted the other day. I was so embarrassed. There is nothing more embarrassing than busting in on someone using the bathroom. But, it is far more embarrassing to bust in on someone using the bathroom who speaks Spanish and you are so stunned that nineteen years worth of Spanish lessons goes completely out your brain and the only thing that comes out of your mouth is, "Perdona." True life story. This happened to me on Thursday at school. I waltzed in the bathroom like I owned the place. Technically, it wasn't my fault that the door wasn't shut completely. But still. You all know that I am not a fan of public displays of affection and this was definitely one public display I could have gone without seeing. Just saying....

I have been told be several of you all that you found the situation yesterday with my flat quite amusing. A hee, hee, hee. My own mother told me that she loved my blog from yesterday. How can she love it knowing her daughter is sleeping on someone's couch??!! :) I'm glad I served as your entertainment for the day. This time yesterday I was a nervous wreck and believe me, I was not laughing!

I woke up this morning with a sore throat. I slept with my fan on and I'm sure that had something to do with it. I even slept underneath the covers last night. This morning I had to walk to the pharmacy and buy some throat drops. These have a bit of medicine in them, so I can only take them every 2 hours, even though my throat screams at me to give it one every ten minutes. I think fall has officially arrived in Madrid. To those of you at home complaining about the near 100 degree temperatures, let me remind you that I suffered through that heat WITHOUT AIR-CONDITIONING. Now if any of you want to turn off your AC and sleep through one night, I will be amazed. Better yet, try it through half of the night and tell me how it works out for you! These past few days I've had to wear both a sweater and a scarf. I love scarves - they are such a great accessory and you can wear them year round!

This morning, Al from the church picked me up and I came to Amy's flat. I stayed up and left around 12:15. I had to meet with the family who was looking for a native English speaker to live with them. Although many of you chuckled at my fiasco yesterday, you will be sad to know that you won't be getting any more laughs of the day from me. (Unless I accidentally give up my room again.) The family and I came to an agreement - I am going to rent the extra room from them and therefore won't have any child-taking responsibilities. The only thing they ask of me is to speak in English with the kids! I'm so relieved to have this chapter (hopefully) closesd. Their flat is a five minute walk to the school and a 10-15 minute walk to the university. I am free to come and go as I please. This will also now allow me to travel on the weekends! The price is the same as the other room I was going to rent, but the good news is I don't have to buy groceries nor pay for utilities! So actually this is going to save me around 150 euros per month! Plus, I will still be able to teach English, so I will be making extra money! God has such a sense of humor, even though it blindsided me yesterday.

Amy and I walked down the street to an Italian restaurant that has take-out. I bought her a calzone - it was the least I could do since I sprung this whole, "I need to stay on your couch" thing last night. I actually ordered a lasagna and it was so good! I then typed up a paper that is due Monday, because I didn't want to wait until the last minute like I did last week. Tonight at the flat, we had our monthly "Seminar Saturday" series. The topic was "Lasting Relationships" and I really learned a lot. I met several new people who just moved here/came back to Madrid from the states. A group of us went out to dinner at a local Mexican restaurant. I met one woman, Adriana, who is a private Spanish teacher. She, another girl from the church, and myself are going to meet Friday for lunch and she is also going to help us with our Spanish homework! This will be wonderful practice for me.

In just a short amount of time, I feel as though I have already gained new friends/support systems here in Madrid. The church has been such a wonderful place for me. Besides Amy, someone else from our church offered to let me stay at their flat temporarily. Another one of my former professors told me I could stay at her house if I needed to. It is so amazing to feel such an outpouring of love from people. It's the next best thing to being at home :) But, I also truly feel that I have a home here in Madrid as well.

I'm getting up early in the morning for Toledo. I am meeting one of the new girls from tonight at the train station at 8:45 so I can help her get her ticket. The train leaves at 9:20 on the dot. Trains here are extremely punctual. The last time I was here, I almost missed a train because I was arguing with the bank teller inside the station and had to run to catch the train. It was an awful experience that I'd rather not re-live.

Thanks for all of your prayers/thoughts as I was looking for a new place to stay. And, to those of you who laughed at the situation, thank you as well, because every once in awhile, we need that subtle reminder that we have not lost our sanity.

Quote of the Day: "What sane person could live in this world and not be crazy." -Ursula K. LeGuin