My Boring Life 35/85.

You may want to stop reading my blog. I'm serious. Not because I'm going to offend anyone by going on rants and raves. But because my life is getting pretty boring. I wake up, I go to work. I come home for lunch, I go to class. I have meetings/small group. I come home, eat dinner, study, blog, and go to sleep. Really, that is all. But for all two of you who read this regularly (one being my mother), here you go.

Spain was on strike today. It was the first general strike in eight years. Everyone was fretting about how it was going to be hard to make it in to work, but the people I know that took public transport had the easiest time today. The government workers/laborers were protesting against more budget cuts, a decrease in pension pay, and an increase on the retirement age. I stayed in my own little neighborhood today, but there was a huge protest going on in the center of town. I heard that the police were there full force. One of my professors had to walk from his house, to the university and it took him over an hour. Even some media outlets were shut down. Airline companies even had to cancel flights because the air traffic controllers also went on strike. I went online to read the national newspaper. The main picture was of a man who had welts on his back, standing opposite a row of fully armed policemen. Oh, and he was flipping them off. I just read online that 95,000 people participated in the march today. Amazing.

We were talking in poli sci class today how this would never happen in the United States. This strike was throughout the entire country, not just Madrid. I think it would be impossible to organize a country-wide protest back home. I mean, think about it. I don't know if you realize what happened today in Spain. 70% of all workers throughout Spain went on strike today. SEVENTY percent. Crazy. I have to stand back and applaud their unity. I mean, these people live in the country that has the highest unemployment rate in all of Europe (a staggering 20%), where the prices of food, gas, electricity, and water continually increase, and that has major separation issues. (The communities - which are similar to U.S. states - of Cataluna, Pais Vasco, and Galicia want to break off from Spain and form their own individual countries.) Even in Barcelona, which is an epicenter of anti-Spanish identity, had 75,000 people show up for a protest today. And yet, millions of Spaniards found something today that they could agree on. It blows my mind.

I have to applaud their work today. Unfortunately, nothing is going to come out of this. The government will more than likely carry on with their plans and tomorrow, everyone will be back at work. With the economy beyond a crisis, they can't afford to go two days without pay. But the principle of the strike was amazing. Unfortunately, I was not on strike today and neither were any of my teachers.

This afternoon after class, I met with two different families. I am going to teach English to their kids, who also happen to be my students. It will be nice to earn some extra money, especially since I just found out today that my paycheck from the school will be less than I had anticipated....So, I will be teaching English Mondays-Wednesdays, going to my small group on Thursdays, and resting on Fridays. Oh, and studying on Saturdays and Sundays! Told you my life is going to be boring.

I really love the family I am staying with. I enjoy eating dinner with them every night. The good thing is, since I am so close to everything, I can come home and eat lunch everyday. That's a huge expense cut out as well!

Oh, I bought a plane ticket today. I am going to be spending my 25th birthday in Italy! I will be flying in/out of Milan and taking the train down to Ancona. My home church has missionaries that we have sponsored for ten years there, so I will get to see the church! I am then going to head back north and go visit another one of the missionaries who lives in Verona. I am also going to take a day trip to Venice! I'm so excited!

Going to sleep. Yet another boring day for me tomorrow :)

Quote of the Day: "Don't be afraid to give up the good to go for the great." -Kenny Rogers