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