Confessions

The year 2012, I am convinced, is going to be a GOOD year. Scratch that, it’s going to be a GREAT year. I have decided to open up the year with a very soul-searching entry. I am going to list 10.5 things that you may or may not know about me. The majority of you probably do not know any of this and it’s a huge step for me to actually publicize it so that others can read it. I don’t really like to show weakness or vulnerability, so this is a big deal for me. Read it or don’t. It’s ok. I’m doing this one for me.

The following is a list of confessions, revelations, resolutions, and a little insight to all of it. That pretty much covers it. It is like a New Year’s resolutions list on steroids. J I would NEVER have done something like this had it not been for this Spanish adventure. I’ve done a lot of soul-searching and thinking. I’ve put a lot of things into perspective and I’ve started to look at life in a different way. Spain, among other things, has contributed to this change for me. Whew… Ok… Here we go… (in no particular order of importance)

1. I can sing. Ok, so I’m starting out with something small and maybe not a big deal to any of you. It’s not even a big deal to me, really. I used to sing when I was younger and even did a little bit of the show choir thing in college, but I never even had real confidence in myself then. There were so many other people that were just SO good that I couldn’t hold a candle to their skills. None of you will ever hear me sing, haha, I like to keep my talents to myself. I don’t tend to give myself any credit or compliments. My self-confidence is really low. So, what lies behind this confession is just giving myself a little boost of confidence by giving a little self-praise.

2. My family & my friends are the most important thing to me. So this one may be an obvious thing and something that everyone says, but that doesn’t make it any less true to me. It’s how I feel. And, if I were ranking these confessions, this one would be number one without a doubt. I would be nothing and nowhere without my family and friends as my support system. I’ve met some incredible people along this journey they call life and am so incredibly grateful for each one of them. My family is kind of stuck with me, I suppose, but I couldn’t have asked for a greater set of people to be stuck with. There’s no such thing as perfect, so the saying goes, and my family is far from it, but it works. Dysfunctional functionality at its best. I heart it. And I heart you, family & friends! J

3. Turns out, I’m a romantic. In my time of reflection, I have dug deep into what I believe that I really want out of life. What do I want to be when I grow up? I get asked a variation of that question all the time, as many people do. Truth is (and this is a big admission on my part), I want to be in love and have a family. I want to love someone with my whole heart and have them love me just the same in return. That’s what I want to be when I grow up. I don’t need money or fancy things, I just want to be a part of something great. And what is greater than a family? I cannot believe that I am admitting this to the world. I hope I have the guts to push “Publish Post” at the bottom of this entry. Now, I do want to be clear. I am not hunting for Mr. Right. And I don’t necessarily need to find this person right now or anytime soon for that matter, but just admitting that it’s something I want out of life is a big deal for me. I have just always tried to be tougher and pretend like I don’t need these things. Truth is, there’s nothing more important in life.

4. 2012 is about ME! I don’t know if you’ve heard yet or not, but 2012 is about ME. J HaHa! What I mean by that is, I plan on focusing on myself and making ME a better person. I want to spend more time thinking about what is important to ME and making those things a reality, if possible. This includes such things as making ME a more healthy person; physically, emotionally, spiritually, etc. I need to work on ME. I need to be honest with myself about everything and not be fearful of others reactions. After all, it’s about ME, not them. J I want to become more confident in ME, myself, and I. I don’t expect perfection and I expect to stumble along the way. I may even fail at times, but in the end, I will fail my way to success.

5. Honesty and loyalty are the most important qualities a friend of mine can possess. I can get down with any type of personality and I can understand and respect the views and opinions of anyone, even if I don’t agree. I am the type of person that, for my family and friends, will go to whatever lengths needed. I like to see my family & friends happy. If I expect my friends to be honest and loyal to me, then you can expect me to be the same in return. I don’t claim to be perfect, but I will be the best friend I can be. I also don’t expect my friends to be perfect and all relationships have bumps in the road. It’s the friends that ride out the storms that are worth keeping. Prior to leaving for Spain, I had the realization that this move will probably bring out who my real friends are. I knew that there would be people I’d lose touch with because, quite simply, life happens and there’s nothing you can do about it. Everyone is living their lives at their paces and sometimes, they just don’t match up with your own. I understand that and I accept that once I am done with this adventure, I may not have the closeness that I once thought was there between some of my friends. And it’s ok. We shall see what happens at the end of this trip, but right now, I am just enjoying the ride. J

6. Happiness and positivity make the BIGGEST difference. I’m beginning to realize how negative I used to be. I used to be pretty negative about many aspects of my life and because of that, I was always unhappy. I didn’t know it, though. The reality of it, anyway. I knew I had bad days and I knew I didn’t take some things very well, but I never saw how truly unhappy I was making myself. Until now. Until this experience in Spain. I’ve been able to really focus on myself and the results are amazing to me. I can’t believe I allowed myself to be so negative. It had a lot to do with my surroundings and situations I was placed in, but I still could have tried a little harder not to let it affect me like it did. I’m not going to promise to have great days every day, but I will promise that I’m going to try to be much more positive about every aspect of my life. I firmly believe that positive thoughts and positive energy will affect me in more ways than I can count. I’m obviously not the most in-shape person, but my small change in attitude has already helped me lose weight and I wasn’t even trying! Imagine the results if I put a little effort into it! And I want to be more vocal about these changes and positive things. I need to give praise where praise is due. So, here’s to an AWESOME 2012!

7. I am a country girl. So, this might be an obvious statement. Many of you (if any are still reading) know this about me and would not be surprised, but let me elaborate. Obviously, I am from the country. I’ve worked cattle, ridden horses, driven tractor, etc. I will always technically be from the country. However, when I say “I am a country girl,” I mean it more in the sense that it’s who I am. Many of the values I have now are because of how and where I was raised. I used to be so annoyed (probably goes back to that negative stuff I mentioned) about having to help work cattle or tamp fence posts. I never got really into the outdoorsy stuff like my brothers either. I know my attitude and some life situations contributed to my thought process, but now that I’m older, I appreciate the Cook Ranch more than ever. I always hear that, “You’ll appreciate it more when you’re older.” So true. I come home now and I don’t want to leave the ranch. I have started getting into the ‘country’ thing and enjoying activities that I could have been enjoying far longer in my life. I LOVE to shoot guns. And, I’m not that bad of a shot. HaHa, I love the smell of gunpowder. J I love to ride 4-wheelers and fish. I don’t mind getting dirty or muddy and camping isn’t an idea that turns me off. There is nothing better than a thunderstorm on the ranch. It is one of my favorite smells! And it is so nice to look up in the sky at night and see a sea of stars without lights or buildings blocking the view. Sure, it’s where I grew up and it’s a part of who I am and who I always will be, but I finally feel like I can say, with confidence, that I am a country girl and that it’s something I am quite proud of. It’s not just a feeling; it’s a way of life. J “This is me. Take it or leave it. My own girl, you better believe it. What you see is what I am and who I wanna be. This is me.”

8. 2012 is about keeping an open mind. I live in Spain. Obviously, I am keeping an open mind about a lot just by making this massive move. But I still tend to be close-minded about some things and I just want to open up and be more accepting and open to trying new things. I don’t want my personal fears to stop me from experiencing great things. For example, I don’t want my fear of heights to stop me from visiting Mt. Olympus or the cliff-side village of Ronda. That’s just a minor example, but the one I came up with off the top of my head. Clint Massey will be making his way to Europe in early June and our adventure is going to provide many opportunities to try new things and experience pieces of culture that may otherwise not been available to us. We can do as much research as we want in regards to the countries we are visiting, but it’s the local customs and people that will provide us with the most enlightening parts of our trip. I think, anyway. I have to keep an open mind about everything because it is not always going to be ‘normal’ by most people’s definition of the word. Not only will an open mind make traveling Europe a better experience, but I think in life, in general, it will help me grow as a person. How can it not? HaHa! So… 2012 is about being open to new experiences, new people, new friends, new traditions… Just… the new. J

9. Don’t be afraid to say what you mean, but be sure to mean what you say. I am getting much better about telling those that I care about that I love them. You really never know when the last time will be the last time and you just always need to make sure those people know that you care. Tomorrow is not promised. That’s always been in my mind, but it’s much more of a reality in my life since my fabulous first cousin, Tina, got diagnosed with cancer. She’s 30 and married with a 5 year old son. While I am still learning about her details, she is a lot of the reason why I want to be more vocal toward the people I care about. Tina’s outlook has been that of strength and confidence. She’s very open about what she is going through. It’s not my story to tell, so I’m not going to elaborate much more. Tina, just know that I think you are courageous beyond your years and I hate that you have to go through something like this. I may not always have the right words to say to you, but the words that I know will always be effective are, “I love you.“ And that will always be true. You inspire me, Tina. I never want the people in my life to question how I feel about them. I never want things to be uncertain or unsaid. I don’t want to be a person that doesn’t say how I feel and regret it later. I don’t like living with regrets. So, my friends, if you hear me say “I love you” a little more often, it’s because I want to be certain you know. And I don’t think that a person can hear those words too many times. J Now, you know that I am not very shy when it comes to speaking my mind in most cases. I like that I am not afraid to say how I feel, but I also need to be more considerate of others feelings. And if I am going to say something, I want to make sure I mean it. I don’t know if this sounds like a broken record to you, but it sounds good to me, haha. J

10. Worry less. Relax more. Man, any of my real friends know that worrying is a big part of who I am. I do it far too much and over things that really shouldn’t be an issue. I don’t want to go into crazy detail about some of the things I worry about because there are far too many things. I worry. About everything. One of the biggest things I worry about is inconveniencing my friends or family. I am a pretty independent person, so I don’t tend to ask for help when I should. Anyway… I need to stop my worrying. It is a big fault of mine. I just need to relax and go with the flow. And Spain is the perfect place to support that type of mentality. Personally, I think I’m much more relaxed than when I left this country 3 months ago. There is no doubt that it has definitely affected me a little. I don’t have to be so organized and I am not working on the schedule of other’s. I am working on my own time and my own schedule. I don’t mean that in a negative way. I mean that I am not stringing myself so thin that it just wears me out. I can relax and not plan everything down to the last detail. I won’t stop being an organizer. I will always have a little ‘planner’ in me and I think a little bit is quite ok. J I have Spain to thank for becoming more relaxed and Spain to thank for stressing much less.

10-A. Be a better friend, sister, daughter, niece… person. This is a pretty simple statement and doesn’t really need much defining. I want to be a better all-around person and work on each individual role in the meantime. I want to do more for my friends, be more outgoing with my family, and be more certain of and confident in myself. I just want to be a better person. Starting now.

Well, there’s my list of confessions, etc. J If I choose to push the publish button at the bottom of this, I will have exposed myself to a bunch of people that, in any other circumstance, I never would have exposed myself to. You now know my weaknesses. Well, what I have considered weaknesses in the past, I guess. But all of my weaknesses and strengths make me who I am. I guess you’ve just got to take it or leave it. J If 2012 isn’t a great year, then it’s because I didn’t try. It’s because I didn’t let it be a great year. I have a couple friends that are crossing the Atlantic to see me in April. I will be spending half a summer traveling Europe with one of my favorite people in 2012. Not to mention, I will be living in Spain. How can 2012 be bad? There will be no one to blame but myself if it does not turn out to be a stellar year. J If you’re still tuned in, I want to wish you all your best year yet! Cheers to 2012!! Much love!!

There's No Place Like Home

Well, hello from Kansas!

As many of you now know, I surprised my family for Christmas this year.  There's no place like home for the holidays.  Here's a short version of my story:

With the help of one of my favorite people, Clint Massey, I decided to come home about a month and a half ago.  It would only work if I had assistance on this side of the world.  That assistance came from Clint who kept my secret and helped work things out on this side.  He picked me up at the airport and delivered me to the ranch on the 17th.  We surprised Garrett, Janet, and Dad.  Trent and Abby came Sunday along with the rest of the Domnick clan at the Christmas gathering.  A few reactions were pretty funny.  After Dad got over the idea of me 'lying to him,' I think he's pretty okay with me being here.  :) 

I went back to Hays with Clint on Sunday evening to continue on with the surprises.  We visited the Blurtons first.  Monday evening was the bar staff Christmas party.  It went well, I think!  It was nice to see some of my old co-workers.  It would have been fun to catch some reactions on video, haha.  It was a lot of fun.  I crashed in Hays for a few days and got to eat at some of my favorite places in town.  It was nice to just relax.  

I am now out at the ranch for the next week and I'm looking forward to some more family time.  I will be making another trip to Hays for New Year's.  I head back to Spain on January 5th for the remainder of school year.  I'm sure this time will fly by, but I am very much looking forward to it. 

I apologize for the deception in some of my posts, but I had to make sure everyone believed it.  :)  I will be visiting friends in England sometime... just not over Christmas.  :) 

I've told him about a hundred million times, but one last time (we'll see if he actually reads my blog), I want to say a massive 'THANK YOU' to Clint Massey!  You, sir, are one of a kind and I'm proud to call you my friend.  I can't wait until you get to Europe! :)

MERRY CHRISTMAS!! 

A Letter to My Family

I changed my mind... I wasn't planning on doing another entry before I leave for holiday, but I got to thinking about some things and thought I'd make an entry that singled out some of my family... since it's the holidays. :) Kind of a public letter to my family... Now, the whole WORLD will know how I feel, haha!

Dear John Vestal Cook,

First and foremost, I love ya! I know that this move in my life is something that you would never have imagined you'd have to deal with. It's something that I never thought would be even a possibility. But, alas, we are a third of the way through this 'journey' of mine. You were the hardest person for me to say goodbye to. And you were the one I was most concerned about keeping in touch with while I was away. The Skyping thing seems to be working for us fairly well and it really helps me (I hope you know this) being able to see you. You don't seem so far away from the computer screen. :) I'm glad we've figured out some sort of schedule with that and it seems to make time go by quicker, if that makes sense. I just want to say that I appreciate that you supported me (in your own sort of way) in making this decision. I know that the holidays are going to be a little tough, but I think we're strong enough to come out on top. :) I look forward to 'seeing' everyone for the Christmas gatherings at the ranch. I know I'm not going to be there, but you should save a seat on the couch for me for the Chiefs/Packers game. Put a picture of me there or something, haha! :) I'm going to try to call that day about 2:30 your time so that I can maybe hear a bit of the game in the background. :) Our two teams fighting it out... Well, let's be honest, there probably won't be much fighting coming from the Chiefs. It'll be more like comedy hour for the Chiefs. HaHa! Anyway... I know that the days of the gatherings are going to suck. I promise that no matter where I am, I will want to be there... and I will be... in spirit. :) "I'll be home for Christmas... if only in my dreams." :) I love you a lot, John Cook.

Dear Janet,

Well, I have to put out there that you were one of my biggest supporters in doing this. You never pushed it, but you never squashed it. You always made it feel like it was my decision and you'd be on board no matter what. For that, I appreciate you. And the Christmas package was amazing! Obviously, the ranch dressing and lemon pepper made the top of my list, personally, but all the other goodies were great surprises! I liked getting to open a couple little things, too. HaHa! I think I was smiling for a good while just outta excitement for Christmas. :) It's good to feel the love through the distance. :) Thanks for becoming a friend and person that I can trust and rely on. You are a great person and I look forward to what the future possibilities of our friendship can become. I love you!

Dear Trent, Abby, & Miss Lynnon,

It makes me sad that I am not there to watch Lynnon in the earlier part of her life where she is developing all her personality traits and figuring out how to become mobile and climb all over and get into everything. The pictures make me sad and happy, both. And Skyping on occassion is definitely awesome, even though she doesn't know that she's 'talking' to me, haha. :) Anyway, you guys are awesome and I am very proud of the parents you are. Trent, especially. I still can't believe I have a little brother that has an 11 month old daughter. She's the spitting image of you. You are a fantastic father and I love seeing that. Thanks for sending me pictures and keeping me in mind even though I'm so far away. Love you all.

Dear Garrett,

Little big brother... You, sir, are an amazing man. You've taken on more in your young life than many people will take on in their lifetime. I know it isn't easy and may never be, but I'm confident in your ability to make it work. I look up to you, both literally and figuratively. Thank you for letting me live in your home for a month before I took off on this adventure of mine and thanks for helping handle business while I am away. :)  You're one of my best friends.  I love you, Garr.

Dear Brad, Regan, Reese, & Aidan,

Big brother and family... You guys have helped me out so much! Aside from giving me a car for my last month and a half, haha,  you're so easy to talk to! You've been a great support when I need to talk to someone and there isn't anything that I could tell you that you'd judge me for. Your honesty, support, and love means the world to me. Reese and Aidan are two pretty fantastic kids. I was looking through some old pictures and found some of Aidan when he was brought home... They've gotten so big and they're becoming good little people. :) I love you all.

I obviously have many more family members and they have all been super supportive in this massive step I've taken. I would love to single you all out, but I'm running out of time and I wanted to be sure to get this publicized so everyone knows how grateful I am to my family! I'm grateful to all of you, please know that.

I am also very fortunate to have plenty of friends in my life that I consider as close as family and I think they know who they are. I wanted this entry to just be about my immediate family.

Ok, in the spirit of the holiday season, I wanted to show my appreciation for my family. I am going to miss them this Christmas, but it'll be ok. :)

Con Amor...

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Feliz Navidad!

Merry Christmas, Friends and Family!

I apologize that I have taken a small break from blogging. It wasn't intentional. I just didn't have access to the internet as much as I wanted to. The library and other places were closed a lot of last week due to the holiday. So, that's my excuse, haha!

This will be my last December entry from España! In fact, this will probably be my last entry for the year! I am leaving on Thursday for Madrid to catch my flight on Friday morning! I'm really excited! I can hardly wait for this last week of school to get started and over with already. This holiday season seems a little bittersweet. I am very excited to see a new country and visit friends I haven't seen in ages. It will be a lot of fun and my first real tale of adventure for you. :) I may seem strong and certain about things right now and I am definitely very excited, but I also am fairly certain that being absent from the familial celebrations won't be as easy as I have imagined in my head. Obviously, I am very aware that I will miss my family, but I do have Skype dates planned for the Christmas gatherings at the ranch, so I can see everyone. :) It'l be tough, but will only make me stronger, I think. :) And we can survive anything for awhile, right, Dad? :)

So, I went to Jaén yesterday with Stef and Nicola. We went to a few shops and I got a cute outfit for New Year's that I am excited to wear. :) It's different from a lot of things I wear, but I think it's fun! We'll see!! HaHa! :) I do have kind of a funny story. It's also a bit gross, so consider yourself warned... Skip the next paragraph if you don't want to read it, haha...

So, we went to Carrefour. This is the place that has a mall-like shopping center on the outside and toward one end and, in the center, there is a Wal-Mart-like place. :) We decided to grab a bite to eat. They don't have a 'food court,' but they had a little restaurant in the center with tables spread out everywhere. It looked like a food court, but we had a waiter and ordered at the table. Anyway, the three of us ordered an appetizer each planning on sharing. We also got a tapa. This tapa was a nut mix. There were corn-nuts, cashews, almonds, etc... you get the idea. I wanted to munch on the corn-nuts, so I did. In fact, I probably ate the majority of them. Anyway, the corn-nuts were gone, so I was getting started on the peanuts. I had a couple and then went to grab another one and Nicola slapped my hand away. I looked at her like, "What the hell?" She just shook her head and smiled. I wasn't sure what was going on and I'm quite sure my facial expression said the same thing. The waiter was at our table taking our coffee order, so Nicola just pointed to the plate that the nuts were on. On it, was a freakin' maggot!! It was alive and just crawling freely among the nuts and cashews. I am quite sure my face turned white and I was ready to throw up my lunch. We pointed it out to the water who made a "Ew, gross" face and then took the plate off our table and finished taking our order for coffee. ???? Stef and Nicola then told me about how maggots are used in making some cheeses... Um, what?! I had no idea and the idea completely disgusts me! I love cheese... but may love it less now. Just a side note: Nothing was done as far as discounting or whatever in regards to finding a maggot in my food. I think that's normal. HaHa! I'm just really hopeful that I didn't eat a couple before I found that guy... Ugh... makes me wanna throw up a little bit, haha!

Ok, so that's my gross story. Sorry... I just had to share. HaHa!

Well, I got my hair done. As always, when I move to a different location, it takes me a long time to find someone I trust to do my hair. I get very nervous, haha! Stef is crazy good at what she does, though, and while I may have made her nervous with my nerves, she did a fantastic job. It's different and I thought I would freak out when I saw it, but I actually really like it. I'm still getting adjusted to walking past the mirror and seeing it, haha... but it's one of my favorites, by far. I will be sticking with Stef for as long as I am here and I feel no nerves anymore, haha! Thanks, Stef!! Whenever I get a good picture taken, I will post it so you all can see the result. :) Dad & Janet were able to see it and they didn't really have the best reactions, so I hope it's cute. I guess it doesn't matter as long as I like it, right? HaHa!

One frustrating part about the village is the bus system. On holiday's, the buses do not run. I could have joined Joanne this past weekend/week or went on an excursion of my own, but buses don't run on Sunday's or holiday's. It makes it really hard to get out of town sometimes. If I wanted to leave on a Thursday after class, then I'd have to be sure to catch a bus back to the village on a Saturday. It doesn't make for a whole lot of time to really enjoy an excursion. I am thinking about seeing if I can switch my schedule when I get back from England to have Monday's off instead of Friday. We'll see how that works out. That way, I can be gone from Friday to Monday. Perfect. HaHa!

Nicola taught me how to make traditional Spanish tortillas! They are more like omelettes than tortillas by our definition of the word. They are really simple to make and quite tasty. The main ingredients in many dishes here are potatoes and eggs, which is what the tortillas are made of. Most dishes also contain garlic, onion, and olive oil in some way, shape or form, as well.

I received my Christmas package from my family on Friday. It had ranch dressing and lemon pepper in it! YUM! I used them both directly, haha! I had to! :) I can't believe it'd been over two months since I had any ranch dressing. That, in itself, is pretty amazing, haha! The package also had a great pair of K-State slippers that have been a godsend! They are so warm! They definitely make having to run to the bathroom in the middle of the night much more bearable, haha! :) Big thanks to Dad and Janet for the package. Made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, haha. :) Also, thanks to Grandma Teresa for sending a Chiefs shirt with it! I'm never disappointed with Chiefs stuff! (I'm not talking about actual games... 'cuz Heaven knows I'm disappointed on a regular basis when it comes to actual game results!)

You may not hear from me again until next year. :) I am taking my computer on holiday, but don't plan on sitting next to it the whole time, haha! I will keep a journal throughout and have an earful for you in 2012 and let you know how the break went. So, in closing, I want to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!! I hope this finds you all well and in good health and happiness!

Much love!

Two Months In...

Well, readers, I have lived in Spain for two months. It hasn't felt like two months yet. Time seems to be flying by for the most part. I know I'm thousands of miles away, but I don't feel like it. I feel really comfortable here and things are going quite well. I really love it here. The village is small, but I like that. It still doesn't fully feel like I am actually IN Spain (aside from all the Spanish, of course, haha!)

I update my blog as much as I can and I do my very best to be honest and as detailed as I can. I hope that you'll let me know if you have any suggestions on ways to improve the blog or if there is anything you want to know about, please don't hesitate to send me a message or post a comment. I'll do my best to address everything. :)

I've started to take some pictures with my classes so that I can share them with you. I know it's one of the areas I haven't really covered yet, so it'd be nice for you to see. Here are some that I have so far with descriptions underneath...

This is my 4 year old class.  It is the only picture I have where you can, at least, see everyone, haha!  It's hard to keep their attention for too long.  :)  Go figure.

I know I'm not looking at the camera, but I still really liked this picture.  Look at the two little boys who are the in th middle of the picture in the back.  Look at their expressions.  How cute is that?  HaHa!

I made a face at them and told them to make one back, haha!

This is the 4th grade class

This is one of the rowdy 5th grade classes, haha  :)  Diggin' the peace signs

And this is the 3rd grade class... definitely one of the rowdiest  :)

I will take the rest in the coming weeks if I can.  I just wanted to get a few posted, at least.  I hope you enjoy.

Well, it happened again. I was asked to come up with a Christmas project for a class, so I did. I bought supplies, drew 50 antlers and cut every single one out, measured and cut all the other supplies needed for it. (I decided to make a rudolph hat thing) I even colored one and made an example to show the class before they started. I took it all to class and even had some rudolph music to support it. The teacher did not use ANY of it. I was definitely frustrated. It's been the same teacher every time that has asked me to come up with a project and has yet to use one, so maybe next time before I put a whole bunch of effort into it, I will get her to approve it FIRST. THEN, I'll put in all the work. :) I like doing the work. I like the responsibility. I just wish I was used a little bit more.

This week's 'teaching the teachers' was the most frustrating so far. We went in as we always do and there were the same couple teachers there. This period of time is supposed to be set aside for them to practice ENGLISH. Now, I do not expect all English, all the time, but there is not ANY English. They just sit there and chat in Spanish the whole time. I shouldn't complain, right? I'm getting paid to sit there and do nothing. But, I would much rather take something away from it. I want to learn. I realize they may not have the same intentions or desires and that's fine. But, so far, the Monday afternoon thing has been a real waste of time, for all parties. The other teachers are fantastic, don't get me wrong. It's not any type of personal attack, it's just me venting my frustrations. I want to learn more, haha... go figure. :) I will continue to go and hope for the best. Maybe by the end of all this, I will be right there chatting away with them... for now, that day seems so far away. And maybe that's what it is... I'm just frustrated with myself that I am not farther along than I am. That's probably moreso the case than anything, haha. I just need to stay positive and have faith that my speaking abilities will get better and I am learning more than I think I am.

We decided to start doing Christmas stuff in our English Club. We're making paper chains and coloring Christmas stuff. The kids seem to REALLY like it. We're going to decorate the hallway and show off our Christmas stuff to the rest of the school. I even downloaded a Christmas album on iTunes so that we could play Christmas music in the background of class. It definitely puts Joanne and I in a happier mood. There aren't many Christmas decorations up around town, so it hasn't started to feel Christmas-y yet. I know it's still a month away, haha... but where we come from, Christmas would have been throwing up all over the place already, haha.

I had an AWFUL headache the other day. I had taken some tylenol in an attempt to thwart it, but it hadn't kicked in... I couldn't figure out why, so I got to thinking... while I was sick, I didn't really drink much coffee. In fact, I hadn't drank any for at least a few days. I realized I was having a bit of caffeine withdrawls... a caffeine headache. I'm familiar with those! So, I had myself a coffee and rest for about 45 minutes and vua-lah...gone! HaHa! I wish that I wasn't falling so in love with coffee, but I can't deny it. I love it. I don't need it for energy or to wake up or anything like that. I actually enjoy it, haha! :)

One project we worked on last week was in honor of "International Day Against Violence Against Women" day. It was November 25^th. The kids (all ages) made their hand prints and wrote little sayings of peace on them. Some kids drew pictures (many are very talented artistically). Each class was assigned a different color to put their hands on and they formed a rainbow. They put a rainbow in each building. I took a couple pictures just to show you.

Well, I think that's all I'm gonna chat about for now.  Gotta save something for the weekend!  HaHa!  I'll end with a little shout out...  :)  Today, I wanna show some love for Chad and Maria Nunley. They welcomed identical twin boys into the world last week. Congratulations to Chad and Maria and all their extended families. What a treat for the holiday season! I can't wait to meet them personally when I come visit after my Spanish adventure! :)

RaNdOmNeSs

Thought I'd check in again... Hope you are all doing well!

I am feeling much better. I did absolutely nothing all weekend and it was fantastic! I really just needed to rest and get myself to feeling better and I think I succeeded, for the most part. I love lazy weekends!!

I hope that I am not disappointing any of you by not having any grand stories of travel. I promise they will come. Just be patient. I am still in the process of figuring life out and the transportation system and all that, haha! Plus, I want to make sure I have enough funds for my trip to England over Christmas. I have to travel to Madrid by myself that Thursday and stay the night before I catch my flight the next morning. I'll be traveling solo. I haven't figured out if I am going to take a bus or train yet. I've heard the travel time is about the same, but the bus in nearly half the price, so I'm guessing that's what I'll be taking. I hope there is some pretty scenery along the way. I will let you know, haha! Anyway, I just wanted to apologize that there hasn't been any tales of travel yet. There will be. I promise. ;)

The weekend hasn't been too cold during the day. Joanne and I actually sat outside a bit on Friday and 'tanned.' I got a little burnt! HaHa! It was nice to soak up the sun. The nights still remain pretty chilly, but I bought an electrical heater that I plug in right beside my bed. It helps tremendously! I bought it with the intention to keep it on during the night, but it's SO bright, haha! Those gas can heaters give me a headache with the fumes if they're on too long. I'm not a fan. I'll walk out of here a much stronger person in many ways. The water bottle in the bed thing... I cannot boast about that enough... It's amazing! You should all get one, haha!

I don't think that I've mentioned on my blog that Nicola arrived here a couple weeks ago. Nicola is the lady of the house, Dougie's wife. She's a very nice person. I really like her. She's a fantastic cook! Maybe that's why I've taken a little more interest in cooking? I don't know, but it's nice that I can ask her questions if necessary. Curry is a dish that is really common in Scotland. There are about as many Indian restaurants in Scotland as there are Mexican restaurants in the Kansas, it sounds like. Anyway... this is going to sound really stupid and don't judge me, but I thought curry was only a spice/seasoning. I had no idea it was a FOOD. Does that make sense? HaHa! Anyway, she made some chicken curry this weekend and invited me to join her and Dougie for supper (Joanne was in Jaen), so I took her up on it. It was a spicy delicious concoction of rice, chicken, peppers, etc. I couldn't tell you what all was in the actual sauce, but she has a recipe book downstairs that I may have to take a good look at. It was good. Very good. A fun little side note that some of you may appreciate and understand, haha... before we ate, I was in 'our' living room (Dougie and Nicola have their own den area) and I was watching a little TV... when I joined them for supper in their den, they were watching the same movie I had been watching... wanna know what that movie was? Good. 'Cuz I'm going to tell you... A blast from the past called Flash Gordon! HaHa! I don't think I've seen that movie since my childhood! :) Anyway, during the day, I had decided that I wanted to make brownies. (Worked out well since they cooked supper... I contributed dessert!) Again, don't judge me, but I've never made any brownies that didn't come from a box. They don't have boxed brownies here. I've been craving some, so I looked up a recipe online and hoped I'd find the ingredients at the supermarket. I found everything but nuts, but those were optional anyway, so I headed home. Oh, and they don't have vanilla extract here, so I had to actually buy sticks of vanilla and slice them open and dig out the vanilla beans and use those. (I give all the credit to Nicola on this for even telling me how to do this or that it was an option.) Also, I don't have measuring cups here. They don't measure in cups or ounces. And I couldn't remember how much one stick of butter equaled and the recipe called for two sticks. I eye-balled the whole thing, I kid you not. I baked it and waited very nervously. I'm not even good at cooking boxed brownies, so my expectations were really low, but hopeful still. Um, they are awesome!! HaHa! WAY better than any boxed brownie! HaHa! Dougie and Nicola both approved and said they were quite nice. Yeah me!! I know my culinary stories may not be the exciting Spanish stories you want to read, but it's a part of what I'm doing and branching out on in Spain, so I'm including it here. I guess you'll just have to deal with it, haha! I am quite proud of myself, to be honest.

Monday's, you remember, we 'teach the teachers.' We didn't have it last week, but the week prior to that, they asked for assistance from me in translating a document. ???? There's this project that our school is involved in. I believe it is called the "European Comenius Project." I don't know a whole lot about the details of this project and once I do, I'll post more about it. I want to do a little research on it before I post anything. I don't want to be wrong. The general idea is that it's an educational exchange program between 7 countries (Spain, Italy, Turkey, Hungary, Bulgaria, Poland, and Romania). Anyway, our teachers went to Turkey last week to visit a school there, but before they left, they asked me to translate a couple documents from Spanish to English. It was one of the times I felt legitimately useful and also one of the real tests at my Spanish skills. I don't want to pretend that I rocked it because I didn't. I didn't do horrible, haha. It was difficult, though, but I survived. I hope I was of help and that it wasn't a total bust. :) Once I learn more about the project, I'll definitely share. We've been working on making posters and signs and stuff for the project in my 5^th grade art class, so maybe they are getting prepared for something? I don't know. It sounds like it's a pretty big deal to be a part of, so I look forward to finding out more. :)

I was walking to school one day and I have to walk past the Guardia Civil (literal translation-- Civil Guard). They had the gates open and I happened to glance in (because I'm nosy like that?) and, on this particular day, I saw a sheep laying on the ground, tongue hanging out, slaughtered, with blood ALL over the place. I seriously only looked for a second and immediately looked away. At that particular time, there were no people around, just a sheep lying in the middle of the cement. I walked on to school with that image just stuck in my head. I, obviously, realize that slaughtering exists and I know where meat comes from, but I guess at home, things are done a little more discreetly?? Is that the word I'm looking for? I mean, I was just walking along the same sidewalk that the children walk on to go to school. I also realize that I am now part of a different culture where killings are celebrated and this could very well have been for a feast or something, I do not know what happened to Mr. Sheep after he took his last breath, but I am quite sure that every part of him was probably utilized, which is very respectable. I did look in on my way back home that same day out of curiousity and saw a bunch of people eating at tables, so maybe Mr. Sheep was the main dish. That's some fresh meat! HaHa! That may not be the kind of thing you want to read either, but I guess you are just going to have to deal with it, haha! Sorry!

There is a holiday coming up here. No, I'm not talking about Christmas. I have to work this week a full (12 hours, mind you) week and then we don't have school the following Monday, Tuesday, or Thursday. So, next week, I work a whopping two hours on Wednesday and that is my week. Seems pretty trying, doesn't it? :) Joanne is going to Barcelona on Thursday and is actually getting off the whole next week (Wednesday included). She invited me, but I'm leaving a couple days early for Christmas break, so I figured I shouldn't be too greedy. I looked at my calendar and I will seriously only be working 6 days out of the month of December and I will get paid the full 700 euros for that. I feel quite lazy. I have a friend that is going to do my hair next week. I've been a little itchy for something new... Surprise, Surprise! I'm trying something new, but you will just have to remain on the edge of your seat with anticipation, because I'm not telling! HaHa! I don't think anything could be a surprise to anyone who knows me, though, since I've done nearly every color combination with my hair. I will say that I am a little nervous, partially about getting my hair done by someone who doesn't know my hair very well. And partially because I hope what I want means the same thing to her as it does to me. She's a native English speaker from England that lives here, so I don't think there should be too much difficult in translating. :)

Alright, I am going to close for now! I hope you are all doing well and that your Thanksgivings were fantastic. And if you ventured out for that Black Friday madness, I hope you all survived. :) Nicola was saying they had horror stories on the news about Black Friday in the states, so she had to ask me a little bit about it. Black Friday to them happens after Christmas and is a day for people to go out and drink. It has nothing to do with shopping for them. Anyway... that was an accidental tangent... sorry.

I haven't given anyone a 'shout out' for awhile and I meant to do that kind of regularly. So, why not shout out someone?? Let's see... I would like to show some love for The Easterday family. Luke and Laura celebrated little Alec's 1^st birthday last week. They've came a long way from the Sip-N-Spin days. :) Happy Birthday to mini-Luke (and to you, Laura, in a few weeks). Additionally, I'll call out one more person since I haven't done the shout out thing in awhile... Andrea Trost, the Britney to my Paris... a tough girl that has had to prove her strength in recent life situations. Know that I am always here for you even through the miles. Love you, Brit! I hope you can join us in March/April!

Alright, I'm out... :) Throwing up the dueces! Thanks for reading!!

Happy (a day late) Thanksgiving!

I intended to post this entry yesterday to wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving on the day of, but I wasn't really feeling up to much yesterday, so you'll have to accept it a day late. :) I hope you all are still recovering from your Turkey hangover! :) I got to Skype with the family last night for awhile. It was really nice to see everyone and especially nice to see Lynnon walk in real time! She's getting so big! I kept asking everyone what they were eating when they came into the frame with food. :) I definitely miss all the holiday goodies! I have been battling a nasty cold, but this morning I woke feeling much better. It's not 100% gone, but I am definitely feeling up to much more. I actually got into the cleaning mode this morning and washed all my laundry (even bedding since I have been coughing on them for the last few nights) and vacuumed my room. I'm trying to get all the 'sick' out of my room in hopes that maybe if it's clean, I'll just automatically feel a little better. Who knows if it'll work. The sun is shining today and it's nice and warm. Joanne is actually out on our patio tanning right now. I may be on my way to join her shortly. I think we are going to Jaen tomorrow to do a little shopping, just get out of the village for a short time.

I haven't updated the blog for a bit, since I've been feeling under the weather. I've got that cold that accompanies the change in the weather and it's not been the most pleasant of weeks so far. My supply of Dayquil/Nyquil is dwindling quickly, so I am hoping I don't have this crap much longer. I've got a couple stories in regards to buying vitamins and medicine here. I didn't bring any Vitamin C with me, so I went to the pharmacy to buy some. You can't just run to the grocery store for vitamins, you have to buy them at a pharmacy. Bigger stores in bigger cities may be different, but in the village, I have to buy vitamins at the pharmacy. I only wanted Vitamin C to help battle my cold, but they don't have it. I found these capsules with all the vitamins in it, like the One-A-Day pills you can buy in Wal-Mart. It was better than nothing, in my opinion, so I took it to the counter. 30 capsules for $13 (roughly)!!! I was floored. Let's hope they work some magic! My next store is in regard to some cold medicine. Tuesday, I went, yet again, to the pharmacy to look for some cold medicine since my supply is so low. I really don't know much terminolgy in Spanish in regard to colds, but I decided to try anyway. Well, I haven't had much of a voice the past couple days, so even if I wasn't able to talk to the pharmicist, they could very obviously tell I had a cold, haha. He went and grabbed this powder stuff off the shelf and brought it back to the counter for me. I was on my way home from the library and I hadn't brought any money with me, so I was solely asking about the medicine to get a price idea and was planning on going back the next morning. He gave me the price to which I explained my situation. Then, he did something that REALLY floored me... He gave me the powder and told me to come back whenever. I wasn't sure that's what he was really doing, so I tried to give it back and say, again, that I didn't have any money. He told me not to worry, to come back tomorrow and pay. Even more flooring, he didn't take my name, my number, my address, nothing... He just gave it to me on good faith that I would be back. That still exists?! Apparently, that is the case in a lot of places around the village and it simply amazes me. I went back yesterday and paid, but I am still completely baffled by it. HaHa... wow. :) It's good to see those qualities still exist in people. :)

So, I'm in talks with a friend in Kansas who is a teacher about starting a "Pen Pal" program between her students and mine. I'm not quite sure yet if it will work out so I'm not going to put too many details out there until we figure it out, if it gets figured out at all. I thought that would be a great idea for her students and mine to practice their English/Spanish skills. We shall see if it works out, but I am crossing my fingers that it does and I can divulge more information! For now, it's just an idea in the works...

Students have the option to wear uniforms here. Girls have the typical plaid skirts, red tights, and white top with the school logo and boys have gray pants with a fleecy button up jacket and same white shirt. However, in addition to the uncomfortable (in my opinion) 'professional' attire, they have a windsuit outfit that they can wear anytime. Gray windsuit pants and a windsuit jacket in red and white. Um, if I could have worn windsuits every day, I may have been excited about having uniforms at school. They aren't required to wear these uniforms. I'm not sure what the rules are regarding them, but some students wear very fashionable clothing to school as well. They start young here. :)

Obviously, I have noticed a lot of things in my stay here. I try to pay close attention to detail so I can be thorough in my relaying the information to you. One thing I've noticed is how close most people talk to you. The invasion of personal space is, well, invasive, haha. I don't need to be 3 inches away from a person to listen to them talk or to explain something myself, but it seems as if a lot of people require this closeness in conversation here. It's not rude. It's not something they do intentionally. I think they are just used to the closeness, but I, definitely, am not. I find myself backing up, you know, real slowly and trying not to make it obvious that I am trying to put space between us. HaHa! It's been an adjustment, as well. :)

A funny little note that I wanted to include... I bought some cheesy hot dogs the other day at the supermarket and, obviously, some buns to go with it. When I get ready to eat them, I grab the buns and I try to open them like any normal person would do, right? Well, their hot dog buns aren't pre-cut! I have to cut open my own hot dog bun! HaHa! It's obviously no big deal, but I thought it was funny. I, literally, pulled on the bun in a few different ways before actually realizing that I had to cut it open myself. Thought you could laugh at my expense. :)

In my stay here, I have realized that I like to cook. I have never NOT liked cooking, I just never put a real strong effort into being really creative. I stuck to the basics. I have also realized that I am quite good at it. I think. Joanne has eaten a couple of my things, too, and she says they are good. I hope that she's not just being nice, haha! The thing I am most proud of is my homemade chicken noodle soup from scratch. I did all of it! I made the noodles and everything! It's so good! HaHa! I've also made fajitas of steak and chicken. It surprises me that I voluntarily put in the green and red peppers and I LIKED it. Maybe I've just been too picky all along, haha! I've made steak and mashed potatoes. It may not sound like much to any of you, but it's something I am very proud of, haha!

Well, I suppose I will close this entry. I hope that the rest of your Thanksgiving vacation goes well! I think I'm going to go enjoy the warm weather! I'll post more soon!!

My Return to the Rabbit Hole...

Well, I returned to Jaén today for my second NIE appointment. My nerves kept me from getting a good night's sleep, but none-the-less, I made the trip in hopes of a positive result. I must tell you, I did everything in my power to influence whatever powers I could to make this trip go better than the last. I wore my necklace that I got from my Great Grandma. I listened to songs that give me positive vibes. I actually took a walk around the park before I made my way to the foreigner's office. I took pictures of the park that turned out really beautifully. I was determined to find the positivity in the day regardless of the outcome at my appointment. I put a conscious effort into making sure I thought positive and it's amazing what a little positive energy can do... (I can't say that my attitude would be the same if the results weren't the same...)

Here are the park pictures:

I must say that I am quite proud of this one... Look at all the colors of the leaves!

The park in Jaen

A massive treehouse in the park

Just another part of the walkway

My appointment was at 11:00 in the morning, so I showed up about 45 minutes early (not the 2 ½ hours that we did last time). I stood in line to check in, my stomach in knots not knowing what to expect and just hoping that I would be able to speak well enough to survive this day. The room was not so smelly, not so hot, not so annoying... Maybe that's just the power of the positive thought? Who knows? I'll take it, whatever it is. I patiently waited my turn. When I got to the counter, I only showed her my passport and she immediately picked up a folder to her left that had my name on it and paperwork inside that was only mine. Wow! A much better beginning than last time... at least I was expected and it looked as if something would be accomplished. I didn't want to get too excited, though, because I was certain that something was bound to go wrong. She gave me my ticket and I took my place in a seat and waited for my number to be called. At about 11 on the dot, my number was called and I took a deep breath and made my way through the double doors and to the desk where the tiny little mean man was waiting for me. Turns out, when I have what I need for him and am at his desk for the right reasons at the right time, he's a pretty nice guy. So, I officially take back the "tiny little mean man" remark. He's a tiny little nice man now. I provided the documents that I needed, he punched some things into the computer and verified my address here, took my fingerprint (singular... he took one finger of one hand), stapled some papers together, and then gave me further instructions. I was to go to the bank, pay the tax, and come back in 40 days. The whole appointment today lasted a whole 5 minutes or less and I walked away with a temporary card that will allow me to open a bank account and get paid via direct deposit. So, after the new year, I go back to the same office and provide my receipt of payment of the tax and they give me my real card. As far as I can tell, that's it. And that final trip doesn't require an appointment. So, technically, as of today, I am an offically recognized temporary resident of Spain. The day went much smoother than I expected and I appreciate that so much simply because it's the first day that has went as it should. At this point, I needed a day like that, especially in regard to the political aspect of this whole thing. Anyway, I figured I may as well go pay the tax while I was there, so I did. Now, I just wait! Nothing more on my part that can be done. :)

I had some extra time after my appointment to do a little walking around. I attempted to do the shopping thing and I succeeded in buying something to mail to Lynnon for Christmas, haha! She's so easy to shop for!! :) I didn't find anything else, but it was fun to look. I saw stuff that I liked and stuff that I wanted, but couldn't justify buying it. Look at me all grown up making sound financial decisions... HaHa! I went to this small shopping center a few blocks from the bus station and I walked pass this store with purses in it (of COURSE I had to stop...) and I went to open the door. It wouldn't open. I could see people browsing in the store, so I knew they were open. I pulled again. Nothing. Then a lady said that I need to push a button to get in. ??? I looked up to see this intercom type button that I had to push. I could hear it buzz inside the store and a lady came and had to let me in by unlocking the door from the inside. They do this for each individual customer. How random! I suppose it's a good way to prevent theft because I had to be 'buzzed' out, too. Every store in this center had a little buzzer thing. It was strange. I stopped for a coffee and to catch up on my Scrabble with Schuette at a little cafe that had wireless and then made my way to the bus station for the bus back to the village. This bus ride was a much more pleasant and happy bus ride home.

Ok... let me address this driving thing... people here are NUTS! I'm sure that if they came to the states, they'd see things like this of our and think WE were the crazy ones, but for now... I think they are crazy! HaHa! (No disrespect to my Spanish friends!) They park on the sidewalks everywhere. I mean, literally, ON the sidewalk. It doesn't matter what side of the street they are driving on, they park wherever they want. The roads are so thin that I am not sure how one vehicle manuevers down it, but they fit two somehow. And it's like a fine art that they have perfected in their ability to not have a wreck. I really would have thought I'd have seen numerous fender benders, but I have seen none. Zero. This roads are thin, the hills are steep, and the turns/curves are sharp, but they make it work somehow. I have to close my eyes at times to will my survival. These thin streets are the same place that tiny little cars face off against the massive buses of the public transportation system. I seriously do not know how they do it. Some of the hills are so steep and curves so sudden that it's like they have a sixth sense that tells them if someone is or isn't coming up/down from the other direction. It's honeslty pretty amazing, haha. I am not in any hurry to drive here, though! I'd be too frightened (as should anyone on the road with me if I get behind a wheel at this point!). They are nuts, but they are good at it. It works. I'll have to take some pictures sometime... I haven't yet. It's just crazy, haha! :)

My father and brothers would be so proud of me! I've been doing quite the handy work around the house. We have low water pressure in the shower, so my intention was to unscrew the shower head and clean it out a little bit. Dougie is out of town and I have no idea where he keeps a screwdriver, so I used a butter knife and figured it out!! HaHa! I think Joanne is impressed. I am impressed, too. I'm figuring out gas powered heaters and hot/cold water issues. I'm working on TV stuff and bleaching floors. I will make someone a good wife someday, haha! Good to know some stuff rubbed off on me. :) I'm far from skilled, but I'm making it work! I'm using a water bottle to warm my bed at nights; I am using a gas can to 'take the chill out of the room;' I am hanging my clothes out to dry; I am surviving on much less internet (a positive, I think); I am doing good!  HaHa!

On my way back from Jaen today, I took some photos of the mountains we passed.  Yes, more mountains... haha... deal with it.  There's this one area that I think is gorgeous... I took about five pictures of it so you can see how it opens up.  

 I'm in a bus, remember, so it's not as good as it could be, but I think it does it some justice... it's so pretty (as I continue to say)!  :) 

I'm going to close this entry, but I wanted to be sure and post an update on the whole NIE process for those of you on the edge of your seats.  :)  I'm much more relaxed at this point and very grateful for it!

The Changing Colors

I meant to write in the last entry that I got paid for October! The director of the school just cut me a check; no bank account necessary. I was able to cash the check without any issues. It's nice to get paid even without having the whole NIE thing lined up yet. I just really, really hope the appointment on Tuesday goes smoothly. It'll be the first thing in this long process to go right and I could really use a burst of positivity right now, so please keep your fingers crossed!

I've been meaning to make a note of greetings here. I love the whole kissing on the cheek thing as a greeting when you encounter someone you know or someone you are meeting for the first time. I still, sometimes, have an issue of when I should do this. It's very common for people to stand up at the table when friends or acquaintances approach. I've caught myself staying seated on a couple occassions and I sincerely hope that I was not considered rude. At any introduction, however, I am on my feet and kissing cheeks with the rest of them. I still catch myself trying to shake hands... that is not common at all, haha. It screams "outsider!" I'm getting it figured out, though. Another thing in the line of greetings are the casual passings on the streets. Smiles get you no where. An "hola" or "buena" in passing will always get you a response, however. Everyone is really very friendly. The greetings are genuine and sweet. Sometimes, I just smile as I pass by and most of them either stare at me or just stare ahead in ignorance of me. However, if I say "Buena," to anyone (even if they aren't in fact paying any attention to me), they will quickly acknowledge me and say some form of a reply. :) I try to picture how that may go over in the states. Rarely do you even smile when passing people (strangers) in the street, let alone actually say something to them and have them reply. I do my best to greet everyone now and I really like it. I think it's something I'll bring home with me. Maybe not the kissing of the cheeks thing, haha, not sure how that would go over where I come from... :)

Where I come from... I come from the Greatest Place on the Planet! A very minor blip on the radars of most, but it is where I call home: THE Cook Ranch. And I miss it. I was thinking of things that I missed and came up with a few things I wanted to mention. Of course, my friends and family will stand strong at the top of that list, but I came up with some other things to mention. I miss seeing Lynnon grow up. (I know that is technically in the family category, but it deserves to be pointed out, I think) I'm faring pretty well not actually getting to hold her and play with her, but I do miss that I am not there to hear her laugh so heartily and walk all over the place in person. She's gonna be so big next year by the time that I see her! It makes me sad to not be around more for that, but thanks to Facebook, it allows me to stay up on her and the rest of the family. Still waiting on Trent and Abby to get a Skype so I can see them sometime (hint, hint, nudge, nudge). :) Since it is getting so cold... I really miss the winter weather foods! Chili. Home-made Chicken Noodle Soup. Taco Soup. MMMmmmm! I miss silly things like ranch dressing, colby-monterrey jack cheese, Subway, and going to movies regularly. I really miss having a vehicle at my disposal. That part kind of sucks, but at the same time... I'd be terrified to drive here... I'll elaborate on that later. And I miss football season terribly! Win or lose, I miss watching the Chiefs on Sundays. Overall, though, I'm doing really good. Aside from my family and friends, it's mainly the food that I miss, but that's trivial. :) I can survive anything for awhile. I still want to find a place where I can learn to cook some traditional Spanish cuisine so I can take it home with me next summer.

So, I think I may have mentioned that we "teach the teachers" on Monday afternoons. I genuinely feel like it is a waste of time. I won't complain because I get paid to sit there for 30 minutes and have a forced conversation. We are supposed to be there at 4:30 and it's supposed to be an hour long 'meeting.' We arrive at 4:30, but never get started until 4:45 or 4:50. Like I said, everything is just so relaxed here. They have decided to split us up into two groups. One group is for the people that are more familiar with the English language and the other is for the people who cannot speak it as well. I go with the group that is more familiar with English simply because I don't have the strength that Joanne does in the Spanish language, so she's able to answer questions and conversate with that group much better than I could. In time, hopefully we can switch it up. :) Anyway, my group is in the teacher's lounge. I like to take my responsibilities seriously. I was told to come up with a topic for each Monday, so I had one ready for this past Monday, like I was told. I attempted to start the conversation and the only two that showed up said they wanted to relax and just be lazy, in a sense. So, they had a conversation in Spanish, occasionally acknowledging me and speaking in English to let me know, in general, what they were talking about. I mostly just sat there and stared out the window. It was really annoying, to be honest. I listened and tried to give input when I could or when I understood, but it was really tough. It's a good way for me to practice my Spanish and I do see that as a positive, but I can't get much knowledge if I don't have someone to help me translate or fix any errors (of which there are many), ya' know? I don't even know if that makes sense. It's kind of like other situations I have encountered here, I just need to lower my expectations. I don't mean that negatively. I just mean I need to adjust (that may be a better word) my expectations. Like I said, though, it's easy money, but that's not why I came here. Maybe in time, it will get better, though. We are all still adjusting to each other, as well.

Apparently, I must just need to complain about the weather for it to change. It's been really nice the last couple of days (hopefully that doesn't jinx me in the opposite way, haha). The sun has been shining and it's been nice enough to take walks and enjoy the air. I took a walk today just to one side of the village that I hadn't been on yet. I took a few pictures of the scenery. I know it's repetitive in taking pictures of the mountains, but I simply think it's gorgeous. Waking up and seeing mountains outside my window is pretty cool. They aren't snow-capped (not yet, anyway), but they are changing colors with the season and it's really pretty. I think so, anyway.

Here are a couple other pictures I took as I was walking around that I thought I'd include.  :)

This isn't anything in particular.  Just a view down the streets with some mountains in the background.

This is the plaza in the center of town.  I really like the changing of colors everywhere.

I know I haven't had any real stories of traveling adventures yet, but I'm not super bummed about that. My holiday adventure will be the first of my stories and from there, I hope to have many. There are so many places that I want to see and things I want to do. Come January, I hope to begin having at least a trip a month or so. You'll hear about it when I do, I promise. :)

I'm going to try to take some photos of the students and teachers and such to post in the coming weeks so you can see who I am working with. I'll work on that, but until then... I hope you all are doing well! Much love! <3

La Noche Buena

Buenas!

It is freezing!! Let me tell you, I took central heat for granted. Never again. This is only the beginning of the wintery months and it is freakin' cold! I bought a water bottle the other day to fill with hot water and put in my bed at nights to warm the sheets up. How old fashioned am I? HaHa! It works, though! Just don't leave any limbs outside the covers! I absolutely HATE wearing socks to bed, so this is a nice fix for that. I need to buy some slippers, though, because the floors are so cold you have to sprint to the bathroom and back in the middle of the night if you need to go. HaHa!

Ok, there are these stores here that are called "Chinese stores" (there is also a "Turkish store"). These stores have everything in it (minus any food/grocery items). This is where I bought my hot water bottle. It's kind of like a dollar store in the cheap prices (also very cheaply made) and similar to a general store in the amount of shit they shove on the shelves (with really no organization). There are literally no open spots on the shelf, above the shelf, below the shelf, etc. It's actually difficult to maneuver your way through the 'aisles.' There's little trinkets everywhere, clothes (not real quality), and this is where the children buy the school supplies as far as I can tell. It's not a bad place to have a couple blocks away, but at the same time, everything (for the most part) that I have purchased from there has not really lasted. I guess that's how they get you to come back! I saw a mini-heater thing there (plug in, not a flaming fire-hazard) that I think I will be buying for our bathroom. Getting in and out of the shower is so miserable, haha! Man, I need to stop complaining about the cold because it is not going to get any better, I'm afraid. I should just embrace it and realize that I may be made of ice come February.

The next few paragraphs and photographs may not be up all of your alley's... It's just a fun night out in the village and, like everywhere, you encounter some fun characters and equally entertaining surroundings... Scroll past all the pictures if you don't want to read it... :) 

I thought I'd share a funny story of last Saturday night. Joanne and I decided to go back to Pub Guli. There were definitely not nearly as many people in town as there was last week. We walk in and one of the first people we see is one of our 3^rd grade students. This was after midnight, mind you. I still can't get on board with the possibility that I could walk into class on Monday and have a student say to me, "Teacher, I saw you at the bar Saturday night!" It wierds me out! I wasn't really even in the drinking mood, but the bartender was easy on the eyes and made a good drink.

This is ONLY the alcohol.  I have not poured any soda in it.  They hand you this and a bottle of your chosen soda... lethal.

During our first round, this drunk old-timer in the bar made his way over to where we were sitting. This guy reminded me SO MUCH of Curtis (for those of you who aren't aware of who that is, he's a drunk old regular at the bars in Hays). He was harmless and just drunk, but Joanne doesn't have the kind of experience or tolerance with drunkies that I do, so she was bothered by the guy quite a bit. She lied and said she was French hoping that would get rid of him, but it actually made him want to talk to her more. HaHa! This guy was pretty ruthless. The bartender came over from around the bar and, like a good 'tender, asked the guy to leave us alone, made him a drink (weaker than normal) and set him up a bit further down the way. Well, this guy came right back, haha! The bartender asked us if he was bothering us to which Joanne quickly affirmed and he came around to the other side of the bar and tried to physically push him out of the bar. Whatever was said, old man drunkie was allowed to stay in the bar, but this time, the bartender took him clear to the other end of the bar and it sounded like he threatened him pretty good. We never really saw him again after that. He never bothered us, anyway. I had Joanne take a picture of myself with the guy in the background so you could kind of see him. Excuse the picture of me, haha, not my best!

He's the grey-haired main in the background...

All was well and good and we were enjoying our drinks and I was enjoying the scenery (the bartender, haha!). We ordered a shot. I'm still not real comfortable with my Spanish, but I know how to say vodka, so I ordered myself a shot of vodka and Joanne had a shot of Apple Pucker. I was really dreading it because I'm so spoiled at the bars of Eric Schuette and I want all of my shots cold... This one was not, so I was a bit nervous. I asked for a lemon and some sugar to help ease the pain. Ugh... It was tough and I had to chase it with some Coke, but I survived. And even better, hot bartender paid for it! HaHa!  To continue on with my story, we were having conversation when this other drunk guy came over and decided he should be a part of it. (Apparently, we had magnets on us for drunk guys everywhere...) I don't speak Spanish very well, but drunk Spanish is nearly impossible for me to interpret. However, when I drink, I can pretend with the best of 'em and I might have had my most fluent of conversations because apparently, he understood me. Even though I had NO idea what he was talking about except for a word or two here and there. He was obnoxious, but he insisted on buying us a round. I'll let him. HaHa! He knocked mine over by pushing me into it. Joanne didn't want hers, so I sipped on hers. This guy was so persistant and was very confident in his awful 'game.' Neither one of us were, at all, impressed with this guy, but he wanted to take pictures with us and would just not leave us alone. Here are some pictures. You can see the different phases with him and I think it's hilarious.

You can see the drunk in his eyes, haha...

I'm sure I'm speaking fluently to him at this point, but he's tuned in...

Screw it!  HaHa!  He looked at this picture after we took it and got mad that I wasn't serious, so I had to take another one with him... I deleted it.

He tried to follow us home or get us to go to another bar with him, but we shook him fairly quickly. At one point, we, quite literally, sprinted in one direction hoping to get away from him. It did not work, haha! Oh well!  In the process of trying to avoid younger drunkie, I took it upon myself to go behind the bar and take pictures with the bartenders (leave it to me, of course, to get back behind a bar...). Enjoy the photos... I don't know the name of the first guy, but he's clearly married. The hot bartender's name is Javier. Pub Guli may make it to the top of my list of places to frequent, haha, if only to check out the scenery from afar. :)

This guy only poured me one drink, but he poured it, looked at me for a second, and then proceeded to pour MORE alcohol into the glass.  And then, for good measure, he poured some rum INTO my bottle of coke.  It's like he sensed it about me...

Javier...

There were a few fun side notes of the evening. They played some pretty decent music. Some of the songs, I was familiar with, but I decided to ask for Eminem. They said they had some which completely surprised me. It was a techno version of "Love the Way You Lie." I HATE techno, but with a little Marshall involved, I wasn't mad about it. :) 

You know how you go into a restroom at bars, etc? (HaHa.. I just re-read that sentence, but I'm leaving it in there anyway...) Well, I went into the women's restroom and on the wall was the typical condom dispenser that comes with the territory. Next to the condom dispenser, however, was another dispenser... selling Viagra! HaHaHaHa! I thought it was freakin' hilarious that women could buy Viagra for only 3 euros!! Look at the picture. It even says "the blue capsule" on it, haha! I know this may not be appropriate for some of my readers, but I want to include something for everyone... and this will make some of my more, um, immature (?) readers laugh. It made ME laugh, haha, so I'm right there with those immature people.

 

I thought I'd update the whole NIE thing... I think I mentioned that I was in the same boat as another girl from the states, but I wanted to talk to my director, too, so she knew 1) that I won't be in school next week and 2) that the whole NIE thing was a pain in the butt! I brought it up in school on Tuesday and told her all about the day and what they had said about her and all that... she actually got quite angry that they had said that about her. Apparently, my appointment WAS on October 31^st, but she had called to have them change it so Joanne and I could make the trip on the same day. It makes sense to any normal person, right? I thought so, too. Anyway, I showed her what they gave me and she read it and asked me about another paper that it had mentioned. I don't have any other papers. So, she decided to call them and speak with them herself. Initially, these people insisted that I did NOT have another appointment. After repeating that I did and telling them the date, it was, "Oh. Ok, I guess she does have an appointment. She needs to bring her tax papers with her." These are the papers that I do not have. I don't have a clue as to what they are! Isabel (my director) did not either. So, now, I must go to my appointment on the 15^th and get this paper and pay my taxes (whatever and wherever that is) and get my fingerprints and submit my photographs. I have to be honest, I am TERRIFIED that I am doing this all alone. I know where I'm going and all that crap, but I am not, at all, confident enough in my Spanish to rest assured that I will know what the hell to do or say or if I get everything done. I'm really scared. Tuesday will probably be one of those days that I will be a negative Nancy (consider yourselves warned).

Today is my Dad's birthday! I did not get to talk to him, but I have a Skype date tomorrow afternoon with him, so that will have to suffice. I tried to call, but he wasn't home, so let me take this opportunity to say "Happy Birthday!" to my favorite dad on the planet!! ;) He, Janet, and I have been discussing the whole going home for the holiday's thing for awhile now... It's very expensive. I don't want to put that kind of burden on my family and I don't have the means to support a flight home (whole or partially), so I just helped them make the decision by letting them know I was not going to come home. Instead, my intentions are to spend some time in England with some friends that I met in Concordia in my Cloud County days. It was a really tough decision, but like Dad said, we can survive anything for awhile. It's gonna suck!! But, I'll Skype with everyone back home and hopefully get to see everyone via the world wide web. :) So, for those of you who have been wondering about my holiday plans... there you have it. I'm super sorry and wish I could be there, but sometimes, it just doesn't work out as you'd wish. And who knows, maybe I'll come across some new traditions and things in England... and can I really complain about getting to spend New Year's in England? Nope. I cannot. :)

Well, I suppose... I will close for now... Happy Birthday, John Cook! I miss you and I love you! Try not to worry too much about me. I'm doing just fine! To everyone else, have a great rest of the week!

'Till next time...