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...

Little Bunny Foo-Foo

Why the title? Well, I had a first in my lifetime last night (Friday evening). I tried rabbit. I don't know why I have issues eating some animals over others, but for some reason, I picture a big, fluffy, white rabbit just hopping along minding his own business munching (possibly saying "I'm late, I'm late... for a very imporant date...) on grass and then boom... he's no more and he's on my plate. I wasn't sure I'd be able to try it, but I am trying to embrace everything Spanish and it's on the menu at EVERY place. So, I bit the bullet and tried it. I ordered it with a garlic sauce. After I ordered it, Joanne took it upon herself to freak me out about ordering it. "What if it comes out with the head still on it?" What if the eyeballs are still in it?" You know, random wonderments that were in my head, too, but saying it out loud made it a bigger concern to me. I was quite nervous, haha! It came out and there was no head, no tail, no eyeballs. It looked like pork chop bits, kind of. There were pieces of meat all over my plate sitting on top of french fries ("chips," here). It was completely coated in an oily garlic sauce and had chunks of garlic cloves spread throughout. For those of you who know me well enough, you know I like my french fries (chips) well done... crispy as hell. I was not excited that they were in the bottom of the dish. It was like a garlicy oil soup with french fries in it underneath the rabbit meat. Regardless, I looked at the meat... I always inspect my food before I eat it. I don't know if it's just a paranoid habit or what, but I do it with everything. I need to know that the food is done before I eat it. Food poisoning is not something I want to play with again. Ever. Anyway... I initially used my fork and knife like a proper lady, but there were bones in every piece. Literally. Screw it, I'm not really a proper lady, anyway, so I picked them up like chicken wings. A couple of the pieces actually looked really similar to chicken wings. First bite... Are you on the edge of your seats, haha? It was really good. The sauce they used on it, although disappointingly smothering my fries, was a delicious addition to a meat that closely resembled chicken. It was juicy and cooked really nicely. It was a bit chewier than chicken, but not real noticably. I am not a big fan of super greasy food and this was no exception. After eating a third of it, I was kind of over the 'oily-ness' of it. And the big drawback for me was the bones. There were bones in every single piece, sometimes small bones that are hard to discover unless you are chewing really thoroughly (similar to those tiny, thin bones in fish). I don't like to work for my food. Does that make sense? I don't like to order crab because it is such a chore to break the legs and then dig out all the meat. And when you are done digging it out, you barely have any food at all in the grande scheme of things. All that work with little reward. It was like that with the rabbit. I'm not sure if it's like that everywhere. I don't know if I got the rabbit as they are normally cooked or if I was at a restaurant that may do it differently than other places. I'm not sure, but it will probably be a little while before I order it again. The meat itself was delicious and I highly recommend it, but I'd do it without an oily sauce next time. And I don't know if there's a way to order it where I can just get a breast or something without all the bones, but if there is a way, I'd do that, too. :) Overall, it was a good choice and a positive experience.

Here is it!  :)  Notice how oily and greasy the bottom of it was... aside from the bones, that was the worst part.  :)

I am getting used to going to the meat shop if I want to cook something that night. Sure, we have Wal-Mart and pre-packaged meat in the states, but there is something different about walking into the shop and seeing all your meat selections in front of you and ordering it fresh for the night's meal. Does that sound silly? I don't know. I think it's different. I mean, it's definitey different in some of the selection they have, that's for sure. I still don't know what the animal is with eyes and a face on it. I don't know if I want to ask. And you can be certain, I won't be purchasing it to cook at home. HaHa! I'm getting more confident in what I'm ordering, too. You can order some delicious cheeses here, also. I'm also a picky person about my cheeses. I don't like wierd cheeses or smelly cheeses or whatever. They don't have Colby/Monterray Jack here. And I don't think I could go 9 months without cheese, so I ordered 'semicurado.' He explained to me that the 'curado' was very strong, the 'semicurado' was less strong and then there was another one (that honestly just looked kinda gross) that was the weakest. All the cheeses are white cheeses, no yellow. I normally would have ordered the weakest one, but I went with the middle one and I was not disappointed. It's really good. I have to cut the outsides of it off before eating, but it's worth it! :) Good stuff! It is also much more cost effective to go to the meat shop and get fresh meat and cheese rather than buying it in the supermarket... significantly more effective.

I know I said I'd write about the whole "Taking Jesus Back" festival thing that was last weekend, but the truth is, I slept through all the action. It was my fault because we went out until 4:30 or 5:00 the morning prior. Ooops. The fireworks that went off for 30 minutes at 11:00 woke me up, but I couldn't bring myself to get out of bed. Eventually, I did, and we headed to the plaza to see if there was anything going on. There were TONS of people. All the bars and cafes that are typically closed were all packed full, inside and out. The festival was in celebration of taking a statue back to a chapel in the mountains. I guess every fair, I think, they bring the statue to town and have another festival and celebration for that occassion. There's a processional with bands and dancing and all sorts of stuff to celebrate the occassion. Last weekend was the processional to take it back to the chapel in the mountains. I don't know how far away it was and I honestly don't know much about it at all. Another teacher, Isabel, got some pictures of it. It just seemed pretty typical of maybe the Peace Treaty parade, but obviously the colors and costumes of this area. The amount of people in town definitely increased quite a bit, at least, for the weekend. There were SO many people. All the bars bring out tables and chairs that they line the streets with. Fortunately, the weather was perfect for that one day and people could comfortably wear dresses or warm weather clothes. It was nice. We just walked around and accidentaly ran into our group of friends. We sat for an hour or so with them before heading home. Unfortunately, I did not get to fully experience this festival, but there will be more and I promise not to stay out too late the night before the next one. Festivals are everywhere and all the time here, so I promise there will be plenty of opportunity for others! :)

It's starting to get freakin' cold! And the rain is becoming more frequent right now. It's has rained every night for the last 5 nights and sporadically throughout the days. November 1^st, in the daytime, we were able to lay out in on the patio area and get some sun in a tank top and shorts, but that day seems long in the past, haha! And it's only the beginning of the winter months. It does not help that we are on the top floor of the house with no insulation. It is quite cold, but nothing like a Kansas winter so far. There's been a couple days where the wind reminded me of Kansas, haha! I'll keep you posted on that, but for now, I am relying on this little gas can heater thing for my room. I have to pay for the gas can, so I am trying to do my best to use it when it's REALLY cold and really necessary. I want to make it last, haha, if I have to pay for it. I was under the impression it was included in rent, but that is apparently not the case. And we have to start paying for the water heater, so rent went up 20 €, but I guess I can't complain. I get hot showers and a mini heater, haha! :) It's still much cheaper than any rent I've paid in the states, so this girl won't complain!

Here is what is supposed to keep me warm for the next 4 or 5 months...

An update on the NIE process: I spoke with a girl from Boston who is living in Jaen participating in the same program as I myself. I asked her about her experience at the extranjero's office for the whole NIE thing and she is in the exact same boat as me. She has to go back to get fingerprints and give photos just like I do, so it's nice to know that it wasn't just an unfortunate incident for me to encounter. It must simply be there 'process' for doing things around here. It was good to speak to her about that and know that I'm not just getting the run-around. :) Also, I got a letter from a friend from Fort Hays who is living in Belguim right now. Leah, I can't thank you enough for my your message. It was really good to read and thanks for your encouraging words. I do hope to meet up with you sometime. :)

Um, I love getting snail mail, so if you all are bored and want to send a little note, I think you should! HaHa! Had to put that little plug in there. :) Here's my address in case you DO want to send me something. :)

Ashley Jo Cook

6 Calle Damas

Valdepeñas de Jaén

23150 Jaén

Spain

Ok... so that's going to be my entry for now. How's the weather in Kansas? Any snow yet? I hope that this finds you all well!

Birthday Blog

I began this entry on the evening of my birthday, Nov. 3rd...

I promised that I would be honest with my feelings and my experiences and I will stay true to that promise. I don't want to pretend that everything is candy-coated and perfect if, in fact, that is not the case. Now, let me just say that things aren't BAD. Today was just my first genuinely frustrating day. And it happened to be my birthday, so when things don't work out as I hope, it feels kind of doubly bad, if that makes sense at all? I can handle frustration and I will manage through this situation just as I have this whole process. I can't promise there won't be an occasional tear, but I can promise I will come out on top.

So, happy birthday to me... I get to go to Jaén to get my NIE number! By my introduction, you can obviously tell that this probably does not have the result I would have liked, but I am going to tell you the story anyway...

By now, you should be familiar with the necessity of the NIE number (as familiar as I am, anyway). I need it to get paid. Anyway, our teacher told us last week that we were scheduled for our NIE appointment on November 3^rd at noon. Wasn't exactly what I had in mind for my birthday, but I wasn't going to be disappointed to get started on the whole 'getting paid' thing. (Please allow me to correct myself... the place that I had to go to was not the police station... it was the foreigner's office... I've been reading a lot of material and I apparently got the two mixed up... sorry)

So, we have to catch the early bus to Jaén at 8:15. Our appointment was at noon, so that put us there about 2 ½ hours ahead of schedule. Joanne had been there before, so we followed her direction in getting to where we needed. After a slight detour in the wrong direction, we eventually found a couple officers on the street who drew us a mini-map on a piece of paper and sent us on our way. Joanne's sense of direction was only slightly off, we were very near where we needed to be. We get to this park area and across the street is this big building. It looks like a courthouse of sorts in it's size. There are flags flying in the front and guards at the door. However, the sign on the door said that the "Officina de Extranjeros" (Foreigner's Office) was around the corner. So, around the corner we went. The door to the foreigner's office was like the rabbit hole in Alice In Wonderland, we would have just walked right by if we weren't paying attention. Anyway, we make our way into this door and it is just a mass of people – so many people and quite a giant mess. We eventually figured out which line was the one we needed to be in and took our places. It was 9:40. Once it was our turn, we get to the counter and this older gentleman that had clearly been doing this same, boring job day in and day out for years. Neither one of us was sure what we even needed to say or do as our teacher at the school really did nothing to prepare us for this appointment. So, we produced our passport and the application for the NIE. He entered each number (passport number) into his system and BOTH of them came up that we didn't have an appointment today. We showed the little note that Isabel had written for the two of us (on a yellow sticky note) saying our appointment was today. I don't think this did any good, but he attempted our number in the computer again and pushed a couple other things to which our appointment popped up. Whatever he did, we were grateful. I was on the verge of a very angry attitude. We got our 'tickets' at 9:50 and sat down in the waiting room. It stated clearly on the ticket that our appointment was at noon. We were told to arrive early in case we could get in early. Well, we did not need to arrive nearly as early as we did, that's for sure. But we also weren't willing to leave in the small chance we our number was called. For future reference, it's unnecessary to show up but 30 or 40 minutes prior to the appointment because you won't get in any earlier. We got in maybe 15 minutes before noon. Anyway, this room was filled with many different types of people of different countries and ages, etc. There were French, Italian, Indian, and many African people. I've been told that many of the Africans come up for the olive harvest that is beginning very soon. It was about the size of the pool room at the Sip-N-Spin (for those of you who know about that), maybe just a bit longer. It had the stench of body odor like that in a gymnasium after a junior high basketball practice (boys, of course, haha!). It, literally, had a fan in two of the 5 windows in the building; small little fans at the very top that was expected to do the circulating of air in the room. They definitely were not effective. Eventually, one of the workers opened up the windows and let the wind do the circulating. It was a bit better. So, we had our tickets, each one with a number on it. My number was H039 and Joanne's was H037. When we first arrived, they were working on H004 or something... we had a ways to go. They had a board up on the wall that announced what number was next; like a keno board or bingo board. You had to wait for your number to come up and it would also tell you what desk you were to go to when you passed through the double doors. Joanne got called back at about 11:40 and I was around 11:50. I go through these doors to this desk where this tiny little mean man was sitting. I can't speak much Spanish, but I give him the documentation I was told we needed. He then asked me if I was with 'her' and pointed to Joanne. I said that I was and he yelled across the whole room to the man who was working with Joanne, "She's American!" and then directed me to join that table. Ok... So, I grab all of my stuff and head that way. This guy was in the process of telling Joanne she didn't have an appointment. Well, not for the NIE number. We had appointments for fingerprints, apparently. Fingerprints that Joanne doesn't even need. He finished with her and whatever happened, she ended up getting her NIE number. All she needed to do was go pay a fee at the bank across the street and then come back for her certificate. They tried to tell her to come back tomorrow (everything is TOMORROW here). Anyway... she's got her stuff lined up and it's my turn... this man was a balding little man with glasses... he scanned a set of papers that had appointment times on it. As he scanned, he came across my appointment... FOR OCTOBER 31^st! Apparently, I was supposed to be there on Monday. NO ONE gave me this memo. NO ONE. I attempted to explain that my teacher had told me that my appointment was for today and I knew of nothing else. He replied, "No. Tu maestra es muy mal." ("Your teacher is very bad.") What the hell?! My teacher is very bad?! I seriously said to Joanne, "I think I'm going to cry right now." But the balding ballbuster started collecting my documentation and punching things into a computer system, so I just sat there waiting and thinking... Firstly, I was really pissed that my teacher hadn't given me the information about my apparent appointment, but who knows if they even told her! Things are so freakin' disorganized. (So you know, I am consiously putting in an effort to not cuss... let it be known that I REALLY want to.) Secondly, I was starting to get really concerned about the possibility that this number thing would ever even happen. Thirdly, I was simply putting in a strong effort to not sit there and bawl like a baby. Whatever he did, he produced a piece of paper with a number on the top that is, apparently, my NIE number. BUT, my process is much different than Joanne's since she is a European already. I don't get to just walk to the bank, pay a fee, and come back for a certificate. Nope. I have to go back to that same body odor scented building in 2 weeks to get fingerprints with the tiny mean man that I first met. I believe that I actually have the NIE number, so I THINK I can submit it to my school and whatnot so I can start to get paid. I really have no idea. When I go back to get my fingerprints, I am getting an actual card, like an ID card. I have to get these fingerprints, give them a couple passport pictures (which I was unaware that I was supposed to have), and they submit it all to the system. And THEN, weeks later, I can go retreive the card. I THINK. I don't actually know. I just know that I have to go back over and over again and it really pisses me off. The actual process isn't what pisses me off, I don't think. It's the fact that I have had NO IDEA what the hell is going on and no one seems to be very helpful at all in this area. At all. Yes, it sucks to have to continue to go back and forth because it's not like it is a convenient trip for me to take, but I assume that an foreigner to the states would have to fill out tremendous amounts of paperwork and would have to wait, too, so I understand that this is probably a part of becoming a resident. And that's all well and good. I just wish there was someplace I could go to to read about how this works (in English, so I understand fully) or to talk to someone that can translate everything for me. When it comes down to it, I simply HATE being disorganized! I promise you that I am trying very hard to accept disorganization. I am. And believe it or not, I'm getting better at it. But when it comes to things that are of serious nature like this, I expect organization. I blame the states. HaHa! Even though it took forever to get some of my documentation returned and my efforts in this journey were just as trying from the stateside, I could at least call and speak to someone about the issue and I could understand the process, even if it frustrated the hell out of me. I just wish that this part was handled so I could sit back, do my job, and enjoy my time here. In time, I hope that becomes a reality.

We walked directly to the bus station after our experience at the extranjero's office. I was one grumpy unit and did nothing to hide it really. Joanne had got the certificate she came for and was done with her part of the process. I was jealous and just really angry at this point, so I plugged in my headphones and let Marshall take me away for the duration of the trip home. Believe it or not, that always works in calming me down. :)

I came back to the village to have a couple birthday cards waiting for me. One from the parentals that had some very nice words and a couple photos in it. And one from JW and Linda Platt... How very kind of them! I love getting mail. It definitely made me feel a little better after such a fantastic beginning to my day. I went up to my room and unloaded the documents I had brought to the appointment and loaded up with my computer. I then headed to the library with my Skype gear in hand. The highlight of my birthday was twofold. First, I got to see Dad and Janet via the internet and talk with them for awhile (before the electricity went out in the library and ended our connection quite abruptly and unwelcomely). It definitely would have bummed me out to not have talked to Dad on my birthday, so I'm super glad this was able to happen. Janet later said they were eating Taco Soup... man, I miss some American food! Especially the winter food... chili and homemade chicken noodle soup... mmmmmm. Anyway... haha... The 2^nd highlight was all the love on Facebook. It's a good think Facebook reminds people of birthday's! It was great to hear from so many people. It was great, but definitely made me miss home and my family and friends just a little bit more than I do on other days. :)

After the library, I came home to eat. Joanne convinced me to go have a drink on my birthday, so we went to El Polos for a beer. I, literally, had one beer in celebration of my birthday. I hope that I am not disappointing my readers and all of the people that expected me to have this exciting birthday because I'm in Spain. I'll celebrate my birthday and the end of the political BS when I get paid by taking a trip somewhere fun. Then, I will post the fun story. For now, I'm sorry that you had to read that the day wasn't quite up to par with birthday's of my past. But I don't want to lie to you. Or myself. So, the last birthday in my 20s was not everything I dreamed of, but that means 30 is going to be that much better! I will celebrate it times two and make up for this frustrating experience! :)

I'll post another entry later this weekend or sometime early next week. I have some notes and stuff, but I thought I'd make this one about my birthday only. A couple good birthday 'presents' I got... Clint Massey officially booked his summer trip here and that makes me so happy! And Maggie Flamik and Dan Crawford have made their trip official for the end of March/early April! I'm so lucky to have such great friends! I know many of you would visit if you could, but it makes me feel really good when you have people in your life that are willing to travel to the other side of the world to see you. :) I'm being selfish and saying it is ME that they are coming for, when in fact, I'm sure Europe has a bit of an influence, as well, haha! :)

Until next time...