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!!
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