Saturday February 16th I woke up and Victor came over and I gave him his Valentine´s present. He forgot his keys to his house so stayed in mine till his parents came back while I went running with my friend Kristen. Kristen ran cross country and track in college so needless to say she´s way better than me. She also decided to ask me a lot of questions while running so I couldn´t breathe from running or talking. But it was fun and good to have someone to push me. Then we went and munched strawberries, water and cookies at her house and soaked up some sun on her balcony and talked to her Irish roommate. She actually lives pretty close to me. Then I walked home and went to Victor´s house and to get my keys so I could shower because I was filthy. Victor was especially nice and sweet and asked what Adrian was doing today and when he was going to be home. Right then I knew that Victor had left my keys in my house, which was of course, true. Also locked in my house was my cellphone with all the numbers of anyone I could call to get Adrian´s number. Victor started to call random people to see if they had Adrian´s number or someone who might have it, and after about 5 calls finally got the number and called Adrian who didn´t answer. In the meantime, Pepa apparently knew that you could jimmy a lock with and x-ray and we had tried it once but it didn´t work. When we couldn´t get ahold of Adrian, we tried again. So we used an xray of Pepa´s latest mamogram and by some miracle opened my front door with it. Pepa´s explanation was that her breasts are miraculous. I just felt awkward and scared to know that you could open a door with a boob. So I was finally able to shower, after over and hour, and then Victor and I went out to lunch. We first went to Il Gondoliere, a really nice italian resturant that we have been to before but there was a huge line. So I suggested this place Wok we have been wanting to try. It was this nice Asian Buffet place where they cook the food in front of you. I was imagining a really nice Japanese place I went to once with my family in Bakersfield, but what we found was completely the opposite. I would compare it to the Parkside Dining Commons but larger, noisier and only asian food, all of which was fried, including the bread. So it was pretty gross. Not the delicious, romantic Valentine´s dinner I was hoping for but at least now we know what its like and don´t have to go back. Then we drove around some pueblos and talked and then came back home took a nap and then stopped by Nacho and Alicia´s place. They were having some friends over and we visited there for a bit. I had been trying to get Victor to go to tapas with my friends and me all day but in the end I couldn´t convince him. He´s just such a homebody after all his travelling. But he did drop me off where they were. So we were getting tapas for Samar´s birthday and then we went to a few other places and I left around 3 or so. I wasn´t feeling that great and I was exhausted and didn´t want to pay the 10€ to get into the next place. So I came home and hung out with Victor for a while and finally went to bed around 5 again.
Sunday February 17th when I woke up rather late, I didn´t feel well or like going to church so I cleaned up my room and showered and rested at home. Then Victor, Pepa and Emilio and I went to lunch at a restaurant near our house and all ate habas con jamón with fried eggs. That’s a green type of bean with ham and fried eggs on top. It was pretty good. We were there for a long time and then went home and took a nap. Then Victor had to pack because he was leaving for Mexico, from Malaga that night. So he packed and left to got to Mexico for 2 weeks and I went upstairs and started to clean. That night I was invited to Samar´s for dinner for her birthday. She made gandul stew but I can´t remember the name of the bean in English. It was a green pea with a name like chick pea, but it wasn´t a garbanzo. Anyway, it was delicious and nice to hang out. In the end I was really glad that I had gone to Michelle´s Friday night when I didn´t feel like it because there I got invited to plans for Saturday and Sunday night. So we visited and ate the stew and cleaned out a tin of Lebanese sweets Samar had brought from home in Christmas and then after a while went to the Mae West, a huge club that is free on Sunday nights. It was pretty fun but I was pretty tired and we all left around 3 or so, when I got home, like a crazy person, I finished cleaning the house so I wouldn´t have to do it the next morning and could just sleep in. So I went to bed at 5 AM for the 3rd night in a row.
Monday morning my roommates woke me up at 11 when they got home because they are inconsiderate so I got up and went running and showered and ate lunch. I can´t remember what else I did except go to work at 4 and then to the Academy, and then I practiced guitar for a bit. That night Emily was arriving from Madrid at 8:00 so I went up to the bus station to meet her. I was a little late and a little worried because I knew Emily hates waiting for people but it wasn´t a problem as the bus got there about 45 minutes late. She finally got off the bus and we went back to my place and dropped off her stuff and then went back out to get a schwarma, the Turkish/Moroccan burrito sandwichey things. Then we walked around a bit, back home, got her bed and everything ready and went to bed.
Tuesday February 19th, I woke up really early, went running and then showered and went to guitar at 9:15 because I had a second session of hair removal at 11. So I went to guitar and then to hair removal. When I got out, it was pouring down rain, and I stood under a covering and talked to my old roommate Alicia for a while. Emily had gone out to do stuff and didn´t think she would be back for lunch, so I stopped by the 7th floor to use the internet and ended up eating lunch with them. Then I watched TV and went to work at the school, then with Carlos and Marta. Emily called me when I got home to say that she was at Soufian´s house and that they were going to go to a tetería if I wanted to come. So I went up there and called my friend Jenny who had called me earlier when I was working, but she and her boyfriend Juan were way far away and we probably wouldn´t meet up. Then at Soufian´s Emily was there as well as Soufian, and 4 of his friends, only 2 of which spoke some Spanish. So I listened to a lot of Arabic, and watched and listened to a lot of Arabic TV. They were smoking hooka and we were drinking Moroccan tea, which was so delicious and authentic made by Moroccans. So we were there for a while and finally around 12PM dinner was ready. It was a delicious chicken and potatoes dish, but served in Moroccan style which means the dish in the middle of the table, pieces of bread spread all around the table which everyone uses to grab food out of the middle. It was so good, but I was surprised and a little felt strange being out of my cultural comfort zone. But that´s a good experience every once in a while and I learned something new and lived a new adventure and ate a really delicious meal. So then we stayed a little while longer and finally went home. I was still so exhausted and planned on going straight to bed when I got home. When I actually did get home around 1:30 Raquel was over and Emily went out into the living room to chat. Since she did, and I´m trying to keep my New Year´s Resolution of sleeping less, I went out to visit too. Then Adrian came home and since Fidel Castro had resigned the presidency of Cuba that day, we ended up talking about the history of Cuba and politics the rest of the night. I finally had to go to bed at 3:30 and the rest of them stayed up till around 5!
Wednesday I obviously didn´t have a very good day at work, I was extremely tired and I am still hanging on to my cold. One thing I did do was invite a bunch of people to a potluck at my house that Friday. I had been wanting for some time to have a potluck at my house in old school Granada style and decided that that weekend was going to be the perfect time. Then after work I came home and ate lunch with Emily. Then we watched Fama and I didn´t have class again with Conchi and Valentina, andI think Emily went out to do stuff and I went shopping, running, practiced guitar and then had class with Nacho and Alicia. I didn´t watch Sin Tetas No Hay Paraiso, in case Emily was going to be at home, but she went to dinner at Soufian´s again and I went to bed even though Raquel and Manolo were over again. She called me around 3 to let her in and I went back to bed.
Thursday I went to work, came home and ate lunch, watched Fama and then went to guitar. After that I went shopping to get the last few things I needed for the potluck I was hosting on Friday. I also went running but only for 10 minutes as I was running late to meet up with Emily at 9 and didn´t have time for more. Then I met up with Emily, Soufian and 1 of his friends and we went and got tea, juice and free crepes in a tetería. We were there for a long time and then when we left Emily said she was going to go to Soufian´s to get some of her stuff. Soufian and I had a tapa and waited for her until his friend came back and said that Emily was up there hanging out. So we went up to his house ate dinner with the rest of the people who were there already eating. Then after a while I left and Emily came with me. Then I went to bed.
Friday February 22nd was a good day at work because I had a couple hours off and that day there was a lunch for the Día de Andalucía, which is February 28th. Michelle came to work for the lunch as did Emily. It was fun to see all the teachers relaxed and not in teacher mode and the food was really good. There were a lot of appetizers, shrimp, cold cuts, cheese, chips, nuts, bread, filled rolls, and then we had lamb chops and caldareta which is lamb cooked in a stew broth. It was very good as well, lamb isn´t my favorite but it was good. Then we had fruit and little cakes for dessert. I had to leave a little early because I had to go to work. So I took the bus to work, worked, and came home and started to get ready for the party that night at 9. I unfortunately had to start with washing all my roommates´ dishes they had left when they left for the weekend along with Adri´s perpetual pile. Then I bought celery twice, made a potato salad, cleaned up and set up, changed clothes and made chocolate chip cookies. People started coming over and the first people to arrive were Michelle, Jenna, and Pierre Anne, Michelle´s new roommate. In the end there were about 20 people, all from the same teaching program as I am and we had a really nice time. There was a lot of great food, no neighbors complained and people helped clean up before we all left. That night we went to the Vogue. My favorite club from when I was there before which Emily and I had wanted to go to together since summer 2005. The group that ended up shrank to Emily, me, Samar, Michelle and Jenna. We were there till 7, because we were looking for Jenna and didn’t want to leave without her. After a while we called her and she was home in bed. So then we went home and I got in bed at 7:30.
Saturday morning I woke up at 10:30 when Victor called me while partying in Acapulco, went back to bed and that later at 1 or so when he called me again. I munched on leftovers, mostly mayonnaise based and went back to sleep till 4. Then I rolled out of bed, ate some more leftovers, Michelle came over to get some stuff she had left at my house the night before and then I went back to spend some more time on the couch in a coma. In the evening Emily showered and went out, but I stayed home with my lack of sleep hangover. I went downstairs to ask Pepa if she would make us paella tomorrow like she offered to and brought up the computer. I think I went to bed around 2.
Sunday morning I woke up and went running and showered. Emily went out to do something and when she got back, we went down and had paella with Pepa and Emilio. It was delicious as always and then we went upstairs and watched TV for a bit. Then I went to church and came home and started to clean the house with Emily. Emily talked to her mom on the phone for a while, and I finished cleaning and then watched TV with Adrian for a while and went to bed. I think that was for sure the most sleepless week and weekend I have had in a long time.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Recovery Week Part 2
So Yeah like I was saying, Wednesday night I was at Nacho and Alicia´s till after 12 because I got hooked on this show called "Without Boobs There Is No Paradise." Its basically about a drug and crime lord who is slowly dragging his childhood love into his world of drugs and crime because he can´t escape from it. But its not as bad as is sounds and The Duke is extremely attractive and has a raspy voice. Victor and Nacho are jealous. Then I came home and Manolo and Raquel were there for dinner but I went to bed fairly early.
Thursday, February 14th I had work and taught all the kids about Valentine´s Day. A delicate subject for perverted adolescents. Then I guess home and lunch and Fama untill guitar. Then I came home went running and chatted with the roommies as they were getting ready to go out but I stayed home and since I was still exhausted, after talking to Victor for a bit on the phone I went to bed early.
Friday I had work in the morning, all day, came home, ate lunch, and went to have class with Pablo. Then I rushed home, ran, and took a quick shower. Then I went to Caribesol, the salon where I usually get my legs waxed. But this time I was advancing into the world of laser hair removal, a world unknown. Details will be omitted from the blog but if you would like them you can ask me. Over all I think I am pleased with the results. Then I came home, picked up some pants I had hemmed, and started cleaning my room and eating dinner and dinking around. I didn´t have any plans that night as Victor was arriving from Scottland and wouldn´t arrive in Granada until Saturday morning after his meeting. Around 10 Michelle told me that some people were coming over to her house to watch a movie. While I was tired, feeling antisocial, had things to do and had just had hair removed from my body, I remembered my New Year´s Resolutions and forced myself to go. I´m glad I did. There were a lot of girls there and it is good to make friends. We talked and then watched a complete girly movie, Centerstage. A horrible movie about ballet dancers. Apparently there is no such thing as a ballet dancer who is also a good actor. Not too long after I got there, Victor called to say hi and see what I was doing. I told him that I ended up going to Michelle´s house after all. Michelle´s house is by the bus station and really far away so he asked how I was getting home, since the buses stop running after a while. I wasn´t sure, but there were a lot more people there so I wasn´t worried and said I would give him a toque when I got home. So we´re watching the movie, watching the movie, and he gives me a toque, a short call where u let it ring once and hang up, as a free way of communicating. So I send him a message that I´ll be home soon and not to worry there were a lot of people in the same situation as I was. We were there till about 2, took the night bus home and on my way between the bus and walking to my house, Victor calls me. Suprised that he is still awake at almost 3AM, I ask what he´s doing and why isn´t he sleeping for his meeting the next day. He says he´s been waiting and just can´t rest until he knows I´m safely at home. Well I was touched and shocked at his sweet concern and told him I was almost there. So I get to the door of the building and give him a toque. Then I wait for the elevator and go up to the 8th floor. There on my doorknob is one of my favorite candy bars that you can find only in the UK, that I had asked Victor to bring me. So I stopped and stared at it for a while. Thought about how that could have gotten there. Wondered some more, completely dumbfounded. Then I realized that Victor must have come to suprise me in Granada but have to go back to Malaga for his meeting the next day, and I started to feel really bad that I had spent the whole night out, of his suprise. So I called him, he hung up, and I called him again and he said hey I´m downstairs! , So I ran downstairs. Turns out that he didn´t have a meeting the next morning and he just came early to give me one of the best suprises ever!!! It was great and especially great because he didn´t have that stupid meeting. So then we were hanging out at his house for a while, and talked with Raul when he came home. He was quite tipsy and told us in detail about his watch that is a barometer, can tell you the altitude and elevation, and humidty and temperature and when the sun is going to rise and set and this and that and is also a compass. That was a fun conversation between 2 really sleepy and 1 drunk person. Then Victor and Raul went to bed, and since I hadn´t stayed home to wrap and get Victor´s Valentine´s Day present all ready, I stayed up an extra hour to do so and went to bed around 5AM.
Even though I was taking it easy all week and trying to recovery from a cold and Cádiz, Friday started a weekend and another week of little sleep.
Thursday, February 14th I had work and taught all the kids about Valentine´s Day. A delicate subject for perverted adolescents. Then I guess home and lunch and Fama untill guitar. Then I came home went running and chatted with the roommies as they were getting ready to go out but I stayed home and since I was still exhausted, after talking to Victor for a bit on the phone I went to bed early.
Friday I had work in the morning, all day, came home, ate lunch, and went to have class with Pablo. Then I rushed home, ran, and took a quick shower. Then I went to Caribesol, the salon where I usually get my legs waxed. But this time I was advancing into the world of laser hair removal, a world unknown. Details will be omitted from the blog but if you would like them you can ask me. Over all I think I am pleased with the results. Then I came home, picked up some pants I had hemmed, and started cleaning my room and eating dinner and dinking around. I didn´t have any plans that night as Victor was arriving from Scottland and wouldn´t arrive in Granada until Saturday morning after his meeting. Around 10 Michelle told me that some people were coming over to her house to watch a movie. While I was tired, feeling antisocial, had things to do and had just had hair removed from my body, I remembered my New Year´s Resolutions and forced myself to go. I´m glad I did. There were a lot of girls there and it is good to make friends. We talked and then watched a complete girly movie, Centerstage. A horrible movie about ballet dancers. Apparently there is no such thing as a ballet dancer who is also a good actor. Not too long after I got there, Victor called to say hi and see what I was doing. I told him that I ended up going to Michelle´s house after all. Michelle´s house is by the bus station and really far away so he asked how I was getting home, since the buses stop running after a while. I wasn´t sure, but there were a lot more people there so I wasn´t worried and said I would give him a toque when I got home. So we´re watching the movie, watching the movie, and he gives me a toque, a short call where u let it ring once and hang up, as a free way of communicating. So I send him a message that I´ll be home soon and not to worry there were a lot of people in the same situation as I was. We were there till about 2, took the night bus home and on my way between the bus and walking to my house, Victor calls me. Suprised that he is still awake at almost 3AM, I ask what he´s doing and why isn´t he sleeping for his meeting the next day. He says he´s been waiting and just can´t rest until he knows I´m safely at home. Well I was touched and shocked at his sweet concern and told him I was almost there. So I get to the door of the building and give him a toque. Then I wait for the elevator and go up to the 8th floor. There on my doorknob is one of my favorite candy bars that you can find only in the UK, that I had asked Victor to bring me. So I stopped and stared at it for a while. Thought about how that could have gotten there. Wondered some more, completely dumbfounded. Then I realized that Victor must have come to suprise me in Granada but have to go back to Malaga for his meeting the next day, and I started to feel really bad that I had spent the whole night out, of his suprise. So I called him, he hung up, and I called him again and he said hey I´m downstairs! , So I ran downstairs. Turns out that he didn´t have a meeting the next morning and he just came early to give me one of the best suprises ever!!! It was great and especially great because he didn´t have that stupid meeting. So then we were hanging out at his house for a while, and talked with Raul when he came home. He was quite tipsy and told us in detail about his watch that is a barometer, can tell you the altitude and elevation, and humidty and temperature and when the sun is going to rise and set and this and that and is also a compass. That was a fun conversation between 2 really sleepy and 1 drunk person. Then Victor and Raul went to bed, and since I hadn´t stayed home to wrap and get Victor´s Valentine´s Day present all ready, I stayed up an extra hour to do so and went to bed around 5AM.
Even though I was taking it easy all week and trying to recovery from a cold and Cádiz, Friday started a weekend and another week of little sleep.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Recovery Week Number 1
Monday February 11th, I slept in and I now that I think about it, I didn´t clean the night before so I did that in the morning. Then I ate lunch with Pepa and Emilio. They invited me to another delicious lunch I couldn´t refuse. Too bad I like all kinds of food so much. So Monday my goal was to leave the house as little as possible, apart from going to work with the babies and then to the Academy to prepare I was successful.
Tuesday, I went running, guitar, and maybe ran some errands and went shopping for Valentine´s Day. I did something, ate lunch and went to work with the older babies who I taught about Valentine´s Day and gave them a candy. I think now they hate me less than in January. Then class with Carlos and Marta. I was really exhausted all day and probably went to bed as soon as I could when I got home.
Wednesday, work in the morning. Lunch, Conchi and Valentina cancelled on my again, so after Fama I was going out to do some more of my Valentine´s shopping when the doorbell rang with a flower delivery. Victor had sent me 6 red roses and they were very beautiful. I went downstairs to borrow a vase from Pepa and then went out to do some more shopping. I was out till about 8 or so and Nacho and Alicia had changed their class from Monday to Wednesday but then cancelled it as well because Nacho had a meeting. But they said that if I wanted to come for dinner that I could. So I went running to their house and then ate dinner with them when Nacho got back and watched Alicia´s favorite tv show, Sin Tetas No Hay Paraiso. Now I have to go.
Tuesday, I went running, guitar, and maybe ran some errands and went shopping for Valentine´s Day. I did something, ate lunch and went to work with the older babies who I taught about Valentine´s Day and gave them a candy. I think now they hate me less than in January. Then class with Carlos and Marta. I was really exhausted all day and probably went to bed as soon as I could when I got home.
Wednesday, work in the morning. Lunch, Conchi and Valentina cancelled on my again, so after Fama I was going out to do some more of my Valentine´s shopping when the doorbell rang with a flower delivery. Victor had sent me 6 red roses and they were very beautiful. I went downstairs to borrow a vase from Pepa and then went out to do some more shopping. I was out till about 8 or so and Nacho and Alicia had changed their class from Monday to Wednesday but then cancelled it as well because Nacho had a meeting. But they said that if I wanted to come for dinner that I could. So I went running to their house and then ate dinner with them when Nacho got back and watched Alicia´s favorite tv show, Sin Tetas No Hay Paraiso. Now I have to go.
El Carnaval de Cádiz
As usual I am way behind on my blog. The last time I wrote I was in my house the night before the Carnaval. I blogged, chatted online and uploaded pics until the internet went out and then I went to bed. I got up early the next morning Saturday February 9th, returned the computer, went running, showered, got ready, ate breakfast, went to the bank, ran into Pepa on the street and she gave me 20€ for the trip. All that before 10AM when I went to meet Samar to walk to where the bus was leaving from. We met, stopped by a grocery store to get some snacks, and went to where the buses were. Then Michelle and Jenna met us and we started to get on the buses. The girls were originally supposed to be on bus 3, and so I requested to be on that bus as well. But when we went to bus 3, my name was the only one on there.... So the fun began... They were now on bus 2 and at the last minute, I was able to switch and go with them, but there wasn´t a seat by them so I ended up sitting a few rows back with a Polish girl who got motion sickness really easily and had to look forward to sleep so she couldn´t talk very much. When we did talk she was pretty nice and we exchanged numbers. So then we were on the bus for quite a while, stopped for a lunch break and got to Cádiz around 4:30. When we got there, we put on our costumes and makeup, fake eyelashes, boobs, blonde hair, ears, tail, and lots of makeup. We were hideous and yet amazing! To sum up, the next 11 or so hours were ridiculous. Carnaval is a huge event where everyone is dressed up, walking around, from different places, drinking and eating all night long. Complete maddness. It was so fun, we attracted a lot of attention with our unique and exaggerated costumes which started a lot of conversations. A lot of people also asked to take their picture with us. Our costumes were really good and original. So all night we ate sunflower seeds, drank your preferred beverage, and stopped to get snacks or food. We had pizza at one point, met up with other friends Juan and Jenny, hung out with 2 couples from Cádiz, an Irish guy, a huge bachelor party from Madrid, guys from Albacete, Córdoba, and Italy, got yelled at by old ladies, also got drinks spilled on us and burned by cigarettes, and saw a free Chenoa concert! Chenoa is not one of my favorite artists but one of the first Spanish singers Carlos introduced me to so it was really cool to see her in concert and especially for free! And that is pretty much what happened at Carnaval. It reminded me a lot of Las Vegas, walking around, talking to random people you´ve never met before and instantly becoming best friends and not going to sleep. It was cold but not unbearable. Around 6 in the morning, we started heading back to the bus and I got a chocolate covered, custard filled, deep friend churro. Yes it was as amazing as it sounds. Then we finally made it back to the bus and loaded up. Then back to Granada, sleeping most of the way, but not really since its hard to sleep in a bus when you dont have the window seat and dont feel comfortable enough with the Polish girl next to you to cuddle. So we made another rest stop on the way back and got back to Granada around11. Then I hobbled home, which took me probably twice as long as normal, showered, and went to bed at 12. I slept 12 to 2 until Victor called and rang the doorbell. I had already missed several calls. Then I went downstairs, mostly zombie, somehow managed to eat and then went upstairs for another nap. Then when I woke up, Victor and I went to Nacho and Alicia´s house, me still mostly zombie. We were there visiting for a bit until we left, then at home, we ate dinner with Pepa and Emilio, Victor packed and then left for Malaga, to leave for Glasgow the next morning. He was in Bilbao the week before and Almería the week before that in case I didn´t mention that before. So then I think I went upstairs and cleaned the house because I didn´t want to do it on Monday and went to bed.
Friday, February 8, 2008
More Christmas in Malaga
Málaga had some nice lights too.
Now who´s more photogenic?? GUAPO!! :)
Now who´s more photogenic?? GUAPO!! :)
These are out of order, this is in Granada. This is all the money I make in 1 month of my wonderful job. 
My pretty bed and the wall where I started tacking all the cards people send me.
The alcazaba, or military fortress in Málaga.
Although Granada is in my opinion more beautiful than Malaga, I really loved their giant Christmas Ornament decorations all around the city. Here´s me.
And here´s Victor.
My pretty bed and the wall where I started tacking all the cards people send me.
The alcazaba, or military fortress in Málaga.
Although Granada is in my opinion more beautiful than Malaga, I really loved their giant Christmas Ornament decorations all around the city. Here´s me.
And here´s Victor.
A Little Bit of Christmas in Granada
Here are some photos from the month of December. Granada gets amazingly beautiful during Christmas time and these pictures don´t really do it justice. 
This year no one stole the Virgin Mary and Baby Jesus from this Nativity Scene.
Alicia came and suprised me for a visit! This is us in front of the town hall.
A new fountain by my house. Its really beautiful.
Me in my favorite walkway in all of Granada!
José Manuel, Magdalena´s brother and Rosa´s special friend wearing her clothes.
My georgeous sister-in-law, dressing my adorable nephew for his school Christmas pageant with my beautiful niece looking on in the background.
Victor and I on a walk to take pictures of the city. Guess which one of us is more photogenic.
This store sells clothes and baby Jesus. Or else their Nativity Scene is seriously confused.
Victor on the illuminated streets of Granada.
Plaza Bibrambla
This year no one stole the Virgin Mary and Baby Jesus from this Nativity Scene.
Alicia came and suprised me for a visit! This is us in front of the town hall.
A new fountain by my house. Its really beautiful.
Me in my favorite walkway in all of Granada!
José Manuel, Magdalena´s brother and Rosa´s special friend wearing her clothes.
My georgeous sister-in-law, dressing my adorable nephew for his school Christmas pageant with my beautiful niece looking on in the background.
Victor and I on a walk to take pictures of the city. Guess which one of us is more photogenic.
This store sells clothes and baby Jesus. Or else their Nativity Scene is seriously confused.
Victor on the illuminated streets of Granada.
Plaza BibramblaSalamanca Fotos
So there is probably no way I can upload all the pictures I would like to but here is a start with a tiny selection of our road trip to visit Deanna in Salamanca:
Plaza Mayor in Salamanca with De.
Lunch with Victor and De.
In Valladolid after they hid from me.
Walking in the middle of nowhere.
They like meat a lot in Spain and especially in La Alberca, Salamanca.
Plaza Mayor in Salamanca with De.
Lunch with Victor and De.
In Valladolid after they hid from me. 
Walking in the middle of nowhere.
They like meat a lot in Spain and especially in La Alberca, Salamanca.Long Time No Nada
So Saturday January 26th I finally succeeded in waking Victor up only to have him say he wanted to go running. He went running and I went shopping, which on a Saturday afternoon is a complete pain. I was a little upset I had waited for Sleeping Beauty all afternoon and wasted my oppourtunity to shop during the siesta hour, when no one is out, which is much more comfortable for me, a person who doesn´t like shopping. So I shopped till about 9 and then came back and Victor and I went out for a walk and some tapas. I saw the French teacher from my school out with her friends and that was kinda funny. Then Victor and I went to the movies and saw, Mortadello and Filemon: Missión: Salvar la Tierra (save the earth). Mortadello and Filemon are very famous comics that everyone grew up with here in Spain, so it was a little stupid for me, but I liked it.
Sunday I went to church, ate with the family, took a nap, and then I think Victor and I went out for another walk. We also made plans for a crazy whirlwind trip to go to the Carnaval, the giant party before lent, in Cádiz the next weekend. Then in the evening we tried to visit Nacho and Alicia but they were busy. Victor didn´t have to go to Malaga that night because the next week he was working in Almería, a city that Granada is 1 hour closer to than Málaga. So in the evening he went out and watched a soccer match with his friends and I spent some really awkward time in my appartment. This was the first weekend that my roommies stayed, and on Sunday afternoon Rosa and Zore were home with José and Raquel. José was hanging out with Rosa and Raquel and Zore were talking in the living room. So I did some stuff in my room, dinked around, went and sat in the living room and stared at the tv I couldn´t understand because of the constant conversation Raquel and Zore were excluding me from. So I sat there for a good while, and then Camera Cafe came on and finally we were all watching tv more or less together and then Victor came and we went to his house. We hung out and watched tv and just goofed off till late. It was fun to have him in Granada for an extra night.
Monday January 28th I went running, cleaned the hosue and went shopping in the morning for my dad´s bday present and costumes for the Carnaval. I was busy all morning and then came home and ate lunch and then went straight to work. It went ok but there were 2 kids with nasty snot running down their faces and I knew that I was going to have to pay for that later. Then I went to the Academy to prepare for the next classes, practiced guitar, and then had class with Nacho and Alicia. Nacho is starting to work a lot more so we ended early. Then home and bed I guess.
Tuesday, running, guitar class and more shopping. I had a good time looking around and found some really amazing deals since Spain is in its 2nd phase of markdowns in the After 3 Kings Day Sales. I bought a cute summer dress, which when I asked Rosa if she liked it, she diverted the question twice so apparently not eveyone thinks its cute. I also got several pairs of shoes, and stuff for the costume. Then home, and I made Kraft Macaroni and Cheese for lunch. I was exhausted and needed a quick, fast comfort food. I also wanted to share this childhood deliciousness with my roommates. They didn´t know what they were going to eat, didn´t have anything, etc, etc, but they still didn´t want to take me up on my offer. So they diverted again my offers of American goodness till they finally said no after like the 100th time I offered. That´s all they had to say the first time. Then I went downstairs to pick up a package the mail lady gave to Pepa when no one ansewerd my door and Nacho was there. I used the internet and Nacho offered to drive me to work because it was on his way. I accepted. At work more kids had snotty noses and I knew I was doomed. Then to work with Carlos and Marta, I think I ran a few errands on the way home and then hang out and bed.
Wednesday I woke up sick, had class in the morning, and my second teacher´s class went really well. It was just Javier and I and we talked pretty much the whole time about the Carnaval and other things in Granada. That day he didn´t learn English, I learned Spanish. On my way home from work I bought a sweater thing at Zara. It wasn´t marked down but I decided that I work so much and so hard that I deserve whatever caprices I want. Then lunch, Fama and class with Conchi and Valentina. Then I had a small errand to run and then came home to find Rosa, Zore and Raquel there and one of the most outrageous, awkward and ridiculous experiences yet. I was getting ready to go running and wanted to know if anyone felt like going with me. They didn´t because their friendd was coming over for dinner. I said oh Manolo?, who comes over every Wednesday night, but no it was their other friend who was best friends with the boys who lived in the 9th floor. Those boys are José and his brothers who are good friends with Victor, so if he was their friend, I probably knew him. But they don´t like to share any info with me so finding out how they knew him, from what, what his name was, etc. was like pulling teeth. Before I left to run, Manolo called to see if he could come over. They of course said yes, and recalculated the count for dinner, 5 people. the 3 girls, and their 2 guy friends. Clearly I was not invited to their dinner party. So I went on my run, got back and found them discussing what to make for dinner, they didn´t have enough pasta so I offered mine. Only then did they realize that I was going to eat dinner there that night as well, and asked if I wanted to eat with them. I offered to make brownies to bring something to the table. So I started to make the brownies and realized that it was a smaller batch and needed the 8x8 pan, and we only have a rectangular one. So I could bake it in the larger pan and serve brownie crisps or use my only other precious brownie mix my aunt sent me and try to make friends. So I sacrficed my selfish desires and made the second batch. The brownies turned out amazing, but after a huge plate of pasta and pizza, everyone was so stuffed that they could barely try a tiny little square. They all said it was good, but no one asked for more. Not to worry, we still had Thursday. The rest of the night was spent being ignored as I cleaned up their dishes. Then I went to bed.
Thursday my first class was cancelled and so I woke up and went running. I also gave some brownies to Pepa and Emilio and Nachete who didn´t go to school that day. I also set aside one for Victor since I figured my roommies would devour the rest before he got there on Friday. I brought one to Michelle at work who loved it and said it was really delicious! Then I had a couple classes, came home and ate lunch and then went to guitar. Right now I am not remebering any details about Thursday. I think guitar went bad and then I came home and wanted to see if the girls wanted to do tapas with me and my friends from work. They didn´t because they were too tired. So I went and got some tapitas with Samar, her friend Victor, Kristen, Jenna and this other guy I hadn´t met before. It was fun but short, we just had 2 rounds and then I came home. My roommates couldn´t believe I was home so early and made several comments about it. So I went to bed. Apparently they weren´t too tired though as I heard several of their friends come over later and stay quite late.
Friday work. I had a really bad day and the kids almost made me cry. I would have if I didn´t have to go straight into another class that went just as bad. I really dislike my job and I´m not sure if I´m fulfilling my New Year´s Resolution concerning it. It was bad. Then the last shopping stop for my costume, I had forgotten my wallet and had the girl save the stuff for me, home, lunch and Fama and Adri got home. I commented to him that I wasn´t really comfortable with the girls and he said he wasn´t either. Then Victor got home from Almería and drove me to work. Work with Pablo, then back and Adrian and I finished our conversation/venting session about our roommates and what to do about it. We didn´t reach a good solution. Then I went to Victor´s house and he told me he didn´t want to go through with our ridiculous Carnaval plan. Completely understandable, it was a crazy plan and the guy travels and works like crazy. Regardless, after Victor had suggested it, I had spent all week looking forward to it, shopping for it, and now realized that a lot of my friends had already bought their tickets to go the next weekend, and it was too late for me. A difficult situation with no win-win solution in sight. I went and paid for the things I had picked out earlier that day, and then Victor and I stopped by a free concert right by my house. The bus system put it on. The music was just ok, so we didn´t stay long. Then I made a few calls to see if I could still get a ticket to go with my friends to the Carnaval next weekend and apparently I could. Victor had a meeting the next morning in Málaga and we decided to go there for the weekend. So Victor worked on his project for his meeting the next day, we packed, ate dinner, ate the rest of the entire pan of brownies because nobody had eaten A SINGLE ONE!! I was so upset that I wasted both brownie mixes on my stupid roommates, but at least Victor and I and Michelle enjoyed them. When we finally got everything ready, we left, drove for an hour or so, got to Málaga and said goodnight.
Saturday while Victor was at his meeting, I went running, got lost, and then showered in their disgusting boy shower. Not willing to use that for the rest of the weekend I cleaned their bathroom and Victor´s room. Filth is no fun. Then Victor got back and we went grocery shopping for the weekend and then went to the beach. It was beautiful weather in Málaga and since niether of us know it that well, it was like being on vacation! Discovering a new place, amazing weather, the beach, etc. We went to this beach Victor´s friend Ignacio from work reccommend we go to and eat at and walk around. We started walking, but apparently in the wrong direction because the area we walked into got progressively more ghetto. We stopped by a market and then turned around and started looking for the area we were originally trying to get to. We finally found it and scored a terrace table at the resturant Ignacio recommend we go to as well. The food was amazing, delicious and the fish was cooked on an open fire in a bbq/grill in a boat on the beach. It was a really nice, relaxing experience and I kept thinking how all my family members who like seafood and fish would have loved the shrimp, calamari, octopus, sardines and salad we ordered. The bill was a little more than we expected but well worth Victor´s money in my opinion. ; ) Then we walked around some more, drove to the center and shopped a bit, went home took a nap, and then went to this mall thing, shopped around some more, got some tapas, and then saw the Oxford Crimes at the movies. It was good but hard for me to understand in Spanish. Too much thinking. That was it for Saturday.
Sunday after sleeping in, I watched tv in the living room and waited for Victor to wake up. Then we had breakfast and then went back to the beach to fly a kite that Raúl had given Victor. There wasn´t very much wind, and it was more complicated than we expected so we gave up on the kite idea and just walked around, had a drink in this little beachy resturant thing and went home. We made my mommy´s award winning Shrimp and Mandarins Over Pasta with special pasta Victor had brought from Italy and I was pretty pleased with the results. I did the best I could finding all the ingredients and my first Spanish version turned out pretty well! Then nap, and back out in the evening to walk around the center. They don´t realy have a big Carnaval in Málaga and just as we were getting there, things were ending. So we kinda missed that but oh well. Then after a walk around, we went back home and watched tv, I made a little dinner, talked to my grandparents and then bed.
Monday morning we left early, Victor for the airport, and me for the bus station. The taxi ride to the bus station cost 1€ less than my bus ticket from Málaga to Granada. Emilio picked me up at the bus station, took me home and I had breakfast, cleaned the house, took a shower, ate lunch with Pepa and Emlio. She was fixing homemade chorizo so I couldn´t say no. :) For some reason I was really exhausted so I took a nap and went to work. Then I went and bought my ticket to the Carnaval and then to work to prepare. Then I came home and practiced guitar and Nacho and Alicia cancelled class on me. I dunno what I did the rest of the night but I think it included going to be early. Rosa was back , she was studying a lot for her tests that week but Zore had stayed in Águilas for Monday of the Carnaval.
Tuesday I went running in the morning, guitar and then at home and tidied up and got things done. I spent some time on the balcony preparing for my private classes and working on my paper journal. I also went to borrow the computer, but Emilio was using it, and I got invited to another lunch I couldn´t refuse. So after I bit I went down and used the computer and had lunch and used the computer some more and then went to work. It went ok. The kids still are dissapointed when I´m there each week instead of their old teacher Nikki. Teaching is definitely not my calling. Then I rushed to work with Carlos and Marta only to find Carlos sick with a fever and sore throat, and Marta not there and not answering her cell phone. So I waited around with Carlos and watched cartoons and played with their really cute dog, Tosca. Then Marta finally got there and we had class and they paid me the same as always. So I finished early and went home and wrote some postcards and stuff about which Rosa made a comment. Apparently she doesn´t understand that I don´t see my family and friends every weekend. Then I went to bed.
Wednesday, work in the morning. Nothing particularly stirking, then stopped by the bank to cash my check, home, lunch, and Fama. For lunch I had some yummy asian noodles that my aunt sent me with some pork I added! yay! I had the afternoon free because Conchi and Valentina had cancelled on me as well and I went out to go shopping and run errands. I was out most of the evening, came home, went running, ate dinner, watched tv, wrote more postcards and went to bed. I really can´t remember anythhing else.
Thursday I woke up early, packed a lunch and went to the bank to deposit the cash, and went to work. Work didn´t go really great, but I got done an hour early. Michelle and I had made plans to go to El Mirador de San Nicolas with out packed lunches so we spent lunchtime and a good chunk of the afternoon there, people watching, eating, chatting, and soaking up the sun. It was really relaxing and nice but also made me really tired. I came home and since i didn´t have any time to practice guitar the day before and stuff to do, I called Antonio and told him I couldn´t come. I was just too tired and embarassed. He was so sweet though and offered to make the class up Saturday, which I couldn´t do. I felt bad all over. Bad for not practicing, and then bad for not going. Guitar New Year´s Resolution is not going to well either. But I went to the post office and then running and met up with the girls who I am going to Carnaval with to go costume shopping, again. Our group that is going is Michelle, Jenna, Samar, me and this guy Brad. The obvious group costume for 1 guy and 4 girls is of course, you guessed it, Hugh Heffner and playboy bunnies. I was really excited. For those of you who know me, you can hear my voice dripping with sarcasam as I say that because a playboy bunnie is the last thing I would ever choose to dress up as. But in an effort to make friends, bond and be a part of a group I went along with the idea. At least I´m fortunate enough that we are going as fully clothed bunnies in jeans and matching jackets, so don´t worry all my family members reading this. So Thursday night, we met and go shopping, we buy hideous blonde wigs for 6€ and at out last stop find 4 matching bright blue velour track suits that I think my friend Sara would be proud of for only 10€. Too bad I´ll never wear it again! Then Samar had to leave, but Jenna, Michelle and I got tapas and then went home. I was so pooped and just wanted to go to bed, but when I got home, my roommates were having another friggin dinner party. Raquel and her horrible sister were there and the 2 guys David and Manu who I actually liked, and this other guy. But they were waiting on Manu who I met at the door, and so started to eat almost as I got there. As I had already eaten and our table is too small for 7 let alone 8 people I said not to worry that I would just sit and watch tv. Thankfully my sister called me so I could leave and have something to do for a while, and its always amazing to talk to my sister, I miss her soooooo much!! But our conversation was too short, and so I read some stuff for class the next day. Then I could hear that they were all done with dinner and was going to force myself to go out of my room and be social but when I got to the living room, I could see thru the closed, frosted glass door that they were still sitting around the table! I didn´t know what to do, because the only place for me to sit would be on the couch and still be ignored. So I hid in my room for a bit more, and then worked up my courage and went in. I sat on the sofa and listened to their stories, mostly got ignored for about an hour and then went to bed. It is so hard living in my house.
Today, I woke up, got ready and went to work. I got there about 1 minute before the bell rang because I was so late and I was really nervous the whole way there. Then I had another horrible day at work and the kids almost made me cry again. It really ruined my whole day. The only good thing was that I got to leave an hour early again. Then I came home, started making lunch, stopped by Pepa´s for fabric softener, talked on the phone to my dad, finished and ate lunch, watched Fama, and went to work. On the way there they called and cancelled on me. Thankfully I had just left, but that brought my total number of private classes for the week to 1 and left me about 50€ short. So I came back home, finished watching Fama, went to Pepas visited with her and Abuela for a bit, brought up the computer, started blogging went back down to Pepa´s where she tried to get me to stay and keep her company because she was alone and bored, so I stayed for a bit and then came back upstairs and visited with Adri and his friend Luis for a bit. I think Luis is a little arrogant but oh well. Then I started blogging again, talked on the phone to my mom for a bit and have been here ever since. I think I am going to go running now, and then not leave my hosue again.
Tomorrow for the Carnaval the bus leaves Granada at 11 and I want to go running before, we´ll be in the bus for about 5 hours and then Cádiz untill the bus leaves again at 7 AM Sunday morning. I hope its fun and that my cold I still have doesn´t turn into deadly pnemonia and I think that´s all I have to say about the last 2 weeks.
Sunday I went to church, ate with the family, took a nap, and then I think Victor and I went out for another walk. We also made plans for a crazy whirlwind trip to go to the Carnaval, the giant party before lent, in Cádiz the next weekend. Then in the evening we tried to visit Nacho and Alicia but they were busy. Victor didn´t have to go to Malaga that night because the next week he was working in Almería, a city that Granada is 1 hour closer to than Málaga. So in the evening he went out and watched a soccer match with his friends and I spent some really awkward time in my appartment. This was the first weekend that my roommies stayed, and on Sunday afternoon Rosa and Zore were home with José and Raquel. José was hanging out with Rosa and Raquel and Zore were talking in the living room. So I did some stuff in my room, dinked around, went and sat in the living room and stared at the tv I couldn´t understand because of the constant conversation Raquel and Zore were excluding me from. So I sat there for a good while, and then Camera Cafe came on and finally we were all watching tv more or less together and then Victor came and we went to his house. We hung out and watched tv and just goofed off till late. It was fun to have him in Granada for an extra night.
Monday January 28th I went running, cleaned the hosue and went shopping in the morning for my dad´s bday present and costumes for the Carnaval. I was busy all morning and then came home and ate lunch and then went straight to work. It went ok but there were 2 kids with nasty snot running down their faces and I knew that I was going to have to pay for that later. Then I went to the Academy to prepare for the next classes, practiced guitar, and then had class with Nacho and Alicia. Nacho is starting to work a lot more so we ended early. Then home and bed I guess.
Tuesday, running, guitar class and more shopping. I had a good time looking around and found some really amazing deals since Spain is in its 2nd phase of markdowns in the After 3 Kings Day Sales. I bought a cute summer dress, which when I asked Rosa if she liked it, she diverted the question twice so apparently not eveyone thinks its cute. I also got several pairs of shoes, and stuff for the costume. Then home, and I made Kraft Macaroni and Cheese for lunch. I was exhausted and needed a quick, fast comfort food. I also wanted to share this childhood deliciousness with my roommates. They didn´t know what they were going to eat, didn´t have anything, etc, etc, but they still didn´t want to take me up on my offer. So they diverted again my offers of American goodness till they finally said no after like the 100th time I offered. That´s all they had to say the first time. Then I went downstairs to pick up a package the mail lady gave to Pepa when no one ansewerd my door and Nacho was there. I used the internet and Nacho offered to drive me to work because it was on his way. I accepted. At work more kids had snotty noses and I knew I was doomed. Then to work with Carlos and Marta, I think I ran a few errands on the way home and then hang out and bed.
Wednesday I woke up sick, had class in the morning, and my second teacher´s class went really well. It was just Javier and I and we talked pretty much the whole time about the Carnaval and other things in Granada. That day he didn´t learn English, I learned Spanish. On my way home from work I bought a sweater thing at Zara. It wasn´t marked down but I decided that I work so much and so hard that I deserve whatever caprices I want. Then lunch, Fama and class with Conchi and Valentina. Then I had a small errand to run and then came home to find Rosa, Zore and Raquel there and one of the most outrageous, awkward and ridiculous experiences yet. I was getting ready to go running and wanted to know if anyone felt like going with me. They didn´t because their friendd was coming over for dinner. I said oh Manolo?, who comes over every Wednesday night, but no it was their other friend who was best friends with the boys who lived in the 9th floor. Those boys are José and his brothers who are good friends with Victor, so if he was their friend, I probably knew him. But they don´t like to share any info with me so finding out how they knew him, from what, what his name was, etc. was like pulling teeth. Before I left to run, Manolo called to see if he could come over. They of course said yes, and recalculated the count for dinner, 5 people. the 3 girls, and their 2 guy friends. Clearly I was not invited to their dinner party. So I went on my run, got back and found them discussing what to make for dinner, they didn´t have enough pasta so I offered mine. Only then did they realize that I was going to eat dinner there that night as well, and asked if I wanted to eat with them. I offered to make brownies to bring something to the table. So I started to make the brownies and realized that it was a smaller batch and needed the 8x8 pan, and we only have a rectangular one. So I could bake it in the larger pan and serve brownie crisps or use my only other precious brownie mix my aunt sent me and try to make friends. So I sacrficed my selfish desires and made the second batch. The brownies turned out amazing, but after a huge plate of pasta and pizza, everyone was so stuffed that they could barely try a tiny little square. They all said it was good, but no one asked for more. Not to worry, we still had Thursday. The rest of the night was spent being ignored as I cleaned up their dishes. Then I went to bed.
Thursday my first class was cancelled and so I woke up and went running. I also gave some brownies to Pepa and Emilio and Nachete who didn´t go to school that day. I also set aside one for Victor since I figured my roommies would devour the rest before he got there on Friday. I brought one to Michelle at work who loved it and said it was really delicious! Then I had a couple classes, came home and ate lunch and then went to guitar. Right now I am not remebering any details about Thursday. I think guitar went bad and then I came home and wanted to see if the girls wanted to do tapas with me and my friends from work. They didn´t because they were too tired. So I went and got some tapitas with Samar, her friend Victor, Kristen, Jenna and this other guy I hadn´t met before. It was fun but short, we just had 2 rounds and then I came home. My roommates couldn´t believe I was home so early and made several comments about it. So I went to bed. Apparently they weren´t too tired though as I heard several of their friends come over later and stay quite late.
Friday work. I had a really bad day and the kids almost made me cry. I would have if I didn´t have to go straight into another class that went just as bad. I really dislike my job and I´m not sure if I´m fulfilling my New Year´s Resolution concerning it. It was bad. Then the last shopping stop for my costume, I had forgotten my wallet and had the girl save the stuff for me, home, lunch and Fama and Adri got home. I commented to him that I wasn´t really comfortable with the girls and he said he wasn´t either. Then Victor got home from Almería and drove me to work. Work with Pablo, then back and Adrian and I finished our conversation/venting session about our roommates and what to do about it. We didn´t reach a good solution. Then I went to Victor´s house and he told me he didn´t want to go through with our ridiculous Carnaval plan. Completely understandable, it was a crazy plan and the guy travels and works like crazy. Regardless, after Victor had suggested it, I had spent all week looking forward to it, shopping for it, and now realized that a lot of my friends had already bought their tickets to go the next weekend, and it was too late for me. A difficult situation with no win-win solution in sight. I went and paid for the things I had picked out earlier that day, and then Victor and I stopped by a free concert right by my house. The bus system put it on. The music was just ok, so we didn´t stay long. Then I made a few calls to see if I could still get a ticket to go with my friends to the Carnaval next weekend and apparently I could. Victor had a meeting the next morning in Málaga and we decided to go there for the weekend. So Victor worked on his project for his meeting the next day, we packed, ate dinner, ate the rest of the entire pan of brownies because nobody had eaten A SINGLE ONE!! I was so upset that I wasted both brownie mixes on my stupid roommates, but at least Victor and I and Michelle enjoyed them. When we finally got everything ready, we left, drove for an hour or so, got to Málaga and said goodnight.
Saturday while Victor was at his meeting, I went running, got lost, and then showered in their disgusting boy shower. Not willing to use that for the rest of the weekend I cleaned their bathroom and Victor´s room. Filth is no fun. Then Victor got back and we went grocery shopping for the weekend and then went to the beach. It was beautiful weather in Málaga and since niether of us know it that well, it was like being on vacation! Discovering a new place, amazing weather, the beach, etc. We went to this beach Victor´s friend Ignacio from work reccommend we go to and eat at and walk around. We started walking, but apparently in the wrong direction because the area we walked into got progressively more ghetto. We stopped by a market and then turned around and started looking for the area we were originally trying to get to. We finally found it and scored a terrace table at the resturant Ignacio recommend we go to as well. The food was amazing, delicious and the fish was cooked on an open fire in a bbq/grill in a boat on the beach. It was a really nice, relaxing experience and I kept thinking how all my family members who like seafood and fish would have loved the shrimp, calamari, octopus, sardines and salad we ordered. The bill was a little more than we expected but well worth Victor´s money in my opinion. ; ) Then we walked around some more, drove to the center and shopped a bit, went home took a nap, and then went to this mall thing, shopped around some more, got some tapas, and then saw the Oxford Crimes at the movies. It was good but hard for me to understand in Spanish. Too much thinking. That was it for Saturday.
Sunday after sleeping in, I watched tv in the living room and waited for Victor to wake up. Then we had breakfast and then went back to the beach to fly a kite that Raúl had given Victor. There wasn´t very much wind, and it was more complicated than we expected so we gave up on the kite idea and just walked around, had a drink in this little beachy resturant thing and went home. We made my mommy´s award winning Shrimp and Mandarins Over Pasta with special pasta Victor had brought from Italy and I was pretty pleased with the results. I did the best I could finding all the ingredients and my first Spanish version turned out pretty well! Then nap, and back out in the evening to walk around the center. They don´t realy have a big Carnaval in Málaga and just as we were getting there, things were ending. So we kinda missed that but oh well. Then after a walk around, we went back home and watched tv, I made a little dinner, talked to my grandparents and then bed.
Monday morning we left early, Victor for the airport, and me for the bus station. The taxi ride to the bus station cost 1€ less than my bus ticket from Málaga to Granada. Emilio picked me up at the bus station, took me home and I had breakfast, cleaned the house, took a shower, ate lunch with Pepa and Emlio. She was fixing homemade chorizo so I couldn´t say no. :) For some reason I was really exhausted so I took a nap and went to work. Then I went and bought my ticket to the Carnaval and then to work to prepare. Then I came home and practiced guitar and Nacho and Alicia cancelled class on me. I dunno what I did the rest of the night but I think it included going to be early. Rosa was back , she was studying a lot for her tests that week but Zore had stayed in Águilas for Monday of the Carnaval.
Tuesday I went running in the morning, guitar and then at home and tidied up and got things done. I spent some time on the balcony preparing for my private classes and working on my paper journal. I also went to borrow the computer, but Emilio was using it, and I got invited to another lunch I couldn´t refuse. So after I bit I went down and used the computer and had lunch and used the computer some more and then went to work. It went ok. The kids still are dissapointed when I´m there each week instead of their old teacher Nikki. Teaching is definitely not my calling. Then I rushed to work with Carlos and Marta only to find Carlos sick with a fever and sore throat, and Marta not there and not answering her cell phone. So I waited around with Carlos and watched cartoons and played with their really cute dog, Tosca. Then Marta finally got there and we had class and they paid me the same as always. So I finished early and went home and wrote some postcards and stuff about which Rosa made a comment. Apparently she doesn´t understand that I don´t see my family and friends every weekend. Then I went to bed.
Wednesday, work in the morning. Nothing particularly stirking, then stopped by the bank to cash my check, home, lunch, and Fama. For lunch I had some yummy asian noodles that my aunt sent me with some pork I added! yay! I had the afternoon free because Conchi and Valentina had cancelled on me as well and I went out to go shopping and run errands. I was out most of the evening, came home, went running, ate dinner, watched tv, wrote more postcards and went to bed. I really can´t remember anythhing else.
Thursday I woke up early, packed a lunch and went to the bank to deposit the cash, and went to work. Work didn´t go really great, but I got done an hour early. Michelle and I had made plans to go to El Mirador de San Nicolas with out packed lunches so we spent lunchtime and a good chunk of the afternoon there, people watching, eating, chatting, and soaking up the sun. It was really relaxing and nice but also made me really tired. I came home and since i didn´t have any time to practice guitar the day before and stuff to do, I called Antonio and told him I couldn´t come. I was just too tired and embarassed. He was so sweet though and offered to make the class up Saturday, which I couldn´t do. I felt bad all over. Bad for not practicing, and then bad for not going. Guitar New Year´s Resolution is not going to well either. But I went to the post office and then running and met up with the girls who I am going to Carnaval with to go costume shopping, again. Our group that is going is Michelle, Jenna, Samar, me and this guy Brad. The obvious group costume for 1 guy and 4 girls is of course, you guessed it, Hugh Heffner and playboy bunnies. I was really excited. For those of you who know me, you can hear my voice dripping with sarcasam as I say that because a playboy bunnie is the last thing I would ever choose to dress up as. But in an effort to make friends, bond and be a part of a group I went along with the idea. At least I´m fortunate enough that we are going as fully clothed bunnies in jeans and matching jackets, so don´t worry all my family members reading this. So Thursday night, we met and go shopping, we buy hideous blonde wigs for 6€ and at out last stop find 4 matching bright blue velour track suits that I think my friend Sara would be proud of for only 10€. Too bad I´ll never wear it again! Then Samar had to leave, but Jenna, Michelle and I got tapas and then went home. I was so pooped and just wanted to go to bed, but when I got home, my roommates were having another friggin dinner party. Raquel and her horrible sister were there and the 2 guys David and Manu who I actually liked, and this other guy. But they were waiting on Manu who I met at the door, and so started to eat almost as I got there. As I had already eaten and our table is too small for 7 let alone 8 people I said not to worry that I would just sit and watch tv. Thankfully my sister called me so I could leave and have something to do for a while, and its always amazing to talk to my sister, I miss her soooooo much!! But our conversation was too short, and so I read some stuff for class the next day. Then I could hear that they were all done with dinner and was going to force myself to go out of my room and be social but when I got to the living room, I could see thru the closed, frosted glass door that they were still sitting around the table! I didn´t know what to do, because the only place for me to sit would be on the couch and still be ignored. So I hid in my room for a bit more, and then worked up my courage and went in. I sat on the sofa and listened to their stories, mostly got ignored for about an hour and then went to bed. It is so hard living in my house.
Today, I woke up, got ready and went to work. I got there about 1 minute before the bell rang because I was so late and I was really nervous the whole way there. Then I had another horrible day at work and the kids almost made me cry again. It really ruined my whole day. The only good thing was that I got to leave an hour early again. Then I came home, started making lunch, stopped by Pepa´s for fabric softener, talked on the phone to my dad, finished and ate lunch, watched Fama, and went to work. On the way there they called and cancelled on me. Thankfully I had just left, but that brought my total number of private classes for the week to 1 and left me about 50€ short. So I came back home, finished watching Fama, went to Pepas visited with her and Abuela for a bit, brought up the computer, started blogging went back down to Pepa´s where she tried to get me to stay and keep her company because she was alone and bored, so I stayed for a bit and then came back upstairs and visited with Adri and his friend Luis for a bit. I think Luis is a little arrogant but oh well. Then I started blogging again, talked on the phone to my mom for a bit and have been here ever since. I think I am going to go running now, and then not leave my hosue again.
Tomorrow for the Carnaval the bus leaves Granada at 11 and I want to go running before, we´ll be in the bus for about 5 hours and then Cádiz untill the bus leaves again at 7 AM Sunday morning. I hope its fun and that my cold I still have doesn´t turn into deadly pnemonia and I think that´s all I have to say about the last 2 weeks.
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