Febrero/Marzo Update!

HOLA :)

Sorry that it has taken me so long to write....I have been very busy! so beware-this is a long update coming up!

My first month back went very smoothly, after getting adjusted to the time difference and back into the swing of things.
I have more classes in the afternoons, which makes my life nuts! But I am loving it and learning a lot!

In February there were some students and teachers here from England and it was awesome to have them here! We took them everywhere and it was really cool to see the students interact, having to speak English! and the English students having to speak Spanish! Before they left we have a costume going-away party in honor of Carnival and myself, along with my boss and 3 other teachers all dressed up in traditional Spanish dresses! It was a blast and everyone thought that I looked the most Spanish of them all! haha

My boss and I are working to set up an exhange, or intercambio, with WHS and Mrs. Geaney which we are hoping to have for next year!!! How cool would that be?!?! I will doing research this week to help get the ball rolling-it's going to be a lot of work but I think that it will definitely be worth it!

Other than that, school wise and teaching wise everything keeps getting better! I taught about St. Patrick's Day and Easter the past few weeks and we had an easter egg hunt! It was a blast and the best part was teaching them something that they didn't know and that wasn't grammar!

As far as the apartment, Teresa and I have more adventures every day! We have started to become more adventurous in our cooking skills! Some things include rice krispie treats, beef stew, chicken with wine sauce, friend zucchini sticks, and fondue-cheese, oil, and chocolate!

We also painted the entire apartment except my bedroom! Teresa's room is green-that was our first Do It Yourself project so that room needs some touching up. But the hallway is a beautiful yellow that we painted in only 2 hours! And the living room is a coffee/cream color (it matches the couch perfectly! haha). Everyone that has come to see it has loved it and since we have it down to a science now, I think that we might start contracting out!

A few weeks ago Kate came to visit :) After a long and stressful trip she finally arrived! It was so good to see her and have her here! We did everything! I even put her to work at school for 2 days doing presentations about herself! We went to the Alhambra, stayed over-night at the beach, saw the Cathedral, met some of my students and I can't speak for her, but I had a ball!

Not long after Mom and Auntie Debbie arrived! They had already seen Marko in Italia and were experienced European travellers! haha We did everything on my tour-guide list and they got to meet people at school and some of my students! The night we spent in Nerja was so much fun and they even cooked brownies in my apartment! I was soo sad to see them go and I am happy that they are home safely!

I have vacation this whole week, as if it was spring break, because it is Holy Week here. Semana Santa is amazing! It just started yesterday and I am already loving it! Every day there are 5 processions through the center of the city. I thought that it was going to be like a parade but it was so different. There are people dressed up, kind of like the KKK, but it is supposed to be so that you don't recognize anyone, see them all as equal, and the big hats make them closer to God. Followed behind them is a big throne with images of Jesus, the Virgin Mary, the Last Supper, etc. Every thrown is different and weighs a ton! You can't see them, but there about 100 men underneath the thrown carrying it! They go all through the windy, cobble stone roads of the city and all you hear is a drum and trumpets. It is very moving, and almost sad. It is quite a sight to see. If you go to this website, to the right is a part called Semana Santa and there are videos on there that the TV station took (www.canalsur.es) because I can't upload the videos that I took onto the blog.

I hope that I will be seeing you all on Easter through Skype!!!
missing you all soooooooo much!!!
only about 10 more weeks and then Ill be home again!
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

ps-this time I am really going to try and be better at the blog-writing thing!