Well so much for me writing a blog entry every week. That was my plan before coming to Spain but it did not last long at all. After three weeks in Spin I have learned 3 important things:
1. I will not starve. (The food is great and there always plenty to eat)
2. I will not get much sleep. (I have to wake up early on the days that I go to work at my school and on the weekends Spaniards like to stay up until early the next morning. Sometimes until 7 am the next morning!)
3. There is never enough time to see everything in Spain (every Spaniard I talk to gives me a long list of places I HAVE TO visit).
Since my last entry a lot has changed for me on this side of the Atlantic Ocean. One of the biggest changes is that I have finally found an apartment! I've living in the center of town and sharing an apartment with 3 other Spanish students. It is an eclectic group! One of my apartment-mates is Sofia, who is studying art at the university here in Cuenca. Another is named Salva, who is studying to be a teacher and is an awesome cook! The third is Jesus, who plays guitar and studies architecture. They have been great apartment mates. After living here for just a week they have already done a lot to help me. Aside from teaching me Spanish words that they never would have taught me in Spanish class, they helped me get settled in at the apartment and even cooked some meals for me!
This past week I finished my first full week of working at the school or what they call here the institute in Motilla del Palancar. My experience at the school has been really good so far and I look forward to going and working with the students. This is mostly due to my colleagues, the other teachers at the institute. They have been extremely helpful and supportive of me during these first few weeks. During breaks between classes I usually go with the teachers to grab a coffee or some food. My initial experience in the classroom has also been good. Since I have only been working at the institute for a couple weeks, I spend most of my time in the classroom introducing myself to the students and talking about my family, friends, where I'm from and what I like to do. For the most part, the students appear to be engaged and interested in what I have to say. Hopefully this will stay the same throughout the year, but we will have to see.
I have also had the opportunity to make some new friends here in Cuenca! Having Spanish roommates has helped me meet some other students from Cuenca. Aside from meeting Spaniards, I have befriended two other Language Assistants that are living here in Spain. They are both working in the Language School that is located here in Cuenca. Martina is from Germany and she is working as a German Assistant at the Language School. The other is Brian who is from Ireland and as you may have guessed he is helping out with the English classes. I have spent a lot of time with these two new friends of mine. It has been really nice having others to explore Cuenca with, since the city is new to all of us. Tonight we are going to the Auditorium here in Cuenca to watch a Flamenco concert!
Well that is what is new here in Castilla La Mancha. I hope everything is well back in the US and wherever you are around the world! Hopefully, it will not take me as long to write a third entry.
Hasta luego!
