Lately:)

Plaza Mayor in Madrid

     The past two weekends in Madrid have presented a nice balance between relaxation and immersion into the Madrileño nightlife and life in general. That being said, life is always relatively relaxed here so the two are kind of synonymous, really. Despite the economic crisis going on (which is the cause and blame for everything--the garbage man was too lazy to come by and get the trash? 'Ayyy, es la crisis!' Por supuesto. Of course. The store owner decided to take a 4 hour siesta rather than a 2 hour siesta? Pshhh, es la crisis) the people still maintain a relaxed vibe, if you will, and are in NO hurry to get anywhere. The slow pace of life here, even in this huge city, will never cease to amaze me and it is something that I hope to truly embrace and take advantage of over the course of this year. My roommate teaches at a high school and the teachers AND students are constantly on strike so she averages a work week of about 10 hours (if only striking was so welcomed back home)!;)
     Although neither my teachers or 1st-3rd graders are on strike and my days are long (by Spanish standards) they are so enjoyable and TOTALLY worth the commute:) The kids are still crazy and Pepito and his gang are still relentless and have learned how to ask 'will you be my girlfriend' and proceed to do so on a daily basis. When things get really crazy (usually on Fridays) some of them will get a running start from down the hall and try to run and jump (more like kamikaze dive at my face with their lips puckered) to kiss me. Never a dull moment, that's for sure!:) Pepito's mom works at the school and told me that he said he was going to marry 'una vieja' (an old woman) some day and when she asked why he said very matter-of-factly that when he was 30 and ready to get married I would be 'una vieja'...duh, why else mom?! HA..he then told her not to worry because older women like younger men because they have 'tablitas' or 'rock hard abs' and said he would start doing crunches now. Ohhh Spanish boys. Besides being crazy kids, their new favorite thing to do is 'high-five'...I've also taught some of them to 'pound it'. HA. I love my job.:) I'm currently tutoring a 12-year-old boy named Joaquín twice a week as well who likes to talk crap about Justin Beiber and say that he looks like a 'guhl' (girl)...I don't have the heart to tell him that HE looks like Justin Beiber himself.

Top of Gaudi's Parque Guell in Barca:)

     Anywho...aside from being a nuisance in Madrid, we managed to escape for another weekend getaway this past weekend to Barcelona:) I love Barcelona!!! We visited some people that we met in Germany and went out with them on Saturday night after spending the day walking around Las Ramblas and enjoying beer and delicious tapas. Fast forward about 8 hours and you'll find us making our way to McDonald's (classy, I know) where I had to convince Sara that no, it was in fact NOT okay that she spent the night at McDonald's because she she was too tired to walk home. HA. Once again, never a dull moment! The next day we drug ourselves out of bed to go see the Camp Nou soccer stadium as well as a gorgeous view of the city from the top of Parque Guell. I'll end this entry with a quote I found on my latest website obsession, pinterest, that is: "Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer." I couldn't agree more! Don't get me wrong, teaching in Madrid and traveling every other weekend has obviously not expanded my wallet by any means but I am officially addicted to traveling and the sense of freedom, accomplishment, and life-enriching experiences that it inevitably brings.:) I can't wait for many more memories, trial and errors, and crazy encounters to come! Next stop: Rome, Florence, and Venice! Until next time, ciao!!