Time flies, OH MAN.

I can't believe I've been in Spain for a month, WAT. I also can't believe I've so rapidly become a blogging delinquent haha, oops. It's hard to sum up the last two weeks because there were just so many new things every day, so I'll stick to one subject: SCHOOL!

I've been on a temporary schedule at my school for the last two weeks, which was frustrating because they knew which day we were starting but had nothing ready for us to do and no classes ready for us to help in (BUT I DID MY BEST TO BE PATIENT, OKAY). We—the other auxiliar de conversación and I—ended up asking if, instead of sitting in the teacher's lounge cutting out labels, we could sit in on classes to see how they were run, get to know some students and teachers, etc. So they split us up and sent us 'round, and I was a much happier camper.

Strikin' timez on my first day of work.
There were two or three more rows of
people waiting behind me!

First three questions out of students' mouths, without fail: 
1. Where are you from? 
2. How old are you? 
3. Do you have a boyfriend? 

Las respuestas: 
1. The United States, specifically the great state of Wisconsin!! GO AND VISIT, EAT SOME CHEESE, DRINK SOME BEER. (But only if you are 21, obvi.) 
2. Never ask a woman how old she is, but I'm still young, so I'll tell you I'm 22. 
3. None of your business.

Thankfully, as of yesterday, I finally have a set schedule! And it is the best schedule EVER. I will be helping in various English, music, and natural science classes, all of which are being taught in English this year as part of my school's bilingual initiative. (Yes, I said science... contrary to popular belief, I actually loved science classes pre-Harvard and am stoked to help teach them!) The best part is, I have progressively fewer classes as the week goes on. By Thursday, I'm down to just two classes, and on Friday, I have zero, zilch, not a one, I LOVE MY LIFE, WHY DID THAT NEVER HAPPEN TO ME AT HARVARD, SHE WHINES. This means I can start planning some weekend getaways to other parts of Spain, whee!

Getting to work has actually been tricky some days because there have been public transport strikes in response to the government's plan to privatize Renfe and their failure to negotiate with unions, as far as I understand. There have been three already, and at least four more are scheduled for October. I actually don't mind, though, because I'm learning a lot about Spanish politics and culture through the different strikes and protests/I'm beginning to discover why Spaniards are so disgruntled with the current state of affairs. And when it comes to the crazy-crowded Metro in the morning, well, it provides a good opportunity to teach my students the English idiom "packed like sardines"... :)

Un abrazo a todos,
E.