I'm baaaack!

Yes, just like that dinosaur movie.  Except that instead of tromping around NYC and joining an evil circus, I'm back to haunting Colegio Infanta Leonor and the streets of Puerto de Mazarrón.  It's been a long time since I updated on here - grad school applications, holidays, and preparing to go home over the Christmas break completely destroyed any willful effort to work on the ol' blog.  But now the holidays are over, I've been back in Spain for two weeks, and I'm ready to jump back into the writing game.

What's the capacity for this gym again?

December in Puerto de Mazarrón was kind of a mixed bag - watching the town prepare for Christmas was definitely a plus, but we had a streak of cold weather that made it near impossible to get out of bed in the morning (I've taken to calling my bed "the lasagna" because of the layers of blankets).  The biggest downside to living in our apartment is that it is definitely designed for summer.  There are tons of windows and the views are out of this world, but being on the 8th floor when it's windy outside and the walls aren't insulated is not the most comfortable thing in the world.  Our solution was to wear as many layers as possible and drink an unnatural amount of tea.  At the end of the month, there was a Christmas festival at my school where all the classes organized performances and children, parents, and teachers alike piled in the gym to watch.  After, the teachers went out for an extended lunch.  I consider myself to be very fortunate in my school placement because of the teachers and students I get to work with.  The students are enthusiastic and the teachers have included me in everything they do even though I only get to see them during a few short hours every week.  It's been a very open community and I was glad that we had some time to all get together before the holidays and my trip back to Seattle.

My corner of the Amsterdam airport

That very night, I hurried back home after lunch (Spanish lunch, though, so we finished at 6:30) and ran off to catch the bus that was the first leg of my trip home.  That night I slept at the apartment of some other auxiliares in Murcia; the next morning, I was at the bus station again to take a bus from Murcia to Madrid Barajas Airport.  From there it was a few hours by plane to Amsterdam, the night in Schiphol, and then another nine hours to Seattle.  By the time that I got home, I had been in transit for two days.  That added on the the jetlag made it hard to figure out exactly what time or day it was, but being able to visit home for a couple of weeks made it all worth it.

My trip back to Puerto de Mazarrón was much easier than the first time since I knew exactly how to get to the buses and I had a functioning cellphone this time in case I ran into any problems.  On my flight from Amsterdam to Madrid, I ran into a Whitman soccer player who is studying abroad in Madrid this semester.  Coming to Spain to study during my junior year gave me a chance to fall in love with the country and is the major reason that I have come back this year, so I'm really excited for her to get to spend some time here.

CEIP Infanta Leonor

My first couple of days back were spent adjusting to the time difference and eating normally again (after the holidays, I wasn't really hungry).  The weather was strangely really nice and not at all as cold as it was in December.  The government finally paid my roommates and me, so we paid our rent for the past couple of months and felt the stress of living on an extra-tight budget lift.  Going back to school and reconnecting with the students and teachers was great, but I had forgotten how much energy the little kiddos require.  It was one of those times where I was so happy that I only had to work three days during the week because I was dead to the world by Friday afternoon.

An evening walk by the sea

Since coming back, I've hung out a lot around Puerto and taken life easy.  I remember that way back in June when I first learned about my placement here I was more than a little worried about what life would be like in a small town.  I had only ever know the bustle and lively atmosphere of Alicante, and Mazarrón is conspicuously empty of that.  There are times when I am incredibly lonely here - most people my own age are off attending university in the city; recently though, I've discovered what it is that I love about living here.  I see people that I know or at least recognize everywhere.  The group of friends that I have made is incredible and knows how to have a good time, whether that's going out for a late dinner, an extended lunch, or having a movie marathon.  When I go out walking, the paseo along the Mediterranean can alternatively be filled on the weekends with families or completely silent during the siesta and evening hours.

The birthday boy plays the cool-head chef.

This past week was nice because I was back into my teaching rhythm and am finally getting a feeling for my schedule and classes.  I've agreed to help the bilingual program at Infanta Leonor redesign their website and make it easier for students and teachers to access the available resources.  This means that I finally have something to do during my long weekends!  This weekend, however, was filled with fiestas since the teachers went out to lunch on Friday and then on Saturday, I helped to celebrate a fellow teacher and friend's birthday.  Fran is turning the big 3-0 on Monday, so a group of us went out for dinner (again, late, we got there at 10).  There, we couldn't really decide what we wanted, so we had a little bit of everything: almonds, sangria, seafood, salads, meat that we cooked on a hot rock, and assorted desserts.  The food was great and the company even better.  If there are two things that are a staple in all of Spain, it's good food and the ability to talk for hours.  We finally left around 1, went out to the one bar that's reliably open in the winter, and celebrated a little more.

A windy Saturday morning