Updates

I haven't posted in the last couple days, but that's because nothing out of the ordinary has happened. Dare I say I'm falling into a routine? I think that perhaps I am.

I started my first actual day of class today, with a real schedule. It was definitely interesting. I got to my first class, and the teacher wasn't there. I waited out in the hall for a few moments, and just as the bell rings, a woman (not the teacher) comes up to me. She tells me the teacher is gone. She asks if I'd like to lead the class, and she can stay if I need extra disciplinary help. Turns out they don't really have substitutes at this school. Instead, the duty normally comes in and keeps an eye on the class. So my first day with these kids (who were a little older and spoke fairly well) was completely improvised. It actually went pretty well. I introduced myself, had the kids introduce themselves, and then did some of the activities we learned about at the training (attending paid off already!). I also managed to keep them fairly quiet all class. I'm actually pretty pleased with the first class. (Although when I asked the kids who they knew from the United States that was famous, the first response was "Miley Cyrus" and I had to pull teeth to get a second name. I literally said, "And how about a president?")

The second class was... alright. Not as much involvement on my part. And the third class... I can tell they're going to be a handful. They're a rebellious bunch. They were very chatty (the teacher actually taught them the word 'chatterboxes' so she could call them that) and they're cheeky. There's one girl from Bulgaria who is on my radar. See, I'm not supposed to speak Spanish in these classes. This particular teacher tells the students I don't speak any Spanish. BUT, I do. So when someone has a question in Spanish, I answer in English. This girl immediately says, "Well I know she speaks Spanish because she understood me!" Like this great 'gotcha' moment. I then wrote on the board "I do not speak Spanish in this class." I probably should have pretended not to understand when the kids were speaking in Spanish, but my ego got in the way. I don't want them to think I don't speak Spanish, I worked so hard to learn it! But I do see how it's a crutch for kids, especially this particular group. I'll have to work harder on keeping my pride in check. Overall though, I like this class. They're going to be a challenge. Hopefully a couple will take me up on the offer to give them some private lessons so we can work individually on their English. Also, some extra income would be sweet, especially since I hope to have big plans for Christmas. I'll fill you in a couple of weeks from now, after I have my plans figured out.

I'll be in Burgos Friday getting my NIE figured out (every auxilar in Castilla y Leon has to have their NIE and account number into the powers that be before any of us get paid). I'll write a more detailed post for anyone filling out the NIE in Burgos, since I got really no help in that arena. I'll also be going back on Saturday for a catechesis conference with my parish! And yes, that is my idea of a good time in Spain.

Meanwhile, the government is shutting down? Despite the fact that I have Facebook and what not, and am subscribed to a number of news pages, I found out about this yesterday. Perhaps I'm not paying attention, but I think it has more to do with getting settled down in another country. I know for instance, that the king here was having hip problems, and will be having surgery. I suppose this is a natural part of staying abroad for an extended period of time.