a city snowfall

Nothing too terribly exciting to share this week.

Monday afternoon I had a fever, I think, and the family was nice enough to let me go to bed at 6pm without giving any class. I slept all night (and took some meds they gave me), woke up fever-free Tuesday morning, showered, went to work... and have been getting better ever since. The congestion and a bit of a cough has been hanging on hard, but I think (hope!) that I've about shaken it. The worst part about the whole thing is that I couldn't go to the gym... and since I finally found one two weeks ago, to not be able to go during the whole second week of my membership really irked me. Oh well.

It snowed a bit on Saturday night. Started as rain. Isaac and I turned off the TV around 1am so we could listen to it (it's kinda rare that there's a good rain to listen to here in Madrid so we took advantage of the opportunity). As we sat there watching/listening/talking, it turned into a freezing rain, and eventually snow. It was a very relaxing evening, but due to the late hour at which we finally left the snow to fall by itself, we were once again thankful that church here doesn't start until noon!

Yesterday Isi and Rachel and their almost 2-yr-old twins were at church. Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures, but we enjoyed a good time with them. Take my word that the girls are precious:) Hopefully Isaac and I will be able to go up to visit them in Galicia on our long weekend at the beginning of May. We'll see.

I always ending up coming up with more to say than I thought I would. Perhaps that means I share some not-so-interesting things with you. Not going to apologize though -- no one makes you read this :) Have a great week.

Soli Deo Gloria...

movie madness

Same time, same place... here we are.

Nothing too super-crucial or new to tell you about today. Things are still going well with the new family and at school. I joined a gym last weekend (can't remember if I mentioned that before) and I was able to go 3 times this past week, which makes me happy.

I s'pose I could also point out that we took advantage of the "special day" this week as an excuse to go out for a nice dinner on Tuesday night. While neither of us are big Valentine's Day people, we don't get to do that kind of thing very often (or even see eachother midweek), so it was a nice treat.

I spent the weekend here at Isaac's house again (surprise! haha) and we pretty much just took it easy. We (or rather I, since he fell asleep after the first 1/2 hour) watched Sahara on Friday night, and we both slept in late on Saturday. Saturday night after Bible study we went over to some friends house to watch another movie (An Unfinished Life with JLo and Willie Freeman... I'd never heard of it) and eat pizza. And last night, after church, he watched The Rock with his parents while I spent all night on the phone with my parents and Jessica, who called. I think we need to work on our movie-watching timing.

Since there's not much exciting to talk about, I think I'll take my stuffed-up nose to get dressed and ready for work so I'm not late. Until next week!

Soli Deo Gloria...

Pablo and fam visit

I am happy to share that things are still going well with my new family (and, less surprising but also positive, at school too). I actually thought that I wasn't gonna have to work at all on Friday, and was slightly disappointed when I ended up having to work from 6:30-8:30, but it turned out to not be a problem. Isaac was at home all day with his face a little swollen from having a tooth pulled on Wednesday, so I got to hang out with him in the afternoon for a few hours to keep him company before heading back to work. In the evening, I was able to sit on the sun-porch to catch some wireless internet and talk to him and my mom over the computer. Yeah for having some technology! In theory, they are going to install a wireless router in the next week or 10 days, which should mean that I can sit in the comfort of my own room and send emails ;)

On Saturday morning I headed over to Isaac's house again, but took a different route to the metro and ran into a gym, which I ended up joining. I'm excited about the opportunity... now I just have to take the time to take advantage of it!

Around 3 o'clock, after having some car trouble en route, Isaac's brother Pablo, along with his wife Sara and daughter Marta, arrived. We all had lunch and hung out for what was left of the afternoon. Marta turns 2 next month. She's still a little unsure about me, but she's adorable as she wanders around the house calling for her grandparents and her "tito" and "tita" (i.e. uncle and auntie -- Miriam and Isaac).

I had planned to sleep at my house so as to give them more room, but they refused to let me, so after Bible study Isaac and I took the metro to my house to grab my stuff and then back to theirs. We had a good time talking to his parents and Pablo and Sara for an hour or so before it was time to play musical beds.

Sunday was great -- the afternoon always is a bit crazy when there are extra people around, but I love it. After church in the evening we had Pastor Hanna and his family over, along with Kelley and Angel to celebrate Sara's 31st birthday, which is on Tuesday. More great time of laughter and fellowship, and besides, when asked "where's Justine?" Marta actually pointed at me! I was thrilled to be recognized... haha.

You should also be glad to know that no one stole my camera this weekend (which is what happened last time Pablo and Sara came) so I will eventually be able to post some pictures of the weekend, hopefully this week.

Ok, off to get ready for work.

Soli Deo Gloria...

good news about the new house

Gonna keep this short, but just wanted to let y'all know that things are going well in the new house! The girls are older and more mature, and understand why I'm there. I say it's time, and they immediately begin discussing who goes first. We sit down, do homework, and when we finish, play games (with the 8-yr-old) or talk (with the 13- and 16-yr-olds). After an hour with one, I move on to the next. They are nice, the food is good, and I already have a key (which I never had in the other house!).

In addition to all this, it takes me less than an hour to get to work, when before I was averaging 1 hour and 10 mins. And not only do I have weekends free, but it seems as though I'll be able to leave early (I usually work 5-8) on Fridays -- this weekend I left just before 6!

Isaac's brother, sister-in-law and niece were supposed to come up from Sevilla this weekend, but in the end they weren't able to. We missed them, but with all the craziness of 9 visitors from Northern Ireland on Sunday to celebrate Jonathan's ordination as Deacon, it maybe is better if they come on a more calm weekend.

Ok, gotta get dressed, make the bed and head off to work. Have a great week!

Soli Deo Gloria...

I've left!

I'm posting a little bit later today due to the fact that we don't have school. Not that anyone will notice, since it's still really early in the States, but hey...

This week has been great. A week ago today I told the lady I was living with that I was leaving, and she told me to head out on Tuesday, so I did. I've been at Isaac's house with his family since then and it's been sooo relaxing! I moved my stuff into the new house on Friday, but they are out of town for this weekend, so I'll head there tomorrow afternoon after school and actually start working/living there then. I'm excited about the change, but I have been a bit spoiled this week so it might be a bit hard to adjust.

Wednesday night I had a 3-hour meeting for my job at the school, which was less boring than I thought it would be (and happened to run into the woman who was sitting next to me on the plane in December... small world!). Thursday night we got together with two of Isaac's friends, which was fun. I had met Dani before (you may remember him from pics of Segovia in the Fall), but the other I was convinced didn't even exist because he was never able to get together. But! have no fear... Manolo does exist, and he's a nice guy too! Saturday, Dani took us to Toledo and Barcience (the small town outside Toledo where Isaac's house is being built) and we took a bunch of pictures, which are being uploaded as I type, so check them out. There are also some pics from Christmas, etc. if you're interested -- the link is at the bottom of this page still (where it says "about me - read my profile").

Saturday evening we had Youth Group/Bible Study again for the first time since before Christmas, and enjoyed the opportunity to introduce a new topic for this semester, and then go out for dinner with everyone afterwards.

I think that's all I've got for this week. Hope all is going well with you!

Soli Deo Gloria...

Homefront Changes

Good morning! I think I skipped last week, so I'm sorry to the few of you faithful travelers who were disappointed last Monday morning.

This week has been rather crazy, actually. Calm and normal at the school, but things on the homefront are changing around a bit. At the beginning of the week I realized that I'm still not happy with the family I live with, even now that we've been in the new house over a month. "Grin and bear it" wasn't seeming like a good option either, since I still have over 1/2 my trip left. So... I emailed the agency that placed me with the family and asked if it would be possible to change. Friday I met with a new family, and by next Monday I should be settled into a new context.

This family also has 3 girls, but they are 8, 13 and 16 so my job will be less playing games and disciplining, and more teaching English. They have had other Language Assistants before (many of whom they still keep in touch with), so they know the drill. Their house should cut about 15 minutes each way off my commute to work, and it's right near where I lived 2 years ago, so I'm familiar with and like the neighborhood. I'll work 5-8ish instead of 6-9ish, so it will be possible to go out for dinner, hang out, or see a movie afterwards if/when I want to.

Overall, I'm very excited about the change, and am praying that it will be as good as it sounds.

In other news, this weekend was the annual church dinner, so we all went to a nice restaurant on Saturday and had a great time enjoying fellowship among fellow brothers and sisters and good food. The meal was followed by a congregational meeting to give reports on the different goings-on in the church over the last year, including Youth Group, Sunday School, Budget, etc. Yesterday was Efraín's profession of faith, so a bunch of his extended family was visiting in the morning.

Well, off to school I go... it is Monday morning here, after all. Talk at you when I get a chance!

Soli Deo Gloria...

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

I am (we are, I should say) safely back in Spain as of Thursday afternoon. They left our bags in Philadelphia again, which kinda stunk because it means the gifts in them were not given until later, but that's ok. January 6 is Three Kings Day (more commonly known in the States as Epiphany) and here in Spain they give gifts on the 6th instead of on the 25th.

Due to a random and somewhat frustrating, but eventually good, turn of events (which included me taking a different route back than was expected, and arriving 3 hours earlier), we were able to see the big parade that they always do through Madrid the evening of the 5th. We got some pictures, and I'll put them up for you next weekend perhaps.

Having not slept much on the plane, by 9:30pm the night of our arrival, we went to bed, simply to wake up around 12:30, hungry and not at all tired any more. I must be getting old, because jet lag has definitely affected me more on this trip than I ever remember before. After finally going to sleep again around 4, Three Kings day started when we were unwillingly dragged out of bed at 9:30am. After opening gifts, we all got ready before our Pastor and his family (who also happen to be good friends of ours, if you're just tuning in) came over for lunch.

On Saturday, we went to the mountains and played in the snow. Yeah for my new, super-warm Columbia coat! And to everyone here who provided me with good and rather water-proof clothing, since I certainly don't have any of that here. They made my day not only survivable, but quite enjoyable to boot!

Today was Sunday. It was good to be back in church again and see everyone else. This evening we dropped my suitcases off at the house in Aravaca (Alicia actually let Isaac in the door this time... maybe because he was still in his suit from church, instead of in jeans!) and then went out to dinner with a few other friends for one last good time before work starts again tomorrow. (Which reminds me... up until today, I hadn't even spoken to the family that I live with... this whole time I've been with Isaac and his family... it's been sooo relaxing!)

Anyway... this is getting long and is probably incomprehensible, so even though I'm not really tired yet -- body clock still doesn't realize it's 1:20am -- I'm gonna head out. Getting up around 8 tomorrow will come earlier than it should.

Much love, and it was great to see those of you who I saw over the break! Those of you who I didn't see... just let me know when you're coming and I'll work on which museums we should go see ,)

Soli Deo Gloria...

Christmas at HOME!

Hello! I'm safely in the States and had a WONDERFUL Christmas with Isaac and the family.

It is soo good to be home, and it's great to be surrounded by not only immediate family, but also extended family this Christmas. In October, my Dad's twin brother and his family moved to Charlotte. Obviously I hadn't seen them here since they moved because I was gone already, but we've spent tons of time with them in the last few days, which I love. Also, yesterday my parents celebrated 25 years of marriage, so all 3 of my grandparents made the extra effort to come down to help celebrate. We went out for an excellent dinner last night and gave thanks to the Lord for that wonderful blessing.

Unless he's just a really good liar, Isaac is enjoying his time here as well. Everything is different, of course, including the meal schedule, but he's being a good sport.

I got a new digital camera for Christmas. It doesn't have quite the awesome zoom that my other one did, but it is MUCH smaller, so hopefully I'll take more pictures. Besides, since it's so small, there shouldn't be any problems keeping it attached to my body like another limb so it doesn't get stolen. Haha...

My sister pretty much still has control of my cell phone, but she's pretty much obligated to pass it to me if I'm around when you call, so go for it! And if not, she can at least give you the house number, where you're almost guaranteed to get me.

Hope this holiday season is giving you an opportunity to reflect on family as well as the Reason we are celebrating.

Soli Deo Gloria...

pre-Christmas

Here we are... another Monday morning, another entry in the good ol' blog. The difference this week, however, is that you're probably not gonna get another one next Monday morning! And no, it's not because I'm being stubborn. The simple fact is that I will BE AT HOME! and therefore won't be following the same routine.

In case you were wondering, I'm very excited about said opportunity. I'm trying not to wish Friday here already, because I know that as soon as I arrive it will be time to return (12 days is not enough). However, the thought of seeing family and friends really excites me.

Isaac is excited too. I would assume he's a little nervous too. He says he's not, but every time I get off the phone with my mom and tell him about another person who's waiting to meet him, he makes some joke about staying here and sending someone else in his place. Hahah...

Back to life here for a quick minute, things are going fine in the house. I pretty much co-exist there, but that's OK. Alina (the housekeeper) and I spend lots of time talking, which I enjoy and like to think that it keeps her from being so lonely. They did actually get internet hooked up this week, so that has potential to allow for more communication, but probably not 'til after Christmas since this week is so busy.

Speaking of busy... I have to get dressed for work. Feliz Navidad to you, and I hope to see lots of you while I'm home!

Soli Deo Gloria...

This is a P.S. I was so excited about going home that I forgot some importantish things! Tradition here is to put up a nice plastic tree (they tell me there aren't enough trees to cut down/throw away every year). The Jimenezs have had the same one for several years, but apparently now it's broken. So on Saturday, after seeing the largest Nativity Scene in Europe (please note... largest as in most buildings, not as in life-size... I was slightly disappointed by that) with Christie (my other American co-worker), Isaac and I went to the local Wal-Mart-type store to buy a 180cm fiber optic tree. My favorite part was when Isaac pulled out a box, held it out to look at it, and said "I think this is the best one!" I mean, the box HAS to be good... it's got to uphold the next 15 or so years of storage! But it reminded me of my dad in Home Depot looking at TREES instead of BOXES. I laughed. There are a few select pictures of Miriam and I decorating said Christmas wonder on my pics page. Check it out.

post-pueblos

I don't know why it's always so hard for me to sit down and type here. It's probably because I want to take like an hour to do it, so I try to wait until I have an hour but I never have that much time.

Oh well... this past week, super fast.

Monday -- received my student residence card here, so I feel official (even though I already was). Besides, now I don't have to carry my passport to be able to use my debit card. Also used it to get a library card so I can read books in the metro without buying them.

Tuesday -- holiday. Enjoyed sleeping in, had my English class with Feli in the afternoon, and hung out with Isaac and fam in the afternoon.

Wednesday -- back to work, to Aravaca in the afternoon, and back to Isaac's house at night.

Thursday -- another holiday, and the beginning of a long weekend. We left at 9am (Isaac, his parents and I) to visit their hometowns in southern Spain. We were able to borrow Jonathan's camera, so I did post some pictures (the link is below, if you forgot). You'll have to read the captions for more details since I don't have time here (although, now that I think about it, I didn't even finish the last few captions. oh well.) We returned on Sunday afternoon. Let's suffice it to say that it was a great time, very relaxing, meeting his family and eating lots of home-grown food. And that, even though the weather was nice outside, the lack of heat makes the houses supercold inside. I've never been so cold in my life!

Hopefully next weekend I'll get around to writing more, and the weekend after that is Christmas and I'm home! Wow, does time fly...

Soli Deo Gloria...

new house!

Here we are, another Monday morning.

First, I would like to apologize to those of you who actually read this on a regular basis for not writing last Monday. I didn't wake up early enough to write... haha.

Plenty has happened in the last 2 weeks, including a lack of Thanksgiving celebration, which ended up to be harder than I had thought it would be. However, the most important event is that we finally moved last Monday afternoon! Having never been to the new house before -- and considering that boss-lady doesn't ever have to use public transportation so she was clueless for giving instructions -- it took me quite a while to arrive the first time. Now, however, it only takes me 1 hour and 15 mins to get to work (as opposed to 2+ in the other house), and without traffic I'm only a 5 min bus ride from the metro, which is significantly closer to civilization than I've been thus far.

I have my own room (which is not anyone else's office, like it was before), and the bathroom that the housekeeper and I share is in the hallway, instead of inside her room. My room is quite small, but sufficient, and at least I have closet space now so I'm not still living out of suitcases!

Things at the school are still going great, and we're starting to teach the kids Christmas carols in English to sing for their parents. The 5-yr-olds are doing a simplified version of "We Wish You a Merry Christmas", and the first graders are singing "When Santa Got Stuck Up The Chimney", which unfortunately I had never heard before. I don't think we realize how complicated Christmas carols really are until you teach them to little kids who don't really speak English. I mean, for real... what ARE "bobtails" anyway?

This week is holiday madness here, as Tuesday AND Thursday are holidays, and in the schools we have Friday off too. We've worked it that Isaac and his parents have Friday off too, and we're leaving early Thursday morning to drive down south, hang out in his parents' hometowns, and meet some extended family. Should be a good time.

Now, before I get dressed, I'll leave you with one fun anecdote. It'll make me look like an idiot, but the few of you that read this certainly already know that, so why shouldn't I give you a good laugh?

On Friday I decided to take advantage of my new close-ness to civilization, and Isaac and I were going to see a movie with some friends after I taught class at the house. He waited for me, thoroughly exploring the shops around said civilized metro station (I keep repeating this, but I wish I could more thoroughly explain the joy that it gives me to be so close to stores and restaurants!). I arrived at 9ish, and we wandered around, waiting for them to pick us up, until at 9:45ish they called to say there was too much traffic and that we should take a bus. Long story, but the bus to get to that theater would take an hour, and Isaac had to work on Saturday morning, so we bagged the idea and just headed home. On the way, while changing metro lines, I decided it would be fun to fall DOWN the escalator. Yup, you read that right. I mean, I've fallen UP them before (just once). It kinda sucks 'cuz you feel like everyone around is laughing at you and you get escalator marks and grease on your hands, but falling DOWN is much worse. Thankfully, Isaac was only a few stairs in front of me, and even more thankfully he didn't fall over when I grabbed onto him on the way down, definitely saving me from smashing my teeth in. There is a small tear in one knee of my jeans, and each leg has 2 or 3 bruises from where I hit the edges of the stairs, but otherwise I'm unharmed. And I can laugh about it now... haha.

Hope you have a good week. I am super-excited about being home in less than 3 weeks. Which reminds me, if you didn't get an email invite to my New Year's Eve party, it wasn't on purpose, so just let me know and I'll send you the info.

Soli Deo Gloria...

non-Thanksgiving

Good morning!

It's a typical Monday morning here in the Jiménez household, and I'm feeling the lack of sleep from the weekend -- maybe one of these days I'll learn how to get to bed "on time."

This past week was good, even though there weren't any holidays. It certainly felt long, and I kept waking up thinking it was Friday!

Finally Friday came, however, and it was good! Alicia, one of my "students" at home, turned 7 so she had a party for all her friends at the ice-skating rink, which meant that I got the day off. After my private lesson with my friend Feli, I headed into Madrid with my little suitcase and enjoyed my first Friday night like a normal 22-yr-old since I've been here. Isaac and I went to the SIMO, an annual technology exposicion. It was neat, but apparently it's been better in the past years. Besides, we didn't have more than 1 1/2 hours, and it needed more time than that to see it thoroughly. BUT, we did get to sit in a Ferrari... haha.

Then we went to the home of one of Isaac's coworkers. María and her husband, 2 other gals, and Danny (who you may remember from pictures of Segovia). We had a lot of fun, just talking and laughing, and looking at the wedding pictures/video (apparently our hosts just got married in May).

We didn't get to bed though until about 2am, and I felt really bad because Isaac had to work on Saturday. I got to sleep in, however, and didn't even crack my eyelids until nearly 11... it was great.

Yesterday was Youth Sunday, and I was in the youth choir to sing in both services. I also gave my testimony in the morning. As usual, I wasn't nervous until about 3 mins before, but ended up reading most of it. Considering it was in Spanish, I'm pleased with how I did. I pray that those who heard were encouraged to exhibit the joy of the Lord.

I was thrilled because my friends Mary and Feli were both able to come (although Feli arrived late and missed the song and my testimony, but she was able to stay for lunch). I take hope in these words from Isaiah 55:10-11: "As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it."

Now I face another full week, and I'm trying not to think about the pumpkin pie that is being consumed this week in the US. For those of you who didn't know (or simply haven't thought it through), there were no Pilgrims or Indians here in Spain, so we don't celebrate Thanksgiving here. It's kinda sad since it's one of my favorite holidays, but I certainly think I would be more homesick if everyone here was with family and traditions and I wasn't. Besides, Mom said we could make a pumpkin pie at Christmas :)

Hope y'all enjoy your holiday, and relish in the many blessings that you've been given. I know I'm giving special thanks for all of you, even though there's no turkey! Until next week...

Soli Deo Gloria...

short

Ok, I don't have much time.

Not a whole lot to say anyway. Mostly, it's getting really cold. We can still see the light at the end of the "when are we moving" tunnel, but it doesn't seem to be getting any closer, so it will be a surprise when we finally go. Also (and part of the reason I'm so rushed for time on here) is that I finally bought a ticket for the second half of my trip. I return to Spain on Jan 4, and back to the States on July 5 -- so if you're getting married or doing anything else important next summer that you want me to attend, make sure to do it after July 5, ok?

I now have a stretch of 3 weeks without any holidays, which will be rough since we've had so many lately. It also means that I won't be writing at least until next weekend, unfortunately. Hope all is well there :)

Soli Deo Gloria...

news - both good and bad!

Good morning! While most of you are still sleeping (primarily due to the 6-hour time change, which makes it 3:25am there!), I'm gonna fill you in on a bit of the latest news. Make sure you wake up before reading this though, or you'll lose some key stuff.

I'll start with the bad news. Last night, while we were in the evening service at church, someone came in and stole my camera and Miriam's camera from the back room. A little frustrating, considering that I just bought it with graduation money this summer, and it was a sweet camera. And moreso, because now it will be very hard to get pictures to post for you guys. Ugh. We're gonna see if the churches insurance will cover it, but it's doubtful.

Now the good news. This might be old news for those of you who are more observant and know how to read between my lines, but I've been informed that I need to be more straightforward, so here it is -- Isaac and I are dating, and have been for a little over a month. Things are going well and we're enjoying life, although we only get to see each other on weekends due to our work schedules (and that fact that I live "where the wind turns around", to quote a Spanish refrain). He officially has a ticket to come home with me for Christmas on Dec. 23, so those of you who are around can plan to stop by on New Year's Eve to meet him :)

As for more regular happenings... Pablo (Isaac & Miriam's brother), his wife Sara and daughter Marta were in town this weekend from Sevilla. We got to play magical beds here at the house, but it was good to see them again and meet Marta for the first time (she was born in March after I left 2 years ago). She is precious, but I think my blond hair wigs her out a bit... not quite comfortable with me yet! I'd show you pictures but...

Things at work and "home" (i.e. "the other work") are fine, although there's been another delay and it's looking like it'll be another good week or two or more before we move. So much for the hope I had last weekend. This past week was super short, since we had Mon & Tues off, and this week we have Wed off. Yeah for random holidays!

Ok... I just had breakfast and chatted with Sara, and now I'm gonna be late for work.

Soli Deo Gloria...

Halloween

Hmm... it´s been a long time. Yeah for not having much internet access.

It´s a holiday again tomorrow, so I have today off also -- this time a long weekend. I got to sleep in a bit this morning, and have been chilling around Isaac and Miriam´s house all day today. One would think I would be all caught up on emails and such, but it´s amazing how time flies.

I was, however, able to put some more pictures up, so check those out. I added a few more of Segovia, and there are even some more recent ones of the girls I live with and my living arrangements. We are still living with Grandma far away, but should be moving in the next week or so (for real this time!), so that will be nice.

All continues to go well, although I am currently a bit congested. The weather is gorgeous here, but I do miss the beautiful Fall setting of Greenville and Charlotte (which are practically the country, compared to the city of Madrid).

It's Halloween today, but it's not celebrated much around here (it's becoming more well known as the years go on, but trick-or-treating is still not common). We did do some crafts with the kids last week, cutting out bats and singing songs about skeletons that lose fingers. It's amazing how stuff like that can be educational -- learning body vocabulary and counting backwards. Haha. The joys of being 6 years old, when learning how to count 10-8-6-4-2-0 in English is practically the hardest thing you do all week!

Anyway, instead of trick-or-treating, I think we're gonna go see The Legend of Zorro, since it came out this weekend. My sister saw it already and said it was good.

Thanks for those of you who have sent me emails with updates from home. Makes me feel at least somewhat connected to the Anglo-speaking world.

Soli Deo Gloria...

Segovia

Hey guys!

One super thing about Spain is that their holidays don´t always purposely fall on Mondays or Fridays. For example, yesterday was a holiday and it was Wednesday.

Around 10am, Isaac and his friend Danny picked me up in Danny´s car, and we went to Segovia, a small town about an hour from Madrid that´s known for it´s aqueduct. You may remember the pics I took from 2 years ago. Haha.

Isaac took over the camera, so I got a bunch of pics. I put some of them up, but haven´t had time to put all of them or add captions yet... maybe this weekend. Danny took some of the 2 of us too, but he hasn´t sent them to us yet.

We toured the fort there in Segovia, had lunch, and overall just wandered around. On our way home, it started raining -- Praise the Lord! We need rain here very badly.

Soli Deo Gloria...

first week of school

I know, it´s been a long time since I last wrote. Sorry about that.

I started classes this week at the elementary school. Things are going well, but the other language assistant hasn´t arrived yet, so I´m spending all day at the school. Hopefully once she arrives, I can cut 1 hour off my work day. The biggest problem is that the commute is 2 hours -- each way. The good news is that it´s all public transportation, so I can listen to my iPod (best bday present ever!) or read my book (getting close to the end of the 800-page novel I brought with me) and keep occupied.

The kids are cute. I would note a slight lack of discipline (as in, they don´t like to be quiet and listen), but that´s probably normal for a group of +/-20 6-year-olds, especially since we teach completely in English, of which they know very little.

Things at the house are going fine. Don´t feel "at-home" kind of comfortable yet, but that´s ok. I sleep there, eat there, and work there... and spend my weekends with my friends from the church. The girls are totally spoiled and have some trouble with authority, but for the most part we get along fine, and I can already see an improvement in their English.

Yesterday was Isaac´s birthday, so we wandered around the city seeing new (for me) places and riding the cable car that goes over the city. In the evening was Bible study, and of course he got treated to dinner when we all went out afterwards. Today at lunch someone had made a cake for him and we all sang "cumpleaños feliz." 24... how ancient ;)

Tomorrow is back to the daily grind. However (one serious benefit of living in Spain) they have mid-week holidays sometimes. So... Wed is a holiday (I don´t know what we´re celebrating, but who cares?). I also don´t know what I´m going to do, but I´m sure it will include seeing my friends from church.

To those of you who have sent emails, keep them coming! I hate that I can´t usually respond personally, but with approx 1 hour/week of internet access, I can´t even reply to my own mother! So don´t feel bad...

Soli Deo Gloria...

El Escorial

I love random changes.

For example, when I arrived home after lunch on Monday I received a call from my employer Alicia. She told me to get my things... that the chauffer was coming to get me. I was thinking -- dinner, or maybe overnight. But no. She meant for good. So I had 1 hour to pack all my stuff! Thankfully, I knew my stay in Marta´s house would be short-term, so I hadn´t really unpacked.

The best part is that the house still isn´t ready (apparently they painted the whole thing the wrong color and therefore have to repaint it!), so we are staying at Grandma´s house in El Escorial. It´s far away from, well, everything. And I´ll be living out of my suitcase for about another 3 weeks. However, let´s look at the brightside... the views from the house are amazing! At night, you can see the lights from the city, and they tell me that on the weekends they light up the big Palace/Monastery for which the town is named.

In other news, I like the family. Honestly, I think Antonio, the chauffer, is my favorite, but he doesn´t live with us. Then there´s Alina, she´s Romanian. She´s 26 or 27 and has been with the family for 2 years, cooking, cleaning, bathing children, etc. Speaks Spanish almost perfectly, and we enjoy sitting on the porch at night, talking. Grandma, Maria (I think?) is a piece of work. I´ll have to think how to describe her better for next time. Alicia, the mom, is nice, but she´s been feeling a little under the weather lately, and we really haven´t spent that much time together.

As for the girls. Alejandra (9) is very much like me. Loves to read, loves to practice her English and does quite well with it, and is very mature for her age. Alicia (6) is a wild woman. She understands my English, but almost always prefers to answer in Spanish. She likes to run around the house, tearing things apart. Almudena (almost 3) is quite the copy of Alicia. One minute, she´s as sweet as can be. The next... a holy nightmare. Also understands me, but won´t answer.

Today, I have the priviledge (sp?) of writing you from the house of my friend Miriam. Since I had brought a bunch of stuff for her and her family from the States (mostly from Jessica!), her mom invited me over to lunch today. The 3 of us girls ate, and then her brother Pablo and her dad came home and they ate. She has since gone back to work, but her parents said they didn´t mind if I stayed a rato (while) to fill you guys in on what´s going on.

Once I leave here, I´m going to a hotel until Friday to have my orientation for my job (the one that got me here in the first place!).

Alright, I´ll leave you in peace to go to whatever it is that you should be doing. Thanks for reading! Oh yeah, and I put up a few pictures, so check out the link on the bottom that says "read my profile" and look for the España album.

Soli Deo Gloria...

after first weekend

Ok... not much time. This weekend was wonderful. It was great to see the rest of my friends (and their parents) and just be able to hang out and relax. I stayed the night at the home of a couple from the church since my house is so far away. The preaching here is incredible too, so it was awesome to get to hear that.

I still haven´t met Alicia, whom I´ll be living with. Hopefully she´ll call me this week. Also, from Wed pm to Fri am I have an orientation for my job at the school, so I´m looking forward to whatever information they´ll give me there. I´m anxious to start some kind of routine.

Soli Deo Gloria...

first days

So, I´ve made it for 2 days already. It´s great to be back. Yesterday I headed into the city and wandered around, met Miriam, a friend from my last trip, for lunch. It was great to catch up with her. Then I hung out with her brother Isaac after he got off work and we walked around my old "neighborhood" and past the soccer stadium. It brings back so many memories!

Thankfully, I´m feeling very comfortable with my Spanish and understanding what everyone says. The house I am currently living in is much larger than what I´m used to for Spanish houses, and is decorated in a Spanish version of Pottery Barn, more or less.

Last night the train took longer to get home that I had planned, so I arrived at 5 after 9 and Marta was a little upset becuase "the baby goes to bed right at 9, and he couldn´t tonight because you got home late." He wasn´t in bed when I got there, but whatever. Tonight I´ll be home by 8:30!

This morning I went for a run with the 50-year-old nanny at 7:30 before she woke the baby up at 8. It´s been a while since I´ve run and it was chilly, so it was rougher than I thought. Guess I´ll have to keep that up.

Ok, I´m out. I´m borrowing the computer of a friend of mine who´s an Au Pair in a neighboring town, and now we´re going to go eat breakfast of sorts. Taluego,

Soli Deo Gloria...