First week: accomplished. Yes, there were some semi-severe bumps along the way – but I’m alive and well here in this lovely town of Coruña, figuring “it” out more everyday. I’ve come to find out that my school is excellent; the students, at least half the time, are charming. On Friday I received gifts from three classes, which were adorable hand drawn cards welcoming me to their school. Precious! Also, the other teachers are always willing to lend a hand, to help me find the classroom I’m looking for, and the music teacher Susi has invited me to come stay the weekend with her and her family in a pueblo nearby. Sweet! (I’ve posted a picture of the report on Seattle here, just look how damn cute it is.)
Let’s see what’s next… first real weekend here! Well, I participated in 9 holes of Pub Golf, wherein a group of 15 or so of us went to 9 different bars and had a drink at each, counting our total sips as golf strokes. On this night I met a ton of other american auxiliares teaching here, saw all the cool bars in town, had an amazing mojito, and… managed to get my iPhone stolen. Needless to say I’m a little bummed about that last part, but in the grand scheme of things I’d still say that life RULES. I live in Spain, my job is awesome, my roommate is the coolest, and I’ve got friends all around Europe that I plan to visit. Perspective: boom!
That last photo is me and my new pal Anne. We are currently roommates but longterm friends. 🙂 It’s been super nice to find somebody whom I click with, especially here in a faraway country. Anne was my compañera the first night I went out to the bars in A Coruña, and we spent the whole walk talking about Sex and the City (bottle of wine in hand). Woohoo! (She’s Carrie – I’m Charlotte.) Also Anne is from Germany so I’ll visit her when she finishes her semester here in February.
Another note: despite what everyone might say and think, being a vegetarian in Spain has been relatively easy for me. Normally I eat at home, which is the biggest help for both my dietary restrictions and my budget, but when I do go out I simply ask the waiter what on the menu is vegetariana. This is good! I am happy! I’ve only slipped once: on that first Friday I arrived in town I ordered a potato salad which happened to have tuna in it. Luckily, I was so tired and desperate that I just let it slide. But now, after a week with a kitchen, I’ve decided to try my hand at one (not necessarily beloved, but still good) Spanish dish. I whipped up some sofrito (kinda like a Spanish marinera sauce) today, and let me just say – IT’S SUPER GOOD. The recipe is here: Sofrito Recipe. Also, if you are interested in making sofrito, make sure to add like 10 large cloves of garlic. The recipe only calls for 2 but trust me on this one, more garlic = more better.
Work again tomorrow! I almost feel comfortable standing in front of a class… maybe by the end of this week it’ll be just about natural. 🙂 If not, I always have my new pink skinny jeans to give me confidence (photos to follow!).
Eyeliner and Tapas 