Hola, ¿que tal?

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!).