Just call me Ashcil.

 In the States, Ashley is such a popular name that I once had a class with 6 Ashleys in it. It's so common that one time I was talking to a woman about my sister Brittney and she said, "Let me guess, your name is Ashley?". Here in Spain, however, there are no native Ashleys. After school yesterday, my co-worker and I went for a drink and some lunch to celebrate our first paychecks (woooohoooo). The man taking our order spelled my name: Ashcil. When we ordered again, I was Ashhei. It made me giggle. 

This week went by so fast! I had a really fun time sharing Halloween with the kids in my classes. I made a presentation about how we celebrate in the United States and they were very impressed with the pictures of me in my Cruella Deville getup from two years ago. Here are some pictures of the kinds of activities we worked on, too much fun! Aren't little kid drawings the best?

In this picture some of my 2nd graders are dancing along with a skeleton song about bones, "The hip bones connected to the thigh bone, the thigh bones connected to the ankle bone"...sound familiar? They absolutely love to sing and dance. And yes, I totally join them.

One of the highlights of my week happened yesterday in the teachers lounge. After the morning's classes, many of the teachers meet in the lounge for coffee and breakfast. Yesterday, there were a few new faces in the room...boy faces, connected to bodies that were connected to legs that were wearing tights. Turns out, a singing troupe known as Tuna had come to the school to perform for the kids. In the medieval days, Tunas would perform songs to earn food, or to woo the ladies. Today, however, Tunas are musical groups comprised of University students and they perform traditional Spanish music. I asked one of the teachers I work with to convince them to sing for us, and she did! The other teachers started to sing along, and clap, and holler! It was apparent that I was witnessing traditional Spanish culture, I felt moved by everyone's passion for the music and tradition.

My co-worker, Rakesh, and I just couldn't resist the photo opportunity...

This weekend should be really nice, especially since we don't have classes on Monday or Tuesday. To make things even lovelier, a five day weekend means next week is only a two day week. Man, these Spaniards are spoiling me. Tonight, after trying my first Spanish vegan restaurant (eh, why not?), my roommates and I are going to a popular club called Kapital. Tomorrow evening, I get to tag along on a tapas tour with my friend! Super excited about that. And Sunday, I am planning to do another day trip, not sure where to yet, we'll see where the weekend takes me!

Holy Toledo!

I would like to give my Mom credit for the title of this entry.
It was inspired by her, well...unique, sense of humor.
I love you Momma!

This weekend was another pleasant one. Friday I was super lazy, I've nearly perfected the art of sleeping until noon. How Spanish of me! In the evening, I went to Ethiopian food for the first time. Ethiopian food: another entirely new eating experience. Number of utensils given to our table of three: 1. Ethiopian food is served on a large piece of sourdough flat bread. This flat bread is also your utensil. The meal was pretty good and the spices and vegetables reminded me of Indian food. I was so overwhelmed that I forgot to take a picture before I ate my food! So, please enjoy this picture of Ethiopian cuisine that I have stolen from the internet.

On Saturday I went to Toledo!
Getting there was almost too easy. We took a 45 minute bus ride from Madrid which only cost about 9 Euro round trip. Awesome? Toledo was insanely beautiful. I've never been to such a well preserved historical place. In fact, the entire city of Toledo has been declared a national monument. How about that huh? Every inch of Toledo is picturesque, every corner you turn brings you to another beautiful vista. To get from the bus station to the city center you have to complete a nice 15-minute uphill trek, probably meant to wean out the not-so-dedicated tourists, but worth every step.

My roommate, Katherine, and I  on the bus!

One of the gates into the city.

Walking up the hill...

The Alcazar,  former imperial residence

View of Toledo from the Alcazar

The Cathedral

Marzipan we bought from a nuns at a Monastery 

Still mourning the death of this little guy...but he was delicious.

San Juan de los Reyes Monasterio

 And of course, I forgot to charge my camera before the trip! So, about halfway through the day, I was left camera-less. These last few pictures were taken by my friend Julia. To get this shot we had to take a public bus outside of the city. We, very daringly, took the bus up a mountain road and got off on the side of the highway. Luckily, we made it back to tell the tale and, I'd say, the view was totally worth it!

Katherine, Me, Claire, Alex, Julia

Weird Random Story: When I was in Toledo, sitting in the main square, I saw a family that I had seen 3 days earlier on the train in Madrid on my way home from school. Yeah, so I do a lot of people watching on my 45 minute commute home, that's normal right? I noticed them on the train a few days earlier because they stood out as tourists, and there they were again in Toledo! Small world? No kidding. I really wanted to go tell them that I had seen them in Madrid...but I figured there was too much potential for that conversation to go wrong. Haha.

On Sunday, I went to a park I hadn't been to before with my roommate Etonde. The park rents bikes to visitors for FREE. It was awesome! Even though the weather was a little gloomy and rainy we rode those bikes all over. The park is huge and landscaped with large sculptures and man made water features. It's very unique, unlike any park I have seen before. I can't wait to go back. It was a really nice time taking the bikes for a ride...and I'm only a little, okay maybe a lot, sore. I can't wait to take Donny and Brittney there when they come to visit. Woohoo free bikes! Here is a shot of us by one of the huge sculptures. Cool right?

In my classes today, I gave a presentation about how we do Halloween in the States. It was really fun to show the kids pictures of decorated houses and costumes. After my presentation I had the kids draw themselves in their favorite Halloween costume! In Spain, Halloween isn't too widely celebrated and, if the kids do dress up, it's always as something scary: bat, witch, zombie, ghost, etc. I'll be talking more with the kids about Halloween all week. Woohoo!

Next weekend is going to be a long one as we do not have class on Monday or Tuesday. Can't wait to see where the days take me. Hasta luego! 

It's the little things you miss...

So I've decided to fight my homesickness with some optimism and, surprisingly, it's working out really well.

My work week was nice and it went by very fast, especially because I am teaching 5 one-on-one private English lessons to students from my school after the school day ends. These lessons are held in the homes of students that live only a block from the school. They each last for one hour, and they set me up with a comfortable amount of spending money for the weekend. Woot!

I've also really been enjoying the company of the other English Language Assistant at my school, her name is Rakesh and she is English. During lunch (remember the Spanish lunch is 2 hours long) we take cover in one of our classrooms and watch TV shows on the computer, total rebels eh? It's really nice to have someone my age, who speaks English, to chat with during our breaks. Next week our lunch plan is lunchtime yoga. We'll see how that one pans out. 

Today I met, for the second time, with a Spanish guy named Alberto. Alberto and I met through a Language Exchange (intercambio) website that serves to help people improve their second language. You create a profile on the website stating your native language, and the language you desire to learn, then you can contact other members to meet and converse in both languages. While often times creepy people take advantage of these types of sites with aspirations of meeting "easy American girls", I'm happy to report that Alberto is totally normal and nice. We live in the same neighborhood which is useful because he is knowledgeable about the area. When we meet we walk around and speak in both Spanish and English, often correcting each other's mistakes, and it's actually a very comfortable environment for practicing. So good news, my Spanish is coming along, poco a poco. 

The weather has taken a crazy turn towards the cold side the last couple days. One of the teachers I work with told me that her thermometer read 6 degrees this morning, Celsius of course, which converts to about 42 degrees Fahrenheit. It seems that there is not much of a transition between seasons here. A week ago it was really nice and I was wearing shorts...today, however, my legs would have fallen off. 

So the little thing I've been missing? Peanut butter. 

It is not a common food in Spain and few places sell it. After Alberto and I met today, I visited a mercado (grocery store) that I had never been to before. And there I found, in the very last section before the registers, sitting before me in all it's glory and splendor, crema de cacahuete. I don't have to convince those of you who know me well that I nearly cried when I tasted my first spoonful. I'm sure that to most people buying crema de cacahuete is an insignificant experience, but to me it was quite symbolic. It brought me a sense of comfort, it made me feel at home, it reassured me that things are falling into place. 

Yep. All that from peanut butter folks. 

I'm happy that the weekend is here and I love that we get 3 day weekends every week. After 3 days off I actually feel refreshed and ready for another week of school. It's cannot believe that we're already nearing the end of October, can you believe I've been a Spaniard for almost a month!? I've already begun counting down the days until I come home for Christmas. Donny and I talk about it every day, I can't wait to hug my family and kiss my boy. But, for now, I'm here and everything is going well. I know I am where I need to be, even if it isn't always where I want to be. 

Stay tuned, Toledo is on the agenda for this weekend.

A:Home-sick, B:Donny-sick, C:Flu-sick, D: All-of-the-above-sick

Man-oh-man, being sick when you're 5,000 miles away from the ones you love? 

Now that's just plain depressing.

To be honest, my mood this week has been pretty blue. I spent my days pouting indoors, mourning the temporary loss of my well-being. But, since I was feeling better today, I decided to kick my damn-I-miss-my-boyfriend blues by doing some long overdue Madrid sightseeing. Not only was it good for my mental, and physical, health but you guys win too! Well sort of, you have the privilege of viewing the beautiful, and amazingly well taken if I may say so myself, pictures below...inspiration to come visit, eh?

Puerta del Sol

Statue of King Charles III

Bear pawing a berry bush, symbol of the city.

Bob Esponje!

Salon La Mallorquina...must translate to DELICIOUS.

Plaza Mayor

Mercado de San Miguel, gourmet food mall.

Oldest door in Madrid from 1480 on Madrid's oldest building.

Madrid City Hall

Contreras!

Catedral de la Almudena 

Royal Palace

Plaza de España

Next weekend I am planning a day trip to Toledo so more pictures to come! Back to school tomorrow, I'm strongly considering wearing a hazmat suit to avoid another week of being sick. Wonder how that would go over with the staff...