The jig is up.

That's it, the jig is up. The kids officially know where I live. I left my flat yesterday and ten kids on bikes and rollerblades were right in front of my door. They all asked if this is where I lived and I couldn't lie to them, so I said yes. I don't think this will really be an issue but I kind of liked the fact that the kids didn't know exactly where I lived, only that I was some where in their neighborhood.

So yesterday I got some disturbing news. It turns out the mom of the one first grader, Angela, made a complaint to the school that her daughter isn't receiving help in class. Humm that's interesting because I'm pretty sure my sole responsibility in my first grade class with Gregorio is to sit next to Angela and give her one on one attention so that she doesn't just sharpen her pencil during the entire class. All of the time i spend with her takes away from the time i could be interacting with all the other students and for that reason alone i was very upset when i heard this. I was insulted to be honest. How could this mother say that when I am the ONLY reason Angela has something to show her mom from English everyday. You can ask Kerry who visited and saw first hand that the little girl won't work unless I work with her. I just felt bad for Gregorio because it reflects badly on him. Parents, I tell ya. Angela's mom should spend the day in our class and see just HOW MUCH we help her daughter when nobody else will. I can say with satisfaction that I taught Angela how to color like a proper first grader but apparently things like that are overlooked. Oh well.

ON Sunday i spend most of my day OUTSIDE. SHocking i know! First i went for an hour walk with Pocho and then I suntanned and read my book outside for three hours---I finished it yesterday so now I'm down to my last book and I have to save it for my Semana Santa trip. I went to the Cultural House because it was a sunny spot with less wind and nobody around. However when i arrived at the gate to leave i discovered that I was locked in. Apparently nobody thought anyone else was there. That just goes to show how sneaky I am hehe. I climbed the metal gate with little trouble and freed myself. A man jogging saw my escape but he didn't seem perturbed by it so I figured i was in the clear. I don't mind doing that if i means i get this beautiful garden to myself, but perhaps I should find an alternative spot that doesn't have a time restriction.

Nothing new to report for today. TOday is St. Patrick's DAy and I did wear green. I also taught three of my classes about the holiday and got the satisfaction that a good 25% of my students listened to me and wore green today haha. I gave it a shot....

Here are the pictures from when Kerry and Casey visited of mostly Sevilla and then the family dinner with Ana's wonderful family!

PHILBINS!

Just In Case I had any doubts…

Just in case I any doubts of what my true passions are, yesterday made it very clear for me: CHILDREN and SOCCER. I finally played a real game of pickup soccer with the children from my classes in the plaza around the corner from my house. At the high of the game we had 6 v 6 going on. This was the best afternoon I have had hands down in Valverde. Let me back track a bit to Thursday.

So last Thursday I had school like normal but decided to stay longer in order to make up the hour I missed the day before in order to send off Kerry and Casey. I noticed that Christen seemed more overwhelmed then usual so I asked if there was anyway I could help her out since nobody had anything for me to do. I ended up staying three hours extra in school in order to finish all the worksheets for 2^nd grade and help finish the poster of Spain’s Autonomous Communities. I was happy to help her out but I only wished that Pocho would give me more responsibilities so that it was more even. I understand that since my free day is the day when they plan out almost all of the worksheets and posters for the weeks to come, but it doesn’t take more than 5 minutes to explain everything to me on the next Monday. Instead they leave most of it up to Christen. Also Christen lets them talk in Spanish instead of English with her so I think they find it easier to tell her things to prepare than to tell me. I’m not going to apologize for only speaking English, it’s actually why I was brought to this school and the reason I get paid at all.

Anyways, I had my usual private class with Pocho’s children and then spent an extra hour and a half in her house like usual taking advantage of her speedy Internet connection. Pocho’s house has the best Internet so I normally wait until Thursday to upload my pictures from trips during this time. Pocho also is gracious enough to let me stay as long as I like in her house after the session. During this session I had to ask her a question while she was preparing dinner. She was making homemade croquettas. I mentioned that I loved croquettas so she made me a little to-go Tupperware of 12 rolls to fry in oil in my own house for dinner. She’s so nice to me. After class I walked home and noticed a few of my students hanging out in the little plaza. When I walked by they all said hello. Now normally I would have just gone home and waited until my last class at 8pm but today I decided to take a risk and go back to the plaza. I approached the kids who were digging in the dirt and asked them if they wanted to kick the soccer ball around. They asked if I liked soccer and when I replied that I LOVED soccer, they jumped up, got super excited, and shouted “YEAH EDICA WANTS TO PLAY SOCCER WITH US (in Spanish)!” We only passed the ball around a few times before all of their mothers yelled at them to come inside but it was enough to put a smile on my face and enough to make an impression on the four kids I played with.

Next it was time for my last session of the week. I walked across the street to Toni’s house and before I start my session Toni approaches me about teaching another private class for her 3 year old. Oh god, how do I get out of this. She told me that she wanted to have a class on Thursday’s at 6 with four 3 year olds. At first I thought that I was going to get 2 of them and Christen was going to get 2 of them but then she clarified that we would be teaching together the four 3 year olds. That made me feel better but I still really didn’t want to do it. I had several reasons for not wanting to do the class:

1. I think 3 is too young an age to hold PRIVATE ENGLISH classes

2. Christen has told me how awful her classes are with Toni’s youngest so that was not making me more inclined to say yes

3. Now that it’s becoming spring I want to be outside more often and I want my afternoons free to play soccer with kids in the street

4. That’s normally my only good time to use the internet with my own computer and I get a lot done on Thursdays

5. I don’t want any more classes. I don’t care how much she pays I like the classes I have.

6. It would be a whole other age group that I have to plan for so I have to plan these classes solely from the internet which is hard enough for me to begin with

7. I would have to coordinate the lessons with Christen and we both have busy and conflicting schedules.

So yeah I really didn’t want to do the class but out of politeness I asked if I could think about it. Toni said no. I laughed nervously. She said No again. They she began telling how she knows that I’m free during this time, that its only one more class a week, and that when it gets nice outside we can change the time of the class or cancel it once in a while. First off lady, don’t act like it’s my JOB to teach your children because actually this is totally optional and NOT part of my job at all. This is my free time and energy that I choose to use to conduct classes at all. I then mentioned how Kate doesn’t have any private classes so she should ask her and I told her how I don’t know Spanish enough to discipline them when they just won’t listen to me in English. Toni’s reply was that she doesn’t know Kate and that Laura (her 3 year old) would perform better with someone she’s already familiar with. And by familiar with you mean every time I say hello to her she ignores me and disrupts my private classes with Marta. Umm great. She also said that the kids don’t really know the difference between discipline and English and Spanish so it shouldn’t be a problem. That’s my point EXACTLY; they barely know Spanish how the heck are they going to remember English when they only get it for an hour at a time when all they want to do is play? Again I told her that I wasn’t sure and I needed to think about it and again she told me “No.” Well there was no way out so I said “okay”. I figured as long as Christen was in it with me it couldn’t be that awful.

Today I talked to Christen about how I was forced into taking the class with her. Christen informed me that after Semana Santa she is sending a letter to every parent of the children she tutors informing them that she has time slots that they can sign up for and they have to pay this certain amount depending upon how many kids she tutors at a time and if they don’t want to pay that amount she’ll find someone else who will. She’s not going to change her schedule around for anyone anymore. If they can’t find an available time for lessons than that’s too bad. Her intention with the letter is to get her “life” back. She’s tired of being walked over by these crazy moms. She’s tired of being underpaid and forced into doing more classes then she wants to do. Again, she’s volunteering to teach private classes. She doesn’t have to do this and right now the parents are acting like it’s her obligation to accommodate each of their children on whatever time frame works for them. NOT ANY MORE!

I’m impressed with Christen’s ballsiness but I just don’t know how it’s going to play out. She offered to include Corrie and I on the letter but I don’t want to be a part of it because I’m more than happy with all of my classes except the ones with Marta and even though I’m not getting paid as much as maybe I should be I’m not doing it to get rich. I’m doing it to occupy my time, interact with children and adults, and hopefully get something out of it myself. Besides my classes with Marta I generally enjoy all of my sessions. The reason I don’t enjoy my classes with Marta has nothing to do with her, it’s her mother, and so I can’t really hold that against her. We’ll see how next week goes…

Yeah so Friday I finally got the chance to catch up on my sleep. I woke up pretty late and just did some things around the house like sweeping the house, putting the dishes away, doing my laundry, etc. Once I had given myself enough time after eating to exercise I headed down the hill for the green path. I haven’t run in a long time because of the cold and rain so I wasn’t expecting to run for that long. I was also recovering from my small sickness so my immune system wasn’t performing too well. On my way back home I noticed a lot of kids in the plaza just chilling. Again I decide to take a chance and initiate playing with them again. I asked if they were playing soccer and when I told them that I loved soccer and wanted to play I got the same reaction as yesterday; instant excitement and lots of shouting. This time however we had “real” futbol players who took the game serious. We split up into teams and played four v four. Unfortunately for me my team consisted of the half hearted soccer players so it was really left to me to carry the team. I was over the moon to be playing soccer again that I didn’t really care. Throughout the next hour and half the teams changed players and more kids came to play with us. It was a mix of second, third, and fourth graders as well as a mix of skill levels. I was most impressed when this one fourth grader girl Anna jumped in and played with us. She was the only girl that participated in the game. What made the pickup so fun was the atmosphere. We were playing in this plaza so we had little kids on bikes, old men with walkers, adults hanging around, and girls walking dogs crossing through our “field”. These diversions just made the game more fun. I really wanted to document my first successful pickup so I told the kids that I would be back in five minutes. When I returned to the plaza all the kids were sitting on the bench. They literally waited for me to return before they started playing again. Awwwwwwwwwwwwww.

By now we had attracted a bigger crowd so the field expanded to the entire plaza. The teams were made up of 6 to 7 people and now included someone’s older brother who was in high school. At first I was hesitant about the new addition because I thought he would just hog the ball and not pass to the little kids but he turned out to be a team player so I happy. I took a few pictures of the kids while they were playing but for the most part I was the only one on my team really playing so I had to carry the team. At one point I hit the ball over the hedge and it hit one of the cars parked behind the plaza. Andres, this second grader just dove to the ground to hide for fear of being yelled at. I got nervous that a parent was going to scream but then this one kid, Antonio, came up to me and said, “don’t worry about it. I hit the cars harder than that all the time.” Haha thanks for consoling me. Well it was getting late so I told them I had to leave. I figured they would continue to play but no every one stopped when I stopped. I was just going to leave but then the kids asked if I was going to take a group picture. I was like, hell yeah, so they all got together and posed for me. It was the CUTEST picture I have EVER taken. Later in the evening when I uploaded it to my computer I made it my background and it brought tears to my eyes because I was so happy. Those kids made me feel incredible, if only for a few hours, but a few memorable hours. Antonio, the ringleader of pickup soccer and the only kid I really wasn’t familiar with from Menendez, asked if I would play with them every Friday. Of course I said yes :D

I now have a weekly play date on Friday’s. I’m hoping that since I played with a kid from every grade and from every class that the word will spread and we’ll get a bigger turn out. My next step is to come to school on Friday’s on my own free time and ask to participate in gym class. I’m not sure if I should do it because it might not be fair because you know they’re all about having an even team and if there is only one of me one team will always complain, but we’ll see.

Well today I got a text early this morning that Pocho wanted to walk so I couldn’t pass that up. We walked and talked for an hour like usual. I enjoy our one on one time because I learn a lot about her family and more about Valverde. It’s the equivalent of having a private adult session with her except I don’t get paid. After our walk I dropped off my box of sweets that I bought for Kate for her birthday and hung out with the girls for a little. They wanted to spend the night in Seville to celebrate Kate’s birthday but I told them I just couldn’t do it. I am so sick of traveling by bus and I had just unpacked my suitcase for the first time since February 4^th. I was not about to stay over in a hostel just for a night out on the town. To be very honest I’m not that close with Kate and I didn’t feel like I needed to participate in the festivities like I would a closer friend. Plus I have another early morning walk date with Pocho tomorrow and I didn’t want to miss it. After hanging out with the girls for a bit I decided to hit up the stadium and see if I could recognize any of the kids playing. Sure enough it was Sergio’s team on the field. Sergio’s mom, Ana found me and talked to me for the remainder of the game. I only saw the last 10 minutes of the game but I was just happy to see any soccer since that ended up being the last game of the day (at 2pm). Ana informed me that Antonio was going to close the shop early today so they could go to Los Pinos and sun bathe. Hehe even parents need some time in the sun. I said hello to Sergio and then I headed home to grab some lunch. It was a great morning/mid-afternoon.

This has been a really great start to the month and I’m hoping that the next three months are going to be just as great. I calculated it and I only have 10 more weeks of school. EEEEEKKKKKK!!!!!!! I just bought my plane tickets to Istanbul and Athens so I’m on my way to finishing up my plans for my final trip before returning to Bethesda. One less thing I have to worry about is what I’m going to do when I return home. I finally had time to discuss my future post Spain plans with my parents. I talked through my thoughts for the rest of summer, fall and spring and we’re all on the same page so I’m no longer worried about what I’m going to do when I return. While my plans aren’t set in stone or concrete there good enough to keep me from worrying about things until I return home. This way I can just sit back, relax, and enjoy my last few months in Spain. Viva Espana carnino!

…So Please Don’t Take My Sunshine AWAY!!

So last Thursday after school it was off to Seville for the weekend to go sight seeing and host my friend Kerry and her sister for 5 days, 3 in Seville and 2 in Valverde. The trip from Valverde to Seville was eventful as always. So my bus got to the station in Huelva at 5:45p, giving me a whopping 15 minutes to try and buy a ticket and board the 6pm bus to Seville. I first ran to the ticket counter (in heels, which is not easy with suitcases) and noticed that the line was insanely long so I headed to the Seville bus to buy my ticket on the bus. The bus driver told me that I wasn’t allowed to buy my ticket on the bus. When I insisted that the line was really long and I wouldn’t make it in time since it was already 5:50p he assured me that he would wait for me. I started to take my stuff back to the line but the driver told me to leave my bag under the bus so it would be quicker. I was instantly hesitant with this but I did it anyways. Well I got to the line and realized that almost everyone in line near me were trying to buy tickets to Seville as well, so at least I wasn’t the only one. I then realized that the person in front on me was my friend from CIEE, Claire. We chatted briefly but then I realized that it was 6:10 and I was freaking out that the bus was going to leave with my suitcase so I asked Claire if I could go ahead of her. I was only 2 people from the counter when my bus driver flagged me down and told me that he needed to leave so I could pay for my ticket on the bus. Why he wouldn’t just let me do that it the first place I don’t know. I’ve given up trying to understand the people at Damas. At least I was on the bus AND I had my suitcase.

I got to Seville an hour later and then had to walk 30 minutes to Emily’s apartment. As usual I was a hot sweaty mess when I got to her apartment but at least I made it and I had a place to stay. In return for hosting me last minute, I treated her and her roommate to dinner at Cerveceria Montaditos, the equivalent to fast food in Spain. Unlike the last time I stayed with Emily, this time we spent the whole night talking and catching up. After we talked about school, Spain, traveling, the future, and everything in between I realized we were more in common than I had realized. I was really thankful that I had stayed in touch with her because unlike the girls in my town she and I were on the same playing field with almost everything. However, I enjoy my school a lot more than she does. I’m lucky that my job is one of the few aspects to life in Spain that I don’t have any complaints about. On top of providing me with a place to stay, Emily also gave me ideas of what to do with my guests and agreed to let us tag along with her and her friends to dinner and a flamenco show the following night. I couldn’t have asked for more from her.

Friday morning I got up early and walked the forty minutes back into the heart of Seville to catch the airport shuttle to pick up Kerry and Casey. When I arrived to the stop I noticed an airport shuttle bus just chillin about 5 feet away from the actual stop but nobody was getting on it. I asked what the deal was and the people don’t me that the bus waiting was the 9 o’clock bus, not the 8:45 bus and therefore we weren’t allowed to get on it until 9am. The bus driver also said that the 8:45 bus was stuck in traffic so it probably wouldn’t get here on time. The people who were there got fed up with the bus driver and decided to cross the street and hail a cab. As the group was about to cross the street we saw the 8:45 bus and he motioned to the other driver to go ahead. Well as soon as the group crossed the street the bus that was waiting pulled up to the “stop” and started boarding people. The funny thing was that I got to the airport by means of that bus quicker than the people who hailed a cab because they arrived two minutes after I did.

I anxiously waited behind the sliding doors for Kerry and Casey to appear. At one point when I didn’t see them immediately after their plane landed I got a little nervous that maybe something happened and that they didn’t make their flight or they arrived earlier than expected. If either of those things happened I wouldn’t have any way of contacting them or knowing where they were. A wave of relief hit me when I eventually saw them. Let the adventure begin…

With their entire luggage in tow we boarded the airport shuttle and made our way to the city center of Seville in order to find the Dona Maria Hotel. It was weird checking into a hotel verses a hostel but a welcomed change of scenery. Our hotel was in a prime location, right across the road from the Catedral, Real Alcazar, and the Jewish quarter. The only set back we experienced was an extra bed for me to sleep in. When I asked for a cot using the word my Spanish translator dictionary recommended, la cuna, I learned that it actually meant crib, not cot. They didn’t have either so I ended up sleeping in the crack between the two double beds—now it felt like a hostel hehe. So for my guests first day in Spain I thought we’d knock off all the touristic things near by so that the next few days we could play it by ear. Also that first day ended up being really nice so I wanted to get all the walking down before the rain, which I knew would hit at some point during their visit. The great thing about Kerry and Casey’s visit was that I would enjoy the touristic things just as much as them because I had postponed visiting them for this such occasion. I figured maybe one friend would visit me in Spain or the very least, my parents. I lucked out and got both :)

After a delicious breakfast we hit up the Catedral, La Giralda, Real Alcazar, Plaza de España, La Avenida de Constitution, and every touristic shop in between. After I thoroughly wore them out we got a small lunch and headed back to the hotel for a true siesta. After they got some much-needed shuteye we all showered and got ready for our first night out on the town. We tried to meet up with some fellow GW soccer players that were studying abroad in Seville but unfortunately it didn’t work out. We walked the short walk to Levies for some cheap but filling tapas. Emily recommended this place for dinner. However the place was so crowded that we had to sit separate from her and her friends, but it wasn’t too bad since we got to sit with them for the flamenco show. I made Kerry and Casey try all the typical tapas of Spain as well as ones that came recommended from Emily and her roommate Chelsea (patatas ali-oli, pollo con curry, and pechuga de naranja all washed down with Tinto de Verano). After a great dinner we headed down the secluded street to find “the shady red door” home of La Carboneria. The great thing about La Carboneria is that their flamenco shows are free; you only pay for drinks or food. In exchange, you have to be dead silent once the performance begins or else you get the evil eye and shushed from the performers. We had a great time sipping our Sangria and listening to the authentic flamenco singers and dancers. It was an awesome show and a great atmosphere. During the intermission this girl calls my name and when I turn I realize it’s my friends sister from high school whom I’m also friendly with. She was studying abroad in Madrid but decided to hit up Seville for the weekend. She told me that she noticed me during the show and really hoped that it was I when she called my name. hahaha, It’s me! What are the odds??? We chatted briefly but then she was on her way out so we said goodbye and enjoyed the rest of the show. The show ended around 1am, early for Spaniards, but I wanted my guests to get enough rest because the next day and night would be just as rigorous.

The next day we were woken by the 30-minute long 9am bells courtesy of the Catedral. I guess the drawback to such a good location is putting up with the bells in the morning. As I expected today was going to be the raining day. In order to avoid the rain we decided this was a good day to shop. If you’re going to visit Seville you have to blend in; yoga pants and sneakers are a dead give away that you are a foreigner. I tried to take them to only Spanish stores that they wouldn’t have back home. After a full day of shopping it was lunchtime. We got a small lunch at a restaurant close to all the shopping. We split another typical tapas dish, croquettes de jamon, and washed it down with delicious Vino de Naranja. After topping off the meal with some gelato is was siesta time again. Later on we all showered and got ready for our second night out in Seville. Tonight I wanted them to explore more of the nightlife. First up was dinner at this very cheap and famous tapas restaurant called Coloniales. Again, we had a wonderful dinner sampling tapas (solomillo de wiskey, patatas bravas, and berenjes rellenos) and drinking Spanish wine. It was kind of embarrassing that after I would speak Spanish to the waiter he would speak English back. Was my Spanish really that bad?

We had some time to kill since it wasn’t even midnight yet so we sampled some churros and chocolate at a little kiosk place near the water. They liked it but it wasn’t anything really special. Since it was cold by the water we decided to find a small bar in barrio Triana and wait there until it was an appropriate time to head to the bars on Calle Betis. While we hung out at this random bar my one friend from high school that has been living in Seville as long as I have called me. She said that none of her friends were going out so she wasn’t going to go out alone. I told her it wasn’t a big deal and that I’d see her another time. A minute later she called me back and said screw it, she wanted to see me :) We ended up meeting her at Big Ben on Calle Betis. The place was PACKED full of study abroad kids. The second I stepped through the door I felt like I was back in DC with drunk sorority girls talking loudly about how much they’ve been drinking. I was home hehe. Finally I saw Sam come in and I greeted her and got a drink with her at the bar. It took us a half and hour to cross the room and reunite with my friends. No exaggeration. Finally when we all together we had time to catch up and reconnect. Her experience in Seville is like the best case scenario: she lives in great neighborhood in Seville, she doesn’t have to pay that much for her rent, she’s on her way to being fluent in Spanish, she loves her school and works with all age groups, she got herself a Spanish boyfriend, and has a great group of friends. Her story is the one we all want to tell our friends and family back home when we return. I tried not to show it but I was pretty jealous. She was literally living the dream here.

After some time she mentioned to me that this other kid from our high school class was in town tonight and wanted to meet up. I knew who the guy was but I never really KNEW him in high school but apparently he remembered me so I was all for it. We walked back into Barrio Santa Cruz (where Sam lives) and met up with Steve (the kid from my high school) at some random bar. It was so random that all three of us were there together in Seville. It gets better… while I was catching up with Steve this guy walks in between us and then stops and stares at me. It takes me a good three seconds to recognize who it is. Out of all the places in the world I happen to run into my Italian friend from Portugal on this night at this very random bar with my two high school friends and two friends from home. Incredible. After this coincidence Kerry was convinced that I was super popular here in Spain. I tried to explain to her that this never happens to me and that I’ve never had so many coincidences like this in one weekend. Once people started to leave the bar we decided it was time to call it a night, and what a night it was! I said my goodbyes to Sam and promised to see her again in the spring since she’s planning on doing this again next year I won’t see her back home.

Sunday morning we walked around all the parts of the city center that we missed and checked out the outdoor art market in front of the Museum de Bellas Artes. I was expecting something a little grander than what we found but it was cool none-the-less. After the art we got breakfast and walked all around Seville, just weaving in and out of streets, trying to get a feel for the different neighborhoods of Seville. We did a giant circle and ended up exploring the Jewish quarter by accident. It was really cute during lunchtime with all the outdoor cafes, quaint shops, and adorable winding streets. I really liked the area but since I didn’t have my camera at the time I’ll have to go back another time to capture the essence of the quarter. After walking around we just chilled out on the rooftop terrace for a while to pass the time until we had to leave for the bus station. It was a nice setting to relax and reflect on worldly things.

On the roof Casey asked me if I regretted my decision to come to Spain. I thought about it for a moment and then it become really clear to me that in spite of all the hardships I’ve faced in Spain, my mental breakdowns, and all the little things I complain about in my blog, I really am happy I chose to do this. The whole time I’ve spent with Kerry and Casey I’ve been telling them all about my life here and all the things that I’ve learned and experienced. By retelling all of this stuff to them, it really dawned on me how much I’ve grown and how truly independent I’ve become. I remember the first two weeks living in Valverde and wanting to call home whenever I had a problem or needed assistance. Now when I encounter a problem I either confront it on my own or I ask help from my friends here, something I’ve never liked doing back home. I guess I looked at it as a weakness to ask for help from peer’s verses figuring things out for myself. This experience has taught me that it’s natural to lean on other people besides family and that there isn’t anything wrong with asking for help. Spain has humbled me in way and made me learn to have more patience. I live such a fast paced life back home and that kind of lifestyle really doesn’t work here in Spain. I didn’t think until this moment that I’ve embraced the “siesta” aspect of life here, but now I realize that I have embraced it in a different way.

Back to Seville…it was finally time to leave so we walked to the bus station with all of our bags. Along the way we stopped for a quick lunch at the Ceveceria Montaditos. To pass the time waiting for the bus I introduced the Cliff game to Kerry and Casey. As dumb a game as it is it really does a good job of making time fly. Sooner than later the bus arrived and we were on our way to Huelva. I planned it so that we wouldn’t have to wait too long in Huelva before our next bus was to leave. In less than 15 minutes we were on our second bus headed to Valverde. We got to my apartment at around 7:15pm. After settling in and drying off a bit from the rain that only started as soon as we got off the bus, it was back outside to get some groceries. As I expected the Mercadona was closed so I walked them around the deserted city center for a while, trying to point out the best places to buy shoes, purses, or other things. I didn’t realize how late it was but we didn’t have dinner until 10:30pm, which is actually completely normal. I made my guests Chicken Parmigianino without the parm haha. I used mozzarella instead. It wasn’t horrible but it also wasn’t my best work so I was a little upset at how it turned out.

The next day I went to a full day of school while Kerry and Casey explored Valverde, aka they shopped! When I returned home they had bought groceries, purses, boots, and other miscellaneous things. During lunchtime they met my roommate Elisa. After lunch I had to go to my private classes but I promised once I returned to help Kerry find this one store where I bought my purse. Unfortunately they didn’t have my purse anymore so I walked her back up to my house and then headed to my next class. When it was time for my adult class I forgot that I told them that Kerry and Casey were going to attend so when they came with a bottle of wine and glasses I quickly ran home and told Kerry and Casey that they had 5 minutes to get ready and meet me at Ana’s house. We talked for a while but once the class was officially over the adults popped open the special Spanish wine and the real fun began. The conversation never died. Antonio, Ana’s husband came home and he insisted that we stay for dinner. Ana just “whipped up” some AMAZING tapas for us last minute. We had lomo and ham with a tomato sauce on top of a piece of bread, delicious sheep cheese and jamon Serrano, tortillas bacalao, croquettas with chicken, nuts, and an endless supply of wine. It was another fantastic dinner at Ana’s house that lasted over 3 hours. Even Sergio made an appearance at this dinner. I was so happy that Kerry and Casey got to meet some amazing Valverdian people and witness the kind of hospitality that they’ve bestowed on me all of this time. These kind of meetings are what make my small town life so worth it, the warmth that these people share with me and the way they open up their home to me and my guests just blows me away. I know that Pocho would have done the same if Kerry and Casey had spent more time in Valverde but alas this was their last night in my town. If I hadn’t initiated us leaving they would have happily opened another bottle of wine and talked to us for another 2 hours or so.

We were all in bed by 1:30am only to have to wake up at 8am to go to school. So Tuesday I took Kerry and Casey to school with me so they could experience a day in the life of Erica at Menendez y Pelayo. The day started off on a positive note with Gregorio’s primero class. Casey took lots of pictures and a video of the kids making bird sounds. It was very cute. This class was really fun for my guests because they got the chance to interact with the kids even though they couldn’t really understand them. Rocio’s primero class wasn’t as much fun for Kerry and Casey because they just sat in the back and observed. Rocio controls her class really well so she doesn’t let it get chaotic, which is good, but it also means that there is less one-on-one interaction with me and the students unless I go to them and point out an error. I am glad that they got to witness the two kinds of teaching styles that I had to deal with every day. After primero we had a break and helped Christen finished up a poster and then had a small snack of left over tapas from the International Women’s Day that occurred yesterday. Pocho didn’t tell me about the afterschool lunch because I had guests. My last class of the day was normally art with quarto but Inma canceled it because she had to study for an important test with her students. However she said that we could stop by with 30 minutes left in the class so the students could ask Kerry and Casey questions. This ended up being awesome, the kids LOVED Kerry and Casey. They asked them tons of questions like what their favorite color was, if they had a boyfriend, if they knew Miley Cyrus, and if they liked Cristiano Ronaldo. We didn’t want the class to end but sadly it was time to go. I think both of them liked that class the best of all my classes.

After school we had a small lunch and packed. Since we had some time to spare and it was a FINALLY A BEAUTIFUL DAY (sunny and warm) I thought this would be a good time to show Kerry and Casey a few places I like to go to relax that I’m sure they didn’t get to the day before. I walked them to both ends of my street showing them first, the pasture where I see the sun rise and home to my neighbors, the three horses and one donkey and second, the past where I watch the sun set. I then walked them down the road leading out of town to the pasture where the sheep roam and where you can see a nice view of Valverde. Last but not least I took them to my “happy place”; the VERY edge of town (one block behind my street) to the best view of the country. It is all rolling hills, farmland, blue sky, and little houses built into the sides of hills/mountains. It’s really a spectacular view and a place I enjoy going to after I run to relax and remember that this is something nobody else in my program has. Later in the taxi on the way to the airport I asked Kerry and Casey what their favorite parts of their trip was and they each said the small walk in Valverde. That just made my heart melt because it meant that they got just as much out of my special spots as I do. I could care less if they saw the Catedral in Seville that they could probably just Google, but seeing Valverde’s views on a warm sunny day is priceless.

We cheered to Spain with homemade mudslides and then it was off to Huelva and then Seville for one last night in Spain. I wanted the Philbin sisters to get the TRUE experience of traveling abroad so I arranged for us to stay in a Hostel for one night. We stayed at the Seville Backpacker’s Inn, which in comparison to the type of hostels I’ve been to, was about average. However we were left with three top bunks to choose from in a coed room of 8. This was my first time with a top bunk. I was secretly trying to go my entire trip in Europe without having to stay on the top bunk, but sadly that was ruined :( Casey was too afraid to sleep above this older woman who was already asleep when we returned from dinner so she spent the night with Kerry. The best part was after we had settled in and put our things away the two of them whip out the hand sanitizer. Hahaha, oh first timers. We ended up having our last dinner in Spain at this nice tapas bar right across the street from our hostel. We had a nice meal and toasted to an awesome Spanish adventure that will hopefully lead to more European travels in the future. We decided to get gelato one last time and on the way to the gelato shop I ran into Sam again. SO RANDOM. We chatted for a minute or two and then went our separate ways. Once back at the hostel Kerry and Casey weren’t in the mood “to mingle” in the hostel so we set up our beds, read our books for a little and then hit the sack. My bed was so squeaky so I was nervous about moving throughout the night.

I ended up not sleeping much at all but I contribute that to the fact that I was on the verge of a sickness. We were the first ones up in our room so we tiptoed around the other guest’s luggage and dressed and packed in the dark out of consideration. We were fortunate enough to get a free breakfast in the hostel and then it was off to the airport via taxi. The greatest 5 days I’ve had in a long time had sadly come to an end. I was planning on giving a long speech about how much it meant to me that they came to visit and how happy they both made me feel but regrettably when the time came to say goodbye I couldn’t find the right words, so instead I just wished them a safe journey and said goodbye. I’m so bad at saying my true feelings in person. Errr. I’m getting A LOT better of doing it over email, text messages, or the phone, but face-to-face is still hard for me. Being around Kerry again brought me back to life once again. I felt so comfortable and at peace. I didn’t have to change my attitude or pretend to be one way or another, I was just me. I had forgotten how easy it is to be myself around her and I was really sad that our time together was so short. I can’t wait for the summer so I can hang out with her more and meet the nice Jewish guy she found me ;)

In conclusion, I had an amazing past 5 days with Kerry and Casey. We saw a lot of things, met a lot of people, ate some incredible Spanish food, and made many memories. :D They also brought me Aunt Jamima syrup for my pancakes, peanut butter M&M’s, and 2 mixed CD’s of new music!!!!!!!!!! Also I convinced that the Philbin’s brought the sun to Spain. Ever since last Tuesday we’ve had wonderful SUNNY and moderately warm weather. Yes I was told today that it’s supposed to rain again on Tuesday, but hey I’m enjoying it while I can.