Raton Perez

One of my students has a loose tooth. Trying to elicit conversation, I asked her how many teeth she's lost, how many are loose, and what she does with the teeth when the fall out. Her answer? She puts it under her pillow for Raton (Mouse) Perez. A little confused, I asked for more details and interestingly enough, the tooth fairy does not exist in Spain. Raton/Ratoncito (Little Mouse) Perez brings gifts or money for children when they lose their teeth.

I found this online:

"Father Luis Coloma, a Jesuit, wrote the book about Ratoncito Pérez to tell the story of boy King Buby I, who put his fallen tooth under his pillow. The mouse woke him up when he gently brushed his fur against the boy's nose. This ratoncitolooked like a knight and was wearing golden rimmed glasses, a red coat and a sword.

Perez transforms the boy into a mouse to take him outside the kingdom with the purpose of showing him the poverty in which many of its people lived. This tale may have left a mark on the young king who was known to be kind to his people at the time he governed.

The first published book about this character appeared in 1902 and it was dedicated to Alfonso the XIII in Spain, who became king when he turned 16."

FUN SPAIN FACT OF THE DAY!

Taking a break

Okay, I know I haven't written for awhile. Mainly because I don't have much to talk about. I don't have much to talk about because I don't do anything interesting. I don't do anything interesting because I'm broke and constantly stressed about money. I know no one wants to hear about someone else complain about their problems, so I'm taking a break til I find the next step to have some sort of plan. Sorry...if anyone is still reading this, that is.

Springggg is here!

So despite being bummed that 2 out of 3 classes have been cancelled today...well mainly bummed about the money, not so much the free time....I've been having an excellent day.

I had a new class which started today and when I asked Maria if there was anything she'd like to change or focus on more in the class, she told me, "The class today was perfect." She seems a little shy, but I'm excited. I have class with her every day this week before she starts her new job, but probably just once a week after. Good timing though, or I'd have been down to a measly 8 hours this week. 12...not so bad. Plus I have the lucrative Saturday classes where I make 95 euros for 3 hours. Saturday alone pays my rent plus some and they're fun classes too.

After my class I had to go into the city center (aka Tourist Central) to go get a new printer cartridge. It's the only Cortes Ingles that I know sells printer cartridges. Cortes Ingles is a confusing place, but that's for another day. I also stopped at H&M to check out their sale stuff. It's getting warm and I own nothing but tank tops and sweaters...not much in between. Luckily everything was on mega-sale...that I bought anyway...and ended up with some 5 euro shirts, a new pair of leggings (some of mine mysteriously disappeared...I think my 80-year-old neighbor snatched them to wear) and some shorts. Grand total? Less than 50 euros for 7 things. I haven't bought any clothes in Spain because of lack of money, so I feel a little guilty that I spent anything. But I validated it by the fact that i have 3 more hours starting next week (for a total of 5 new hours/week since I've been back) and they're at an office, so I can't really show up in tank tops.

On my way home, the man in front of me on the escalator had a backpack whose zippers featured the brand: Colonel Tapiocca. I thought that was so funny I looked it up online:

http://www.coroneltapiocca.com/

Haha, and I thought Korean name brands were wacky! (I remember Omar Sharif umbrellas and Arnold Palmer sandals.) It's sunny and 75 now so I'm gonna head out onto the front patio and enjoy some rays...before summer gets here and I die from heat exhaustion.

Rant

I remember my old boss and I talking about my first trip to Spain. "Are all the men there gorgeous?" she asked.

Okay, I have noticed there are a lot of good looking people in Spain...this is allegedly true for most Mediterranean countries. However, in general, I am disgusted by Spanish men. I cringe when I walk by them, awaiting for the creepy catcalls that inevitably follow. I can't enjoy the beautiful park near my house, wear cute spring clothes, or even walk to the metro without fearing a creepy old man (viejo verde)....or creepy YOUNG man will say something disgusting or make vulgar noises in my general direction. I feel violated.

My friends accompanying during my study abroad trip thought I overreacted. My adult students agree it's annoying but tell me stories of friends who walk by construction sites for an ego boost. My roommate just laughed when I ranted about it. I think it's unacceptable.

This is 2011. I should not be made to feel like I'll I'm good for is to look at. Yeah, I'm sure these guys just grew up in this machismo society...that they don't mean anything by it. I don't care. At first I started ignoring it. In winter the layers of clothing make it less common. But now I've snapped and starting reacting. I flick them off, cursing at them in English (I think FUCK YOU is pretty universally understood). Honestly, it is a huge problem to me. Most people find it annoying, irritating, rude. I find it vulgar, condescending and objectifying.

The only solution I can come up with, besides moving out of the country, is to start learning some vulgar things in Spanish. Maybe then they'll get the idea.

Okay, end rant. Thanks for reading my venting.

Fun Fact

Here's something I learned today: Care Bears in Spanish are called Osos Amorosos

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DcdedBO_lM

I'm baaack

Question: Does anyone actually read this? I'll admit, I haven't been so motivated to blog because, to be honest, there is not so much exciting going on in my life. Well, Alasdair and I went to the States to visit for 10 days, but that's not very Spanish, is it?

I do have two new classes since I've been back. That tallies up to an additional 32 euros a week, but hey, it's something. While I was home, I applied for a legit job through the Spanish government, but that won't start til the fall if I get it. My first choice of areas? Valencia. Yeah, so I've already been there, but it has a beach and not quite the same big-city chaotic feel of Madrid. My options two and three were the Canary Islands and Austurias, because of their beaches and excellent food and wine, in that order. I still have the option to stay in Madrid, but it is tricky being freelance. Also, being illegal, whether I like to admit it or not, does worry me. I have a friend here who's lived here illegally for almost 5 years and never had any problems, but that doesn't make any difference to my paranoia.

Our trip home was so nice...well, when you're only home a few weeks a year people love to cook for you and make trips to see you...that I had a hard time leaving. If I'd had to get on that plane alone, I'm not sure I would have been able to. We saw so many people, ate TONS of wonderful food, and Alasdair finally got to meet the family and lots of my close friends. We took mini road trips to Chattanooga, Savannah, and Athens. Leaving home again meant not knowing when I'd see everyone again. Returning to Spain alone was worse than leaving the states, because it meant I was completely alone.

Now don't get me wrong, I do actually enjoy my job. One of my most difficult students told me that he'd gotten a 9.5 (out of 10) on his latest English tests. I love my students and actually enjoy classes. It's mainly stress over money and things that makes it hard. I know 2 people in Madrid. Okay, maybe 3. Alasdair's moving out in the summer, but 4 months seems an awfully long time. Plus, coming back home after a lovely vacation is never fun.

My roommate told me yesterday she'd be leaving for 2 months to go work on a movie set...in NEPAL. In addition to being an amazing opportunity, my first thought was, "I GET TO LIVE ALONE AND DO WHATEVER I WANT FOR TWO MONTHS!" (Despite paying rent and half the utilities, it still feels like I'm living in someone else's house.) But then today she told me she wasn't sure because of her boss or something. My Spanish is rusty after only thinking in English for 2 weeks. So...sad that I'll have to continue mopping every other day and keeping the heat on despite the fact it's 60 out...but not so bad because, for all my frustration, she's been very helpful with things and I wouldn't have a clue how to pay utilities in Spain.

On the bright side, spring is almost here (it's not getting dark til 8:30 already!!), I have more work, and I have an XXL bag of M&Ms from Costco.

P.S. I tried to upload pictures but my internet hates me.

Madrilena

I've been in Madrid less than 2 months, but I already feel fairly accustomed to life here. I suppose it's not such the culture shock of living in South Korea, but I also feel like I can accomplish more on my own since I know a little more Spanish than Korean.

A few weeks ago I got a Spanish library card, which has been especially helpful in lesson planning. Funds are low (and I STILL haven't received my replacement credit cards) so I check out books and use them in class.

Today I succeeded in finally getting an Abono, which is an unlimited metro/bus pass renewable every month. It took me three Tobaco shops, or estankeras as my roommate says they're called, to finally find one that sold them. For less than 50 euros a month, I can ride all the subways and buses I won't, hooray! I realize I'm on the metro a lot because I'm starting to recognize people. Two in particular are quite noticeable, so I'm sure there are many more I've overlooked because of their ordinariness. One is a tiny Asian woman who always wears her sunglasses inside and plays some game on her cell phone that involves incessant clicking of buttons. I've learned not to sit next to her. The other is a Spanish man so pale he makes ME look tan...and it's winter. Seriously, I think he might be a ghost. Also, a notable trip on the subway last night led me to find the world's WORST haircut...which is saying a lot in Spain. The man had a buzzcut almost all over, but left the front long, giving the effect of greasy, stringy bangs hanging about halfway down his forehead. I say the effect of bangs, because I'm not sure buzzcut men are able to have bangs. Weird. At least it keeps me entertained during the hours I spend on the metro each day. On the bright side, I'm going through books like mad!

I'll be headed to London a week from tomorrow to fly out to the States! I'm excited because the trip seems a little last minute and the weather there has been gorgeous lately, or so I'm told by my mother and weather.com. I promise once I start being more interesting I'll have more pictures to put up!

Surprise!

So recently I found out I'll be home for a week and a half NEXT MONTH instead of in the summer. Alasdair and I had booked flights for a wedding, but the date changed and I thought we'd just change our dates for a summer trip.

Unfortunately, there is a $300 fee to change the flights, and summer flights cost about double, something I definitely couldn't afford. So looks like we'll be visiting much sooner than expected.

I don't know about the car situation yet, but I'll be trying to visit Kennesaw, Atlanta, Athens, and Savannah. I hope to see some of you people there! Everyone's excited we're going except my boss. Yikes. Sorry senor. But since I have so few hours these days (12 a week, and at least one is cancelled each week), it seemed to be the most economic trip to take.

And here are some old pictures of me being touristy in January.

The Prado Museum

Inside the Botanical Gardens...the indoor part was the only thing with anything blooming in January, duh.

The main post office in Madrid

Along the Retiro, a street full of museums and parks.

El Dia de San Valentin

Last weekend Alasdair came back to Madrid for a short visit. It was simultaneously exciting and disappointing. Exciting to spend time together, but disappointing because I was sick the whole time. Wah wah waaaaah.

He arrived late Wednesday night and waking up Thursday morning feeling horrible, he set off to try to set up a bank account for me. I had trouble sleeping (turns out living directly above a Peugeot repair shop makes it a tad tricky to nap) and he had trouble finding an office that spoke any English. The bank account has been put on hold until we have considerable more time (and Spanish skills) to spend on it. Thursday's a "long" day for me, meaning I had a whole 3 hours of class to suffer through, sniffling and aching. It was kind of a bust of a day to be honest, but when I crawled back home, we made a nice dinner and had an early night. I know, we lead thrilling lives.

Friday I'd planned on taking him to a great park near my house, Casa del Campo, which was formerly the Royal hunting grounds. However, he received an email from a company I'd found out about a few days earlier, which was looking for people to write articles about travel in Spain. A perfect fit for his future career as a travel journalist. We headed to La Latina, a beautiful area in the center of Madrid and had overpriced milkshakes in the sun. It was a beautiful day, and having procured some flu meds from a Spanish pharmacy the previous day, I was feeling half-human. (Note to self, avoid any and all establishments with English on the menu. The waiters are as rude as the prices are high.) After meeting with Carlos, who runs a small travel business called Letango Tours, we headed off to the area where I had class. While I was busy teaching some sort of hodgepodge of business English and Spanglish conversation, Alasdair was busy shopping for a surprise...LIMES! These are surprisingly difficult to find in Madrid, but given our love of Mexican food, a necessary staple.

Walking to the metro from class, we accidentally stumbled upon an awesome NYC pizzeria. The guy who ran it was American and had worked in Florida and New York. You know a restaurant is good when they make the food out in the open. The best part (besides the food)? The name of the restaurant is En Guay Si (say it out loud). I didn't appreciate it til Alasdair pronounced it. We had another night in, watching Family Guy in Spanish. Boring, maybe. But free, yes. I see a lot of this in my future.

Needless to say, the only pictures we took were when I felt less zombie-like. Here we are in the Teleferica.

Saturday we made it to the park after a laaaazy morning. Casa del Campo features a lake with rentable boats (and some sort of water polo looking setup), tons of outdoor restaurants, tennis courts, a zoo, an amusement park, and three metro stops running through it. We played some frisbee and found the Teleferica, a cable car from the 70s that rolls down from Casa del Campo to Park Oeste. There was some commentary in Spanish which we ignored, mainly because it had interrupted some Phil Collins, but you can see the Royal Palace and much of downtown Madrid from that high up.

The view!

Despite being a sweaty bum, we walked from the park to downtown Madrid for some Sangria at one of our favorite bars and later churros y chocolate from another overpriced, rude vendor. Hey, look, we did something cultural! Alasdair was eager to get home because we'd decided Saturday night was Nachos/Movie night! One of our favorites. Plus, he'd brought a really nice bottle of wine (meaning it came in a bottle and cost more than $3), which I'd previously been too sick to drink. We watched Clue and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. I'd wanted to have at least one night out of the house, but money, weather and health really prevented that from happening. Fortunately, we're both content to just spend time together since it doesn't happen much.

Sunday was rainy and cold, which matched my mood, as his departure that evening seemed to be looming. We both tried to ignore the fact and distract ourselves with TV, music and making flyers for English lessons. It didn't work. The trip to the airport always seems much faster than the one home. The weekend flew by as always, but I've already got my flights booked to London for March. I'll be there to see him post-knee surgery and for his birthday, which is nice. But that's 3 loooong weeks away. At least we're dealing in weeks instead of months now!

The Toucan Thief Part 2

For Linnea

Mi apartamento

Okay, here are some pics of the new place!

Bienvenidos a mi casa! All the books, movies and CDs are obviously my roommate's, but she has pretty good taste. Lots of books on art, design, and fashion and some great old movies.

Our little living room, featuring two tiny couches you get to sleep on when you come visit!

The patio we share with our 80-year-old neighbor Carmen. It's shady, so not so good for sunbathing or laundry, but then again...I HAVE A PATIO!

The most exciting thing about my kitchen: a freezer, a microwave, AND an oven! Definitely trumps my Korean kitchen!

The rest of the kitchen. I do miss my Korean dryer though...

Down the hall to my bedroom...

But first, let's make a stop in my bathroom, featuring the worlds smallest tub and a bidet that never gets used...by me at least.

And finally, mi habitacion! It's not huge, but I've got all the necessary stuff. It's pretty nice moving in to a fully furnished place. I just added a few things like a bedside lamp and some organizational stuff (from IKEA, of course!) and clothes. I didn't even have to get bedding!

Now you know where I live. The next step is seeing it in person!

Settling In

Still waiting on my debit and credit cards....after 2 weeks. Yikes! Thankfully I get paid tomorrow. Not much, but I'll be able to buy groceries! I tried to set up a bank account today, but no dice without a some sort of foreigner ID number. On the plus side, I was in the ritzy part of Madrid today and walked by some people filming what looked like The Real Housewives of Madrid. I'll do some research and see if it's on and I made the cut.

Riding the metro can be annoying. You've always got to elbow your way to a seat and deal with people encroaching on your personal space. However, sometimes riding the metro is just entertaining. Today alone I saw a dancing grandma, singing into a portable amp she wheeled through the cars, a 7 piece Russian polka band, and two French girls whose Spanish was worse than mine. Also I finished my third book in as many weeks since I spend an hour and a half commuting each day (sometimes I'm on the metro more than I'm working) and my iPod died. (RIP Gerome 2005-2011.)

I had an interesting weekend. I went to a showing of some short films with my roommate. She's a costume designer and therefore has artsy friends. Her friend Charo had done the make-up for one of the shorts. Three out of four had subtitles, so I understood and enjoyed most of them. Then we went to a benefit concert for some charity/non-profit which teaches African immigrants Spanish. We got there after it had started and showed up right in the middle of some cool tribal music and dancing. Great, I thought! But then they finished and a reggae band began. Not exactly my cup of tea. I honestly tried to get into it, but I just couldn't get into the same mindset the dreadlocked white guys surrounding me were enjoying. Plus my gin and tonic was 9 euros. It was an experience, to say the least.

I met another friend of a friend on Sunday for coffee. She's pretty cool and has been here almost 5 years so she knows where to go and what to do. She told me there's a Mexican food store in the center and invited me to her wedding on Thursday. I like her a lot.

Sorry there aren't more pictures. I try not to tote my camera around just because (I've already lost a wallet and killed an iPod) and sorry to say I'm not terribly exciting lately. I promise to take apartment pictures for the next post. Thanks for reading!

Amigos

While I feel pretty lucky to have been able to work things out here, international moves are not totally glamorous and exciting. There's quite a few obstacles and adjustments when moving to a new country. Granted, I've spent some time in Spain and know enough of the language to get by without many problems. But all this moving around is getting to me!

The biggest thing is not knowing anyone. I have one friend from my study abroad trip who's teaching in Madrid. Other than that, I've got to start over in the friend department. I remember suffering through this same feeling in Korea, but I still had American coworkers I saw on a regular basis, which is how I ended up with such a great group of friends out there. It would be a little strange if I started trying to hang out with my 10-year-olds or their moms.

Last night I met up with a friend of a friend for coffee. She was meeting some more of her friends too, only most of them didn't speak English. No problem, I thought. Turns out the Venezuelan accent is a bit different from the Spanish I'm used to, so I did a lot of smiling and nodding. I did understand a great quote from Picasso: "Mi madre un día me dijo: "Si te haces soldado, serás General; si te haces monje, terminarás como el Papa." En cambio, me hice pintor y ahora soy Picasso." This basically translates to "My mother said to me one day 'If you become a soldier, you'll be a general; if you become a monk, you'll end up the Pope.' Instead I became a painter and now I'm Picasso." Kinda pompous, huh? They are all students here (two studying criminal law and two getting MBAs) and were really nice and patient, while translating along the way. Hopefully I'll see more of them and improve my Spanish.

It does get pretty lonely here. Even talking to friends and family via the wonders of Skype doesn't quite have the same effect. I hope I get to stay in Spain a little while longer this time. It was way harder leaving my friends in Korea than I thought it would be. I've still got a few more months til Alasdair moves down...I hope I manage to meet some friends by then! And I've always got a free sofa for all my old friends if they want to come for a visit!

The Toucan Thief

I'm not normally in the habit of making so many posts, but while my schedule's sparse, I'll probably have more time.

Today I was teaching Lorenzo, who's 8. This kid has got a great imagination. We were talking about what he'd learned in English class today, animals. He mentioned a jellyfish and a toucan, so I drew pictures and labelled them. He then proceeded to draw a hat on the toucan's head, and a picture of a disgruntled man next to him. When I asked why the man was angry, he pointed to indicate that the toucan had stolen the man's hat. Then he drew 8 more angry people and the toucan ended up sporting a necklace, boots, glasses, lipstick and a t-shirt, as well as munching on a sandwich. THAT is why I like teaching kids. I only wish I'd had my camera for photographic evidence.

I also met with my boss, who has promised me more classes and help finding a new apartment this summer which would drastically decrease my commuting time. It was a pretty nice day. Now I'm going to do some cleaning up and watch a Hitchcock movie with some popcorn and a glass of Mercadona's finest euro wine.

Volver a España

This time three years ago, I had arrived in Spain for the first time. I spent a semester "studying" abroad. Along with almost 40 other students, I spent 3 months in Valencia, right on the Mediterranean, and a subsequent 2 months backpacking in Europe. It was one of the best experiences I've ever had.

After graduating, spending a year teaching in South Korea, and a few holidays in between, I'm back in Spain. Why?

One of my degrees is in Spanish, and I've been wanting to live in a Spanish-speaking country for real this time. Yeah, I spent a few months here before, and my Spanish got better, but I don't think spending 3 hours a day speaking Spanish and the rest talking to your fellow Americans in English really counts. I'd previously been looking at Central and South America, but the pay isn't great. There's another reason I opted for Spain, though. My boyfriend Alasdair is finishing up his master's in journalism and I thought it might be nice to live near him. We're at least on the same continent now. He's finishing up in the summer and plans to move down here too, getting a start on travel writing, and teaching on the side.

Celebrating our anniversary at El museo de la Reina Sofia

I know a few people in Spain, most of whom I met on that study abroad and have returned, like me, to teach English, which is in greater demand than ever. It's not quite as fierce as in Asia, but Spain is desperately trying to play catchup to the rest of Europe in English. The tricky thing is, it's pretty hard to get a job here without a EU passport. The majority of legal teachers are British, although there are some legal teachers from all over, including the States. I however, and not one of them. Now before you freak out, don't. I've done my research and talked to several people who have been in this situation. Unlike our strict border control (and the UK's as well), Spain, as in almost everything, is pretty lax. I had a friend working out here last year and she offered up some great contacts for me.

After spending New Year's skiing (or at least pretending to) with Alasdair and his family, we set off for sunny Madrid. It rained the whole first week we were here. Still, it definitely beats South Korean winters!

I will focus on the beauty of the French Alps, rather than my poor ski skills.

We got in on a Thursday, I got a job Saturday, and started work Monday. After months of fretting, I got a job in less time than I have ever gotten a job before. My boss, Alex, had told me to call him when I got to Madrid and then we set up a meeting. I thought it would be a sort of informal interview, but he said "Okay, here are your classes for Monday."

I'm doing private lessons, mainly for students, in the north of Madrid. Unfortunately, I cannot afford the rent there, so I'm about a 45-minute commute from work. Fortunately, most of my classes start after 5 so it's not so bad getting there, since I leave during siesta. (This will probably change soon, so I'm trying to enjoy it now.) My youngest student is 6 and the oldest is 19, though next month I'm starting with adults...which terrifies me. I love teaching kids. In fact, I've often said I like the kids more than the teaching. However, I was apprehensive when I had my class with the 19-year-old, and she's now one of my favorites. Who knows? Maybe I'll love teaching adults...

My apartment definitely beats the one I had in Seoul. Okay, so I do miss living alone. But my kitchen not only has a freezer, but also a microwave and an oven. I do miss my Korean pseudo-dryer/tumbler thingy, but I'll happily exchange it for the kitchen. Plus...get this...there is more than one room. My living room is separate from both my kitchen AND my bedroom. Imagine that. I'll post pictures soon (aka after I clean up). My roommate, Cristina, is Spanish so we both practice our Spanish/English with each other. She's 40ish and is a costume designer, and pretty awesome. She's a little particular about cleaning and not wasting any electricity (our heat turns off at bed time) but she's also really sweet, offering to take me grocery shopping and to Ikea (YES!) in her car.

It was so wonderful finding a job AND an apartment so quickly, I admit...I was immediately suspicious. What was the catch? When was my luck going to run out? The answer: January 13. We'd had to fortune of finding out there were tickets available for La Copa del Rey soccer game with Real Madrid vs. Madrid Atletico. Well, Alasdair was excited. Okay, I was excited too...it was my first professional soccer game. After telling my boss about it, he warned me to watch out for pickpockets. I spent the whole game with my purse wrapped around my leg, and I generally consider myself pretty aware of things in dangerous situations.

Spanish futbol fans are pretty intense. What a game!

Then we got on the metro. Amid getting separated and having an anxiety attack, someone nicked my wallet. I didn't even feel anything. Strangely enough, my rusty Spanish skills still included "Alguien me robó!" (Someone robbed me!) as I told the metro guard. He offered to call the police and suggested they may have taken the valuables and dumping the wallet in the newspaper recycling bins. I looked to no avail. I didn't take it well and vowed I'd never go to another soccer game again! We cancelled everything as soon as we got back to the hostel, finding out someone had already tried to use the credit card at an ATM. Fortunately, they didn't know the PIN and had only gotten off with the hundred euros in cash. The worse part, I admit, was that I should have been more paranoid about things. I guess I've learned my lesson. I'm mostly disappointed I lost my brand new wallet (a gift from Christmas), a picture of friends, and my UGA ID (no more discount movie tickets for me!). The evening went from bad to worse when Alasdair had news of the death of a friend. I felt guilty for being so angry for my troubles.

Admittedly, we had one bad night, but I'd much rather have gotten a job and been robbed than not gotten a job and still have a wallet. The replacement cards are in the mail and Alasdair's parents were able to transfer funds so he could lend me cash til I got them. Now I'm constantly making sure my purse is latched and it's lying across my front where I can see any sneaky fingers. Upon telling my friend Richard, who's now on his third year teaching, he said it's pretty common, but petty theft is the worst of Madrid's street crime.

I'm really enjoying work so far, although it certainly is different working with students one-on-one than teaching classes. There's a lot more prep work involved, but I work way fewer hours. The pay isn't grand, but Madrid's a fairly cheap city to live in. I'm surprised by how cold it gets here...it's been below freezing most nights and how hot everyone says the summers are. At least it's a dry heat, unlike what I'm used to. There are so many things I can't wait to experience. There are great museums, parks, theaters, and plenty to do here. For now though, I'm happy hibernating, hiding from the cold and budgeting as much as I can til my schedule's full. I'm excited to see what Madrid has in store for me!

International Blog 2!

Okay, even though I've lived in Spain before, I never wrote a blog about it and I have a feeling things may be a bit different this time around. Stay tuned for more!