Playing Catch Up

THIS POST IS SO UNACCEPTABLE, YET SO NECESSARY. THIS IS ME YELLING AT MYSELF.

For the past three weeks I have been telling myself, "you need to post, you need to post, you need to post." It's not that I haven't been writing, because quite surprisingly, I have been keeping a journal and have many "drafted posts", but none of them have made it through the final cut.

The past few weeks have flown by. I sat down tonight to write in my journal and my jaw literally dropped when I realized that it is already October 15th. Holy moly! Where did October go, and moreso, where did 2014 go!? For this reason, I set down the journal and picked up the laptop and decided to fill you in on all of the glorious details.

I left New York City on September 21st. Here's a rundown of what followed.

1. 24 hour travel from NYC-> Stockholm. Slept in the Stockholm airport due to a 10 hour layover. Stockholm->Madrid

2. Stayed in Madrid for 3 nights and 4 days in Los Amigos Backpackers Hostel, quite possibly my favorite hostel. The man and woman that ran the place were the friendliest, ever.

3. Had a blast in Madrid. Went to the Prado Museum (so happy I could appreciate it this time around), visited Parque de El Retiro, drank wine and ate tapas, and enjoyed the nighttime hustle and bustle that Madrid has to offer.

 

4. After a crazy night out that fell into early morning, took a 7 hour bus ride from Madrid->Lugo.

5. Arrived in Lugo at the Roots and Boots hostel. Again, super friendly couple running the place.
Located above a bar, right on the Rio Miño, it's a popular stop for those doing the Camino de Santiago.

6. Spent 5 days apartment hunting/ sort of wandering not really knowing what to do. My now roommate contacted me via facebook asking if I wanted to share an apartment with him and another girl. Perfect. Susannah is from England, here in Lugo teaching English as well. Xavi is a Spaniard from Lugo, finishing his last year in university. "University" is a thing here, not "college". College here is the equivalent to our elementary school, still getting used to that bit.

7. September 30th, moved in. Woo!

8. October 1st, went to my first day of "teaching". To my surprise, it was my day off, so I got sent home.

9. October 2nd, went to my first "meeting". Talked with two teachers for 45 minutes about my schedule and the classes I'll be working with. English and Art, 3rd-6th grade! I'm actually so excited to be working in a bilingual art class. Holiday crafts galore :)

10. October 3rd, my first real day in the classroom.
Do you have a boyfriend? Real or Barça? Messi or Ronaldo? Do you know Pau Gasol? Do you know famous people?
Ha. I see where their priorities lie. The 3rd and 4th graders are my favorite. Still little sweethearts.

11. Went to Salamanca for a weekend. It felt so nice to be back in the Golden City; it brought back so many memories of the past and the time I spent studying there. I did, however, come to some realizations.
I'm old. I'm not 19/20 anymore, and that's okay.

 

12. Came back to Lugo and went to a dance class! I ended up signing up for the month and am so excited about it.

13. October 7th, went to a language exchange where we practiced Spanish, English, Portuguese, etc.

14. October 7th-14th, worked with the kids and enjoyed the San Froilan festivities. San Froilan is a festival, solely celebrated in Lugo. It attracts a crowd from the surrounding pueblos; they come to eat, drink, and participate in all sorts of carnival-like activities.

15. October 14th, went to Santiago de Compostela. What a beautiful, historical city it is! It was raining just about the whole time, but we went to see the Cathedral and explore the small city. There were so many "pilgrims" out and about, exploring their final destination. The Cathedral is the final stop of the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage. If you haven't heard of it, it's a trek that starts in southern France and ends in Western Spain. Many people will complete either the whole thing or small snippets of it. You should definitely read about it if you haven't already. I'm contemplating completing in at some point in life ;)

 


So now, present day, October 15th, I'm sitting on my bed, somewhat freezing because it's so stinking cold in my apartment. Too tired to proof read, sorry about it. I'm hoping now that I'm all caught up my posts will return back to their thorough selves. Stay tuned for my next adventure!




Abrazos y Besos
 xoxo
Natalia