Still Breathing: A Quick Catch-Up…

Good Lord–I didn’t think it would get this bad: I know I’ve been really inconsistent over the past year in regard to regularly posting life updates, but I never intended on going on this long without saying ANYTHING–but, then, life…happened…

But don’t worry, folks, I’m not dead, and I actually have a legitimate reason as to why things have been silent as the grave here at my little WordPress site: I’m working!!…Yeah, I’ve been working at a warehouse for the past 2 months now, saving up $$$ for life in my new hometown (a.k.a. Madrid), so I’ve literally been killin’ it with the overtime, and that has made me too busy and exhausted to even think about writing anything of relevance…

However, I’ve decided to battle through my insomnia and essentially recap some of the major things that have happened during my last 2 months in Spain, as well as what I’ve been up to now…

https://instagram.com/p/3ct7FHggbEab_PO-Q-IFEw6idom94bRW6DXeQ0/?taken-by=bettyj.ogburn

…My “see you later” (NEVER “goodbye”) soireé at the EOI…

Enjoying the Beauty of Tarazona

A few weeks before leaving Zaragoza, I went with some people from church to Tarazona, a small city further south within ZGZ province…Our initial plan was to go hiking on El Moncayo (the mountainside beside the city) before exploring the town and having Bible study, but we arrived fairly late in the day, and the senderismo took longer than planned…Still, ’twas a truly splendid landscape–I couldn’t get enough of those views (or that green)!!…Recap to come eventually!!…

https://instagram.com/p/3IxBhzggfavRjDBHR1ftr6ZGnsAzAIR4vsWGs0/?taken-by=bettyj.ogburn

https://instagram.com/p/3GbUuCAgdUNOCxt2b0dixi4KnLd01ZzrHUjog0/?taken-by=bettyj.ogburn

My First Barcelona Adventure

When I left Spain this past June, my flight left out of Barcelona, and since I had never been to the city before (and despite my feelings of antipathy towards the place), I decided to stay a couple of days before my flight left–and may I say, I was definitely pleasantly surprised: I marveled at the Sagrada Familia (#O.M.GOODNESS) I got to meet 2 of travel bloggers whose work I really enjoy (Jessica and Gloria), and enjoyed a stroll through the Gothic Quarter on a nice little tour…Recaps to come eventually!!…

https://instagram.com/p/3exe7gggZ3Igry6VGtDhGkRaZEdq1Cx3-X9vI0/?taken-by=bettyj.ogburn

https://instagram.com/p/3e6o5NggY4dPmtqR2MB4EHi4RI-64MdXx4bOw0/?taken-by=bettyj.ogburn

…Me with Gloria…

 

…Me with Jessica…

Slaving Awa Joining the Local Workforce

Since early June, I’ve been working for Sports Endeavors, a local company that manufactures/sells football (soccer), rugby, and lacrosse equipment…I spend my days standing in front of a heat press, printing badges and logos onto jerseys, pants, and shorts–sure, it’s not glamorous, but it’s helped me save €€€ for Madrid!!…

My New Workplace

So, I finally know where I’m going to be teaching this year, and it’s definitely not what I was hoping for…See, I had asked for an instituto (middle and high school combined) but I got stuck at a colegio–a.k.a., elementary school, a.k.a. the 9th Circle of Hell…Now, it’s not that I don’t like children–I just prefer having students that I can have something closer to an actual conversation with (and who, you know, know how to wipe their own snot)…Plus, a good percentage (not ALL) of the little Spaniards I’ve observed are bratty, over-indulged, demon spawn…Sweet Jesus, help me…

Furthermore, in terms of location, I had requested a school within the capital itself–if not the center, a place in the outskirts would have been fine with me…However, I’ve been placed in Alcalá de Henares, a small city about 40 minutes away that’s famous for it’s university and having been the place of residence for many noted figures in Spanish literary/political history–heck, it’s the birthplace of Miguel de Cervantes (that most Spanish of the Spanish writers), and every year on October 9th there’s a festival to celebrate his birth…

But, hey–even though it’s not exactly what I wanted, Alcalá looks so lovely, and even though I plan to live in Madrid capital, I’ll be sure to explore it every chance I get!!…

The Final Countdown

It’s now officially 3 weeks until I leave for Madrid, and I feel a little apprehensive–I guess that’s normal, given that it’s [comparatively] a big place I’m not that familiar with, where I don’t really know anyone…But that’s the beauty of it, though: Everything is different, everything is unknown, and even when I eventually get into my own ritmo and have my weekly horario down pat, there will always be some glimmer of adventure and discovery at various points, whether it’s a cute little vintage-style café I discover around the corner or a new, temporary collection at the Prado, or meeting colorful characters at one of the many language exchanges throughout the city…And that sounds dang good to me, :-)…

So, yeah–that’s pretty much it!!…Now to work out, shower, and maybe watch an episode of Outlander or Poldark before beddy-bye!!…

And now on to you, lovely readers: Any others auxies out there who want to share their feels???…Does anyone have words of advice for Madrid capital???…And has anyone else obsessed over Poldark or Outlander this summmer (seriously, fellow period drama-lovers–they’re legit!!)???…

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