A New Season…

Hello…It’s me–no, not Adele, Betty…I know I’ve said this before quite a bit, but my life has definitely been really busy over these last 2 years…Well, “busy” and in the sense that I’ve been very active going to work, hanging out with friends, volunteering at my church, hitting the gym, etc., and “not busy” in the sense that working on an auxiliar’s schedule definitely still affords me quite a bit of free time, but by the time I get home, I’m often so tired from all the stuff that I’ve been doing that all I want to do is plop down on my bed and crash…

Well, now that it’s vacation and I have the whole weekend off from my summer job, I can finally fill ya’ll in on what exactly has gone on…

Workplace Burnout:

Now, if you actually read this blog 2 years back, you will remember me writing about my upcoming move to Madrid…I was excited to be moving to the capital, but I was a bit apprehensive about my school placement, which was at a primary school…At first, I was willing to move past my misgivings and give the place a shot–but, it wasn’t really that great, because…Let’s just say, I’m not a fan of working with small children in a typical Spanish public school–but I will say I’ve learned more about me, myself, and my preferences…

New Year, New School:

Late last December, already feeling fed up with my workplace and hoping that I would receive another possibility to stay in Madrid, I submitted an application for the BEDA auxiliar program. BEDA is a private program that basically has the same aims as the Ministry program, but it places its auxes at Catholic charter schools instead of run-of-the-mill public schools…It was my 3rd time applying to BEDA: The first time, I applied just before graduating from Wake, but I didn’t get in, and I applied again for the 2016 school year, and I got waitlisted…Well, this year, the 3rd time was the charm–and I got in!!!!…

There are 3 awesome things about my school: 1) It’s actually in Madrid Capital, close to the Bernabéu Stadium and 45 minutes away from my house…Literally, half the time it took me to get to my school in Alcalá–I can finally do my makeup at home and not on the train!!…2) I’m with E.S.O. and Bachillerato (middle and high school) students, so that means that I finally get to work with students who (hopefully) don’t constantly pick their noses and have their hands down their pants…3) My coordinator seems really sweet, and she’s assured me that most of the students are really well-behaved and I won’t just be relegated constantly to the back of the classroom spoon-feeding kids answers to Trinity or Cambridge questions!!…I’m so stoked and hopeful for a much better tenure at this school!!…

A Delayed Return:

Unfortunately, this new job means a new visa because, in Spain, if you’re an auxiliar who switches programs/schools/locations, the only way to guarantee your continued residency in the country is to apply for a new T.I.E., rather than try to renew your card for the following school year and risk being denied…On top of that, I’ve had to get a copy of my college degree and an F.B.I. background check with Apostilles of the Hague Convention, with the latter translated by an official translator…Ah, Spain and its red tape…

However, my N.C. background check was quite late in getting to me, so I was only able to go up to D.C. to submit my visa application this past Thursday…In general, student visas take around 3-4 weeks to process, and Orientation for BEDA is supposed to be September 8th and the first day at work the 15th…So…….yeah…

 

Quarter Life:

I can’t believe I’m saying this, but this November I will ring in my 25th year of life outside the womb!!…I don’t know exactly what I’ll do to celebrate it, but I know that one of my goals is to wear my 1st bikini and wade in the Mediterranean in it!!…

What about you, lovely readers–what have been some major updates in your life???…

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