First Impressions…

Hey, ya’ll!!…Well, I returned to Madrid on the 2nd of this month, and I started working at my new school on the 4th…To be honest, nothing really exciting is going on in my life at the moment, but things have been going really well for the following reasons:

• My morning commute is almost cut in half.
• My co-workers are so much more open and friendlier than at my last school–there’s many a joke to be had around the lunch table.
• Speaking of lunch, I get that for free.
• No work on Fridays.
• I get on better with my students this year–they run from 5th grade to 2nd of Bachillerato (end of high school). I always knew I preferred older kids.
• I feel useful and well-utilized at this school, and I don’t dread having to lug myself to work.
• I’m back in Madrid, which is more-or-less my home at this point.

And you, my lovely readers–what’s new with you???…

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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…

Don’t Worry (Still Alive)…

Yes, yes, you’ve heard this spiel from me before–but it’s no less true, eh: Sometimes, you just get too caught up working, taking care of various affairs, and just living life to be the most conscientious of bloggers…But fear not–I shall now try to put you back in the loop of this beautiful, weird thing I call my life…

1. Work Hard, Will Play Harder– For the 2 1/2  months, I’ve been working for the same company I was with last summer, Sports Endeavors–and I’ve definitely put in a lot of overtime (think 10-12 hour days), and the end result is that I often return to my house feeling completely wiped, so blogging is often one of the last things on my mind (sorry!!)…

But, all that hard work will be worth it: I’m flying back to Spain next Friday (so excited), and hopefully that’ll mean more opportunities for adventures around that great continent we call Europe…I’ve got so many places I wanna see this year: Venice (for more than 7 hours, at least), Verona, Amsterdam, Berlin, Budapest, Vienna, Split, Cornwall, Valencia, San Sebastián (for longer than 1 night)–my imaginings are unlimited (though my funds, sadly, are not)…

…(Hopefully soon)…

Still Breathing, 2.0: A Mid-Year Recap…

Surpriiiiiiiise–I’m actually still alive!!…But, I actually have a good excuse for being M.I.A.: Between weeks of suffering with no Wi-Fi in my house, over 2 weeks of Christmas vacation, and just living life in general, I haven’t really paid much thought into updating this thing…But, don’t worry–I’ll try to fill you in on what’s been going on in my life these past several months…

Turning 23 In Style

On November 21, I went to a party that celebrated the 1 year anniversary of Las Morenas De España, the lifestyle/travel blog dedicated to black women living, working, and/or traveling in Spain (and for which I wrote a few articles)…Coincidentally, when the clock stuck midnight, I officially marked 23 years of life on this Earth–and, even though the party was not held in my honor, it was really sweet having all the other girls singing Stevie Wonder’s rendition of “Happy Birthday” to me…Not to mention, we SLAYED with that all-white theme (#BlackGirlMagic)!!…

Livin’ La Vida Madrileña: Monthly Recap #1.5…

Once again, I seem to have broken my promises of actually writing consistently–but, I actually have a legit excuse for the radio silence: Since arriving to the Spanish capital this past 15th of September, I’ve been in this flux, trying to get my ducks in a row–you know, piso (apartment) hunting, getting registered at my current address, and getting oriented and settled in at my new workplace!!…I’ve been crazy-busy these past some-odd weeks, so I’ll try my best to recap what exactly has been going on in my little sphere!!…

La Casa:

Upon arriving here, my first main priority was finding an apartment–imperative, because I needed a place with a landlord that offered a contract, something that is required to become empadronada (registered with the city), which in turn is required to get your T.I.E. (Foreigner’s I.D. Card)…I wanted somewhere where a Cercanías (commuter train) station was easily accessible, 450€/less (bills included), and with central heating and WIFI already installed (or about-to-be-installed by the landlord)…

This year, from what I understand, the competition in The Great Piso Hunt was particularly intense, what with more Spaniards moving to the Capital to find employment, more auxiliares than ever, and an influx of refugees from Syria and Lebanon…But praise God, I found my room in only 4 days (some people are still searching for a place to live), and I live in Puerta de Toledo, an area that’s fairly central (it’s just one Metro stop below vibrant La Latina, the city’s oldest neighborhood), has central heating and WIFI, is 12-15 minutes from a Cercanías station (which makes my commute that much easier), is around 50-60€ cheaper from my maximum price point, AND a fairly austere (but ultimately fair) landlord who gave me a contract and who doesn’t overstep any boundaries…

…The Puerta de Toledo–a former gateway that marked the outskirts of the city, it lends its name to my current neighborhood…

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…

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…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!!…

Contemplation: Or, What’s Keeping My Thoughts Occupied…

Hey, folks–sorry for another bout of radio silence: I’ve been here, there, and everywhere, trying to get various things settled and sorted (like a grown-up), and sometimes my blogging gets caught by the wayside…But, hey–I’m hanging in there!!…

Well, one of the major things that happened this week is that the application for the NALCA application opened up again…In case you didn’t know, the NALCA (North American Language and Cultural Assitants) program is what has given me an excuse to live here legally in Spain, working as an auxiliar de conversación (English Teaching Assistant) at an E.O.I. (Official Language School)…Now, with this program, you have the opportunity to renew your position as an auxiliar for another year or two (or three [four…]), either in the same city/region or another city/region, and since I definitely want a lot more time to enjoy la vida española, I’m definitely going to put in for renewal!!…

But that’s where things get murky…

Who Says You Can’t Go Home (Apparently Iberian Airlines)???/Reflections…

At about 2 a.m. Sunday morning, I finally made it to back to the RDU (Raleigh-Durham International Airport), where I was received by my Mom, Dad, and little brother, and escorted back to Greensboro…But, let’s just say, it wasn’t easy to even get to that point…

At around 9:00 Saturday morning, the whole group arrived at Barajas (Madrid’s international airport) to start the long trek back to the States…While everyone else went to their respective stations immediately, I just sat down and chilled for a bit, because my flight was leaving at 13:50 (1:50)…Or so I thought…

See, by the time 11:20 rolled around, I checked the Departures list to see where exactly I needed to go to ship off my luggage and which terminal/gate I needed to be in…But looking on the screen, I noticed that there wasn’t an Iberian Airlines flight at 13:50 for JFK…Something was not right here…

So I immediately went to the baggage counter thing to ask whether there was a flight at 1:50 for New York…She checked and answered my question, giving me 3 pieces of bad news: 1) Sólo hay un vuelo a las 12:20 (There’s only a flight at 12:20); 2) El embarque para este vuelo ya está cerrado (The boarding for this flight’s closed already); 3) No tienes billete (You don’t have a ticket)…Hence, you can imagine my reaction…

…Say what, now!?!?…

Game Day: El Clásico…

So yesterday afternoon, me and some of my compañeros went to Madrid to see the Clásico between Real and Barça…And trust me when I say this: It.Was.AWESOME…

…Us on the bus…

O.K., so when we got to Madrid, we immediately went to the Bernabéu (Madrid’s home stadium), and there were thousands of people in and around it–which really isn’t surprising, considering that this was a match between two of the, if the the, most successful clubs in the world, and furthermore, two clubs with the most epic rivalry in the world…

And If My Photos Don’t Entice You To Visit Madrid…

…I’ll let some of the fine gentlemen of Real Madrid convince you–¡¡Hala Madrid!!…

Visit Spain, Visit Madrid…

Or so the players of Real Madrid tell me…Oh, man, I’ve seen SO much today in so little time…Here’s a rundown of my fave sights so far…

Well, first there was this really awesome monument that consisted of statues and a fountain…I can’t quite remember the name of it, but it was built to honor Miguel de Cervantes (probably the most famous writer in Spain’s history) and all of his literary contributions–not just to Spain, but to the world…

…The man himself, Cervantes…

…And of course, what’s a monument dedicated to Cervantes without his two most famous characters–Don Quixote and Sancho Panza…

One Day More…

It’s not what you think–I didn’t steal the title of one of the best songs in Les Miserables for the title of this post (and it’s just coincidence that I’ve just come back from seeing it for the 3rd time [2nd time in Spain])…What I’m referring to is my first official excursion with the group that starts tomorrow…

…As you can see, Marius Pontmercy here approves…