Random Jessey Thoughts

Don't buy the cheap chocolate. It tastes like wax with a hint of caramel. All the sudden I am getting lots of invites from the women at work. They must have gotten together and had a talk about how they could take turns taking the foreigner under their wing. So now I have a few coffee and lunch dates which is kinda fun. Tonight I will go order my guitar I think. Don't know which color tho; black, blue or red????? No se. The dust here is outta control. My furniture is black and so is my laptop and it shows everything. I am starting to feel pretty comfortable here tho. The lifestyle is very laid back. People don't put so much pressure on themselves it seems. THIS is good for me I believe. I am starting to feel my creativity surge a little. It seems like I always have a song in my head whenever I walk through the streets of Cordoba. And not a song thats been written, a new song. Thats why I have to buy a guitar. I have to take advantage of this unique time in my life where I am in a foreign land with LOTS of time on my hands. The kids at school are becoming cuter and cuter to me. Today I used stickers to bribe them to do their work in my afternoon class. After I gave them the stickers (pegatinas), they wouldn't leave my side. The stickers were all pretty feminine like flowers, fish and hearts but the boys didn't seem to mind, in fact some even picked the flowers out on their own. Thats different. Maybe they have novias. Everyday that I have my afternoon classes I feel like I have no supplies to teach with, no resources. It kinda sucks. I have no printer and when I get to the school in the afternoon to print off activity sheets or assignments, the computer room and office are locked. Sometimes there's no chalk in the classroom and then I'm really screwed. The school is an old palace which is cool SOMETIMES and other times its awful because it echoes like crazy. If there is any noise at all, I can't hear the students and they can't hear me. Nevermind the fact that I am speaking a foreign language to them and they are speaking one back to me. Also, a word to the wise....carry toilet paper in your purse. You'lle need it. Everywhere. Even at the school they don't put toilet paper in the bathrooms. They keep a roll, that always seems to be almost empty, in the classroom. When the kids have to go, they tear off some squares and head to the bathroom. But I always forget. So, now I just carry some in my purse which makes life a lot easier in Spain. I can't wait to get paid so I can travel a little. The English teacher that I work with the most, Lola, helped me compile a list of all the places that I shouldn't miss in Spain. She listed Barcelona (obviously), Burgos, Salamanca, Toledo, Madrid (been there), Granada (hopefully this weekend), Asturias, San Sebastian, Santiago de Compostela, Las Islas Canarias (Tenerife most specifically), and Cadiz (for the beaches). I also really want to go to Portugal and see Lagos as well as Lisboa. With that being said, I am gonna need some more money. I have started some of my clases particulares this week. Last night I taught three boys which will be 2 times a week for an hour at 21€ an hour. If I add maybe 2 more classes a week, I should be fine. I don't want to fill up too much of my schedule with English speaking because then my brain kinda stays in English rather than forcing it to be in Spanish for long periods of time. Now, the weather has been changing a bit lately. It is getting pretty cold at night so I started sleeping with a comforter rather than sheets last week. The afternoon is still quite warm tho. In the morning on the way to school I have to wear a jacket but in the afternoon I am too hot and have to take it off. In the sun its in the mid seventies I would say. In the shade tho it's a bit chilly. Do you think its unsafe to travel alone in Spain? I am contemplating it. I want to go to so many places but don't want to have to depend on someone else all the time to decide if I can go or not. Maybe I should just go. I am a grown woman. Why not? At first I felt scared and paranoid when I arrived but now I am feeling quite safe. Don't know if that's good or bad. Both I suppose.