My Kiddie Classroom :)

This is the colourful kiddie classroom where I teach my 5-6 year olds. It's MY classroom since nobody else teaches in it. I'm quite proud of it...it's very inviting and they love the star system that I've got going on to the right. As you can see, I'm currently teaching them the delights of Christmas :)
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2007! Lots of love, H xoxoxo

If you haven't been to Granada, you ain't seen nada

I'm singin' in...Granada!
Last weekend I had 3 days off, so Laura, Donna and I decided to take a little trip to beautiful Granada. We really wanted to see why the heck people were so fond of this andalusian city. Many said that this city even beat Sevilla. Although I really love Sevilla and appreciate its beauty, I must agree that Granada is magnificent and gorgeous. The Alhambra and its surroundings make up a large part of its beauty. Heads up, lots of pictures coming your way!

During our stay, we slept at a really cheap hostal that was RIGHT IN FRONT of the Alhambra gates. The hostal wasn't a precious hidden jewel, but it was comfortable enough and pretty decent.

If you don't know what building I'm talking about, here's a little bit of info: the Alhambra (it actually means The Red Castle) is an ancient mosque, palace and fortress complex of the Moorish monarchs of Granada, in southern Spain. It was the residence of the Muslim kings of Granada and their court, but is currently a museum exhibiting exquisite Islamic architecture.



First off though, here are some pics of the city centre. Beautiful little bridges, orange trees and colourful buildings...the city centre itself was swarming with people that weekend, and many streets were closed off by police so that the pedestrians would have more room to walk. The night atmosphere was great; shops were open until late and I found a lot of neat little gifts for my friends and loved ones...


Look at this view! Mountains surround Granada and affect its temperatures to a great degree. We had 0 degree temperatures all weekend...it was very cold, but the air was so fresh and pure. I didn't realize until then just how much I missed thick forests and NATURE. Some areas reminded me of Canada and I got a bit homesick...


Here are Laura and Donna (from left to right). Granada had lots of beautiful xmas lights...they really didn't tighten their money belts on that! I enjoyed browsing the shops and streets with my friends, and stopping at tea shops for a nice hot tea. Hmmmmm...lots of good arab tea shops.

Yes, I STILL hate coffee.







I had the brilliant idea of imitating Rocky Balboa when I saw those steps. They just seemed to...call to me. Too bad you can't see me punching the air and grunting like a madwoman, cuz that would have made your day.













I took this picture while standing in the Generalife gardens (and yes it's spelled together like that). There were so many people that it was hard taking good pictures, but I think I managed nicely.

Love those mountains. On the north side, which was to my left here, I took some pictures of mountains with snow at their peaks, but the extreme sun made the snow appear too bright, so unfortunately it wasn't good enough to include.

Still in the gardens...lots of beautiful trimmed hedges and orange trees...The Generalife

Gardens once belonged to the Nasrid Sultans of Granada. It's one of the oldest surviving Moorish gardens.


You can see the Alcazar (fancy word for spanish castle) from where I'm standing here.

Intricate details...it was all very breath-taking. We went from room to room, marvelling at how the conquerors after 1492 tried to deface the Alhambra and change its appearance. Charles V tried to give it a Renaissance style, Phillip V tried to italianise it, etc. Moorish art was further defaced in 1812 when a French Count actually blew up parts of the structures. Sheesh. Even Napoleon wanted to see the whole thing turned to dust, but his plan to blow EVERYTHING up failed when a soldier of his defused the explosives. Way to go, unknown soldier.

So many incredible things...I saw a grand reception room, where once the throne of the sultan was placed opposite the entrance. It was in this setting that Christopher Columbus received Isabel and Ferdinand's support to sail to the New World. Of course, nothing was left in this giant room, but one was able to imagine the excitement and dreams that once brewed in this room.

This amazing area is called The Patio of the Lions. The twelve lions functioned as a clock with water flowing from a different lion each hour. The Christians of the Reconquest took apart the clock to see how it worked and it hasn't worked since. What a pity...

BEAUTIFUL. The fountain was turned off that day since it was really cold, but I can imagine it adding even more splendour to the scenery.

This is a section of the ROOF. How magnificent. There is a fountain in the middle of this hall, and the roof—a dome honeycombed with tiny cells, all different, and said to number 5000—is a great example of the so-called "stalactite vaulting" of the Moors. I was so impressed!

We were really lucky with the weather! Yes, it was very cold and I was sometimes cursing myself for not having brought my mittens, but it was spectacular and I was able to take some nice pictures. We couldn't have asked for a better weekend. Hehehe...oh, and the Alhambra even has some cats. There was a litter of kittens to my right (yes, I did take a pic of an orange one..very cute). The cats were fat, probably from all the food that the tourists were giving them (and being in Spain, that means Spanish Tortilla!!). Those cats really DO live like royalty.

This was the patio of Charles V. There were 2 separate little museums off to the left, and I ventured in with my buddies to read up on Christopher Columbus and his voyages, his struggles, and his love for his family. The other museum dealt on Moorish vases, and was actually quite boring (although very important in helping us understand Moorish history, since so many pictures on the vases depict how they lived).

Climbing up the steps of the Alcazar, I snapped this pic. I just can't get over the view.

It was around 6 p.m., the sun was slowly setting and we had already been walking for 4 hours non-stop all over the Alhambra and its surroundings. There is just so much to see and do that it really does take you one full day to see everything. Take your time, bring water and a sandwich, and you're good to go.

Pssst...it's also only 11 euros.

Here I am, at the very top part of the Alcazar, where the view is fantastic and the wind blows strongly. As you can see from my wide grin, I had a great time and felt truly alive. All that cold, fresh air did me a wealth of good. Although I do really hate the cold, it CAN be refreshing and invigorating.

Donna commented that the city looked like doll houses...it all seemed surreal. One thing that one immediately notices about the south of Spain is that most houses and building are white (you can judge for yourself!).

One last pic of the city and its surrounding mountains...

Granada was surely worth it. Definitely a place I wouldn't mind seeing again.

We've got our sights set on Cordoba for January. The plans just never end...and I hope they don't :)

Love you all, and see you all very soon, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2007 xoxox H

Deep thoughts, by me

I was standing at a street corner today, waiting for the light to turn green. There were 5 other girls around my age all wearing glasses, waiting. Just like me.
I jaywalked.
"Band of Cautious Nerds" is not my brand of choice.
"I showed them", I snickered.

Finally...

...a wee bit of time to update once again. Report card season is coming up, and so far I've finished 40 out of 58. Needless to say I've been a very busy girly this weekend. I got a lot of stuff done and even managed to go out twice with my friends. Impressive.

I was extremely annoyed last night. I won't be going to the Buddha Bar again for quite some time. There were SO many people that I was litteraly suffocating since the air was so bad from cigarette stench and sweat. I had never felt like that before in my entire life and just HAD to get out of there after only 30 minutes. Thank goodness we didn't pay entrance! Grrr...what made me even more annoyed was when one girl got pissed at me for pushing past her while I was trying to get out. What the heck do you want me to do? It was either gently pushing her or knocking her K.O with my elbows. Damn. Why didn't I choose option B? That would've been sweet.

I can't wait to go to Granada...I need to have some faith in the south again and a change of scene. I was missing the North of Spain terribly last night. Before going to the godawful Buddha we went to a little bar called Trastero. It was cozy and crammed full of people and had a certain northern atmosphere to it. I was just missing Calle Laurel and all the great bars and discotecas last night...Huelva has some good places, but it doesn't compare to Logroño in that aspect. Thank Goodness Sevilla is close enough. Donna, Laura and I swore to get our butts to other southern cities as often as possible (Cadiz, Malaga, etc). We can even go to Portugal during a weekend (Lisboa, Faro...).

I'm so excited for Granada...man. Got the Alhambra tickets and everything now, so we're all set to go. Here's hoping the hostal won't be a complete dump since it was super cheap. I'll let you all know if I had cockroaches for breakfast.

The positive thing about last night was the food. Oh my GOD. At least the southern tapas are very good. Camembert tapas with raspeberry sauce...fish croquetas...delicious sauté of various veggies...that was worth going out. The bar/restaurant we went to was wicked. You can draw your own beer since every table has its own "barrel". Donna and I chuckled that this would never fly in the U.K or Canada...people would just put their mouths under the tap and start chugging away. This would be followed with "mysterious" green and yellow stains on the floor having to be cleaned up at night by a grumpy janitor, who'd be traumatized for the rest of his life for seeing Donuts and Fish & Chips mixed in with the lovely slime.

But I digress.

I'm only working 3 days this week. Hoorah for short weeks and national holidays! It'll be a weird week though: Monday, Tuesday and then back to work on Thursday. Grumble, mumble...why no "puente"? Oh well...I'm glad that it's something at least.

They've finally turned on all the lights here in Huelva. I now don't feel like a dumbo for listening to xmas songs. We've also got some decorations at work, and my class will have a teeny tiny xmas tree! Now here's only hoping that the kids won't rip it to shreds :).

I'm so pumped for the holidays. Am I really going back to Canada? Somehow it feels so unreal...in less than 3 weeks I'll be home!

Jingle Bells, Antonio Banderas' new movie smells, la la la la la la
H xoxoxoxooxoooxox

Nothing says Spain....

...like 2 old farts, sitting in complete opposite ends of the bus, shouting to each other about the weather and how their family is doing. I don't want to hear about your sister's hemorrhoids.

...like 2 young men getting into a pimped up car and a mother shouting from her window, "You wear your seatbelt, damn you! I mean it!"

...like mullets. If you're a woman and you're sporting one, even better.

...like gel. Lots and lots and lots of hair gel.

...like interrupting each other. If you succeed at interrupting at every 2nd word, you have mastered the art of speaking castellano. Make sure to throw in a few "Joder!" and "Coño!"

...like talking with the cashier for 5 hours, holding up the line. And nobody seems to care.

Oh, I could go on. Anyway ;).

I shall now talk about an interesting topic. The aged in España.

Old spanish people are fascinating. Well, they are also a bit hard on the nose sometimes, but overall they are quite interesting. Golden aged canadians are no match to the wine guzzling, motor-mouth talking, social spaniards. I know that I will be shocked when I go back to Canada for xmas and see old canadians with their walkers and wheelchairs, sipping their Tim Hortons coffee and solitarily gazing outside the windows. I admire the spaniards for exercising so much, for getting their butt outside and meeting up with their friends and families. I think that this is the key to their health. The spanish culture focuses more on family than north america in general and this ultimately has positive benefits on the state of their mental and physical health.

I think that many old canadians are forced into old folks homes. I don't even see establishments like these here (I'm sure they exist...but the families seem to take their moms and dads in if the going gets tough).

I'm amazed at how REALLY frail spanish women still go grocery shopping, lug their groceries every day back and forth, and hold up their grand-children. Most elderly canadians either sit on benches all day long and read the newspaper.

Ok, ok, it's not like that for ALL elderly canadians...but I know that I am right for the most part. These people are looking great for their age, and I admire that. They seek the company of others and this makes their minds and bodies younger, I believe.

Well, that was my rant on that.

Had a good weekend celebrating the birthday of a good friend and coworker. I feel like I wrote about 10 emails already recapping what I did this past weekend, so I'll just make it brief; had some good italian pizza, went out for a beer, and then on Saturday went shopping with some friends at an enormous store that was so huge that the customer service helpers have to wear rollerskates to get around. It's even bigger than the largest Wal-Mart that I've ever seen...

In 2 weeks I'm going to Granada with my friends, should be fun! I'll make sure to take lots of pics so that you'll all be able to see them. The hostal is booked...now we just need to reserve tickets to go see the Alhambra, which is supposed to be a really cool Arabian monument. It's aparently enormous...can't wait.

I didn't go to the cinema this weekend...hopefully there will be something good in the movie theatres this upcoming Friday. I wonder when the new Harry Potter will come out? I'm looking forward to seeing it. I'm also dying to see Borat...but will have to wait until I'm on canadian soil. Just can't imagine Borat speaking with a dubbed spanish voice. (Shudders).

xoxoxoxox H.

I remember, once...

I remember taking long walks with my parents as a child in Germany and never ever wanting to head back home..."Can't we go just a little further?"

I remember getting my first bicycle in Germany. I screamed with delight when I saw all the candy that my mother had wrapped all around it.

I remember going to the baker's every morning before kindergarten started and always asking for either a chocolate croissant or a salami one. The woman at the counter was really nice.

I remember my first flight to Canada. My ears popped really badly and I was crying with pain. I had a little suitcase that had an elephant on it and I vividly remember asking my mother if our plane would fly upside down at some point. I was very scared.

I remember the cold and the snow. I remember just how cold our country house was when we first arrived...there was no heating at first, so my mother gave me a gigantic blanket that felt very heavy on my little body.

I remember some bad fights that I had with my brother (one that involved me pushing him down the stairs). I also remember good moments, and the many laughs that we shared.

I remember all those times when I was too scared to be taught Math by my mother because she was very strict. I always ended up asking my bro for help.

I remember following footprints of mice in the snow with my brother, pretending we were detectives. This game also included footprints of other kinds of animals...and we even once thought we recognized deer feet, "Santa was TRULY here last night!"

I remember being excited for our weekly Friday family swim at the local sports center. I remember how soft my hair always felt after using the town's water and not the hard country water.

I remember how my dad always opened his arms very wide whenever I would run to him. Then, he'd pick me up and either put me on his shoulders or swing me around like an airplane.

I remember hating puberty. I hated grade 7 and 8. It was tough and people started acting differently and shunning former friends.

I remember being nervous for high school and starting my high school journal with the cheesy title "The Wonder Years".

I remember taking one specific long walk with my dogs in the country. I had gotten my hair dyed black that day, and marvelled at my hair's deep contrast to the shiny sun which was glowing hot and mighty that day. It was a beautiful day.

I remember when my dog Bingo got hit by a car. I was so upset and scared for his life that I actually wrote a message to God, asking him to save my Bingo. Bingo couldn't even sit down; he was sleeping while standing. When he peed blood, I thought it was over. After a few days, he was fine.

I remember graduating high school and seeing that hat fly up in the air. "So that's it?"

I remember the summer before university. I had the house to myself for 2 months. I did a lot of soul searching that summer and went on long, insane bike rides. "In Blue" will always be the soundtrack to my summer of '01.

I remember ice skating, hot chocolates and laughs with friends from Ottawa. I remember the dancing, the parties and the dramas. Why so many winter memories? Why are they more vivid to me than the summer ones spent in Ottawa?

I remember my trip to Germany in the summer of '04. I felt very independent and confident, planning my way and trekking with my cousin through 4 major german cities. I still love looking at those pictures.

I remember my late-night talks with my best friends over love, life and school. I remember looking forward to coming home to the sounds of my best friends cooking, watching tv..."Helloooooooo it's moi!", I would say.

I remember hearing those three little words for the first time...very vividly.

I remember leaving Canada in June of '05 and thinking, "Hasta Luego, Canada". Happiness and Sadness were intertwined. What was to be expected?

I remember telling a woman sitting next to me about my plans for Spain. I can still hear her saying, "Good luck with that, I'm sure you'll do well. You seem to know what you want."

I remember thinking, after a few months in Spain, "I AM doing well here. Thank you lady, whatever your name was, for your good wishes."

I remember going back to Canada for xmas '06 and...

Sick, sicker, sickest

Well, it's 4.30pm and I just got up. Oh man, am I ever feeling like crap today. I don't even know how many headache and cold meds I've taken...
It's only November, right? Geeez...
The shittiest part about this is that I was supposed to go to La Sierra today. Yup, AGAIN, something got in the way and we had to push it back to another day. Maybe I'll feel well enough to go tomorrow, who knows?
It's such a gorgeous day, too :(
It doesn't matter that I take my vitamins every day, that I eat well and take care of myself...the cold bug gets me every damn winter. I'm sure, of course, that the little kids and their germs are the culprits. This week was the first week where some had coughs and sniffles.
I'm off to a great start! Looking forward to getting 15 colds!
Last night was fun, even though I felt like my head was going to explode at the end of the night...we went to Hurricane again and had some delicious pizza and salad. Went to see "Los Fantasmas de Goya" and it wasn't too too bad. Not one of my faves, but I liked Natalie Portman's acting...that girl really knows how to cry well. I seriously don't think that there's one movie in which she doesn't cry.
Oh, it's so frustrating staring out at the beautiful weather...argh. I have a nasty kind of cold, a head cold. You know, the one where you feel like there is a hammer consistently pounding away at your skull? That one. Before I take yet another pill, I'll wait a bit, since I also don't want to kill myself with med overdose. What's up, Tylenol Cold Med.? You usually work(no, it's not expired).
This week seemed to just fly by. That's ok with me...I'm just over the moon knowing that I'll be celebrating xmas in canada this year with all of my friends and loved ones.
Ugh. I think that today will not really exist for me...I'll just sleep it away. It sucks being sick over the weekend, yet it's perhaps best to get the crap out of my system now and feel slightly better on Monday, than being really god-awful sick on a Wednesday and not being able to function in my classes.
until soon,
Heidi xoxoxoxo

...and now it's time for some sun, and sunflowers

Yes, that's right. It's a nice 22 degrees outside, and will remain so for the next few days. I checked Cairo's weather website, and the south of Spain will have the same temperatures as the desert :P Nice...
Last night after work I got some great news from Shane via a text message: He's going to be coming home for Xmas!!! That is some sweet news indeed...man, this xmas will just be unbelievable :) There are just so many things to look forward to. I hope to party with everyone in a big, messy style.
This Friday I am going to La Sierra, which is a big national park in the north of Huelva. Angel and Carmen are taking me, so I am looking forward to that. Tomorrow's planned movie will likely be the Scorsese one...but we'll see what my friends opt for. Is it normal to get so excited over tapas and a movie? :P Oh wait, I forget who reads this...nevermind.
Besides this, not too much has been going on. Work, work, work. I got to speak with my brother last night, which was nice. He seems to be loving his new job at a computer store, where he works as a technician. I'm glad that he's finally found a job that he likes. He's always been a whiz when it comes to computers and all that jazz, so I'm happy for him.
I got home early today for lunch, which was nice. Man, I remember how crazy it was at Inlingua...I barely had time to come home and eat a decent lunch. At Covent Garden, it can still get hectic but I don't feel as exhausted as I did about a year ago. I can now come home during the middle of the day and sleep, watch TV, write in my blog as I'm doing now, and cook myself some great meals. I think that's one of the main reasons why I eat ten times better now...I feel a whole lot better about myself and my energy level than last year.
Don't get me wrong. These kids sure tire me out, but my little naps during the day are very helpful in getting me through my days.
I don't know yet what I'm going to do this weekend...we'll see. More shopping might be involved...perhaps I'll ask the girls if they feel like going to Sevilla with me.
H oxoxooxoxxo

"Geez Sir, you sure know how to function a s-y-n-t-h-e-s-i-z-e-r!"

I'm a bit peeved at myself right now. During the past weeks, I've grown to love more and more and more Depeche Mode. Yes, just a FEW months AFTER their last world tour. Grrr...they were in Spain at around this time last year :(
How long will I have to wait now to get a chance to pay an exhorbitant amount of money just so that I can see them in microscopic form? Mierda!
That's my next dream concert: seeing them live. That plus Scissor Sisters and The Cure. Hmmmm now that would be something...going to a Depeche Mode concert and having as opening acts Mr. Red Lipstick Himself and Gaylicious Dude.
Now let's not get too crazy.
So this weekend was great: went shopping and bought myself some cute new earrings, shoes, and a flowery red blouse. I still need to get a new watch and a new pair of pants, but that will have to be dealt with again next weekend.
I also went to see Scoop with Belen and Donna. It was pretty good, I was pleasantly surprised. Again, I understand Spanish dubbed movies a lot now, and have no real problems with them, since the dubbing is pretty good and the voice-overs are high quality...yet, of course, if I HAD the chance I'd watch everything in its original English production. BUT, since I can't permit myself that, I'll have to go with the next best thing.
I watched Mr. Bean Goes To Town today...THAT'S how bad Spanish television is here (ok, ok...I'll admit it...I did laugh when he did a dance that looked like a boomshaka move). Then, I was weirdly amused by a Domino competition. It just keeps on getting worse from here on, so I better stop while I still can.
In other news, my throat is still see-sawing between decently good to "get that Jagged Metal Krusty-O out of my throat" (50 bonus points if you know which Simpsons episode I'm talking about). It's just nuts. Even during the weekend when I'm not talking that much it still hurts a bit when I swallow. Weird, since it was fine on Friday when I WAS talking a whole lot more for work.
I didn't do too much today: write Shane a snailmail letter: check. Go for a walk: check. Take a nap: check. Watch boring TV which unsurprisingly ended with me tuning in to MTV España and Los 40 hoping that Evanescence or David Bisbal wouldn't get shown again for the umpteenth time: check. Hopes abashed: check. Decide to watch Behind the Music with Depeche Mode on YouTube: check.

"I'm going to take my time, I have all the time in the world, To make you mine , It is written in the stars above..."

I'll tune out now with some Borat Quotes. Hope you enjoy them...I'll be crying in a corner, lamenting my plight that I won't get to see this glorious masterpiece until the summer of 2007 (for surely it will be out of theatres in Canada for Xmas, no?).

-"I want to do a romance inside of you."
-"My moustache still tastes of your testes!" (this one is for you Shane)
-"This why I meet Mrs Heskell who teach me how to flirt. So I can do a sex with English girl."
-"There is one singer called Shakira… sorry I laugh because in Kazakhstan this word means vagina. For example, ‘Can I touch your shakira?’ or ‘I have seen your wife’s shakira, it hangs like the mouth of a tired dog."
-"American wine is like Kazakhstani wine, but not made from fermented horse urine."
-"My wife, she is scared of men with chocolate face, there won't be any around here?"
-"Very sorry to interrupt politic. Might I make a shit in your house?"

And with that I leave you. oxxoxoxooxo H.

Big, Fat, Ewww

I just came back from running errands in the city centre. I'm soaked!! What an insane storm we've been having this morning! I didn't go out when lightning was acting all crazy and stuff, but I did still venture out when it was raining like mad. I wanted to get to work to prepare my classes at least...but, since we lost electricity this morning, my boss closed the academy and I had to prepare my classes at home. At least I finally went to the bank, went to the pharmacy and dropped off my TC applications at the Correos (let's all chant a luck hymn for lil ol' me).
So now I'm sitting here with the bottom of my pants nicely wet. Nah, I don't feel like changing. Let's just say that I'm in dire need of going shopping for new jeans and the ones I am currently wearing don't scream, "Please stop wearing me out". These ones I'm presently sporting actually still have denim colour in them and have cute pink zippers (wanna know why these still look so new? I barely wore them this past year since I couldn't fit into them anymore...now I can again, hoorah!).
I've been eating very well here in Huelva, better than in Logroño. I wonder why? I did have chocolate again when Shane came to visit me (hey, we just had to have our chocolate croissants at least a few times), but since he's left, I've stopped again. It's weird...but hey, not that hard to do. I feel very good about myself.
I'm excited about tonight...cuz it's movie night! As usual, I don't know what I'm gonna go see, but I don't care as long as I'm with friends and we have fun. My Friend Donna is so nice, such a sweet girl. Hopefully Belen will also be coming out with us tonight...
Man. It's just SO gross and grey outside. Thank God Shane came to visit me last week, cuz we would have had a rainy weekend in Punta and Sevilla...and that would have been sucky indeed. Thankfully that did not happen :).
There's a film fest happening in Huelva in about 2 weeks. Sadly, I probably won't be able to go because I'll be working and it'll only be for a week. Maybe I'll be able to catch a flick, we'll see. It's not gonna be as big as the TO one, of course, but it would be interesting to see what films Huelva has to offer. They are all gonna be in Spanish, of course.
I think that I've improved my listening skills a lot simply by going to the theatre every Friday. It's amazing how much Spanish I now understand. I've made myself promise that when I will be back in Canada, I will try to make a lot of Spanish friends, or join some kind of Spanish online group and meet up every few days or weeks. I really DON'T want to lose the ability to speak and understand this great language. Nayeli, want to come back to Canada simply pour moi?
I just felt the bottom of my pants...hmm kinda feeling a bit drier. I'm probably going to try to blowdry them a little. Yes, THAT'S how lazy I am. I ain't changing.
Oh my God I see a tiny patch of blue sky...dare I say it might stop raining? I HATE my umbrella. Actually, I hate all umbrellas of the world. Seriously, when have you ever had an umbrella that you truly loved? I don't know, maybe it's just me but I've always had mine break on me after a few uses. It was somehow actually raining THROUGH my umbrella this morning. The rusted areas are also a nice touch of merde
Hmmmm, maybe I should stop buying mine at chinese stores (shakes fists towards the "Chino Bazaars" of the world).
Alright, time to go have some lunch, keep yourselves warm and dry
xoxoxoxoxox H

"She's turning the key, unlocking the door, embracing her rollercoaster world"

So...where have I been? A bit here, a bit there...oh, everywhere (except that spot over there).
Shane came to see me from the 25th to the 29th, which was a great little treat. He's already explained our lil adventures in his blog, so I'll let you all wander to his blog for the juicy details on that...I'll just say that I had a great time and was happy to show him my little part of the world, Sevilla included :)
I WAS going to upload some pictures, but blogger is being stupid. Maybe next time.
Today is a national holiday in Spain, which translates into sleeping in until noon and doing 3 loads of laundry. Ugh. I so need socks, lol.
Today I officially finished ALL of my TC applications...hoorah hoorah! Guys, wish me luck...the Heidster desperately wants to get into U of T (gulp).
Too bad I'll only know in April where I'll get accepted...
In other news, it's November. Wow. I didn't dress up for Halloween yesterday, cuz that's just not done here in Spain. Well, there are a few peeps who do care a bit for this festive day, but not many. We just played Halloween games with the students at work and handed out candy.
Next year, I just HAVE TO dress up. Ideas, anyone?
Oh, and my birthday ended up being a blast. We went out for chinese food, went bowling AND went for a boogie at the Buddha bar and danced until about 4:30 a.m. It was pretty fun, although the cigarette stench gets pretty intense after a while. My throat was all scratchy and dry at the end of the night...ugh. Canada, thank you for banning smoking in all public places.
In yet further news, I've grown hooked on watching Family Guy on youtube. There's nothing like coming home from work and unwinding to a fart fest between Peter Griffin and Micheal Moore. Watch the episode...it's pure gold. I nearly cracked my spine from laughing so hard.
Oh, and that lonelygirl15? Punch her where the sun doesn't shine...
Toodles, mis amores, H xoxoxoxooxox

The Tooth Fairy's Helper and Other Jobs

...that's me!
"What's wrong, Blanca?" -"I can't find my fallen tooth! (starts crying)" "Hmmm...let's look for it." I can't believe I found it...in the garbage. She had wrapped it in a small tissue and another student had thrown the tissue in the garbage (of course, the ONLY time small kids care about cleaning up). I seriously can't believe I found it. She sure looked relieved.
"What's wrong Lola?" -"Carmen drew a black line on my pink sweater (starts crying)" "Ah, that's nothing...let's go to the washroom and clean it up. A little bit of crayon gets easily washed off." Lo and behold, I was right. Again, look of relief. I think that I am well on my way of acquiring my very own pair of angel's wings. Maybe next week, when I help a kid out of his shoulder-high wedgy I will even have my very own halo.
Things at work have been busy as usual. I was very tired this week. Usually the worst day is Wednesday...a long siesta before the evening classes start is highly needed. Sometimes I manage to sleep a bit, sometimes I don't...which unfortunately happens more often than not. I did have a good time though, teaching my students the animals´names in English...TOTALLY goofed off by imitating we were cows, horses, dogs, you name it. I don't remember the last time I had so much fun clucking like a hen. Imagining everybody else seeing me act this way though, mortifies me...hehe.
Oh. Man. The only bad thing about it is STILL having the "Here on the Farm" song in my head. Oh God...where's "Jump in my car" when you need it?
Last night I went to see Little Miss Sunshine with my friends. Loved it! It was really great, and I almost pooped my pants from laughter at the "Superfreak" scene at the end. The characters were just great...definitely one of my fave films of the year so far.
Tonight I am going to celebrate my birthday with my coworkers (yeah, a bit early, since my birthday falls on a Monday this year, ugh) by going out for some chinese food and later going to the Buddha bar for some dancing. I'm looking forward to it, should be good. I'm craving chinese food...unfortunately it won't be a buffet (miss that chinese restaurant that was close to our Pimlico house!), but it should be delicious nonetheless.
In other news, I only have 1 more applicant profile to write! I'm so happy...man I hope that a good Uni accepts me :) Boy, I'm excited for this and I won't even get to hear which uni accepts me until April. Slow down, girly girl!
"She's a super freak, super freak, she's super FREAKKKKKKKKY!"
xoxoxox lots of love, H

3´s Company...

Today is a national holiday in Spain...sweet.
Last night, after work, my roommates and I went to La Feria de la Tapa. It was great seeing so many people all gathered under a giant tent, trying out the various delicious tapas. We had ourselves a great little time, and then later proceeded to go to 2 other bars. The last one was great, it's called the Buddha Bar and has all of these really great paintings and decorations from India. The place is huge, and a great place to dance, something which I had been dying of doing. It's definitely a place where I want to go again, that's for sure. Really cool atmosphere and all kinds of different music.
Since I barely did anything today (a.k.a sleeping in until 11:30 a.m., ordering pizza with my roomies, watch tv and then nap for another 3 hours) I decided to go for a walk...and here I am, back from my 1 hour long excursion. I always feel so much better after a long walk with peppy music.
It's so strange having a day off on a Thursday, since tomorrow I have to go to work again. At least it's Friday...and then it's the weekend again. Man, I don't know if it's just me, but time is FLYING. It seems as though the longer I am in Spain, the faster time is going. What does that mean?
Can somebody tell me if that crap song from Evanescence "Call me when you're sober" is a big hit in Canada? I really hate that band...it's bad enough MTV España and Los 40 keep playing the video. Please tell me Canada still has a little bit of taste in music.
That was random (but I'm an expert on that). Moving on...
Rachel, please tell me that The Scissor Sisters cancelled their set in TO because they want to come to Madrid instead ;P Heheheh I can dream, no? I'm glad you got my postcard, by the way.
Toodles for now everyone, love you all, H xoxoxoox

It's a little bit funny, this feeling inside...

My little students are SO cute. There are actually a lot of little angels...of course, a few monsters roam around as well, but overall I have very good students. My schedule, after the first week, is already full...so that's good. Hopefully there won't be anymore changes to my schedule (there shouldn't, really).
I danced, I sang, I sprang, did the robot a-la-simon-says...and oh yeah, I'm getting payed for this, and more than at Inlingua. It's amazing what energy I have to use for the younger kids classes, but I'm having a good time with the children and love seeing them laugh and excited when we are playing together. I'm gaining valuable experience with really young children, and I know that after this year is over, I'll feel even more prepared to start Teacher's College. I really do want to pursue teaching.
The pre-teens are alright. I like them, although their oral level is really low (which is no surprise...remember what I had said about my teens from last year? Same thing). We should be getting the books soon, although I'm not counting on getting them next week...we'll see. Inlingua prepared me for teaching without books (took about a month for all of them to arrive, I remember).
I have more adult 1:1 classes. I have yet to meet one more adult, but the ones that I have already taught seem very nice and friendly.
So yeah, it's a packed schedule and I'm working a lot on Fridays as well, but most of my mornings will be free (Monday 12:30-1:30 conversation class), so I guess it's not too bad in the end. Inlingua made me work mornings, afternoons and evenings, which was a bit crazy for a while, so I should be able to work with this new schedule...takes always a bit of time to get used to a new routine, but I'm ready for it.
I'm happy with our work atmosphere. My coworkers are great, and we went out for some drinks and montaditos (little sandwiches that only cost 1 euro each!!!) last night.
So, now it's the weekend again, and I'm probably going to tackle yet another TC essay...U of O and U of T are done, so we'll see which other U's essay I'll start.
(yawn) I might go to bed for a snooze later on, as well.
So now it's October already...and on the 12th we have a holiday. Next week will be nice and short. I'll still have to come to work next Friday because we don't get "puentes", but perhaps some of my adults will cancel...
I feel like I have no anecdotes or interesting stories to tell, unfortunately. I've just been busy at work this week, getting everything organized and learning 63 names by heart (which, I'm proud to say, I did quite nicely).
I was thinking of dressing up for the kiddies for Hallowe'en, but they don't really celebrate it here. Argh. Oh well, I'll bring some sweets.
Anyways, that's it for me for now, have a good one everybody :)
P.S. It's still around 26 degrees here, so EAT IT xoxoxoxoxooxxxoxoox H

Beginnings (Take 2)

Well...it appears that I am about to embark on another new school year. I've prepared my classes for the next 2 days, printed off attendance sheets, photocopied worksheets, etc. Yes, I'm a bit nervous again, hopefully all will go well. I always feel like this before a new job...maybe I'm too hard on myself :P. All will be fine...somehow. I hope. Hehehe. Once I'm in the classroom with the students, I usually feel better.
I've written 2 TC essays out of my 5 so far. U of O: check. U of T: check (just needs revision from Shane). The other 3 will be dealt with later when the craziness at work slows down a bit.
On a good note, my 1:1 French student José seems to be really happy with my classes. I'm actually also going to be teaching an English conversation class to one of his coworkers. I was pretty proud of myself when my boss told me the flattering news.
I must say, pretty much all of the adults that I taught so far have been wonderful. Hopefully this keeps up...:)
I can't believe that I'll be teaching everything from 5 years old to adults again this year. I have never taught children who are that young...well, thankfully the school has a lot of great ressources and games for children. You should see how many games we are going to be playing this week, using basic vocabulary and numbers 1-10. My classroom for the 5 year olds makes me feel like a kindergarten teacher. Hey, I guess in a way, I am. But I'll also have 6 year olds and 11 year olds...then the rest are adults and one 18 year old who is preparing himself for the First Certificate Exam in English. I'm looking forward to the 11 year olds, actually. I hope we'll have good fun together.
So, I'll be super busy again, trying to get used to my new classes. Last year's October was nuts...but it was nice having Shane there to calm things down a bit :) I'll miss him even more when Oct. 12th hits.
The weather is still really beautiful here...I took a walk today and was sweating up a storm when I finally arrived back home. It felt like 30 degrees again, although the net said it was gonna be 27. Man....and it's October. Logroño wasn't even this warm, hehehehe. Yup, things are different in the south.
My coworkers are lovely. I went to see a movie with Donna last night and it was fun chatting together. Belen, Donna and I also went for some tapas a few days ago...was good fun, I always love meeting new people. I have yet to acquire the phone number from the other 2 teachers, Ruina and Shivonne.
So, overall I'm happy with our work team. We are going to be 6 teachers (another one coming tomorrow named Maria).
Hmmmm what else to say? You know that work is restarting when you go and buy a printer...yayy for printers :) I think that this was a good purchase...already printed off lots of documents, and it'll be vital for all of those TC essays.
Anyway, wish me luck for another school year. I can't believe this is my 2nd year of teaching. I remember how I always used to say in the past: If I have my 1st year of teaching behind me, everything else will be just a bit easier...
I think I 'll give my 400% percent again this year. Let's just hope my energy level doesn't get too drained during the first week.
love you all, xoxoxoxo H.

Baby, we were born to run (and how)

Yet another great set of pictures from another corner of the world. We clearly were born to run...see the world, experience everything of what is out there.
I already spoke a bit about my greek experience in my last post, but I can give a little bit of more detailed info along with the pictures.
4 days and 3 nights that were surely worth it! Seeing Shane before his big journey to Cairo was a bonus, and it´s just amazing how we are (literally) able to see the world together...meeting up all over the globe.



The first day was spent relaxing and walking around the little parts around our hotel. We were pretty tired from our trip, so we decided to take it easy and had some great Gyros with greek salad...ahh, I can´t compliment the greek salads enough...I have a new appreciation for Feta. :) Something new to add to my list of fave foods...
The next day was spent visiting all of the temples and ruins of ancient Greece. It was, simply, spectacular...and the weather was very hot, too.

I like this picture. After a while, you kinda start to wonder what every temple and monument is called, so unfortunately I can´t really tell you what this one was called. Shane, am I right when I say that the one pictured above is from a site called ancient Agora? I´m not sure for this one, though...
Shane explained to me the difference between a Doric pillar, an Ionic one and a Corynthian one...he was even able to read a bit of greek. That boy keeps surprising me, as I surprised him when I told him that I wrote a lil children´s book and that there´s a copy of it in the National Library of Canada. "Le Petit Jaguar Solitaire"..look for it ;)
We also saw the Acropolis, which were a set of temples on top of this giant hill overlooking the city of Athens. Quite impressive. We chatted it up with lots of australians that day, probably because Shane was wearing his yellow t-shirt that said "australia". That´s a "Hello, I´m a tourist" target alright :) They were all super friendly though, of course. Canadians and Aussies just seem to be made out of the same mold.


After our very long climb up (it was very hot that day and climbing so much made me a lil dizzy) we walked back down and wandered the little sidestreets for a bit...we had been wanting to eat dinner later that day at a place that had live greek music, and lo and behold...we find a perfect place and Shane has the brilliant idea of reserving us a table later for that night. The restaurant was EXCELLENT, and I had greek salad (of course), a slice of spinache and cheese pie and Moussaka. Shane had lamb with potatoes (we both shared the salad). For dessert we shared Baklava...and oh my GOD was it ever delicious. A generous portion, too. The ambience was terrific...good food, good conversation, good ambience....

On Sunday we went to a little town called Nafplio, which is a cute little town that has lots of little tourist shops and cafes...the little streets were really precious with the vines enlacing the buildings and the beautiful flowers blooming all within it. We saw a giant fort built on this big hill overlooking the town, so we decided to climb all the way to the top to get a good look of the Aegean Sea and Nafplio from above...and of course, to see what the fort looked like from the inside. 800 steps sure is a lot. My legs were trembling on the way down...quite the exercise!




I love this picture. It´s just the view from the side of the fort. It was very misty and gray that day, but we were counting our blessings since we were sweating and panting anyway from the climb...extreme sunshine would have made the climb much slower, I´m sure.
Just look at all that cacti! I just love to stare at the sea...I stood there for a while, with my hands supporting my face, just dreaming away and soaking in the view. Everything was so quiet and peaceful up there...just like everything once was, a very long time ago. This is when you start to realize how noise pollution can cause so much stress in our world. Ugh.






Here´s a tourist street from Nafplio...notice the vines and the pink flowers poking out here and there. It looks much better when you are there in person, but I still think this photo is not to so bad, eh? It rained a little, later on during the day (while we were at a Haagen Dasz restaurant!!!MMMMM) but we didn´t get wet at all since we stayed under giant umbrellas (while I ate my banana ice cream) and watched a soccer match. It feels weird saying soccer now..I´m so used to saying football like the rest of Europe. But I used the term so that all you Canucks reading this would understand...well, just in case. :P


Athena, the mighty! This statue was located (in what we belived to be) the town hall, close to the library. This picture was taken on Monday, on our last day in Athens together, and we wandered around a bit around the Parliament (unspectacular) and shimmied our way to the botanical garden, where there were lots of live animals (as in donkeys, ducks, rabbits, roosters, etc)...even a turtle that was making its way through a path where people walked! I like turtles. If I had a turtle I´d call it Iggy. I would also use this name for a Frog. Tee-hee.




The temple of Zeus! Not much remaining, but hey, still a sight to see, no? There was one pillar that looked like it had fallen recently (not pictured) but we didn´t know the exact year...Shane thought that he had seen it in his LonelyPlanet book, but couldn´t quite remember the date. That´s ok, I forgive ya....this time ;)
Athens and Nafplio was well worth seeing...it was the perfect little trip before Shane and I had to part ways again. 4 days certainly seemed enough in order to see the most important sights...I didn´t feel rushed at all (as I did when we went to London, but still...was a great trip as well).
Now Shane is in Egypt, where I hope to be able to see him sometime early December...Oh, and I already bought my ticket to Canada for Dec. 22nd....see you all during Xmas and New Year´s! xoxoxooxox love you all and miss you Heidi

Ready and Rarin´to go

Back in Huelva. How has everyone been? It´s a crazy time right now...I´ve started teaching some private French classes at the academy, am in the midst of Teacher´s College Applications, and am preparing myself mentally for all of my new classes that will begin in just a few days now. But, I guess that after almost 3 months of vacation, I´m decidedly ready to restart work! I am missing feeling mentally busy...I´ve had a really GREAT summer with lots of travel, but now I´m really ready to get back to the grindstone.
There´s apparently a new teacher from England named Donna who will be arriving in Huelva shortly...she doesn´t speak a lot of Spanish, so hopefully I´ll be able to help her out. I´m eager to meet new people...I haven´t even met any of my coworkers yet! The meeting on the 26th will surely change all of that :)
Hmmm...for some reason it won´t let me post any pictures...will try to post some next time, promise.
Anyway, Athens was amazing! I had such a great time with Shane...we saw some incredible ruins and temples...The Acropolis, The Temple of Zeus, Ancient Agora, The Theatre of Dionysos, and many other beautiful old monuments/buildings where we didn´t know their names. I have some really great pics to post, so stay tuned.
4 days and 3 nights were more than enough to see Athens...and we also spent a Sunday in Nafplio, a little town that was about 2.15 hours away from the capital. It was a great little trip with lots of little tourist spots...nice lil restaurants as well. The weather was incredible to us and it only rained during the night. Athens is still a hot city at this time of the year. Shane and I both agreed that we chose the perfect time to meet up together in Athens...not TOO hot, not rainy and cold.
In Nafplio we climbed 800(!) steps to get to a beautiful, huge old fort at the top of this giant hill overlooking the sea and town. The view was spectacular...and my calfs were KILLING me by the time we reached the top. Now that was a workout, but it was really worth it.
While we were in Nafplio, walking through the little sidestreets, we heard a girl´s "cries of delight", if-u-know-what-i-mean. We looked upwards and saw a sign, "hostal", so that explained some things, hehe. Ah, Greece.
Greeks are known for being good lovers? I actually found most of the greek population...a little hard on the eyes, actually. Rachel, what do you think? You agree with me?
I LOVED the greek salad....I can´t believe I used to hate Feta cheese. Yes, you may cringe. We had really great food during our stay...the greeks sure know how to eat well :)
I was obsessed with finding a Hermes statue...and on the very last day, Shane noticed a tiny statue that cost only 5 bucks. I also got a Hermes magnet for the fridge. What can I say? I´m a sucker for Mr. Messenger.
Guess what I´m listening to right now? Shane made me buy it in Greece so that he could rip it unto his new laptop (I´m such a great gf): Justin Timberlake´s : FutureSex/Lovesounds. It´s a solid cd, although it took me a few listens to really start to like it. I believe that SexyBack is by far the most instantaneous likeable hit.
Here is my top 5 from the new JT album....
1.Lovestoned (it´s REALLY good...and I´ve had the sexyback song enough in my head already)
2.SexyBack (still wish to hear it in a club)
3.FutureSex/Lovesounds(a nice sexy sound...not too fast, great groove to it)
4.Sexy Ladies
5. Losing my Way (very different from the other songs...I love the choir at the end, and the lyrics are poignant)

There are a few songs that are so-so, but overall it´s worth buying. I can imagine Prince singing some of these, easily. People magazine did a good job in rating this CD...
Alright, I´m tuning out for now....gotta go to work soon. love you all and HAPPY B-DAY MISS IVANIE, 24....wish I was there to celebrate with you :P xoxoxoxoxo H.

Athens here I come

Tonight I am taking the bus to Madrid in order to catch a plane tomorrow that´s bound for Athens...how exciting is that? Although I´ve kinda become a little bit more scared of flying because of recent events, I still enjoy a good short trip where I know I´ll go bonkers on the pictures. I´ll be back in Huelva on the 20th....you´ll have to wait a lil before my next post, because I am going to be starting with some private classes on the 20th of Sept....I´ll be teaching French to an adult who needs to speak French with some moroccan coworkers.
It´ll keep me occupied before work starts full swing on Oct. 2nd...
I´ve gotta refreshen my French grammar, my Spanish knowledge has affected my French a little (since they are kinda similar) but I know that I will be ok.
Heck, I taught myself German grammar last year....I´ll manage.
I´m currently doing some mix cd´s...exciting, exciting. I´ve also promised myself to take better care of my cd´s from now (Shane would be proud). I have way too many that are scratched...lots of cd´s that I love. My autumn resolution will be to buy a good cd case and to end the scratch-craptic fest. I also have way too many untitled cd´s, which is actually even starting to drive ME crazy...
Download: Caravane by Raphael...well, it´s in French...but really beautiful. Ivanie, at least you should ;) By the way....update, girl!
Love you all and see you next week, xoxoxooox H....I´ll make sure to greet Zeus and Hermes (he´s my fave mate of the lot) for all of you!

"I will sell my 1,500 camels for you"

A mere 35 min ferry ride from the most southern spanish city Tarifa brought Abel and I to Tanger, Morocco...and what a different world it was. I had never felt like such a tourist before...and so inappropriately dressed :)! Our hotel was really great for the low price of 65 euros that we had paid...it had a really nice pool, sauna and massage area, and good restaurant with free breakfast. Lots of pictures coming up, so get ready to be entertained whilst I work my magic...


"Nooooooooooooo way! She can´t be escaped!" I exclaimed to Abel when I saw this sign. My confusion and perplexed state of mind turned to understanding when I realized, after a few moments, that Celine must be well known in Morocco because her husband (or grandfather,whichever way you look at it) is...moroccan, right? That´s the only possible explanation that I was able to come up with. Anyways, this "Salon de thé" was close to our hotel, and I really don´t have to tell you that we didn´t venture inside...but I just did, so there you go...


Carpets, teacups, pots, plates, shoes, dresses, shirts, etc etc....buy, buy, buy, sell, sell, sell! The most famous market area of Tanger is called Medina, and it´s just incredible how many tiny and big shops are all lined up together...side by side. The shops in Morocco all have this strange, stuffy, and sometimes downright "stinky" smell. Know why? Everything is done by hand, and they use lots of animal skin for the little leather dolls, shoes, and other goods. It was incredible wandering the little streets up and down, down and up...I felt like I was in another world. Seriously. Hearing people shout in arabic left and right was quite something. There are lots of signs in French and in Spanish as well, but arabic is of course widely spoken. It was great being able to speak more or less with the locals...I guess 4 languages come in handy in our little world ;) I´m sooooo modest....

This is the "no smoking" equivalent in Morocco...hehehe. We were eating in an outside restaurant when Abel spotted the pipe (they use it to smoke pot). Yes, Morocco is a strict country, but not THAT strict...things change, I guess. Lots of people were trying to sell us "chocolate" (wink wink, that´s what they call it) and yes, you ARE able to buy alcohol from some cafes (though not many...you gotta search) but they have a certain trick to it...I shall explain later. They eat a lot of couscous and chicken here....and the moroccan salad is just really great :) I did have to rush to the bathroom after our first moroccan meal (must have been that spicy hot sauce), but the food was delicious. Guess it takes some getting used to, hehehehe...
One thing that was extremely obvious was that there were NEVER any moroccan women sitting down for a coffee/tea in the cafes....everything was full of men. No joke. I felt a bit sorry for the women, seeing them bundled up from head to toe, shopping for spices and carrrying their children on their backs, or walking to the beach in full tent-sized clothing, but...I guess that they are used to this and maybe feel sorry for us...who knows? They are used to tourists over there, but lots of women still stared at my shorts and tank-top (incidentally I didn´t wear the shorts anymore after the first day...let´s just say that all eyes were on me from the moment I walked out the door to the moment I walked back to the hotel). I kinda knew about this before venturing out to Marocco, but I thought that more female tourists would be wearing shorts...not true. I think that I´ll have to ask Shane to buy me a typical female garb for when I go to Egypt in December...I think that it will be even worse for women over there. That, and I just want to feel safe and part of the crowd.
I did feel safe in Morocco, but that´s because Abel was with me. Most salesmen thought that we were either a couple or married...which makes sense, since most moroccan women probably only go out with their husbands or their girlfriends, never other men. I think that men have it MUCH easier, that´s for sure. Even when I was wearing pants, men still stare a lot and there are lots of places that are deemed only suitable for men and not women. 80% of the people that were visible there were men. What do the women do? Stay at home all day and cook? It was very interesting to see such an extremely different culture, it really opens your eyes and forces you to become more open-minded.


Here is Abel with (now) a good friend of ours. Notice the great hat he´s wearing. We went twice to his shop and bought most of our souvenirs and gifts from him...he spoke French, Arabic , Spanish and English. We started speaking Spanish with him, but he noticed my accent and from there on insisted on speaking English with us. He was quite funny too, and kept saying, "pretty girl, pretty girl, a pretty (this or that) for a pretty girl/lady" (anybody reminded of the movie Aladdin at this point? He was really nice and just had this great personality overall...we loved spending our moroccan "Dirkhams" in his shop. During our second stop, there was also another man in the shop helping our friend the bazaar salesman, and he apparently said that he would sell 1,500 camels in return for me...now those are a lot of camels. Thank you? Then there were other salesmen who thought that Abel and I were married...they wanted us to celebrate our honeymoon at their places where they would cook us a big feast. This happened twice in 2 different places.


Here you go: Apple-flavoured BEER! No, j/k....this is normal beer, but because we were sitting in a cafe on main street (I was the only woman there) and because it is technically forbidden by their religion, they try to hide the beer bottles by replacing them with juice/soda pop ones...so we weren´t drinking "Poms", as the name on the bottle suggests, but regular beer. Some stuff just doesn´t make sense though: They make their own local beers and wines, yet still hide the evidence from the public...it confused us sometimes...


We stayed 3 days and 2 nights, and on our 2nd day we decided to go to a little west coast town called Asilah. It is a heavily fortified town that was once occupied by the Portuguese, but nowadays many French and Spanish folk live there..It was a beautiful town, and well worth the trip. Close to this "portal" that leads to the Atlantic Ocean, there was a man dressed up in traditional clothing, singing and dancing away....Abel shot a video of me and the man, which turned out pretty good :) It was pretty funny, and yes, we did give the man a bit of money for having danced like a fool with yours truly...



Burriquito como tu......burriquito como tu....
I think that only Abel would understand....
Ojé, que piensas? Sacé una buena foto, no? Pero el burro me parece un poco cansado, probablemente de la gente que le esta siempre molestando con la cameras....como yo! Ja ja ja ja....





There were lots of great paintings all over Asilah...I thought that this one was pretty cool....great contrasts with the white murals. Lots of homes had tiny entrances that were just barely visible from the side streets. Yes, it looks like graffiti but it was very nice and original in many areas...
Our tour guide was nice, although a bit dirty-looking :P I really can´t complain about the tour through Asilah, except maybe that they should try to actually make themselves look a little bit more respectable than the next street bum. Hehehehe. Maybe that just added more to the moroccan charm, though. I especially loved the bus driver with 3/4 of his teeth missing and his evil shouts to the other drivers. Bonus points for frightening me.

On another side note: do NOT EVER attempt to drive in Morocco. Kids hitch-hike on the backs of trucks, falling off sometimes and possibly giving the driver behind a heart attack, the sound of honking is a steady shrill note brought on by petty things such as not driving IMMEDIATELY when the lights turns green, and pedestrians have no right of way. If you don´t move, they won´t stop. You better pray to Allah then...Abel and I were on a bus, but still had to hold our breath a few times. Oh, and we also saw a big truck completely tipped over on its side. Furthermore, the rule of thumb is: the more people crammed into a tiny car, the better. No room to even breathe? Heck, now that´s stellar! When it´s time to leave the sardine can, it´s like watching 50 clowns get out of a tiny car with polka-dots...only the clowns are moroccans and the car is a 1981 pieceofcrap....and the polka-dots are actually rust stains.

Here we are, soaking in the hot moroccan sun, with some of the richer parts of Asilah...this is where the spaniards and french people live and vacation throughout the summer...the beach was just off to the left, only a few meters away. Quite a nice spot...and lots of kids were jumping from super high cliffs into the ocean, which almost gave me a heart attack once again. "Don´t hit your head...don´t land on your stomache...don´t..." that was what my brain was doing to me.






A typical moroccan market, complete with chicken coops (is that how you say/write it?) and the whole shabang...very interesting, overall. The spices look very delicious and couscous is seen everywhere, being one of the main foods here. Also, tea leaves are sold at really cheap prices. The tea is really good here, although they do add a lot of sugar (Fanta lemon is sooo disgusting here though...wayyyy too sweet for my taste). Abel was a big fan of the tea and drank some every day...










Anybody want a magic carpet? There were lots of nice rugs and carpets strewn throughout the town...but of course I didn´t buy any, since everything was much too large and heavy. It´s incredible how everything is made from scratch here...most people sell the goods that they produced from their own two hands. I can´t even figure out how to set the alarm on some clocks sometimes...





Maybe I have this moroccan charm or something, I don´t know...but a waiter from the hotel taught me how to say "the prettiest of the pretties" in arabic, and kept asking me to say it everytime he would cross by our table. He also taught Abel some "magic" tricks with a cigarette, lol.
Overall, it was an amazing experience and I had a great time. I felt like I visited another world, and yet I wasn´t even that far away from Europe. Best 65 euros I ever spent!
I have to admit though, I was glad when our ferry arrived in Tarifa, Spain. I just felt this feeling of liberty again...I´m sure that male tourists would feel quite different, but as a woman (still wanna say girl but I´ll be 24 soon, so....) I felt a little uncomfortable at times while I was there. I do want to go back someday, but just for travel, never to live there. Women´s rights are restricted heavily, and lots of things seemed so unfair. It makes you appreciate the liberty and freedom that you have in other parts of the world.
This trip made me even more excited for Egypt...but, in the meantime, there is Greece to look forward to....in 4 days!!!
xoxoxoxo lots of love, Heidi

Before I go...

I just want to say: weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeh

oh, and: weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeh

love you all and Morocco pics will follow early next week!
xoxoxoxoox Heidi

You seemed like one of the invincible ones....

Go ahead; laugh. I don´t care. But I´m extremely bummed out about Steve Irwin´s death, and have been ever since Monday...growing up, I used to watch his show with my family, enjoying his enthusiasm for wildlife and creatures. His death is a great loss.
When I read the terrible news on msn Monday morning, I couldn´t believe it. I immediately thought about his wife Terri and his two children...and that just broke my heart. Sure, he was a risk taker, and in some ways people might think that this is just destiny that he died from one of his adventures...but a stingray?? Struck in the HEART? It just doesn´t feel right, you know? They are usually docile creatures...Í guess what I´m trying to say is that it´s unfair, in a way.
I watched a "remembering Steve" documentary where they had snippets of previous interviews , and it litteraly broke my heart to see how much his children loved him, especially Bindi Sue since she is the eldest of his kids...she was stroking his hair and face while he was talking during one interview and she proudly said,"When I grow up I want to be just like Daddy!". Heartwrenching.
Poor kids still probably don´t understand what has happened to their father.
I´m sure that Terri is a tough woman, and I´m sure that she must have talked about death more than once with her husband during the late night hours (obviously, no once can deny risks with a profession like that) but it´s still a sad situation and I´m sure that she must be devastated.
I just feel as if this wasn´t his right moment to go. I feel terrible saying this, but maybe if a crocodile would have gotten him, his death would have seemed more plausible and I would have accepted it better.
I feel really bummed out...the last time I felt this way for a celebrity´s death was for Princess Diana...1997. Long time ago.
Goodbye, Mate....

shorty short short

So far, best new song I caught on MTV España this week: "Here it goes again" by Ok, Go. The video is awesome...I demand you watch it ;) Simple, yet ubercool.
H.xoxoxooxoxo

My writings...found again.

I stumbled across some old poetry/prose/stories that I wrote just a few years ago. It´s amazing what feelings and memories flood back...
They don´t have to make sense to you:

The little blue girl (I remember writing this in 1st year Uni almost without stopping...it was almost like a stream of consciousness..again, it doesn´t have to make sense to you! Don´t mind the format...again, I basically wrote this without a pause, never stopping to consider grammar or proper formatting)

It´s raining, she said, while looking at the people who were so evidently engaged at their beautiful dreamy raptures that they didn't even notice her tear-stricken face, that was overshadowed with the prospect that she would never remain a child, and that the fear of growing up consumed her and tore at her flesh. Her tormented twisted body wanted to escape the hellish realities of everyday life, yet she never told anybody, and she silently screamed from the inside...she silently screamed from the inside. She ran from faceless face to faceless face...hear me hear me hear me she yelled...Oh...
The blue tinted veins in her hands seemed to lunge at her throat, threatening to strangle her with their elongated grasp. Let me tear out her last breath, they screamed...she fears herself then she fears breathing...why don't we help her eliminate it they would say...softly blowing the delicious and dangerous words into her ear. Again and again she tore at her hands...let me be, let me be the blood that flows through me is seriously hurting me! Madly dashing through rooms of clay, she stopped at a little brook and looked at her reflection in the water...So this is who I am, she said, while looking at the sparkling waters...This is not me...Who am I, she asked and her veins replied you are the blood, you are the flesh, you are the infinite and the limited. Through you, dreams can become and they can dissolve...Through your actions you can die and you can live. Hear out your veins and feel the blue...look at the blue. Taste the blue for it is in you. Taste she did, and quickly slashed, ran the blood out from her grasp. Alas, alas, what have you done, screamed the veins as they did run. I have simply done the deed, she cried as the veins slowly emptied themselves into the little brook. Look, look, how your blue mixes with the whiteness of the foam! cried she foolishly with glee. Sick, oh sick, we fly towards the water, and you will soon feel what is the matter, they howled as they flowed into the brook. Her heart was feeling weaker, she was laughing her last breath. Oh, don't feel bad for me...for I feel bad for you, though I will die, I will not be a deathly colour blue, but white as pure as the clouds, there shall I finally look like I always should have. The blue which drains from my grasp will only help me pass...

Raw (written sometime during the beginning of 3rd year)

Your feelings are like snowflakes
In the wind, burning with intensity
And then fading upon my cheek.
They melt upon my skin,
Diluting the salty tears
From my own eyes which dry out
The flakes of flesh.
Why shun emotion when it could only open your heart?
If I cannot have your feelings,
Then let me stand in the raging
Snowstorm and feel the bittersweetness
Of each fleeting emotion, if but for one single moment...

This is just a snippet of an old journal entry :
------and the next day you wake up and take your last breath as you remember in the smallest corner of your mind the most beautiful sunset you have ever seen-----

I guess what I´m just trying to point out by all of this is that I should keep up with my writings...because some of them aren´t all that bad. I used to write an insane amount of poetry and prose when I was in high-school. It would be a pity to just completely stop.

lazy hot sunday...

So for the past few days the temperature has been at a steady 33-35 degrees. Today though, it´s 38. We´re in September now, no? Maybe this is the short roast season before autumn begins...
Yesterday was fun. After a day at the beach with my friends Ana, Alberto and Abel (oh my God I just noticed that all their names start with "A". The A Team!!! Maybe I should switch my name back to the way "Heidi" was just a few decades ago: Adelheid) I headed out to Punta Umbria with Abel for a late dinner and a night of fun and dancing. We had some great little tapas: croquetas de pollo, ensalada mixta and coquillas (little fried chicken pieces, mixed salad and little sea shell thingys that were extremely delicious). From about 1:30 until 7 a.m., Abel and I boogied our way through several bars and a big outdoor discoteca. It was fun, and I actually didn´t cut my feet on the broken glass that was lying around everywhere (I don´t know why they don´t switch to plastic cups...it would be a hell of a lot safer AND the bar would save lots of money on glasses).
So what did I do today? Well, since I came home at around 8-ish, I basically slept throughout most of the day. As I´m typing this it´s 8pm and I really haven´t done too much. Not that that´s a bad thing...everything is dead and closed on Sundays. I got up at around 2:30 pm, showered, cleaned the apartment, read my awesome new book and fell asleep again on the couch...woke up at around 7pm again, made myself some fish and veggies and did the dishes....and here I am. What an EXHAUSTING day, eh?
Incidentally, the knoo looks dead from all of this heat. She´s a little insane in that she still sleeps UNDER my blanket...when I´m sweating from just sitting around in short shorts and a thin tank top. She likes sleeping there, though. I think it´s a comfort thing, since she´s been doing that ever since she was a wee poo. She´s sooo funny, when she awakes from her slumbers her meows sound like croaks...SOMEBODY needs a glass of water, eh lucy knoo?
I love my kitty.
Tomorrow my academy opens, but just to let new students register and things like that. The official first day of classes is Oct. 2nd....seems late for us, but it´s like that all over Spain. It´s the insane heat that forces directors and profs to start later during the year. Anyways, I´ll have to go over there probably sometime tomorrow or later during the week to finalize the contract and give them some of my info, passport, etc...I´m excited and nervous. Starting a new job is always scary...but in a good way. Although I am a bit nervous for Oct. 2nd, I´m dying to start and meet my students. Hopefully most of them will be a joy to teach.
In other news....Morocco is booked! 3 days and 2 night starting as of the 8th of Sept :) We also rented a car, so that should be good. I´m so excited! It will be me, Abel and Ana´s roommate Laura, who is a bit shy but a nice girl overall.
Greece is also booked...ready and raring to go! I´ll arrive late on the 14th in Athens and then wait a lil bit to pick up Shane early on the 15th...fun times :)
It´s an exciting month.....2 trips, teacher´s college applications, preparing for my new job, etc etc....
And don´t you all worry; there will be plenty of pictures again....
Top 5 websites I usually visit when I have nothing better to do:
1. My friend´s blogs
2. www.thesuperficial.com LOVE IT...fan for the past 2 years now...
3. www.liquidgeneration.com Check out "How to snag a fag" by Ghetto Stilleto...it´s a gem. "Stop the car...I feel like dancing!"
4. Yahoo weather for Spain (some things never change)
5. www.nasa.gov Shit...I better choose a new fave planet now that Pluto is out of the picture... Yes, incidentally I did used to watch Babylon 5 a lot AND Star Trek classics from the 60´s AND Star Trek the Next Generation. Might be my brother who got me into this stuff...we used to watch those shows together all the time. There´s also nothing like reading about Dark Matter and listening to a reproduced audio of The Big Bang (which actually sounded like a deep, long hum) on a hot, sunny night.
I´ve scared you all enough.
xoxoxoxooxox H.

You´ve been all over...and it´s been all over you

Last week was an exciting one; one of my best friends came to visit me, and boy did we ever have a packed week! Madrid, Sevilla and my hometown of Huelva...all in about 7 days. I shall try to recap everything we did along with some of the highlights.
Cynthia arrived on her birthday, the 22nd, and I had already booked us a hostal in Madrid for 2 days...I had figured that this would give us enough time for sightseeing and having a little bit of discoteca fun. I was right.
The first thing we did was dump our stuff at the hostal and then go grab something to eat at a cafeteria that was located on Gran Via, Madrid´s main street. I had prepared Cyn for the fact that spaniards barely eat breakfast, usually just coffee and a pastry...so we had ourselves a nice croissant with fresh orange juice. Cyn had met a really nice Montrealer on the plane named Christian, and he accompanied us for a while (and I managed to spill orange juice on his pants, OF COURSE, being the klutz that I am...thankfully he managed to clean everything off). Since we were all extremely tired (I had barely slept on the bus to Madrid and she was jet-lagged), we decided to head back to the hostal for a nice long nap. About 2 hours later, we freshen ourselves up and start our downtown journey. The weather is hot, but nice....not too extreme, so we wander for quite some time, taking pics of this and that. The picture above was taken close to the Palacio Real, one of my favourite spots...Cynthia was impressed by the grandeur of the building, and liked the little gardens of Sabatini. I didn´t want to overload the tour on the first day, so we met up with Christian and his friends from his Contiki tour for some beers and tapas. Christian, like Cyn, had never tried real tapas, and was impressed by the meats and cheeses.....hmmmm yes, it was quite something. I had a nice Clara (beer with a lemonade twist...a nice summer drink). I wasn´t too impressed with the other people from the Contiki tour...most were American and it REALLY showed...from the 15 people that were there, I think that I would have only bonded with 4 of them. Some just looked so young and....stupid. I´m talking pink baseball caps and ill-fitting loose clothing (I´m sorry, but north americans just do not know how to dress most of the time...they need to follow a bit of the european look). We did have a nice night of just socialising and hanging out with Chris for a bit....then we decided that we were pooped and headed home for a well deserved sleep.

The next day, it was roasting. I remember walking with Cyn and searching for a cheap place to get something to drink...like, really dehydrated and wishing I was a camel ("My Humps" song comes to mind now). Anyways, I saw this gay ad and just HAD to be snapped. I even burned my hand on the damn billboard...oh well, it was worth it.


THIS is my kind of man. Every woman wants a manly, hairy apelike husband to make her look like a million bucks. The star wars character is just an extra bonus, and who the heck wouldn´t want this IgotsotannedIburntmyskintoacrisp look?







This is where the ape-husband picture took place...below the Fuck store. "Hey, where do you work?" "Fuck." "What, what happened?" "No, man..."Fuck" "Man, WHAT?"... You get the idea. This store exists in a little mall on one of the most popular shopping streets of Madrid, Fuencarral. It´s also an expensive street to go shopping on, as Cynthia noticed. This place had some funny t-shirts....and well, that was about it.
I bet you YOU don´t work in a store that has a great name such as this...



Cynthia in front of a statue of one of Spain´s kings, located in front of the Palacio Real (which you can´t see cuz it´s behind me here). As you can see, no clouds, nada. Close to the Palacio Real there is a great little ice cream place called "Nice coffee and cream"....hmmmm I had some good Cookies and Cream with Chocolate (one day I´ll overdose on chocolate, but that day hasn´t come yet so let me taste life´s sweet delights). Cyn went absolutely nuts over the ice cream as well...it was just the way that it was made, with chunks of fruits and chocolate, etc...we had both never seen ice cream that good in Canada.

We took a tour of the Palacio Real, and unfortunately, I couldn´t use my flash so there are no pictures of that...suffice it so say that, although I had already been in it, it was still enough to make me gape at all the rich beauty with wide eyes and my tongue half hanging out, lol. I don´t even want to imagine how much they had to pay the maids to clean all the nooks and crannies.
After our little tour of the palace, we took a little break and napped in the park. The Palacio Real park holds a lot of nostalgia for me...all of Madrid basically, since this is where everything began. I was able to see myself writing in my journal in this place or that, and was also able to recall all the little events and happenings that ocurred to me in various little places. I´ll never forget this city...and I´ll never really get tired from it. Taking the metro, the trains....I felt extremely comfortable there.
After our nap, a guy walks up to us and hands us brochures for a pub crawl that was going to happen later that night. I didn´t even think twice about it, "Sure, heck, it´ll be fun meeting new people and having a blast in the bar", so we took the brochures and read its contents a little closer after he had gone: 4 bars, 1 discoteca, free tequila shots and discounts on beer, only 10 euros. We looked at each other, "Well, we probably won´t be able to drink much anyways, but it´ll be fun to just hang out and meet new people from all over the world".
That night, we met up with the others at the Plaza del Sol and made our way to the first bar. There were a LOT of croatians, americans...and just us canadians. I was a little poo poo about that, cuz I was kinda hoping to have other nationalities in our group, but we ended up dancing with other people we would meet at the bars; brits, spaniards (of course), russians, and ukrainians. It was sooooo much fun, the great thing about Spain is that people dance in most little bars...you don´t even really need to go to a discoteca. Reggaeton, Dance, Spanish music, it´s a mix of everything. The first hour we were at the first bar, it was happy hour, and you could get as much free beer as you wanted (just the pub crawl gang though, of course).
Let´s just say that 2 beers for Cyn and I is a lot. Yes, we are pathetic. But, we accept our case. We don´t drink that often, but that night we decided to go all out since we were partying together...which meant "Bring on the Tequila!".
2nd bar. I´m already seeing things slightly slanted. The waitress starts pouring tequila shots, 15 glasses in one row. Cyn and I see a plate loaded with free potato chips, and scarf them down. "To.....................us!" Down goes Mr. Tequila. "Cynthia, I´m....kinda hungry. Wanna get....some tapas?" "Sure!" After letting our leader of the pack know that we are going to go grab some food, we find a little empty tapa restaurant where we eat some chorizo with cheese...mmmmm (now there are many tapas in spain, but this is just one of my favourite). Somehow, everything seems funny all of a sudden. I tip over my glass of water, bread crumbs fly...etc. To add hilarity to the scenario, a man gets thrown out of the restaurant (but HE apologizes to us WHILE he is getting kicked out....waiter???).
We figure that about 30 minutes went by....after paying, we head back to the 2nd bar only to realize that everybody has left....thankfully, I find the dude´s number on the brochure and he gives us the directions to the 3rd bar...."Corleone". Somehow, we find it and JUST as we are entering we get another free shot. Nice. Right on Time, mates.
In the 4th bar, we REALLY get our groove on and just go nuts with the music. About half an hour into dancing at that bar, a burping contest gets announced and 4 guys climb up on stage. I don´t know what the hell I was thinking but I make my way on stage. I guess I was really THAT drunk. I don´t know. But, after standing on the stage for exactly 1.6 seconds, I get told to politely step off, making all the men poo poo the announcer and me making a face as if I am about to cry.
The american wins at burping, but get this: he proclaims himself to be australian. Cyn and I both know that he is american since he is with our group...ha! You can just imagine how all of those hoots and hollers would have changed to jeers if it had been known that he was truly an american. I kinda feel sorry for the americans...but not really.
The rest of the night is a blur of dance and sweat. It was fun. I´m glad that Cyn had an amazing time.

Sevilla,te quiero! This city was just unbelievably precious...and here I am in traditional Sevillan attire. Yes, I realize that this picture is just ginormous in comparison with the others...but it´s my blog and I´m kinda proud of this picture. I´m happy that Cynthia and I decided to get these done...I´m sure that my family will appreciate these as well :) I felt like a real spanish señorita...
Our first day in Sevilla consisted of doing a little bit of sightseeing....but we did most of this during our second day. We were still exhausted from the night before, so our first day in Sevilla was spent napping and taking a little walk through a part of downtown Sevilla. Cynthia couldn´t help but keep commenting on the fact how men pay so much more attention to women than in Canada...she´s right on that. Men will basically whistle at you in your face, yell "guapa" (beautiful) and make kissy faces when passing you by. It´s worse in the south than in the north, when I used to live in Logroño. Maybe it´s the heat? LOL



Here is Cynthia doing the same pose as me....we took a lot of different poses, but I couldn´t post all of them of course...if you do want to see some others, just email me. I think that they turned out quite nicely :) Isn´t she pretty? Guapa, Cynthia!
We saw lots of beautiful sights, with one of the most popular sights being the cathedral. We didn´t go in it, but I will eventually. It looks really impressive from the outside, so I can just imagine how beautiful it looks like from the inside (you gotta pay to get in).
We did get annoyed by some women pretending to be palm readers. When we arrived at the cathedral, two women swarmed us and started pressing some type of plant in our hand. At first, we didn´t know what was going on and then they started telling me about "my future". They only spoke spanish, so Cynthia couldn´t understand anything....but the other woman just kept talking to her and telling her "her future". So yeah, apparently I will be very happy, will travel a lot, my mother is proud of me, yada yada yada...I bet she tells that stuff to every poor fool who has never been "gypsied", lol. She then asked for money, and me being the overly nice person, gave her a little....(incidentally, my friend Abel once refused to pay them, and told him he was going to die a horrible death, etc....gimme a break). Cyn and I had at first thought that they belonged to some religious organization...they kept making crosses and all that...but nope. Just gypsies wanting money from tourists (why else would they be so close to the cathedral?).

This is one of my favourite pictures...taken close to the cathedral, moments after the gypsy attack. The lantern was just simply gorgeous...
You´d think that pink buildings would be ugly, but because of all the little details, this one looked amazing. You gotta hand it to the spaniards for designing green, pink, yellow and other coloured buildings that would probably never work in Canada (imagine one of these in downtown O-town (shudder).










Ahhh, the cathedral. Grandiose, majestic, breathtaking. Isn´t it obvious that I can´t wait to go back? I checked the weather network and it´s over 40 degrees in Sevilla right now, so maybe sometime in late September might be a good idea. Although, it´s super hot here too...I´m simply sitting in my chair and can feel the insides of my knees sweat. Icky. Sunny and cloudless skies are what the south is all about...I think that it has only rained in Huelva, in total over the last 2 months, for a few hours...probably less in Sevilla.



A nice little street....there are lots of these everywhere in Spain, but I still find them cute and picture perfect.
Anyways, where was I? Ah, yes...after our little tour of downtown, we snapped our Sevillana pictures and decided to head home for a little nap (spanish siestas are just essential, people...it´s the heat...ask Cynthia). We had already planned that night to go to an amusement park called, "La Isla Magica". Since it was so hot, we only went at 9pm...and there was barely anybody (and it was a Friday night!). We never needed to wait in line, and had the chance to go on all the rides that we wanted. Some of them seriously made my heart bounce, but it was all very fun and we both won´t forget our fear of the giant water log slides and the enormous rollercoaster...we had to remove our flip-flops a few times since some things involved getting jerked upside down :)



Ah....yes, how COULD I forget? Earlier that day we had also gone for a little guided tour through the enormous Plaza de Torros. For only 4 euros, it was worth it. If you want to see the outside of the plaza, let me know cuz there are 3 pics...this is the inside of it (well, a part of it at least). I learnt a lot of interesting little facts: youngest bullfighter ever was 9, torrero suit can cost up to 25,000 euros, horses used to be unprotected during the bullfights up until 1928, if a bull kills a torerro, not only is IT killed but also its mother because that she-bull is believed to be carrying the "killer" gene (they admit that they are superstitious, but still do it as it is custom).

This picture was taken of a little park in Sevilla. Feel like you are looking at something from a brochure? So was I. Que maravillosa!
Our 2 days in Sevilla were cheap and extremely fun...my roommate from Huelva had an apartment in Sevilla as well, and he lent it to us for those 2 days...for free! Bless the guy :)
After Sevilla, we headed to Huelva, with Cynthia being excited to see Lucy Knoo again. Ah, that knoo. In Huelva, we went to the beach and danced at a few bars and even at a discoteca, where Abel managed to get free entrance tickets. Even though I cut my foot twice from people dropping their glasses, I had a lot of fun :)
So, all in all last week was a ton of fun. Cynthia is already planning on coming to see me again sometime next summer before I leave for Teacher´s College, and we are tentatively planning for Italy...but we´ll see, since that´s still very far off and my parents will come to see me next July. Showing them Spain will be great :)
Wow. This has been a long entry, but since I finally have stable internet I felt like writing it all down since it is all still fresh in my memory.
Today I booked my flight to Greece and am in the midst of making plans for Marocco with Abel. Teacher´s College applications start on the 19th of September...lots of stuff coming up...new job October 2nd...I´m excited about what´s all about to happen, and am enjoying every minute of the present :)
xoxoxoxooxox H.