Spain July/August 2011 Part 1

Ok, so in my last post I said that I wasn't going to go into too many details of my trip to Spain since I had already written an armload in my private journal. Well, I couldn't help myself...the least I could do is post some pictures and give a lil' bit of a recount, right? Oh, was it ever amazing. Oh, was it ever epic. And the best part is, I knew this would be so months before I even set foot on Spanish soil...My plane. Iberia turned out to be okay, and the best part was not having

anybody sitting next to me on my flight there...I was able to lay down and put my legs up! This had NEVER happened before. What luck!

You know you are on your way to Spain when they offer you Fanta Limon. Oh, joy!

I was so excited that I had to take a picture of my airline food. It's nice to be able to enjoy the small things in life.

Sevilla! I've been to this place so many times, I've lost count. However, I could happily live here forever...I love the heat, the dialect, the people, and of course the pretty buildings...

Downtown Sevilla. What's not to like?

Me (left) and my good friend Donna. It was so nice to see her again!

Horse carriages always abound right in front of the majestic cathedral.

Happy and tanned.

A nice garden, with my friend Angel seen here.

A view of the cathedral from afar.

A nice little restaurant.

Another nice little restaurant.

P.S. scroll down for Part 2 (and if you fancy seeing more pics of Sevilla, go back to my archives of 2006)

Spain July/August 2011 part 2

I love the Spanish flag. Surprised? Didn't think so...

I love how they display their fresh foods..so real, uninhibited, you know?

Ah, Sevilla. The Plaza de Espana. I never tire of this place, no matter

how many times I have been. If given the chance, I could live here.

Beautiful.

Me posing on the steps.

Salamanca, at the main plaza. It was pretty grey that day, and surprisingly a bit chilly.

I loved the look of this coffee cup. Cafe con leche, mmmmm...

A view of the university tower.

On our way to the Islas Cies, some beautiful islands off the coast of Galicia. They say

this area has some of the best beaches in all of Spain.

On our first day there, it was so sunny and beautiful.

I loved the beaches! The sand was the whitest and softest I had ever felt on my toes. I was very happy, as you can tell :)

Looking out off of steep cliffs...

The next day, it rained and was very misty. I somehow enjoyed the fog, however. I had the

impression that I was in Ireland all of a sudden.

That's me in the distance, ecstatic with the wind, mist and fog.

A cave.

Going to downtown Santiago de Compostela.

It was rainy and a bit chilly. There were sooo many wonderful and delicious

bars in this town! This is the site of the famous St. James Cathedral, the final stop for

the pilgrims...truly a site to see.

One of my favourite pictures. Here is the Cathedral from afar...

Got tired, blistered feet? Put them in this water and the little fishies will eat all your

dead skin away...amazing. Perfect for all those pilgrims. I had never seen such a thing.

(Sigh) A beautiful bar's terrace.

Wide chimneys.

In Lugo, where ancient Roman walls still stand, enveloping the city centre. Incredible.

That such a thing is still standing is mind-boggling.

A cathedral in Vigo.

Gijon's main beach...it wasn't sunny at all, yet the beach was fairly busy!

In Tazones, a very small pueblo in the North...mainly busy because of restaurants and a

nice little beach.

A view of some mountains on our way back to the South...the temperature difference was enormous (10 degree difference from the top to the bottom).

...thoughts on the eve of a new school year...

School/work restarts in 2 days. Thank goodness, because when you have this much time to think, you only have so many thoughts before you end up going in circles and asking yourself the same questions over and over again. "What the heck is going to happen to me in 2012?" "Will I make my European dream a reality, and if so, will it be a good experience or will I wind up getting a nice slap of reality in the face?" "Do I have a chance of teaching internationally?"

And so on, and so on. Honestly, in a strange way, I am welcoming the stress of a new school year if it means that my mind will be focusing on completely other things, rather than my pathetic, endless stream of where-am-I-going questions.

Let me worry about meeting IEP demands, lazy students, and all those beautiful other things associated with school. My mind's gonna be so busy in the next few weeks and months...and maybe that's a good thing! Let's hope it will be a good year overall.

There are many students that I look forward to seeing again too, thank goodness :)

Well, whatever is going to happen this year, one thing is certain, it will be b-u-s-y. I'll be concentrating on my work at my school, and also focusing on sending off CVs internationally and possibly attending a teaching fair in Cambridge Massachusetts. Yup, busy is the word. But, that's okay.

I had such a good summer. Probably one of the best of my life. Vegas and Spain were amazing. I really relaxed a lot and took it all in...I enjoyed every single moment of everything. I wrote a lot in my journal as well. I read 4 books, took walks, met up with friends, and listened to a lot of music. I guess you could say it was the summer of ME.

It's already slowly starting to get cooler. Yesterday was a very hot and humid day, but today it feels more like fall is trying to push its head in.

I could write endlessly about what I did in Vegas and in Spain...but I already wrote that information in my private journal. There are some things that should be kept private, no? Let's just say that Spain will always be my "happy place" and that I will keep going back (if I don't end up living there again) until I die. The only souvenir I bought for myself while there was a little heart-shaped keychain with the simple word: "Espana" written on it. That's all that I needed, really. It says it all, in my opinion.

I consider myself very fortunate to have such a good teaching job here in Canada. I truly love what I do. However, I feel that I can use my languages to a better and fuller extent in Europe...I just feel like I have so much to offer over there. Sometimes I feel bad for wanting to leave a great country such as Canada, but I just feel like there's something else out there for me. Am I wrong? Am I right? I just need an opportunity, an open door, to see if teaching languages at an international school would be worth it. Thank goodness that my job can give me a 2 year leave of absence...well, here's hoping I get an opportunity to use this.

I know there will be challenges. Oh boy, will there ever be. I love complicating my life.

But, those risks...those challenges, make us feel so alive. And in the end, isn't it all worth it?

H.

I am here!

Happiness hit her, like a train on a track...

I haven´t felt so alive in a long time...

Sometimes in life, you just have to let yourself go...on to incredible adventures that will shape and change your views about the world around you.

There´s so much out there for me. I have only skimmed the surface of what I am meant to see and feel.

There´s a real truth, a grityness, a harsh kick-in- your-face kind of reality that I quite enjoy about travelling. When you´re out of your comfort zone, forced to communicate in broken sentences or with hands and feet, it´s like you´ve been pushed off a cliff and as you´re falling, it´s up to you to find the shrubs and bushes to grab hold of so that you don´t plummet all the way down.

I feel very fortunate. I...want to teach in Europe again. Will it/can it happen?

I love the passion that the Spanish people have. About everything, really. Loud, harsh and always gesticulating wildly, they seem to live life to its most extreme. I think that is what I love the most about them. They are simply passionate people. They have a love and a zest for life, for being with people, family, friends...

I would love to live here again, I really would. Not sure if that will happen anytime soon, but I might be aiming again, slowly but surely, in coming back...we´ll see. Switzerland and Germany wouldn´t be so bad if I was given the opportunity.

2012...help me make this happen! A little bit of research, a little bit of experience, and a little bit of luck is what I need.

I am so happy here. Already.

xoxoxo

The Year of Yes.

So many things have been changing around here since I last wrote. But...I feel like an entirely new path is opening itself up to me. I feel like this is...happening for a reason, like I have been given a second chance at my life's direction. I don't feel like elaborating, as I will do so in my private, paper journal, but I am excited at what possibilities lie ahead.

Less than 2 months until I see IT again.

Oh, and Vegas will be happening 2 weeks before then, as well.

Life is good overall. Exciting, scary, and ever changing, but good.

Hmmm...I am being reminded to buy a new journal again, as my old one only has two blank pages left. Ah, journal purchasing...life's little joys.

My Spanish classes start Monday...little refresher to brush up on my espanol. I'm happy to say that my level is somewhat advanced :)

Hasta pronto,

Heidi

IT'S HAPPENING! Vuelvo en 5 meses!

Wow, it's my 100th post. What better way to start your 100th post than to write:

"I finally bought my plane ticket! It's happening, baby! Yooohoooo!"

This is exciting. I got a good deal, too. Instead of flying into Madrid, I will be making my last stop in Sevilla, all for the low price of 1081 bucks, taxes included. Yeah, it's pretty sweet! I was not expecting to find a deal that good for such a small airport (well, in comparison to Madrid's Barajas airport). It is closer to my friends, so that is a plus, too.

I can't believe this is finally happening. I kinda have a hard time believing it.

But, I got my email confirmation and everything...1081 bucks well spent.

I could have waited and waited for the price to go down even more, but let's face it: it's 2011 and the price of oil just keeps on creeping upwards. It was now or never, and I couldn't pass up a good deal like that. Also, I'm returning on a Saturday, and I still managed to get a good deal like that.

So excited! Can't wait to see everyone again, and to get a taste of culture, delicious foods, and beautiful sights and sounds. I miss it all so much.

I think I will be bringing a million camera batteries. This time, I will make sure to take LOTS of videos, too. That's something I really didn't do enough of the last time I was there.

Oh, mis amigos queridos, que ganas tengo! :)

H. xoxoxo

Ok, ticket prices...plummet now!

Nothing has changed, in terms of ticket prices...and it seems it's been a month now since I started checking. I have a bad feeling things will only go up from here.

What to do? Buy now? I still remain hopeful.

Wishful thinking?

Time will tell.

H xox

Here comes the sun, little darling

...but back here in Canada, it's still pretty frickin' cold. The students had indoor recesses ALL DAY. You know what that means. Yeah. Hyper doesn't begin to describe it.

At least it's already mid-February. I know, I know. I shouldn't wish my life away, but dammit, I am a person of light and warmth. I can't believe my former Spanish roommates are enjoying 19 degrees right now...while I am on the complete opposite of that thermometer.

At least the days are getting longer! :) Oh, and one more week until we get to enjoy our jacuzzi...ahhh, that will be sweet.

Incidentally, if you're asking, no. The ticket prices still haven't budged. They are still sitting pretty at 995 dollars...meh. Not bad, not great. I'm inclined to wait some more. I've signed up for travel alerts, so let's see what they can tell me.

Work is going well...busy and tiring at times, but good. I love what I do. You have your good days and bad days, but the good usually wins over. Overall, I have nice kids at my school. I feel pretty lucky.

Tomorrow the students are having their Valentine's Day dance...and this time, instead of supervising in the gym, I'll be supervising the detention room. Fun stuff! Wonder who will be in there...for the Christmas Dance, there wasn't a detention room, so I wonder how many kids got in trouble, or whatnot.

I should be doing some marking...but I'm a wee bit tired and a tad lazy. Oh, well...I think I deserve a nice off night with music and blogging. I've been pretty good with going to bed early this past week...and no napping! Yikes. It's hard. The chiquita in me really loves a good siesta.

March Break is only in a month. Ottawa, here we come! Can't wait to see Cyn again...it'll only be for a day, but it'll be worth it! Hopefully we'll be able to skate on the canal by then...guess we'll see.

Ok, that's it for me right now,

H.

HALLELUJAH

February is FINALLY here. What better way to start this month than with a snow day! No work on a Wednesday is a-ok with me...

It's unbelievable how much snow we have been getting over here. Makes me count the days until I'm back in Spain even more. I was chatting with an old Spanish roommate of mine from Huelva, and he was telling me how they were dying of cold over there with -3 degree temperatures.

Ha. I've forgotten what that feels like. Anyone care for some -28 degree temperatures? Why am I here, again?

Oh, yeah. I've got a good teaching job, a nice house, a good boyfriend..yaddah yaddah yaddah. Let me dream of warmer, sunnier places anyway.

Today I watched the movie Groundhog Day, with Bill Murray. What a great movie, so well written and acted. I can't believe that I had never seen this movie before. I missed out! It must have been hard filming some of those scenes over and over again...

This month will hopefully be a lot less painful. I'm doing a short Carnaval unit with my students, there's Family Day up ahead and our hotel with jacuzzi to look forward to. I'm also hoping that my report cards are alright and that my principal won't send them back to me, with a million corrections.

We are supposed to get more cold, snowy days up ahead...not enough to warrant anymore snow days for quite some time, but just enough to get annoyed by it all. You know what I mean. Those 3-5 cm or 5-10 cm snowy days, where you have to shovel a lot and get up extra early to clear your car...yeah, those. Yucky.

Oh, well. I have some outdoor activities planned for my students for the Quebec Carnaval celebrations. I'm planning on having them play outside tomorrow, but it looks like it will be bitterly cold in the a.m.=-23 degrees. Ick. I might just be able to take my afternoon classes outside. The morning ones will have to wait until it gets a bit warmer again. Such is the wintertime!

At least it'll be sunny tomorrow. Ah, the sun...

Ticket prices are still 995 bucks. Are they ever going to budge? Yeah, probably...but most likely upwards. Something tells me I'll be getting my ticket this month. One can't wait too long before prices skyrocket.

Hasta luego amigos,

H.