Newness. Follow me here from now on.

So, I've decided to stop using my Photoblog website for good now. They now charge for more than 5 photos, which to me is a bit absurd; you can still check out old photos if you are interested though. So, on here you can find my Flickr account linked and I'll be posting much more frequently since photos aren't a necessity here. I'm going to try and keep this blog as friendly for all audiences as possible...although, I shall make no promises.

I'm thinking that I need to stop drinking coffee, or at least crappy store-brand instant coffee. I get this terrible anxious stomach/chest thing that just refuses to go away. So, as soon as that first paycheck comes, I'm going to run out to the store and buy some good coffee. This is pertinent information because I am one of those sad cases of caffeine addiction (at least one good cup in the AM). I am happy to say that I have made improvements in this area with my (somewhat new, 4 months back) morning yoga/PT stretch ritual.

The rest of my diet is pretty limited right now too, due to financial constraints...which shall be remedied very soon. My menu has consisted of toast (made in a frying pan), cereal, couscous, pasta, fruit and eggs. This doesn't sound too bad to your average person, but I love to cook and am such a foodie that I am finding myself a bit bored. Oh well, I could have worse problems.

I'll be starting my third week at Kursaal (my school) on Tuesday, and I have to say that I really like it. It is much more laid back than what I am used to, in terms of both school and work. I work approximately 14 hours a week for them, doing conversation with teachers learning English, giving lessons to bilingual classrooms (computer science and natural sciences) and writing out lesson plans. The staff is incredibly friendly and has offered me everything from dinner, to vacations with them and family, to you name it.

I'm also starting to fill up my schedule (a whopping 30 hours) with private lessons. I currently have two 5 year old cousins, another 5 year old, a 3 year old, a 22 year old and a 30 something for students. Within a week I hope to have a full schedule. I'm finding it a bit difficult to give lessons as effectively as I'd like to the young kids...but it's a challenge that I really need and enjoy. These lessons are allowing me to survive week to week here as I am paid as soon as the lesson finishes. After I receive my first paycheck from the school and have my private lesson schedule full, I expect to make enough money to go on nearly every trip I had planned before coming to Spain: Finland, Sweden, Czech Republic, Germany, France, England, Belgium, Netherlands and Morocco. For some reason, Italy and Greece aren't appealing to me at the moment, but who knows.

I have so much free time here it is a bit disorienting. I was working between 55 and 80 hours a week this summer in order to get to Spain, and now I am working 25. It's nice to have the time to read and relax, but I'm such a busy body its a bit unnerving. I've taken up French classes at my school and plan on studying that, as well as keeping my German studies going to keep me busy in the meantime. I'll get to use them when I go and visit Ben for Christmas vacation. That will be my first big trip throughout Europe and at the moment the planning is still in the works. I'm also waiting to hear back from the Foundation for Sustainable Development on my acceptance into their program in Argentina. I feel like my chances are really good, now I just have to see if I win the Fulbright to help fund it. If not, I will be asking everyone, including YOU, the person reading this to help me fund it. If the time comes, I'll include details that will make you feel like a bad person for not helping :P

And, of course, I am riding my bicycle an insane amount. This is great because I am getting to know the city, staying active and becoming all the hipster I can be. I'm a trackstand master now, I can even keep one going without hands...a truly useful skill, ha. I need to keep taking long trips like this last one to Tarifa in order to get in shape for my epic ride with Kevawn next summer. I won't even explain that right now since I'll probably get too excited...or jinx myself and break my arm the week before.

I'm a bit homesick at this point, but not the kind that ruins my time here. I was really part of a great community/vibe in Grand Rapids. I enjoyed the work I was doing, the people I was working with, the bicycle and art community, my awesome friends and of course my family. I had never felt so part of something before, and it has truly been difficult to leave that behind. But, I know this is really going to help me get to where I want to be, i.e. The ISS in the Netherlands, to get the job that will help me do what I want with my life. So for all you haters, forgive me for jumping town, but I had to! I just hope to make some friendships like those I had in the GR, although its hard to say if that's possible. I'll be back soon. Peace, love and blessings.