An eventful week and a half or so.

Since my last entry, I've had quite the number of interesting experiences. So much so, that I haven't really had the time to organize my thoughts enough to write them down. So here we are...

Last weekend, I went with a few of my friends, Hannah, Meghan, Abby, Joaquin, and Billy, to Cadiz, to see the city and visit my friend Matt. He and I were roommates during orientation in Sevilla and became good friends pretty quickly; so quickly that it's hypothesized that we are dating. I'm pretty sure we're not. Either way, a visit was long overdue, especially because I had heard so much about Cadiz.

We left on Thursday night and stayed with Matt and his roommates until early Monday evening. The first night we went out with his Spanish roommate Sandra and a few of their friends from the city. I surprised myself as I am usually the grandpa in the group, and I was the only one to stay out and hang with the Spaniards all night, until 7 am. We had a great time, hanging out near the old city gates, on top of this ancient wall, having a drink. Later on, we went to a few dance clubs, which aren't my favorite, but I was in good company.

The weather was fantastic all weekend, staying near the low to mid 80s. We went to the beach every single day and went swimming, in November! I got a bit jealous of Matt's placement and apartment since it is so beautiful, in a city far more interesting than Algeciras and so near to the beach. But then I thought, I would probably not appreciate it so much if I lived there. Whether or not this is true, its put my jealousy to rest somewhat (haha).

The week that followed my trip to Cadiz went by so quickly. I returned on the 2nd, with enough time to lesson plan for my classes that were the following day and to call my mom to wish her a happy birthday. The week never slowed down, as I had three couch surfing requests for the weekend that was coming as well as Matt coming to visit Algeciras for the first time.

I got my first couch surfer on Thursday night. A Malaysian physics student, living in Manchester, who was hitchhiking from England to Morocco in order to raise money for juvenile cancer research. His name was "G" and was one of the coolest most interesting people I have ever met. He ended up staying with me for two nights and we hung out for the better part of his time here. He came out with our normal group of friends and everyone had a great time with him. I was a bit sad to see him go, but I plan on staying on his couch when I go to England.

Friday, two girls arrived on their way to Morocco, one from the US, one from England (Hannah and Bethany). We didn't get to know each other too well, since both nights they stayed with me, they were only here long enough to brush their teeth and sleep. Needless to say, they were both super nice and invited me to stay on their couches during my travel whenever I want.

The couch surfing experience has been awesome so far and I'm really glad I signed up. I was a bit apprehensive at first, but it really is very safe and a great way to help out travelers and meet new people. A few blogs ago I said I felt like I wasn't really putting much back into the world at the moment. Couch surfing has given me a way to do that I feel. Helping people see new things, meet new people, expand their knowledge and understanding of other cultures. All of these things are so important to me and I am stoked that I can help people enjoy them for themselves.

My house has been quite full as Matt came to stay this weekend. So at one point, I had four guests staying in my house. You would think it might be a bit crowded, but I have two couches, a pull-out bed and a spare room at the moment; our roommate from Morocco is still MIA.

Anyway, I got to take my friends around the city, show them some of the nicer things, eat some great tapas and even go to Gibraltar. It was my first time in Gib, which is sad considering that it is 40 minutes away by bus, but I wanted to take Matt. We met our British friend Billy there to watch a Manchester United game and eat some legit fish and chips. I was pumped that I could have the fish, since it is all caught locally right here in the area! Billy said that it is better than fish and chips you'll get in England because its fresher. The game was a lot of fun and the Brits lived up to their reputation of being rowdy during football matches. I even got called a "Manc ****" because I was rooting for the Reds instead of Chelsea. I took it as a compliment. To top it off, we got to see an airplane take off from the Gib airport, which shuts down the road and uses part of it as the airstrip. Kendell had told me not to come on account of this savage fact, but I thought it was pretty cool...

Now I find myself lesson planning, wanting to give better lessons than I have lately. So, I'm spending a better part of the day trying to think of how to reach my students most effectively, which is tough considering there isn't a uniform level of English. Oh well, its a much needed challenge that I can use some of my free time on.

I have another visitor coming this weekend, my friend Sam, who I studied in Argentina with. He is on break from school in the Czech Republic and decided to come here. We're going to check out Gib again (I want to see monkeys and the other stuff there), Tarifa and Malaga and then he's taking off to Lisbon. It will be fun and makes me anticipate even more the other visitors that I have coming (Kevin, Annie, Mom, maybe more...).

A little side note, I went on my biggest ride yet with the cycling club. Over 100km on the biggest hills I've ever done. It was brutal, but rewarding. It's giving me a good challenge every weekend, as I have a TON to learn about road cycling. And so the adventure continues...