Wednesday 30 November 2011

By Your Hand

We are back!

It's been a while but I have been busy. Really busy. I don't work Saturdays anymore which is great news but what I didn't realise at the time was that it offered a stretching effect. I am working the same number of hours in five days rather than six. Throw in more off site schools and thus more time on the underground and I'm seriously rushed. My xbox has been sadly neglected, this weekend I'm planning to spend some serious time reconnecting. It's quite sad at the moment of week, lots of people are leaving. I found out today Julio is leaving which makes me want to cry. The most exciting thing at work is that a work mate and I have a new plan to keep our kids in line. It is the classic good cop, bad cop role. Just because they don't know my face I can strut in shout a bit and look mean while my friend tries to look smiley and nice. It worked beautifully. Sure, I don't have the authority to do anything, but they don't know that.

The Spanish election was won by the El Tories but they don't start until after Christmas which seems a little strange. It means there are packs of media guys on the pavement outside school now. I like to pretend my arrival at work is considered news worthy but then when I saw the President of the Madrid region hanging around outside I suppose they were there for her. It was weird she was waiting outside for a car to come and pick her up and the photographers were dangerously close to being polite. Didn't even chase her down the street. I suppose we will have to get used to them being around.

Outside of school it was Amy's birthday at the weekend and she had a house party to celebrate. I spent the majority of it playing with her dog, or more accurately the dog spent most of the time playing with my laces. I wouldn't have been so friendly if I knew she wasn't house broken. It was a lucky escape. Monday night was exam night. I love exams. They bust their arse for three hours while I read a book. Though on Monday Charlton had a very important game at the same time and I spent the whole time fretting. I rushed home got it online and subjected my house mate to listening to me belittle Huddersfield and gloat when we won 2-0. Eight points clear baby. Other than that my goal tally for the season is now 3 and I have just eaten so much curry I might go into a coma.

The flat continues to be lovely. The novelty of living behind a secrt book case entrance hasn't dimmed at all. The only bad thing is that I came DANGEROUSLY close to making an Anne Frank joke to my German housemate and her German friend. I do know theres no such thing as an Anne Frank joke.

The Christmas lights are up which I'm enjoying though it does break my rule of nothing Christmas related until December. It's getting darker and colder which may sound strange but Christmas needs to be cold and dark. I have a friend in Australia now and says it's truly strange that it's sunny and all the decorations are still winter themed. I can't wait for tomorrow, my Mum has sent me an advent calender. Bless her.

love love love x

Wednesday 16 November 2011

Porno

Hi everyone.

You may have heard more from me in recent times than you wanted. My email was hacked and a LOT of pornography was sent out. Maybe you enjoyed but if not I'm sorry! I have spent today apologizing to a lot of people, including my mother, little sister and some students. They took it well.

Other than that Madrid is good! It's been a very good few days at work thanks to England scrapping past Spain on Saturday. The Spanish are shell shocked and I can't say I blame them. I have been gloating a little but as they point out I agreed with them that Spain would win comfortably before hand. More on the game on the other blog. It was a more footballing weekend than normal last weekend as I scored my third goal of the season and more joyfully I actually got to watch Charlton in the pub. It was wonderful, we won 4-0, love you Charlton. Other than football Madrid is gripped by election fever. On Sunday they go to the polls and I'm told the Spanish version of the Tories (PP) will win by a landslide. PP's headquarters is on the same street as our school so there has been lots of people shoving stickers and leaflets into your hand everytime you go past. A Spanish election is a lot less intrusive than an English one, if it wasn't for PP being on our street I'd be barely aware of it.

Everything has been pretty rock n roll recently. Went to see a choir on Saturday as my friend Claire was performing. It was really good, we all got to feel very cultured sitting in a beautiful church listening to songs in Latin. It was all a little over my head but it sounded good. I was back on church on Sunday and as after our service they were holding a Remberance Sunday service, which the British Ambassador and a few high level army guys were attending, sniffer dogs were brought through in case we had planted any explosives. We hadn't.

School has been pretty normal. This is the first week for three weeks I have had to work five days a week, it's been a shock. Spain loves bank holidays and wonders why its even more skint than we are. I have one problem kids class when someone came to observe to try and work out a way to get them focused, only for her to walk in and for all the kids to behave like angels. I have been very lucky with classes generally. My adult classes are great.

The term is flying, home in no time.

love love love x

Wednesday 2 November 2011

Stan Collymore

It's been a while but we are back! It has been an immensly stressful few weeks, but after wanting to tear my hair out in despair, I am writing to you from a new flat! I really like it, its big and bright and there is some football stadium at the end of the street. Apparently it belongs to Real Madrid, no I haven't heard of them either.

I and three other people I live with made the decision to move out a few weeks ago. We were sick of the landlady sleeping the living room, especially as she often slept until two in the afternoon. She told us it was temporary but as the bags piled up and after she went from the sofa to a fold down bed we realised it was a little longer than previously stated. We soon learnt to take everything she said with a pretty large pinch of salt. It is fair to say she did not take kindly to three of us wanting to move out and one point stooping as low as to accuse of us racism. Is it because I am Venezuelan? No, no, it isn't. We looked at a few flats, agreed on one changed minds a few times but have finally found somewhere. That is not doing the stress of searching justice but I can't go into it again. At one point we didn't think we could move into this place as one of my room mates was unable to withdraw money as her bank was without power due to a huge snow storm in the north east of America. Even the weather was out to foil us, that's how it felt.

Otherwise it is great to be back in Madrid. My new classes are good. My adults are all lovely and pretty motivated all but one kids class are great, two out of three ain't bad. I intercepted my first note today! Two girls passing a note to each other which said, Do you want to pass notes? It wouldn't have been so bad if it had been written in English. First Spanish class back was good, new teacher seems and I'm seriously motivated this year as over the last year I was deemed to not have progressed enough to move up. I really need to sit down and just learn some fucking Spanish. The new workmates are nice and the old ones are just as great as they were. It's a bit weird that quite a few didn't come back but they all seem to be doing well.

Outside of work I had my first ride in a cable car in many years. It was really strange as it was just across some fields leading up to Casa de Campo, next to the motorway. They played Phil Collins and at some points it was so low we were going through the trees. I'm getting to now Charlie the parrot pretty well, he likes to sit on my shoulder and bite my ear lobe, I'm told its affectionate but I get the feeling that excuse won't work with the police if I try it on any young ladies. Sunday football has restarted, I have brought this season's goal tally to one. It's business as usual.

love love love x

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