First person to come up with a clever title wins: No clever title for this post, either

So we're almost at two weeks and I'm still alive!

School's been fun. Nottt! So far I've been 5 days and have so far I've gotten my schedule (which is aight, plus some teachers offered to drive me to and from school. Yay!) It's been super frustrating to make that whole trip to sign roll, because if I don't, it's an absence, which means one less when I actually want to go travel or something. I still haven't met any kids. Tuesday is a holiday (the person I asked didn't know what for but suspected it was Constitution Day) and we get Monday off at school too. So Wednesday I'll finally start and meet the kids and whatnot. I've assembled The World's Most Awesome Powerpoint about myself, (U)SC, fam, etc. We'll see if the kids care at all.

Word is that I'll be working 12 hours a week, Mon-Thurs. 4 hours are chatting one-on-one with 4 teachers so they can practice English, and 5 hours are basically reading from a textbook in science classes so the kidlets can get used to a native accent. (My director specifically asked me to use a British accent, which is specifically against the program design. So that's not gonna happen.) Apparently the girls with this job last year spiced it up with the occasional experiment and whatnot. 2 hours are in English classes, which I guess is where I do the language and culture lessons I've supposedly come for. That's where I'm going to win the kids over with my ppt. And then apart from that, they are certain holidays we'll celebrate and maybe extracurricular stuff to be involved in.

There's another auxiliar at my school, from NC. So of all the people outside the US, at least the people at my school will know that "Carolina" is not, in fact, one entity, and hasn't been for a couple hundred years, give or take a few. I haven't met him yet, but he seems nice via emails. I didn't get the impression that we'd be working together though. The teachers there seem nice too, and though I've spent tons of time sitting around in the teachers' lounge doing nothing, for the most part I've been too shy to try to make them my BFFs. I suppose I'll get to know people as time passes and I get more comfortable there.

Apt situation is still lovely. Chani's been a lifesaver since I don't know anyone!! I've basically just been borrowing her friends and she's been a good sport about it. Weekdays we've made a bunch of dinners and watched our little tv series together, which, in my opinion, is super cute. And this weekend we had Mojito Friday, and then last night we went to a cafe, then someone's house to play ping pong and foosball (though it felt incomplete without tiny Chivas/Americas players) and hang out (and I could even actually understand some things, thanks to rum and the fact that we were talking one-on-one in a fairly quiet location,) then to my house, then to a couple Partyklubs. Sorry, I enjoy a good run-on sentence. The first place was super fresa and just kind of hilarious, esp. observing the fashion and hairstyles (is it really necessary to tease and spike your hair that much?) and then we went to another that had top 40 and that, as usual, made me happy inside.

As for my attitude about being here, it fluctuates like crazy. Sometimes I feel like I've got myself together and other times I get super frustrated because, for example, I'm hanging out with Chani's friends and I can't understand them well enough to join in on the conversation and express that I do, in fact, have a personality. And I know I just need to give it time, but patience isn't really my strong point. In general though, of course I'm glad I'm here, even if it's hard.

Also just now I skyped with a Mexican friend and kept saying "como" instead of "mande." I'm not sure I like this... Anyways.

Oh! Also also I've bought a ticket to England to go see the ex-roomies in December. I can't wait!!!

Oh! here's some pictures! I haven't taken a ton but I hope a few will satisfy curiosity, if there is any.

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Sunset picture...of course! That thing sticking up is a bridge that's one of the like landmarks of Sevilla. I think it was built for the '92 world fair here. There are a bunch of bridges that connect downtown Sevilla with the other side of the Guadalquivir River (where I live, in Triana).

First real dinner. I'd been eating the snack food I came with for a couple days till I decided it was time to eat a real meal. So this is at some random bar. I don't know what I ordered. I didn't understand the server when he said what they had, so I told him to bring me something yummy and cheap. DELICIOUS meat with ham (like not fried bacon basically), french fries, olives (this is when I decided I like them), and then in bread basket there are little cylindrical crunchy bread thingies called picos that get eaten with EVERYTHING. And tinto de verano (wine + soda water + lemon + magic)

The beach at Barbate, where Chani's from. You can see Morocco from there!

Chani's car is on the left. We literally pushed the other two cars out of the way, she parked, and then we pushed the cars back in front of it. I thought she was kidding when she said it's like tetris. Ah and this is my building. Well, the one across from mine.