Corrections, plans, and loitering

Having a sore throat inhibits your ability to spell.  Dog piles stepped in: 2.  Pooperscoopers witnessed: 8 1/2-  I could tell that there was effort but the stuff just didn't quite pick up.  Also- When I told you to say "Haber" I learned this week that you actually say "A ver" but its pronounced the same here.  The meaning is, 'Let's see'... used interchangeably with 'um'.  I make people laugh in classes (either at my jokes... or just at me- whatever pleases them) and I guess the professor had just explained this and then I just shouted out, "SO THAT'S WHAT EVERYONE SAYS ALL THE TIME!" The class erupted.  My friend Nate said that he can't take me anywhere.

I skipped school on Monday in order to not talk for a full day and rest and eat a lot of honey.  I have now found the most dangerous things in the house: my padre showed me the cookie jar, my madre showed me the honey, and after seeing some nutella on bread for mis sobrinas I searched and found the off brand Nutella.  I don't know what it is about Spain, but I just want sweets all of the time.  And having a sore throat didn't help matters because whenever I passed an ice cream place I'd convince myself that I needed it for my throat.  Also- McFlurrys are crazy delicious here.  They add chocolate and/ or caramel.  Thanks to *Abigail I knew about 'Bueno Bars' before I came to Spain and got one on the first night- got everyone in the group addicted.  We can't all be together without at least one person saying they need one.  Additionally- the first Thursday here I found myself at McDonald's eating a McFlurry and I have now been there for many people's first, probably of many.

I continue to love my classes and family.  Grammar has finally become challenging and Hispanoamerica has gotten slightly more interesting-we watched a documentary the other day!  Final exams here go on for a month- and Saturdays!  So we hadn't really seen actual University students before.  Monday the Campus was PACKED.  And I received the name of my conversation partner, but we haven't met yet.  My madre spoon-fed me honey the other day and explained that it might not taste as good as the other honey we have- but it will actually help me.

I've been here a month? It is so weird! I don't think I'll do the actual internship thing with kids just because it seems pretty difficult to keep in touch with the coordinator.  I am going to keep my ear out for private English tutoring- my friend speaks with a little girl in English once a week and gets paid 70 euro!  Jeez louise.  This past weekend I booked my flight to, and 3 hostels for Semana Santa (Spring Break) we still have to book the last hostel and the flight home- but I have the information, I just want everyone to be together when we do it so there is no confusion.  We are going to miss one day of school before the break and fly to Sevilla, spend 3 nights there and then bus to Cordoba.  Spend two nights in Cordoba and then bus to Granada.  Spend 3 nights in Granada and then bus to Malaga and stay there 4 nights before flying back.  Malaga is a beach town and the birthplace of Picasso.  I thought it would be nice to hang out on a beach after a week long of hectic traveling.  However, two of the girls coming are very white and have a rational fear of the beach.  So I've found places around there that they/we could visit- A 'Western' town, a Buddhist temple on a mountain, a natural spa.  It was hard pleasing everyone- but I had planned most of it and I think it will go well.  

Semana Santa is from the 14th-26th of April and will be my big trip.  However, I think I might be traveling every weekend in March.  The first weekend to Lisbon with the school during Carnaval (Marti Gras) I had wanted to go somewhere crazy, but no one else was up to making plans and I have wanted to go to Lisbon anyways so... The next weekend Paula and Luna are taking the UNI students to a cabin for the weekend! After that is Valencia for Las Fallas.  I overheard someone say that it might be cheaper to bus there during the night, sleep, and wake up once you arrive.  Then stay all day and leave early the next morning by bus and sleep then.  As opposed to trying to get a hostel.  We'll see how that goes.  Then, hopefully, I will meet up with Chris? I threw out Athens as an idea, we've just got to make a sure decision on date and location.  

I didn't realize it until the day, but yesterday was the first Sunday I had spent at my house.  It was weird. It's kind of the cleaning day and then everyone left for a long time.  They only go to church when they feel like it, so I don't think that's where they went.  I still can't understand my padre well, and I swear it's because he has a beard.  I can understand everyone else in my family, and mi madre is nice when she doesn't understand ME and just gives me a quizzical look until I get it right.  He just says- I have no idea what you are saying.  

Anyways... I was a trouble maker this weekend and got kicked out of McDonald's and a pub!  McDonald's is crazy busy on Saturday and if you have a birthday party there you get a waitress- who brings out GIANT hamburgers to play with!  My friend and I went to get McFlurry's and play cards and then the manager told us we had to leave because people needed seats AT MCDONALD'S.  Nuts.  Yesterday we had planned in advance with the owner of our favorite cafe Favorit to let us watch the Superbowl there at midnight.  People did it last year and we had made an agreement with him.  So we showed up at 11:30 and he said, "Nevermind, I'm gonna close at 12". WHAT? So we frantically looked for other places and couldn't find anything.  We found wifi outside and considered taking turns watching it on people's computers but then a fancy restaurant saw us and offered us inside.  SWEET.  People ordered drinks to be polite and we watched the National Anthem.  So this was about 12:30.  At 12:40 a waitress came up and said they were closing at 12:45.  We asked, "So in five minutes?" and she responded, "Ok, make it 12:50".  Thanks, I will savor the extra five minutes we get to watch the game that you offered us to see, seemingly in full? So we had to leave there but some watched through the window until they actually turned off the restaurant lights. 

People were slowly dropping off and walking home.  But I had told mis padres that I was going out and not coming back til at least 3 in the morning and I was going to take advantage of this time out! My friends and I talked and had a quick dance party before we got a call from a group who found a pub on the way home that was staying open until 2:30!  We went in and watched until the Stealers got 17 points, and then our time was up.  So, at 3, I ventured home- keeping up with the game through an online blog.  So, really, I wasn't a trouble-maker at all- It just sounds cool to say I got kicked out :P

I have told many of you in the past that I think I will have to pay to pick up packages if you send them- it's what I heard before I came here.  A lot of people are confused about this so I'll try to find out if it's true/why in the coming days.

A ver... I guess I'll write at you soon!