Over a month in Europe: Busy making dem EOs

It's now been over a month since I landed in Spain and started my life in Europe...37 days to be exact! Honestly, it's been a roller coaster ride of adjustments and sentiments towards my new home for 8 months. On September 27th (last day of orientation in Cáceres), I moved into a 3 bedroom apartment on the northeast side of Coria with another auxiliar teaching in town from Eugene, Oregon. She (yes, I said she) is pretty cool, a punk girl who's into roller derby. We usually hang out after a long day of classes on Thursday evenings talking about the classes we teach and drink, watch stuff on netflix and basically chill out. We are both exhausted after teaching from Monday thru Thursday. Whilst reading this, you are thinking WHAT THE F*CK?! ONLY 4 DAYS?! BASTARD! Well, here is my schedule:

Cathedral in Plasencia nearby the other school

Officially and legally, I only work 12 hours a week in the schools for 700 E.Os -- EOs pronounced ['i.ohz], my universal slang for the euro. It sounds too good to be true and it somewhat is. Mondays and Tuesdays, I work 6 hours in Coria. Wednesday and Thursdays is a bit different because I have to travel to Plasencia, a town 40 minutes east of Coria. Its a bigger town with many more shops and place to eat than town. Also the Cathedral and Torre is a pleasure to walk by when I'm heading to school. I teach usually between 9am-2pm at both colegios (schools). After 2, siesta time sets in when all the shops close and people head home for lunch or nap. I usually head home for lunch then to the bar below my place and have an afternoon café con leche. Depending on the day, starting around 4:30pm the mayhem starts.

Café con churros

During the early evening hours (4:30pm-9pm), I am on foot in Coria traveling to different homes giving private English classes for an hour each, Monday thru Thursday. There is a massive demand for these private classes from all ages, yet the majority are 12-15 years. They are real fun but can be exhausting, helping them with pronunciation or trying to understand what they are saying within some context. Grammar is barely touched on because they learn it in school, so their parents want them to converse with real natives and they are willing to pay (and plenty too). Its honestly a good side business to make some extra money for food, travel and other things. It also helps battle homesickness but by 8pm I'm wiped out. I head back home, eat, do some chores and pass out around 11pm (like I did during gradschool). Friday thru Sunday is freedom, relaxation and sometimes boredom but long walks or blog writing help out.

 

Peace