the daily grind

Ok, now that I've settled into my routine more or less, I thought I might give you a peek into my day! 

7:10-20- wake up, think to myself "oh my god it's so cold," start to get ready for my day

7:35-45- finally make it downstairs where everyone else has been eating breakfast for 10 minutes, gulp down some tea and nom on some bread/crackers and cheese (or marmalade)

7:50- pile into the car and head for school! my host mom drives us since my host siblings and I are all going to the same place

8:00- waltz into the teacher's room, say my "hola"s, gather my stuff and head with my co-teacher to our first class (which technically starts at 8 but really more like 8:05). 

9:30 - leave first class, head to teacher's room for second breakfast. That's right, I said second breakfast.  Bread and whatever cheese, meat, or spread is on tap for the day, with tea.  And the teachers all sit together and gossip about teacher things and I try (but usually fail) to follow along

another class, another class.  My co-teacher and I do the first 45 minutes of class together and then split the students in half for the remaining 45 minutes-- or split first then re-group, depending on the day and the class level, because freshmen and sophomores have 4 hrs of English a week but juniors and seniors only 3. 

1:00 - lunchtime!  It's an hour long, so most of the teachers leave to go back home (and many students do too). I wouldn't have time to go home and back, so on days when I am at school all day I have to bring lunch. 

another class, another class. There are 15-min breaks between classes, and all the teachers go back to the teachers' room and gradually make their way to the classrooms after the next bell rings, just like the students (so the classes usually start late, which was an adjustment for me)

4:30- school's out!  If it's Tuesday, I will stay to do karaoke with some first graders (freshmen), and on Wednesday and Thursday I do practice with the debate team and English Club, for (alternating) students and professors.  But those last two have not started to meet yet.  If I'm not staying, I walk home and enjoy the lovely views (see below)

look at that!  look how gorgeous! my neighborhood is at the bottom of this hill

 ~5 - get home, drop my stuff off in my room, think to myself "oh my god it's so hot," change clothes (because I don't like teacher clothes), sit down for a snack and/or "once," which is like super light early dinner, with the family

my room!  there are like 7 blankets hiding under Mickey

watch a telenovela, plan lessons, get myself organized, respond to emails, BLOG, etc.  

between 8-9- dinner!  as I've already said, my host mom is a fantastic cook

do more stuff, just hanging around the house doing whatever (watch tv, chat with my host fam, etc.)

~11- off to bed!