What have I been up to this past month? Well, I've been to Madrid, had a few smaller trips & adventures, and helped supervise some fun school events. It's finally getting chilly- the horrible, bone-chilling cold that only occurs in humid climates- and raining quite a bit here. I can't tell if we just made an abrupt switch to winter, or if fall, I mean
autumn (British English...), is still halfheartedly happening. With so many trees here, I was expecting an autumn fireworks show. So far the leaves have mostly failed to turn colors and the ones that have are like a dingy gold color, as if they've already started rotting before falling off the tree. Asturias is still beautiful, though! After taking a walk along the coast in Gijón, I'm so anxious to see the rest of the rugged beaches and sea cliffs in my region.
In other news, we got paid today! I was getting a little nervous, because I'm in the process of planning/booking two separate trips: Bilbao for a long weekend & Morocco for winter break. I wish I could see all my family & friends for the holidays, but that's just not how life is working out right now. Obviously I'm thrilled for Morocco; I just want to acknowledge how much I miss everybody! Here's some photos from the past couple weeks:
Seeing John & Yohann (& their friend Michael) in Madrid.
I'm headed to Morocco with these 3!
Kayaking the Río Sella with friends from Gijón
My kayak partner & BJZ roommate, Daron!
For Halloween, the bilingual teachers and I put together a scavenger hunt for the students. They had to complete a set of tasks related to content they were study in their bilingual classes. Activities included "spooky" math problems and Pin the Tail on the Cat. The kids had a lot of fun!
Halloween costume: Courtney Love and Kurt Cobain.
John & Yohann came to visit after Halloween.
We visited some Romanic ruins above Oviedo.
The coast near Gijón is beautiful- with sun or clouds.
Some of my auxiliar friends from Oviedo and I went to the city of Avilés and found this ridiculous fountain. From L to R: Idaho, England, New Zealand, California, Maryland, and Scotland.
Roasting chestnuts is a tradition in many cities here.
This week, we took some of the older students on a combined language-science excursion to Gijón. The weather was a bit rough, but we still managed to enjoy parts of the botanical garden.
We watched an Australian film called "Satellite Boy" in this absolutely random building outside Gijón. It's called La Laboral and it was built during the Franco era. It's a multi-use complex that is equal parts Harry Potter castle and ancient empire-themed Las Vegas casino. It was great to get the kids out of the classroom for a change of scenery and a little experiential learning.
That's about it for now. Let me know what you'd like to see/know more about. Food pics? Cultural differences? Spanish or British slang? Leave me a comment! Loves
