Life & León

I'm sorry, but I love titles with alliterations. They're cheap and cheesy, so hate me if you want. (No, love me!)

Things are going well here in Oviedo! I've been in classes for about two weeks and I'm really happy with my school. We have a bilingual program, which provides an interesting opportunity for me to work in English-language content classes (biology & music, for example.) So the job is going well, as is life outside of the classroom.

I've gone out a couple times with the other auxiliars here (or "white gurlz", as I refer to everyone who isn't Spanish) and there's always something to do in Asturias. They had a wildly successful culture night last weekend, a local fashion week, and there will be a film festival next month in Gijón.

My most exciting adventure lately was to León. It's a city located just south of Asturias (in train, it's about 2 hours of breathtaking scenery away from Oviedo) and that's where my now ex-roommate San is from. She moved out after a week, but we're still friends, so she invited me to spend the weekend with her family. We visited León, and other places, like Astorgas, and the village where her grandpa lives where we had a delicious barbecue. Seriously, like 6 kinds of meat, and I had to try them all...:0

We spent the rest of the weekend eating tapas and seeing the sights- cathedral, gypsy market, parks- in the capital. Like in Granada, the tapas are free with the purchase of a beverage, so you can get your drink on and eat dinner for like 5-10 euros. It's the best.

Tapas: creamy mushroom tostada, goat cheese & bacon sandwich, and potato lasagna :)

Palacio Episcopal by Gaudí

We went to this great "palace", which has a restaurant, bodega, and small hotel. It has views of the mountains and beautiful agricultural valley.

Blurred Lines: the wine room

Where they roast red peppers to sell.

Picking figs at San's grandpa's house.

The facade of this building is covered in scallop shells, a symbol of the Camino de Santiago.

Oviedo: My New Home

Hey peeps, I'm finally moved into an apartment in Oviedo! It's in a great location, just on the edge of the historic old town and close to the city center. Here's my address, if anyone wants to send me a card or look it up on google maps:

Michael Larkin
c/ Padre Suarez, 13, PRL IZQ
Oviedo, Asturias, 33009
ESPAÑA

I'm living in a shared flat; so far, there is a Spanish girl (doing graduate studies in English,) an Italian guy, and myself. Supposedly, "two Turks" are coming on Friday, so we will be quite the international apartment. (I seriously hope some of these people teach me how to cook/feed me delicious food.) The two roommates I've met are really nice, and one of them helped me register myself at city hall today. I like our apartment because it's in pretty good condition, has a big, quiet green space behind us, and is close to everything: my bank, my favorite grocery store (MERCADONA), a park, and some of the big party streets are just adjacent to us, which means no taxis or sketchy walks home at night. Here's a view from my bedroom:

So peaceful!
I've just spent the last two days getting settled in, grocery shopping and unpacking. Besides that, I have just been walking around town, exploring things. Oviedo has some gorgeous architecture and it is very well kept. Someone told me it is the cleanest city in Europe, actually. I like that there is a mix of styles here, in contrast to Badajoz, where everything basically sprang up uniformally during the 70's-80's. I met up with the assistant who worked at my future school last year, because she is still living in Oviedo. Her name is Holly and she has been really helpful, even inviting me to this beautiful beach on Sunday. So far, I am very impressed with the natural beauty of Asturias and the kindness of the people here. I hope I still feel that way after meeting my students next week! Here's some other pictures of Oviedo (sorry the picture quality is not great!):

Green spaces, sculptures, old & new buildings...Oviedo.

Any Woody Allen fans recognize this building??

I'll keep you updated with my life and travel plans. Love you all!

Back to the Blog!

Hello! Welcome back to this little ol' blog of mine. I'm back in Spain for a second year of living & teaching English. (This time, in Oviedo, Asturias.) I know I didn't post anything last year, but I hope to stay more on top of things now. For those who missed it, here's a look back at the amazing experiences I had last year. I learned so much about traveling, teaching, language, Spanish & American culture, friendship, love, and life. Take a look:

My roomies from last year :)

Check back soon for photos of Oviedo and my new apartment (once I find one...)