Hello everyone!!! What's happening over there in those parts? I miss all of you very much! I hope all is well. Today I started the first week of real classes. I have 1 class on Mon. and Weds. and 3 on Tues. and Thurs. Friday classes are not allowed so that is wonderful! Yesterday we went to the beach and it was like always, very nice and relaxing. It was a little chilly though. So far Spain has been lovely. It is quite a change from living at home. But it is really fun and I am learning a lot about life, a different culture, and myself. But I miss rootbeer and portillos a lot! And also Ma's Manicotti and Dad's Chili...I don't know how I am going to get through the fall without your Chili dad! Fonsi (my spanish mama) is very sweet and she makes good food...and an occasional spanish pizza which is delicioso.
I have finally figured out how to post pictures so let me explain. The top left is me getting my hand read from "LA BOCA DE LA VERDAD" (the mouth of truth). It was this thing at the bus station in Huelva and it talked to you and told you your future. I got such a kick out of it!!! It kind of reminds me of that thing in the movie BIG. Next to it is of Heather (my best friend here) and me just being goofy while drinking some wine and eating some tapas. Then the Universidad de Sevilla which is were I will be taking two of my classes. Also the Plaza de Espana which is so incredibly beautiful. I love it there! There are a lot more pictures of it but that is the only one I am going to put up for now. It is very large and forms a half circle. Wonderful I tell you! You can see the ferris wheel in the background which is located in Parque Maria Luisa. It is pretty cool, I feel like it is big as the one at Navy Pier but I may be wrong. We went to a Corrida de Toros (Bull fight) last weekend and it was a very interesting experience. They definitely torture the bulls. In order to weaken the bull the have a man come out on a horse and spear it with a sword, and that is what the picture I put up is of. It is quite disturbing and I didn't like it that much! But it was an experience that I will never forget! Anyway, I must go now. I love you all and wish all the best for you in the next couple months!

More from Sevilla

From Kath, 9/22/06:

I just took a rather difficult test to end my intensive grammar session. The three weeks went by really fast! It is time to fiesta because I have been doing school crap the past two days. But tomorrow we have to take a test at 9:30 for our cursos para extranjeros...It rained yesterday and was very refreshing. I liked it a lot. How is Mookie doing? The beach shall be fun like normal. One last hoorah before our real classes start..We are going to eat tapas tonight and beach and whatnot. Then Alicante next weekend!

Richmond, IL

Gail checks in:

My job is great, I really like being back in school again. The position is interesting because I'm not a teacher nor am I a secretary or administration person. I'm basically my own person here. I am the only one here at this school who knows this PLATO curriculum besides the lady who trained me on it. I see about 20 kids a day. There are 67 students (sophs, jrs, seniors) signed up but they all don't have a class period with me. The other 47 students signed up for this course work do it "at home"...I enjoy coming here every day knowing that I know what I'm doing and that I have a handle on what's going on. I start at 8:30 but I don't see any kids until 9:45. I do my paperwork in the morning before anyone comes in. I need to update every morning to see what kind of work has been completed the day before. I work closely with the 3 counselor's here. We talk back and forth about specific students and how their progress is.

This is homecoming week, so there's been alot of fun events that have been going on all week. Every day there's a different way one can dress ( I haven't participated in that at all). Tonight there's a bonfire after the varsity soccer game...They let 200 seniors out for the day to find wood. I guess this fire gets HUGE. The fire department stands by to monitor it. I'm thinking of bringing the kids to the football game on Saturday if it's not raining. Anyway, this week is bringing back alot of memories.

Angels Race Triathlon (Clemmons, NC)

An excerpt from Beth's narrative about her triathlon on Sunday, Sept. 17:

It is truly difficult for me to put into words what this past Sunday was like. It was a bit overwhelming actually. I had been training on my own and with a small group for almost 3 months and now was the time to put it to a purpose. It was suggested that we arrive at Tanglewood at 6:30. A line is snaking thru the park in the dark looking for the next flashlight to tell us where to turn; hairs on the back of my neck are standing straight up from anticipation. I am so excited at this point I start to cry and laugh at the same time...I am really doing this. Put my bike on the rack; lay out my beach towel, on it I place my shoes and socks, shorts, helmet, and smaller towels for drying after the swim...Up ahead I see my pine tree, my, YOU ARE SO CLOSE TO THE FINISH pine tree. Pass the barn, run behind the train, pick up the asphalt sidewalk and there is the finish. “And now crossing the line is Elizabeth MacDougal from Clemmons.” I am done. I cross the finish line and immediately wish I had run faster. I am 4th in my age group for the run, I finish the triathlon in 1 hour 19 minutes. I am 79th overall out of 143 female entries. I hang around to see the rest of my training group finish. I am so glad I did this.

Seville

From Kath on 9/15/06:

Another week down for the intensive grammar class. Yesterday our assignment was to go to a flea market to buy an object for 2 euro. We had to barter and then make a story about where the object came from...Chris and I bought this hideous witch and made a silly story about it. Went out last night and getting ready to do the same tonight. We are going to Huelva tomorrow...6 of us. We are going out for Tapas tonight.

Greensboro

Hey Em!

http://www.uncg.edu/

Our backyard

Cliff and Mary got a new fence.

Mr. Ely

http://www.gageparkhs.org/

http://www.cps.edu/schools/hsdirectory/

Seville/Granada

chicago

hey everyone... or whoever reads this blog. I just wanted to post a few pictures of Chicago for everyone to enjoy. This yellow building is my home now, I live on the second floor. Hopefully only family are looking at this site, so I will post my addresss...
2051 N. Sedgwick Apt # 24
Chicago, Il 60614
I live in Lincoln park about 2 blocks from the zoo and the neighborhood is beautiful. It is a nice area. It takes me about 30 minutes to get to Gage Park High School (where I am offically a teacher now). I just cruise down Lake Shore, which i included a picture of. The school is great, it is a bit chaotic, but I am very glad and excited to be there. It is going to be a very fun year. I will be getting emails out to everyone once the mayhem begins to die down, but as always, I miss everyone very much and I look forward to talking with you all. I hope all is well :)

Just a cool sidenote, when Mom and Dad moved me in on Sept. 1 we ate a little restuarant across the street called Stanleys Kitchen. Sunday night when I walked by, there was a line down the street to get in and after further inquiry, I found out His Airness, Micheal Jordan, was drinking in there that night. Just thought that was pretty cool. The city life really is very exciting!

Como estas? Yesterday was the first time I have been to the beach since our trip, and it was in the Atlantic Ocean in Cadiz, Spain. Southern Spain is quite lovely indeed. I have been settling in and getting in the groove of things more.

The city of Seville is very beautiful, but it took me a while to get used to the small streets. I am living in a great location which is very close to both places where my classes are going to be. It is right by los jardines de murrillos, off the big street called Pelayo. My friends live rather far away across the river, so we just have to call and make meeting points. The river is very nice, we have eaten tapas and hung out there a few nights now.

It has been somewhat overwhelming here since I cannot speak spanish very well, and the sevillano accent is very strong and rapido. But I started my intensive grammar class today that will hopefully get me back in the swing of things. It is three hours a day from 12 to 3 until 22 de septiembre. Then I will be taking four classes, two at the university of seville and 2 through the program which I am studying through. All spanish classes and one psychology class.

My family is very nice. My ¨padres¨are named Fonsi and Eduardo. Then I have abuelos who live there as well. Fonsi has two kids although they live out of the house but her daughter visits frequently with her kids who are 6 and 11. I hung out with them last night and we watched Daddy Daycare in spanish (the one with Eddie Murphy). It was pretty hilarious. Fonsi and Eduardo are very nice and they are giving me space until I am able to speak more with them.

Tomorrow I am going with some people to play for a volleyball team through the university. I am very excited about that, it should be very fun. The program I am in is great because they give us a lot of opportunities to participate in activities and to go on trips. I also want to volunteer here, but I am trying to better my spanish before I take on that challenge. Every day I am becoming a little more familiar with things and less appalled that I am here and will be here for more than 3 more months. It is very exciting. In a little bit we are going to visit the Plaza de Espana and go around the park with the big ferris wheel in it. I´ve taken a lot of pictures but still haven´t attempted to put them up online. I will do that soon.