Gotta help out the ESL community right. More to come.

English class! For adults. I live in Pineda now but I still do most of my activities, work, school, and soccer, in Malgrat. So this past Wednesday since I had a soccer game in Malgrat (later cancelled) that night, instead of going all the way home then coming back I decided to stay for the English class that my coworkers go to. I thought what the heck, at the very least I can see if the English they are learning is on point.

The class is divided into two one hour sections. One teacher does grammar and the other does the speaking. I went to the speaking hour first and the teacher was pretty cool. We read about Nelson Mandela and it was funny listening to my coworker friends speak. They are all at different levels of speaking but they all do pretty well. I pitched in some corrections but only after the class was over. I didn't want to come into the teacher's class and start teaching it for her.

On the grammar side things were a little more lighthearted. The teacher is a little younger and the group has fun chatting it up. The lesson was really simple and we ended up just talking and exchanging stories about the content of the lesson, which was thieves and burglary. It was cool getting to hang out with the people I work with and see how they are learning English, especially since it's becoming more and more important. I think I'll go back next week as well.

Details to follow after I figure out what this day is all about.

So it turns out that Peace Day is a celebration of the life and times of Gandhi. The students had a festival of sorts during the afternoon where they all wore trash bags of different colors. They comprises the full spectrum of rainbow colors and herded out to the playground for about an hour of songs and some kind of story about peace that I couldn't understand. (It was in Catalan) I think the idea of celebrating peace is a good one. We don't have something like this in the states and maybe it would do some good to do so. Although, I must note that on Peace Day there was a fight at school so maybe just because there is a day isn't enough to deter all people from their normal ways. All in all a good experience and can't forget about all the good Gandhi did for our world.

Finally. I feel like I'm able to take a second and reflect a little about the past month or so. Granted today is MLK day and I worked 9-7 but aside from that there is still plenty of time before dinner to get some writing in. I had forgotten how easy it was to get so focused on a routine that you lose track of the hours. Between work and travel time between destinations, meals, and finding time to stay in shape it can get pretty hectic. I think that 2014 has gotten off to a good start. After spending some good time down in London and then heading off to Ireland to start the year off I felt I got some good traveling in. It's always nice to see friends especially in their home country as you can learn a lot from and insider's perspective. Unfortunately it all had to end at some point and back to the reality of work I went but I did feel recharged to a degree.

I came back to work after the break knowing that I would be switching host families at the end of that very same week so I spend the days half organizing and half packing for the upcoming move. I definitely have more things now then I did upon my arrival but that was to be expected. Hopefully on my flight home I find a forgiving airline so I don't have to wear half my wardrobe on the plane. I didn't know what to expect with the new host family but from my brief meeting with them a few days before the break I had a good feeling. Turns out they are pretty awesome and I really like having more space and most more space. Being a bigger person in Spain makes you appreciate the little things like not sleeping in a twin all the time.

So now it's on to 2014 and we'll see what happens. I'm already liking my decision to start playing the piano because a lot of my favorite songs have at least some elements on piano and school is going well too. Can't wait for spring because even though I don't mind the cold I really like the sun. 5PM sunsets are cool and all but I miss coming home and having at least a little time before it's pitch black. Well back to work I guess. It's good to be back

Alrighty so before I get back into the blogging game after a roller coaster ride of preparing for a christmas play, singing in front of way too many Catalonians, jet setting around the UK, and finally this weekend switching host families, I have to make note of the gratitude I have for my first host family. I'm sure it's a big nerve racking for a family to take in this large American student into their home so extra props to Marga for taking me in. She's an awesome mom and I've had an awesome time staying in my little dorm room-esque room. Then again everything here is too small for me. Anyway I'm really glad that I got to live with such a cool family, I'll miss my little brothers Joan and Lluis but luckily because everything here is so close together I'll still see all of them most every day! Tomorrow morning I move into the new place and I hear that I'll have a bigger space all to myself. FINALLY. Not that living with children isn't captivating and mentally stimulating it's also draining and mentally crippling. Sorry parents of the world I feel your pain for all the years before we get past the "I can't watch Spongebob so I must proceed to scream like a dying giraffe, stage. Pics and vids to follow as I get back on track with my weekly updates and other Spain living coolness. 

Ah a new year is upon us, and as we stroll into 2014 I hope that everyone hasn't already fallen through on any important resolutions just yet. I just got back from a bit of traveling and it was pretty awesome. Although it was impossible to blog during that time due to lack of computer to blog on I got to see London in pretty much its entirety (just kidding but after walking extensively through it on three separate days I've got a pretty good idea) and then I had the pleasure of seeing Ireland even though it was plagued with storms at the time. So here we are. A new year and a new set of goals for everyone I'm sure. For me it's just about blogging semi consistently and challenging myself this year. I know I keep mentioning my blogging frequency but new challenges like learning the piano definitely cut into that time so hey it is what it is. With that I'm off and eager to see what 14' has in store.