In which we cover a number of topics because things got real busy real fast.
Well now, it didn't take long for the wheels to come off this train did it? Not that I'm surprised, or upset, having time to update this blog is nice but its not vital. Things the last few days have been super crazy, but also really awesome, it's 20:49 (or 8:49 if you rather) and I haven't even left for dinner yet1. It's one of my student's birthday today and I promised him I'd go out with them tonight, so this is going to be a long, long day.
On Tuesday we took a tour of Old Valencia, this is the oldest part of the city2, and it is what you imagine when you try and picture classic European cities. Narrow streets, old structures, cathedrals, etc. I was trailing behind the group most of the time to keep people movie so unfortunately I missed most of the discussion about the history of Valencia, however, I did get a bunch of good pictures. Though they are currently stuck on my SD card until I can get to a computer lab. Hopefully I'll get some of them posted soon. The funniest thing about the old district is how it turns into a touristy area so quickly. You turn a corner and, boom, there is "Hollywood America Restaurant3." When the tour was over a number of students wanted to hang out in the area and explore. However, they were unsure of how to get back to their homes so I stayed with them so I could help them out. Most of them went off on their own, I was just wanting a place to sit down and have a cheap beer. Two of my students joined me in the quest, which was ultimately successful. It was weird drinking with students, but at the same time it was a neat bonding experience to have. These were two of the students that I knew better which helped it feel a little more normalized, we had the chance to talk about whatever came to mind. It was a cool experience.
The next day started off slower, but picked up as the day went on. After class my co-worker and I spent a few hours in the office getting some work done and dealing with some students that were going to be moving to a new homestay location. Then we had the worst lunch ever4. Later that afternoon we went to watch a movie as a class. The program that we are working with normally deals with students who are strong Spanish speakers so they planned to take us to see a Chinese movie with Spanish subtitles. This was not a good idea. So instead there was a weekly discussion group that was watching movies based on the works of Shakespeare. So we watched the 90's cinematic classic "10 Things I Hate About You5." It was pretty sweet.
After the movie some of the students wanted to go out to a club that taught free salsa lessons. So before hand I went and got dinner with some of my students. This was especially exciting because they were three students who I didn't know all that well. It was really cool to get to interact with them in a new way. We found a little restaurant at which basically everything that was on the menu was 1 Euro, including drinks. Needless to say, it was quite the value. After dinner we met up with some other students and tracked down the salsa club. It's been years since I've salsad (salsa'd?6), we spent about 30 or so minutes practicing various steps, then we broke off and actually danced for a minute. It was cool to notice how something came back to me. Though I also was reminded of how much concentration it takes for me to dance, which leaves me stiff and awkward. After the dance we stepped out to cool down and found a few bars. This was probably the highlight of the night for me. Just a chance to sit out at a table out on a sidewalk and talk to my students, catching them at their most real and open. It was definitely a awesome moment.
I had hoped to get to today also, but I am beat and probably should have been in bed a while ago. Check back for more later.
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1) As of writing this sentence, I doubt I'll finish this whole post before I head out.
2) Duh and/or hello.
3) That wasn't the actual name, but it's not that far off.
4) Seriously, it was so bad I'm not even going to talk about it.
5) I hadn't seen this in a while, it was about the most 90's movie ever. With the possible exception of Empire Records.
6) Seltzered?
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