A Day In The Life

It's amazing how I can have so much free time this time around and yet still get so impossibly behind on updating the blog. I'm trying to get back in the habit of writing on here, but honestly, I have no idea how I did it so much the first time I came here. Maybe it's a good thing, though....like a sign that I actually have friends. haha

So anyway, it's been a busy couple of weeks.

I had told myself that I was going to shoot for updating once a week. Which I still think I can do. However, right around the time that I was going to blog last weekend, I came down with a pretty nasty case of strep throat. And I mean it when I say "nasty". I mean, I'm no stranger to throat/lung illnesses. I generally come down with something along the lines of strep every year. Therefore, I can basically be considered an expert on what makes it "bad" or "not so bad." This one qualified as "God awful."

Imagine your tonsils swollen so big that they make your neck bulge out quite noticeably. Imagine the little hangy thing at the back of your neck (whatever the hell it's called) swollen so big that it hangs down into your throat and you have to sleep on your side so that you can breathe at night. Imagine having a 102º fever. Imagine not eating/leaving your bed for nearly 4 days until you can get to the doctor. Gross, right? Yeah, it was awful. And I once again had to maneuver through the Spanish medical system to get all fixed up. But the doctor remembered me from last year (like I said, this sickness is an annual thing) and he told me that my Spanish had really improved. So I guess some good came of it all.

But other than getting massively, horribly sick, I really haven't done much. It has taken me awhile to get adjusted to this new schedule and I've just been trying to get back into a routine. Like I said before, it's not a difficult schedule and it is MUCH better than last year. I really have zero complaints and am really enjoying things. But after a summer of sleeping all day and generally doing nothing, it's been quite the struggle to get back into work mode.

Since I don't really have any good ideas on how to update on my new schedule, I thought I might just run through what typical day is like for me here in Spain. So let's try it:

A Day in the Life of Jordan

7:00 am - Wake up to the gentle sounds of "Ave Maria," which is conveniently one of the ringtones on my phone.

7:01 to 7:50 am - Hit snooze three or four times, jump out of bed when I realize I'm going to be late, have a quick shower and run out the door.

7:50 am - Catch the metro and start my hour-long commute to work.

8:30 am - Switch from the metro to the bus.

9:00 to 9:45 am - Arrive at school and start my first class of the day. Today it was 1st grade science. Generally spend most of the class getting my little 6 and 7 year olds to wake up and pay attention. Spend about 5 to 10 minutes of actual teaching.

9:45 to 10:30 am - Run to my next class (unfortunately in Spain the teacher's don't have home rooms. The kids stay in one class all day and the teachers have to run from class to class. It's a weird system. Don't get me started.) which today was another class of 1st grade science. Spend time calming the kids down. Get some actual teaching done this time around.

10:30 to 11:00 am - Beautiful, blissful break time that the entire school gets to take. The kids go to the playground and the teachers go have a much-needed coffee and cigarette break.

11:00 to 11:45 am - Class #3 = 1st grade English. Spend 20 to 30 minutes calming the kids down after break time. Tell them for the bazillionth time that they should have gone to the restroom during break time and that they'll have to wait until the end of class.

11:45 am to 12:30 pm - Class #4 = 3rd grade science. Have my lesson plans prepared and ready to go, only to be told by one of the Spanish teachers that I have to "review last weeks lesson because they're going to have a test." Fantastic.

12:30 to 2:30 pm - Time for my 2 hour lunch break. Why the kids need 2 hours for lunch, I'll never know. But it gives all of us teachers another chance to down some more coffee. I try to spend my two hour break planning for classes, but usually get pulled down into the teacher's circle outside, drinking coffee and chatting about the weekend/upcoming breaks.

2:30 to 3:15 pm - Another 1st grade English class. Spend a solid half hour calming the kids down after the 2 hour lunch break. Once again telling them that they should have used the restroom during the break. This 1st grade English class is generally better than the first one because I've already tested things and worked out the kinks in my lesson.

3:15 to 4:00 pm - Another 1st grade science class. Just like above, as my third 1st grade science class of the day, teaching the class is down to an art. I teach all of the necessary things and generally feel good about the class.

4:00 to 4:45 pm - Last class of the day. Another 3rd grade science. And I can't lie, I love my 3rd graders. They're a really good class to end on. It's different from 1st and 2nd grade because I can actually joke around with the 3rd graders a bit and have a bit more fun. And I'm not constantly telling them that they can't go to the bathroom.

5:00 pm - Catch the bus to start the commute back home.

5:30ish - Depending on if the weather is nice or not, I either take the metro (takes about 20-30ish minutes to get home) or I walk from the bus station (takes about an hour). Despite the walk being around an hour, I don't mind. I can put the headphones in and take various routes through Madrid. I'm lucky because my walk home takes me past the Royal Palace, Plaza Mayor, and several other cool Madrid locations.

6:00 to 11:00ish - Depending on the day, my afternoon activities can vary quite a bit. Some days I go meet friends for dinner and drinks. Some days I try to get some exercise. Today I spent the afternoon just doing grown-up things: laundry, grocery shopping, etc. Regardless of what I end up doing, it just always feels good to know that I can do whatever I want. No masters to worry about. No papers to write. No exams to study for. It feels good. :)

And now it's just after 11 pm, and that means it's time for me to get ready for bed. As you can see, the days at school are pretty long, so I've got to get plenty of beauty sleep for the kids. (you think I'm joking, but last year a kid told me I had a "fatty face." These kids can be brutal.)

So I hope this wasn't too awfully boring. Next time around I'll tell the story of how I became famous here in Spain. See? I'm always leaving a cliff-hanger and keeping you coming back for more. :)