Hump Day Slump

Yes, even in the happiest place on earth, there exist not-so-great days. You know the kind…. Where you can’t put your finger on the reason you’re pissed off at the world, but you still can’t tame the desire to roundhouse-kick-to-the-face every human and car and pigeon that crosses your path without your permission. Instead of going to bed like a crankypants, I’ve taken a moment to reflect and I’ve decided that my inexplicable irritability can be attributed to the following two things:

First: After what felt like an endless, sunny vacation, I am suddenly very busy again. End of vacation sucks as it is. Furthermore, it’s “that” time of the school year – well after the easy first weeks of “getting to know you” and before easing into the routine – where any and every teacher feels overwhelmed. Now, I shouldn’t complain. I’m not a full time teacher. I’m just an assistant that actually spends only 12 mere hours a week with the kids. However, in addition to learning the names of students and teachers and staff at TWO different schools, adapting to the needs and wants of all my cooperating teachers, and trying to understand the Spanish education system without driving myself crazy, I have also started to give a TON of private English lessons to small groups and individual students of literally EVERY level. I’m like a one man traveling English Academy. I get home from school at 2, eat lunch (aka devour a sandwich while I hurry to plan the lessons I had previously put off) and then hop on my bici and fly all over town teaching English until the sun goes down. I need the money, and I do enjoy it, but between the classes themselves, the travel time, and the hours slaving over various lesson plans… I am seriously exhausted.

Secondly: The weather is starting to change. Days are still sunny and warm, but the wind is nippy, the nights are cool, and I’m pretty sure it’s no longer socially acceptable to be on the beach in a bikini, though I’d probably do it anyway if I wasn’t so damn busy. Know what’s worse than the cold, though? GERMS. I feel like they are everywhere. Did you know that even the cutest kids are also GROSS? I am surrounded by sneezing, sniffling, booger eating, wedgie picking, insect poking little buggers. Germs, cold weather, lack of sleep, brain overload… sounds like the perfect recipe for illness. I can already feel myself getting rundown so I’ve started pounding Emergen-C twice a day like a champ.

So, I’m still adapting, but amidst this chaos, I’ve been enjoying myself, too… kickin it with my awesome roomies, laughing like a loca with girlfriends, and spending the little time leftover with myself. The roommates also keep me in line and make me lighten up when I’m too serious. Seriously. They are hilarious and thoughtful and wonderful in every way.

Here’s an example.

As I’m pouring over lesson plans this evening, with books, papers, flashcards and markers scattered all over the salon, having not spoken a word to anyone in a long time, Diego silently brings me picos and delicious queso from Ubrique and a cold Shandy to top it off. He gives me an air-cheers from the sofa and says “This is the life.” It was just what I needed to keep me going.

An hour or so later, he asks me to come into the kitchen for a minute because he and Ale need to talk to me about something. I stand up for the first time in hours and stumble into the kitchen, seemingly having forgotten how to walk. The conversation goes something like this (except in Spanish, obvs.)

Me: what’s up guys?!
Diego: We just need to talk about something, ya know, things about living together… go ahead, Ale.
Ale: No man, this is your thing.
Diego: No dude, I can’t do it, it’s all you
Ale: No, no … etc etc..

    **At this point in my thought process I am wondering what on Earth I could possibly do that could disrupt the convivencia that much.**

Diego: Uhh okay, look. That girl came to see the piso today…

    **Now thinking AND…? SO..? What, did she suck? is she cooler than me?? What’s the problem?**

D: Well there were actually 2 girls…

    **Uhh, ok, what means this? You want someone to share a room??**

D: And, well, we think you should move out.

    **uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh….**

D: JUST KIDDING We don’t actually have anything to tell you at all. We just wanted you to come in here and try this delicious food we made.
Ale: HAHAHA your face.

….W. T. F. After throwing a few friendly punches and laughing it off, I tried the food. It was effing delicious. Sometimes Diego likes to invent dishes out of the limited supply of random things found in our pantry. Today’s creation began with artichokes covered in creamy, cheesy greatness and bits of cured ham. Yup.

It was soon followed by an enormous, pizza-style, open faced sandwich that was bigger than my head and included pork fillet, jamon, fried egg, tomatoes, artichokes, cheeses and other things I would never think to throw together. I swear, everything that boy touches turns to delicious.

After a good laugh I let myself divulge in the tasty treats and watch a little bit of La Voz with the boys before turning back to my work for a couple more hours. It is now way past my bedtime. Tomorrow is not going to be any easier, but I keep trucking along. Every once in awhile I just need a reminder that “this is the life.”