This'll be random.....

So, I know that I haven't written in a while and frankly, it's because I really don't want to bore you all with the complete and utter nothingness (I think I just invented a word) that has been going on in my life. One thing that I have noticed as more time passes and the more Spanish that I am speaking....my English is progressively getting worse. Or, not necessarily worse but I have started speaking and writing in English the way that I think about the sentences in Spanish (if that makes a bit of sense at all). I guess that's a good thing, though, as it means I am becoming more of a Spanish thinker.

One very important thing that I need to inform all of you if is that I am feeling much better!!!! I am supposed to go back for a follow-up chest x-ray after a month has passed but other than that, I am good to go. Thank you all for the numerous thoughts and prayers. It was so difficult to be away from home but knowing that so many people care about me and were thinking about me definitely made getting through it much easier. I am back to happy Emily!

Other than me being healthy, we also had a visitor. Tad's brother Jay arrived the second week of January. He is going to be studying in Sevilla this semester. He spent a couple of days with us.
Here I am surrounded by VandenBrink's

We took Jay to Salobrena one day - it's the next town over and has a cool castle to see (we didn't end up going up there) but it also is on the beach and so we spent some time on a huge rock formation that has amazing views of the coastline. Then, we hung out on the beach and watched the beautiful sunset.
View of the Costa Tropical

Sunset


One other thing that has happened to me in my couple of weeks since I have been back to school is that I was bullied. Yes, I was bullied. So, the girls that worked at Antonio Garvayo Dinelli last year were named Alisha and Heidi. Yes, there have been numerous times (especially in the beginning) that I was called Alisha or Heidi simply because they were not used to me. However, in my defense, I have over 200 different students of which I see one time per week. These 200 students have to remember ONE name. Emily. Is that so difficult?!! I know it's not a Spanish name...my name is not Maria, Marta, Alba, etc but really, how hard can it be to say "Emily." Anyway, I have a class that is always unruly and out of hand. The teacher does not control them very well. It's very frustrating. Well, the other day, I went to this particular class. The teacher lets them work at their own pace and so there are some students that are still working on the Thanksgiving turkey project I gave them and some are already done with all their work and sitting there bored. It's not the greatest system because it makes it hard for me to plan anything and I usually just end up being a glorified babysitter. One of the girls is a little bossy/controlling of her teacher and other friends in the class - yes, I said she is controlling of her teacher. Anywho, she started calling me Alisha. She did it three or four times and then another student followed suit. Well, jokingly, I went to the board and wrote my name in block letters "EMILY." This did not help. Said student went to the board and wrote ALISHA underneath my name. To make matters worse, as I was wandering around the room and trying to instill interest in the students to speak English...someone had gone to the board and written VS. between our names.
The board looked like this.....

I couldn't believe it. I had walked away from the groups of students that were writing things on the board and was trying to ignore them when all of a sudden I hear people chanting, "Alisha, Alisha, Alisha!" It was such a frustrating moment for me. I wanted to walk out of the room. I could not believe how rude they were being and how bullied I felt.
Now, looking back on the situation, I realize that I never should have acknowledged them and next time I will simply ignore it. They know that if they get a reaction out of me, they have been successful. It was still just flabbergasting to me that this could happen. There is just some amount of respect lacking with the students in Spain.
Well, that's about all I have to say - oh wait, there is one more piece of exciting news. Tad came home the other day and told me that someone had contacted the English academy where he teaches classes in Motril and wants to learn English. None of the teachers at the academy are available to give classes and Tad teaches every afternoon so he passed the opportunity on to me. I have an email out to him and let's all pray he responds and that my afternoons are filled with something exciting to do!
I am sorry for not providing you with more exciting things but it's all I have for now!
Hugs to everyone from Motril!