New beginnings...

¡Bienvenidos a mi "blog"!

Welcome to my blog! Not much on here now... but that's because nothing's really changed since I received my placement in Armilla about 2 and a 1/2 weeks ago. I was so elated when I received the email from CIEE saying that I would be teaching English at a school just a 10 minute bus ride outside of Granada!

Right now I'm in hyper-mode, preparing like crazy for September when I fly out to Spain! I'm in the process of acquiring all the documents, fees, forms, etc. required for obtaining a visa (the whole process is such a PIA). It's a little different than the last time I applied for a student visa a.k.a. I need to get even more forms and documents filed out by various people this time around. While I do that, I'm squaring things away with the family that hosted me last spring when I studied abroad in Granada so that I can live with them again this fall. I'm so excited- they're wonderful people and have become genuine members of my family- hopefully I'll know for sure that I'm living with them again soon!

Now that I've graduated from college and I have some sort of a plan in mind for the future (even if it is only a short-term plan, say, ten months to be exact, it's still a plan, right?!), I have two things to focus on this summer: 1) saving up money for Spain (think plane ticket and some traveling!) and 2) learning how to be a teacher. I've managed to line up a full-time babysitting position this summer in town, so there's my first goal taken care of. Now for the second one... I've never really been a "teacher" before and I'm very nervous about teaching English! I've tutored students both here in the States and in Spain and I've been working/caring for kids since I was twelve, but it's completely different than being in charge of a classroom! Luckily I have all summer to read up on teaching ESL, planning lesson plans, the complexities associated with learning English grammar, etc. Fortunately, I know someone teaching abroad right now who's going to be a wonderful resource and I have a couple of close friends who were education majors who've offered to lend me their books, advice, etc.

It's going to be a long summer of planning, preparing, studying up (and still managing to find a little time to have fun and visit friends and family and the beach, of course) but I know that it's going to fly by (as everything seems to these days!). Let's just hope that I can get my visa, no problems, and that I manage to calm some of my nerves about teaching! Okay, go!

¡Hasta luego!