Coddiwompling

I HAD MY FIRST VISITORS I HAD MY FIRST VISITORS I HAD MY FIRST VISITORS I HAD MY FIRST VISITORS After only 8 months of living my life in Valencia, I finally got to give a full explanation of how happy this place and these people make me in the best way I know - introducing new people to my original people and showing my places. Grammy and papa were able to see my new city finally and I can only hope they loved it as much as I did. We skipped the touristy parts and headed straight to where I am everyday - the school. AND IT WAS EVERYTHING I COULD'VE HOPED FOR. The kids were so excited to meet them and were able to practice their English with them and ask them all sorts of questions. They were able to meet the teachers I work with and they met 1 family member from all 3 of my host families. I was overjoyed to share my people with Grammy and Papa and it brought me so much joy to see the instant connections. once a teacher, always a teacher It made me that much more exci...

 Last trimester has already begun and I cannot believe I am in my final months of my first teaching abroad experience. It has been nothing short of amazing, all of it including the difficult teaching days and the days where I quite literally fell off my bike. Or the day I lost in pingpong and pool (but won in bowling) and I had to wear a monkey onesie around Valencia - but I got wine, jamón and queso so who really won? Also I have never heard "que mono" more than this day.     There have been great days of day trips to the villages around Valencia. Hiking to the tops of beautiful mountains and hour train rides and lunches on the tops of mountains. This hike was in Llíria, Spain. All of the days, including these rascals. This day everyone was dressed up in costumes (for their favorite books) when I got to school, so naturally I had to run home and grab my costume. The kids loved it and so did I. Can you spot the monkey in the back?  I never...