Mystery fish, birthdays, dancing, and school

I have really put my heart and soul into my work at school lately.  Being a teacher is incredibly rewarding and frustrating at the same time.  I have moments where I see kids unfairly teasing one another that break my heart.  I have moments when no one is listening.  Moments when I've spent hours on a really awesome PowerPoint and follow up activity, and still no one remembers a single word I've said.  But then, there is that magical 30 minute segment when everyone in my small group pays attention, remembers everything participates enthusiastically, and tells me they had fun learning with me.  And then the next week I see PROGRESS, and my heart soars.

Otherwise, things have been pretty normal. It's starting to warm up here and the weather is just beautiful.  Hardly any rain, and it hovers between the high 50s and high 70s.  Lots of pollen too just like Atlanta.

Last weekend we had an extra day off.  It was my host dad's birthday  last week so on Friday we visited his friends in the countryside and spent the day eating portions of a giant mystery fish (kudos to the chef), potatoes, prawns (I am still not a fan of prawns... something about eating something that still has eyes), and birthday cake. We also drank large quantities of delicious cava.  I never get tired of cava!

I spent Saturday and Sunday in Barcelona with Katelyn and Leah.  We stayed in the HelloBCN Hostel in Poble Sec, a neighborhood in Barcelona.  I would definitely recommend the hostel.  It was cheap, very clean, and had nice amenities.  I also love that area.  It is pretty down to earth and more residential, but still has busy areas with tons of tapas restaurants and bars.  Saturday night we went dancing at Shoko, a beach club in Barceloneta.  We got in for free with the guest list and had a fantastic time.  The only part of the weekend that was slightly awkward was sharing our hostel room with a complete stranger.  I have never done that before and I'm not sure that I would care to do it again in the future.  It was definitely an awkward experience.

Now I am just counting down the days.  I have so many mixed emotions about the fact that school ends in a little over a month, and my time in Europe will end soon after that.  I have established a life here.  It will be hard to leave, but who knows?  I may try to come back. ;)  For now though, I intend to enjoy the time I do have here and I certainly look forward to seeing my loved ones back home as well.