Daily Life

I thought as my time here is winding down, I would create a quick post on what my school and home is like with some pictures!

This is my apartment building from the backside where there is a little playground - our apartment is the two balconies on the right, second floor! 

I live pretty close to school, only a 20-25 minute or so walk, but all up hill on the way there – it is good exercise! I also have the option to take the bus. I usually spend the day at school, eat lunch at school, and return home when my classes end a little after 6. My school is right in the Casco of Toledo, which is so beautiful, so I usually go on a walk each day between classes. I have plenty of time to finish my homework during the day, so when I get home I like to spend time eating dinner with my family and playing with Carmen!

This is my home; my room, the living room and the kitchen, respectively.

And can’t forget our ham leg!!!

Here are some pics of my school - the building isn't that big, but it is perfect for the amount of students there are in the program. And my favorite part is definitely the reception guys and the program coordinators - they are the best!

My school is kind of hidden - once  you get here you have to go up the small alley way a couple steps to the right of this building (the tree is blocking where the alley way starts).

And here's the entrance, the cafeteria and a classroom!

Daily life here is more relaxed, and less stressful. I love coming home each day and just being able to relax with my family – I want to try and adapt this relaxed way of life more when I get back to the States.

Volunteering

As part of my Service Learning class, I volunteered every Wednesday morning throughout February and March in a public school. I helped in a second grade class and a sixth grade class. Mostly, I helped them with whatever they were doing in class, and since they were learning the subjects in English, I got to read out loud a lot of times so they can hear my American accent. The first time I read out loud to the sixth grade class they were so impressed and said, “Wow, your accent is better than the computer’s!” Most of the time when they listen to speaking activities, it is British English, so I think they were surprised to hear what an American accent sounds like! I also got to plan some class activities, and one time I read the “big, hungry caterpillar” out loud to the second grade class (see picture). Volunteering was a lot of fun and such a blessing to get to know the kids and the teachers at the school. On my last day, the kids in the second grade classroom got into groups and drew me drawings to give to me – how cute!

I also got the opportunity this past Monday, April 4^th to volunteer at an event for kids called “Let’s Play in English” in the Public Library in Toledo. It is exactly what it sounds - basically all we had to do was plan some games for the kids, only speak English with them unless we needed to explain something, and encourage the kids to speak English too! It was so much fun, and the hour flew by so quickly. I would definitely do something like this again!

School Excursion, Segovia

Friday, April 8^th

Segovia was beautiful. It was a little chilly, but I loved the views of the mountains. During our trip, we visited the Alcazar, walked down Calle Real and saw the Cathedral from the outside, and then, my favorite part, the HUGE aqueduct. Very impressive.