This past month of November and been both really fun and challenging for me and as the holiday season draws nearer I'm experiencing some real homesickness. Throughout it all, I'm learning so much though, and not just about Spain, the language, or culture, but also about life and myself.
This past month I have continued with my dance class three days a week and also with teaching the little ones English at the academy. Dance has been going really well, and we have recently learned two new routines. I also found out that in June right before I return home, there's going to be a showcase performance, which I'm really excited for as well.
Teaching English at the center has been going really well too. Unfortunately the original teacher of the little one's class got injured in an accident, so for this past month I've been working with the new substitute. It felt so great to be able to help her with everything because I know the class routine, games for them to play, and everything. It's been going really well and the class, as always has been so much fun for me.
Other than my normal activities I've had another excursion with Rotary the Sunday before Thanksgiving week. All of the exchangers living in the Madrid area took a bus to Soria in northern Spain. Soria is one of the ancient Spanish towns famous for it's history and museums. It was really beautiful and I had such a great time. We went to one of the museums and got to see and learn about some real Spanish art history.
On the Thursday of the next week was Thanksgiving, and to be a little honest I was a little nervous for my Thanksgiving this year. It's always been one of my favorite holidays because of the meaning and the fun ways that my family celebrates it, so I didn't know if I was going to feel homesick this year or what anything would be like. I once heard a quote that said "The thing about traditions is that you can make new ones", and after my Thanksgiving this year this exact quote held a new and special meaning to me. My Thanksgiving day was just like any normal Spanish school day for me, but for dinner I went to Madrid with all the exchange students living in the area and we had a huge Rotary dinner and also celebrated Tommaso Virdia's (Chairman of RYE in Spain) birthday! It was a fabulous night, and I even ended up having turkey!
Other than that November has been a great month of new experiences and plenty of learning. One more good piece of news is... I PASSED MY FIRST EXAM (that wasn't English!) It was my science class and I got one of the better grades in all my class! I just found out today. I was so happy and rushed home after school to tell my whole family about it. I can now definitely say that my Spanish has come a long long way.
I hope that all is well back home in the states and that everyone is enjoying the holiday season. Best wishes to everyone for a Happy Hanukkah, Christmas, and New Year!
Xoxo Hana
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