Updates

It's been so long since I properly wrote a blog entry that I'm not sure where to start. Right now I'm feeling really happy about being here. According to the culture shock graph I'd say I've passed the euphoria stage but that I've not yet hit the culture shock-homesickness stage. Sure, there are moments when I wish I could have just one cup of tea! A cuddle. My own bed, my own toilet and shower and get water FROM THE TAP! But I'm getting used to life here. I've even started putting more salsa on things - think my tolerance is going up :) and I've started using tap water to rinse my toothbrush! Wow. I'm really going for it... haha. I've made my first trip to the laundrette and have been introduced to the grocery/convenience store man's family, students have started adding me on facebook, I have a tan (at least compared to my normal pale self - I'm still pale compared to most of the Mexican population) and I have finally registered my plea to stay here - for my visa. Oh and the thing I'm most excited about - I have a coffee machine :) It only makes one cup but it does filter coffee AND tea! though I reckon I'd have to split open the teabag for that to work but I will do that. I know it's going to be no match to Yorkshire Gold but they do sell normal tea here and it'll definitely be better than nothing. I also bought proper Córdoba coffee to go in it so am very excited :) It cost me the equivalent of £7.50 which I think is decent - the machine, not the coffee.

So apart from that, I'm settling into life at the university. I still get there like half an hour early as I'm too scared to get a bus any later than that and today we had to wait like 10 minutes for the freight train to cross the level crossing and then there was some traffic jam or something or other so I only arrived with 10 minutes to spare so it's better to be safe than sorry! I like most of the students in my classes. There are 2 troublesome ones in the younger class who sit together and annoy me (I may separate them next time) - 1 lived in the USA for like 10 years so is good at English but has bad grammar. He doesn't realise this and thinks he's too good for the class and sits there not contributing except to translate practically every sentence I say for those with less good English which really annoys me cos it basically means they're not learning anything. He sits with a guy who is to be honest awful at English and barely understands me. So as a pair, they're not great. The others in the class though are fine. I have them tomorrow so hopefully it'll improve. It's quite hard work though, unlike the other classes I have when I can easily have a conversation with them. One class seems to me to be the cool class and the other the geeky class. The cool class are studying business & food, the more geeky class, IT. Could've guessed really. They're all so so nice though. I wont say too much in case they stumble across this... As difficult as you may find it to believe, I'm finding it quite hard to think of stuff to talk about in the classes. For the more advanced groups, we have 2 hours together and keeping discussion going for 2 hours is quite difficult. I'm gonna try to involve videos and stuff so am going to start using TED as it has some quite good resources that could spark debate. As for the less advanced classes I'm considering going for the standard A Level language class oral topics but am struggling to remember anything past the environment...any ideas are very welcome! On top of these 12 hours of conversation classes, I have to give a 2 hour culture class every Tuesday. My first one didn't go quite to plan. I had a presentation prepared that I was sure was going to last 2 hours with discussions but only lasted 1 hour and 10 minutes. I spent the remaining time flicking through more photos and talking about how mental Cambridge is... This week one keen bean turned up for the first hour so we just chatted about football and stuff. It was actually really easy talking to him as he lived in America for a while and was really keen on football. It probably did him a lot of good as he pretty much got a 1 on 1 supervision! For the second hour, people turned up and I showed them a selection of British Comedy. The Inbetweeners and Peep Show went down particularly well but Mr Bean trumped the lot. Possibly because there were no words to understand... Next week I'm going to talk about Scotland. I found out in my first culture class that they had no idea about the other 3 countries that form the UK!

You'll all be pleased to know that I have made friends here. Matt - the guy from Sheffield who is still here in Córdoba is one of my good friends here and we see each other quite often. Since he has Wednesdays off work and I don't leave for uni until after 12, we meet for coffee every Wednesday which I'm glad for because otherwise I just waste my mornings on Facebook unless it's Skype date time with Peter or someone else. (In case anyone is interested, I am free from 9-12 on weekdays except Wednesdays - that's 3-6 UK time :D). We hang usually hang out with a couple collectively known as 'Los Danielles' but individually Daniel and Daniella. They're both English teachers at the uni I'm at (UTCV) and I already really like them both :) There are a few more people in the group but I don't know them really well yet though I get on with them fairly well which is good and hopefully soon I'll get to know them better.

I'm still enjoying the food. The breakfasts are heavy but good and I never really know what to have for lunch but the dinners are always well received. Today was salad with a really good dressing and tortillas. Mmm I already know I'm gonna miss proper tortillas when I go back. Also hopefully the lunch issue will be solved as the landlady told me about some good places to eat that are really nearby and do food to takeaway so I can grab something to eat on my way to uni at 12. I am really scared of getting fat though. I'm going to have to buy some trainers and go on early morning runs or something because otherwise I'll either have to not eat at lunchtime or just give in to the callings of the fattest country in the world. Unless... Matt and I are considering doing Tae Kwon Do so instead of coming back sumo sized I may return a fully fledged ninja!

Wow I think I've rambled enough to make up for my lack of posting. I'll write a separate post about my great weekend away :)

LOVE TO ALL xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx