So a little bout of frustration these past couple days. Thankful it's the weekend (I don't have to work on Fridays!) Don't get me wrong, I LOVE teaching out here. I love how appreciative everyone is of my time when I give private lessons (and even my students in the high school). I love how everyone tries so hard. But my days are pure English it seems. I've been so super busy with private lessons and work that I haven't had much time to practice Spanish. This weekend will be great practice because I am going to a little town called Valdepenas that is about an hour away by car. My friends Armando and Esther (the ones who took me skiing in Granada) invited me to go with them to visit some friends of theirs who live in Valdepenas and to go to a wine/tapas festival. The weather has been fantastic this week---low to mid 50s! So I hope it continues for the festival tomorrow. Pure good food and Spanish practice with good friends!!!
Yesterday was the main reason for my frustration. So I go into a little store near my apartment and I go to the cash register to pay for a few shirts I found. The total was 16.85 Euros, but I don't know, in my tired state, I thought I heard the woman say 26.85. So I gave her a 20 bill, a 5 bill, and a coin of 2 euros, for a total of 27 euros. After I handed it to the woman, it clicked in my head that she had only said 16.85. But she had already put the money in the register, and I thought, Oh well, she will just give me back a 10 bill and some change. She hands me only 15 cents, and I said to her, "I need 10 Euros more, I gave you a 20 bill". She looked confused and then down at the drawer of money and said, "oh no! I don't remember what you gave me! I thought you gave me a 10." I explained to her that I was absolutely positive because I had realized my dumb self misunderstood and thought she had said 26, so I purposely handed her a 20 bill. She then takes forEVER to get her manager and count the entire drawer of money because she hadn't paid attention to what I had given her. Buhhhhhh! So after holding up the line and counting forever, they say "sorry! The amount of money in the drawer is correct, maybe you have mistaken." I was super frustrated because this wouldn't have happened if I were better with the language. I made a stupid listening mistake and for it, I was arguing with two cashiers to give me money that they owed ME in the first place! At first, they apologized and said all they could do was take my phone number and call me at the end of the night if they counted again and realized they had 10 extra euros. It wasn't the money, I was just super frustrated that they wouldn't believe me that I gave her a 20 in the first place!! Almost in tears, I walked back into the store and asked them to please count the money again. They did, and sure enough, they had miscounted and realized they did in fact owe me the 10 Euros. They were very nice and apologetic. I wasn't angry and frustrated with them. I was frustrated with myself for making the mistake in the first place. Oh well.
Ok so that was a lame and rambly story---my bad! Here is something that is sure to liven things up and make you laugh. I swear, only stupid things like this happen to me....So I was walking to a lesson today and as I was crossing the street, WHOOPS! My shoe (that is just a slip on heel-less flat style) flings off my foot and lands out to the side in front of me because it's a little too big apparently. In front of a car who had stopped for the cross walk mind you (ps cars actually stop for pedestrians in this country ha). Due to my surprise, I uncontrollable made this little "ahhh!!" scream noise and like, scurried over to get my shoe. Que tonta soy!!!! (How stupid/silly I am!!)
Oh and hey, did you almost walk out of the gym after spin class with your pullover fleece on backwards? Ohhhh wait no, that was me too. Who does these things!? lol
Alright peace out everyone.
Oh and many of my students are on this choreography dance team of the high school. They had a competition today and here is a link to their performance http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_f3w92I9WFc----it's really cool! The sound isn't that great, but you can see the students dancing. They worked really hard on the choreography and practicing many days after school. I love the mimes. The one that acts like he's playing the violin to the Lady Gaga Alejandro song is one of my favorite students, Ivan! :)
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