And I'm lazy. But if you're reading this, you should know that by now.
Well, as I type this I am laying in my mildly cluttered NEW bed with zebra print satin sheets :D (if you'd like some of your own, perhaps in a solid color, giraffe, or cheetah print, check Amazon. $20. I'm so impressed with myself and everytime I lay in them I feel like a princess. They're so damned soft!!)
Check that out, 3rd paragraph, already sidetracked. That must be a record.
Anyways, I'm FINALLY back in Madrid. I'm assuming most of you know by now but I decided to stay another year, at least, to learn Spanish this time. Last year I came with the intent of learning Spanish and getting a not-so-important Master's degree at the same time. I got the Masters, and am still amazed by my thesis, ask to flip through it sometime (lots of pictures, easy to read). Anyways, I spoke English ALL of the time. With my roommates, at school, private classes...and I somehow managed to escape the entire reason I came here. So, year #2. This year I'm getting paid twice as much with half of the work. I'm going to have *gasp* free time...and maybe even develop a social life! I'm not holding my breath though :) In case you're wondering, I'll be home December 23. I've yet to buy my return ticket, but I'm looking at January 7 - June 28ish, which means we'll need to celebrate my birthday early. (January 10th cough cough).
Okay good. All of the boring nitty gritty details are finished. Let's get to the part where I cannot manage to travel without 80 kinds of crazy.
I never updated this AFTER I flew back for the summer. I had quite an eventful time getting to the airport (ask if you'd really like to know) but once I finally got to my gate & was able to sit down, calmly, knowing I got there on time, I was thrilled. Finally headed home!! My flight was FILLED with students heading to America to learn English for the summer. I think that grand total there were about 3 or 4 groups of 30 students each on this plane, with matching T-shirts so they didn't get lost. I go to my seat and somebody is already sitting there. He was blonde & cute & didn't speak English well, but he asked me if it would be okay if he switched me seats because I was next to his 13 year old brother & he didn't want him to sit all alone. I asked if, by chance, his seat was on the aisle. He said yes so I told him no problem, I'd move back on the plane.
I get to my new seat and there are these 4 girls. The last one, on my aisle, gathers up the courage to try and ask me in English if she can switch me seats because I was by myself so she can be with her friends. I told her sure, as long as my seat was on the aisle. She said it was, so she took me up front (awkwardly enough, past the blonde kid) and showed me her seat. At this point I go to sit down and a flamboyant flight attendant sees me about to sit down and says, "Are you by yourself??" ........yes, sir, thanks for pointing that out. I am all alone. Yes. Alone.
"Since you're alone, would you mind moving to a seat in the back? I have a kiddo I'm trying to keep an eye on and it'd be easier if he was here with his group." Sure, why the hell not? I've moved twice, what's three times. I asked "by any chance is it in the aisle?" It was! Super. So I haul my carry on back. I feel like I should also add that my carry on held ALL of my clothes. Literally, all of them. It was packed to the rim and weighed about 30 pounds. It was like dragging a sack of sheet rock.
I get to my new seat, start to try to put my carry on up above, and the man in front of me turns around. I AM NOT KIDDING. "Are you by yourself?" Question of the year, sir. Why yes, I'm the only one on this foresaken plane who is alone! GLAD YOU NOTICED. I was so happy to be coming home, though, after 6 months that I wasn't even annoyed. At all, ever, during this situation. "Yes, I'm by myself........wanting to switch seats?" "Well if you don't mind! My wife is up there with our family friends and I'm just one row back..." You know my rules! As long as it's on the aisle...
At this point the flight attendant got sassy and in Mean Momma mode. "Oh my Lord! I feel so bad for you! I just made you move!" I told them I really didn't care where I sat as long as it was on the aisle, and they could muster up the muscle to put my suitcase in the overhead bin because it was kinda big, kinda heavy, may or not have qualified for the carry on requirements........
The guy I was trading with starts to hoist my carry on (with ease) when Miss Spanish America narrowed her sights on me and bee-lined it for my seat with her clipboard. She was about 29ish, bad highlights, and was in charge of one of the students groups. She was super proud of her English and was therefore overly assertive with it. "You're alone raight? Could jew moof up dere, I haff a student and he ees by himself." It was more of a statement than a question. I just laughed. And I asked her if it was in the aisle. (P.S. if you're wondering why I like the aisle, it's simply because I am the exact opposite of Charo there. I'm too passive. If I sit in a non-aisle position, I won't pee for the entire flight, even though it's 9 hours long. Case in point: My trip back from the USA. Sat next to a mean girl, potentially pregnant and anorexic (go figure) and didn't get out once.) She says, "yes yes, it's right up here".......but it wasn't in the aisle.
Well nice passenger and sassy flight attendant flip shits. "OH MY GOD!! She just moved twice!!!"
...."actually this would be my fifth move...."
Sassy gay bald flight attendant: OH MY GAWD, are you kidding?! You're SERIOUS!? Oh my God. Oh my God. Sweetie what's your name?? Chelsea?? Chelsea it's nice to meet you. I'm going to take care of you today. Anything you need, ANYTHING, just let me know okay? We're gonna take care of you. I'm gonna take care of you.
We get up to look at my new and hopefully last seat...but it's not in the aisle. SGBFA (sassy gay bald flight attendant) lost it.
SGBFA: Nuh-uh. She said aisle. AIIIIISLE. Do you know what aisle is?? This seat is in the aisle, and this one and this one. (She mumbles ahh, que esta en el pasillo...) YES. Paseeyo? AISLE, in English. Yes, look, now you've learned a new word today! She won't move unless it's en EL PASEEYO.
............................................face palm.
Anyways, she finally chooses one of her student's seats that's in the aisle. I sit down and enjoyed a 2 hour conversation with a nice Spanish man on vacation, before he let me go to sleep. I taught him how to improve his accent before he let me rest, but in the end it was an incredible flight. No turbulence. No scary moments at take off or landing. AND SGBFA offered me free headphones (usually $5), my choice of refreshments and meals before everyone else, he gave me extra pretzels, and also offered me free booze. Sometimes it pays off to be a doormat. And my nice Spanish neighbor also reaped the benefits of the earphones because he didn't want him to feel left out...God forbid anybody be "by themselves" on the airplane.
Somehow this post ended up being longer than expected and I haven't even detailed my trip back over here. I think a lot of you saw my bajillion updates on Facebook, though, so for tonight I think I will just leave you with some pictures of my new apartment and finish expanding on my absurd trip tomorrow :) I don't start teaching until September 15 (at the latest) so I'll have plenty of time before then to write!
Here's my new beautiful home in Aravaca :)
My bedroom....still trying to unpack. Loving my huge window!
View from my window, overlooking the garden :)
ZEBRA SATIN SHEETS!!!
Classy staircase...only one flight instead of three this year haha
Our studio/library...TV & Computer, sun roof
OUR KITCHEN....do you believe it?!? There's a table in the kitchen. Our old kitchen had a capacity of one, haha.
Also, the door leads out to the little back porch and our garden!...
The tree right there to the right is a pomegranate tree!
My own personal bathroom! It's a little small but the water pressure is INCREDIBLE and it's my own!!
Our living room! (note: fits more than 5 people!! haha)
Actual dining room & more of the living room.
Isn't my new house so pretty!? I love it, and it's located in a beautiful neighborhood. Maybe tomorrow, or over the weekend when I can take some photos in the morning, I'll show you all that as well. But for now....ta ta!
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