Well, the weather's a-changin', and it's time for jackets, scarves and... a brasero to come home to. Luckily, my piso has one. A brasero is a heater that is placed under a tall table. The long tablecloth over said table is used to cover your legs and trap in the heat from the brasero. At first I was skeptical, mainly because I wondered why in the heck there was such a tall table in my living room. I can never really reach my...

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Urgent News Update: My first night out with all Spaniards!I successfully stayed up until 6am without getting sleepy AND had a great time with my roommate Rebeca and her friends. We went to a traditional (típico) bodega for some chilled glasses of vermut (wine, vermuth and lime) and jamón ibérico. Next, to a pub full of Spaniards... that's how I knew it was legit. None of those all-English-speaking pubs. Derick, you'd appreciate...

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Unfortunately the only Portuguese I learned from my weekend trip to Lagos, Portugal was, obrigada (thanks). That doesn't mean it wasn't a spectacular trip. I met plenty of Welsh, British, Irish, Australian, New Zealanders and English-speaking Portuguese all enjoying the sun, waves, bars, and relaxed lifestyle that the city of Lagos has to offer. I may not be proficient in the Portuguese language, but I now know a very important...

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So... I don't cook all that often. That's pretty much gotta change. My roommates already make fun of me for eating sandwiches all the time. Anyway, I decided to show them I'm not totally helpless... so I baked an apple pie! Plus, I was feeling sentimental missing Autumn back home while all of my friends are busy apple picking, cider drinking and pumpkin carving.The adventure in the grocery store was something else... and took...

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Thus far, I have managed to successfully venture on two day trips to nearby towns in Spain. The first, Antequera- a linda (precious) town situated between Granada and Sevilla. The second, Almuñecar- a beach town on the Mediterranean coast. Both were about an hour and a half’s bus ride from town and well worth the trip. Along with some other auxiliares, I took the advice of my roommates and went to Antequera rather than Ronda...

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First day of school. First day of insanity? Not quite, but Reyes Católicos, the elementary school in Santa Fé, is a bit... loco. Let's start with arrival at 10:30:This can't be right. It's a jail. How do I get in? Wait and follow the man with the keys, good idea. Oh shoot, it really is a jail. Where the heck is the grass. No wonder so many kids came in with scrapes on their knees, they have to play on a huge gravel patch.I'm being...

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