Dear October,

So, I was pretty negligent about blogging during the month of October, but ish got real for 31 days. Here's a quick recap:

• Work: Good Lordy above, I felt as though I was being worked like one of the slaves I discussed in one of my classes. Lesson planning and giving is a lot, to say the very least. Further, there were a few ups and downs with two of the teachers, so it was just a rough month, especially the first half. After some clarification and the realization that cultural differences can have people ready to go to war with one another, things are decent and inching toward good.
• Weather/Health: It's cold! Like, I'm not tryna open a window or door for fear of letting the heat out. To add insult to injury, Madrid likes for it to be cold and rainy. Ugh. Can I get a happy medium? This rather sudden climate change resulted in a throat ache that lasted for awhile. Nothing that a little Nyquil and hot tea didn't kill, though.
• Toiletries: I know this is a really random topic, but I had to let the world know that I found cocoa butter!!!!! Not your off-brand, I need to translate to see if it's the real deal stuff, either. I mean, I found Palmer's in the white bottle with the blue, red, and brown writing! Thank goodness for the African stores in Lavapies (see dictionary), from where I also purchased shea butter for my hair! The price for the cocoa butter was completely inflated, but ya know what? Beggars can't be choosers.
• Apartment: We have heat, y'all. Now I know you pampered Americans don't understand why this is such a big deal, so lemme break it down. Heat is a commodity, a precious treat in this conservationist country. There have been some ridiculously freezing cold days, but some people still don't have heat in their homes, as many apartments have a heating system which is controlled by the people who run the building. Thank God for whoever runs my building because not only did we get heat right when it got really cold, but we also have it for about 8-10 hours a day! Many people only have it for 3-6 hours, so I'm definitely one of the lucky ones.



This is pretty much how I feel about October.

• Everything Else: I was supposed to travel to Barcelona one weekend, but that didn't happen. Genius over here either lost her passport or had it stolen. DO. NOT. GASP. Yes, it was a complete headache and I forfeited the 100 euro that I spent on my ticket to Barca, but I went to the embassy the very next week and got an emergency passport within a few hours. The emergency one lasts for three months and then I surrender it and will be issued a new permanent one. Crisis averted; it just wasn't meant for me to be in Barcelona that weekend, so there's no use crying over spilled milk. The real problem was that my passport was conveniently misplaced the week before I had my appointment to establish residency in Madrid. All of the documents needed to do this included my lost passport number and visa (which was attached inside the passport) information and I needed to have the originals with me. So, I had to go to the police department and file a report, get some extra certificate from some governmental agency that said I'd lost the passport, and generally just get treated badly by Spanish bureaucrats. Finally, though, it's all done. 

So, how do we sum the month up?

Dear October,

You weren't the kindest to me. In fact, you done me wrong. No worries, though. November will. be. better.