This past week was super long! I felt really sick on Monday and my kids were behaving horribly. Unfortunately, my long days are Monday and Tuesday; I was beat. Wednesday I decided to break in my new heels at work; not a good idea with 33 kids who ask questions every 2 seconds! Normally, I can withstand a bit of pain for beauty, but I could barely stand/walk in these! To make matters worse, I had a meeting with Amnesty International Spain, that I had to rush to after school. I thought my feet were bleeding! The meeting went well, and I will be meeting with some more reps this week to discuss how I will be involved with Amnesty campaigns this year. Also, I am working on creating an AI school group for the older students at my school; hope that works out! By the end of the week in school we changed the students' seats and I planned some fun activities for them to do in class. Their behavior changed drastically the next few days, so I told them I would bring them treats next week. I love my kids! All of the teachers are really excited to have us at the school. Many of the teachers are asking us to tutor their own children. I really enjoy teaching!
I also decided to cross another thing off of my Madrid Bucket List this week. Again off of impulse, I started French classes! I have really wanted to learn French for a while, but could never stick to it. I knew that I needed a structured class. I called on Monday, asked about the details, and started class on Tuesday! I love it! The language center is well known in the city, and is right in the center. It is relatively cheap, and I the schedule is perfect. Since I am going to be doing so much here already, I elected to join the Tues/Thurs class from 5-6pm. Perfect. There are only 6 people in my class, which is great; a spanish woman, a spanish chica, a girl from Hungary, a guy from Bangladesh, and a guy from Peru. What a mix! The class is given in Spanish, with a native French professor. She mostly speaks to us in French, so that we pick up on phrases, even though it is a beginners course. French will be exciting!
Running practice was a no-go this week because my hamstring was very sore, and my feet were swollen and cut up. All bad. However, on Thursday, I had made plans to go to this salsa club with my new Egyptian friend, Naglaa. It would be rude to cancel on her, right?! I went by myself around 10:45 to my now weekly spot, the intercambio bar, where I met her and my other new friends. As usual, we talked for hours and enjoyed ourselves. My Spanish friend Israel, who is studying at Georgia Tech in February, is already enamored with Atlanta. He was asking me a million questions about life there, and most importantly, about how he can find himself a "Georgia Peach!" Around 12:30am, Naglaa said it was time to head to the salsa bar. She was planning on scheming to get me a free pass, because regular entry was 10, but since she was a regular she had the hook-up. We headed towards Gran Via, the main street downtown, where the discreet salsa bar, Tropical Bar, was located. As expected she managed to get me a free pass, which I can use all year to get in free on Thursdays; and get a free drink! Sweet!
I had not been dancing in a while, and although I loved salsa, a was a bit intimidated by the seemingly professional dancers around me. We walked down the stairs, and Naglaa explained to me the basic routine for the night. If someone asks you to dance, always say yes; everyone is just there to dance! Be flexible, and go with the flow. Don't get in the way of the pros; they get mad. Don't get your free drink until after at least five dances, because then you will really need it. Have nothing in hand, or on person. Check even your purse, so that you can freely move the dance floor! For the first fifteen minutes I just stood there in awe, frozen. I was so impressed by all the people who were amazing salsa dancers; it would take me a while to catch up. There was a very diverse group of people, as I like it; Spaniards, Dominicans, Haitians, Cubans, etc. I warmed up on my own my simply standing in place and moving my feet to the basic salsa steps. I was nervous!! Honestly, I am THE most uncoordinated person I know! I love dancing, but I would not say I'm good at it. I just brave! Before I knew it, Naglaa had disappeared from my sight, into the crowd to dance. "Oh no, it's my turn now!" I low key tried to look tired, so that I could have a few more minutes to practice on my own. This did not last long. An older Haitian man, Jean, came and grabbed my hand quickly. I immediately warned him that I was an extreme beginner, and I did not know all the cool steps as did everyone else. Of course, he told me not to worry, and dragged me across the floor. I was soooo stiff!! At first, I attempted to follow his basic steps, back and forth, side to side. Easy right?? No!! I felt lost at first, but then I just said the hell with it, and began to simply move my feet to the rythm of the music. These people are serious! Salsa is no joke! I started not to feel bad for skipping running practice, because I was getting plenty of exercise on the dance floor! O my, my legs were burning!
I took a short break, until I saw Naglaa talking to a guy and pointing at me. O Lord, I knew what this meant. Soon I was being pulled back onto the dance floor, and my amiga disappeared again. Again, I gave my disclaimer that I was a true beginner. And again, the guy pretty much ignored my warning as proceeded to dance. This guy was moved much more quickly than the last. I was very impressed, but a little lost again. Before I knew it I was being spun around the room like a spin top! I felt like a toy. It was great fun! I let go of any inhibitions I had, and I literally danced the night away. He was moving so fast, and after a while I was too! I have never seen my own feet move so quickly! My feet were killing me and I didn't even have heels on; and I was sweating pretty good. Talk about a workout!
Later, there was a couple performance by a group of salsa class students. Very sexual!! It was amazing to watch! Soon thereafter, everyone started clapping and moving around. I didn't know what was going on, unitl Naglaa explained to me that it was time for group dance. Cool! I watch intently for a moment, while a very hype Cuban guy took the floor and lead the whole club in a crazy array of sexual movements. With drink in hand, I jumped in!! And I was keeping up! I had a wonderful night! Needless to say, I was pooped. Around 3, we decided to head home. I was eager to sleep in on Friday.
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