Waffles and chocolate....

Finally I am back to make another post! Nothing too exciting has been happening since my last post. Just continuing to enjoy my time here in Madrid. It's been a great couple of months! I am really, really loving it. School is going well. Getting to know the kids better and better every day and feeling that I am really a part of the school and teaching. A few weeks ago I got to go to the planetarium with the 3rd graders which was fun. I'm also getting to know all the teachers at the school. I mostly hang out with the other girls doing my program, as well as two Spanish girls who are my age and are working as full-time teachers at the school. They really help make the day go by quicker!

Thursday was of course Thanksgiving, so my roommates and I decided to cook a big dinner for a few friends that we invited over. We cooked stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, roasted chicken (instead of turkey since it's expensive and hard to find here), and pecan and pumpkin pie. It was interesting cooking because we had to improvise for some ingredients such corn syrup for the pecan pie which is impossible to find, as well as canned pumpkin for the other pie. Despite the obstacles, it turned out great!

I also went on my first trip outside of Spain last weekend with Leona, one of the British girls I work with. We found a super cheap flight to Brussels (46 euro...I don't know how airlines do it here) so we went for the weekend. We visited Bruges as well, which was only an hour away by train. I definitely enjoyed Bruges more because it was very picturesque with canals and cute little shops everywhere.

Entering Bruges

Leona and me in front of a canal

Belgian waffle!!

A convent

Although Brussels wasn't as quaint, there was still a lot to do although we were sad we missed their Christmas markets by 2 weeks! Here are some pictures of Brussels:

European Parliament

Royal Palace

A pretty park

The famous Manneken Pis

Market Square

The Atomium, a structure built for the 1958 World Fair which was held in Brussels. It's now a museum.

Inside the Atomium

So all in all, it was a great vacation and I am getting excited for my next vacation to Sevilla this Friday! We have 2 days off the following week, so we decided to go back to the place where it all began! I am so excited because it'll be our first time back since study abroad. Will update when I get back! Hope everyone is doing well!