Begin Again

With a new year comes new year's resolutions! It has been MONTHS since I've posted anything. I kept saying "I'll post something about this!" and never really got around to doing it. So much has happened in my life.
In the last year, I've gone from being an assistant teacher in an elementary school to being a teacher in an academy for adults. I loved my work as an Auxiliar, but I also really enjoy my job now. Teaching adults is very different from teaching children, but it can be really fun, and thankfully the academy I'm working with actually makes learning fun.
Joaquín and I have been living together for a year and a month, now. We have also just moved into a new apartment a little more than a month ago, and we love it. It's more spacious, warmer, and brighter than our old apartment, plus, we can have pets! And we do! We have adopted a little black kitten and named her Clio.
Instead of posting about each individual event from the last year that I skipped, I'm just going to do a quick summary.
In May, my friends and I went to Avila. Hannah, Julie, Lucia, Joaquín and I drove to the little mountain town and spent the day there. It has an intact roman wall around the old city, as well as some lovely mountain views.

Later that month, my friend M.K. came to visit for a few days. She was on a tour of several places in Europe. We had a great time hanging out in Madrid together.
Then, Steve, Joaquin and I visited "El Escorial," and we celebrated San Isidro, both at my school, and with my friends at the Madrid festival.
At the end of the school year, in June, Jen came to visit for two weeks. We had a ton of fun together, and I loved seeing her. We not only toured Madrid, but we also visited Segovia, Seville, and Cordoba, and made wonderful memories along the way!

In July, I took a month long CELTA (Cambridge English Language Teaching for Adults) course, which I knew would help me secure a job in the fall. In August, Joaquín and I visited the US. It was his first time! We went to Chicago, Kansas City, and Saint Louis.

We had a great time, but he had to leave after two weeks to go back to work. I stayed another two weeks. In September, I got my job at the academy and started working. We celebrated Halloween and Thanksgiving.

 In December, we decided to travel to Valencia for New Year's Eve. That's where I'll leave it off, so I can make a full post about Valencia.
A lot has happened in a year. More than I realized! Sometimes it takes reflection like this to make you appreciate how far you've come...