@hotmail.com? Sounds legit to me....

WHAT I LEARNED TODAY:
I have no standards.

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So I am applying for jobs, right? Kinda.

Yesterday I went around with my friends Jessica (from NY) and Kelly (from outside Manchester...as you may already know) and we put up flyers advertising private language lessons. I now totally appreciate the ready availability of printing and copying that I had at my former job. I had to totally sneak back into Oxford House to hijack their capabilities yesterday. I did, however, use my own color paper.

Oliver, that ass, was offered a job by our "alma mater" teaching for about 8 hours a week at the pitiful rate of 7 EUROS AN HOUR. That's like 50 bucks a week, people. In fact, when offered the job, our tutor actually told him he should never accept that pay rate, at which point he promptly took the job. I was told that OHC would have offered me a position, but they are in the habit of only hiring Brits or other European Union members because they can legally do so. The discrimination of it all....but at 7 euros an hour, this is discrimination I can deal with. The silver lining is that I get free copies through Oliver who has unlimited access now. Smiles.

As for my career prospects, Anna, the careers advisor at OHC is sending my and Jessica's CVs out to all the schools here that are hiring right now and that she knows hire Americans and new teachers. Basically, these are schools that will take any scum off the street, give them a Natural English textbook, lock them in a room with 15 pre-intermediate students who will introduce themselves by saying "I call myself Juan," and call it language learning. The kicker? I will totally be groveling over the phone to these people next week: "Um hi, yeah, did you receive my CV? I'm one of the inexperienced Americans you're known for illegally hiring in order to cut corners. - Thursday at 4? Perfect."

Additionally, my level of lowness sinks yet lower as today I actually sent my CV to a school that is hiring at the email address dublinschoolofenglish@HOTMAIL.COM ! Word of advice to all learning institutions, if you want to appeal to qualified teachers rather than scum like me, get a web domain!

Despite all of this hilarity, I am feeling confident that I should have a job by the end of next week, or at least a few private students. Kelly, on the other hand, is perpetually freaking out, to the entertainment of all those around her. Yesterday at lunch (we spent 1 hour putting up flyers and 3 eating and shopping...), in the middle of silently scarfing our tortillas and salchichas, she shouted out, "I feel like a SHEEP! I am a little lost sheep and I can't find the farmer's house!" When asked to explain where in the HELL that statement came from and what it meant, she stated, "Well, I was just sittin here thinkin to meself, I am here in Barceloner without a job and money and I can't find work. Work is like the farmer's house and me the distant sheep." She makes me pee...and realize how not dire my straits are.

In other news, we went to Montserrat on Tuesday. Not much to say other than that it was DAMN cold and beautiful. The monastery was worth the trip as was seeing the famous "black virgin" and hearing the boys choir...that NEVER leaves the mountain except once every other year to go on a few months world tour. Otherwise, they are relegated to the tiny mountain. Bizarr-o. Also had the stongest coffee of my life.

I have finally set up an intercambio in order to work on this crazy Spanish language. While my functional Spanish is totally fine, my expressive Spanish sucks the big one...although, I am REPEATEDLY giggled at and told I have a strong central/south American accent, which I take as a compliment. Better that than a white girl Chicago accent. Anywho, Every Friday some of the intermediate and advanced students from OHC go out to eat and they invitied me to come with. Then, on Sundays, 2 of my former advanced students Virginia and Sheila (both from BCN) and I will go out and do things like go to movies, restaurants, each other's places, etc. and help each other with our respective languages. This is quality as these two ladies are hilarious and full of wit, a winning intercambio combo.

Finally, tomorrow we say goodbye to the last of our departing classmates. We've sent off many this week, a few of which were really hard to say goodbye to. Very sad....but life goes on I suppose and it's cool to have connections around the globe now. Tonight Jessica and I are having American Girl night, which means cooking dinner (Peach-Chicken stirfry....my old standby). Then we're heading out to Placa Reial to meet our friend Luis's girlfriend who has just moved here to do God-knows-what as she doesn't speak Spanish and isn't planning on Tefling. Then again, I shouldn't underestimate the economic clout of Luis' new teaching job, which does, after all, pay more than 7 euros per hour. Lucky British jerk.