I also eat eggs now. They are good in Espain.

I have diarrhea.

Are you surprised??

Are you even reading ???

Today was my first full day of teaching at La Vaguada and guess what ....

SUCCESS!!!

It was so great! Apparently the teachers can chose what to do with you, so my biology and English teachers decided to split the class in half and I led each half by myself. It was so FUN! I was amazed at how well I kept their attention and respect. We (me and the mouse in my pocket at least) had a really good time.

My assignment for English was to have casual conversation and talk about Halloween. Apparently it's a trendy new holiday for the younger kids, but the 15-year-olds had no interest in dressing up and getting candy (how dumb!) However, conversation ranged from smoking pot to how the Lehmann Brothers ruined Spain's economy. What a topic! I was surprised at how socially and economically aware they are. I was so proud to see they were comfortable and confident enough with me to really converse. I also had to make my first threat: "If you say the F word one more time ..." You know how it goes Mom ...

I finished teaching at 2:50 and began my first tutoring lesson at 5:30. halelujahhhh he was a precious 11-year-old who gave me a run for my money. I can talk to a brick wall and he can get one to respond. We had a blast and I'm hooking him and Emily up when she gets here. Practice your Spanish and soccer babe cause you have a DATE! Scoot over tanner green ;)

What else ... yesterday was Misha and mine's first day at the English academy ... apparently his 8 euro/hour promise was for both of us together, not each. So I earned 4 euro but had a great time! I am here for the experience, not dinero. I saw one of my "students" (who are actually English teachers and are way older than me!) on the street this morning and we kissed and talked and it was like seeing a best friend. A great encounter! Zamora is just the right size.

Im a happy camper over here:) Just about to have a glass of wine with my roomies and watch the Real Madrid vs Milano match!

OH ... GO RANGERS!!!!!!! MOVE OVA YANKEES CAUSE THE SOUTH HAS RISEN AGAIN ;)

I bought new shampoo this week, which has caused mayhem on the streets on Zamora.

Today I was followed by a group of guys yelling RUBIA RUBIA; they hissed between their teeth and made one-sided conversation with by backside. They of course disappeared after I ignored them for a few blocks. Either that, or they realized I was on my way to the police station to turn in my foreign residence papers. Its never a good idea to stalk a girl on her way to the police station.

It happened again tonight while we were walking home from the bar. An older emborrachado man stumbled along side us mumbling and grumbling in his drunken Castellano lisp something about la rubia, que bella. Duh I ignored him and finally wondered off after he told us we were boring. Uh not boring. Rude.

The fourth time happened in front of Zara on a beautifully lit pedestrian shopping area. The group of us girls walked passed a young guy talking to an older man when it happened again. Something like a whistle and EH RUBIA! echoed off the stone walls. But when I didnt respond, this guy didnt take it so well. He tossed a small rock at me, hitting me in the ankle of my leather Tory Burch boots. Oh no. Not Okay senor. I dont take shit from a Spanish man half my size. I turned around and glared at him and continued on to my flat.

I have been persecuted for being too blonde. Stoned. Punished. Followed by teens and a drunk. Hissed at, stared at, winked at and smiled at. a millisecond of flattery switches to embarrassment and frustration. leave me in peace while my hair sparkles under the street lamp. Let my locks blow where they will. Yes, its natural. No, Im not Britney Spears. And No, You Can Not Touch It.

Its been a strange night and I lay here in my ice-cold room not sure how to respond; or even what I'm responding to. I just read Abbey and Amber's email from Costa Rica and they aren't even the same girls they used to be. Abbey is hanging out with strangers and cross-generational lovers (our dear evasive Abbey ... the one who doesn't have the gumption to answer a phone call) and Amber is a slut. Really, just a manicure-giving, car-washing slut. Really? I thought we were above using our bodies as a moneymaker. This news has me as tense as I've been in days. Who do we become when we travel? How much of ourselves do we let go and how much of us resists the temptation to flee? Ironically, I just watched Fight Club for the first time tonight and was so confused by the end. When did the lonely business man become his imaginary alter-ego? How did it happen, and what triggered it? When we travel, what part of us allows imagination to take over and distort who we are? Maybe, our imaginations and desires are as much a part of us as our obvious parts are. I wonder how much of us stays at home, and how much boards the plane in our carry-on. Sometimes it's easy for me to adapt to the scenario I'm in and allow myself to change a little. No, not even change, just adjust. a little tiny bit. Is it dangerous? Is it real? At home I'm so sure of who I am that people have told me its something really special. But the travel Alyssa gets a chance to try out new perspectives ... ones that would have never entered her mind as a confident solid creature. It's a little scary to be put in a place that doesn't hold you accountable, but I guess that's where God comes in. I've needed Him a lot in these few weeks as I've been surrounded by people I have absolutely nothing in common with. For the first time in 22 years, I've had to defend my faith, my state and clothes. Weird, I know, but I'm not in Texas anymore. I'm in Spain where the government doesn't turn on the heat until November.

And as for you, Abbey and Amber, I have no doubt that your character is solid. I honestly think I'm in awe of how yall have adapted to your environment. I am proud of you Abs for letting courage infiltrate your flightiness; Amber, I know this newfound hygiene (aka no manure under your nails) will change your life. Don't worry, society will always view yall (us) as freaks, so stay strong, stay courageous, and stay clean. Love you.

I finally became an official American in the eyes of the rest of the world. I have finally been to New York City. And while it fell flat in many ways (it lacked the history Rome and the beauty of Madrid), it was a great experience. The city didn't grab me; there was no emotional sensation except for when I went Ground Zero and Kate Spade. Both were very different and very special.

I remember I cried the first time I visited Spain. Hot tears of excitement and joy to finally be in a country I had studied and desired to know for more than a decade. I have never considered the Big Apple to be American. Not really. How does a New Yorker relate to anyone else in America? How can I relate to them? It has always been hard to find that common ground in our nationality and cultural roots. However, I think I found it. Almost everyone there is a foreigner. It is by far the most international city I've been to and I felt just as foreign as my Pakistani cab driver looked. Except he cursed more than I did (WOW) and insisted Mondays don't have rush hour traffic. Even Lufkin Mondays have rush hour traffic.

Anyway. Seeing Lauren and Ashley and going out with them was fun. I LOVED seeing them! They are such wonderful friends and I am so glad we are staying in touch :) Sky is a monster but I guess thats no surprise -- she has the WOLF gene! way to dominate the dogpark girlfriend! And way to avoid being humped! Life really is hard for her ... avoiding unwanted riding in a public place can be hard but she handled it with grace.

I hope all this makes sense ... Im having major jet lag! It is so gorgeous in Madrid today but I haven't left the hostel yet (I just got here half an hour ago). Im trying to muster up the energy to get on my feet. LOVE the word muster.

There's a girl in the kitchen right now ... muster nosed be pierced??? ew. ;)

Oh, and a shout out to Susan. If you're reading this, you should feel super special that the whale has allowed you to penetrate the group. welcome! Ashley found some interesting whale penis facts in Cosmopolitan --truly a go-to sex and fashion magazine for all mammals ...

Okay, mom just texted me and motivated me to go out. I always need her to motivate me! Thanks Mommy Dearest for helping me make my dreams come true!

Where to...? Retiro park ... the Museo del Prado ... a cafe for a cafe? :) Life is good!

To Mother

Dear Mommy Dearest,

The soap bar is in my mouth. I won't say a ______ word that can't be said in front of Bro. Charles or Nannie. I regret the sailor who sails in the high seas of my breath and subjugates me to his _____ way of language. My mouth is foaming, ___ bubbles running down my chin and neck, soaking my mexican moo moo (from Abbey) as we speak. Excuse me, as I speak. The sailor has left the room and the mouse in my pocket scabbered away to a more vile and accepting pocket of life. I will miss my friends -- the ones who so creatively created self-expressing lingo; the ones who took words of no value and defaced them and perverted them in a way that made juveniles laugh and brittle-minded suburbanites cringe. But they were, and are and are to come and I'll be ____ if I ever forget them. I'll pass them on my siblings and children, singing cursed words in foreign and domestic languages in a sugary-sweet-rocking-chair-voice. These words have been imbedded in my mind like a parasite, and unlike another parasite Ive had, this one probably wont leave from my ____. Like blink-182, the lyrics of perversion will linger in my mind and present themselves at the most inopportune moment. For now, however, I think ive done well. What do you think, mom? Arent I an angel? :) ___ yeah I am!

I love you (seriously) with my whole heart.

Santa Alyssa