a raunchy drain and a medicated chihuahua

This week was a pretty typical week: meaning my third graders were awesome and my fourth graders were awful. It seems to be the trend lately and well they are improving ever so slightly, it just isn't as quick as I want it. I started tutoring for the Balderas family this week. They have three children: 2 boys and 1 girl. Their youngest is in my class but I am tutoring the older brother Alejandro. He is a pretty good kid and I have enjoyed getting to know him thus far. We have a lot of work to do but the great thing is that he wants to learn. It is a pretty nice set-up I get paid 15 dollars an hour and they come and pick me up 3 times a week for an hour. I am hoping it will be a good way to earn some extra cash. The thing that cracks me up but yet is good for me is that the parents only speak Spanish so I really have to work on my Spanish and they are very patient with me.

Speaking of Spanish, I started a conversation Spanish class this week and I am still up in the air about how I feel about it. They are offering two classes, a beginner and a conversation class. I am definitely not a beginner but yet I am not ready for the other one so I am torn. There are about 9 other American teachers in the class and everyone's levels of Spanish vary. However, I would have to say I am the lowest on the scale. Most of them had Spanish in college and studied abroad...so where does that leave me...well no where exactly hahaha....It did however go ok, we had to start out by introducing ourselves, what our job is, where we were born, about our family, and our best friends. I was extremely nervous because it is intimidating to be in that class and my face grew very red up until the time a spoke and while I was speaking. It didn't help that I was the 4th in line, right after 3 pretty fluent speakers. I wanted to die but whatever I it and I thought it was ok because the lady didn't really correct me so...who knows:) We will see how next week goes because I have a feeling it is going to pick up because we are starting a book and that is going to be a challenge for me...and to tell you the truth I'm not sure if I can do it so stay tuned:)

Friday couldn't have come soon enough.:) Breanna's boss Ms Charo brought us home with her and fixed us a delicious meal. Her house is pretty sweet! It was elegantly decorated and smelled amazing! She made us quite a feast that included: chile rellenos, rice, beans, an awesome fresh veggie salad, tortillas, some sort of beef stew, and poppy seed cake for dessert. I was pretty stuffed by the end of it. The one thing that is pretty comical is that I didn't see this little onion bulb under my piece of lettuce when I stabbed and as soon as I bit into it, I realized what it was. my eyes and nose started burning immediately and I wanted to spit it out..but I felt like I shouldn't:)...so I got through it somehow haha. After the meal, we shared stories about our lives and listened to Charo's stories about when she was a kid and let me tell you she is a funny story teller; you can't help but laugh and want her to keep on telling more and more. Most of her stories were about pets and lack of luck when it comes to them. The one that makes me smile the most is she had a cat who her mom spoiled. Her mom would give it actual ground beef in tiny little balls. I can't imagine doing that for one of my cats. I love my cat to death but still!!! After we shared some laughs, Charo took us into the center of town to the market so she could buy some eye stickers for spiders:). Random I know but it was still a good time. Afterwards, she showed us the oldest house in Torreon and promised she would take us on a little adventure sometime. When we got back to her house, her son Cesar and his buddy hopped in the car to take us home. Cesar decided that we needed to stop for ice cream, so we quickly pulled over to what seemed like a house and walked in and a lady was selling chepos ice cream. It really didn't seem like ice cream however. It was like shave ice but a tad creamy. I am not really sure how to explain it but it wasn't too bad and it was really cheap. So we continued on our way home but we stopped by the vet to see how their little chihuahua was because earlier Cesar took it to the vet for a routine teeth cleaning procedure. Apparently it had been having some issues and needed her teeth cleaned. It was a normal procedure but the vet numbed the dog’s entire body. Cesar's amigo got into the car first and showed us how the dog's face looked. We were laughing so badly because we didn't really think the dog would look like this but we were wrong!! The dog's tongue was hanging out of its mouth, there was a bloody cotton ball on his mouth and he looked like he was dead. It was quite a site and we are pretty sure the dog wasn't ready to come home!!! When we finally got home, we ate some pizza and Breanna and I were pooped so she moved her bed into my room for a slumber party and we watched Made of Honor before falling asleep.

Saturday was pretty much a day of relaxation and slow moving haha. We didn't set an alarm and got up when we wanted. We finished the movie we started the night before and I made us some eggs for breakfast. We then watched another movie and I got cleaned up and made us some alfredo, chicken and broccoli greatness. We also decided to watch yet another movie:) and then it was time for me to tutor. Tutoring was fun and at the end we played Mario cart racing! I love that game and my sisters and I would play it by the hour we were kids. Ahhhh the memories:) When I got back, Breanna and I needed to head to Walmart to solve the case of the stinky bathroom.

So my bathroom has had an awful smell since I moved into it and let me tell you, I am not a dirty person. I have scrubbed the toilet, floor, shower, etc. Nothing seems to stop the terrible odor. I got this citrus smelling thing and that didn't seem to help. I knew it was a problem when we would get home and the hallway smelled awful and we knew it was from my room. Breanna even said that one time I smelled like my bathroom. That was THE last straw and something was going to be done. So we headed to Wal-Mart and guess what we saw on the way. Well we saw mountains, Carl's Jr., Wal-Mart, and oh random grazing horses. It was quite the sight. Random. So at Wal-Mart, I got a glade candle, a new shower curtain, and some Mexican Drain-o. When we headed back from Wal-Mart, the horses were still out and about:) and the sky was one of the best ones have I seen in Mexico. I could try and explain it but it wouldn't do it justice. Just trust me on this one:) When we got back, Charlie, Malita, Breanna, and I headed to Ok Maguey. On the way there, we had the best taxi ride. The taxi driver cranked the music because we were singing and having a great time because the songs were; girls just want to have fun, funky town, and Gloria. Very funny but it was one of the best taxi rides and we weren't ready to get out of the car! The restaurant was a very cute little place and the service was awesome. Everyone ordered the same food and drink but me. I got enchiladas and a margarita and everyone else got some meat with cheese over a bed of potatoes and a piña colada. That did sound tasty but I was content with my order. It even came with free ice cream at the end and if that wasn't enough there was a deal where you buy one get one free, so it was a lot cheaper than we thought it would be. When we got home, I tried out my Wal-Mart purchases and hung my new shower curtain. Now my b-room smells like sickness, plastic, and fruity air freshener...and that is not ok!!! Also, Breanna and I decided to have another movie slumber party but we didn't make it, we were out in no time.

Sunday was also a lazy start to the day. I took my time in getting up and Breanna made us some French toast. I was excited to see if my bathroom would be better, but it wasn't at all. I wanted to scream haha....so I decided that I would try baking soda and getting a fan so that meant another trip to Wal-Mart, but it was actually on the way because Breanna and I decided to go to a movie, The Mirrors. It was a CREEPY movie and we were the only ones besides two other people. The theater was huge and it only cost us 4.50 to get in and 5 bucks for an icee and popcorn. I can't complain!!! When we got back from Wal-Mart, we made some quesadilla burgers and they were pretty awesome and I hope to have them again! Then we headed to the school to get some papers to grade and when we got back I had a lovely convo with the rents. Well it is now 11pm and I have school in the am so I better get some shut eye...talk to you soon:)