Updates!

So my gnat-like personality causes me to leave a lot stories unresolved here on my blog. I tell you about something crazy that happened and how I'm not sure how I'm going to handle it, but then I never tell you the conclusion, even though so many people leave me so many helpful comments with advice. Since I've got some free time tonight, I thought I'd fill you guys in.

The horribly embarrassing aerobics gym class: I've kept up with the gym (and even started running, can you believe it?), but I never did go back to that class. The main reason was because the gym membership was half the price without it. But it was also because the people in the regular workout room (the place with the treadmills and bikes and weights) are way cooler and more down-to-earth than the gym bunnies in the hardcore "look at my sexy body" aerobics class. I've been able to go at my own pace and therefore I've felt more successful and I've more or less made it into a routine.

The crazy Mormon guy: The younger boys from the church eventually did call me and ask me when I was available to come back and observe their basic classes. I mentioned the encounter with their boss and asked if they'd heard about it. The boy on the phone informed me that he had, in fact, heard about it, and then told me, "yeah, Steve felt really bad about it, but then he said you could come back only if you agreed to stick to the basic classes." This conversation annoyed me. They made it sound like they were doing ME a favor by "allowing" me to volunteer. So I effectively "broke up with them" and said it just wasn't gonna work out and good luck. Too bad. No more attempts at volunteering through religious organizations.

That crazy one-day maid who took all day: She had only planned to come that one day because of her surgery, and she never called to ask to come back, and we never called her. I've been keeping up with the cooking and cleaning; I talked Alexandre into helping more (a miracle!), and a lot of the translation work dropped off, so it's been working out OK. I'm guessing that she decided that our apartment was too much work and blamed the apartment rather than her own abilities for the delay.

That crazy Anti-American guy at the gym: Luckily, I haven't seen him since that fateful day, since he usually goes to the gym late at night. Alexandre has run into him a couple of times since that day, and both times, the guy tried to pick fights with him, even though Alexandre told him that he was my HUSBAND, that he's been to the US and that he's MARRIED to an American. My conclusion is that crazy gym guy is a very angry and unhappy man and his "perpetual irritation," as Alexandre describes it, is much bigger than some hatred for the US. So now I just kind of feel sorry for him.

My students on Skype: This has worked out really well. I have a handful of my students from our former town on Skype, and it definitely saves me when bill paying time rolls around. There are a lot of benefits, like the fact that they already have the material and that we've already developed a rapport; there's also the benefit that I don't have to clean my house or take a shower before classes start. Haha. The only problem is that the internet tends to cut out a lot, and I'm not sure if it's because of my internet connection or theirs or both. So I think when we move in January for Alexandre's residency, it'll be worth it to invest in a higher-speed internet.

My Portuguese teacher: After receiving so many generous offers from people (thanks, everyone!) I did end up finding a teacher, and we had our first classes last week. It's a fun challenge to teach someone so advanced, and it's really satisfying to have someone sit with me for a WHOLE hour each week to talk about my questions about Portuguese grammar. It seems promising so far! :D


I think that's everything that I've left unfinished. I hope this post was more hopeful and interesting and less self-indulgent. Have a good night!