Recently my parents visited and we celebrated my birthday and my mom’s by taking a daylong local wine/vineyard tour. It was a great time and we ended up having the guide to ourselves. We visited vineyards, saw gorgeous views of vines on rolling hills, and ended the day with a family lunch and visit to the guide’s historic winery. I was also able to show them around Logroño and my apartment.  We spent their last day in the area grocery shopping and cooking at my place, which made the apartment feel even more like home. If anyone ever wants a wine tour in La Rioja region, check out Wine Taste Lovers tours! :)

On Tuesday the school had a field trip to a Izki Natural Park in Basque Country. It was a gorgeous area and the kids had a great time. My hands were held and released throughout the day by multiple kids wanting to show me around and trying to explain things to me in Spanglish. ​

Oof! I have had so many "beginnings" this week. I've found a Chinese school in Logroño and am enrolled in classes to continue my Chinese studies there. I have a local gym membership, I'm in contact with someone for Basque lessons, and most importantly, I've officially started working as an English assistant in a small public elementary school (Ikastola in Basque) in a town of about 600 people. The teachers, kids, and parents are all amazing and I'm learning so much! The first language of the school is Basque, so there are a lot of times when I'm just sitting there going "uhhhhhhhhhhhh",  but I hope to change that with classes and practice.