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rorysfm · 4 years

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hllo demons n nerds ! i’m sage, coming 2 u live frm the est gutters! i am... v excited to be here but i am literally the worst at intros so i’m jus gonna diiiiive right into rory below !

(ISABELLA JONES, CISFEMALE) - Have you seen AURORA LEBLANC? RORY is in HER SOPHOMORE year. The DANCE AND SOCIOLOGY MAJOR is 19 years old & is a LIBRA. People say SHE is LIVELY, MAGNETIC, IMPULSIVE and UNRELIABLE. Rumors say they’re a member of CALLOWAY. I heard from the gossip blog that HER PARENTS ARE COVERING UP THAT SHE WAS KICKED OUT OF YALE FOR PLAGIARISM AND NO OTHER IVY WOULD ACCEPT HER, SO THEY BOUGHT HER WAY INTO YATES

ok, so.. rory is a brand new muse of mine so.. pls bare w me while i sort her out. if u want to skip the mess below & just vibe check her.. here’s her pinterest!

BACKGROUND

born and raised in greenwood, south carolina to oliver and lauren leblanc. her parents were high school sweethearts who were voted most likely to get married and have a dozen kids running around

they stopped at 2 because they jus... their kids were a handful but rory will tell you they stopped after her bc they hit perfection :~)

her mom’s family teetered between lower-middle class, her mom entering a bunch of pageants to bring in some extra cash for them.

her dad’s side on the other hand, is where all the connections are baby!!

the leblancs come from a long long line of being wrapped up in the political world. governors, members of the state senate, mayors, advisers... you name it - a leblanc has had that position.

her dad’s goals were no different than the rest of his family’s ... some would say even bigger bc he wants to do what no other leblanc was able to do, which is... run for president. (yes hello.. rory as the future first daughter?)

growing up her parents were honestly... not the best. like above all else they put oliver’s career above their kids and it wasn’t not being there for an important recital, or a parent-teacher night; it was being there for all the wrong reasons.

every little thing they did was calculating to make the leblancs look like the perfect family. hugs and words of encouragement loud enough to filter through the room aimed at their darling children only for them to turn cold and criticise every single thing they did wrong as soon as they got into the car. it was pretty clear that oliver and lauren were a team, and their kids were just props.

when rory was 12, lauren started making monthly appointments at the hair salon to dye rory’s hair blonde... she had a standing appointment every tenth of the month to have her roots touched up

rory’s mom jus rly... pushed rory on her looks and enrolled her in pageants, debutante balls, anything that showed off rory’s looks... lauren pushed her towards it.

rory and her brother declan stayed in their hometown for school until college bc their parents thought it made them look like more of wholesome family so instead of sending them off to boarding schools in london or new york, they opted for private schools in south carolina

both of them were of course pushed into going to well renowned schools, their grandfather had pushed them into going to yates since he, himself had been part of calloway and they were practically legacies and while declan followed thru with it... rory watched the cinderella story one too many times and like hilary duff..... sis went to princeton for political science!!!

only it ended up in flames bc tbh she was like a bull in a china shop, the freedom of not having her parents around to judge every single thing she did? or pushing her into doing things she hated? she od’d on FREEDOM. rory rly just did her own thing, kinda spiralled out of control.. never hard drugs but lots of drinking and partying.

she ended up getting put on probation and was flunking nearly every course. the pressure really got to her (like she knew her parents would get involved if you got kicked out or if she failed all her courses) so she ended up plagiarising an essay ... but gueSS what!! she was caught and her parents got involved anyways.

her parents ended up being able to keep things ... quiet by paying off the teacher that had caught her. the dean also agreed to stay mum about it (after accepting a hefty cheque), so nothing ever went of her record, nothing would ever be documented of this mishap.

but... it’s likely people still talk and while rumors can’t be proven, it still stopped rory from getting into yale, harvard and columbia when she tried

finally with her grandfather’s pull and the promise to build yates a new library with the next 5 years... rory was accepted just as declan had graduated.

PRESENT

pulled up to yates in her vintage baby blue mercedes benz convertible from the 60′s

she’s brand new to yates, and switched out of political science.

out of all the activities and hobbies that her parents tried to push her into, dance was the only one she actually enjoyed doing and fell in love with

her parents let her major in it, as long as she did a double major.. so sis took sociology because why not?

spent her summer dancing with the new york ballet company in their production of a midsummer’s night dream.

honestly.. loved it but also was lowkey bummed out she missed out on a proper summer

right before declan had graduated, rory had come up for a campus tour and ended up partying at yates for a weekend

probably got herself into a bit of trouble, and probably made a nice little impression on a few people!

PERSONALITY

honestly.. chaotic good. she’s always been a little more on the wilder side than declan.. a little more carefree and daring and just always needed to be told to behave

in fact has a tattoo that says BEHAVE on her forearm, that she got one night back in princeton.

that said, she’s very good at playing her part in the family

dubbed as the golden girl... bc she is just that kind of girl that has a magnetic pull to her, a smile that could combat the sun and just naturally very charming and genuinely nice?? very good a convincing you without being manipulative about it

does only angel by harry styles play when she walks in the room? possibly.

the kind of girl that you spend weeks thinking about after one (1) conversation

still gets her hair dyed blonde the 10th of every month, bc her mother has convinced her she is just not meant to be a brunette :/

honestly.. she’s insecure abt a lot of things because of her mom :/

has really great posture and etiquette from all those pageant days. also really good at making cranes out of dinner napkins from being bored at functions her parents forced her to go to

would probably throw hands if she caught someone talking badly abt her brother bc she’s protective of him

very much a hopeless romantic, gets heart eyes very easily and likes to chase until it isn’t fun anymore and falls in love with multiple people a day.

tragically likes country music :/

promised her brother she wld.. try to be good and stay out of trouble but i reckon.... she won’t plagiarize an essay ever again but everything else? the partying? fair game.

CONNECTIONS

tbh i will take anything yall will give me... i am @ ur service serving rory on a silver platter to u

i’m also big on chemistry so we can just see where things go as well since rory is new to yates this could be fun!!

a few people she met while she was visiting last year.. someone she clicked with and they stayed in touch, maybe someone she flirted with but doesn’t remember then (even tho she’ll pretend she does!), someone she hooked up with perhaps? someone she spent all night talking to?

a brother’s friend she’s met a couple times?

good influence/bad influence

family friends

family rivals

cousins could be fun

a roommate

a tutor?

tinder matches? hook ups, flirtationship .. anything angsty!!

friends!! pleathe i will take them all.. a girl squad would also be quite fun!

ok.. that’s all tht my lil brain can come up with.. im sorry this is so long and such a mess but hmu if you’d like to plot!!

#yatesintro #omg whew chile.. this got so long #im so sorry #4 this and 4 this mess

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lupinlongbottom · 6 years

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Babysitting Blues

Remus Lupin x Reader

Summary: Remus and (Y/N) are asked to babysit Harry while Lily and James go away for the weekend.

Prompt: Your stories are amazing!! Can i request one with remus, where him and the reader babysit little harry and it’s really fluffy and cute? And the reader is like convinced that he’d be a good dad? Thanks !! - Anon

Word Count: 2.8k

Warnings: mostly fluff, a little swearing, implied sex

Tag List: @knowledgeisthebomb

A/N: just wholesome moony love tbh (with a lil bit of james x lily thrown in!)

Diapers? Check. Toys? Check. Loads of sweets that Harry is to not ingest? Check.

Lily and James were headed on a weekend trip, the first one they’ve had away from Harry since he had been born. James was way more than willing to pass his only son off onto his best friend and his fiancée, just so he could spend some quality alone time with his wife. Lily, on the other hand… Of course she trusted Remus and (Y/N), she’d do anything for them, but this was her bloody son. She could hardly trust James to properly care for their son half the time. Needless to say, she was apprehensive.

“You sure you trust us? I mean, really trust us?” Remus asked, bouncing a cooing Harry on his hip. Lily tried to shove a pair of socks into their luggage, huffing.

“Of course I do,” Another grunt. “I have no doubts—Merlin, James! What did you pack in here? I can barely fit my emergency socks!” James strolled in from the kitchen.

“Stuff,” James said, taking a bite of a delicious looking green apple. “What could you possibly need emergency socks for?”

“What if she gets the socks she’s already wearing wet?” (Y/N) chimed in, arms crossed. The Potter’s had kept their cottage at a rather cool temperature, (Y/N) preferred staying warm and cozy.

Lily pointed her hand at (Y/N), looking James dead in the eye. “See? (Y/N) gets it!” Lily successfully shut the luggage, emergency socks packed squarely away. “James, I swear, if you had packed anything that’s not necessary for this trip—”

“Everything in that bag has a reason,” James rolled his eyes. “Emergency socks and all. What I packed was rather important.” He shot a smirk at Remus and leaned in to his ear, whispering something that only he could hear. Remus’ scars shone bright white under the now scarlet hue of his cheeks.

“Oi, James, was that necessary?” Remus continued to bounce Harry.

“What I said? Or what I packed?” James said, nonchalantly, taking another bite from his apple. He had just about finished it by now.

“Both!” Remus said, glancing down at Harry, who was currently grabbing the air in front of him, reaching for Lily. James smirked.

“What did he say?” Lily asked, gently grabbing Harry. A large bubble of happiness left Harry’s lips as Lily went to pepper kisses to his pudgy face.

Remus waved his hand. “Nothing. Don’t worry about it.” The color had almost left his face, though the tips of his ears still shone with the brilliance of roses.

“You two should get going, yeah?” (Y/N) waved her wand, the now thin apple core in James’ hands floated away to the kitchen, a soft thunk was heard. It was the trash can.

James nodded. “We have a reservation,” He grabbed Lily’s coat from the closet and draped it over his arm. He gently tickled Harry’s nose, grin spreading across his face. “Though I’m going to miss you! Little stinker!” Harry cooed, planting a chubby hand directly on James’ face.

“It’s at that new restaurant in London, the one I had told you about.” Lily said, passing Harry to James.

“Oh! The one with that fancy ice cream you couldn’t stop gushing on and on about?” (Y/N) asked.

Lily nodded, pulling her navy blue overcoat on. “James had actually caught onto my hints for once,” A quick glance was given to James’ direction, he was flipping Harry upside down and pulling him straight back up. “Thought it’d be a nice treat—James, Harry’s going to get sick if you keep doing that—a chance for us to get away.” Lily shot James a cold glare.

“Come on Lils, Harry loves it!” James said, flipping Harry down once more, as if to prove a point.

Remus grabbed Harry from James before he could flip him down again. “You should get your coat too James, it’s cold out.” Remus said, pushing a tuft of dark hair out of the boy’s face.

James snarled. “Okay mom.”

(Y/N) chuckled at Remus’ now somewhat exasperated expression. “Chin up sweetheart,” She tucked a few fingers under Remus’ chin, pushing it up slightly. “At least he’s listening to you.”

“He’s a grown man, (Y/N). He should know when it’s the proper time to wear a coat.” Remus mumbled, turning his head away from (Y/N)’s touch.

Lily laughed, the sickeningly sweet sound echoing throughout the hall. “Yeah, okay,” Another outburst of laughter from Lily. “You know how many times I’ve had to make him soup because he forgot his coat?”

“Three. Three times!” James exclaimed, now wearing a beige coat and old Gryffindor scarf. “Would you let it go?”

“No,” Lily smiled. “But we should get going,” Lily said, lifting the luggage up. “Don’t want to miss our dinner, right?”

“Right,” James agreed, opening the front door. “If you two need anything I think Lils left the phone number to the hotel on the counter.”

“You have a telephone?” (Y/N) asked, cocking her head to the side slightly.

Lily nodded. “To chat with my parents. Never really enjoyed the owls very much.”

“We’ll call if anything happens,” Remus nodded, still bouncing Harry. “You two should get going.”

“Tryin’ to get the house to yourself Moony?” James asked, grin crawling across his cheeks. “Just—just don’t do anything too explicit in front of the infant, would you?” James ran a hand through Harry’s hair, moving down to cup his chubby cheek.

Remus merely smiled. “Enjoy your trip.”

“Oh Harry,” Lily cooed. “Mummy’s going to miss you!” She planted a wet kiss on his forehead, directly above his brow. Harry shot her a toothless smile.

“We’ll see you in two days,” James said, leading Lily out of the house. As her red hair bounced out of view, James leaned in. “Try not to call, we’ll be rather… busy.” With a wink, the door shut tightly, leaving the couple standing alone, infant in hand.

“That extra stuff James had packed,” (Y/N) said, eyes not leaving the shut door. “They were costumes, weren’t they?”

“Yup.” Remus hummed, also staring at the door. The silence finally caught up to them, surrounding the entire house it seemed. They were all alone, left to take care of an actual human baby.

“Hey Rem,” (Y/N) sniffed, head turning towards Harry. Remus looked down at Harry, who now adorned a rather frustrated face. “I think Harry needs a change.”

“Oh—right,” Remus said, pointing his nose upwards every so slightly. “Do you know how to change a diaper?”

(Y/N)’s eyes widened. “No. I thought you did.”

Remus shook his head. “I—well—I guess I could go try to figure it out,” He turned on his heels towards the stairs. “Can’t have you sitting in a dirty diaper, can we?” He said, words directed at Harry. Harry burbled in response.

“I’ll come,” (Y/N) followed close behind. “For morale.”

“Charming.” Remus chuckled.

They entered the nursery, the pale blue walls were lit with the soft glow from the lamp. Remus set Harry gently down on the changing table. The fabric beneath him had dancing elephants flowing freely.

“Lily sure knows how to decorate.” (Y/N) said, thumbing through the baby books on the wooden bookshelf.

“I think it’d be fun,” Remus said, fumbling through the drawers to find a clean diaper. “Decorating a nursery, that is.”

“Oh?”

“Getting to choose the wall paper, the stuffed animals, the crib,” Remus held a diaper up triumphantly, eyes still focused on Harry. “Buying the adorably tiny socks.”

“You’ve thought about stuff like that?” (Y/N) asked, crossing her arms.

Remus looked back at (Y/N). “Of course, doesn’t everybody?” He said, finally removing Harry’s dirty diaper. Remus gagged lightly. “What a terribly stinky diaper. Wonderful job Harry!”

“You’re praising him?” (Y/N) said, grabbing her nose tightly, trying to block out the stench.

“Of course. He’s a baby, capable of extraordinary things in the future, endless potential, really. But, for now,” Remus threw the balled up filth into the bin next to the changing table. “A stinky diaper is at the top of his accomplishments.”

“He’s done a rather bang-up job at that.” (Y/N) said, walking closer to the changing table. Harry was kicking his legs, making it difficult for Remus to clean him properly.

Remus smiled. “Exactly.”

(Y/N) tilted her head. “He’s a really cute baby. Lily and James got awfully lucky.”

“Luck isn’t the word I’d use,” Remus said. “He’s pretty much a dead-ringer for James, just pudgier.”

“James has a nice face,” (Y/N) announced. “Quite the looker.”

“You do know your fiancé is standing right next to you, correct?” Remus huffed, only a tad bit annoyed.

“Indeed I do,” (Y/N) said, placing a kiss on his cheek. “Did I ever say he had a better face than you?”

“You implied it.”

“Stop pouting love,” (Y/N) placed her hand on his shoulder. “It makes your beautiful face a little less pretty.” Her hand rubbed back and forth on his blue jumper, enjoying the feeling of the woolen texture.

“I’m not pouting.” Remus said, voice small.

“Of course you’re not, sweetheart,” (Y/N) sighed. “I’m going to head back downstairs.”

“You do that.”

“Come and find me when you’re going to stop being a big baby,” (Y/N) laughed, retreating to the living room and flopping on the couch. She hadn’t realized how comfortable the fabric felt against her skin. (Y/N) made a mental note to ask Lily where she had purchased it. A loud bang was heard from upstairs, along with a loud groan. “Sweetheart?”

No response.

A few moments later, Remus appeared in the living room, carrying a more content Harry. He set him down next to the stack of blocks near the couch.

“Everything okay?” (Y/N) chuckled, eyeing Remus up and down.

He flopped down next to her, arm falling around her shoulders. “No.”

“Did you—your jumper—change?” (Y/N) asked. He indeed was wearing a new jumper, the one previous had little blue snowflakes. The one he was currently wearing was a bright red hue, adorned with a dark maroon argyle pattern.

Remus groaned. “Yes."

“Because…?”

“He—Merlin, (Y/N), I had no idea a baby’s bladder could get so full!” Remus said, flinging his head to the back of the couch, staring up at the ceiling

“He didn’t!”

Remus did not reply, but purely shot (Y/N) a rather annoyed look.

“I’m sorry you had to go through that,” (Y/N) said with a sweet voice, holding back the laughter. She moved to fix his collar, he hadn’t pulled it through the neck hole properly in his haste to change. “But, on the bright side, everything can only get better from here, right?”

“I suppose you’re right.” Remus said, glancing down at Harry.

“Besides,” (Y/N) leaned closer to Remus’ ear. “I’ve always liked you in this color.” She hummed, pressing a soft kiss to his jaw.

He smiled, turning to look at (Y/N) once more. “I know.” His lips met hers gently, warm and inviting.

“You a little less pouty?” (Y/N) teased, nuzzling more into Remus’ side.

“Just a bit,” He admitted. “The kiss helped.”

“Need another?”

“Please.”

It started soft and gentle, as it was before. But, with a swift change in intensity, (Y/N) found herself clinging to Remus’ jumper rather tightly. They swayed for a moment before being interrupted by a rather happy burble from Harry. He had been playing with the blocks in front of him.

“He does look an awful lot like James, doesn’t he?” (Y/N) said, rather breathlessly.

“But he’s got Lily’s eyes.” Remus added.

“I bet he’s never heard that one before,” (Y/N) scoffed, readjusting her collar. “He looks like he’s having fun.”

Harry had begun to stack the blocks, or, he tried for that matter. Remus pulled his wand out and swished it gently, sending the various colored blocks flying across the room. Harry was mesmerized by the floating colors, enchanted with how they moved. His green eyes darted back and forth between the hues, as if he couldn’t decide where to focus them. Remus smiled as he flicked his wand once more, placing the blocks in a pyramid shape.

“He loved that.” (Y/N) gushed, watching little Harry play with the blocks with a feverish fury.

“I try.” Remus hummed, tilting his head onto (Y/N)’s.

“You said before,” (Y/N) started. “About decorating a nursery.”

Remus stiffened, afraid to respond. “Yes?” He managed to croak out.

“Well, you said you’ve thought about it before,” (Y/N) picked at her fingernails. How had they gotten so dirty? “And you really seemed happy thinking about it.”

“I was.”

“Was? Are you still not?”

“I mean,” Remus removed his arm from around (Y/N), sitting up from the couch. His elbows met his knees. “It’s a nice thought, sure, but not very feasible.”

(Y/N) paused, thinking over his phrasing. “Sweetheart, I know we hadn’t talked much on the subject of children but—”

“But you don’t want any—with me, that is. I understand.” Remus finished, voice rather cold. His eyes were still focused on Harry, whom had a blue block shoved in his cheeks. A quick flick of Remus’ wand sent the block flying out.

“What?” (Y/N) asked, rather startled by Remus’ comment.

“It’s obvious, isn’t it?” Remus let out a rather sad chuckle. “You’d never want to have a child with a monster like myself. It’s not fair to you, not fair to any offspring.”

(Y/N) started laughing loudly. The sound filled the room, echoing off the walls and bounding back to Remus’ ears. She grabbed onto her stomach, as if it hurt to breathe.

“Love?” Remus asked, awfully confused.

“You really need to stop assuming things like that Mr. Lupin,” (Y/N) took a deep breath, trying to regain her composure. “You really think I wouldn’t want to have children with you?”

Remus nodded slowly.

“Then you don’t really get me at all, do you? Merlin! I’m marrying you for goodness sake!” (Y/N) flashed her engagement ring at Remus. It wasn’t much by any means, but it had represented their love and the vow they would make to one another soon enough. “Remus, I don’t care what you are, I care about who you are. I’d be pretty damn lucky to have a child with you.”

“But what if they’re—”

“Good thing they’ll have a father who can help them understand their condition, isn’t it? Regardless, that child is going to be so damn loved—by both of us—that it’ll resent us for the rest of their lives.”

Remus did not speak. He just continued to look at Harry, who had made eye contact with Remus. Harry’s head tilted slightly to the left, as if he was confused at the solemn expression drawn on Remus’ features.

“We could always adopt. There’s hundreds of wizard children waiting for a loving family to call their own,” (Y/N) sighed, noticing Remus’ unchanged expression. “You’re going to make and excellent father, Remus, wether the child be ours biologically or not. I’ve seen how caring and doting on Harry, it made me think, you know, about—”

“Our future child?” Remus finally spoke up, now fully glancing at (Y/N).

“I thought about how you’d praise them for every little thing they did, being so unbelievably proud of them and their accomplishments, even if they were lack-luster. I thought about how amazing you’d be at telling them stories, using rather unbelievable different voices for the characters. I thought about all of that, Remus,” (Y/N) shrugged, her eyes brimming with tears. “You’d make an excellent father. It just kills me to know you don’t think so too.”

“(Y/N),” Remus reached out to touch (Y/N), but let his hand fall. “I thought about those things too, I did. I just—just didn’t want to burden you with the idea of children if you didn’t want them. I want kids—more than anything, really—and I want them with you.”

“I’m glad you think so,” (Y/N) sniffled. “You got me worried for a moment there Moony.” She rubbed her eyes, wiping the stray tears away.

“I’m sorry I worried you,” Remus pulled (Y/N) in a tight embrace, holding her head close to his heart. “That was never my intention.”

“Remind me to put something about communicating better in my vows, okay?” (Y/N) joked.

“Duly noted.” Remus replied, smiling into (Y/N)’s hair.

They pulled out of the embrace and retreated back to the position they had been in before, nuzzled into each other’s sides. (Y/N) glanced back down at Harry, who was still playing quietly with the blocks.

“You know,” She hummed. “With all those costumes James packed, Harry’ll probably have a little brother or sister for us to babysit too in a few months.”

“It’ll be good practice then, wouldn’t it?” Remus said, smiling down at (Y/N).

“Excellent practice.”

#remus lupin #remus lupin x reader #remus x reader #harry potter x reader #remus lupin imagine #remus lupin imagines #marauders x reader #marauder x reader #professor lupin #harry potter #hp

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jazzinuptheworld · 7 years

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First Abroad Update (first email)

Hello Friends and Family,

My first month in Madrid has come and gone in the blink of an eye! And I can't believe it! I'm writing to let you know what I'm up to, how I've been, and what it's been like here in Madrid.

My Host Family

My host family is absolutely wonderful! My hosts parents are Pilar and Jesus, and I have two host sisters Maria and Andrea who are both in their twenties. They are all so kind and welcoming, and it's been an absolute blessing receiving them as my host family. I have my own little room that's painted a very happy orange, with a bed, a desk, drawers, and a closet. My room is so cozy and nice, it's a great place to come back to at the end of the day. I have two housemates from SLU that share the other room, they're both nice, but I don't see them much outside of dinner time. My host parents make the best dinners! There hasn't been any dinner that I haven't liked (knock on wood, we still have 3 months to go), but they are very considerate of our likes and dislikes and try to only make things that they know we'll enjoy. I have heard horror stories from friends about the dinners they are served, so I'm glad I haven't had to experience that (yet?). The only downside of Spanish dinners is that they're at 10PM!!! Being that I'm American (or from the US @Facundo), I eat my dinners around 5/6 or 7 at the latest, so 10 o'clock dinners have been quite the struggle! Although I've found ways to last until that time, like grabbing tapas or bocadillos at my favorite place: Cien Montaditos.

Learning the Language

Although I have dipped my toe in the Spanish language at home or at Mexican restaurants in LA, I have a very limited ability to speak the language. As many of you know, I'm able to understand a lot of what is spoken to me, so it's been easy getting around and understanding some things here and there, but the real struggle is actually saying something. I am usually able to string along some words and people will understand me, but I still have a lot of learning to do. Not to mention that Castilian Spanish is different than the Spanish I'm used to!! You know how people say as long as you know how to say "Where's the bathroom" you should be fine?? Well SURPRISE the one word I thought I knew for sure was "baño" but they don't use "baño" here they say "aseos" !!! Did anyone else know that?? Bc I didn't. AND YOU KNOW WHAT ELSE THEY USE HERE.... VOSOTROS! Which every Spanish teacher ever told me not to worry about because we'll never have to use it (insert upside down smiley face emoji). And the cherry on top, is the lisp they have that makes it the slightest bit more difficult to understand what they're saying. (Rant over). The point is, I've been on the struggle bus, but not to worry I try to practice with my host family because they only speak Spanish, and my friend and I try to practice our Spanish with each other which helps. Also, what I'm trying to say is... don't expect me to come back to the states knowing how to speak Spanish (although hopefully I'll be much better).

The "Study" in "Study Abroad"

Oh yeah, I almost forgot that I'm here to go to school! What a concept. Long story short, it took about two weeks here to get a final schedule of classes. During my first two weeks here, I was switching in and out of classes, getting on and off waitlists, collecting syllabi and trying to construct a schedule that won't make me want to pull my hair out while abroad. At the start of my third week, I finally got my schedule figured out. Most of my classes are pretty lame tbh, but you gotta do what you gotta do. They seem pretty manageable which is good, but it is only just the beginning. My Spanish class is probably the hardest, and the one that pushes me outside of my comfort zone the most. It's an intermediate Spanish class, which I thought would be fine, until I realized I don't actually know Spanish. The other classes I'm taking are things I'm used to like two theology classes, a philosophy class, and a Language and Linguistics class. I had to pack my schedule this semester to ensure that I would graduate on time in the Spring, otherwise I would gladly be taking an beginner's art class or a flamenco class. Hopefully I just pass the classes that I'm in, and I should be fine (C's get degrees, rightt???).

Outside of the Classroom

Madrid is such a beautiful city! And the streets are always buzzing with people! There's so much to see and explore, and I've tried my best to experience all Madrid has to offer, whether that's going to the museums, the Royal Palace, the beautiful parks, or grabbing tapas after class with friends. (Although sometimes, I choose siestas rather than walking all throughout the city). Other than exploring the city, I've also found other ways to spend my time. Being that church is my hobby, my friend introduced me to some other girls that were all interested in creating a Bible Study group, so we picked a meeting time and thus a beautiful thing has begun. We've had two meetings so far, and they have been wonderful, it's just been a space to reflect, pray and share about our lives. They're all such kind, genuine people and I look forward to building better relationships with each of them. The Sunday after our first meeting, we all went to church together and it was so much fun! Some girls in our group have a host mom that knows a priest at the parish we went to, so she made a cake for him and gave it to the girls to deliver. So, after mass, we went back into the sacristy, and met him and then he took us to the top of the church which had a beautiful view of the Royal Palace! He talked to us about his trip to the Holy Land, which he had just returned from! Then, he showed us the residence and other chapels within the church. Finally, as we said goodbye, he blessed us with Myrrh that he brought back with him from the Holy Land and said the Irish Blessing over us (which is significant to me because it is a tradition at LMU to say the Irish Blessing at Welcome Mass as a freshman and then at Graduation), then he sent us away with gifts! So basically, it was a wonderful day. Besides church related things, I have signed up to teach an Advanced ESL (English as a Second Language) class! I have only had one class, and it was a bit stressful, but hopefully it will get better!

My First Trip

We took our first trip out of Madrid to London and it was.... memorable. lol. Long story short, the housing situation was kind of crazy, and I feel like I didn't get to see a lot of London, and everything was really expensive. But on the bright side, I got to see my friend Kateri (who has been my friend since kinder, and also goes to LMU), and I got to go to the Warner Bro's studio and see sets from Harry Potter which was pretty awesome. I think the best part of going to London was missing Madrid. (Whhaaattt?? What do you mean by that Jazmin??). Well, after arriving in London, and spending the weekend there, I realized I really missed Madrid! Which was awesome, because it made Madrid feel like home. Being away from Madrid made me appreciate it even more, and I was so happy to go back!

If you want more details on London, feel free to contact me lol

Valencia

Valencia was AMAZING! 10 out of 10 would recommend to a friend. The whole city just felt so relaxed and chill, and it was a nice contrast from the ever buzzing Madrid. My friend Cristina, has a friend in Valencia and he showed us around the entire city, telling us fun facts, and history! He was so fun and nice, it was great to have a local show us around! On the second day, we spent the entire day at the beach which was incredible! I was really starting to miss the beach, so it was nice to spend the day there. I was just floating and swimming in the Mediterranean Sea and it was FANTASTIC, the water wasn't too cold, and the waves were calm, and the water was clear, and I was so at peace. Then we ate some bomb paella, and then went back into the city and had some BOMB gelato. It was truly a wonderful day and trip.

Missing home?

As much as I try to be present here, I've had one foot at LMU, for reasons mostly out of my control. Since I'm trying to graduate in the Spring, I've had to be in contact with LMU for various reasons. For one, graduation pictures are happening, and I'm obviously not there, so I was contacting the photographer and the yearbook editor to see if I would be able to take pictures when I go back in the Spring. It's not a huge deal if I'm not in the yearbook, but it would be nice, so I've been trying to figure all of that out. Additionally, I was in constant contact with my advisor to make sure I was picking the right classes, how many units I would need to finish, which cores counted and which didn't, sending transcripts and constantly checking my CAPP report (which probably doesn't mean anything to you unless you're from LMU). I'm also attempting to try and finish my Catholic Studies minor, so I've had to be in contact with Fr. Marc, sending syllabi and course descriptions. And in addition to that, I've been thinking about doing another Spring Break trip, so I applied to both IC and AB trips, and have already had one skype interview and I have another one to come (tomorrow!!) And looking towards the future, I've been looking into some post grad service options. I've been researching, and reaching out to people, and keeping in contact with TK. So it's been crazy! As if that isn't enough to think about, soon registration will come around, and I'll have to reach out to my advisor again and then apply for my degree (but we're not there yet, so we'll cross that bridge when we get there). Besides that, I really have been missing home! Both homes: Santa Maria (shocking I know) and LMU, I miss familiarity and comfort, but I know I have so much to gain from being outside of my comfort zone here in Madrid.

If you made it this far, thanks for bearing with me! I know that was an absurdly long update. But that's what happens when you leave a month's worth of content in one email, and there's been so much left unsaid!

Anyway, I love you all so much and I miss you!

-Jaz

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