So this is the New Year...

I know that I'm WAY overdue with this post here. Sometimes, though, when things are good, I just can't think of any good way to convey it to you through blogging. So, if I should happen to take a while to post something, you can probably assume that it's going to be good (the event, not necessarily the blog post).

For most of my friends, Christmas break ends today (and for most Americans, it ended last week!). But, as always, I've got the extended weekend, meaning that I am still de vacaciones until Wednesday. The break has been good though -- maybe even great. I've had about 3 weeks to just hang out, relax, travel around, and engage in some tomfoolery. And who doesn't love some tomfoolery every now and again?

During this break, I've made new friends, traveled (finally) outside of Spain, took day trips to Madrid, gotten better acquainted with Toledo, and I think... at some point... we became "regulars" at a few locales. I finished a good book, I baked, I did a lot of laundry, I became accustomed to living alone... (and now I must quickly become unaccustomed to living alone).

My trip to Lisbon was fantastic. The weather, though rainy, was much more pleasant than it has been in Toledo (it was a bit more bipolar, as well). It was mostly gray, sprinkled occasionally, and the sun even decided to show its face every now and then. My friend was sick with what we self-diagnosed as Strep, and I can't believe she managed to actually still go out and see things. If it were me in that situation, I'm sure I would have been a much bigger baby. I feel like we got to see and do a lot of things, but we were never rushed. And that's the way, (uh huh, uh huh) I like it.

This New Year's Eve has to have been the best one of my mere 23 years of living. When we got to Lisbon, we had no plans for how we would spend the night. We were still not sure what we were going to do at 7:00pm on New Year's Eve. We asked the receptionist at the hostel if he knew of any place to go for dinner, and he invited us to have dinner at the hostel, with his friends. We ended up making some new Spanish friends (irony) who were also staying at the hostel. They shared their dinners with us, and we all went together to the main plaza before midnight. It was so great. We brought cans of grapes from Spain, and tried to do the traditional eat-all-12-grapes-before-the-clock-strikes-12 business, which was fun, though didn't work out so well. It's hard to eat a grape every second. Try it (when nobody is watching). But I think we deserve some slack since it was our first attempt! The atmosphere was so great. They had music playing in the plaza, (some live, and then some recorded) and fireworks going off from all 4 sides. It was incredible. It was definitely a great way to spend the first night of the New Year.

Fireworks in the Plaza

I'll post some more pictures of Lisbon in the near future. If you haven't seen, I've added a Flickr box to my blog, and I've been putting some pictures there. I feel like the world of picture uploading can be somewhat of a pain in the rear. But you know...

Just wanted to make a quick post to let you know that everything is going well.
2011 is off to a pretty good start.

Pet Peeves.

I would like to take 2 minutes of your time to fill you in about two things that I am currently finding irksome.

#1. The cold. The bitter, unrelenting cold!
I know, I know. It's not even as cold in Toledo as it is in Pittsburgh. We haven't even had any snow here. How can I complain?
Well, maybe I shouldn't be complaining about the cold, but instead, about the way the Spanish deal with the cold. They would rather suffer with frozen fingers and cold toilet seats than pay to turn the heat on. We have had streaks of days below zero (Celsius, so.. somewhere in the 20s Fahrenheit), and we have still never turned on all of the heat in this apartment. And let me tell you, these apartments weren't designed to trap the heat in either! There is no insulation in the walls or windows. There is no carpeting on the floors, just cold tile. (Thank God I have slippers, or I would really be suffering!) And the curtains (if there are any) are sheer. Freshly washed laundry is taking 2-3 days to dry, and most of the time I can't tell if they are still wet or just frozen. I finally bought some fleece sheets yesterday. I had to wash them, and instead of having the pleasure of hot, just-out-of-the-dryer sheets on my bed, I'm covering it with cold sheets, just brought in from the frigid, wintery outdoors. It really is all about the small pleasures in life, people.
I am almost certain that my body has grown permanent goosebumps. But I may have to wait until March to find out for sure. You can see your breath when you walk through the hallway. My shampoo comes out chunky because it's half frozen. When I am in this apartment, 85% of the time I am sitting in my bed, wrapped in 3 blankets. All of these are signs that maybe we should turn the heat up-- just a tad.
And I just found out today that it's only going to get worse! Starting in January, there will be a 10% increase on electricity bills! I'm tempted to just build a fire in the middle of my room. Then I could put the marshmallows that Chelsea sent me to good use! :)

#2. The Strays. The kitty cats are taking over the Secret Garden!
I don't know if I've mentioned the Strays before. But they are an ever-present part of my life here. You may have seen photos of my Secret Garden -- the abandoned building across from my apartment -- the lovely, romantic, oh-so-Spanish view from my bedroom window. And I'm sorry to say it, but the Strays are beginning to ruin it for me.
When I first got here, I found the Strays to be charming. (What wasn't charming at first?) They were a bunch of cute kitties that wandered around in the Secret Garden -- and if I couldn't have my kitties, at least I could watch these cuties from the window.
A few months later, as I spent more time looking out of the kitchen window, I began to notice that these cats have a seemingly busy life. "Perhaps I can write a proposal to give them their own TV show. It can't be any worse than Merekat Manor", I thought. "And who knows, maybe I can make a dollar or two."
But I am sorry to report that my latest opinions of the Strays are much less endearing. These days, they run across the roof like...like animals. They fight a lot. And they make horrible sounds a lot. And, well, they "make up" a lot too. In the middle of the night, the last thing that I want to hear are the screeching Strays as they tear up the Secret Garden.
And the worst part? Their...*ahem*... rambunctious activity is sure to grow the population by the springtime. Bob Barker would be so disappointed. Maybe I need to have a chat with the little old lady who leaves them food at night. These cats need to find something better to do!

The Strays, eating the food that they didn't have to work for.

Can you spot him, sitting on the roof like he owns the place?

 

This cute little guy blends in.

Fortunately, this weekend I will be in Portugal, where more than likely it will be a little warmer. And I'll definitely be far away from the Strays. A nice weekend getaway from my little pet peeves!

(Oh, and don't worry. When June rolls around, I'm sure you'll get another blog post, telling you how horribly hot it is, and how these pisos just weren't made for the heat.) :)

Beben, y Beben, y Vuelven a Beber

(this blog post is packed with goodies! videos, pictures, and my incredible wit. Merry Christmas!)

So Christmas has come and gone. That is a little bit impossible to believe.
I'm happy to report that I am still living, that I made it through my first Christmas away from home relatively unscathed. (Except for that minor major freak out I had about a week ago!) And I wasn't even that "homesick" on Christmas, thanks to the invention of skype, and the recently acquired webcams of various family members. :)

To be completely honest, Christmas Eve had to be one of the coolest days that I have ever spent in Spain (and not because the high temperature was only 5°C). I consider myself blessed to have had the opportunity to be here. I'm not sure about the rest of the country, but here in Toledo on Christmas eve (and New Year's Eve), all of the bars give out free tapas, most notably migas. Apparently, the festivities began around 11:30am, though we only wandered out around 3:45. Obviously, being the holidays, there weren't too many foreigners around, so we were out having cañas and delicious tapas with hordes of Spaniards in the freezing cold. As far as I know, this is a rather recent tradition, but it is so awesome. You go out to spend the day with your friends, have some drinks, eat some good food, and then you go home at night to have dinner with your family. What more could you ask for?

Out for Migas

 So after migas, (which we never actually got to try anyway), I went to make chocolate chip cookies with my friend, and then went to have dinner with my coworker's family. The dinner was PHENOMENAL. I mean, truly the best meal that I have had in Spain. And I'm even having trouble thinking of anything I've eaten in the US that is comparable... but I digress. We first had lobster and langostinos, which are very unshrimpy shrimp. (And by that, I mean they are huge.) Then we had capón. In English, we call it capon. (Go ahead, read what it is!) It tasted a lot like turkey, and was cooked just perfectly, with dates and some kind of stuffing inside. Amazing. We had a different wine with every course, and each one was fantastic. I really lucked out with this meal!

I took some gingerbread cookies that I had made, and everybody was loving on them, (except for one guy, who didn't like them because he could tell that they were made out of butter). We also had traditional Spanish desserts, like turrón and other delicious things (that I can't remember the name of). So good! And best of all, it was really great to just hang out with a family... even if it wasn't my own.


Here are some pictures of the gingerbread men! I was pretty proud. All of this with makeshift icing and a plastic baggie. It's okay, you can be impressed now.

Yes, that is Darth Vader.

 

Oh, and here is the belén that we were working on last week. (I had no part in how awesome it turned out.. I only helped by slathering it with plaster!)

So anyway, after dinner, I met my friend and we went to the misa de gallo, (literally, mass of the rooster), or midnight mass at the Cathedral. It was gorgeous. There was hardly anybody there. And it was freezing. But it was beautiful. At some point during the mass, I was reminded that this is what it's all about. Despite the fact that the traditions are different here, and that my family is so far away, we are all celebrating the same thing... the birth of Christ. And really, that's more important than any Christmas party you can throw.

On Christmas day, we took it easy. I hung out with an American friend. We made a pancake brunch, opened our packages together, skyped with our families, made some more cookies, had dinner, and watched Love Actually. It was a really nice, relaxing day! (And not a bad night either.)

Of course I was missing my family a bit. And I was missing my own traditions. But I think it's kind of cool that I got to spend a Christmas here. After all, the goal is to live here, right? I feel like I'm seeing a side of Spain that not many foreigners have the chance to experience.

I definitely had a Feliz Navidad, and I'm bound to have a Próspero Año Nuevo, if only because the King wished it for me during his yearly Christmas address. His approximate quote was, "I wish a Happy New Year to all of the extranjeros living with us." And we all know that kings get everything they wish for, right?

Now I'll leave you with one of my newest favorite villancicos. It's called 'Los Peces en el Rio', (or, The Fish in the River) and the title of this blog comes from the chorus. It has got to be the most curious Christmas Carol I've ever heard. .. Something about Mary combing her golden hair. Something about her washing rosemary. Something about soap. And something about fish in the river drinking water. And they drink, and they drink, and they drink some more.

I've been murdered.

So I'm happy to report that I'm feeling better, despite being murdered today.* I'm a little less homesick, though no doubt, I will be missing my family immensely this Christmas.

I have made some travel plans, which definitely help. I'll be taking a trip to Lisbon for 5 days, and spending New Year's there. So exciting! I've been wanting to go to Lisbon for a while now, so I'm really glad we have the chance to go! Everyone is telling me that it will be preciosa this time of year. I'm sure they're right!

My friend and I are also planning various activities in and around Toledo for the long break. I'm sure we'll be keeping busy! On the agenda: A guided night-time walking tour of Toledo (we've always wanted to do this!), visiting nearby pueblos, going to Madrid to see the Christmas lights, another little trip within Spain somewhere (though we have no idea where that might be)...
But all in all, it should be good.

I've received a couple of packages this week. One from Chelsea and one from Aunt Judy. I opened Chelsea's (because I got it at the height of my homesickness, and needed to open it for my own well being!) It was a bag of HUGE marshmallows. Like, baseball sized marshmallows. Try sticking that in your hot chocolate!
And I haven't yet opened the second package, because I decided that from here on out, whatever I get, whether it be cards or packages, I'm going to save it until Christmas. And the anticipation is already building!

Yesterday, I went to watch a movie with one of the teachers that I work with. They are going to show this movie, Ágora, to the bilingual students, and they wanted all of the teachers to watch it. (Though I'm technically not a teacher, I wanted to watch it anyway, and I can't watch region 2 dvds on my computer.) So I went to her house to watch it. She made tea and had cookies from one of the famous bakeries here in Toledo. We watched the movie, which was horrible. It was really poorly made, and the content, I'm sure, won't be interesting to 12-15 year-olds, but what can you do?
After the movie, I helped her and her daughter with their belén, or Nativity scene. They were making plaster and pouring it over their mountainous landscape made of newspaper and cardboard boxes. I was delighted to help. We were listening to Christmas music and wearing aprons, working on a Christmas craft, and it was just a really heartwarming, homey atmosphere. They invited me to have dinner with them on Christmas Eve, which I'm sure will be just as delightful.

My plan for today is to make gingerbread cookies. Which first requires that I find a rolling pin. But I'm pretty excited. I haven't done this kind of baking since I've been here. I'm going to play Christmas carols and, though I won't be wearing an apron, I'm sure my heart will be warmed again. (And hopefully my fingers will be warmed as well, since the bitter cold has definitely returned to Toledo.)

It's finally beginning to feel like Christmas. Maybe that's because I'm no longer avoiding it!

*After two months of playing a school-wide game of Clue, I've been murdered. The teachers all got a piece of paper, naming another teacher, a specific location in the school, and a weapon (pen, scissors, etc). To kill somebody, you have to get them alone, in that place, with that weapon. Which, let's be honest, for me it's rather impossible. Today I was finally murdered, which means that I now must buy a gift for my killer. Seems kind of backward, doesn't it? :)

here it comes... (no, not the sun)

I hate it when a good day turns into a rough night.

I was so productive today. I FINALLY got my NIE card, which lets the world know that I am a legal resident of Spain. So, hooray! It only took 3 months!

I also went to get a bank account, FINALLY. I know that it IS possible for an American to get a bank account using only their passport, but for some reason, every bank that I went to told me that I should just wait 'til I got my card (despite the fact that my friends opened accounts at the same banks? what?!) So I waited. It was a pain... but, at last, I have one! (I remember when I naively thought that I would open an account within my first week here. Wrong. 12 weeks later, I'm finally on the ball.)

I went out to lunch with my roommate.
I took a siesta.
I gave a private lesson.
I went to Cine Club.
And that's where it went down hill.
I went out for a beer with my friend after the movie, and we were sitting at the bar talking about Christmas. And I lost it. It suddenly occurred to me that Christmas is NEXT WEEK, and I have been avoiding it --(partially because time is flying here, but also because I just don't want to think about what I'm missing.) I'm all about the Christmas traditions, and I am knowingly going without them for the year. When I heard the other day that mom was going to grandma's to bake cookies, I was so sad that I wouldn't be there with them. That's pretty much my favorite activity ever. I may throw together a batch of gingerbread this weekend, just to make myself feel better. But I'm still really sad that I'm missing that time with them.

Everybody is deciding last minute to go home, and I honestly, legitimately feel like I will be alone on Christmas. In my apartment. Alone. And the thought kills me. The worst part? I decided all of this. It's my own doing... and now it's too late to do anything about it!

I need a good cheering up!
:( Sorry for being a Debbie Downer, but it was bound to happen sometime.

And yes, I fully realize the irony of getting homesick the day I received my residency card. (This is irony, right? Alanis Morissette has messed me up forever.)

food pyramid -- Spanish style

If you are American, you are probably very familiar with a food pyramid that looks something like this. Notice that all of the fats and oils are relegated to the top tier (though, arguably, the United States is the worst follower of this rule worldwide, but I digress). This is what I learned in elementary school, and it's all I've ever known. (I still haven't adopted the new American "everybody has different needs" pyramid.)

Well, imagine my surprise when, in science class today, we were talking about the NECESSITY of consuming olive oil every day. I took a glance at the food pyramid in their book, and sure enough, I saw something that looked like this. Pay careful attention to the second tier from the bottom.

Olive oil carries the same importance as fruits and veggies! It even gets its own box! My worldview has been shaken. I almost wanted to laugh out loud when, in class, the teacher warned, "In some countries, they don't cook with olive oil. They cook with BUTTER!!" (omg, imagine the horror!!)

Obviously I've known forever that olive oil is like water here-- that it flows through the blood of the Spanish. But I never expected to see it in such a real way, in a science book. As if having an entire grocery aisle dedicated to the stuff wasn't enough, they had to go and give it it's own box on the food pyramid.
That's love, people.

Old friends, New friends, Great food, and Better memories.

So obviously, Thanksgiving has happened. Much thanks has been given. This is the second time that I have spent Thanksgiving in Spain, and it's always a little weird. For the most part, nobody knows or cares about it, (and I mean, why would they?), so it's a little weird to have this feeling like it's a special, great day when it's just another Thursday for everybody else. I don't know if it's the holiday in particular, or maybe just the way that it always falls a few months after my arrival here to Spain, but it always makes me a little homesick. Well, I don't know if it's really homesickness, but there's something about the thought of the whole family getting together without me that makes me want to be there. I was missing them all and wishing that I could be playing Rock Band with them in the basement, and eating all of the foods that I've come to expect on Thanksgiving.
(How did I survive a Thanksgiving without cheesy potatoes?!)

Work on Thanksgiving was rather uneventful. No parties or drawing turkeys with the outlines of our hands. No pilgrim hats or Indian headbands. Just your everyday science lessons about the Earth and why it's great. I spent the afternoon preparing a "pumpkin" pie, which was a rather huge experiment, but turned out to be a rather huge success as well. The afternoon was the toughest part of the day, when facebook was ablaze with Thanksgiving wishes and details about everybody's Thanksgiving day plans. But I have to admit that those feelings of missing all of the traditions of Thanksgiving melted away at night. Our little American group got together to celebrate with a potluck dinner, along with friends from about 7 other countries, many of whom were celebrating the holiday for the very first time. The dinner was definitely not your typical Thanksgiving spread, but it was tasty and thoughtful nonetheless.We had arepas and empanadas, green bean casserole and mashed potatoes, lunch meat turkey (tapa-style), and more desserts than necessary. And we ate until we couldn't eat anymore -- just like true Americans.

Unfortunately, the night didn't end well for me. After I got home, I was surprised with a reverse Thanksgiving dinner, when I ralphed up everything that I had eaten that night. I'm not sure what exactly it was that made me ill. I am kind of leaning toward the fact that I had eaten some questionable chicken for lunch that day. Or maybe it was the mixture of food, or maybe even the quantity. Maybe it was the super cheap wine. Maybe it was a combination of these things. But whatever it was, it was reason enough to call in for my first sick day. Having spent half of the night tossing cookies, I was in no shape to put on a fake smile at school.

Friday was a very peaceful day. I didn't leave my apartment until around 7:00pm, and even then, it was only to print my bus ticket for Sevilla! I came right back home after printing the ticket, and spent the rest of the night hanging out at home -- definitely not typical for a Friday night in Toledo.

But the weekend was fantastic, as is typical for weekends spent in Sevilla. (Despite the fact that it rained the whole time ...again!)
I had SO MUCH FUN hanging out with Rachel and Ana Bello. Saturday night, we baked delicious things at Ana Bello's house. On Sunday, we had another Thanksgiving feast. And I mean, this was a legit Thanksgiving feast. We had real turkey, and delicious stuffing, green bean casserole,  sweet potatoes and mashed potatoes, corn, and even more delicious pies. It was SO good. Thanks to Ana Bello for working so hard and making a truly authentic Thanksgiving dinner! The day couldn't have been any better. We had dinner at 2:00, and spent the rest of the night hanging out and playing games. (We even played TABÚ! My favorite!) We only left around midnight! Nights like that are so good for the soul. It was so great to spend time with old friends, make some new friends, speak Spanish (with a healthy amount of English mixed in), and eat the best meal that I've had since being in Spain. (And the leftovers were just as good the next day.)

On Monday, I had the chance to go back to the school to visit. It was great to see everyone. (And it was also great to see that two new kebap joints have opened up next to the school!) Of course, I felt like my Spanish melted away when I walked into the building, and I was suddenly incapable of any intelligible conversation. I hate it when that happens! But despite all of that, it was great to see and catch up with everyone.
Monday night, the school had it's semiannual flamenco party, so we went to that as well. It brought back so many good memories of the semester that we spent there! After the party, we braved the cold and went out for tapas and tea. Good times for sure. It was so great to spend 3 days in such good company!

Obviously, I have a lot to be thankful for. And believe me when I say that I am!