Next year, I will be living in
SEVILLA!!!
I got my placement letter today. I'll be at a middle school again, too!
I'm basically super excited right now.......... :D :D :D
But right now I have to pack a bag. I'm heading to Geneva, Switzerland this weekend!
Oh, what a life I lead. I am so blessed.
Friday, May 6, 2011
Monday, May 2, 2011
Loving Life
Here is why I love my life. In the last 3 days I have:
Oh, and PS, I am going to Switzerland next weekend. Somebody pinch me... am I dreaming?
- made cupcakes.
- eaten cupcakes.
- gone to a birthday party.
- climbed a mountain full of teenagers, who were camping out in tents.
- ridden a boat (catamaran) across the river.
- had tea (and more cupcakes) with friends.
- gambled for sweets with old Spaniards.
- gone out for pizza.
- had beers and good conversations with a friend.
- stayed out past midnight on a Sunday night.
- painted a picture, while sitting in the plaza in front of the cathedral.
- been complimented by a young Spanish boy on my drawing abilities. (Which may also have been the first time in my life that I have ever been complimented on my drawing abilities.)
- darkened my tan. (as evidenced by the line from my watch... oh, and by my farmer's tan.)
- played card games, colored, and laughed with 9 year old girls.
- gone for walks with no destination.
- gotten paid. Twice.
Oh, and PS, I am going to Switzerland next weekend. Somebody pinch me... am I dreaming?
 |
| My painting. A field of amapolas. |
Friday, April 29, 2011
Video Friday!
I found this video on facebook, posted in one of the groups for Language Assistants in Spain.
Me hace mucha gracia. heheheh
...Especially because I've pulled the mini-stapler in the purse trick before.
Pero así es la vida...
Thursday, April 28, 2011
where the beer chases my blues away...
I spent the majority of my Tuesday this week at the radiology clinic/hospital, despite the fact that I was only in the presence of medical professionals for a total of about 20 minutes. You see, the bus schedules are just crazy. They only go to the hospital once an hour, which means, when I finished talking to the doctor 5 minutes after I got there, I had a nice 55 minute wait ahead of me. And I had to do this twice in one day, because the first time I went, the doctor wasn't even in. Sooo exciting. But at least I was able to finish a book that I had been reading.
But this post isn't about hospitals or waiting, or even about books. It's about what I encountered during my wait. Oh, and PS. I am fine. I'm not even sick. I was sick, about 2 months ago, and we're just now getting around to making sure everything is okay. And it appears that everything is, in fact, okay.
So anyway, what did I encounter?
Well, during my wait, and since I had to forgo breakfast before my stomach x-ray, I decided to grab a bocadillo in the hospital cafeteria. It was nothing special. Just you're typical, run of the mill, hospital cafeteria -- except for one thing: BEER. Yes, my friends. They do indeed serve beer in the hospital cafeteria. Which means that I have to add this to my list of craziest places to find beer in Spain.
CRAZIEST PLACES TO FIND BEER IN SPAIN
1. Any store that sells food/refreshments is likely to sell beer (which isn't really all that strange, unless you were born and raised in Pennsylvania, (and I was) -- where beer only comes from a distributor, and liquor only comes from the "state store")
2. The library cafeteria. (What?)
3. McDonalds (I mean, really?)
4. Teachers' lounge of an elementary school (in the shared community refrigerator... fortunately it isn't for sale in the cafeteria) (this witnessed by my roommate, in her school. My school is only lucky enough to store bottles of wine in the teacher's lounge.)
5. The refrigerator of the Catholic charities (where I did an internship 2 summers ago. Maybe I'm just so used to the Protestant views on drinking, but I would have never expected to find it at a religiously affiliated organization!)
6. The ice skating rink that was set up in the plaza during Christmas. (Don't mind that the covered tent was tiny enough as it was -- they could only make the rink half the size of the tent, to save room for a bar, which obviously had beer on tap.)
And now, of course, adding to our list.....
7. The hospital cafeteria
Am I missing anything?
While I was originally caught completely off-guard by finding beer at the hospital (I mean, it does seem a little counterproductive, doesn't it?), I actually find it rather endearing now. And oh, so typically Spanish. Seeing beer in crazy places just makes me love Spain even more. It's like seeing your crazy uncle do something so typically "crazy uncle", that you just can't help but love him more, in spite of his antics.
I might even miss this about Spain when I go home for the summer. I'll miss seeing the old men drinking beer in the cafes at 8am when I am on my way to work. I'll miss being invited to beer at 11:30 on a Saturday morning, by a totally respectable working mother. I'll miss going out for cañas on lazy afternoons, just because.
The truth is, I could do all of the aforementioned things in the United States as well, but it just wouldn't be the same. Beer is so much more enjoyable for me here. Maybe it's the relaxed attitude that the Spaniards hold toward it. Or, who knows, maybe it really does taste better at 8am, and we wouldn't know, simply because we've never tried it!
But this post isn't about hospitals or waiting, or even about books. It's about what I encountered during my wait. Oh, and PS. I am fine. I'm not even sick. I was sick, about 2 months ago, and we're just now getting around to making sure everything is okay. And it appears that everything is, in fact, okay.
So anyway, what did I encounter?
Well, during my wait, and since I had to forgo breakfast before my stomach x-ray, I decided to grab a bocadillo in the hospital cafeteria. It was nothing special. Just you're typical, run of the mill, hospital cafeteria -- except for one thing: BEER. Yes, my friends. They do indeed serve beer in the hospital cafeteria. Which means that I have to add this to my list of craziest places to find beer in Spain.
CRAZIEST PLACES TO FIND BEER IN SPAIN
1. Any store that sells food/refreshments is likely to sell beer (which isn't really all that strange, unless you were born and raised in Pennsylvania, (and I was) -- where beer only comes from a distributor, and liquor only comes from the "state store")
2. The library cafeteria. (What?)
3. McDonalds (I mean, really?)
4. Teachers' lounge of an elementary school (in the shared community refrigerator... fortunately it isn't for sale in the cafeteria) (this witnessed by my roommate, in her school. My school is only lucky enough to store bottles of wine in the teacher's lounge.)
5. The refrigerator of the Catholic charities (where I did an internship 2 summers ago. Maybe I'm just so used to the Protestant views on drinking, but I would have never expected to find it at a religiously affiliated organization!)
6. The ice skating rink that was set up in the plaza during Christmas. (Don't mind that the covered tent was tiny enough as it was -- they could only make the rink half the size of the tent, to save room for a bar, which obviously had beer on tap.)
And now, of course, adding to our list.....
7. The hospital cafeteria
Am I missing anything?
While I was originally caught completely off-guard by finding beer at the hospital (I mean, it does seem a little counterproductive, doesn't it?), I actually find it rather endearing now. And oh, so typically Spanish. Seeing beer in crazy places just makes me love Spain even more. It's like seeing your crazy uncle do something so typically "crazy uncle", that you just can't help but love him more, in spite of his antics.
I might even miss this about Spain when I go home for the summer. I'll miss seeing the old men drinking beer in the cafes at 8am when I am on my way to work. I'll miss being invited to beer at 11:30 on a Saturday morning, by a totally respectable working mother. I'll miss going out for cañas on lazy afternoons, just because.
The truth is, I could do all of the aforementioned things in the United States as well, but it just wouldn't be the same. Beer is so much more enjoyable for me here. Maybe it's the relaxed attitude that the Spaniards hold toward it. Or, who knows, maybe it really does taste better at 8am, and we wouldn't know, simply because we've never tried it!
Monday, April 25, 2011
Semana Santa
Oh man. I feel like I have neglected this blog. But I have been busy, I promise, despite my week-and-a-half-long vacation. I've been busy trotting the globe... and living it up in Toledo. Good excuses, I think.
To begin: the globe-trotting. Destinations: Budapest and Vienna.
Both were freaking awesome cities. They were very different, though. Budapest was the first eastern European city that I've been to, and it was really cool. We packed our days FULL of walking and sight-seeing. My TOMS, I am afraid, have seen their last days. Or, they are about to. The sole is worn so thin that you can poke your finger through it. Not good!
Our hostel was... interesting. Not bad, but our "roommates" were, to put it euphemistically, less than ideal. But I don't know what "ideal" means when you are talking about sleeping in a room with 9 strangers.
The food was good, and relatively cheap. We had to convert everything into Forint, the Hungarian currency, which was rather mind boggling. If you ever thought the Euro/Dollar conversion was a pain, you haven't seen anything yet. A 1.5/1 ratio is easy enough to figure out. But a 266/1 conversion of Forint/Euro just made things difficult. Naturally, I would feel uneasy paying 450 for a lemonade or 2,500 for a lunch entree. But I have to admit that having a wallet full of 500, 1,000, and 5,000 bills made me feel like royalty for a few days. Now if only we could convert THAT into Euros..........
Highlight of Budapest though? The Turkish baths. Soooo great. Sitting in a huge pool of steamy water? Yes please, especially after our marathon days of walking and sightseeing.
Next stop, Vienna. GORGEOUS. Quite possibly one of the cleanest cities that I have ever seen. It was beautiful. There were gardens everywhere! In Vienna, I wasn't dying to see any sights in particular, I was just enjoying the beauty of everything. Every building looks like it could be a palace or museum or something. It actually gets a little confusing.
We stayed with a friend of a friend kind of deal, but it was awesome. I had to conquer my fear of heights and sleep in a loft that was only accessible by ladder. QUE MIEDO. But really, once I was up there, no problem.
In Vienna, I decided that I might want to learn German. I've decided that about a lot of languages, a lot of times. But this time, I might be serious.
Back to Toledo!
As you may or may not know, Semana Santa is a HUGE deal in Spain. It's a whole week of festivities -- processions, torrijas, masses, and, apparently tourism. Toledo has been HOPPING since I got back. I love seeing Toledo like this. I mean, the tourists get a little annoying at times, but I definitely enjoy seeing the streets full of people. It makes me want to be outside ALL OF THE TIME, because you know, I can't stand to miss out on anything -- which is why I always used to hate being absent from school.
Anyway, the weather wasn't very cooperative with all of the festivities. Many processions had to be canceled because of the rain. So disappointing! We went to one of my flatmates' pueblos to see her dress up in a procession, but that was canceled as well. But despite it all, we had a nice little trip to the pueblo!
And luckily, I did get to see a few processions in Toledo. One passed right by my apartment on Wednesday night after getting home from my trip. It was so awesome to stand at the window and watch it all from above. (My street is too narrow to stand on the side and watch -- the people were all gathered at the little plazas at the ends of the street.) On Friday night, at 1:00am, I saw another procession leaving from San Juan de los Reyes, one of the big churches here. It was so cool. And then on Saturday night, we got to see the 1:00am processions of the Resurrected Jesus and the Jubilant Mary meet in the plaza in front of the cathedral. It was really cool, and so different from anything I have ever seen. Maybe it's not quite on Sevilla's level, but being in Toledo for these celebrations makes me love the city even more than I already do. It's great to see the people fill the streets and get excited about things. And you know, there's always next year for Sevilla -- hopefully with better weather, too!
Perhaps one of the best things that I encountered this Semana Santa was a little delicious dish called Torrijas, which is essentially French Toast, covered in sugar. Can't go wrong with that, right? We tried torrijas when we went to the pueblo, and decided to try to make them ourselves when we got home. Ours turned out well! But of course, we were lacking the magical touch of a Spanish mom... so I wouldn't exactly enter them into any torrija-making contests just yet.
Easter was a really nice day though. The rain held off until late at night, so we had a nice sunny day for most of it. We went to mass at the cathedral in the morning, then went to the chino to buy scraps of food to turn into a brunch. And then we made our tasty little brunch. After we ate, we sat around, listened to music and chatted, and later on went for a walk. We read in the plaza for a while, then went out to get cañas and sandwiches. And, after we got home, when it finally did rain, it was such a heavy rain that was super relaxing to listen to. What a great day!
Of course I missed my family, as always, but when I fill my days with moments like these, it's hard to not enjoy my life. :)
To begin: the globe-trotting. Destinations: Budapest and Vienna.
Both were freaking awesome cities. They were very different, though. Budapest was the first eastern European city that I've been to, and it was really cool. We packed our days FULL of walking and sight-seeing. My TOMS, I am afraid, have seen their last days. Or, they are about to. The sole is worn so thin that you can poke your finger through it. Not good!
Our hostel was... interesting. Not bad, but our "roommates" were, to put it euphemistically, less than ideal. But I don't know what "ideal" means when you are talking about sleeping in a room with 9 strangers.
The food was good, and relatively cheap. We had to convert everything into Forint, the Hungarian currency, which was rather mind boggling. If you ever thought the Euro/Dollar conversion was a pain, you haven't seen anything yet. A 1.5/1 ratio is easy enough to figure out. But a 266/1 conversion of Forint/Euro just made things difficult. Naturally, I would feel uneasy paying 450 for a lemonade or 2,500 for a lunch entree. But I have to admit that having a wallet full of 500, 1,000, and 5,000 bills made me feel like royalty for a few days. Now if only we could convert THAT into Euros..........
Highlight of Budapest though? The Turkish baths. Soooo great. Sitting in a huge pool of steamy water? Yes please, especially after our marathon days of walking and sightseeing.
Next stop, Vienna. GORGEOUS. Quite possibly one of the cleanest cities that I have ever seen. It was beautiful. There were gardens everywhere! In Vienna, I wasn't dying to see any sights in particular, I was just enjoying the beauty of everything. Every building looks like it could be a palace or museum or something. It actually gets a little confusing.
We stayed with a friend of a friend kind of deal, but it was awesome. I had to conquer my fear of heights and sleep in a loft that was only accessible by ladder. QUE MIEDO. But really, once I was up there, no problem.
In Vienna, I decided that I might want to learn German. I've decided that about a lot of languages, a lot of times. But this time, I might be serious.
Back to Toledo!
As you may or may not know, Semana Santa is a HUGE deal in Spain. It's a whole week of festivities -- processions, torrijas, masses, and, apparently tourism. Toledo has been HOPPING since I got back. I love seeing Toledo like this. I mean, the tourists get a little annoying at times, but I definitely enjoy seeing the streets full of people. It makes me want to be outside ALL OF THE TIME, because you know, I can't stand to miss out on anything -- which is why I always used to hate being absent from school.
Anyway, the weather wasn't very cooperative with all of the festivities. Many processions had to be canceled because of the rain. So disappointing! We went to one of my flatmates' pueblos to see her dress up in a procession, but that was canceled as well. But despite it all, we had a nice little trip to the pueblo!
And luckily, I did get to see a few processions in Toledo. One passed right by my apartment on Wednesday night after getting home from my trip. It was so awesome to stand at the window and watch it all from above. (My street is too narrow to stand on the side and watch -- the people were all gathered at the little plazas at the ends of the street.) On Friday night, at 1:00am, I saw another procession leaving from San Juan de los Reyes, one of the big churches here. It was so cool. And then on Saturday night, we got to see the 1:00am processions of the Resurrected Jesus and the Jubilant Mary meet in the plaza in front of the cathedral. It was really cool, and so different from anything I have ever seen. Maybe it's not quite on Sevilla's level, but being in Toledo for these celebrations makes me love the city even more than I already do. It's great to see the people fill the streets and get excited about things. And you know, there's always next year for Sevilla -- hopefully with better weather, too!
Perhaps one of the best things that I encountered this Semana Santa was a little delicious dish called Torrijas, which is essentially French Toast, covered in sugar. Can't go wrong with that, right? We tried torrijas when we went to the pueblo, and decided to try to make them ourselves when we got home. Ours turned out well! But of course, we were lacking the magical touch of a Spanish mom... so I wouldn't exactly enter them into any torrija-making contests just yet.
Easter was a really nice day though. The rain held off until late at night, so we had a nice sunny day for most of it. We went to mass at the cathedral in the morning, then went to the chino to buy scraps of food to turn into a brunch. And then we made our tasty little brunch. After we ate, we sat around, listened to music and chatted, and later on went for a walk. We read in the plaza for a while, then went out to get cañas and sandwiches. And, after we got home, when it finally did rain, it was such a heavy rain that was super relaxing to listen to. What a great day!
Of course I missed my family, as always, but when I fill my days with moments like these, it's hard to not enjoy my life. :)
Sunday, April 10, 2011
spring has definitely sprung.
Is it just me, or is EVERYTHING better in the spring time? I mean, really... has anybody else noticed that the world just explodes in happiness when it gets warm and sunny?
We have had about a week or two of gorgeous weather now. It has been fantastic. I have a tan. I repeat, I have a tan..... and it is only April. This is encouraging. These last few days have felt more like summer than like spring, which is 1. the best thing ever, and 2. rather intimidating to think about what it will be like when June rolls around. But for now, it has been really great.
All of this sunny warm weather is reminding me of home, and how much I love Pittsburgh in the summer time. I believe that this is the most homesick I have felt. Ever. I want to drive a car, my car. I want to listen to country music with the windows down, while driving somewhere, anywhere, far away. I want to have a pool party. I want to eat hamburgers that were cooked on a grill. I want to go to Kennywood. I can't wait for the Arts Festival (why?? I have no idea). I want to listen to DVE in the morning. I want to ride my bike. I want to be in my city, with my friends and family. I want to sit on my porch and read a book. I want to take a nap with my kitty cats sitting beside me, to sprawl out on my couch, or on my own bed, to take my shoes off (house shoes included), and just be comfortable.
Needless to say, I am expecting it to be a great summer.
All of that being said, I hope you don't think that my anticipation for this summer is slowing me down in Toledo. It is not. I am rather enjoying myself, actually. I have been taking advantage of the beautiful weather. I've spent many an hour reading outside, or meandering through the streets, trying to get lost, and discovering new streets and plazas that I never knew existed. It has been great to see Toledo burst with life again after so many months of bitter cold. We've been meeting new people, making new friends, having picnics, and discovering new bars with outdoor patios. "Summer" will be good in Toledo, too!
School has been going well. And even better? Easter break starts next weekend. And guess where I'm going! Budapest! And Vienna. Pretty awesome, right?! I'm pretty darn excited.
I am trying to get some travel plans together for the last couple of months here. And I am trying to figure out when I am coming home for sure. I still don't have a plane ticket yet... so as of now, anything is a possibility! But I am really excited for the months to come.
I am basically living the life right now.
(And I mean, I have been for the last 6 months.)
edit: turns out I'll miss the arts festival this year! Bummer! It's one of the coolest events in Pittsburgh.....
We have had about a week or two of gorgeous weather now. It has been fantastic. I have a tan. I repeat, I have a tan..... and it is only April. This is encouraging. These last few days have felt more like summer than like spring, which is 1. the best thing ever, and 2. rather intimidating to think about what it will be like when June rolls around. But for now, it has been really great.
All of this sunny warm weather is reminding me of home, and how much I love Pittsburgh in the summer time. I believe that this is the most homesick I have felt. Ever. I want to drive a car, my car. I want to listen to country music with the windows down, while driving somewhere, anywhere, far away. I want to have a pool party. I want to eat hamburgers that were cooked on a grill. I want to go to Kennywood. I can't wait for the Arts Festival (why?? I have no idea). I want to listen to DVE in the morning. I want to ride my bike. I want to be in my city, with my friends and family. I want to sit on my porch and read a book. I want to take a nap with my kitty cats sitting beside me, to sprawl out on my couch, or on my own bed, to take my shoes off (house shoes included), and just be comfortable.
Needless to say, I am expecting it to be a great summer.
All of that being said, I hope you don't think that my anticipation for this summer is slowing me down in Toledo. It is not. I am rather enjoying myself, actually. I have been taking advantage of the beautiful weather. I've spent many an hour reading outside, or meandering through the streets, trying to get lost, and discovering new streets and plazas that I never knew existed. It has been great to see Toledo burst with life again after so many months of bitter cold. We've been meeting new people, making new friends, having picnics, and discovering new bars with outdoor patios. "Summer" will be good in Toledo, too!
School has been going well. And even better? Easter break starts next weekend. And guess where I'm going! Budapest! And Vienna. Pretty awesome, right?! I'm pretty darn excited.
I am trying to get some travel plans together for the last couple of months here. And I am trying to figure out when I am coming home for sure. I still don't have a plane ticket yet... so as of now, anything is a possibility! But I am really excited for the months to come.
I am basically living the life right now.
(And I mean, I have been for the last 6 months.)
edit: turns out I'll miss the arts festival this year! Bummer! It's one of the coolest events in Pittsburgh.....
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
a Letter to Spain
Dear Spain,
Please don't take this the wrong way.... but I am getting REALLY excited to go back to Pittsburgh for the summer. Your lovely springtime weather has made me incredibly happy, but you've also reminded me how much I love Pittsburgh in the summertime. And since you've kept me from my family and friends for these last 6 months, you have to understand how much I'm missing them all!
But don't worry, I'll probably miss you too while I'm there... and I'll definitely be back.
Yours truly,
Rachael
Please don't take this the wrong way.... but I am getting REALLY excited to go back to Pittsburgh for the summer. Your lovely springtime weather has made me incredibly happy, but you've also reminded me how much I love Pittsburgh in the summertime. And since you've kept me from my family and friends for these last 6 months, you have to understand how much I'm missing them all!
But don't worry, I'll probably miss you too while I'm there... and I'll definitely be back.
Yours truly,
Rachael