So Keith and Monique came across the ocean last week to visit me. Technically, they flew over to see me but really it was to get more countries under their belts...I'm kidding (kind of). So after trying unsuccessfully to meet them at their hotel before heading to my night class, missing them by only 7 minutes, I finally was able to see them later in the night. They look the same. They talk the same. And of course they act the same. It was definitely nice to be around home.
The next morning we did the Madrid Vision bus that allows you to hop on and hop off at the sights. Now this is one of my favorite things to do because I can see the city that I usually learn through walking. As expected it was fantastic; we traveled the historical path through the city and saw everything. I think the best part was seeing where all the cows were hidden. If I haven't already mentioned there are ceramic cows placed all over the city and it's my goal to get a picture of all 105. From the bus I got a better idea of where I needed to go. Eventually I got my mom in on the action and we dragged my dad to all the ones that we could find. However, with his sick sense of humor he found his favorite in no time at all. (See picture).
So the bus took us to all the sights first because we decided to go through once before choosing where we wanted to get off.
The next day was Saturday so I took them on a tour of my neighborhood. I showed them my fresh market which is one of my favorite things here. The place is huge and offers an amazing selection of fresh fruit, vegetables, and fish. From there we went to Retiro Park because you have to when you visit the city. We walked through most of it just talking about the city and taking in the view. The weather was pretty decent so that makes walking around that much better. From Retiro we did the immediate area around my apartment where I successfully was able to lose my dad's sense of direction. Toma ya! From there we had lunch at a Doner Kebab place because I had talked so much about it the last time I was here. I'm happy to say they were satisfied with my decision. From here we walked to Manuel Bercera so I could show them where I picked up the bus and then from there to Ventas, the bullring. Unfortunately, the bullring has been taken over by the circus so there are trucks blocking most of the view. I guess it didn't matter because neither of them were too interested in seeing inside. After leaving my neighborhood we took a break at the hotel and then eventually went out for dinner.
I had planned that on Sunday morning we would head to the Rastro which is an outdoor flea market type deal. However, it was raining miserably so we went to the Prado art museum instead. I'm going to preface this by saying that the Prado is world famous and some even believe it has one of the greatest art collections in the world. My family, myself included, are not art people. The museum is huge and a little difficult to navigate so after an hour or so of following the map I gave up and just took them to my favorites. A little before Spanish lunch time we left and were greeted by sunshine outside as we headed back to Sol.
While walking on the other side of the Prado I noticed a woman walking beside with a map. Now to many this is not unusual because Madrid gets many tourists and they clearly use maps. For me however I had a feeling. This whole trip my family and I have walked single file because my dad gets sidetracked in the back looking at everything and my mom walked in front or directly behind me to get out of peoples' way. So when I felt a presence beside me and knew it wasn't my mother I looked for her. As I look in front of this woman I notice her counterpart with her hand inside my mother's previously zipped purse taking her wallet. I caught her red handed. I pushed the map woman towards the wall and went for her friend. I started swearing, grabbed the hood to her jacket, and choked her backwards with all my force. I scared her, clearly, and she dropped the wallet. I picked it up and continued yelling at her to get lost. This was the point when my parents finally realized that something was going on, when they noticed the wallet was on the ground. There were three of them in total, all roma gypsies; one between my dad and I, one trying to block my view, and the other stealing. I can not describe the rage that built up inside of me as this was happening. I am pretty sure it's safe to say I have never been that mad, I was literally shaking. While this was happening on the small side walk there was another family in front of us. The daughter came over to me and started apologizing because she didn't want me to think the gypsies were Spanish . I explaind that I lived here and that I knew that this should not reflect the Spanish people. She felt so bad for us and they ended up walking with us the rest of the way.
In the end I guess I'm pretty badass.
(picture: my parents unsuccessfully trying to eat paella; notice their use of the ashtray)
On Monday I took them out to Rivas to see my school. What an event! Besides the excitement I created with my gypsy story everyone was ecstatic to meet them. My parents could barely talk to someone without someone else coming over to greet them. First I had them meet my American coworkers and then I took them to meet the higher ups. The principal was so thrilled and wanted me to show them everything. From there we went to Recreo and that's where the party started. All the teachers were there to greet them and find out how they liked their trip. Those that spoke English were eager to practice and I must say they did an excellent job. After Recreo I brought them around to some of my classes and had the children ask questions. The kids were a little surprised but they weren't that shy around them. In the end I think it was a great experience for everyone and I'm glad I could finally show them what I do everyday.
I wasn't lying about the 'out-of-control' part, was I?
At night my parents met my Mosaic bosses, seeing as they were also very involved in my time abroad here in university. The meeting went well, especially since my mom brought the infamous fudge. In summation of that experience Maricarmen was finally able to understand where I come from, it all makes perfect sense now!
My night class canceled so we met Juanma and Steve for dinner at a nice little place in Iglesia. We had a round of drinks first in typical Spanish style and then sat down for a little bit of everything. We sampled a lot of different things and it was a real taste of Spanish cuisine. The conversation was lively and great, except for the stories about me as a child...thank you parents! We spent the whole night laughing and eating, as it should be, and it was a perfect end to a great vacation. Perfection.
Oh! and for the record, non native English speakers understand it as dinner, not supper and especially not SUPPAH!
Negative: Not having a chance to meet up with my old señora, Maribel.
Positve: Great family and friends, simply fantastic.
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