The rain in Spain falls mainly in Vigo!

In Spain they have things called 'Puentes' which literally translates to 'bridges'...but in the sense I'm referring to they're also long weekends. Usually they take this name because if a holiday is on a Thursday then you get the Friday off as well and it 'bridges' the gap to the weekend. Last week the city of Madrid had Monday off; now I usually have Mondays off in Rivas but not in Madrid. This long weekend allowed me to have Monday off completely so I decided to take a nice little getaway. I know Spain pretty well but have mostly done the south, this year I am determined to do the north. Many people say this is easily the best and most breathtaking part of Spain so I figured its a must do. Thus, I bought a bus ticket to Vigo.

Vigo is on the coast and very close to Portugal, and at this time of year it rains, a lot. The secretary at Mosaic is from there and she was also heading home for the weekend so we caught the night bus together. We left at midnight on Friday and arrived early morning Saturday. I had decided to stay in the city center in a hotel for the first night because I wanted alone time and I didn't want Ana to have to take time away from her family. It worked out perfectly though because the hotel let me check in when I arrived at 8am and I was able to take a much needed nap. While the night bus is a good idea because you don't lose a day of travel sitting in a bus...you also don't sleep very comfortably. I awoke from my nap around noon and took off in the rain in search of everything the center of Vigo had to offer. Well, since there were no cruise ships in harbor that left very little!

My hotel was wicked close to the water so I started there just walking along the pier. I took some great pictures as the weather was in and out of sun, clouds, and fog. From there I found my way to 'La Piedra' which is the old quarter as well as the rustic shopping district. Because of the weather everything looked closed but it was nice to window shop. I wandered my way through the narrow streets and found the main street running through the new shopping district. I sat for awhile people watching as well as listening because in this area of Spain some people still speak Gallego. Vigo is part of Galicia and the language is a cross between Spanish and Portuguese. It was absolutely fascinating because its a combination of the two languages I have studied and practiced.
After walking around and admiring the architecture I made my way back to the port for lunch. When I mentioned at school on Friday that I was going to Vigo everyone warned me about the weather and how I wouldn't get to see as much. My response? I was only there to eat the 'pulpo'! I don't think I've ever been so excited for lunch in my life (well...maybe for pea soup). I found a quiet little restaurant and got out of the cold. I think I impressed the waitresses with my ordering skills because I wanted the traditional things that Vigo had to offer. I had a bowl caldo gallego (other regions have caldo but they're all made differently...essentially the difference between New England Clam chowder, Rhode Island, and Manhattan), then the main dish was the pulpo (octopus), and of course a bottle of white wine from the area. It couldn't have been more perfect, definitely one of the best meals I've ever had.

On Sunday morning I checked out of the hotel and made my way back down to the water. I sat for an hour or so just absorbing the fresh air and watching the Sunday activity. Then more rain so I found myself a bar and did Sudoku while drinking coffee. I met up with Ana at 1pm and she gave me a tour of the town as we headed back to the outskirts where she lived. We met her parents at a place for lunch and they were great. They complimented my Spanish so obviously I loved them immediately. Her mother is the typical Spanish woman; upon meeting her I had completely lost all personal space and I had to see everything the building had to offer. Her father is the typical Spanish man; He compared everything to the US and was constantly trying to see if I liked the food here or from home better. I just don't know how to tactfully tell Spaniards that they only offer the same 6 dishes here in Spain. I guess its just something I'll have to learn keep my mouth shut on and only nod. Speaking of tact I've explained many times that it is lacking in this country. Whatever comes into their heads leaves their mouths. While we were waiting for the food Ana's mother was scolding her and telling her that she needs to eat more because she is too skinny. Then she looks at me and says "See, obviously Melanie eats"...haha. I just laughed and the conversation continued to another topic because to them comments like this are normal. I handled it fine. Granted, she wasn't telling me anything I didn't already know, but I've also just learned to accept the way people here talk. I don't think anything could surprise me anymore.After lunch Ana and I went to her sister's house to pick up her niece and nephew and head to the mountains. Her brother-in-law came with us and was a great tour guide. We drove to the top of the mountain and had an amazing view of the entire city. We hung out on the mountain for awhile and then finally made our way back to their house. After, we went back out to see the beaches at night, absolutely breathtaking. We saw three beaches and then called it a night because the kids were getting tired. We came back for dinner and then made our way to her parents' house because they were bringing us to the airport. The entire family was so welcoming and made sure I had a great time. The trip was perfect because I had a break from Madrid and I got to see an insiders tour of Vigo.

The bus ride home was awful, but I made it home in time on Monday to rub it in Steve's face that he had to go to work and I could sleep all day. I'm such an amazing roommate! I spent the rest of the day catching up on sleeping and going through my photos. Perfect puente.

Negative: Rest stop bathrooms.

Positive: My new rain resistent boots.

Yuste...Y usted?

What is the normal amount of cheese one can consume in a day? On the first of the month that is what I set out to discover with some friends. We had heard about this Feria Nacional del Queso (Cheese Festival) in Extramadura and it peaked some interest. I must first state that I like cheese, but can think of other things I'd rather eat all day, like ice cream and pea soup but not together. After mentioning to one of my adult students, who is from that area, that I had some interest, she proceeded to spend 15 minutes convincing me that my life wasn't complete without going, sold!

So on May 1st, which happened to also be the start of a puente weekend, a group of us took off on this adventure. Steve, Lisa, her sister Renee, and I crammed into Juanma's car, Mary went with Raul and his girlfriend, and Ainhoa and Arancha brought the churros. We met up in a small pueblo called Oropesa to get coffee and look at the castle. [Side note: Seriously, how cool is it that I can just stop in to see a castle???] We took some pictures and we on our way probaly 2 hours behind schedule.

We arrived in Trujillo after twelve and joined the hundreds of people already in line to get tickets. We pooled money and got 24 cheese and 12 drink tickets. The trick is to not eat the bread, if you eat the bread you fill up and have no room for the cheese. I tried all types of cheese from mostly Spain and Portugal. Some were great, others horrific. There were ones that were so hard in texture while one in particular that was almost like whipped cream. My favorite wasn't the best tasting one, but the one with the strangest side affects. One piece of cheese when initially eaten tasted like a blue cheese spread, however that was only the first minute. Like clockwork, when an exact minute was up my cheeks caved in and I lost all saliva in my mouth, gross I know but accurate. The cheese literally took over your mouth. Steve, Juanma and I spent the next 10 minutes of our lives making weird faces and trying to get rehydrated...ridiculous.

The festival itself was a great sight, there were so many different types of people. It was a great sunny day and the environment was peaceful. They had a section roped off that included what must have been over 400 types of cheeses. There was a fountain in the middle that was a great place to rest and people watch. A region nearby was known for its beer because it was made by monks, or some jazz like that. It's called Yuste and f course it was the most expensive but totally worth it. Three of those apiece and the group of us got real funny.

After a few hours in the center we decided to head off in search of some coffee. Unsuccessful at the that, but successful in exploring the town itself and finding the CASTLE! We walked the long, winding, narrow streets to the top and then climbed the castle. The view from the top was breathtaking. In some of the pictures you would never even know that we were in the 21st century. We spent another hour or so wandering, before returning to the festival so the boys could buy cheese. That turned out to be the worst thing that could have ever happened to us since the cheese they bought smelled like death. I know I can exaggerate but the smell that this one cheese in particular gave off was enough to make you sick. And what is worse is that later on the way home, after much convincing to put it in the trunk, the cheese rolled around during ever turn and wafted back into the front. Horrible.

Finally, we found this roof top terrace in the sunshine to rest before the drive home. The perfect end to a great day. They had a dj, a dance floor, and wicker chairs on the grass...what more could you need?I love my life!

Negative: No more Newcastle at Bo'finns!

Positive: Sushi dates.

I win: Bratislava...Toma!

On the Thursday of my trip to Hungary I decided to do something a little sneaky, I took the two and a half hour train ride to Bratislava. Those of you not familiar with this city it is the capital of Slovakia, formally of Czechoslovakia, and the focal point of the horror movie "Hostel". For those of you not familiar with why I consider going there to be 'sneaky', my parents and I have a competition to see who can go to the most countries. After an unfortunate choice on their part to secretly visit Amsterdam before visiting me in Madrid a few months ago, they started a war. And if any of this surprises you about myself or my parents then you don't know me and shouldn't be reading my blog.

The train ride went by rather quickly and gave me the opportunity to see the countryside. I must say, especially on the ride back, the scenery was stunning. The houses were built up into the hills around the train stations and the fields and lakes were breathtaking. I've seen a lot of the Spanish countryside and the two do not compare. In Spain's defense, the area I have seen is from the south and is more dry and barren. The countryside of Hungary and Slovakia is green and lush.
From the train station I took a short tram ride to the river and from there started exploring. Bratislava is a tiny city and all its important buildings are located next to each other. I made the 15 minute trek up the hill to see the castle only to find out it was completely under renovation, but the view of the entire city was worth it. Like most cities, there is a church as the focal point, but I'm completely 'church-ed' out after my first few visits to Europe so I observe from the outside. There were a few markets going on so I saw a lot of the local culture preparing for Easter and it was great. I grabbed lunch at an outdoor cafe on the main street and people watched for an hour or so.

In my opinion there isn't much to do in Bratislava but its worth the visit. I couldn't imagine keeping myself busy for another day without the help of a local, but the city is precious. There is an air about it that is so friendly and so relaxing, it was hard not to enjoy the sunshine and sights.

Negative: Looking like a fool asking to exchange Euros for the currency of Slovakia.

Positive: Seeing a full rainbow for the first time in years.

Cadiz 1, Melanie 0

So as previously mentioned I went to Cadiz to celebrate Carnaval this past weekend. Cadiz is one of the best places in Spain to go, along with the Canary Islands. It is original and quite popular with Spaniards. With this being said I made the easy choice of going with some friends, who had been before, down south. I left Thursday night and traveled by bus to the farthest point from Madrid. Seriously though, we were told many times that the distance from Madrid to Cadiz is the furthest distance from Madrid to anywhere else on the Peninsula.

So here is the summation of my trip:
Yelled at by the woman in front of me on the bus because SHE had put her seat back all the way into my lap.
Could not sleep on the 8 hour journey and wasn´t in the best of moods.
Arrived to our hotel in San Fernando to be told that we couldn´t check in for four more hours.
Wandered around until the doors to our amazing room were opened.
While taking pictures of the place discovered I was out of battery in my camera.
Upon checking my luggage realized I brought the wrong battery charger so there would be no pictures to capture my experience in Cadiz.
Did some sightseeing in the city that was pretty fantastic.
Had a great conversation over some delicious tapas for dinner.
Woke up early just to eat a buffet breakfast and go back to sleep.
Dressed as a gangster for the night.
Took a bus to the city center with a bunch of study-abroad-ers.
Danced and drank in a small plaza.
Admired many great costumes that took a lot of effort and creativeness.

Here´s where the story gets tricky. After many conversations on the subject a conclusion has been reached that something was put in my drink that made me really sick and my night ended there.

My overall impression of Cadiz as a city is that I must go back, it is some where that I need to experience again under better conditions. My impression of Cadiz at Carnaval is that it is too dangerous. I can not express how unsafe I felt trying to walk through the main plaza with people throwing glass bottles and everyone in mass chaos. I do not think that I will return to Cadiz for Carnaval next year because in all honesty I did not enjoy the end of the night.

I do have to state that Lisa was amazing the entire night. She took me back to the hotel and braved the shards of glass, the stampede, the two hour wait in line for the train, the hour wait to buy a ticket, and the crammed train heading back to San Fernando. What a night!

Oh, and for the record I´m not telling my school where I´m going anymore because there are just too many questions. I particularly like the teachers who just said to me today, ¨You´re face says it all...¨ Fantastic.

Negative: Losing my hot pink suspenders and revolver.

Positive: Getting to recline my seat all the way back on the bus ride home.

Eres una WAR-EHH

Ok so let´s start this off with a warning: I am writing on a Spanish keyboard and the keys are different. I will be making mistakes and I will not catch them. This should not reflect upon my great typing skills so I don´t want to hear any complaints. Nor do I want to worry that you think I write horribly. That is all.

It has been quite awhile since I´ve posted but I have been extremely preoccupied. I will try to group this by what has happened and what has been asked of me.

Obama
Per request I have decided to write a little about the election and Spain´s views. Let me just say first that it was very upsetting for me to not be in Washington D.C. for the inauguration this year. I was there in 2005 when I started my freshman year for the other president´s and it would have been nice to be there for this one as well. I was definitely jealous of all my friends still living in the area and how they talked about the city for the last 5 months. I can´t say that being in Spain was a disappointment either. All of Europe took this election seriously and mostly everyday there was something in the newspaper about it. As mentioned in the past I still consider Spain to be racist and with the election of a black president there were numerous editorials about how this term would fail. Unfortunately, this probably happened everywhere. Once Spain got over the color of our new president´s skin they did what EVERYONE else is doing: put total faith in the fact that he MUST do something to help them. Spaniards look to Obama as a way to save them from the crisis. While I agree that when the economy in the US does well there will be a domino effect and all other economies will start to change, I do not agree that it is the US/Obama´s responsibility to fix them. Being abroad has made me realize just how much other countries think we will save them. Countries look to us to fix all their problems and, if we can´t, we are horrible and to blame for everything. Specifically for Spain, the election of Obama is a trial run for whether or not they will speak highly of the US. The younger generation is similar to ours, they are expecting a change and see this change in Obama. The older generation is a little more apprehensive because they lived under a dictator. Spain´s politics are still a little uneven and this can sometimes affect their judgment. When Obama was elected in November I was met at school by teachers and students alike with applauding and cheers. Everyone wanted to talk about it and how it made me feel. I believe on a whole most people are excited for this change. The other president was not well received in Spain because of a few ´disses´. The other administration never seemed to put any confidence in Spain or feel that they were a country that needed to be in on European affairs. Whether you agree with it or not, the Spaniards certainly do not and thus they wanted change. After the inauguration all newspapers had full page spreads of the event. They discussed the future and what Obama has the potential to do for them. As stated their most pressing issue is the economy/crisis (I swear, if I hear one more teacher say ¨Pero, hay un crisis...¨). I hope this answers some questions about the issue. I can say that the night of the inauguration there were celebrations in Madrid that made me feel a little closer to home.

Pueblos
The last two weekends I´ve taken roadtrips to little villages on the outskirts of Madrid. The first was to a village a half an hour past Rivas called Chinchon. Lisa, Johan, Juan and I just walked around seeing what there was to see and ate. The most important thing to do in a pueblo is to eat and drink. Usually, its incredibly cheap and delicious. It´s a nice change from the fast pace of being in Madrid because on the weekends everyone is relaxed and just enjoying themselves. The atmosphere isn´t hectic and people are generally nicer. Chinchon was beautiful because it overlooked a great landscape. The drive there was amazing because I haven´t been on a long drive in awhile and I was able to see the countryside. Along the way we passed many little villages that just looked so peaceful placed inside the hills.

On Valentine´s Day we went to two pueblos near to Toledo. The first pueblo, Torrijos, was our main destination because we needed costumes for CARNAVAL! Juan knew of a great little costume shop there so we drove down for the morning. A success, but more on that when I get back from Carnaval. After that we went to another pueblo called Fuensalida to eat. Immediately getting into the village you feel that you must eat because you´ll never find food so authentic. This village is known for its shoes so while we waited for all the stores to open back up (siesta time remember)we grabbed some cañas and played cards. I finally learned a Spanish card game called Cinquillo. Spanish cards are different than what we are used to so unless you have a deck its hard to explain the games.
I like these roadtrips because not only are the pueblos great but just driving through Spain is a great experience. I see a lot more of Madrid too as we drive through to get to the highways. Since I haven´t taken a roadtrip of the US, other than RI to DC, its nice to get one in every now and then.

Kids
They are still simple minded and hysterical. I recently taught them Dodgeball in physical education and they couldn´t be happier. I even got my 3rds to play Lisa´s 2nds and got to play a little myself. I really do enjoy these kids and when you throw in a game that I love, well life is just grand.
Big controversy to report was who I was going to give my Valentine to last week. I was trying to do an arts and crafts project with glorious little 1B in celebration of Saturday and no sooner did I start speaking did they get all anxious. The only thing they could concentrate on was knowing where my Valentine was going to end up. Oh how they crack me up, I told them it was for my friends in the English room.

Closing notes
I´m writing on a Spanish keyboard because I´m at school and most of my classes were canceled. The first and second graders are going on an overnight field trip to the farm from today until tomorrow and therefore I have nothing to do. I would have loved to have gone to the farm but I´m realistic and understand that spending a night with the children may have fried my brain.
I recognize in my writing that I sometimes translate things from Spanish. Don´t worry, I´m also doing this with my English speaking so its not that I´m an idiot, it´s just that I´m confusing the languages.
Por fin, the other day on the metro I was sitting next to two young school girls who were discussing the new Spanish-English translator one girl had. After explaining to her friend how she just types in a word and the English word pops up she says ¨Eres una WAR-EHH¨ or so it seemed to me. I couldn´t for the life of me figure out what English insult she was trying to use, then it hit me: You are a whore. I love Spanish children.

Negative: All things British: getting accosted by my students after Spain beat England in futbol, the decorations/flags in the English room, and being taken for British by the new teacher.

Positive: Getting to draw the water cycle (my favorite thing from Science) about 80 times on a white board for my students.

I told you not to say SUPPAH!!!

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.

Scoot over! I´m cold and I´m going to invade your personal space

Clearly I am not writing these blogs in a timely fashion. In my defense winter break was quite crazy and when I was done and everyone had left school started back up. For the record I actually am a busy person! Anyways today I will be recounting my glorious time in Palma de Mallorca, an island off the eastern coast of Spain.

Britney and I flew to Palma on January 1st which in retrospect sounded better than it actually turned out. Since New Year´s was a late night/early morning event we ended up packing at the last minute (story of my life) and heading off to the airport still in a daze. The flight to Palma was simple because it´s only about an hour and we had the row to ourselves. We arrived in time to check into our hostel and head to this great little Italian place for dinner. The hostel upgraded us to a private room that didn´t have a working shower head and eventually no hot water so thus continues my shower struggles. No pasa nada, we were on the island while New England was getting hit with more snow.

The next day we took off exploring what we believed was the center. The area was great and we took in a lot of pictures just wandering. We sat on the beach for an hour or so just admiring how amazing the clouds made all our pictures and talked about how we could get used to a life like that everyday. We were a little shocked that the ´city center´was so small but we didn´t care because we were content with everything. However, it is a good thing we finally asked for a map the next day because we learned we were about ¨12 minutes walking distance¨ from the real city center, or try about 20 minute bus ride! Since it is still the holiday season many things in Spain are shut down or at least have fewer hours. We jumped on the Palma tourist bus that lets you get on and off wherever and you listen to a recording of the sights. Secretly these types of buses are my passion and I will take advantage of them whenever I can. Geniuses that we are, or tough guys depending on how you look at it, we didn´t bring coats on this trip. We did learn our lesson on the top of the bus as the wind nearly blew us off! We did one full round on the bus before getting off because we thought that was a better way to get a feel for the city. Palma is the largest city on the island but its not comparative to Madrid in my eyes.

Basically, we took a lot of pictures, walked around a lot, ate some interesting food, and played cards. Most nights we came back to the hostel and played cards at the bar while watching a futbol game. On the last night the bartender gave us free drinks the entire night because we listened to his life story. Fair trade.

Overall it was a very chill vacation which was perfect. I got to see everything I wanted and didn´t feel rushed at any point. I left knowing I knew a great deal about Palma and that I didn´t miss anything. I now know a little more of Spain and spent my winter break on the beach. Life is still good.

Negative: What one can only assume to be bed bugs and the nice rash that develops from them.

Positive: Learning a new card game from a sketchy German. Mahou, Mahou.

Huelva...my substitute home for Christmas

I left Madrid at midnight on December 23rd headed for Andalucia in the south of Spain. A few weeks back my coworker, Juanma, asked me to spend Christmas with him and his family in Huelva. Clearly I could not turn down this opportunity. I had nothing planned for Christmas and it would be nice to spend the day with a family if I couldn't be with mine. I originally thought I'd float by during the holidays but as it got closer I did start to feel like it would be too much even for me. So when Juanma asked I knew this was a great chance to be with a family and to experience a traditional Spanish Christmas. I came in from Oporto, unpacked, repacked, and hopped on a bus. It was an overnight bus because the trip takes seven or eight hours. I slept a good amount of the time but the kid next to me literally cuddled up to me because he was too big for the seat. After one stop in Sevilla I finally made it to Huelva at 730am where Juanma was waiting for me. It was nice to see a familiar face.

We drove through the city to his parents' apartment. His mom was awake when we got there so she made us some coffee before we both took naps. I had had a bumpy trip and he had been out the whole night before, we needed the rest. The thing about the region of Andalucia is that the accent is very strong. They speak very quickly and leave off letters, similar to my Rhode Island accent. He had warned his family that my Spanish is not fluent and that they needed to slow down. His mom's reaction was to mimic what she was asking of me, adorable. His father's was to just repeat things three times at the same speed and figure I'd get it eventually, comical. When I woke up from my nap I was greeted by his adorable father who then proceeded to tell me about the great shrimp and ham that Huelva is known for in Spain. From there we went off to see the city center and get more coffee. We stopped in at his sister's store so I met Lourdes, the younger sister. It was kind of busy so we didn't get to talk but I could tell she was just as intimidated by my English as I was of her Spanish. We left there and figured that since it was after 12 having a ca ña (little beer) was completely acceptable, I mean it was Christmas Eve and all. (Keith always says: Soda and beer, after 12)

Next, we met up with some of his friends at one of their favorite spots, we had more beer and tapas. They all tested their English out on me which was hysterical because they know ridiculous expressions. (For example, "Need money, my friend is in jail") A few of his friends own a kite boarding shop on the beach, which we later tried unsuccessfully to find, and are the eccentric type. Great people to talk to and be around because the laughter never stops. We bar hopped for a little and then went to his aunt's house. I met his older sister Rocio and her family. She admitted that she and her husband will speak in broken English around the two young boys when they don't want them to know. His nephews, Ale and Alvaro were scared to death of me. Apparently they'd never met someone that wasn't fluent in Spanish and they didn't know what to make of me. For the entire week that I was there they would just stare at me nervously as if I was an alien, hysterical.

Christmas Eve is a bigger holiday than Christmas Day, especially since of Three Kings the following week. So dinner on Christmas Eve is this huge get together with more food than I can even remember. It was at his sister Rocio's house with the family and then I think their neighbor's family and the landlady. Juanma and I were literally the kids because we stayed outside playing one-on-one on the patio while they prepared the food in the kitchen. His nephews even went inside before us because they were getting bored outside. (For the record I did ask if I could do anything) Dinner was great because of the wild conversation, the great food, and abundance of wine. We stayed there until about midnight and then headed out for the bars. The city wasn't too open but if you're with people who know where they're going then it all works out. We met up with his friends and had a great night that ended at 7am the next morning.

Christmas was a struggle, one that I swear consisted of absolutely no alcohol for either of us. (Even though I know when I tried to tell my family they didn't believe me) It was just the family this time and was held at his parents' home. Seeing the family dynamics was great because it reminded me of home. Cultures and countries may be different but family is always family. After another dinner of too much food we played a hundred games of Mario Go-Kart with his nephews. I think this is when I finally got them to trust me, probably because I was winning! Mad skills...haha. The rest of the night was pretty calm because I was exhausted from the night before. We went to Lourdes' new apartment to check it out, pretty sweet bacherlorette pad in my opinion and then came home for an early night. I did whip out my brand new Patriots deck of cards to teach him poker and Egyptian Rat Screw (ERS). For those of you who don't know ERS don't worry about it because you will never be successful. I have mastered this game down to a science and I rarely lose. Problem is that its a fantastic game and very addicting. Because of this I then had to teach his friends the next day and we played it quite a bit over the next couple of days.

The next day we went to Punta Umbria which is a very popular beach in Huelva. However, since its the winter we had the beach to ourselves and went for a long walk. The weather was great, not too hot nor sunny but perfect for being on the beach. It was surreal to be on the beach at this time of year because usually I'm braving the cold like everyone else in New England. Honestly, this was a nice change, but I'm sure I'll miss snow...eventually.

The next couple days before I left usually consisted of the same thing: coffee in the morning, walking around the city, beer and tapas for lunch, and then meeting up with friends to go out at night. We were usually out of the house for the whole day just walking around, enjoying the weather and conversation. I have to say that the food was amazing starting from day one. Christmas is usually a time for a lot of seafood so that worked out great for me. I also tried a lot of new things like a weird version of squid and choco. The tapas were all amazing and its always a great environment to be eating and drinking around new friends.

I had an amazing time and if I couldn't be around my family for Christmas I think this was a perfect second choice. Juanma's family was so inviting and wonderful to me the whole time. They made me feel extremely comfortable and welcome in their home. I will always be appreciative that he asked me to Huelva because it's an experience I will never forget.

Negatives: The guy next to me on the bus home.
Leaving.
Not getting a group picture to share from Christmas.


Positives: New family and friends.
Choco.
My increased confidence in my level of Spanish.

"Your English is better than most Portuguese people."

As any normal school I was given a winter vacation that lasts about three weeks. To be honest, because I've been so go-go-go, I didn't really have time to sit and wait for this vacation. I planned to leave the Saturday after my last day of school and head to Oporto in the north of Portugal for a little rest. However, it all seemed to sneak up on me because I was enjoying my time at school and in Madrid (maybe even a little too much because my last Friday was spent living it up in Rivas, and as usual packing the morning before my flight). Well Saturday morning (the 20th) comes real early when you have to get out to the airport, but somehow I managed. For the first time in my traveling career I flew Ryanair. They are great in theory because they have wicked cheap flights, but they have very strict regulations on luggage and that can cause problems. I anticipated a smooth two hour flight so I wanted to take advantage of naptime...however, the lady across the aisle had different plans. For the next 15 minutes she proceeded to pitch a fit because her luggage was too big and needed to be stored, so we took off late. Wonderful.

Even though take off and landing are my favorite parts of the flight I wasn't able to keep my eyes open for either. The next thing I remember is waking up already on the tarmac. Smooth transition at the airport because I only had a back pack and I didn't have to go through customs. From the airport I caught the metro out to my hostel in the center of the city. Traveling so much has made me immune to transportation woes so finding the metro and figuring out the system took all of about 2 and a half minutes. It is a relief because I was watching some people struggle and was even asked for help, so I guess I have an air of control about me when I travel. The commute was only about a half hour so I just stared out the window at the Porto countryside, pretty nice. Once in the city center I did have to get a general sense of direction because I still didn't have a map. My choice of people to ask? Two elves on Segways...I am not joking. So these two young women had me follow them, on their Segways, and they brought me to where the street was, the whole time dressed as elves. Fantastic! My hostel checked out fine, great location and clean. I dropped my stuff and then went off exploring. When I travel alone I usually just walk everywhere I possibly can. That first day I walked all over the city and down to the river just taking pictures and taking in the atmosphere.

For me this vacation was just that, a vacation. Usually, I am an "up at seven and out the door until midnight" kind of traveler. However, this trip was more about relaxing for me. I think a picked a great location because unlike Lisbon there is not as much to do as far as tourist places. I completely avoided any museums because nothing was really that interesting to me and I'd rather walk around in the great weather. I did make time to GO TO CHURCH and go to a Winery, but those were the only places I went that were inside. My time was spent wandering the back streets and sitting down by the river. Everyday consisted of getting up, finding a new path down to the Ribeiro River and being out in the sunshine while reading my book. One day I even fell asleep on the bench for an hour because everything around was so peaceful. I did enjoy two great traditional Portuguese meals, one of Bacalao (Cod) and the other Peixe cocido in these great little hidden restaurants. I will say that the smell of Oporto was incredible because everyone was always cooking something and it spread out into the streets. In the end it was the perfect vacation because I don't feel that I missed anything and I took some amazing pictures all the while getting a break from my intense schedule.

I did enjoy Oporto greatly but four days was enough alone time for me so I was wicked excited to get back to Madrid. My plane ride home was smooth per usual but when I saw the Sierras I felt a weird sense of comfort, like everything was normal again. Once I reached Goya again a half hour after landing I felt glad to be back in my city and ready to start my next adventure.

Oh and about the title, a girl at the airport asked me to watch her stuff in broken Portuguese so I asked if English was a better language for her (it was). To which she thought she'd compliment me on. Too funny.

More to come on how fun it is to get home by plane in the afternoon and leave by bus again that night for a new adventure.

Negative: Finally remembering my Portuguese the third day in Portugal.

Positive: Two new, fantastic pairs of earrings.