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.

Una cosa Melanie...

My return to school was in true Spanish style: I was only there for one Thursday then I was off again for the weekend. It was very exciting to see everyone again and of course I was met with many kisses and questions about my break. Those that knew of my three vacations in one were in awe of how I got everything done but happy for me. I was met with many questions about Huelva and how everything went of course. My school borders on the side of nosy/gossipy and I have become the main focus of this. Oh well, things could be worse...my kids could get in on the action (heavy foreshadowing here).
My first day back was a Thursday and my busiest day so I was able to see most of my students and listened to them go on about what the Three Kings brought them. Tuesday, January 6th was Three King's Day so everything was still fresh in their minds.
One thing I need to mention is that the next day, Friday, I woke up to about three inches of snow in Madrid center. Very exciting since I had only seen flurries a month before and I was starting to miss it. Well unfortunately Madrid is not known for its snow and they were in shock. People were walking the streets with umbrellas and just being generally scared. I found out that some teachers were too afraid to make it into work and because of this they turned children away at the door because there weren't enough adults. Of the teachers who did make it in, most left their cars in Rivas because the four inches of snow there was too much, too dangerous. I can not even describe to you the ridicule Lisa and I bestowed on these people when we came to school the following Monday. The teachers were still talking about it as if it had been the Blizzard of '78. Madrileños and snow equals ridiculous.

Seeing as how January is almost over I figured I'd summarize what has happened with my classes. {quotes from my children are translated from Spanish for story-telling purposes}

3A-They have moved on to a new unit in Science class that covers solids, liquids, and gases. Now clearly Mary, the head teacher, would demonstrate not feeling well and what sometimes happens when you don't. This was met with yells to know how to say "tirarse un pedo" in English. Mary just put a finger to her lips to let them know she wasn't telling. And I being the unsuspecting genius that I am said, "It's a secret." What happens next? Well my class went around saying "I'm SECRETING!!!" for the rest of the day!
My favorite little Alex is in Judo after school on Mondays and since we are already in the gym at the end of the day he changes after P.E. Unsuspectingly I walked in to the gym to check on him and was attacked. Atleast for the rest of this year I will still be able to hold his head and have him not be able to touch me, but next year who knows. When I finally stopped laughing and closed him off in the gym I thought I was at peace. Next thing I know while I'm talking to Elena he comes flying out the other door karating kicking in the air. It was slow motion just like in the movies and it seemed like he travelled from the door to me all 15 ft. in the air! I thought I was going to burst I was laughing so hard. Now during regular class on Monday he'll look at me from across the room and hold up his Judo bag and say, "Melanie, remember last Monday." Fact: my kids have it in for me.
Lesson from 3A: Not to put on chapstick during class or otherwise I will be subjected to "Ohh Melanie, who are you kissing?" and 25 giggles.

3B-They were actually pretty calm this week except that I swear most of them lost a tooth during one class or another. Lots of blood and class disruptions. Instead of the tooth fairy in Spain they have the magic mouse who brings them no less than 10 euros a tooth. I think we can all agree that we were gipped as children because I don't think I even got a dollar!
Lesson from 3B: They don't care about me ripping up their notes to each other, its the artwork that really makes them well up with tears.

3C-These little children are on my shit-list for real. Since Carmen was on maternaty leave like the three other pregnant teachers their schedule was messed up. I had to teach them a few times by myself and they were just terrible. The Spanish teacher that has to be there to supervise had no control over them and they took advantage of this. I really have nothing nice to say about them right now because they have been that horrible. Not just for me either, they have given every substitute a hard time and were even caught throwing paper out the windows. Maleducados! Finally, I had physical education taken away from them. Instead I practiced my Spanish while Elena spent 45 minutes straight yelling at them for being disrespectful to all the teachers and not taking advantage of opportunities in front of them and so on. Good times.
Lesson from 3C: Don't turn your back on them or they might pull a "Dangerous Minds" type action. (I'm kidding but I wouldn't put it past them.)

2A-My little darlings have been in full force since returning from vacation. A few of them have even taken to hanging on me and always asking to hold my hand during class, not normal for me. Well, my second class back one little clingy girl is holding my hand while I notice all the rest circling around me. My first reaction is that I'm a wounded gazelle on the Serengeti and they are hungry lions circling their prey so I get real nervous. Then I notice them pointing and laughing with each other and start to get really concerned. I'm having trouble understanding them because they're laughing so hard so I make the decision to wait until we get to the gym to figure it out. Well to my lovely surprise I have a rip in my pants in the butt. Fantastic! Thank goodness it's only first period and I haven't been walking around all day with my butt exposed. I take my zip-up and tie it around my waste to cover it until I can figure out something better. By now the whole class knows and it's the funniest thing they've all ever heard. Wonderful. When I left class I rushed around to ask anyone for a needle and thread (aguja and hilo), clearly I chose wisely who to ask because I knew I would have to explain. Finally, with no luck on fixing the problem, I settled on wearing Juanma's sweater all day because it was long enough to cover the hole. Probably an even bigger mistake. When I saw this class later in the day one girl asked if it was my father's sweater. Now if I was smart I would have answered 'yes' and that would have been the end of the discussion. Instead I told them no and that my father is too far away to give me his clothes. But that was OK because Laura says "NO, it's JUANMA'S. I saw him wearing it early today. I know it's his! Melanie why are you wearing his sweater...?" and so on. More giggles and I just walked away. Even yesterday they were still on my case about it because I was wearing another zip-up that isn't very girly. The same girls asked me flat out if it was Juanma's because they don't think I wear anything but his clothes anymore. I'll have to remember to get rid of my neutral colored clothes and to wear lots of pinks and purples from now on.
Lesson from 2A: Not to wear rings to class because they are convinced I am married and then they do nothing for the rest of class but talk about me love life.

2C- Nothing out of the ordinary with this class. They are exactly the same as when school started and since I only see them once a week they still don't trust me. I'm not even sure on all their names because I spend most of the time talking to the same ones, always the trouble makers and never have time to learn the other ones' names.
Lesson from 2C: Make them pair up with the opposite sex in P.E. and it really shuts them up. Oh to have cooties again!

1A B C- These three classes are grouped together because they've done the exact same stuff to me since I've been back:
"una cosa Melanie..." (one thing Melanie...) Is Steve your boyfriend? ...no
Do you have one?... no
Do you want one? ...no
Why not?, I have two.
...I tell you what kiddos, when I get one you'll all be the first to know!
Oh and little Celia in 1C is furious with me for not painting my nails like I did two weeks in a row. My life is under a microscope with these kids!
Lesson from the 1st grade: Never let them see me talking to a male teacher because I will never hear the end of it.

I think that about sums up my first few weeks back, crazy and eventful, and hysterical as always.

Negative: Being stuck in a small, hot, and stuffy classroom with 75 third graders to hear them do their musical performances for Peace day.

Positive: See above.

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.

To old friends, new friends, and a new year! Feliz 2009

New Year’s in Madrid pretty much solidified my opinion that Spain is the greatest place in the world. Dramatic? Probably, but the night was that fantastic that I can’t say any less. The tradition here in Spain is to eat twelve grapes at midnight as the clock strikes the first 12 seconds. It symbolizes good luck for each month of the year. However, it may sound simple enough but in fact it is much more difficult. Chewing and swallowing twelve grapes in twelve seconds is near impossible with little experience…so I’ll have to try again next year. Anyways, the city of Madrid pours into Puerta del Sol in the exact center of the city and country for that matter. The clock tower is there and the city becomes even more alive. Our goal was to get there to experience all Madrid had to offer for the end of 2008 and beginning of 2009.

Around 7pm Britney and I set out looking fantastic and carrying our little can of pre-packaged 12 grapes. The goal was to find some tapas and beer and get to Sol early enough so that we could experience everything. One problem, all my tapas places closed down due to the ‘holiday’. Eventually we made our way into Sol because there had to be at least one bar open to eat and drink. After some searching we found a place called Cañas y Tapas (beer and appetizers). I was politely told that the kitchen was closed and we would only be getting beer. Fair enough, drinking on an empty stomach is always a great idea. As we’re standing there these two guys ask us to translate the menu for them. Easy enough, but a little curious that we couldn’t get food and they were going to be allowed. We found out that they guys, Vincent and Luca, were Italian and in the city for four days. They bought us beer, we never did get food, and the four of us tried to communicate in English, Italian, and Spanish. As the bar closed around 9pm we parted ways to get food but said we’d meet up in Plaza Mayor around the corner.

Britney and I went across the street to Pans & Company for some quick sandwiches and a chance to figure out where to next. We were without beer and didn’t know where we were going to find an open bar if everything seemed to be shutting down in preparation for the celebration. Then I remembered something genius: in Madrid, Burger King sells beer. Yes, this is not a joke you can actually buy beer at any BK in Madrid for less than two euros. To Britney this was intriguing and unbelievable, to me this was why Spanish people are the way they are…ridiculous. We waited in line for what seemed like hours but left with two Grande Cervezas BK label and all. So we took our beers and our cans of grapes and headed up to Plaza Mayor. We didn’t get very far before we found our Italian friends standing under an awning drinking Museo del Jamón wine and eating as well. The four of us wandered again for a little bit trying our hardest to communicate, basically a lot of gestures and childish mimes. The way I look at it though is if our main goal was to communicate we were hugely successful no matter how ridiculous we looked or sounded. We eventually found Moor’s open and parked ourselves there.

Inside Moor’s we made friends with a young Spanish couple that clearly demonstrated why PDA is over-the-top here. The Irish guys next to us, convinced that Americans have the softest skin, gave us their phone to time the couple…ridiculous. We enjoyed a few beers before they closed at 1030 and picked up another couple on the way out. This Polish couple joined us because they were also just visiting Madrid and didn’t have anybody else to party with, clearly we looked intriguing. So that brings the count up to two Americans, two Italians, and now a Polish couple, fun fun fun. Still having time before midnight I took us to the one place I knew would be open, Dubliner’s. Along the way Vincent bought bottles of champagne from the chinos and we all had a nice little ‘cava’ shower. Dubliner’s was of course open but was only really sitting people for dinner, oddly enough. We schmoozed the bouncer (same guy from two years ago) and he let us go to the back and get drinks. We lasted there until about half past eleven and then made our way to the main Plaza. More champagne was picked up along the way and we kept our grapes tucked safely away.

Our trek to the clock was pretty successful considering the massive crowd of people trying to do the same thing. We found a nice little space and waited for the countdown. In all fairness I remembering asking what time it was and it was 10 minutes until and then the next thing I know the fireworks were going off like crazy. HAPPY NEW YEAR!! We never heard the clock chimes so we all just started eating our grapes. About three in I realized this was a mute point and decided a throwing them was more fun. That night we all ended up with grapes in too many places to count! We yelled like crazy and I’m pretty sure I even ended up dancing and jumping in a huge group of Italians. Absolutely amazing!

Clearly the night was not over so we wandered the streets a little bit with no direction at all. We picked up two French girls at one point but I’m not sure what became of them the rest of the night. We made our way back to Dubliner’s but with a 10 euro cover we decided next door at O’Connell’s was a better choice. Trying to get in the door I looked up to find my roommate and her friends trying to do the same. After some ridiculous yelling and myself being lifted off the ground we finally made it in. From here the night gets a little out of control so suffice to say that Britney and I ended up back at my apartment asleep around 8am. All the makings of a complete night!

What I learned from the night? Italians say "changing the water" when they have to pee and I'll never be able to learn Polish.

Negative: Bruises. end of story.

Positive: Starting what looks to be a great New Year.