giving my 3 cents....

I think that it is funny that in Spain, in the discount supermarkets (ahem, cough cough, where I have to shop because I'm poor...), you have to pay for your plastic bags. It's only 3 cents a bag, but I think it's funny still. We're so used to getting like 2848 bags from the grocery store or Target or something in the States...people there could care less about giving away a bag. But not here! A lot of people bring their own plastic bags from home that they've saved. I try to remember, but usually forget. oh well :) I'll give my 3 Euro cents...which is equal to 4 cents of a dollar. (yes, I'm still bitter about the exchange rate...)

Starbucks is taking over the world

As we all know, Starbucks are popping up everywhere in the states...I know that in my town, Strongsville--a suburb of Cleveland--there are at least 3, maybe 4...or maybe more since I left for Spain. But, did you know that they're getting big in Europe too? You'll be able to find several in any of the big cities, and now, in the town where I'm studying, Alcala de Henares, outside of Madrid, they've put one on in the main square, Plaza de Cervantes. 

I think that this beautiful plaza with bordering benches, trees, rose gardens, and of course its statue of Cervantes should remain something special and historical, but instead, there is a McDonalds, a Doner Kebap (like gyros), and now, a Starbucks. How very cultural...so very cultural indeed. 

Maybe I'm particularly bitter because I worked in a coffee shop and realized that Starbucks isn't all that great. Nevertheless, I will probably find myself there one afternoon reading a book and paying way too much for a mediocre coffee drink. The sad sad truth. 

Oh Christmas tree...

long time,  no blog. 

Finals week, you know how it is.

But I was pleasantly surprised when I came into the family room this morning and my host dad was putting up the Christmas tree! Really, it's nothing special, but in a way it is. 

It's small. old. fake. and a bit tacky with bright blue lights and some odd ornaments. Nevertheless it put me in the holiday spirit, since studying and paper writing have done a good job at taking me OUT of the spirit. I'll put a picture up as soon as I can :)

Spaniards trying to speak English

So, my host family is great. And my host mom is probably the cutest lady that every walked this planet. She is so generous, and caring and giving, and sweet and nice, and she has a very calming voice (which I actually just realized when I compared her voice with the loud penetrating voice of the cleaning lady María...)  Anywho, you can't help but love her. 

Things like this just make you love her more:

She doesn't know much English at all. What she does know is what is sometimes seen on TV or in the movies, and she (kind of) knows how to say "fish and chips". Since Spanish is a phonetic language, meaning the words are pronounced exactly as they're written, it's difficult for them to pronounce many English words.

Maybe no one else will think this is funny, and you really have to hear it to understand its cuteness, but just sound this out: corrrrn FLAH case. stress on the FLAH. then she giggles a little bit. what could she be trying to say? That's right, friends. None other than the famous American cereal, Corn Flakes. She does the same with most English words. White is another one, pronounced by my host mommy Victar as "wee-tay"... And of course, Brraddd Peet. (dont' forget to roll the R. They think he's pretty good looking over here, as well...

As if I didn't love her enough for doing my laundry, cleaning my room, and fattening me up with lots of yummy (sometimes not yummy) Spanish food....

intense class with Spaniards

In case you didn't know, I'm sarcastic, and that title is very sarcastic.

On Tuesdays, I have a class with Spanish students for 1 hour. 55 minutes to be exact. 12-12:55. Not too bad. 

Today, we got out of our grammar class at noon, and I rushed over to this next class. the door was closed and locked, and of the 40+ students that are in the class, there were maybe 10 outside waiting. They didn't really seem to care. I went to the bathroom, came back, now 5 past 12, and the door, still locked, professor still hasn't arrived. Hey, I'm not complaining. But at least let us know if you're going to cancel class. Shoot, spoke too soon. She shows up a minute later. This is approximately how the class went after that:

12:07-12:10: teacher enters the room and sets up her computer and powerpoint. 

12:10-12:13: teacher passes out a few packets of notes to a few delegates, which everyone will obtain at some point to make copies. 

12:13-12:20: Students continually ask if she can simply send the notes via email; students discuss the prices of making photocopies; teacher claims--incorrectly--that making photocopies is cheaper than printing off at home; one student talks about putting them on the class's online folder; professor doesn't know how to do this so the student walks her through it on her computer; after all that, teacher decides not to post it on there.

12:21-12:27: (I actually remember looking at my watch at 12:27)...teacher reviews what was gone over the last class. Sometimes that's good, but it was unnecessary in this case. 

12:28 or so: we finally get started on the day's material: extensions of education. She asks why they're called "extensions".

12:28-12:31: she says "no" to about 20 different attempted answers by students. 

12:31: we start to talk about hair extensions. 

12:32-12:55: we talk about the actual extensions of education, which were more or less what those volunteers had already said in class.  

All in all, a productive class session...I learned a lot. 

wide ruled or college ruled?

That option does not exist in Spain. Nope, nope, nope. Lined paper? Have yet to find it. 

This blog is dedicated to my good friend Allison, who, along with the majority of Americans in Spain, including myself, is bothered by the fact that Spaniards don't have lined paper.

So, what do they use? Well, there are two options. One, you can pretend that every class you have is a math class. And hence, its corresponding notebook will be graph paper. Who actually likes to write on graph paper? The spacing is bad, you either have to keep the letters within one square, which is difficult and teeny tiny, or you have to keep them within two vertical squares, which just looks sloppy and big. 

The other option is plain white paper, like for printing a paper. Just plain computer paper. However, normally this doesn't come in notebook form, a cause of extreme disorganization. If you have nice handwriting and can write straight, then all is well. Looks kind of nice actually. However, if you are a normal American, and have spent your entire life writing on lines, then this change can be pivotal to the success of your note-taking in Spain. 

I guess it's good, though, for the Spaniards. They know how to write neatly without lines. In case there's ever a "writing neatly and straight without lined paper" contest. I will not enter myself in that one. 

One might think, this is such a silly preoccupation. However, for meticulous and perfectionist type people, such as Allison and myself, it is life altering.

Thankfully I learned this lesson last time I was in Spain, and remembered to bring my own college ruled notebooks with me. It's been great :)

Blob

My mom just called my "blog" a "blob." She was 100% serious. I love that generation. 

Spanish television

It's pretty bad. Lots and lots of news, some decent Spanish programs, some terrible Spanish soaps, lots of game shows, and lots of American shows dubbed (Simpsons--most popular, Friends, thank goodness, CSI, House, and some others). I'm talking about the basic basic stations that most everyone has. There are about 6. Sometimes 7, on a good day. It is interesting because usually in the States we literally have hundreds of channels. I do miss HBO. And ABC. Anyone want to update me on Grey's and Brothers and Sisters???

My host family got a new cable box type thing, and the whole family is flipping out because we now have a whopping....drum-roll please....TWENTY EIGHT CHANNELS!!! Pretty exciting stuff. :)  

An orange a day....

Ok so maybe an orange a day (or even an apple...) doesn't keep the doctor away. Even so, orange are quite the common fruit here in Spain. (Most are grown in Valencia, a wonderful city on the eastern coast of the peninsula.) 

Our host families usually give us a little snack to take to school to eat between classes, magdalenas (muffins...also very very common), cookies, or some fruit, an apple or an orange. My host family usually has oranges. And about these oranges, I have realized something that I had never really thought too much about: an orange that peels easily is worth a lot more than one might imagine.

I normally get a break after a couple classes, have time to relax a bit. But on Tuesdays, I have classes from 9AM to 3 PM without a break. (ok there's like one 5 minute break, but I have to use that to go to the bathroom and to actually arrive on time to the next class...so no, there's not really a break to chat with friends or grab something to eat...) We will call these days, "Tuesdays from Hell." Also, in Spain, it's a lot less common to see students eating in the classroom. So anyway, the seconds, literally seconds, that I have to eat something, it is very helpful if that "something" is easily edible.

Some days, the oranges are very hard to peel and after about 10 minutes of digging my nails into this silly little orange for a supposed "quick" snack, I end up with orange rind underneath my nails, sticky orange juice all over, and my hands smell like an orange for the rest of the day. (doesn't smell too bad, but still annoying). And then there are the days when I can thank God for the creation of these little mandarin type oranges that peel in seconds. It makes life much easier :)

So, this all might sound silly. But, it made me think. It is just a funny recognition really. I ask myself how many of you have ever thought about the ease of peeling an orange. If you have ever lived in Spain, I'm sure you have...

'tis all. ta ta. until next time. 

exchange rate update: not looking good

FYI, new record today. $1.45 to a euro. Meaning, everytime I take out money, I'm losing a TON. And since I try to take out money very rarely, but in larger quantities, it seems like even more. For example, normally I take out about 200 euros...this is almost $300. sad, sad, sad. I have been trying to live on the little bit of cash that I make here teaching English, but it doesn't go too far. 

So, in addition to sending granola bars, chipotle tacos, and my own car, either: 1) send me money; 2) send money to my parents to deposit into my checking account; 3) adjust the exchange rate for my benefit; or 4) just pray and hope that I last the year...

That is all. 

Happy Halloween!!!

Some things I miss...but can live without.

-Chipotle veggie tacos (soft, please, not crunchy)--with black beans and rice, tomato and corn salsas, lettuce, guac, and sour cream on the side. 

-Carpet in the house. my feet get cold.

-Nature Valley Vanilla Nut Granola Bars

-TARGET!! I used to go there just about every day, or a

t least once a week.

-Having my own car...having to rely on public transportation can be hard sometimes. cheaper though!

-Hummus. Haven't seen it here yet, but haven't really looked either. Don't think it's as popular. 

-American TV shows..I'm going to be very behind. 

***If any of these things, you would like to send to me as a gift, that'd be fantastic :)  Especially the Chipotle tacos...Simply contact me and I will provide you with my address! hehe

But some things that I absolutely love here, that we lack in the states:

-best blinds ever--they block out every ray of light. Very good for midday siesta :)

-Not having sales tax--although, with the awful exchange rate (today, a record of $1.43 to €1, ouch), it evens out a bit...

-Being able to travel to lots of places at very reasonable prices (I've seen flights to Rome, Dublin, London for less than €50 round trip)

-Great café con leche. yum. yum yum yum.

-Doner Kebap. They're like gyros, and they're delicious. (see photo below)

-The place on Calle Mayor for GREAT toasted ham and cheese bocadillos (like baggetts) 

-Sangria

-the joy of seeing some pretty funny cultural things: mullets, Spanish style in general, mini doggies, everywhere, crazy parades and festivals, etc. 

Funny food

So, yes, the food in Spain is a bit different than what we're used to in the States. [and no, contrary to popular belief, we do not eat rice and beans, spicy tacos nor burritos. That would be Mexico and other Latin American countries...] We have lots of fish, potatoes, eggs, anything from pig, lots and lots of bread. For the most part I love it. I guess I don't talk about it too much, unless I have something really weird/gross and share it with my friends here...But maybe I should inform you all about some of the food here. 

Last week I was on the phone with my sister, Alli, when I had to leave to eat dinner. (sidenote--we eat dinner around 10 PM here! takes some getting used to!) She said, "ok! let me know what you guys eat so I can laugh.."  I was like, uhh, ok?? 

Sure enough, we had quite an interesting dinner. 4 appetizers for dinner. Here there are: 

1) The most normal--a type of potato salad, with aioli sauce. Pretty tasty actually. Not so weird, right? 

2) steamed spinach mixed with scrambled eggs and other seasonings. not as good as the potatoes, but not too bad. a unique combination.

3) sliced up hot dogs with parmesan cheese and ketchup on top, spiked with a toothpick. Guess it makes it a little more elegant!

4) slices of honeydew.....with a slice of jamón serrano on top (the famous cured ham here). ham and honeydew, you say??? Yes, yes, ham and honeydew. surprisingly delicious. :) gives you the sweet and salty you always desire!

So, yes, while it would be odd to walk into a dinner party in the states and see these selections of appetizers...but, well, I'm not in the States, so I'll just take it in and laugh about it later. And let you all get a chuckle too :)

Take care! Talk soon!

Not weird, just different.....(ok, maybe a LITTLE weird..)

So, this time as well as last time in Spain, many cultural aspects that I have witnessed have shocked me. I have actually found myself saying, "only in Spain can you see this." I'm sure people who come visit the US say the same...that's the beauty of culture!

Please leave comments, as I'm curious to know if you all thing that these things are a bit strange..

Here are some things that just recently I have seen:

People in Spain have an obsession with listening to music, 23.5 hours per day. Anywhere and everywhere. Sometimes it's on an ipod or other MP3 player, with headphones, not bothering anyone else. But a lot of times, they will play it quite loud from their cell phone. On the bus. train. in the street. at a cafe. in a store. I am a huge fan of music. I listen to it often, while I'm studying, sometimes on the bus on the way to school, when I'm traveling. But I mean, come on. It's really quite odd. Most of these public places have music, especially on the bus or in a cafe. Why do people feel the need to blast their music on top of that. I guess I wouldn't complain as much if I liked the music. But often, it's what you'd hear in a dance club. I'm a fan of mellow, alternative, acoustic, guitar, piano type stuff, so for me, that kind of techno pop rap music just shouldn't be played when the sun is out. Or at least, please use some headphones. Please. I have some extra ones from my Continental flight...

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A young girl with her grandfather, walking on the sidewalk of a relatively busy street. I guess this young girl (maybe 5 years old) really really had to go to the bathroom, because, next thing I see--her grandpa helps her with her pants so she can go to the bathroom on the curb. I was quite shocked. Maybe that's normal, I don't know. But I don't remember ever doing that as a child...

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I guess in Spain, things are a lot more "go with the flow" if there's a problem. While back in the states, I am accustomed to extreme organization, in school or work or whatever, it looks as if I'll have to make some personal adjustments. 

We started our classes with the Spaniards this week. Since we received the list of possible classes, I had a tentative schedule (actually, about 6) with all the necessary info: class name, time, and room number. Now, just imagine this. If you were a teacher, and your classroom had changed locations, or your class time had changed, from what was posted all around the school and on the school's website, the logical thing to do would be to let students know, by maybe posting something on the door or something, right? Wrong. Not in Spain. I guess we're just supposed to somehow know these things. And it's odd, both of the classes that I've had this week with the Spaniards have changed locations without notification. After asking around and going to the secretary, not of much assistance, we finally stumble across a classroom that may be ours. So, not only do we already stick out, being Americans, but now, we enter class 15 minutes late. Now who looks unprofessional?? The weird thing is that all the Spaniards somehow knew the right classroom. They must have a sixth sense...

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It is strange to me that not many people in Spain use (have?) credit cards. As we all know, in the states, it is perfectly acceptable--and simple!--to use a credit/debit card for any purchase, a dollar, or a thousand dollars. not here, nuh uh, no way. While many places accept credit cards, not too many people use them! I made a purchase of about 13 euros (which, by the way, with the exchange rate right now, 1 euro to 1.42 dollars, that's over 18 dollars...ughhhh), and it seemed like it was quite an inconvenience to the girl who worked there. sorrryyyyy....

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Everyone knows I'm American. Always, always, always. And they judge Americans. I do not like that. But it's something that I have to deal with. It's hard at times, because I wish that they would respect the fact that I am here because, for the most part, I love the culture, the country, the people and the language. A lot of the time they start to talk to me in English, but not just to converse, but more or less to mock my nationality. I think, anyway. Oh well...I'm dealing. My host sister's boyfriend told me last time I was here that sometimes I look Spanish, until I open my mouth and talk! Ha, nice compliment. 

so many bars, so little time

So, in my lit class today, in addition to learning about some various authors during Spain´s Siglo de Oro period in the 16th and 17th centuries, we also learned that in Spain, there is one bar/restaurant for every 38 people. sounds pretty crazy, huh. But now that I think about it, it´s pretty visible. On my walk to the center of town, approximately 7 minutes on foot, I probably pass 15 bar/restaurant/cafes. So, next time you´re in Spain and think that there is nothing to do, think again...

Noche en Blanco!

Well, Noche en Blanco in downtown Madrid was an experience, to say the least...

For one night, Madrid's artistic culture can be seen both in the museums and on the streets. Madrid is turned into a pedestrian zone, main streets completely blocked off, and hundreds of thousands of people come to experience the Noche en Blanco. All of the museums in the city are open all night long (the festival goes from 9 PM to 7 AM!!) and are free to enter. Unfortunately with that comes long lines, long long lines, so we actually never got inside a museum. It was like waiting for a roller coaster at Cedar Point...not fun. On the streets, along with a swarm of people of all ages, are street performers, art exhibits, cool artsy designs projected onto some of the most famous and important buildings in town, and also an overall sensation of, hmmm, chaos. We wandered through the main areas of Madrid--Puerta del Sol, Cibeles, Plaza Mayor, Gran Via, etc. It was interesting, but I doubt I'd do it again...