DanielleChitChat

Sounds you never thought you'd miss...

2009-12-01T22:58:00.002+01:00

Just the other night, a cold night, I heard a familiar noise. Well I guess it wasn't a familiar sound, but it sounded familiar to me. I was lying in my bed, and heard what I thought to be a snow truck. Like I said, it was cold, but it VERY rarely snows here in Ourense. I came to the conclusion that it was not a snow truck, but probably a street cleaning truck or a garbage truck in the distance. However, for those few seconds, I was comforted by that noise. There is something very homey about that noise. I suppose it reminds me of being at home, probably in Strongsville, late at night or very very early in the morning...and hearing it. I remember that when I was younger that noise always gave us a glimpse of home for a...SNOW DAY! So yes, they're big ol' ugly trucks. But I love them. And the noises they make :)

DONE!

2008-05-22T14:13:00.003+02:00

So, I´m officially done with year one of grad school! Though I will be working a lot on papers this summer, it´s a pretty great feeling finishing the year. Ahhhh. Now time to relax. But not really, because my best friend Carrie is coming and I´ve got to start packing!! That´s quite difficult when you have over 30 pairs of shoes.....

Living with a host family

2008-05-04T15:02:00.003+02:00

This is completely an excuse to not do a project that's due this week, but oh well :)

I love living with a host family. Most of the time. It's kind of strange, now that I'm 24 (woah!), that I live with a family in Spain that makes my meals and cleans my room, does my laundry, changes my sheets, but I speak all Spanish with them and I figured, this will be the last time ever that I will be pampered.

Normally it's fine. I am a pretty independent person, so living with this family is great, because they are often out of the house working. But there are times, like right now, when I'm just like, "ughh I can't wait to live on my own."

Why "right now"? Well, it's 3 PM. And I still haven't eaten lunch. I'm getting crabby because I'm hungry, but have to wait until they're done preparing lunch to eat it, logically. I just don't get it.

I just wish that I could go into the kitchen, make myself a sandwich, and be done with it. But, it doesn't work that way in Spain. And that's all. One annoyance of living with a host family....

cravings

2008-04-29T18:42:00.003+02:00

So, the Spanish food isn't too bad, but I'm getting a little sick of it. I guess more than anything, I'm just craving certain American foods. Here's a list of some places I hope and plan to go during the first, ohhhh, 24 hours back in town.

1. Chipotle. I actually think my parents are bringing it to the airport. Or having it waiting for me at home :) 3 veggie tacos, black beans and rice, fajita, mild tomato salsa and a little corn, a teeny eeny bit of sour cream and cheese, lettuce and guacamole.

2. Geppettos pizza. plain cheese. with marinara to dip. with ranch to dip. a nice coke would be good too.

3. Niko's (whose name has changed, to something I don't know): a junior gyro with everything, easy onion. yuuuuummy.

4. Bagles. Preferably Brueggers. a square asiago one with plain cream cheese, or a wheat one with veggie light cream cheese.

5. good, grilled hot dogs.

6. Mom's good pasta with good sauce. no more of this tomato paste ketchup-y spaghetti-o type sauce

7. Subway. a subway club with provolone, grilled. with spinach, tomato, cucumber, honey mustard and a bit of salt and pepper. YUM.

8. sushi. yum yum yum yum. They have it here, but it's not nearly as popular. I've only ever seen one place in Alcala, but I'm sure there are several in Madrid. I am craving the shrimp tempura. my fave.

I'm sure this list will be edited and added onto. But I'm off to a good start. I'll have a lot of catching up to do during that first day back, eh?

Was that a lawnmower?

2008-04-05T11:05:00.003+02:00

I woke up this morning to a noise that seemed very familiar from my little suburban neighborhood back home: a lawnmower. Still half asleep, it almost comforted me. Until I realized that it could not have been a lawnmower, because there is very very very little grass in Spain. I mean, once you get out of the cities into more rural areas, especially up north, sure there's plenty of it. But if I were to look out my window right now, I don't think I'd see much...

[The noise, as it turns out, was the street cleaner]

I bless the rains down in africaaaaa...

2008-03-22T17:48:00.004+01:00

Ok, so during my trip to Tunisia, Africa there was no rain. But that's a good song.

So what can I say about Africa? There is too much, really. But I'll give it a whirl.

I decided to go to Tunis (Tunisia), Africa for my spring break this year with four other people. I had never ever thought of doing that, but once my friend Kelsy mentioned it, I couldn't get it out of my mind. Easy as that. We headed to the northern coast of Africa for a week in a 4 star hotel on the beach. It was nothing less than an incredible experience--some good things, some bad, and a lot of really weird things :) ...

1) We arrive at the hotel, like I said, 4 stars. I guess their star ratings are a bit different in Africa. We loved it, it was fine, don't get me wrong, but it's not what you'd expect. Everything was just fine. Food was just fine, though I haven't been craving anything that I ate there. Open bar selection consisted of: beer, vodka, whiskey, and a Tunisian rum, a couple of liqueurs, and juice if you'd like to mix. We're college kids, we're not used to a variety anyway. So this was a beach resort, as I said, with a big pool and a beautiful beach just beyond the pool. Does a 4 star usually give their guests beach towels? well of course. At the good ol' Riadh Palms, this was not the case. Are stray cats eating off of the enclosed patio tables a normal occurrence in a 4 star? Doubtful. But we were blessed with their presence for an entire week :) Like I said, not complaining, just quite funny.

2) The languages: French and Arabic. Luckily our friend Dustin is fluent in French. It would have been a lot more difficult without him there. I loved hearing the natives speak and seeing all the signs and products in French and Arabic. Obviously I'm a language lover. Many people spoke minimal English and their accents were so cute! They often called us "baby girl", and with their accent it didn't sound so bad.

3) The markets: Some people hate them, pushy vendors trying to drag you into their stores, but I love them. I don't know why, I guess I just think they're kind of a fun experience. there are some interesting things that they sell--food, spices, perfumes, hookahs, souvenirs (they love the camels!!), lots of jewelry, purses, clothes...you name it. But what I like most is observing the people. They really are pushy, they'll say anything to get you in their store, and it is annoying at times. But it's what they do, it's how they live, it's their culture. And I really improved my bargaining skills! we actually bargained for a taxi ride back one time, ha.

4) CAMELS. We did go on a camel ride. Normally the ride includes: camel ride, horse ride, donkey ride, lunch, but we didn't want to make it a whole day thing so we bargained down the price and did just the camel ride. We ended up having the greatest guide and he did a few extra things for us since we didn't have the whole tour, like going to see baby camels. It was really funny, they were all making their camel-y noises and afraid of us, but being the tourists we are, we went in, took pictures, gave them kisses, etc. Then, since the tour is normally like 3-4 hrs, and ours should have been about an hour and half, we went back to meet with our ride....who came 15 minutes late, then 15 more, then 15 more...After a while, we were getting antsy (probably because we were still sitting on our camels...haha) so we went down the road a bit to where a group of native children were playing soccer. We asked our tour guide if we could go play with them...heck, why not? So we go, and it's us against the kids. We didn't understand each other at all, but it was so much fun, so liberating even.

5) Sammy, "Vince Vaughn", Baby Louis, etc. These were just a few of the guys who worked at the hotel. they were super nice and funny, and after a few days of talking to them during "snack time" where they made pizza, little turkey sandwiches and CREPES (the same snack time where the cats were eating off the tables), they, like every man in Tunisia, asked us if we wanted to go to the "disco" with them. They were harmless, and the disco was right down the street. It ended up being a great night, and although it was difficult to communicate, we did so with gestures, by dancing, and by doing lots of cheers with our drinks :) It was sad to leave them at the end of the week.

6) Hotel animation team: normally in big hotels, they have the animation team, who organizes activities, games, workouts, contests, and usually has a show at night. The Riadh Palm's animation team more or less did this. But, just as the hotel was juuuust under its claimed 4 stars, so was its animation team. I guess the strangest thing for us was that they were all men, since in Muslim culture, women are kind of prohibited from things like that. So, all the games/activities during the day were led by the men, not so weird. But when we went to one of the night shows....you can imagine our reactions when we saw a group of guys dancing to songs that clearly should have a female character, like Celine Dion and the Titanic song. In several of the skits and dances, the men had to dress up as a girl. It was really interesting, but that's their culture and the way they've always lived, so by golly, good for them.

7) Living conditions: Obviously we didn't see too much of the poverty because we were in a resort, but we're sure it existed. After talking to several of the workers at the hotel, they were very open about sharing their lives with us. There was one whose father had died and at a very young age (maybe 12 or 14) he dropped out of school to start working and providing for the family. The average salary for someone who works at the hotels there is 300 dinar a month, which is roughly equivalent to 165 euros. A month! In one week I spent much more than that, and would buy silly things while there. Like a 4o euro day trip, a 15 dinar camel ride, a 10 dinar beach towel, etc. It just kind of makes you think, and although I've been complaining about the exchange rate all year, I still have much more than they do and should probably realize that and think about it more, especially when I think I've got it bad.

I could go on. There's so much to talk about, but maybe in order to discover other things, you should go visit Tunisia. It was a great experience and I'm glad I went. Yet another culture to learn about and whose differences you can value...

Until next time...

Coffee break catastrophe

2008-03-01T15:32:00.003+01:00

So, while studying for my midterms, I starting to feel a bit tired and decided that I needed coffee. Normally my host mom has coffee made in the kitchen, but there wasn't any. So, I decided to make some, I mean, how hard could this be?

I had never used this particular coffee maker, but it seemed as simple as any coffee maker I had used before. I got the bag of coffee grounds out and looked at it for the instructions. (I know how much to put in at home, but I think the coffee is a bit different here, much stronger, and so I wanted to be sure.) So I looked, and searched, and nowhere on the package did I find instructions on how many cucharadas (spoonfuls) to put in. A bit frustrated and confused, I just decided to try to make it how I normally do in the states. Done and done. Or so I thought...

I went back into my room to study a bit and after about 10 minutes assumed it'd be done. I was walking back into the kitchen, saying to myself "I'm going to laugh if I walk in and there's coffee everywhere..." Then I walk in, and...you guessed it...there's coffee EVERYWHERE. all over the countertop, dripped down to the floor. I was like, what in the world could have happened. When I opened the door where you put the filter in, it was a big coffee soupy mess. I tried my best to clean up without anyone knowing what had happened. Used paper towels and one of my own washcloths and then took the trash out. As far as I know, nobody knows. It's a good thing they don't know English and can't read this blog. :)

So, I still don't know what happened--what I did wrong--and still don't know how to make coffee. Which is even extra pathetic since I worked in a coffee shop. Maybe one day I'll learn...

spoke too soon...

2008-02-24T20:29:00.004+01:00

I told my friend a few weeks ago that a great thing about Spain is that it's almost always always sunny. I should have kept my mouth shut: Last week and this coming week, rainy and gloomy. Not fun :( Especially when we have to walk to a lot of places.

[Side-note: a HUGE pet-peeve of mine is when the bottoms of my jeans get wet. EW! I hate it so much.]

On a positive note, there's sun in Tunisia, where I'll be in three weeks!!

I don't know why you say goodbye, I say hello

2008-02-23T14:18:00.002+01:00

The other day at school, I was walking out the door and a Spanish friend of mine was coming in the door. Normally, this same exact situation in the states would be something like this:

me: Hey, what's up?

Paloma: Hey!

But, following the trend of most of my other blog posts, Spain is quite different...And this is, in face, how the conversation went:

Me: Hola, qué tal? (hey, how's it going?)

Paloma: Hasta luego! (See you later!)

It's completely normal here, but makes me feel like they're brushing me off, haha. I guess they're right though, we're just passing each other so we're shouldn't be greeting one another as if were were just meeting up. I thought it was funny anyway..

there's a comma, period.

2008-02-12T23:57:00.001+01:00

I think it's funny that with expressions of numbers in Spain (and probably most of Europe and who knows where else), instead of using a decimal point, they use a comma, and instead of a comma, they use a period.

for instance: the year is 2.008.

A shirt may cost 39,99 euros.

There are 3.894 people in this city. No, not three and 894 thousandths of a person. But rather three thousand eight hundred ninety four.

In addition, while in Spain they (try to) drive on the right side of the road, many pedestrians pass each other by walking to the left. Actually, in Spain, people don't really move. If you don't want to get rammed in the shoulder or knocked out by that old lady's shopping wheeler-cart, go wherever there's room--left, right, jumping over her...whatever gets you out alive.

Beer and waffles.

2008-02-11T22:58:00.002+01:00

Where else would you go for these two delicious things? Belgium of course, are they really all that they're cracked up to be?

100% yes.

Brussels, Belgium, a beautiful town with friendly people (who all speak English! thank goodness), truly has a lot to offer.

I, of course, splurged on edible things:

Waffles. one word: yum. You can get really any topping you want, chocolate, ice cream, whipped cream, strawberries, other fruit, etc. etc. etc. I went with a simple belgian waffle with powdered sugar and it was perfectly warm, soft, sweet, and wonderful. Eggo doesn't come close...

Beer. two words. yum, strong. I don't really know the specific beers that I drank, but know that I liked them and that they will intoxicate you quickly. We went to one bar, Delirium, that is famous in Brussels. They have over 2000 types of beer there! I didn't quite get to try them all.

Chocolate. I'm not too big on chocolate these days, (weird, I know)..but I did get a free sample of supposed Belgian chocolate with a glass of fresh mint tea. I probably should have tried the real thing from one of the dozens of chocolatiers around town....oh well.

Didn't try the mussels, because I think they're gross. Brussel sprouts are also not on my list of things for the last supper. The Mannequin Pis (a little statue of a guy peeing), was interesting. They, (you know, "they") dress him up in different outfits all the time. My friend Blake (whom I visited) told me that he has hundreds of outfits...

Whether it be quite old architecture (check out that Grand Place!) or new modern buildings, small winding streets or large public avenues, it is a wonderful city with wonderful people and I hope to return someday.

Check out the photos!

free stuff!

2008-02-07T23:45:00.000+01:00

So I went to recharge my phone yesterday (a lot of people have the prepaid phones here...), and the girl was very friendly and so she plopped down a couple "free goodies" on the counter for me. My friend Allison and I were like, hmmm, what are these things. They looked like square freezer pops, about 2 in x 2 in...those popsicles that come in a box, in long tubes and they're a liquid and then you freeze them and they're delicious? you know...

so anyway, they looked like those. bright orange. Turns out they're hand warmers. 1) most random free goodie EVER and 2) most random goodie from a cell phone store.

That is all. Spain is funny...

oops...forgot to write in a month and a half...

2008-02-05T13:08:00.001+01:00

So I'm beginning to thing that this blog is like my diary that I also forgot to write in. I think my las "Spain journal" entry was from September. How terrible.

I suppose that a lot has happened since I last wrote in the good ol' blog. I went home for Christmas, surprising my family! I spent three wonderful weeks at home, eating American food, speaking English, sleeping in my own bed, enjoying carpet, driving my car, visiting family and friends, and of course, appreciating NOT having to think about the awful exchange rate and how much money I'm losing here in Spain....bummer.

I got back to Spain the 13th of January and all has been pretty great this semester. New classes are fine, and the new kids in the group are really great. They are very high energy, and there are a TON of them, which can sometimes be a bit crazy during excursions and stuff, but for the most part they seem very fun and interested in learning, which, after all, is why they're here.

We had our first group excursion Jan 25-27 to Extremadura and nos lo pasamos muy muy bien. We had great weather and a great time in general. It was nice because it's not as touristy as many of the places that we visit, but still equally as beautiful.

This past weekend was the start of "Carnavales", whose end indicates the beginning of lent. The major areas in Spain that celebrate Carnavales are Cadiz and Tenerife (I believe...) but there is usually a celebration in every city. (both the religious side, and the crazy party aspect..) Here in Alcalá, there were a lot of things going on, and my friends and I went out on Saturday night and dressed up. When in Spain...

I am poor, thus having to reuse my angel costume from Halloween. But no one has to know that! oh wait, I just made it public...

This weekend I'll be visiting my friend Blake in Brussels, Belgium, where he has been working since September. I'm really excited, and it'll be great to be there with someone who knows the area well!

Boring post, I apologize. I'll get some interesting topics going soon...

until then...D.

P.S. Here is the link to my photos. Carnavales not up yet...

http://picasaweb.google.com/daniellestanko

giving my 3 cents....

2007-12-23T21:50:00.000+01:00

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

2007-12-22T13:26:00.000+01:00

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...

2007-12-16T17:13:00.000+01:00

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

2007-11-26T21:40:00.000+01:00

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

2007-11-13T21:52:00.000+01:00

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?

2007-11-11T15:18:00.001+01:00

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

2007-11-08T22:40:00.000+01:00

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

Spanish television

2007-11-04T14:59:00.000+01:00

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....

2007-11-03T12:59:00.000+01:00

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

2007-10-31T19:04:00.001+01:00

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.

2007-10-20T13:16:00.000+02:00

-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

2007-10-14T12:12:00.000+02:00

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..)

2007-10-03T20:21:00.001+02:00

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

2007-09-25T10:49:00.000+02:00

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!

2007-09-23T15:33:00.000+02:00

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...