Well people, here I am! I know you all missed me dearly, and I am sorry about the hiatus again. I have been busy busy around here, planning out my future and such. After a much needed 2 week vacation with mi amor in Madrid and Mallorca, my mind is scattered in a million places. Before the break I was essentially burnt out! Everything, and I mean literally everything was driving me nuts; my students, my roommates, this never ending job hunt, etc. Crazy town!
Last term was marked by many realizations and epiphany moments about my school and other life trials. I love teaching and I love my students (most of the time) but I would NOT do this forever! Teaching requires A LOT of patience; which I have acquired much of these last 8 months. Teachers should REALLY get paid more,because it is my belief that they do much of the work that parents left undone in the home. I have realized that, especially in Spain, there is a general lack of knowledge of proper conduct, everyday study skills, and other such things that one would think is taught in the home. Teachers unknowingly take on this huge responsibility of not only educating youth, but teaching students life skills as well. Sometimes I feel like a signed up to be a police officer, rather than a teacher. But with that said, I have learned a lot from my students and their frivolous behavior; patience being the main lesson. I have discovered skills that I did not know I had myself, through classroom management and thinking of innovative ways to teach my students both academically and personally. Needless to say, after a few deep breathes, I survived.
Teaching in Madrid has also helped me to put into perspective my career goals, which remain the same; international everything! I know now that I do not have to always physically be abroad to work in international affairs; I can work from home turf just as effectively. Also, the nerd in me has intensified, and I am more eager than ever to delve into the challenges that grad school will bring! My Master's will be in International Affairs with a concentration in Human Rights in Democracy, and possibly a dual degree in International Journalism if I'm feeling gutsy by then ;-). At one point, after working within such a backwards school system, I toyed with the idea of going into International Education Policy.....then I woke up, no thanks.
After spending two years living abroad, studying in Sevilla and working in Madrid, I have come to the conclusion that my ideal world would be a fusion of Spanish and American living. I used to feel biased toward Spain, as I was and still am so in love with it; but I now realize that every country has its flaws. The States is an extremely consumerist society, focused on quantity and size and material gain. I truly wish that we could adapt some of the Europeans less wasteful habits, but I know in my heart that this will NEVER happen. I wish would could hang clothes outside on a clothes line so that they could smell like the fresh spring breeze, and use much less energy than a dryer. I wish would would walk more, instead of constantly depending on environment polluting cars to get us everywhere. In Spain we walk to get places, and simply for pure leisure. I wish Americans were not so focused on big body, gas-guzzling cars; in Spain all of the cars are pretty small but get the same job done. And for God's sake, I REALLY wish the States would get hip to MORE fresh foods and fruit and veggie markets! We would live much longer if we didn't stuff our fat asses full of packaged and bagged and artificial junk!!!
On the other hand, I wish Spain would get with the program sometimes in terms of efficiency and customer service, and realize that not everyone has time to wait 3 hours to open a bank account! I wish Spain realized that maybe sometimes, someone, somewhere may want to venture out to a store on a Sunday to buy some necessary items. It would also be a plus if they could realize that it's ok to eat outside of the alotted "Spanish meal times;" eat when you're hungry, it will not kill anyone! The customer service and level of efficiency of services is sub par in Spain simply because they just do not care. They have this "no pasa nada" attitude that will never change, but at some point there has to be a sense of urgency! These are only a few things that I wish I could "fuse" about the two countries, but again I know that this will only ever be a dream in my ideal world. Because in the end, Americans will always be greedy and wasteful, and Spaniards will always be careless and ridiculously routine; but I love them both the same and I will continue to dream of my Fusion!
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Friday, March 4, 2011
Blessing and a Burden....Egyptian Revolution and changes in the Arab World
I was blessed, but also burdened to have left Egypt only two weeks before the revolution (for change) had begun. When I was there, you could feel the tension rising in the air. Without even speaking a word of Arabic, I understood the general sentiments and dissatisfaction of the people. The Egyptian people were clearly ready for change. I realized that something was going on when I was on the bus on the way to Dahab; only one day after the church bombing in Alexandria, Egypt. At every stop the bus made, there was a strange roaring sensation, civil unrest echoing onto the bus from the mouths of many shouting youth. As I said, I did not have to understand Arabic to comprehend this sentiment. Something was strirring.
Only two weeks later, every new channel in the world was talking about the Revolution in Egypt, Mubarak's unwillingness to speak the truth to his people, and the Egyptian people's untiring shouts to the world. What people fail to realize is that this revolution in Egypt, along with the others in North Africa, have been a long time coming; and necessary. People want and deserve change. The current plight of North Africa reminds me of Frantz Fanon's Wretched of the Earth (everyone should read this book to better understand humanity). In this book, Fanon talks about imperialism, colonization, and violence, and their effects on societies. The general idea is that violence breeds violence; change is never easy.
The North African Revolution did not only happen in Egypt, but first in Tunisia, then later Yemen, Bahrain, Libya.....and spreading!
The bottom line is: everyone should pay more attention! Stay informed!
For everyone's information:
http://english.aljazeera.net/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/
http://www.amnesty.org/
Only two weeks later, every new channel in the world was talking about the Revolution in Egypt, Mubarak's unwillingness to speak the truth to his people, and the Egyptian people's untiring shouts to the world. What people fail to realize is that this revolution in Egypt, along with the others in North Africa, have been a long time coming; and necessary. People want and deserve change. The current plight of North Africa reminds me of Frantz Fanon's Wretched of the Earth (everyone should read this book to better understand humanity). In this book, Fanon talks about imperialism, colonization, and violence, and their effects on societies. The general idea is that violence breeds violence; change is never easy.
The North African Revolution did not only happen in Egypt, but first in Tunisia, then later Yemen, Bahrain, Libya.....and spreading!
The bottom line is: everyone should pay more attention! Stay informed!
For everyone's information:
http://english.aljazeera.net/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/
http://www.amnesty.org/
Egypt as I know it
Egypt is literally the most chaotic place I've ever been to in my life! But chaotic in a very good way. It was amazing, indescribable. I was fortunate enough to take the trip with one of my good friends in Madrid, Naglaa, who happens to be from Cairo. Needless to say, I had quite an authentic experience. I stayed in her house in Giza, minutes from Cairo center, and her sweet mom cooked us almost every meal, every day from scratch. I know that I boast about eating the best food all the time, but these authentic Egyptian meals have really taken the cake! Most of the things I ate, I did not know exactly what they were, I just knew that my stomach was very happy. The most simple ingredients made some of the best meals. Among my favorites were the stuffed grape leaves which were delectable, and the grilled eggplant with oil, tomato and colmino. I later bought a whole kilo of Egyptian spicy cheese, and bags full of special spices.
When I first got on the "bus" to the city from the airport, I knew Egypt was different. The bus was quite interesting, unmarked, very crowded, speeding down the highway. I was later informed that this was the fancy bus. It seemed as thought every street in Egypt was always filled with people, at any given time. Cats roamed freely, you could by just about anything you need from a street vendor, and mint tea was in mass production. The taxis in Egypt were not what the average person would think of as proper/safe public transport. These taxis were like go-karts/mini vans that were driven by 12-18 year olds, decorated with christmas lights and banners, that hit just about every pot hole possible. I feared for my life each time I rode in one. The actually buses that transported people throughout the town, further distances, looked like love shack vans from the 70's; small extremely crowed, most missing doors, and smelled like chicken, no signs to indicate where it is headed. Instead, the driver just yells where to and people jump on and off, literally. This was a trick I had to learn fairly quickly if I valued my legs at all. People yelled out/or flagged down these "love shack" buses and you actually had to just grab on, hopefully when it happen to be stopped at a red light, and jump on or off. Crazy, I know.
Between my two trips, to Istanbul and Egypt, I learned a lot about two very different types of Muslim cultures. I gained a new respect. The call to prayer was one of the most enchanting and peaceful sounds I have ever heard. In Egypt, during the mid-day call to prayer, all of the men take the streets with their prayer rugs and bow in reverence to pray together. It was a beautiful sight to see. However, I could not help but wonder where all the women were during this experience. I was baffled by the social/gender constructions in Egypt. In Mosques, women had a special prayer section, hidden in the back behind a wooden screen while the men took the altar. While the men were in the streets praying, the women at home. I was even more shocked by the metro rule; men only (and accompanied women) in car 1 and 2, and women only in the other cars. Unbelievable. Also, women were not to be seen in the hookah bars, or any other place that was thought to be "naturally male." A young woman in the streets at 2am is most likely assumed to be a prostitute, rather that a girl having a fun night out with friends. The (unwritten) dress code is obviously conservative, but most women are veiled. (I will not go into this argument, because there are too many sides.) Many women wear full bod, all black burkas and walk the streets hand and hand with their husband who is dressed in shorts and a linen shirt. Truly a site to see, but again, I won't go there.
In the streets of Egypt, just about anything can happen. Things are done differently. While sitting outside at a bar, my friend and I were bombarded with small children sucking lollipops and selling packets of tissue. It broke my heart to see children begging in the streets, and like any human being with a heart, I wanted to eagerly give them money. My friend quickly advised me not to do so, because these children, and whoever is putting them in the streets, know what they are doing. They were like a little mafia, sucking on lollipops and giving us the sad puppy eyes. They even came to sit on our laps and give us kisses. Heartbreaking.
One of my best experiences while in Egypt was randomly meeting a Bedouin dessert man, who took me on a 40 minute camel ride around the pyramids of Giza. Only I get into this type of randomness, but you only live once! I went by myself, with a one-toothed, not a word of English-speaking, head wrapped, looney taxi driver, to the pyramids. Sketch as it is. The pyramids were breathtaking, and enormous. I really wanted to ride a camel. I found a guy who looked the least sketch and asked him for a ride. He told me his name was Abu, and his camel's name was Charlie Brown, they Egyptian Cadillac. I hopped on! I expected only a 15 minute ride, but they guy spoke 6 languages, lived in the desert, had a camel named Charlie Brown, AND had facebook! I had to stay! We ended up chatting about random things; life in the desert, marriage, tourists, etc. I stood at the very top of a sand dune overlooking the pyramids, while he made us mint tea (which he pulled out of nowhere in the desert). Amazing!
I cannot leave out my crazy trip to Dahab, the Red Sea and my encounter with the authorities. I almost went to Egyptian jail for not carrying my stamped visa on the bus to Dahab!! That would not have been pleasant. What was supposed to be an 8 hour bus ride, turned into a twelve hour (security) nightmare! At this point I began to feel and see the political and social unrest and tension present in Egypt. There was something going on. (to be continued) Luckily, I made it to paradise safely. This was the most relaxing vacation of my life! Three girls, drinking tea, and eating amazing food all day on the beach...and nothing else! We just sat, and sat, and sat....and enjoyed. The view from Dahab was absolutely amazing and I could see Saudi Arabia from my breakfast table on the beach. Incredible experience. When we got back to Cairo 3 days later, exhausted at 7am, the city center of Cairo looked like Times Square on a Saturday night! Pure chaos at 7am, unbelievable; Cairo never sleeps!
Egypt is a beautifully chaotic place, that I would love to invest more time in. A lot of changes are long overdue, but the people deserve to see a new Egypt..........
When I first got on the "bus" to the city from the airport, I knew Egypt was different. The bus was quite interesting, unmarked, very crowded, speeding down the highway. I was later informed that this was the fancy bus. It seemed as thought every street in Egypt was always filled with people, at any given time. Cats roamed freely, you could by just about anything you need from a street vendor, and mint tea was in mass production. The taxis in Egypt were not what the average person would think of as proper/safe public transport. These taxis were like go-karts/mini vans that were driven by 12-18 year olds, decorated with christmas lights and banners, that hit just about every pot hole possible. I feared for my life each time I rode in one. The actually buses that transported people throughout the town, further distances, looked like love shack vans from the 70's; small extremely crowed, most missing doors, and smelled like chicken, no signs to indicate where it is headed. Instead, the driver just yells where to and people jump on and off, literally. This was a trick I had to learn fairly quickly if I valued my legs at all. People yelled out/or flagged down these "love shack" buses and you actually had to just grab on, hopefully when it happen to be stopped at a red light, and jump on or off. Crazy, I know.
Between my two trips, to Istanbul and Egypt, I learned a lot about two very different types of Muslim cultures. I gained a new respect. The call to prayer was one of the most enchanting and peaceful sounds I have ever heard. In Egypt, during the mid-day call to prayer, all of the men take the streets with their prayer rugs and bow in reverence to pray together. It was a beautiful sight to see. However, I could not help but wonder where all the women were during this experience. I was baffled by the social/gender constructions in Egypt. In Mosques, women had a special prayer section, hidden in the back behind a wooden screen while the men took the altar. While the men were in the streets praying, the women at home. I was even more shocked by the metro rule; men only (and accompanied women) in car 1 and 2, and women only in the other cars. Unbelievable. Also, women were not to be seen in the hookah bars, or any other place that was thought to be "naturally male." A young woman in the streets at 2am is most likely assumed to be a prostitute, rather that a girl having a fun night out with friends. The (unwritten) dress code is obviously conservative, but most women are veiled. (I will not go into this argument, because there are too many sides.) Many women wear full bod, all black burkas and walk the streets hand and hand with their husband who is dressed in shorts and a linen shirt. Truly a site to see, but again, I won't go there.
In the streets of Egypt, just about anything can happen. Things are done differently. While sitting outside at a bar, my friend and I were bombarded with small children sucking lollipops and selling packets of tissue. It broke my heart to see children begging in the streets, and like any human being with a heart, I wanted to eagerly give them money. My friend quickly advised me not to do so, because these children, and whoever is putting them in the streets, know what they are doing. They were like a little mafia, sucking on lollipops and giving us the sad puppy eyes. They even came to sit on our laps and give us kisses. Heartbreaking.
One of my best experiences while in Egypt was randomly meeting a Bedouin dessert man, who took me on a 40 minute camel ride around the pyramids of Giza. Only I get into this type of randomness, but you only live once! I went by myself, with a one-toothed, not a word of English-speaking, head wrapped, looney taxi driver, to the pyramids. Sketch as it is. The pyramids were breathtaking, and enormous. I really wanted to ride a camel. I found a guy who looked the least sketch and asked him for a ride. He told me his name was Abu, and his camel's name was Charlie Brown, they Egyptian Cadillac. I hopped on! I expected only a 15 minute ride, but they guy spoke 6 languages, lived in the desert, had a camel named Charlie Brown, AND had facebook! I had to stay! We ended up chatting about random things; life in the desert, marriage, tourists, etc. I stood at the very top of a sand dune overlooking the pyramids, while he made us mint tea (which he pulled out of nowhere in the desert). Amazing!
I cannot leave out my crazy trip to Dahab, the Red Sea and my encounter with the authorities. I almost went to Egyptian jail for not carrying my stamped visa on the bus to Dahab!! That would not have been pleasant. What was supposed to be an 8 hour bus ride, turned into a twelve hour (security) nightmare! At this point I began to feel and see the political and social unrest and tension present in Egypt. There was something going on. (to be continued) Luckily, I made it to paradise safely. This was the most relaxing vacation of my life! Three girls, drinking tea, and eating amazing food all day on the beach...and nothing else! We just sat, and sat, and sat....and enjoyed. The view from Dahab was absolutely amazing and I could see Saudi Arabia from my breakfast table on the beach. Incredible experience. When we got back to Cairo 3 days later, exhausted at 7am, the city center of Cairo looked like Times Square on a Saturday night! Pure chaos at 7am, unbelievable; Cairo never sleeps!
Egypt is a beautifully chaotic place, that I would love to invest more time in. A lot of changes are long overdue, but the people deserve to see a new Egypt..........
Me and my Bedouin desert friend at the pyramids
Istanbul in a Nutshell....or a kebab
Istanbul was full of surprises! I was really just going to meet up with my long lost IIPP buddies. Before arriving in Istanbul I had a completely different idea about what it would be like. I thought it would be more conservative, slightly boring, and way too antique for my tastes. Boy, was I proved wrong! Istanbul is very liberal, for a Muslim country, and very much Occidental. They have taken their award of "European Cultural Capital" very seriously. It is apparent in the country that there is a sort of identity crisis between the trendy urban, eurocentric lifestyle, and the traditional conservative culture. More than half of the population is composed of young people between the ages of 18 and 25; making for a very lively nightlife.
I was very pleasantly surprised by a number of things. The food was superb and very freshly made everywhere. Most restaurants, and sometimes right on the streets there were these huge Turkish women, sitting in a pile of flour, making pita bread from scratch. So cool! I was very tempted to take pictures, but I resisted because I thought that might be slightly rude. I had my fair share of lamb, which I don't usually eat, but it is the country's staple meat and is utterly mouthwatering. I also enjoyed many kebabs, which are not what we Americans no as kebabs, but rather REAL kebabs that are similiar to our gyros, or often just a messy plate of meat, rice, and veggies Turkish style; nice! Every day in Istanbul, I took it upon myself to indulge in the freshly squeezed exotic juices sold on the streets. (Sidenote: food on the street is often the best, but usually hit or miss) This juice was amazing and extremely refreshing. I'm quite not sure exactly what fruits went into it, but I know there was a huge metal juicer pumping out juice by the second. The pastries in Istanbul were also to die for, very unique mixtures of flavors and Turkis delights of course; which I have yet to discover an accurate description for. I just know that they are indeed delightful. Finally, I tried this random drink on the streets called Sahlep. I guess it can be described as Turkish hot chocolate. It contains milk, cinnamon, vanilla, honey, cream, and some other mystery ingredients which made my heart smile. I have successfully talked about food for a whole long paragraph like a true fat kid/foodie.
Another pleasant surprise about Turkey was the people. Everyone was so friendly and open. I learned a lot from the countries and its people. I also had the most random encounters, where I met people from all over the globe who I chatted with for hours: Asian journalist from Norway, Greek street vendor/jewelry maker (AKA, male Gigolo), a group of Spaniards of course, a girl who is from Chicago but lives in Atlanta like me, a group of gorgeous Syrian girls who told me I looked like their cousin, and a slew of other interesting people. I also reaffirmed the fact that I have a sort of "unique universal" look I guess, because everywhere I go people tell me I look like someone from their family. Funny.
In a nutshell (or a kebab), the highlights of my trip were seeing my friends of course, my amazing ancient Turkish bath, and my New Year's extravaganza at the underground reggae club. A 200lb Turkish woman bathed me with an exfoliating sponge and lots of suds, while I lay naked in a huge marble-floored sauna; followed by a hot oil massage ;-).
I was very pleasantly surprised by a number of things. The food was superb and very freshly made everywhere. Most restaurants, and sometimes right on the streets there were these huge Turkish women, sitting in a pile of flour, making pita bread from scratch. So cool! I was very tempted to take pictures, but I resisted because I thought that might be slightly rude. I had my fair share of lamb, which I don't usually eat, but it is the country's staple meat and is utterly mouthwatering. I also enjoyed many kebabs, which are not what we Americans no as kebabs, but rather REAL kebabs that are similiar to our gyros, or often just a messy plate of meat, rice, and veggies Turkish style; nice! Every day in Istanbul, I took it upon myself to indulge in the freshly squeezed exotic juices sold on the streets. (Sidenote: food on the street is often the best, but usually hit or miss) This juice was amazing and extremely refreshing. I'm quite not sure exactly what fruits went into it, but I know there was a huge metal juicer pumping out juice by the second. The pastries in Istanbul were also to die for, very unique mixtures of flavors and Turkis delights of course; which I have yet to discover an accurate description for. I just know that they are indeed delightful. Finally, I tried this random drink on the streets called Sahlep. I guess it can be described as Turkish hot chocolate. It contains milk, cinnamon, vanilla, honey, cream, and some other mystery ingredients which made my heart smile. I have successfully talked about food for a whole long paragraph like a true fat kid/foodie.
Another pleasant surprise about Turkey was the people. Everyone was so friendly and open. I learned a lot from the countries and its people. I also had the most random encounters, where I met people from all over the globe who I chatted with for hours: Asian journalist from Norway, Greek street vendor/jewelry maker (AKA, male Gigolo), a group of Spaniards of course, a girl who is from Chicago but lives in Atlanta like me, a group of gorgeous Syrian girls who told me I looked like their cousin, and a slew of other interesting people. I also reaffirmed the fact that I have a sort of "unique universal" look I guess, because everywhere I go people tell me I look like someone from their family. Funny.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Istanbul Dec 28th- Bazaar day at the Grand Bazaar
My attempts to wake up for breakfast failed mıserably. We were meetıng the Turkısh man, John (spelled Can), at 12:30 to go to the bazaar. We hoped that wıth a Turk on deck we would not get duped at the bazaar shops. We took the tram to the bazaar, and ı felt my (shoppıng) anxıety build. John explained to us the thıs was one of the oldest bazaars ın the world, and also one of the biggest wıth over 4,000 stores. 4,000 stores!!?? I felt as though all of the stores where callıng out my name, ıt was blıss, but quıte horrıble at the same tıme. It was ıncredıbly crowded noısy; fılled wıth colors and smells from everywhere. John led us to thıs rather large store where he saıd would could fınd some of everythıng. My spanısh frıend was lookıng for a professıonal belly dancıng outfıt, whıch she spent an hour and a half lookıng for!! Meanwhıle, my frıends and I were downstaırs explorıng the large selectıon of Turkısh goodıes. The guy workıng there broıught us delıcıous apple tea and took pıcs of us ın belly dancıng outfıts whıle we waıted. I found ıt amazıng how mopst of these store workers speak so many languages, just by comıng ın contact wıth so many tourısts. When my bellıng dancıng spanısh frıend fınally made her selectıon, I was able to negotıate a good prıce for a bronze genıe lamp and a rack of spıces I wanted. I was content, but ready to go.
We went to another store, where the owners were frıends wıth our Turkısh busınessman frıend. They also happened to be major sellers to TjMaxx, sellıng handmade housewares. Although we had only been to 2 stores, I was famıshed and ready to go. I pushed my group of frıends out the bazaar doorway. We went to a restaurant terrace to eat rıght outsıde the bazaar. We had fresh squeezed orange juıce and I ordered a yummy lamb kebab platter, wıth thıs strange red wheat rıce. When we left the restaurant and parted ways wıth our Turkısh frıend/guıde, ıt was freezıng outsıde and pourıng raınıng. I stıll had no jacket and a broken umbrella.
My plan was to go see the sıtes, but ıt was clearly too late, as they all closed around 5. We trıed to get ınto the Blue Mosque, but they turned us away because ıt was prayer tıme. We then headed to the hostel to dry off and rest. Buı met us there later, and we were off to Istanbul Modern for more hookah. I thınk we are becomıng addıcts, but when ın Rome..... Later, we met up wıth the Turkısh desıgner guys agaın and I ran ınto my Turkısh bartender frıends. We all went to grab a quıck bıte to eat; amazıng kebabs wıth frıes ınsıde and fresh pomegranate juıce. After the eats we headed to thıs alternatıve type bar wıth lıve musıc and tasty drınks. I ordered one called "Love," whıch fıt my mood for the evenıng.
We went to another store, where the owners were frıends wıth our Turkısh busınessman frıend. They also happened to be major sellers to TjMaxx, sellıng handmade housewares. Although we had only been to 2 stores, I was famıshed and ready to go. I pushed my group of frıends out the bazaar doorway. We went to a restaurant terrace to eat rıght outsıde the bazaar. We had fresh squeezed orange juıce and I ordered a yummy lamb kebab platter, wıth thıs strange red wheat rıce. When we left the restaurant and parted ways wıth our Turkısh frıend/guıde, ıt was freezıng outsıde and pourıng raınıng. I stıll had no jacket and a broken umbrella.
My plan was to go see the sıtes, but ıt was clearly too late, as they all closed around 5. We trıed to get ınto the Blue Mosque, but they turned us away because ıt was prayer tıme. We then headed to the hostel to dry off and rest. Buı met us there later, and we were off to Istanbul Modern for more hookah. I thınk we are becomıng addıcts, but when ın Rome..... Later, we met up wıth the Turkısh desıgner guys agaın and I ran ınto my Turkısh bartender frıends. We all went to grab a quıck bıte to eat; amazıng kebabs wıth frıes ınsıde and fresh pomegranate juıce. After the eats we headed to thıs alternatıve type bar wıth lıve musıc and tasty drınks. I ordered one called "Love," whıch fıt my mood for the evenıng.
Istanbul Dec 27th- Waıtıng and Waıtıng
İ woke up Monday at 10:15, leavıng just enough time to catch breakfast which ended at 10.30. As İ walked down the stairs of my hostel in my PJs, İ noticed how hippıe/socialist the spot was. İt was very cute, but strange nonetheless. And there were cats! Ugh, how İ hate cats! At breakfast, they had this strange thick yogurt and a random salad mıx. I sat wıth this 24 year-old journalıst I met, from Norway, and we talked about International Politıcs and the Nobel Peace Prize. Nerd all over the world. I was waitıng for my Spanish friend, and my other IIPP frıend who was coming in. İ sat and sat, and was unale to check my email because of the confusing Turkish keyboard. İ decided to get dressed and go explore nearby. I went to the central part of town and explored the backstreets and alleyways, and İ notıced one thing ın particular; cats everywhere! Gross. There were out ın the markets, ın store wındows, hangıng around restaurants, and even ın my hostel. The smells of the markets hıt me as soon as İ set foot on the streets; fresh fısh, spıces, teas, meats, everythıng.I stumbled upobn a store that had really cheap antıque photos for cheap. I love collectıng art, so İ was curious. İ chose 3 unıque photos, and İ trıed to ask the store worker what one of the captıons meant ın Turkısh, something about being femınıne. Anyway, the photos were only 3 lyra total, but I only had bıg bılls, and the small shop had no change. Because we could not understand each other, the woman just sımple gave me the photos for only 1 lyra. Sweet!
I went back to the hostel to wait for my Spanish friend who was stıll no where to be found. She was supposed to arrıve around 1:30pm. Before I knew it, ıt was almost 4pm; İ was bored and anxıous, and phoneless. I was also confused about the arrıval tıme of my other IIPP frıend. Around 4:30pm my spanısh frıend fınally arrıved, yellıng at the taxi drıver; typıcal. I tried to rush her out of the hostel, sınce we had already lost half of our day thanks to her lolly gaggıng; attempt failed. When we fınally got out, we headed toward the end of our street where we dıscovered Istanbul Modern. It was basıcally just an expandıng area fılled wıth cafes and restarants to smoke the oh so famous hookah. After beıng ambushed wıth offers to enter and dıne at dıfferent cafes, we hopped the tram to get to the spice market area. We got off the tram ın a huge crowded area. I stıll hadnt eaten a real meal so İ bought thıs pretzel-lıke thıng on the street, whıch turned out to be hard and bland. We stepped foot ınto the spıce market and of course, I was ımmedıately drawn to one of the fırst shops. I went ıt to sample some Turkısh delıghts and smell some spıces; the seller quıckly reeled me ın and I bought 4 bags of natural tea, some Turkısh delıghts and a few spıces smh. We walked further ınto the bazaar to be ambushed by many more persıstant vendors. One of these vendors kept starıng at me and then he proceeded to touch my haır and ask if i had come from paradıse; great laughs.
Later that nıght İ met up with Bui (IIPP) and her sıster, and theır Turkısh desıgner frıends. They took us to thıs nıce restaurant wıth an upstaırs cıty vıew. They all ordered huge beers, but İ was starvıng. My Spanısh frıend and I shared some kınd of fried cheese rolls appetızer and thıs chıcken casserole plate. Great eats! We chatted wıth these very ınteresıng desıgners for a whıle, one of them ıs actually one of the most famous desıgners ın Turkey. After dınner, Buı and my spanısh frıend and I headed to a hookah lounge, where we met two Turkısh busıness men. One was on the older sıde and very wealthy. Both Amara and İ are very talkatıve people, who are lıkely to engage complete strangers ın conversatıon just for kıcks, as we dıd. It turned out to be a very ınterstıng conversatıon, and my crazy spanısh frıend arranged a tour of the grand bazaar for us the followıng day; complıments of the Turkısh busınessmen.
On the way back to the hostel the busınessman, who happened to lıve ın a large house at the top of the hıll, walked us down the oldest street ın Istanbul. Very cool. That nıght we met our new roommate at the hostel; a very tall Greek man who was a very pleasant conversatıonalıst. He told us that he spends 3/4 of every year travelıng the world, and spends the summers makıng the money to do so. Sketch. We were curıous as to what kınd of lucratıve summer job would allow for such travels. He basıcally told us that he sells thıngs on the streets of Greece. I doubt ıt. I ruled that he was a male gıggolo ın Greece; he fıt the part. Later at the hostel, I found the spanısh people! There was a famıly of Spanıards stayıng there as well, and İ stayed up conversıng wıth them for a whıle......hopıng to wake up for breakfast ın the mornıng.
I went back to the hostel to wait for my Spanish friend who was stıll no where to be found. She was supposed to arrıve around 1:30pm. Before I knew it, ıt was almost 4pm; İ was bored and anxıous, and phoneless. I was also confused about the arrıval tıme of my other IIPP frıend. Around 4:30pm my spanısh frıend fınally arrıved, yellıng at the taxi drıver; typıcal. I tried to rush her out of the hostel, sınce we had already lost half of our day thanks to her lolly gaggıng; attempt failed. When we fınally got out, we headed toward the end of our street where we dıscovered Istanbul Modern. It was basıcally just an expandıng area fılled wıth cafes and restarants to smoke the oh so famous hookah. After beıng ambushed wıth offers to enter and dıne at dıfferent cafes, we hopped the tram to get to the spice market area. We got off the tram ın a huge crowded area. I stıll hadnt eaten a real meal so İ bought thıs pretzel-lıke thıng on the street, whıch turned out to be hard and bland. We stepped foot ınto the spıce market and of course, I was ımmedıately drawn to one of the fırst shops. I went ıt to sample some Turkısh delıghts and smell some spıces; the seller quıckly reeled me ın and I bought 4 bags of natural tea, some Turkısh delıghts and a few spıces smh. We walked further ınto the bazaar to be ambushed by many more persıstant vendors. One of these vendors kept starıng at me and then he proceeded to touch my haır and ask if i had come from paradıse; great laughs.
Later that nıght İ met up with Bui (IIPP) and her sıster, and theır Turkısh desıgner frıends. They took us to thıs nıce restaurant wıth an upstaırs cıty vıew. They all ordered huge beers, but İ was starvıng. My Spanısh frıend and I shared some kınd of fried cheese rolls appetızer and thıs chıcken casserole plate. Great eats! We chatted wıth these very ınteresıng desıgners for a whıle, one of them ıs actually one of the most famous desıgners ın Turkey. After dınner, Buı and my spanısh frıend and I headed to a hookah lounge, where we met two Turkısh busıness men. One was on the older sıde and very wealthy. Both Amara and İ are very talkatıve people, who are lıkely to engage complete strangers ın conversatıon just for kıcks, as we dıd. It turned out to be a very ınterstıng conversatıon, and my crazy spanısh frıend arranged a tour of the grand bazaar for us the followıng day; complıments of the Turkısh busınessmen.
On the way back to the hostel the busınessman, who happened to lıve ın a large house at the top of the hıll, walked us down the oldest street ın Istanbul. Very cool. That nıght we met our new roommate at the hostel; a very tall Greek man who was a very pleasant conversatıonalıst. He told us that he spends 3/4 of every year travelıng the world, and spends the summers makıng the money to do so. Sketch. We were curıous as to what kınd of lucratıve summer job would allow for such travels. He basıcally told us that he sells thıngs on the streets of Greece. I doubt ıt. I ruled that he was a male gıggolo ın Greece; he fıt the part. Later at the hostel, I found the spanısh people! There was a famıly of Spanıards stayıng there as well, and İ stayed up conversıng wıth them for a whıle......hopıng to wake up for breakfast ın the mornıng.
Friday, December 31, 2010
Istanbul: Day 1- "Lost and Alone"
I dıdn't sleep much the nıght before my flight. I was too anxıous for my trıp, and kınd of worried about leaving Chulo. I got up at 8am, and was out the door by 10; onto a long metro ride to the aırport. When İ arrıved at the aırport I realızed ıt was a good thing that I had gotten there early. İt was 11am and my flıght was at 12:25, but both the check ın and security lınes were extremely long. When I fınally made ıt to my gate ıt was already tıme to board the plane, so İ thought. The attendant made an announcement that the flıght would be delayed 30 mınutes, whıch turned ınto an hour. When I fınally got on the plane, İ would have fallen straight to sleep, but thıs Spanish couple kept talkıng to me. Luckıly, they were really nıce and funny, so İ entertaıned them for a whıle. We were anxıously awaitıng the in-flıght meal so we could pass out afterwards. The flight attendants only spoke English and Turkish, so İ was translating for the Spanısh couple. The meal was surprısıngly good. Havıng mısunderstood me, the flight attendant brought the woman wıne ınstead of beer. As I was sippıng my orange juıce, the Spanish woman ınsısts that I split the wine wıth her and pour it ınto my orange juice. Who am İ to say no to wıne?!
İ soon fell into a deep sleep. We fınally landed in Istanbul around 6:30pm. İ forgot about the whole visa fee/stamp process. I waıtıng ın lıne alongside the Spanish couple for about 30 minutes; just to get stupid stamp. I was supposed to meet my friend Leah at my hostel at 8:30, but that did not look too promısimg. İ had no clue where I was. All İ had was a piece of paper full of numbers and dırections İ had written down. The lady at the ınformation desk was able to tell me in very broken English which shuttle İ could catch to get to the city center. In less that 20 minutes İ boarded the extremely hot bus, and was on my way. When I got off at Taskim Square, I asked the drıver to point me ın the dırection of the main street. Unfortunately, I did not understand a word he was sayıng. A Brıtısh man, who obviously spoke Turkish, offered to help me. Havıng no other option, I followed him down the main street, Istiklal, assumıng that İ knew how to get to the hostel from there. As we were walkıng he told me that this street, Istiklal, is said to be the busiest street ın Europe!! We parted ways, and he told me to follow the road to the big gates. As horrıble at directıons as I am, İ was confident that İ could fınd ıt, but İ got very turned around. İt began to rain, and İ was walkıngdown the busiest street in Europe wıth my rolling suitcase, no phone, and no knowledge of the Turkish language. I hopped ın the nexted taxı İ saw, knowıng that İ would most lıkely be overcharged. İ didnt care.
When I fınally arrıved at the hostel, late, İ was relıeved to fınd that my frıend was runnıng late as well. İ put my thıngs down and when İ got back to the lobby she was there waitıng! Thank God! İ gave her the biggest hug and off we went to roam the streets of Istanbul. We went to this nıce posh bar, where we sat ın a heated area on couches outsıde. Every bar ın Istanbul has hookah, so thats what we did. Our waıter was really cool and spoke about 5 languages. he trıed to sneak out of work to come hang out with us, but to no avail. We assured him we would come back and vısıt. The restaurant we found on a backstreet had an ınteresting appeal. When we walked in, the first thıng İ noticed was a Turkısh woman sıttıng ın a huge pıle of flour ın a corner of the restaurant, makıng some kınd of bread/tortılla thing. The very same bread was then placed on our table wıthın 5 minutes! Yum! I had a great plate of chıcken somthıng (most thıng İ ate İ dont know the names of).
Stuffed and sleepy, we set a tıme to meet the followıng day, and I hıt the sheets.
İ soon fell into a deep sleep. We fınally landed in Istanbul around 6:30pm. İ forgot about the whole visa fee/stamp process. I waıtıng ın lıne alongside the Spanish couple for about 30 minutes; just to get stupid stamp. I was supposed to meet my friend Leah at my hostel at 8:30, but that did not look too promısimg. İ had no clue where I was. All İ had was a piece of paper full of numbers and dırections İ had written down. The lady at the ınformation desk was able to tell me in very broken English which shuttle İ could catch to get to the city center. In less that 20 minutes İ boarded the extremely hot bus, and was on my way. When I got off at Taskim Square, I asked the drıver to point me ın the dırection of the main street. Unfortunately, I did not understand a word he was sayıng. A Brıtısh man, who obviously spoke Turkish, offered to help me. Havıng no other option, I followed him down the main street, Istiklal, assumıng that İ knew how to get to the hostel from there. As we were walkıng he told me that this street, Istiklal, is said to be the busiest street ın Europe!! We parted ways, and he told me to follow the road to the big gates. As horrıble at directıons as I am, İ was confident that İ could fınd ıt, but İ got very turned around. İt began to rain, and İ was walkıngdown the busiest street in Europe wıth my rolling suitcase, no phone, and no knowledge of the Turkish language. I hopped ın the nexted taxı İ saw, knowıng that İ would most lıkely be overcharged. İ didnt care.
When I fınally arrıved at the hostel, late, İ was relıeved to fınd that my frıend was runnıng late as well. İ put my thıngs down and when İ got back to the lobby she was there waitıng! Thank God! İ gave her the biggest hug and off we went to roam the streets of Istanbul. We went to this nıce posh bar, where we sat ın a heated area on couches outsıde. Every bar ın Istanbul has hookah, so thats what we did. Our waıter was really cool and spoke about 5 languages. he trıed to sneak out of work to come hang out with us, but to no avail. We assured him we would come back and vısıt. The restaurant we found on a backstreet had an ınteresting appeal. When we walked in, the first thıng İ noticed was a Turkısh woman sıttıng ın a huge pıle of flour ın a corner of the restaurant, makıng some kınd of bread/tortılla thing. The very same bread was then placed on our table wıthın 5 minutes! Yum! I had a great plate of chıcken somthıng (most thıng İ ate İ dont know the names of).
Stuffed and sleepy, we set a tıme to meet the followıng day, and I hıt the sheets.
Friday, December 17, 2010
Dia Internacional de Derechos Humanos (International Day of Human Rights)- Dec 10
Sevilla Part 2
I was sooo anxious to go to the flamenco show at Carboneria! O, how I missed "mi musica flamenquita!" (Watch the video!) We got there around 10:45pm and it was already packed to capacity for the 11pm show. I of course made my way to the very front so I could see the clearly the precise steps of the flamenco dancer's heels. As expected, it was amazing! The singer sang from the very pit of his stomach, so we could literally feel the words he was singing.
The next day we met up with my friends again, and had a very interesting adventure. We ate more great food, including churros y chocolate again, and then we ended up at some random bar for dinner where we encountered a slew of funny characters. I won't go into detail, but the night was filled with a lot of tinto (wine), and some rebojito, a typical Sevillian drink, that we made ourselves. Great fun!
On our last day in Sevilla, I met my friend Pia, who lived in Sevilla for a while before. We decided to have a very American meal, hot wings. We sat and caught up on each other's lives for hours, over wine of course. It was good to see that crazy girl. We had some crazy memories from Sevilla, and the same love of the city. Later, I went to visit my senora, the woman I lived with for the first half of my yea abroad. When I called her a few weeks before, to tell her I was in Spain, she informed me that she was in the hospital. She had been in there almost a month, with a gallbladder infection. She is about 72 years old, and her husband is 78. They are the cutest, most traditional Spanish couple. I decided to sneak Chulo into the hospital to cheer her up. Because Spaniards are so lax about everything, I was able to bypass the info desk with Chulo in purse, without even being asked where I was going. I also bought her some pink roses. She was very happy to see me, and we talked for a while. Her husband, who has always loved me, was there as well. He is the funniest old man ever! He used to sneak me anis, a typical liquor, in my tea at lunch. Her youngest daughter was also there. I talked with them for a while, but it was a bit sad to see her in the hospital with so many tubes in her arm. She was sooo anxious to get out of the hospital, and return to her normal "wifely duties." I once asked my senora what she did before, as a career. Her answer was simple, she said "I did this." Her whole life had been dedicated to her household, cooking and cleaning, and taking care of everyone. She loved doing it. To be in the hospital was taking away her livelihood. One of her granddaughters, who was not allowed to visit, called her while I was there, and she began to cry. I could not stay any longer.
That night, before leaving Sevilla, we went to eat some great cheap pizza at this Italian bar. All natural ingredients. As we headed to the bus station at 11pm, I could not help but smile the whole way. I love Sevilla! I will never forget the memories it has given me. It's tattooed on me! "NoDo," no me ha dejado. Sevilla never left my side ;-)
The next day we met up with my friends again, and had a very interesting adventure. We ate more great food, including churros y chocolate again, and then we ended up at some random bar for dinner where we encountered a slew of funny characters. I won't go into detail, but the night was filled with a lot of tinto (wine), and some rebojito, a typical Sevillian drink, that we made ourselves. Great fun!
On our last day in Sevilla, I met my friend Pia, who lived in Sevilla for a while before. We decided to have a very American meal, hot wings. We sat and caught up on each other's lives for hours, over wine of course. It was good to see that crazy girl. We had some crazy memories from Sevilla, and the same love of the city. Later, I went to visit my senora, the woman I lived with for the first half of my yea abroad. When I called her a few weeks before, to tell her I was in Spain, she informed me that she was in the hospital. She had been in there almost a month, with a gallbladder infection. She is about 72 years old, and her husband is 78. They are the cutest, most traditional Spanish couple. I decided to sneak Chulo into the hospital to cheer her up. Because Spaniards are so lax about everything, I was able to bypass the info desk with Chulo in purse, without even being asked where I was going. I also bought her some pink roses. She was very happy to see me, and we talked for a while. Her husband, who has always loved me, was there as well. He is the funniest old man ever! He used to sneak me anis, a typical liquor, in my tea at lunch. Her youngest daughter was also there. I talked with them for a while, but it was a bit sad to see her in the hospital with so many tubes in her arm. She was sooo anxious to get out of the hospital, and return to her normal "wifely duties." I once asked my senora what she did before, as a career. Her answer was simple, she said "I did this." Her whole life had been dedicated to her household, cooking and cleaning, and taking care of everyone. She loved doing it. To be in the hospital was taking away her livelihood. One of her granddaughters, who was not allowed to visit, called her while I was there, and she began to cry. I could not stay any longer.
That night, before leaving Sevilla, we went to eat some great cheap pizza at this Italian bar. All natural ingredients. As we headed to the bus station at 11pm, I could not help but smile the whole way. I love Sevilla! I will never forget the memories it has given me. It's tattooed on me! "NoDo," no me ha dejado. Sevilla never left my side ;-)
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Rainy Bliss in Sevilla
After spending a year in Sevilla, most of you know how in love I am with the city. I was more than anxious to get back for the first time. The 6-8th we had vacation time for another random Spanish holiday, so of course I wanted to spend every minute of the break in Sevilla. Before the trip I was a little nervous about bringing Chulo along. He is technically a very travel friendly dog, because he is so small, but it was his first real trip so I was apprehensive. We were taking the night bus, which was 6 hours, so I assumed he would sleep the whole ride. Did I mention I absolutely hate bus rides/road trips!? Kate and I met at the bus station in Madrid at 1am and I stashed Chulo in my big purse with a blanket, hoping that no one would notice him. We made it on the bus with no problem, the lights went off, and Chulo immediately went to sleep. I, on the other hand, could not sleep at all! I was a terrible, long, boring and sleepless bus ride. I should have taken the Nyquil my friend offered me.
We arrived in Sevilla at 7am, exhausted and cold. Luckily, my good friend who I studied with in Sevilla was letting us stay at her house with Chulo. We decided to try to find our way walking to her house, in an area which I had surprisingly never heard of. As you can imagine, we got lost. We walked around the city with our suitcases trying to find her house, which was hidden through the winding streets of Sevilla. It felt sooooo good to be back in my second home! Though I was dead tired, I couldn't stop smiling down the street. Many great memories were made in Sevilla, and all of them were coming back to me at that moment. When we finally found my friend's house, it was about 8am. We wanted to go straight to sleep! Her house was freezing so we hit the sheets with our clothes on and were out until about 12.
We went to lunch at one of my favorite restaurants Los Coloniales. We had to wait to be seated for almost an hour, we were starving, but it was soooo worth it! O how I missed solomillo al whisky, and the typical sweet red wine; my heart and stomach were content! The rest of the day was spent walking all over my favorite parts of Sevilla, in the rain, showing my friend around too. I went to see my old apartment as well. Sevilla has an irrestible charm that I had fallen in love with once before. That night, we went to a cute new, modern tapas bar in the centro, and met up with some of my old friends from there. We had little bite sized kobe beef burgers and some delicious croquettes. Later, we did a classic botellon in the streets before heading to the club, Buddha, where I lost my friends. My the time I made it home it was around 6am.
The next day, Sunday, we went to another on of my favorite spots, San Telmo, where we ate a very unique and tastey purple salad, a vegetable "cake" that was delectable, and some argentinian beef with spicy mustard. I had forgotten how much I used to love eating out in Sevilla; great food, great prices! I had Chulo in my purse as usual, but he was getting restless and wanted out. I put him on my lap and gave him some bread. The manager came over, noticed the pooch, and asked if I wanted some water. I assumed he was talking about me. He brought over a dog bowl of water and placed in on the chair next to us! What? That would never happen in the states! We would have been kicked out of the restaurant for sure! I love Spain, and I love that everyone is so enamored with Chulo!
After lunch I left the girls and went to go visit the 3 little boys I babysat/taught english to. I had maintained contact with their mom, Betsabe, and now she was pregnant....with her first girl!! I was excited for her, because the three boys were quite the handful. She is due at the end of December, but she looked great, hadn't gained a pound! The boys were exactly the same as I remember them, bad as hell! They went crazy over Chulo; a little too crazy. They were treating him like a little play toy, and throwing him around and grabbing him by his neck! I had to hide him from them at one point. I sat and talked to the parents for about an hour while we drank tea and ate some chocolate treats.
I walked through the pouring rain back towards my friend's house. I met in the centro to get some sweet treats and some hot chocolate y churros. Yummy!
On Monday I finally got to eat my cazon en adobo I had been yearning for the past year and a half! Cazon is a typical Andalusian fish, fried, in a special seasoning. I literally stuffed my face! Later, we went to some of my favorite sites, the Reales Alcazares, the old palace, and Plaza de Espana, where I was surprised to see the small river flowing. There were boats as well, which were not there before, so I had to hop on one! My friend was apprehensive about taking the boat ride because the clouds were darkening, but I was very insistent. We eagerly jumped in the boat, with Chulo in hand, and no more than 2 minutes afloat it began to pour! We were trapped in the middle of a small lake, two small girls, and an even smaller puppy. Neither one of us could manage to row the boat at all. We moved back and forth, side to side, in the same small area for about 10 minutes. When we finally started to move in the right direction, it began to rain even harder, and we noticed people were staring and laughing at us. We laughed as well; hard.
Later that night we went to my absolute favorite restaurant, La Madraza, and ate very well, yet again! I wish I had taken pictures of all the plates of food we ate in Sevilla; absolutely delish! And wine after wine after wine, o yes. ....... (To Be Continued)
We arrived in Sevilla at 7am, exhausted and cold. Luckily, my good friend who I studied with in Sevilla was letting us stay at her house with Chulo. We decided to try to find our way walking to her house, in an area which I had surprisingly never heard of. As you can imagine, we got lost. We walked around the city with our suitcases trying to find her house, which was hidden through the winding streets of Sevilla. It felt sooooo good to be back in my second home! Though I was dead tired, I couldn't stop smiling down the street. Many great memories were made in Sevilla, and all of them were coming back to me at that moment. When we finally found my friend's house, it was about 8am. We wanted to go straight to sleep! Her house was freezing so we hit the sheets with our clothes on and were out until about 12.
We went to lunch at one of my favorite restaurants Los Coloniales. We had to wait to be seated for almost an hour, we were starving, but it was soooo worth it! O how I missed solomillo al whisky, and the typical sweet red wine; my heart and stomach were content! The rest of the day was spent walking all over my favorite parts of Sevilla, in the rain, showing my friend around too. I went to see my old apartment as well. Sevilla has an irrestible charm that I had fallen in love with once before. That night, we went to a cute new, modern tapas bar in the centro, and met up with some of my old friends from there. We had little bite sized kobe beef burgers and some delicious croquettes. Later, we did a classic botellon in the streets before heading to the club, Buddha, where I lost my friends. My the time I made it home it was around 6am.
The next day, Sunday, we went to another on of my favorite spots, San Telmo, where we ate a very unique and tastey purple salad, a vegetable "cake" that was delectable, and some argentinian beef with spicy mustard. I had forgotten how much I used to love eating out in Sevilla; great food, great prices! I had Chulo in my purse as usual, but he was getting restless and wanted out. I put him on my lap and gave him some bread. The manager came over, noticed the pooch, and asked if I wanted some water. I assumed he was talking about me. He brought over a dog bowl of water and placed in on the chair next to us! What? That would never happen in the states! We would have been kicked out of the restaurant for sure! I love Spain, and I love that everyone is so enamored with Chulo!
After lunch I left the girls and went to go visit the 3 little boys I babysat/taught english to. I had maintained contact with their mom, Betsabe, and now she was pregnant....with her first girl!! I was excited for her, because the three boys were quite the handful. She is due at the end of December, but she looked great, hadn't gained a pound! The boys were exactly the same as I remember them, bad as hell! They went crazy over Chulo; a little too crazy. They were treating him like a little play toy, and throwing him around and grabbing him by his neck! I had to hide him from them at one point. I sat and talked to the parents for about an hour while we drank tea and ate some chocolate treats.
I walked through the pouring rain back towards my friend's house. I met in the centro to get some sweet treats and some hot chocolate y churros. Yummy!
On Monday I finally got to eat my cazon en adobo I had been yearning for the past year and a half! Cazon is a typical Andalusian fish, fried, in a special seasoning. I literally stuffed my face! Later, we went to some of my favorite sites, the Reales Alcazares, the old palace, and Plaza de Espana, where I was surprised to see the small river flowing. There were boats as well, which were not there before, so I had to hop on one! My friend was apprehensive about taking the boat ride because the clouds were darkening, but I was very insistent. We eagerly jumped in the boat, with Chulo in hand, and no more than 2 minutes afloat it began to pour! We were trapped in the middle of a small lake, two small girls, and an even smaller puppy. Neither one of us could manage to row the boat at all. We moved back and forth, side to side, in the same small area for about 10 minutes. When we finally started to move in the right direction, it began to rain even harder, and we noticed people were staring and laughing at us. We laughed as well; hard.
Later that night we went to my absolute favorite restaurant, La Madraza, and ate very well, yet again! I wish I had taken pictures of all the plates of food we ate in Sevilla; absolutely delish! And wine after wine after wine, o yes. ....... (To Be Continued)
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Reggae Concert @ Tabacalera
Can you understand what they are saying!! I did! A few words stick out though...."marijuana, marijuana...mo' fyya, mo' fyya!" LOL
Turkey Day in Madrid- Never Have I EVER!
A few days before Thanksgiving, I attempted to explain the meaning of the American holiday to my Slovenian, French, and Spanish roommates. This was a quite comical, hour-long conversation. They could not understand the relationship between the pilgrims and the Native Americans, nor why that relationship somehow leads to our big feast. I tried to describe the table set-up and how we go around and give thanks for things. Then, I suggested that we have a real Thanksgiving dinner at the house, just between us roommates. They we all in!
On the actual day of Thanksgiving, I actually sat in my bed all evening, taking care of Chulo who had diarrea. I ate a tuna and cheese sandwhich for my Turkey Day dinner; sad, I know. That Friday we had our dinner. The girls, still not understanding the intensity of the Thanksgiving feast, made salads and desserts. I decided to make Curry Chicken for the first time. I cooked the chicken in a skillet first, then I added coconut milk and curry powder. I put the mixture in a larger pot and added water, potatoes, and carrots; simmering for about 30 minutes. I served it over white rice, and it turned out great!! Not your traditional Thanksgiving dinner, but very satisfying nonetheless. Then, the fun began.
After we finished our meal, we broke out the bottle of vodka we had brought to share between us. Of course I volunteered to mix drinks. The plan was to drink up, and stay in and have a night of girl talk. We had all dressed up, and we all put on Frenchie's fire red lipstick; which looked pretty ridiculous actually. After a bit of drinking, we started playing the game "Never have I ever," which led to many new and interesting discoveries about my roommies, which I will keep to myself, lol. Around 1am we decided that we had to go out. I told my bouncer friend that we would be coming to Sol y Sombra, to ensure that we would all get in free. We scurried to the metro to catch the last one. Upon entering the club we were warmly welcomed with shots at the door. You can imagine how my night ended......
On the actual day of Thanksgiving, I actually sat in my bed all evening, taking care of Chulo who had diarrea. I ate a tuna and cheese sandwhich for my Turkey Day dinner; sad, I know. That Friday we had our dinner. The girls, still not understanding the intensity of the Thanksgiving feast, made salads and desserts. I decided to make Curry Chicken for the first time. I cooked the chicken in a skillet first, then I added coconut milk and curry powder. I put the mixture in a larger pot and added water, potatoes, and carrots; simmering for about 30 minutes. I served it over white rice, and it turned out great!! Not your traditional Thanksgiving dinner, but very satisfying nonetheless. Then, the fun began.
After we finished our meal, we broke out the bottle of vodka we had brought to share between us. Of course I volunteered to mix drinks. The plan was to drink up, and stay in and have a night of girl talk. We had all dressed up, and we all put on Frenchie's fire red lipstick; which looked pretty ridiculous actually. After a bit of drinking, we started playing the game "Never have I ever," which led to many new and interesting discoveries about my roommies, which I will keep to myself, lol. Around 1am we decided that we had to go out. I told my bouncer friend that we would be coming to Sol y Sombra, to ensure that we would all get in free. We scurried to the metro to catch the last one. Upon entering the club we were warmly welcomed with shots at the door. You can imagine how my night ended......
Beautiful Chaos
So I have been on blog hiatus because I was writing about this past weekend before, and I accidentally deleted everything!! I was quite upset and I never re wrote it. Anyway, here it goes again...
(Two Saturdays ago) I was really in the mood to go out, but the only problem was I had no plans. Around 8pm, my Egyptian friend called me and asked me if I wanted to go to this Turkish jazz concert with her. Of course! I had been wanting to go to the Madrid Jazz Festival forever. My friend happens to work for Casa Arabé, so she had free tickets to the show! I met her at the theater at 845pm, and I must say I felt a bit under-dressed, because the concert hall was quite fancy. This type of jazz was indescribable. I was like Bollywood meets jazz, and then runs into neo-soul. Very cool, different. The group took the stage and included a bass and keyboard player, and a singer strumming this strange mini guitar-like instrument. There were also 3 dancers who would randomly skirt the stage, dancing a "semi-belly dance," while skirting the stage. The lead singer was dressed in a typical Turkish garb, which consisted of a quirky tall hat, huge pants, and bright colors. We sat and listened to the rhythmic tunes of the rare jazz music for a couple of hours. At the end of the show, the strange guy with the hat ran into the audience, jumped on top of a chair and played his weird guitar instrument until the whole crowd was on their feet.
After the concert, I really wanted to go to this flamenco bar that I thought was free. Flamenco in Madrid is hard to find and expensive usually. I walked in and asked them if we could sit at the bar for the show. We were tricked! We soon discovered that it was in fact 30 euros for the show and you had to eat as dinner as well! Needless to say we left the bar. My friend had another bar in mind nearby. It was a Syrian hookah bar/lounge with food as well. I devoured a delicious "kebab!" We sat at the bar for a couple of hours, and then another friend text me and told me they were at a bar nearby, Sol y Sombra. We walked over to the discoteca, where we found a long line, and I was sure we would have to pay at the door. Just to be sure, I walked up to the door and asked the doorman how much it was. He told me it was 30 euros, and then smirked at the other security guy. I told him they were crazy, and asked him to stop joking and tell me how much it really was to get in. They asked my friend and I if we were from Dominican Republic, and they were sure that we were. When we told them where we were both from, Chicago and Egypt, they thought we were lying. We joked around with them for a bit, and then they asked to see our ids. They were shocked that we were actually telling the truth! They told us we had to teach them English, and they let us in for free! Love connections. The place was nice, but we did not stay that long because it was very hot inside and we could barely move!
After spending the whole day in my pajamas on Sunday, my roommate invited me to this Brazilian festival/parade in the streets at 6. I quickly got ready and when with her to Lavapies. The festival was to honor a Afro-Brazilian slave and revolutionary, who was killed fighting for black rights. Very hippie-like ceremony, with tamborines and drums, and dancers. We paraded through the streets for about 2 hours in celebration mode, then we made our way to the usual Brazilian bar, Maloke. There we were treated to live Brazilian music and singing, and of course I had the typical Brazilian drink, Caipirinha (sp).
Beautiful Chaos filled weekend!
(Two Saturdays ago) I was really in the mood to go out, but the only problem was I had no plans. Around 8pm, my Egyptian friend called me and asked me if I wanted to go to this Turkish jazz concert with her. Of course! I had been wanting to go to the Madrid Jazz Festival forever. My friend happens to work for Casa Arabé, so she had free tickets to the show! I met her at the theater at 845pm, and I must say I felt a bit under-dressed, because the concert hall was quite fancy. This type of jazz was indescribable. I was like Bollywood meets jazz, and then runs into neo-soul. Very cool, different. The group took the stage and included a bass and keyboard player, and a singer strumming this strange mini guitar-like instrument. There were also 3 dancers who would randomly skirt the stage, dancing a "semi-belly dance," while skirting the stage. The lead singer was dressed in a typical Turkish garb, which consisted of a quirky tall hat, huge pants, and bright colors. We sat and listened to the rhythmic tunes of the rare jazz music for a couple of hours. At the end of the show, the strange guy with the hat ran into the audience, jumped on top of a chair and played his weird guitar instrument until the whole crowd was on their feet.
After the concert, I really wanted to go to this flamenco bar that I thought was free. Flamenco in Madrid is hard to find and expensive usually. I walked in and asked them if we could sit at the bar for the show. We were tricked! We soon discovered that it was in fact 30 euros for the show and you had to eat as dinner as well! Needless to say we left the bar. My friend had another bar in mind nearby. It was a Syrian hookah bar/lounge with food as well. I devoured a delicious "kebab!" We sat at the bar for a couple of hours, and then another friend text me and told me they were at a bar nearby, Sol y Sombra. We walked over to the discoteca, where we found a long line, and I was sure we would have to pay at the door. Just to be sure, I walked up to the door and asked the doorman how much it was. He told me it was 30 euros, and then smirked at the other security guy. I told him they were crazy, and asked him to stop joking and tell me how much it really was to get in. They asked my friend and I if we were from Dominican Republic, and they were sure that we were. When we told them where we were both from, Chicago and Egypt, they thought we were lying. We joked around with them for a bit, and then they asked to see our ids. They were shocked that we were actually telling the truth! They told us we had to teach them English, and they let us in for free! Love connections. The place was nice, but we did not stay that long because it was very hot inside and we could barely move!
After spending the whole day in my pajamas on Sunday, my roommate invited me to this Brazilian festival/parade in the streets at 6. I quickly got ready and when with her to Lavapies. The festival was to honor a Afro-Brazilian slave and revolutionary, who was killed fighting for black rights. Very hippie-like ceremony, with tamborines and drums, and dancers. We paraded through the streets for about 2 hours in celebration mode, then we made our way to the usual Brazilian bar, Maloke. There we were treated to live Brazilian music and singing, and of course I had the typical Brazilian drink, Caipirinha (sp).
Beautiful Chaos filled weekend!
Monday, November 22, 2010
Spanish Connections....
On Thursday I had my first meeting with the newspaper I will be writing for. It was very chill, and almost all of the writers were there. Myself and a couple others were the first to arrive. (I should have known no one would be on time) We sat and chatted with the editor for a while. He bought the table bottles of wine and we drank and chatted for a while. There are some very interesting people writing for the paper; people who are doing some very cool things here, like directing a movie. It's nice to know that I am not the only loca foreigner who is in love with Spain. Very cool people. After about my 5th or 6th glass, I decided to head out to meet my French roomie for my usual intercambio stop. She had been wanting to tag along for a while to see what all the hype was about, and since we were getting along this week I told her to come. It was, as usual, very crowded; some new faces, many old faces, regulars. I met a few new Spanish guys, a French guy, and chatted with my old friends. The owner and intercambio organizer, David asked me why there was no drink in my hand, and he quickly fixed that problem. It's always good to be friends with the party people.
My roommate and I stayed for a wile at the intercambio, talking it up with everyone; she was having fun, and I was practicing my French as well. Around 1am I realized it was time for my Thursday salsa fix! As usual, I have my get in free card, but it's only good until 1:30 so I had to hustle. I told Frenchie I would try to smuggle her one too. I walked to the door and walked right in, and I told her to wait for me outside. I immediately found my Egyptian friend and salsa buddy, and she gave me one of the free cards to give to my roommate. I indescretely ran outside to give it to her and told her to hurry up and get in before 1:30. As expected, Frenchie took her sweet little time in coming in, and did not make it. I felt bad, but I told her to be careful getting home, and peace out! I wanted to dance! I danced my little feet off for only and hour, because I knew I had to wake up for a Fulbright meeting in the morning. When I arrived to m house, happy as can be, walked to he kitchen to find Frenchie with our new curly haired friend, Pedro, from t ntercamio. I was surprised but also delighted to see him, and I was guessing this was not a "hook-up" situation because I also sensed a gay vibe from him. Anyway, we chatted for bit and then I hit the sheets.
When I woke up on Friday for my meeting I had a serious headache. It was 7:45am and I had to shower, wash my hair, and be there by 9. I made it! Thanks God there were pastries when I arrived. The meeting was meant to discuss our progress in the schools and any side projects we may have. Instead, we spent two whole hours listening to people complain how bad there kids were, or how little attention their teachers paid them. I was bored. But at the same time I felt bad; my experience has been great! I couldn't be happier with my school. My teachers and I have perfect chemistry and I am allowed just as much control of my class that I would want. It was painful to sit and listen to sooo many complaints, so I decided to lighten the mood and bring up some positive experiences of my own. I gave suggestions about how I obtained such positive results, and I pray that they will help people. Positive reinforcement is key in education; and you have to put your foot down from the start, or else your doomed forever! Upon leaving the meeting I was uber excited to hear a friend suggest going out for a big american brunch; and that's just what we did! There was this "American" cafe nearby, where they had on the menu "breakfast americano." Of course that's what I ordered; pancakes, bacon, eggs, and fries! Slightly off, but it worked. People in Spain think that pancakes and crepes are desserts, so they came with chocolate, caramel, or strawberry sauce; gross!
I took a big ciesta when I got home and then took Chulo to the park. He is so playful, but is still very much a baby. Other dogs tower over him! I had a very chill Friday evening, with all my roommates at home. I spent about an hour trying to explain to them how and why we celebrate Thanksgiving. They didn't get it! They dont understand the pilgrims, and they don't understand the big turkey at all. This explanation was quite hilarious. I suggested that we have a small dinner, just us this week, but Idon't know if they will take it as serious as I would.
My roommate and I stayed for a wile at the intercambio, talking it up with everyone; she was having fun, and I was practicing my French as well. Around 1am I realized it was time for my Thursday salsa fix! As usual, I have my get in free card, but it's only good until 1:30 so I had to hustle. I told Frenchie I would try to smuggle her one too. I walked to the door and walked right in, and I told her to wait for me outside. I immediately found my Egyptian friend and salsa buddy, and she gave me one of the free cards to give to my roommate. I indescretely ran outside to give it to her and told her to hurry up and get in before 1:30. As expected, Frenchie took her sweet little time in coming in, and did not make it. I felt bad, but I told her to be careful getting home, and peace out! I wanted to dance! I danced my little feet off for only and hour, because I knew I had to wake up for a Fulbright meeting in the morning. When I arrived to m house, happy as can be, walked to he kitchen to find Frenchie with our new curly haired friend, Pedro, from t ntercamio. I was surprised but also delighted to see him, and I was guessing this was not a "hook-up" situation because I also sensed a gay vibe from him. Anyway, we chatted for bit and then I hit the sheets.
When I woke up on Friday for my meeting I had a serious headache. It was 7:45am and I had to shower, wash my hair, and be there by 9. I made it! Thanks God there were pastries when I arrived. The meeting was meant to discuss our progress in the schools and any side projects we may have. Instead, we spent two whole hours listening to people complain how bad there kids were, or how little attention their teachers paid them. I was bored. But at the same time I felt bad; my experience has been great! I couldn't be happier with my school. My teachers and I have perfect chemistry and I am allowed just as much control of my class that I would want. It was painful to sit and listen to sooo many complaints, so I decided to lighten the mood and bring up some positive experiences of my own. I gave suggestions about how I obtained such positive results, and I pray that they will help people. Positive reinforcement is key in education; and you have to put your foot down from the start, or else your doomed forever! Upon leaving the meeting I was uber excited to hear a friend suggest going out for a big american brunch; and that's just what we did! There was this "American" cafe nearby, where they had on the menu "breakfast americano." Of course that's what I ordered; pancakes, bacon, eggs, and fries! Slightly off, but it worked. People in Spain think that pancakes and crepes are desserts, so they came with chocolate, caramel, or strawberry sauce; gross!
I took a big ciesta when I got home and then took Chulo to the park. He is so playful, but is still very much a baby. Other dogs tower over him! I had a very chill Friday evening, with all my roommates at home. I spent about an hour trying to explain to them how and why we celebrate Thanksgiving. They didn't get it! They dont understand the pilgrims, and they don't understand the big turkey at all. This explanation was quite hilarious. I suggested that we have a small dinner, just us this week, but Idon't know if they will take it as serious as I would.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Random thoughts and happenings as of late.....
My apologies for having been MIA from blogging this past week or so; I have been engaged in my new and fun Madrid routine! I was also very sick due to this crazy weather here, and my sickly students. I am doing soooo much in Madrid; in fact, more than I have ever done in the States. First, of course, I have my kids who have been great lately. I am really loving being a teacher. It is very rewarding to know that I am having such an impact on the program and the teachers really appreciate my help. I have learned so much just being at the school; and many observations/comparisons as well. I am also realizing some of my own talents I didn't know I had. Teaching subjects such as technology and visual arts has allowed me to expand my mind and step outside of my comfort zone. Who knew Stephanie could teach Science! In my weekly teachers' meeting, I am constantly trying to come up with new teaching methodologies, and I think they are working. Although, I have to say that I still don't quite understand the Spanish education system. Failing is quite normal, and expectations are quite low. I have gone back and forth with myself reasoning why this could be; the fact that spanish kids are beyond spoiled, or because they do not have to pay for education, or that they are only obliged to go to school until 16, or maybe because the Spanish lifestyle is too chill after all; who knows. It is apparent though, that most of the kids are satisfied with mediocrity. This week, we had a wake up call, both the teachers and the students. They failed!! All subjects, all tests! Ok, that's an exaggeration, but grades were not so good. We immediately started making changes in the classroom in order to avoid further catastrophe. We are working harder than ever, and demanding the most from the students. Fun, but chaotic. Makes me think about getting into International Education Policy. Hmmmm, who knows.
Other that school, I have been trying to keep up in French class that I have twice a week. It is much harder than I thought it would be. It has been barely 2 months, so I know that patience is necessary, but it seems like a doozy! I can read and understand much better than I can speak. French pronunciation is HARD! I love languages though, so I plan on sticking with it and maybe actually engaging my (sometimes) intollerable French roommate in some conversation. Arabic is definitely next on my list. There are many Arabic speaking immigrants here. It is such a beautiful language, but undoubtedly even harder than French. On that note, I have been working with Amnesty International Spain, which has been extremely rewarding. My particular focus group is North Africa, so French and Arabic are a plus. I plan on writing some kind of report in relation to my work with Amnesty and North African immigrants. At Amnesty, I was asked to draft a letter in English to the President of Tunisia, demanding that human rights violations be addressed. I was pretty cool! We have a couple of campaigns going on for a Prisoner of conscience in Lybia, and a case in Sahara. I feel so involved!
Every other Wednesday, I have been going to Toastmasters International (professional public speaking organization) in Spanish. I was a member of Toastmasters before, so I knew what it was like; but even more fun in Spanish! I can't wait to give my first speech! Typical Spanish way, we meet at a bar and we drink at the meeting. The last time I went, I was still feeling a bit ill so I asked for a Hot Toddy (whiskey and tea), of all things, to get rid of my cold! I was feeling quite nice! Because I work at a bilingual institution we are mandated to speak English at all times to the bilingual profesors and students. This requirement has actually helped me to improve my (english) speaking skills, becasue as you all know, I sometimes speak like of have a mouth full of you know what. I have to speak very slowly and clearly at school, which I think is a good thing. Recently, I was asked by a guy who works in the bar below me to translate the menu into English. I was delighted! He asked how much I would charge, but I figured it would be super easy, so I suggested they pay me with free food and drinks at the bar! Hook up! I had glass after glass of wine, and soon I didn't know if I was writing the write words in English. I love getting to know the people in my neighborhood; I get to explore a lot while walking Chulo. Everyone absolutely loves him! I am lucky to have such a well-behaved dog because I can bring him everywhere with me and no one minds.
What else could I possibly be doing in Madrid?? Well, I am giving private English lessons to one of my co-worker's son. He is 7 and is a bottle of energy! He love Chulo as well. I basically get paid to play with the boy for an hour a week. Ever since I arrived in Madrid, I had an itch to write; I mean professionally. A particular newspaper, In Madrid, peeked my interest. It is a newspaper, written in English, for foreigners living in Madrid. So, I wrote the editor!! We went for coffee and he loved my ideas! 2 upcoming articles!! I couldn't ask for more of a vida in Madrid! God is sooo good! I am definitely doing the most, and loving it!
Other that school, I have been trying to keep up in French class that I have twice a week. It is much harder than I thought it would be. It has been barely 2 months, so I know that patience is necessary, but it seems like a doozy! I can read and understand much better than I can speak. French pronunciation is HARD! I love languages though, so I plan on sticking with it and maybe actually engaging my (sometimes) intollerable French roommate in some conversation. Arabic is definitely next on my list. There are many Arabic speaking immigrants here. It is such a beautiful language, but undoubtedly even harder than French. On that note, I have been working with Amnesty International Spain, which has been extremely rewarding. My particular focus group is North Africa, so French and Arabic are a plus. I plan on writing some kind of report in relation to my work with Amnesty and North African immigrants. At Amnesty, I was asked to draft a letter in English to the President of Tunisia, demanding that human rights violations be addressed. I was pretty cool! We have a couple of campaigns going on for a Prisoner of conscience in Lybia, and a case in Sahara. I feel so involved!
Every other Wednesday, I have been going to Toastmasters International (professional public speaking organization) in Spanish. I was a member of Toastmasters before, so I knew what it was like; but even more fun in Spanish! I can't wait to give my first speech! Typical Spanish way, we meet at a bar and we drink at the meeting. The last time I went, I was still feeling a bit ill so I asked for a Hot Toddy (whiskey and tea), of all things, to get rid of my cold! I was feeling quite nice! Because I work at a bilingual institution we are mandated to speak English at all times to the bilingual profesors and students. This requirement has actually helped me to improve my (english) speaking skills, becasue as you all know, I sometimes speak like of have a mouth full of you know what. I have to speak very slowly and clearly at school, which I think is a good thing. Recently, I was asked by a guy who works in the bar below me to translate the menu into English. I was delighted! He asked how much I would charge, but I figured it would be super easy, so I suggested they pay me with free food and drinks at the bar! Hook up! I had glass after glass of wine, and soon I didn't know if I was writing the write words in English. I love getting to know the people in my neighborhood; I get to explore a lot while walking Chulo. Everyone absolutely loves him! I am lucky to have such a well-behaved dog because I can bring him everywhere with me and no one minds.
What else could I possibly be doing in Madrid?? Well, I am giving private English lessons to one of my co-worker's son. He is 7 and is a bottle of energy! He love Chulo as well. I basically get paid to play with the boy for an hour a week. Ever since I arrived in Madrid, I had an itch to write; I mean professionally. A particular newspaper, In Madrid, peeked my interest. It is a newspaper, written in English, for foreigners living in Madrid. So, I wrote the editor!! We went for coffee and he loved my ideas! 2 upcoming articles!! I couldn't ask for more of a vida in Madrid! God is sooo good! I am definitely doing the most, and loving it!
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Kapital Punishment....con las chicas espanolas
Friday night, my roommate Tatiana invited me to go out with her and her friends to THE CLUB, Kapital. I had been to this club once before, when I visited Madrid from Sevilla. It was very poshe, exclusive, huge, and a sure fire good time. It is always generally very expensive, so I was skeptical. She told me that she could get our names on a list to get in for free, so I agreed to go. Although, I thought to myself that it was very likely that this "list" would not likely hold ground at the famous "Kapital." We began to get dressed around 10:30, we were supposed to be there before 1:30 (which is early Spanish time), and we had plans to meet up with a bunch of other girls for a typical spanish botellon (explain later). Her two friends, Maria and Carolina, came over to get ready with us. All four of us stood in the mirror together, trying to decide what shades of eye shadow we were wearing. We finally left the house around 12am, went to the metro stop where the club was located, and waited for the other girls.
Our waiting spot was McDonalds and the girls were hungry so they indulged. Time flew by and I began to worry if we would really make it to the club in time. The other girls, about 6 more espanolas, joined us. We all introsuced ourselves and began to chat when I realized I was the oldest person there. Spanish girls tend to look older than they are, but it always slips my mind that my roomie is only 19; but sweet as pie. So naturally her friends were the same age; I felt old. They were amazed at the fact that I was here in Madrid teaching, and not studying. They were in awe that I had ALREADY finished my undergrad. I explained to them that my status was not at all strange, in fact normal to be done with school at 22. They still looked puzzled. Anyway, they were all really nice girls, so it made for an even more fun night out. We headed over to the plaza where we were supposed to conduct this grand botellon. A botellon is basically like a "pre-game" party in the streets. It is very normal to see young spaniards walking through the streets, or riding the metro, with large plastic bags filled with liquor, cups, ice, and mixers which they will take with them to the outdoor botellon. Technically, yes, it is illegal to drink in the streets; however, it has become such a prevalent activity that the police just "keep a watchful eye."
We proceed to botellon, and my roommate reminds us all that is is essential to "be sponges," because we only have 45 miniutes to get into the club. We took pictures, shared drinks, talked craziness, until we realized it was 1:15!! We scurried to the door of the club, where we found 3 different long lines. Crap! We acrually made it to the door before 1:30, but as I suspected, the doorman had heard of no list with our names on it. We reasoned with him and he handed us all these small cards, which the girls believed to be free passes. I knew they were not. We switched lines, got to the front, only for them to tell us that our cards were 15 euro entry with 2 drinks included. None of us wanted to pay. To make matters worse, another security guard had held back my friend Maria, because he said she was too drunk to get in. I tried to tell him that she was fine, and to let her go. I even had us both walked a straight line for him. Hilarious! Unfortunately, he was not amuzed. We gathered our troops and headed across the street to think of a Plan B. The girl who had supposedly put us on this list was nearby and had told us to meet her. We walked to another nearby plaza where Alicia, a rep for Kapital, and her friends were engaging in another botellon; so we joined in! After about an hour and a half of foolery, Alicia says, "ok, now I can get you all into the club." So we followed her lead and low and behold, she got us right in. Finally, at 3:30am!
Kapital, as I said, is huge. 7 floors, each with different kinds of music, very large stage and dance floors, acrobats fyling through the air on one floor, and clouds of water vapor bursting through the air, and strobe light everywhere. Very intense to say the least. We explored all the levels, but spent most of our time between two, where we they played salsa, reggae, and a mxiture of similar music. I twirled around the dance floor like a nut, and when one of my flamenco JAMS came on, I demonstrated my knowledge of "the flamenco clap." Before I knew it, people were exiting the club. I have never actually made it through the closing of a spanish club, because they tend to be too late for me. It was 6:30am, and we still had to find all the girls we had lost in the mix of things. Some of us waited outside while the others went to search the crowd. Some of the girls wanted to go eat, and initially I did too. However, at that point all I wanted to do was get in my bed. So Maria and I trekked it home on the metro, half sleep.
Our waiting spot was McDonalds and the girls were hungry so they indulged. Time flew by and I began to worry if we would really make it to the club in time. The other girls, about 6 more espanolas, joined us. We all introsuced ourselves and began to chat when I realized I was the oldest person there. Spanish girls tend to look older than they are, but it always slips my mind that my roomie is only 19; but sweet as pie. So naturally her friends were the same age; I felt old. They were amazed at the fact that I was here in Madrid teaching, and not studying. They were in awe that I had ALREADY finished my undergrad. I explained to them that my status was not at all strange, in fact normal to be done with school at 22. They still looked puzzled. Anyway, they were all really nice girls, so it made for an even more fun night out. We headed over to the plaza where we were supposed to conduct this grand botellon. A botellon is basically like a "pre-game" party in the streets. It is very normal to see young spaniards walking through the streets, or riding the metro, with large plastic bags filled with liquor, cups, ice, and mixers which they will take with them to the outdoor botellon. Technically, yes, it is illegal to drink in the streets; however, it has become such a prevalent activity that the police just "keep a watchful eye."
We proceed to botellon, and my roommate reminds us all that is is essential to "be sponges," because we only have 45 miniutes to get into the club. We took pictures, shared drinks, talked craziness, until we realized it was 1:15!! We scurried to the door of the club, where we found 3 different long lines. Crap! We acrually made it to the door before 1:30, but as I suspected, the doorman had heard of no list with our names on it. We reasoned with him and he handed us all these small cards, which the girls believed to be free passes. I knew they were not. We switched lines, got to the front, only for them to tell us that our cards were 15 euro entry with 2 drinks included. None of us wanted to pay. To make matters worse, another security guard had held back my friend Maria, because he said she was too drunk to get in. I tried to tell him that she was fine, and to let her go. I even had us both walked a straight line for him. Hilarious! Unfortunately, he was not amuzed. We gathered our troops and headed across the street to think of a Plan B. The girl who had supposedly put us on this list was nearby and had told us to meet her. We walked to another nearby plaza where Alicia, a rep for Kapital, and her friends were engaging in another botellon; so we joined in! After about an hour and a half of foolery, Alicia says, "ok, now I can get you all into the club." So we followed her lead and low and behold, she got us right in. Finally, at 3:30am!
Kapital, as I said, is huge. 7 floors, each with different kinds of music, very large stage and dance floors, acrobats fyling through the air on one floor, and clouds of water vapor bursting through the air, and strobe light everywhere. Very intense to say the least. We explored all the levels, but spent most of our time between two, where we they played salsa, reggae, and a mxiture of similar music. I twirled around the dance floor like a nut, and when one of my flamenco JAMS came on, I demonstrated my knowledge of "the flamenco clap." Before I knew it, people were exiting the club. I have never actually made it through the closing of a spanish club, because they tend to be too late for me. It was 6:30am, and we still had to find all the girls we had lost in the mix of things. Some of us waited outside while the others went to search the crowd. Some of the girls wanted to go eat, and initially I did too. However, at that point all I wanted to do was get in my bed. So Maria and I trekked it home on the metro, half sleep.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
There is always a Spanish holiday!
So, I began writing this entry last week and I never finished. This was last Sunday, and as I write it is )the nextnSaturday night. I did actually wake up to go to the Rastro on Sunday, at 10, but then I fell back into a deep slumber and woke back up at 1:45 (so I thought). Little did I know it was daylight savings time here, and time to turn back the clocks. It was only 12:45pm, and I still had an hour left at the Rastro!! I threw on some clothes and ran out the door. The streets were packed with people at the outdoor market. I was by myself, against the crowd. I knew exactly what I wanted and needed, and I wasted no time. The fact that I am a self-proclaimed professional shopper did help my search. I found a warm leather jacket, some high boots, and a watch in just under an hour...all for 60 euros!! I was more than content when I got back on the metro to head home.
Despite all the planning and activities I had planned for my students for Halloween, I was not so in the spirit. I usually love to dress up and partake in the foolery; however this year I felt like lounging around and just observing the foolery. One of the other Fulbrighters was having a Halloween costume party at her house. I really wanted to go and dress up, but mt costume search failed. Despite my non-festive mood, I showed up late to the party and drank about a quarter bottle of red wine; good for the soul! I was very impressed with my friend's Halloween layout; candy corn, homemade candy and caramel apples, cookies, and carved apples dipped in wine (kind of creepy). I actually felt bad for not dressing up. All the red wine took its toll on me, and I once again decided to ditch the after party and head home. There was no way I would walk home, but I had no clue where the night bus stop was. After wandering around for about 15 minutes, trying to control my bladder, I finally found my bus. To my surprise I saw a friend on the same bus, and we quickly realized that we had gotten on the right bus, wrong direction. We passed our stops! We made it home, after an overextended bus ride around 3:30.
On Monday, another holiday we had off, I invited a friend over for lunch. I made some very tasty fajitas, with a homemade sauce that I created. We chatted for a while and then decided to walk the city for a while to help all the food digest. We headed to Choclateria San Gines, where we would eat churros and a rich cup of chocolate. No, not hot chocolate, but an intense blend of pure melted chocolate that would make your heart smile. It was super crowded at this place, as expected. We sat outside and Chulo found a friend to play with. We devoured the plate of Churros and slurped up the Chocolate and then hit the streets again. I had never been around these parts of the neighborhood, and I was seeing many new cool things. There was this hidden marketplace where they sold a variety of fresh meat, fruits, and vegetables; and also gave samples. We sampled! Our journey continued as we leisurely walked around Plaza Mayor, enjoying the beautiful scenery and the talented street performers. It was getting chilly outside so we went to a nearby cafe to get some tea; passion fruit tea, delicious. Perfect, restful day off.
Despite all the planning and activities I had planned for my students for Halloween, I was not so in the spirit. I usually love to dress up and partake in the foolery; however this year I felt like lounging around and just observing the foolery. One of the other Fulbrighters was having a Halloween costume party at her house. I really wanted to go and dress up, but mt costume search failed. Despite my non-festive mood, I showed up late to the party and drank about a quarter bottle of red wine; good for the soul! I was very impressed with my friend's Halloween layout; candy corn, homemade candy and caramel apples, cookies, and carved apples dipped in wine (kind of creepy). I actually felt bad for not dressing up. All the red wine took its toll on me, and I once again decided to ditch the after party and head home. There was no way I would walk home, but I had no clue where the night bus stop was. After wandering around for about 15 minutes, trying to control my bladder, I finally found my bus. To my surprise I saw a friend on the same bus, and we quickly realized that we had gotten on the right bus, wrong direction. We passed our stops! We made it home, after an overextended bus ride around 3:30.
On Monday, another holiday we had off, I invited a friend over for lunch. I made some very tasty fajitas, with a homemade sauce that I created. We chatted for a while and then decided to walk the city for a while to help all the food digest. We headed to Choclateria San Gines, where we would eat churros and a rich cup of chocolate. No, not hot chocolate, but an intense blend of pure melted chocolate that would make your heart smile. It was super crowded at this place, as expected. We sat outside and Chulo found a friend to play with. We devoured the plate of Churros and slurped up the Chocolate and then hit the streets again. I had never been around these parts of the neighborhood, and I was seeing many new cool things. There was this hidden marketplace where they sold a variety of fresh meat, fruits, and vegetables; and also gave samples. We sampled! Our journey continued as we leisurely walked around Plaza Mayor, enjoying the beautiful scenery and the talented street performers. It was getting chilly outside so we went to a nearby cafe to get some tea; passion fruit tea, delicious. Perfect, restful day off.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Muchas Cosas Divertidas!
What a pleasant weekend I had! My Fulbright amiga and I had been craving a big American brunch for a long time. Usually I just eat cereal or nutella and bread for breakfast; I rarely have time for anything else anyway. Here in Spain they are not very big on breakfast (more enfasis on lunch), but I love a big breakfast! So, on Saturday Kate and I decided to cook brunch. I went to her house with Chulo and we mde bacon, eggs, toast, and homemade hash browns. Very satisfying! I felt stuffed after our big meal, and we decided that we would have to do this more often in order to satisfy our yearnings for a complete breakfast. After our meal, we ventured across town to a little know secret that Kate had discovered; and American grocery store! I usually do not get these crazy cravings for American foods, but I sure had some! I was completely blow away at the price of cereal, almost 9 euros a box, and oatmeal almost 7! No, no, no! I looked around and only ened up buying a yankee candle, some relish (which does not exist in Spain), some cream of mushroom soup to cook with, and my favorite candy; Reese's Peanut Butter cups!! Oh, how I miss them!! I ate one before I could even set foot outside the store!
Sidenote: I think I have an obsession with grocery shopping/experimental cooking! It's quite fun and addictive! After we left the American store, we headed over to Lavapies, which is becoming one of my favorite spots for its diversity. The intention there was to simply show our visiting friend around the area; but of course I had to indulge in gastronomic purchases. I bought some natural mint leaves, some red curry paste, some Goya beans, some gandules, mango juice, and falafel. Boy, am I going to be quite the chef when I return to the States!
I went home only to drop off my purchases and my pooch; all of my roommates and I were going to a concert at the Tabacalera again. One of my roommates' boyfriend had been here the whole week and he was D- Jaying at the spot. This was the first time that all four of us roommates had been out at the same time; it was a great time! We got there early, around 7:30, and listened to Ivonna's bf spin records for a while. I saw my African friend again, and he told me that they too were performing later. Yay for reggae again!
We ended up staying until the end of the last performance, around 11:30, enjoying the music and the rare total harmony between roommates. Afterwards, we were starving, so our friends led us to a kebab joint around the corner that was delish! I cleaned my plate so quickly, as if I hadn't eaten in days! The night was young, and we all wanted to go out. Again, the guys led us to some random bar where we all drank fro free. We drank, and went to another bar closeby, where we drank for free again! It pays to befriend the locals! The second bar was more enjoyable, as there was a Halloween party going on and the music was danceable (if that is a word). By the time we left the bar, I was a little bit "happy" and ready to go home. We walked around aimlessly for a while looking for the night buses. It was freezing, and it soon began to rain. I grew irritable as my hair, clothes, and exposed feet were getting wet. My umbrella had broken earlier that night. Fail. We managed to finally make it home and I went to sleep wet from the horrible rain, with the hope of waking up in the morning to go to the famous Rastro (like a flea market, only not as janky).
Sidenote: I think I have an obsession with grocery shopping/experimental cooking! It's quite fun and addictive! After we left the American store, we headed over to Lavapies, which is becoming one of my favorite spots for its diversity. The intention there was to simply show our visiting friend around the area; but of course I had to indulge in gastronomic purchases. I bought some natural mint leaves, some red curry paste, some Goya beans, some gandules, mango juice, and falafel. Boy, am I going to be quite the chef when I return to the States!
I went home only to drop off my purchases and my pooch; all of my roommates and I were going to a concert at the Tabacalera again. One of my roommates' boyfriend had been here the whole week and he was D- Jaying at the spot. This was the first time that all four of us roommates had been out at the same time; it was a great time! We got there early, around 7:30, and listened to Ivonna's bf spin records for a while. I saw my African friend again, and he told me that they too were performing later. Yay for reggae again!
We ended up staying until the end of the last performance, around 11:30, enjoying the music and the rare total harmony between roommates. Afterwards, we were starving, so our friends led us to a kebab joint around the corner that was delish! I cleaned my plate so quickly, as if I hadn't eaten in days! The night was young, and we all wanted to go out. Again, the guys led us to some random bar where we all drank fro free. We drank, and went to another bar closeby, where we drank for free again! It pays to befriend the locals! The second bar was more enjoyable, as there was a Halloween party going on and the music was danceable (if that is a word). By the time we left the bar, I was a little bit "happy" and ready to go home. We walked around aimlessly for a while looking for the night buses. It was freezing, and it soon began to rain. I grew irritable as my hair, clothes, and exposed feet were getting wet. My umbrella had broken earlier that night. Fail. We managed to finally make it home and I went to sleep wet from the horrible rain, with the hope of waking up in the morning to go to the famous Rastro (like a flea market, only not as janky).
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