The wait is over, a new post is here. I can’t believe it’s been a month since I last posted. I am trying to recall everything that has been going on but time has flown. I can’t believe I have lived in Spain for THREE months! Sarah and I both agree that we wish our Spanish was better. We have really improved our understanding and comprehension... now if only we could get all those pesky verbs and conjugations together!
In just 5 days I will be home for Christmas. I can’t wait to be back in the city I call home and be with all of the people that I love. Ray is picking me up for the airport and then we are headed to dinner with the family. I know I will be misty-eyed the entire day. I keep welling up thinking about how happy I will be when I turn the corner into baggage claim to see my handsome man… and then to do it all again at dinner with my family is just overwhelming! Over break I can’t wait to see my family, hopefully head down to the lake to fish, go to the Corey Smith concert, celebrate all the good holidays, celebrate my sister and Adam’s engagement, spend Sundays with the boyfriend, catch a movie, eat tons of food, spend some time in the woods, have poker night and oh the list is endless.
Things I will appreciate when I get home most: Central heating, driving a car, using the clothes dryer, long & hot showers, fast food, English, domestic beer & whiskey, a nice mani-pedi, and all the little stuff in-between.
Anyways, to sum up the past month…
Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving was so tough because I was completely homesick that morning. I remember getting to school and just breaking down in tears. Sara, the other axillar at my school, came to my rescue and was a complete sweetheart. When I went to class with my coordinator, Maria Jose, she was more than sympathetic and gave me a huge hug. She is definitely my mom away from home. I appreciate her more than she can understand! I taught my 6th graders about Thanksgiving through this awesome presentation I made. I even found a website that teaches you how to speak in Pilgrim. To say, “Congratulations” in Pilgrim you say, “Hoozah!” All my little Spanish kids were yelling, “hoozah!!” How adorable! Then we watched, “It’s America, Charlie Brown!” To learn about the history of the United States. Did you know that Sqanto, the Native American that helped the Pilgrims, was a slave for a while in Spain? Pretty cool. After my class I felt so much better. I felt once again connected to my country and proud to be an American.
After returning home it was time to cook, and drink… and drink some more. The girls and I cooked up a storm and made everything traditional, well, as much as we could. There’s no pumpkin or cranberry sauce here. But I did manage to make 6 pound of garlic mashed potatoes with nothing but a fork. While cooking Sarah and I danced our butts off in the Kitchen to every Christmas song you can think of. It was a blast. I was able to Skype my entire family while they were eating their traditional thanksgiving lunch over at my Aunt and Uncles house. It’s the only time I have seen them since I moved here in September. We had over the girls we work with and their friend Kenny for dinner. We ate till we were stuffed and then ate some more. We had leftovers for at least five days… and I was perfectly okay with that. Thanksgiving was a success and I felt so at home with my Spanish family. That will be a Thanksgiving I will never forget. God truly blessed me with amazing people here.
The Weeks to Follow
One Friday, Sarah and I went down to the beach for the day. It was warm and we were the only ones on the beach. We laid down a blanket and enjoyed the weather. Then of course we managed to find a few bars and the bottom of many beers. Jen joined us for dinner while we ate pizza and continued the party in the empty town. Once we returned, you guessed it, a dance party in the kitchen. We three girls definitely drank wayyy too much but you can never have too much fun! Needless to say the next day was painful and hilarious recapping how silly we were the night before.
The girls we work with, Sara, Anna, and Lisa introduced us to Cien Chupitos. A bar that serves 100 different shots all for a Euro. Most of them just sounds horrible of course, but it’s neat to try something new. I will always of course pass on the tequila and hot sauce. And I learned my lesson that Absinthe is just going to overpower anything else that you try to mix it with. We went dancing afterwards and though I can tell you I have never been comfortable dancing before, I sure do enjoy it here. I know I dance to the beat of my own drum and am torpe (awkward) but I have a good time with the girls. It’s nice to be able to not worry how silly you look and just do your own thing. Dane Cook comes to mind when he says in his stand-up comedy, “I just wanna dance. Let's just stand in a circle around our shoes and our pocketbooks and let’s just dance.”
The girls and I have also taken a cooking class. We learned how to make Salmorejo, which is a cold tomato soup that is freaking delicious! You can top toast with Salmorejo and Jamon and it is out of this world good! Slap ya mama good! We also learned how to make pechugas de pollo a la naranja. Basically orange chicken. No, not the Chinese kind. It was so good and I look forward to making it when I get home for the holidays.
I spent one weekend laid up in bed because I was so sick. When I got to school my coordinator called the doctor for me in Cartaya and dropped me off. She was so sweet to go out of her way once again to help me. I was so proud of myself for talking to the doctor in Spanish and being able to convey what's wrong etc. We ended up chatting for a while! He was awesome. I definitely want to go back to him if I get sick again. All in all, the doctor's visit was free and 3 different medicines were 12 euros.
I spent one weekend laid up in bed because I was so sick. When I got to school my coordinator called the doctor for me in Cartaya and dropped me off. She was so sweet to go out of her way once again to help me. I was so proud of myself for talking to the doctor in Spanish and being able to convey what's wrong etc. We ended up chatting for a while! He was awesome. I definitely want to go back to him if I get sick again. All in all, the doctor's visit was free and 3 different medicines were 12 euros.
Over one weekend we went to Sevilla. It was Ale’s friend Yeyo’s birthday so we went to a bar and heard live music. I miss going to hear live music, cover bands, and all that good stuff. We also got to tour the Catedral de Sevilla, the third largest cathedral in the world! Inside there is even Christopher Columbus’ tomb. Pretty awesome! The view from the top of the Giralda Tower was beautiful.
To celebrate Christmas, the girls and I made sugar cookies from scratch. Have you ever seen My Drunk Kitchen on YouTube? Watch one of the episodes and you will know exactly what it was like when we attempted to make our own galletas. We ended up having a flour fight and had a great time. By the end of it we even tried Nutella to the batter, eh… maybe not the best choice. I think it makes a better icing.
Sarah and I have been running often to get ready for our 10K that we are racing in Madrid next year. I am so excited.
I am still enjoying my classes. There is a little first grader who just absolutely loves me. He is this very very chubby little boy named Manuel and he loves giving me kisses and telling me that “I love you” in Spanish is “Te quiero.” He’s adorable.
My adults are pretty awesome, too. I have taught them things like French fries and Jager bombs. Yes, it is important! Bella has gone out of her way to help me in many ways. She had helped me track down Ray’s package to me that got stuck in Customs (it’s FINALLY being returned!) and she has introduced me to people that will help me intercambio. Intercambio is when you speak in English for half the time and Spanish the other half. One person she introduced me to, Christian, is the guy who does not speak any English. It really helped me improve my Spanish when I met up with him because I couldn’t fall back on English like I am used to when I can’t find a word. It really opened my eyes to how much I really understand and how much I really know. I left the café that night so proud of myself. I need to meet with him again; I think he will really be able to help me a lot!
Last night Sarah’s friend Carlos made us a traditional Spanish meal. He had his friend David over who barely speaks any English so we could practice language. The five of us had a great time eating, drinking delicious red wine, and finished the night playing the Spanish version of Jenga. Which I have come to find out, I am horrible at that game. I am used to poking bajillion different pieces until one comes loose. In this version, or maybe the right way of both games, the first one you touch is yours. Man I pick the wrong ones every time. Maybe because I kept choosing the middle pieces, but that’s beside the point.
All in all, this month has been a blast and I have really grown as a person. I have had to deal with some tough situations and I have also had a blast with new experiences. Being away from home has really made me realize how much I love my town and the people in it. I always knew I loved everyone, but my appreciation has grown so much. I can’t wait to get home and spend time with everyone. 5 days, I love yall <3
