Ok, they did their whole internet/computer fixing thing, so I did end up with time online after all...
So, today, we leave for Barcelona...I'm pretty excited...I haven't spent a whole lot of time thinking about this trip, so it's gonna be pretty crazy...the other girls that I'm going with have thought about it, so that's good...I'm just going to tag along, and hopefully not annoy them too much...I did extra homework last night, so hopefully I won't have to do any for the next week and a half or so... :) That will be wonderful...
Random story: so, today is our Halloween costume contest...So when I came here early (so that I could at least get my email checked, since they were supposedly shutting down the internet from 9:30-10:30...my usual internet timeslot), I opened the door to the school, and the light wasn't on in one half, which was weird...they had some little Halloween decorations, which they had had yesterday or so, so that wasn't anything unusual, but no one was behind the desk OR in the teacher's room...granted, this was considerably before I would normally be here, so I figured that maybe that's just how it usually was....so anyway, I start closing the door and turning in the other direction toward the hall, and the program coordinator, the principiantes prof, and one of the male profs were all dressed up and hiding behind the door...they yelled "boo!" (or, perhaps, "¡bu!"...but really, sometimes it's best to ignore me)...I was a bit taken aback, since I totally had NOT been expecting it, but it was too amusing for me to be scared...as I continued walking toward/down the hall...I heard the male teacher say "No se asusten..." as in, "they're not getting scared", but he said it with a bit more of a questioning tone...it was amusing...
Um....yeah, so I think that's it for today...Take care and I'll be back in a little over a week!
Friday, October 30, 2009
Thursday, October 29, 2009
I think I'm going to need to buy a sweater...
So, I will write an update...even if no one has commented at ALL on the last two... :( (this is me pouting) I will write this because I have no idea if I'll be able to get on the internet tomorrow, and I will be gone for one week (plus two weekends), so you won't be hearing from me for a while...
Our one week fall break is starting...after classes tomorrow...
My schedule looks like this:
Tonight I have some homework and all my packing on my plate...but, since I can only bring my one carry on, it's not like there's a lot to pack...Another of the students was sweet enough to let me borrow her backpack for the week since she's staying in Seville and, if you remember my post from a couple weeks back (or was that last week? I can't remember...), the backpack that I have is a piece of crap...So, thanks to Rachel, I will be travelling securely to Barcelona and Ireland, and will be able to pack more/better since her backpack is a HUGE improvement on mine...darn piece of junk....*grumble*
Yup, so don't be expecting to hear a whole lot from me until...mid November... (the 9th or 10th to be a little more specific) Take care! Make sure to not get "gripe a" (aka, Swine flu...I think "gripe a" is more fun to say though....)!
Our one week fall break is starting...after classes tomorrow...
My schedule looks like this:
- 30 Oct--Flight from Sevilla to Barcelona (Girona) via RyanAir
- 2 Nov--Flight from Barcelona (Girona) to Dublin, Ireland
- 3 Nov--Train from Dublin to Kilarney
- 6 Nov--Train from Kilarney to Dublin
- 7 Nov--Flight from Dublin to Barcelona (Girona)
- 8 Nov--Flight from Barcelona (Girona) to Sevilla
Tonight I have some homework and all my packing on my plate...but, since I can only bring my one carry on, it's not like there's a lot to pack...Another of the students was sweet enough to let me borrow her backpack for the week since she's staying in Seville and, if you remember my post from a couple weeks back (or was that last week? I can't remember...), the backpack that I have is a piece of crap...So, thanks to Rachel, I will be travelling securely to Barcelona and Ireland, and will be able to pack more/better since her backpack is a HUGE improvement on mine...darn piece of junk....*grumble*
Yup, so don't be expecting to hear a whole lot from me until...mid November... (the 9th or 10th to be a little more specific) Take care! Make sure to not get "gripe a" (aka, Swine flu...I think "gripe a" is more fun to say though....)!
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Children in Spain
To be quite honest, before I came to Spain, I thought that there wouldn't be that many little kids here...what with low European birth rates and all...well, I came here and was quite surprised to see little kids EVERYWHERE! But, here in Spain, they do things differently I have noticed, and today I am going to share those observations with you... (it was either this or "fashion trends that I hope don't catch on in the US"...we'll save that for another day...)
1. Little kids are everywhere...
2. Little kids are carted around in strollers everywhere they go...
3. They have buggies for babies
4. They have hardcore strollers for older kids (and by "older kids" I mean up to age 6...or at least that's how old some of them appear to be); a lot of the strollers can have up to three kids on/in them...a baby laying down, a toddler sitting in one of the seats, and like a 5 or 6 year old standing on the back by the handle (is that the right word? I simply cannot figure it out right now if that's correct or not...anyway, you get the idea)
5. Little kids are dressed like they're from the 40's...which is odd, seeing as adult Spaniards are usually on the cutting edge of new fashions...I mean, little boys go around in leiderhosen-esque outfits and like mini loafers; little girls in frilly little dresses and Mary Jane's (I think that's the name for that type of shoe, anyway)...the boys have their hair slicked to the side...You don't see little kids in tiny little blue jeans and sneakers like you do in the States...tshirts don't fly here either...which is odd, because when adolescence hits, they switch from 40's attire to tattoos, tight clothing, piercings, and odd haircuts...
So yes, little kids get to live in the past until they are like 10 here in Spain...the end...
Hope you all are having a good week!
1. Little kids are everywhere...
2. Little kids are carted around in strollers everywhere they go...
3. They have buggies for babies
4. They have hardcore strollers for older kids (and by "older kids" I mean up to age 6...or at least that's how old some of them appear to be); a lot of the strollers can have up to three kids on/in them...a baby laying down, a toddler sitting in one of the seats, and like a 5 or 6 year old standing on the back by the handle (is that the right word? I simply cannot figure it out right now if that's correct or not...anyway, you get the idea)
5. Little kids are dressed like they're from the 40's...which is odd, seeing as adult Spaniards are usually on the cutting edge of new fashions...I mean, little boys go around in leiderhosen-esque outfits and like mini loafers; little girls in frilly little dresses and Mary Jane's (I think that's the name for that type of shoe, anyway)...the boys have their hair slicked to the side...You don't see little kids in tiny little blue jeans and sneakers like you do in the States...tshirts don't fly here either...which is odd, because when adolescence hits, they switch from 40's attire to tattoos, tight clothing, piercings, and odd haircuts...
So yes, little kids get to live in the past until they are like 10 here in Spain...the end...
Hope you all are having a good week!
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
27 de octubre de 2009
So, contrary to my usual habit, I am writing this post at night, as opposed to the morning...I ran out of time earlier...
It's been a pretty chill day or so...I went shopping last night and then I bought a little something again tonight...I like shopping...I'm trying to get all of my souvenirs purchased for everyone...except for the foodstuffs...those'll have to wait...
Classes have been pretty much the same...I'm pretty much sick of Tres Culturas...it's just not that exciting, and the prof doesn't seem very excited about it either...Teatro is going well; we're reading a different play and we're almost done with it...it was so intriguing that I ended up reading the whole thing about a week ago, even though we probably need to have all of it read by tomorrow or something like that...Gramática is going well; I got a 97% on the test that we took last week; we're working with subjuntivo vs. indicativo, futuro y condicional para indicar probabilidad, and tomorrow we start a new something or other...I'm sure you were all dying to know that...
Today for lunch I had another plate of mashed veggies, but there appeared to be considerably less oil than there used to be...hmm, I think I may have just impacted Salud's cooking... :S Then, I napped...gotta love siesta...then I came to meet with Lisa and our intercambio, Marta...we walked around downtown and Marta needed to get a book for a course she's taking in accounting, so we headed to (I believe) La Casa de Libros (aka, The House of Books)...it was like 4 floors of books...I will have to head back and check it out some more...
Yeah, it's gonna be a pretty chill week...which is good, since I have no ambition...Thank goodness that next week is our vacation week! and after that, I'm sure the rest of the time will fly by, which is what I'm going for...The rest of the students seem to get sad when I update them daily on how we have ever fewer days remaining (53 from today, I believe); I keep getting happier the smaller the number! Spain's a fun place, but three and a half months is a long time...
It's been a pretty chill day or so...I went shopping last night and then I bought a little something again tonight...I like shopping...I'm trying to get all of my souvenirs purchased for everyone...except for the foodstuffs...those'll have to wait...
Classes have been pretty much the same...I'm pretty much sick of Tres Culturas...it's just not that exciting, and the prof doesn't seem very excited about it either...Teatro is going well; we're reading a different play and we're almost done with it...it was so intriguing that I ended up reading the whole thing about a week ago, even though we probably need to have all of it read by tomorrow or something like that...Gramática is going well; I got a 97% on the test that we took last week; we're working with subjuntivo vs. indicativo, futuro y condicional para indicar probabilidad, and tomorrow we start a new something or other...I'm sure you were all dying to know that...
Today for lunch I had another plate of mashed veggies, but there appeared to be considerably less oil than there used to be...hmm, I think I may have just impacted Salud's cooking... :S Then, I napped...gotta love siesta...then I came to meet with Lisa and our intercambio, Marta...we walked around downtown and Marta needed to get a book for a course she's taking in accounting, so we headed to (I believe) La Casa de Libros (aka, The House of Books)...it was like 4 floors of books...I will have to head back and check it out some more...
Yeah, it's gonna be a pretty chill week...which is good, since I have no ambition...Thank goodness that next week is our vacation week! and after that, I'm sure the rest of the time will fly by, which is what I'm going for...The rest of the students seem to get sad when I update them daily on how we have ever fewer days remaining (53 from today, I believe); I keep getting happier the smaller the number! Spain's a fun place, but three and a half months is a long time...
Monday, October 26, 2009
Weekend in Jerez
Well, so we'll actually start before Jerez, but still, this was more or less the Weekend of Jerez in my books...
So Friday night we had our Noche de chic@s, where the whole school was invited; we had candy, we watched a movie in English (with Spanish subtitles...it was amusing to see how some of the translations just didn't quite capture what the slang terms were after), had pizza from Domino's (not quite like American pizza, but closer than the other "pizza" I have had), then I walked around town and talked with some of the girls...a great night...Also during Friday, Salud had told me that dried fruit is considered a "chuche" or junkfood...dried figs and raisins evidently make you fat and have lots of calories...after lunch I decided to tell her what I remember about caloric contents: 5 figs (from Dole, anyway) are about 130 calories...one "cucharada" (tablespoon, theoretically) of olive oil has 100 calories (and let's just say, she uses a whole lot more than one tablespoon in her cooking!) She was shocked both by the lower than expected caloric content of the figs and the higher than expected caloric content of olive oil...
Saturday: We slept in, relaxed, packed, had lunch, and headed for the bus station to go to Jerez to hang out with Ellen! We got there, the weather was wonderful, we wandered around the city center, stumbled upon another Jesus parade (Ellen asked a lady nearby who told us that it was "Día de Cristo de la Flagelación", which we guessed meant Flogging of Christ Day; sure enough, when we could actually see the "float," there was a depiction of Jesus being flogged) After the parade passed by, we crossed the street and checked out the cathedral there...I guess it was a barroque style one...perhaps I should've taken the art class here...Then we headed to Ellen's piso, hung out, made supper (I got to cook! I was super psyched), rented and watched the movie "Crash", then slept in late in the morning (especially since it was daylight savings)...then in the morning we had oatmeal (once again, I was psyched), relaxed, then walked around Jerez a bit, saw Ellen's school where she works, then stopped at a café to try some "jerez" or sherry...I believe they call it "vino de jerez" because it would be weird to ask for a glass of your town...AND I discovered that that area is where all beverages labeled as "sherry" must legally come from...Then we had lunch, and Ellen's housemate Fabi took us to the bus station in her car, yes, her car...what a luxury!
So yes, it was a very good, very relaxing weekend...and now I have class...
So Friday night we had our Noche de chic@s, where the whole school was invited; we had candy, we watched a movie in English (with Spanish subtitles...it was amusing to see how some of the translations just didn't quite capture what the slang terms were after), had pizza from Domino's (not quite like American pizza, but closer than the other "pizza" I have had), then I walked around town and talked with some of the girls...a great night...Also during Friday, Salud had told me that dried fruit is considered a "chuche" or junkfood...dried figs and raisins evidently make you fat and have lots of calories...after lunch I decided to tell her what I remember about caloric contents: 5 figs (from Dole, anyway) are about 130 calories...one "cucharada" (tablespoon, theoretically) of olive oil has 100 calories (and let's just say, she uses a whole lot more than one tablespoon in her cooking!) She was shocked both by the lower than expected caloric content of the figs and the higher than expected caloric content of olive oil...
Saturday: We slept in, relaxed, packed, had lunch, and headed for the bus station to go to Jerez to hang out with Ellen! We got there, the weather was wonderful, we wandered around the city center, stumbled upon another Jesus parade (Ellen asked a lady nearby who told us that it was "Día de Cristo de la Flagelación", which we guessed meant Flogging of Christ Day; sure enough, when we could actually see the "float," there was a depiction of Jesus being flogged) After the parade passed by, we crossed the street and checked out the cathedral there...I guess it was a barroque style one...perhaps I should've taken the art class here...Then we headed to Ellen's piso, hung out, made supper (I got to cook! I was super psyched), rented and watched the movie "Crash", then slept in late in the morning (especially since it was daylight savings)...then in the morning we had oatmeal (once again, I was psyched), relaxed, then walked around Jerez a bit, saw Ellen's school where she works, then stopped at a café to try some "jerez" or sherry...I believe they call it "vino de jerez" because it would be weird to ask for a glass of your town...AND I discovered that that area is where all beverages labeled as "sherry" must legally come from...Then we had lunch, and Ellen's housemate Fabi took us to the bus station in her car, yes, her car...what a luxury!
So yes, it was a very good, very relaxing weekend...and now I have class...
Friday, October 23, 2009
"Jesús la muerte venció, él la muerte venció"...y más...
Yay, it's Friday! Tests are done (they went well, I think), and tonight is girls'/guys' night, which really just means that they're having a movie and pizza and we can all come and hang out...
Random thing I have recently learned: vegetables just make you pee...or at least that's what Salud believes...Ever since she discovered that vegetables are some of the things that I will eat in large quantities, she has been preparing heinous amounts of them for me...when I try to tell her that I'm full, she says "but that's nothing; that's just number one, ¿me entiendes?" I try and explain about the physical space limitations of my stomach, and that vegetables do take up space; she seems surprised and doesn't really believe me. So then, to appease her, I'll try and eat more of the salads...then she'll yell at me and say "if you're full, don't eat anymore!" (even though, just moments before, she has yelled at me "eat it all! I made all of it for you. You're the only one who eats it and I'll just have to throw it away. What a shame..." and so tries to guilt me into eating more) Last night was one such scenario (it has happened a number of times though); she told me to at least eat the shrimp that was in the salad, so I went to start getting the shrimp pieces out of the salad bowl, and she yelled at me, and then took the bowl away and was mumbling something that I couldn't catch...so I asked Karla what Salud had said and she told me, "she says she'll feel guilty if you get sick"...Kind of amusing...but yes, this is just a typical dinner dilemma, a scenario that has already been repeated many times and will continue to be repeated...I think that since she thinks that vegetables really are just "número uno" that they don't count and that you can therefore just eat unlimited amounts of them with no problem...¡ay, qué problema!
Hmm, what else? Oh, so last night I watched the movie "Flyboys" on tv with Salud. It was a good movie, but I think I'll have to watch it again in English to catch all of it...but, that being said, it was good enough to merit a second watching in English, so I would definitely recommend it...except that it's kind of gory and violent since it IS about WWI...you have been warned...
Also, I have recently been introduced to a wonderful, wonderful candy; I had mentioned to Salud that I like anise flavored stuff (aka black licorice)...so, one night she whipped out some little hard candies from some secret drawer that she has...I put the candy in my mouth, and lo and behold, it was anise flavored! So good...It's all the wonderfulness of black licorice, but it lasts longer!!! So, I headed over to my favorite little candy store last night and got a few (I also got a few figs, cuz those are also just too good), and now I can enjoy them at my leisure...yumm...I will have to stock up for my return to the States...
To wrap up, I will post a few of the lyrics from some of the praise songs we sang at Encuentro on Wednesday night...
"Te alabaré, te glorificaré, te alabaré, mi buen Jesús..."
"Jesús la muerte venció, él la muerte venció..."
Those couple of phrases get stuck in my head sometimes, so I just thought I would share them with you...they're good ones to have stuck in your head though, I must admit...
Well, que tengan un buen fin de semana! I'm off to Jerez tomorrow/Sunday with the other NWC students to go visit Ellen!! Yay! Should be amazing!
Random thing I have recently learned: vegetables just make you pee...or at least that's what Salud believes...Ever since she discovered that vegetables are some of the things that I will eat in large quantities, she has been preparing heinous amounts of them for me...when I try to tell her that I'm full, she says "but that's nothing; that's just number one, ¿me entiendes?" I try and explain about the physical space limitations of my stomach, and that vegetables do take up space; she seems surprised and doesn't really believe me. So then, to appease her, I'll try and eat more of the salads...then she'll yell at me and say "if you're full, don't eat anymore!" (even though, just moments before, she has yelled at me "eat it all! I made all of it for you. You're the only one who eats it and I'll just have to throw it away. What a shame..." and so tries to guilt me into eating more) Last night was one such scenario (it has happened a number of times though); she told me to at least eat the shrimp that was in the salad, so I went to start getting the shrimp pieces out of the salad bowl, and she yelled at me, and then took the bowl away and was mumbling something that I couldn't catch...so I asked Karla what Salud had said and she told me, "she says she'll feel guilty if you get sick"...Kind of amusing...but yes, this is just a typical dinner dilemma, a scenario that has already been repeated many times and will continue to be repeated...I think that since she thinks that vegetables really are just "número uno" that they don't count and that you can therefore just eat unlimited amounts of them with no problem...¡ay, qué problema!
Hmm, what else? Oh, so last night I watched the movie "Flyboys" on tv with Salud. It was a good movie, but I think I'll have to watch it again in English to catch all of it...but, that being said, it was good enough to merit a second watching in English, so I would definitely recommend it...except that it's kind of gory and violent since it IS about WWI...you have been warned...
Also, I have recently been introduced to a wonderful, wonderful candy; I had mentioned to Salud that I like anise flavored stuff (aka black licorice)...so, one night she whipped out some little hard candies from some secret drawer that she has...I put the candy in my mouth, and lo and behold, it was anise flavored! So good...It's all the wonderfulness of black licorice, but it lasts longer!!! So, I headed over to my favorite little candy store last night and got a few (I also got a few figs, cuz those are also just too good), and now I can enjoy them at my leisure...yumm...I will have to stock up for my return to the States...
To wrap up, I will post a few of the lyrics from some of the praise songs we sang at Encuentro on Wednesday night...
"Te alabaré, te glorificaré, te alabaré, mi buen Jesús..."
"Jesús la muerte venció, él la muerte venció..."
Those couple of phrases get stuck in my head sometimes, so I just thought I would share them with you...they're good ones to have stuck in your head though, I must admit...
Well, que tengan un buen fin de semana! I'm off to Jerez tomorrow/Sunday with the other NWC students to go visit Ellen!! Yay! Should be amazing!
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Observations
*note: "caqui" is indeed a persimmon, meaning that the other day I ate a persimmon...it was good!
1. Spain has an obesity problem too...I watched a special on it on TV last night with Salud; they said they're going to end up like the US; I was thinking, you're already there!
2. Spaniards are BLUNT; on that same program, I was stunned/shocked/startled/taken aback by the fact that they would walk up to larger people on the street and just be like "hi. how much do you weigh?" then stick the mic in their face...and they would ANSWER! They would then proceed, on national television, to ask "So why have you gotten fat lately?"....and once again, they would ANSWER!! You just don't do that in the States...I felt especially bad for the young girl that they showed...they kept asking her parents about why she's fat...and it's like, isn't that horrible for her to be hearing this whole thing??
3. Whereas in Iowa during the fall you see plenty of rotten apples on the ground, in Spain you see rotten oranges...a very strange sight indeed...
4. I have two tests today and should probably study for them...
The end...
1. Spain has an obesity problem too...I watched a special on it on TV last night with Salud; they said they're going to end up like the US; I was thinking, you're already there!
2. Spaniards are BLUNT; on that same program, I was stunned/shocked/startled/taken aback by the fact that they would walk up to larger people on the street and just be like "hi. how much do you weigh?" then stick the mic in their face...and they would ANSWER! They would then proceed, on national television, to ask "So why have you gotten fat lately?"....and once again, they would ANSWER!! You just don't do that in the States...I felt especially bad for the young girl that they showed...they kept asking her parents about why she's fat...and it's like, isn't that horrible for her to be hearing this whole thing??
3. Whereas in Iowa during the fall you see plenty of rotten apples on the ground, in Spain you see rotten oranges...a very strange sight indeed...
4. I have two tests today and should probably study for them...
The end...
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
The one with the cumpleaños
I decided to try "Friends"-style naming for my post today...if you've never watched that series so as to see that each episode is named something with "The one with/about...", you should...I think I owe that knowledge to my freshman year roommate who purchased the entire series; I believe we got through it at least twice...good times...
Anyway, to the present...
So yesterday was Salud's birthday...it was so cute...we told her "happy birthday" (or rather, "feliz cumpleaños") in the morning and she was just loving it, and when I got back from school before lunch time, I found her in the kitchen, but she was all dolled up; she'd even straightened her hair! (she said at supper that it's the one time during the year that she will do it; just once during the year is all she's willing to do because it takes so much time...it was fairly amusing) She made us a HUGE lunch to celebrate, but she herself was going out to lunch with her daughter and son-in-law...We had a "pizza" each...(for real, she feeds us too much! it's a blessing and a curse) plus there was the salad (that neither of us touched); she bought "langostinas" which are, according to Salud, "expensive in my country; I don't know about in your country, but in my country, they're expensive"...They looked like giant shrimp, but did not taste shrimpy at all...I later looked it up in my little handy dandy phrase book and found that I had eaten two crayfish along with my pizza at lunch...they're pretty good and I would have to recommend them...AND besides this, she had a can of Coke for Karla (she loves the stuff) and a can of some sort of orange pop that had 8% fruit juice, so I guess it supposedly was "healthy" so supposedly I would drink it...112kCal of liquid? Thank you, I think not...But, she had taken the time to put little lime halves in some fancy glasses for us to go with our pop, so I went ahead and used the fancy cup (and both limes) with some water because I didn't want to waste all her efforts...Oh, and then there were two little mandarinas (aka tiny oranges)...so yeah, LOTS of food!
Then, as Salud was gone for most of the rest of the "afternoon", I tried to finish knitting a scarf for her, because I thought she might like it (we sit and knit and watch TV together fairly often; I feel like I'm an old lady or something...but at least it's nice that we have something fun in common like that...); I did not finish the scarf even though I spent plenty of time knitting yesterday, but it's definitely close and I think I can finish it up today...hopefully...THEN, when she finally got back at 9:30pm...we went out for dinner...we went to a cute restaurant/bar that was a couple of blocks away, and we got tapa-sized portions and beverages...there were olives as an appetizer, but they were the super salty kind like you can get in the states, and Salud didn't much care for them, and I was like, this is what olives usually taste like! (not that I'm a big fan of green olives back home either...) But yeah, it was a fun time...then when we got home, Salud made us eat fruit, but she had purchased what she called "caqui" or something to that effect...which I think was a persimmon, since I had seen some of them on the way to school and they looked about right...I'll have to do some Google-ing in a moment...Whatever it was, it was good...
Another random story, which actually does relate right here because after the mystery fruit we got a taste of the next batch of membrillo...Membrillo is evidently called "quince" in English, not that I'd ever seen one before...it's like a super hard, not that good, apple...So you cook it up and make it into a jelly type stuff called "dulce de membrillo"...Well, Salud likes to make at least one batch every year so her girls can try it...so she made her one batch and I tried some and I was like "yeah, it's good, I like it...I can't describe the taste because it's different from anything I've had before"...It was kind of akin to apple butter, which makes sense, but still it was a bit different...but good...So anyway, I would put that on my toast in the mornings every once in a while...So, this whole process of making the dulce de membrillo is a TON of work, so Salud only does it once a year, right? So, she's like, well, since my Sarah likes it so much, I'm making another batch since you can't get it at home! I wouldn't want you to run out!! So, she threw out what was left of the strawberry jam and was like "jam you can get in your country; membrillo, no"...so now I'm going to have lots of "dulce de membrillo", which, although I did indeed like, I would've been fine with one batch...Oh heavens...gotta love Salud...If she thinks you like it, you're going to end up eating LOTS of it!!
Anyway, to the present...
So yesterday was Salud's birthday...it was so cute...we told her "happy birthday" (or rather, "feliz cumpleaños") in the morning and she was just loving it, and when I got back from school before lunch time, I found her in the kitchen, but she was all dolled up; she'd even straightened her hair! (she said at supper that it's the one time during the year that she will do it; just once during the year is all she's willing to do because it takes so much time...it was fairly amusing) She made us a HUGE lunch to celebrate, but she herself was going out to lunch with her daughter and son-in-law...We had a "pizza" each...(for real, she feeds us too much! it's a blessing and a curse) plus there was the salad (that neither of us touched); she bought "langostinas" which are, according to Salud, "expensive in my country; I don't know about in your country, but in my country, they're expensive"...They looked like giant shrimp, but did not taste shrimpy at all...I later looked it up in my little handy dandy phrase book and found that I had eaten two crayfish along with my pizza at lunch...they're pretty good and I would have to recommend them...AND besides this, she had a can of Coke for Karla (she loves the stuff) and a can of some sort of orange pop that had 8% fruit juice, so I guess it supposedly was "healthy" so supposedly I would drink it...112kCal of liquid? Thank you, I think not...But, she had taken the time to put little lime halves in some fancy glasses for us to go with our pop, so I went ahead and used the fancy cup (and both limes) with some water because I didn't want to waste all her efforts...Oh, and then there were two little mandarinas (aka tiny oranges)...so yeah, LOTS of food!
Then, as Salud was gone for most of the rest of the "afternoon", I tried to finish knitting a scarf for her, because I thought she might like it (we sit and knit and watch TV together fairly often; I feel like I'm an old lady or something...but at least it's nice that we have something fun in common like that...); I did not finish the scarf even though I spent plenty of time knitting yesterday, but it's definitely close and I think I can finish it up today...hopefully...THEN, when she finally got back at 9:30pm...we went out for dinner...we went to a cute restaurant/bar that was a couple of blocks away, and we got tapa-sized portions and beverages...there were olives as an appetizer, but they were the super salty kind like you can get in the states, and Salud didn't much care for them, and I was like, this is what olives usually taste like! (not that I'm a big fan of green olives back home either...) But yeah, it was a fun time...then when we got home, Salud made us eat fruit, but she had purchased what she called "caqui" or something to that effect...which I think was a persimmon, since I had seen some of them on the way to school and they looked about right...I'll have to do some Google-ing in a moment...Whatever it was, it was good...
Another random story, which actually does relate right here because after the mystery fruit we got a taste of the next batch of membrillo...Membrillo is evidently called "quince" in English, not that I'd ever seen one before...it's like a super hard, not that good, apple...So you cook it up and make it into a jelly type stuff called "dulce de membrillo"...Well, Salud likes to make at least one batch every year so her girls can try it...so she made her one batch and I tried some and I was like "yeah, it's good, I like it...I can't describe the taste because it's different from anything I've had before"...It was kind of akin to apple butter, which makes sense, but still it was a bit different...but good...So anyway, I would put that on my toast in the mornings every once in a while...So, this whole process of making the dulce de membrillo is a TON of work, so Salud only does it once a year, right? So, she's like, well, since my Sarah likes it so much, I'm making another batch since you can't get it at home! I wouldn't want you to run out!! So, she threw out what was left of the strawberry jam and was like "jam you can get in your country; membrillo, no"...so now I'm going to have lots of "dulce de membrillo", which, although I did indeed like, I would've been fine with one batch...Oh heavens...gotta love Salud...If she thinks you like it, you're going to end up eating LOTS of it!!
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Al azar
I think that the title of this post means "random" in Spanish...but I'm not 100% on that...
So yeah, not a lot new since yesterday...This week we're going to have two tests and I'm not particularly excited for that, but it does mean that we're at the halfway point for the semester, so that's good news...Oh, but we also have another noche de chicas on Friday, and that should be fun and amazing...
Yesterday...hmm...I spent like 7€ on 4 postcards and 7 stamps (I had purchased 3 postcards earlier; I am not that bad with math)...that is about $10 or more...that's a lot...pretty sure that those will be the only postcards I send while here in Spain...Then I went and met with the girls who I'll be spending the week-long break with, and we figured out hostel/hotel/train info and got all the necessary purchases made...I owe one 140€ and the other 14€; exchange rate is about 1.5 dollars to the euro...Europe is expensive...BUT, I have reasoned with myself, this is the cheapest I could ever do a trip to Barcelona and Ireland in my life...any other time I would have to purchase flights from the US which would significantly up the costs...so, this is a good deal...I have to keep reminding myself...Also yesterday, I was eating pasta...I had some saucy noodles on my fork...then they dropped, because they were saucy and wobbly both...and I had sauce splattered all over me and I felt like I was about 3 years old...*sigh*
But, today is Salud's birthday! Yay! Karla and I are going to take her out for dinner since we want to do something special for this crazy-amazing lady who is inviting us into her home and treating us like we're her daughters...Salud also has been really into the idea of going to a movie with us, pretty much since we got here, so we'll need to do that sometime too as part of the birthday deal...it should be fun!!
Well, not much else is new...y'all should post comments and tell me what's new in life...that would be fun and exciting and you know you want to... :)
So yeah, not a lot new since yesterday...This week we're going to have two tests and I'm not particularly excited for that, but it does mean that we're at the halfway point for the semester, so that's good news...Oh, but we also have another noche de chicas on Friday, and that should be fun and amazing...
Yesterday...hmm...I spent like 7€ on 4 postcards and 7 stamps (I had purchased 3 postcards earlier; I am not that bad with math)...that is about $10 or more...that's a lot...pretty sure that those will be the only postcards I send while here in Spain...Then I went and met with the girls who I'll be spending the week-long break with, and we figured out hostel/hotel/train info and got all the necessary purchases made...I owe one 140€ and the other 14€; exchange rate is about 1.5 dollars to the euro...Europe is expensive...BUT, I have reasoned with myself, this is the cheapest I could ever do a trip to Barcelona and Ireland in my life...any other time I would have to purchase flights from the US which would significantly up the costs...so, this is a good deal...I have to keep reminding myself...Also yesterday, I was eating pasta...I had some saucy noodles on my fork...then they dropped, because they were saucy and wobbly both...and I had sauce splattered all over me and I felt like I was about 3 years old...*sigh*
But, today is Salud's birthday! Yay! Karla and I are going to take her out for dinner since we want to do something special for this crazy-amazing lady who is inviting us into her home and treating us like we're her daughters...Salud also has been really into the idea of going to a movie with us, pretty much since we got here, so we'll need to do that sometime too as part of the birthday deal...it should be fun!!
Well, not much else is new...y'all should post comments and tell me what's new in life...that would be fun and exciting and you know you want to... :)
Monday, October 19, 2009
Toledo and windmills
So, last week we went on a little excursion to Toledo (which is about a 6hr busride away). The ride was long and started at about 6:30am (Spain happens to be absolutely dead at that hour, even though we're living in a pretty big city...it was creepy and oniric---trying to use one of the words I've learned in class...); most of us slept for the first bit, at least until it got light out, then we could look at the beautiful landscape...Spain is gorgeous! (well, some of it, at least)
Then, we stopped at the Don Quixote windmills...I was pretty psyched...I mean, these are the Don Quixote windmills! THE Don Quixote windmills...how much more quintessentially Spanish can you get?? So we all took lots of pictures of the windmills, of us and the windmills, etc...then some of us checked out the little shop that was inside one of them, and of course we had to buy some souvenirs from THE Don Quixote windmills; the nice ladies told us that we could go up and check out the upper levels...it was pretty little, and the stairs were kind of scary (especially coming back down), but it was a pretty cool view out of the little windows...then, back to the bus...
We got to Toledo, and this is like castle/medieval looking town like none other...I loved the look of the city! Unfortunately, as it is all like old and such, the streets are horribly tiny, winding, and steep, and our tourbus was not getting along with them very well...there were a few close calls, but we eventually did make it to our hotel, which was a cute little place. The school gave us roommates who were not our roommates in Sevilla, so we all got to mix it up a little; the rooms were very nice, and I will have to get some pics up, but I didn't bring my camera today...they're on Facebook though if you can access that...
Then we checked out a church with a painting by El Greco---amazing! And, because we had tour guides who know a thing or two about art, we got a much better understanding and appreciation for the painting than we otherwise would have had...Then we checked out a monastery that Ferdinand and Isabella had made for their burial, but then didn't end up being buried there after all...lots of propaganda in the decor...(which, again, i wouldn't have understood had we not had the professors giving us the tour) Then, shopping...Toledo is known for swordmaking...pretty much all swords used by armies for ceremonial purposes are made there...even non-military swords are made there, like the ones used for Lord of the Rings (yes, it's true)...I, however, did not purchase a sword (although lots of other students did...but really, what good is a sword going to do? It'll just collect dust...) What I was surprised to learn is that Toledo is also known for....marzipan!! Yum! Had to sample it to make sure that it was good stuff, and it was...I even helped introduce a few classmates to it, since they'd never heard of it...how that's even possible, I don't know...Then, I had an extremely overpriced "supper"...beh...tourist towns...
The next day we checked out the giant cathedral, which was pretty sweet...then more free time, so we explored, took pictures, and shopped a bit....I had some churros con chocolate for my lunch...it was my first experience with the stuff, and it was good, although not what I had expected...the "chocolate" was just a tad thicker than hot chocolate back in the states...it was good, since the weather was much colder in Toledo, but not something that I think I'll probably be repeating much...Yeah...then another 6hr busride...then a very laid-back weekend...
Yeah, I'm pretty much out of time...Have a great week!
Then, we stopped at the Don Quixote windmills...I was pretty psyched...I mean, these are the Don Quixote windmills! THE Don Quixote windmills...how much more quintessentially Spanish can you get?? So we all took lots of pictures of the windmills, of us and the windmills, etc...then some of us checked out the little shop that was inside one of them, and of course we had to buy some souvenirs from THE Don Quixote windmills; the nice ladies told us that we could go up and check out the upper levels...it was pretty little, and the stairs were kind of scary (especially coming back down), but it was a pretty cool view out of the little windows...then, back to the bus...
We got to Toledo, and this is like castle/medieval looking town like none other...I loved the look of the city! Unfortunately, as it is all like old and such, the streets are horribly tiny, winding, and steep, and our tourbus was not getting along with them very well...there were a few close calls, but we eventually did make it to our hotel, which was a cute little place. The school gave us roommates who were not our roommates in Sevilla, so we all got to mix it up a little; the rooms were very nice, and I will have to get some pics up, but I didn't bring my camera today...they're on Facebook though if you can access that...
Then we checked out a church with a painting by El Greco---amazing! And, because we had tour guides who know a thing or two about art, we got a much better understanding and appreciation for the painting than we otherwise would have had...Then we checked out a monastery that Ferdinand and Isabella had made for their burial, but then didn't end up being buried there after all...lots of propaganda in the decor...(which, again, i wouldn't have understood had we not had the professors giving us the tour) Then, shopping...Toledo is known for swordmaking...pretty much all swords used by armies for ceremonial purposes are made there...even non-military swords are made there, like the ones used for Lord of the Rings (yes, it's true)...I, however, did not purchase a sword (although lots of other students did...but really, what good is a sword going to do? It'll just collect dust...) What I was surprised to learn is that Toledo is also known for....marzipan!! Yum! Had to sample it to make sure that it was good stuff, and it was...I even helped introduce a few classmates to it, since they'd never heard of it...how that's even possible, I don't know...Then, I had an extremely overpriced "supper"...beh...tourist towns...
The next day we checked out the giant cathedral, which was pretty sweet...then more free time, so we explored, took pictures, and shopped a bit....I had some churros con chocolate for my lunch...it was my first experience with the stuff, and it was good, although not what I had expected...the "chocolate" was just a tad thicker than hot chocolate back in the states...it was good, since the weather was much colder in Toledo, but not something that I think I'll probably be repeating much...Yeah...then another 6hr busride...then a very laid-back weekend...
Yeah, I'm pretty much out of time...Have a great week!
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
You get what you pay for...
So, yes, it's story time...
So, I have an overnight trip to Toledo coming up (tomorrow) and a week-long break that starts at the end of the month, and silly me, I didn't think Europeans used backpacks and that bringing one would clearly label me as an American, so I didn't bring one...Well, Europeans use backpacks all the time...and I'm going to need one when I go on these trips that I've mentioned...so yesterday I decided to go get a cheap backpack for these purposes...
But, since I'm only going to be using the backpack for like 2 months here in Spain, I didn't want to fork over too much for one...So, naturally I went to a chino...Let me explain...In Spain, there are "chinos" everywhere: they are stores full of cheap stuff that is of cheap quality, generally run by someone of Asian descent (Chinese? perhaps...but then again Spaniards pretty much just use three classifications for anyone who is non-Spaniard, or so I've heard: negro [anyone whose skin is black], chino [anyone who looks like they are Asian], and guiri [everyone else]) So yes, a little culture lesson for the day... (I, obviously, would be considered a "guiri")...So, anyway, I stopped by a chino yesterday on the way home from school and found a backpack that looked to be about the size I was thinking of, and it was 7,80€, which was a price I was willing to pay...pretty cheap...so I took it back to the apartment and got it all ready to go: adjusted the straps, took the tags off, checked out all the pockets, etc...
So today, I decided to take it to school with me because then I could bring my computer but it wouldn't be as big of a pain (since it was a backpack instead of an over-one-shoulder-type bag)...So, I'm walking out of the apartment and am in the hall of the building and I decide I should try to tighten the straps to make it a bit comfier...so I pull on one strap...*POP!* the stupid little plastic thinger that allows the straps to be adjusted just up and broke on me! I had thoughts, in Spanish, and I believe they contained bad words...I was not happy, and I hadn't even made it out the door of the building ONCE with the backpack...and I thought to myself, "You get what you pay for..."
The end... (except for the walking to school trying to hold the strap together with my hand and pretty much having my hand cramp up from the effort...I believe it's a 25-30 minute walk...)
So yeah, not a great start to the day, but hopefully I can fix the darned bag when I get back (I brought a sewing kit along...), and hopefully classes go well, and hopefully Toledo is good tomorrow and Friday, and hopefully we do something fun and relaxing this weekend...(like a trip to Jerez...Ellen, what are your plans for the weekend??)
So, I have an overnight trip to Toledo coming up (tomorrow) and a week-long break that starts at the end of the month, and silly me, I didn't think Europeans used backpacks and that bringing one would clearly label me as an American, so I didn't bring one...Well, Europeans use backpacks all the time...and I'm going to need one when I go on these trips that I've mentioned...so yesterday I decided to go get a cheap backpack for these purposes...
But, since I'm only going to be using the backpack for like 2 months here in Spain, I didn't want to fork over too much for one...So, naturally I went to a chino...Let me explain...In Spain, there are "chinos" everywhere: they are stores full of cheap stuff that is of cheap quality, generally run by someone of Asian descent (Chinese? perhaps...but then again Spaniards pretty much just use three classifications for anyone who is non-Spaniard, or so I've heard: negro [anyone whose skin is black], chino [anyone who looks like they are Asian], and guiri [everyone else]) So yes, a little culture lesson for the day... (I, obviously, would be considered a "guiri")...So, anyway, I stopped by a chino yesterday on the way home from school and found a backpack that looked to be about the size I was thinking of, and it was 7,80€, which was a price I was willing to pay...pretty cheap...so I took it back to the apartment and got it all ready to go: adjusted the straps, took the tags off, checked out all the pockets, etc...
So today, I decided to take it to school with me because then I could bring my computer but it wouldn't be as big of a pain (since it was a backpack instead of an over-one-shoulder-type bag)...So, I'm walking out of the apartment and am in the hall of the building and I decide I should try to tighten the straps to make it a bit comfier...so I pull on one strap...*POP!* the stupid little plastic thinger that allows the straps to be adjusted just up and broke on me! I had thoughts, in Spanish, and I believe they contained bad words...I was not happy, and I hadn't even made it out the door of the building ONCE with the backpack...and I thought to myself, "You get what you pay for..."
The end... (except for the walking to school trying to hold the strap together with my hand and pretty much having my hand cramp up from the effort...I believe it's a 25-30 minute walk...)
So yeah, not a great start to the day, but hopefully I can fix the darned bag when I get back (I brought a sewing kit along...), and hopefully classes go well, and hopefully Toledo is good tomorrow and Friday, and hopefully we do something fun and relaxing this weekend...(like a trip to Jerez...Ellen, what are your plans for the weekend??)
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
um...yeah...
I am in the process of trying to upload photos both on facebook and on picasa...hopefully one or the other will succeed if not both...we shall see...
So, Sunday was pretty laid back, yesterday I went to the park and then did some homework, today and tomorrow are school, Thursday and Friday are Toledo, and hopefully the windmills...yay!!
Check out the new pics...
http://picasaweb.google.com/sarahloveseric/Spain
So, Sunday was pretty laid back, yesterday I went to the park and then did some homework, today and tomorrow are school, Thursday and Friday are Toledo, and hopefully the windmills...yay!!
Check out the new pics...
http://picasaweb.google.com/sarahloveseric/Spain
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Another post on a Saturday...
So...these pictures did NOT load in the order I wanted, but my battery is dying...so I'll deal...
View of the cool towery things by the Triana bridge...
Different view of the river since we were on the other bridge this morning...we decided it was a good day to explore and shop...
We went to the Triana Market, and this is a fairly typical Spanish sight: pig legs just hanging around...
There were vegetables hanging too...I was amused...lots of things were suspended from the ceiling...
There were a LOT of fruit stands with a LOT of fruit! Some kinds of fruit/veggies we couldn't even recognize...it was a fun little adventure...
And finally, the picture that was supposed to be first: Mercado de Triana...Triana Market...
View of the cool towery things by the Triana bridge...
Different view of the river since we were on the other bridge this morning...we decided it was a good day to explore and shop...
We went to the Triana Market, and this is a fairly typical Spanish sight: pig legs just hanging around...
There were vegetables hanging too...I was amused...lots of things were suspended from the ceiling...
There were a LOT of fruit stands with a LOT of fruit! Some kinds of fruit/veggies we couldn't even recognize...it was a fun little adventure...
And finally, the picture that was supposed to be first: Mercado de Triana...Triana Market...Yay...hope y'all have a great weekend...it's gonna be a nice long weekend for me, so perhaps I'll get online Monday, perhaps not...
You should leave me comments to read...that would be fun...
:)
Que Dios les bendiga...
Friday, October 9, 2009
( )
Yup, so yesterday was good...I met with my Intercambio gal, and we had a nice chat...but then my brain decided that Spanish was just too much work, and I got super tired and we called it a day...but we're going to try to meet once a week, so that will be good...
Um, it's Friday...I'm excited about that...a couple of us gals are heading to some culture fair thing that's going on in some part of the main "Centro" area, so that will hopefully be interesting...perhaps a good souvenir-buying time...
Um, other than that, I pretty much just don't want to do classes or homework anymore...thank goodness that we've only got two days of class next week! (Monday's a holiday, Thursday/Friday the school is going to Toledo)
...can't think of any random/funny stories that I was going to tell...so...hope you all have a great weekend!
Um, it's Friday...I'm excited about that...a couple of us gals are heading to some culture fair thing that's going on in some part of the main "Centro" area, so that will hopefully be interesting...perhaps a good souvenir-buying time...
Um, other than that, I pretty much just don't want to do classes or homework anymore...thank goodness that we've only got two days of class next week! (Monday's a holiday, Thursday/Friday the school is going to Toledo)
...can't think of any random/funny stories that I was going to tell...so...hope you all have a great weekend!
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Yay, what a day...
So yesterday afternoon was pretty sweet...the morning, not so much, but the afternoon, yes... (oh, and I think my theater test went ok)
So after my siesta (gotta love those) I went to meet up with my prayer group; we had decided on meeting at a café called Pans & Co., which is right below the school...they have this deal where you get a coffee and either a croissant or two cookies for 1,75€, which is a pretty good deal compared with everything else in Spain...so I got the coffee (an Americano, so that it wasn't so horribly strong...and being an Americana myself, I figured it was pretty fitting) and the croissant (last one!) which was utterly delicious and flaky and had honey...yummmm...prayer group time was really good too, even if it was more of a "be there for each other and hear what's going on in everyone's lives" time...
Then I bought some sweet jewelry from the nice African man who had set up shop on the sidewalk by our table...The jewelry is for you, Mom, so I won't say exactly what I purchased... :) Then Danielle, one of the girls in the group, and I went looking around the main shopping area; then she went to Encuentro while I headed to the school to purchase plane tickets before they got any more expensive...then uploaded pics to facebook...check them out: they're in the album labeled "España." Then I had a lovely chat with the secretary about linguistic differences and accents and such, and then I was talking with another girl from the program who was wondering if we could do a Bible study during the remainder of the semester...Then I got back, and there was "pizza" for supper...What a day!!
And today, I'm supposed to meet with my intercambio--who's like my selected Spanish friend (I think I picked up that phrase from someone else's blog...probably from Karla's...thanks for the phrase...I liked it)...We're meeting at McDonalds which is basically right below the school as well...
Now, I should do some homework or something...
So after my siesta (gotta love those) I went to meet up with my prayer group; we had decided on meeting at a café called Pans & Co., which is right below the school...they have this deal where you get a coffee and either a croissant or two cookies for 1,75€, which is a pretty good deal compared with everything else in Spain...so I got the coffee (an Americano, so that it wasn't so horribly strong...and being an Americana myself, I figured it was pretty fitting) and the croissant (last one!) which was utterly delicious and flaky and had honey...yummmm...prayer group time was really good too, even if it was more of a "be there for each other and hear what's going on in everyone's lives" time...
Then I bought some sweet jewelry from the nice African man who had set up shop on the sidewalk by our table...The jewelry is for you, Mom, so I won't say exactly what I purchased... :) Then Danielle, one of the girls in the group, and I went looking around the main shopping area; then she went to Encuentro while I headed to the school to purchase plane tickets before they got any more expensive...then uploaded pics to facebook...check them out: they're in the album labeled "España." Then I had a lovely chat with the secretary about linguistic differences and accents and such, and then I was talking with another girl from the program who was wondering if we could do a Bible study during the remainder of the semester...Then I got back, and there was "pizza" for supper...What a day!!
And today, I'm supposed to meet with my intercambio--who's like my selected Spanish friend (I think I picked up that phrase from someone else's blog...probably from Karla's...thanks for the phrase...I liked it)...We're meeting at McDonalds which is basically right below the school as well...
Now, I should do some homework or something...
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Wednesday...half way through the week...
I have a test today...I don't want to...but I really don't have a choice in the matter, do I? :( It will all be over soon though...
I am excited for the weekend though...we're planning a "Sevilla weekend", sort of...We'll check out different like Roman ruin type things one day, and probably just having a shopping day the other...plus, it's a three-day weekend, so we'll have extra time to explore, but we're not quite sure what all the holiday entails, so there is the chance that absolutely nothing will be open and/or nothing will be going on...hmm...
Yup, it's going to be a really short post today, because I really don't have much to say!
Take care!
So, I thought of a random story, so I decided to add it:
Yesterday, well, it was just plain a bad hair day, but I was in a bad mood, so it seemed fitting...I had gone all through the school day very much aware of my bad hair day; I was playing with it and hiding behind it and such, because I figured it really didn't matter--it couldn't get much worse...I walked home thinking about how bad my hair looked, but I was like, oh well, it doesn't matter, it's not like I'm doing anything today...So I get back to the apartment and I say hi to Salud, and she's like "oh, nena-- ¡qué bonito es tu pelo! ¿usaste espuma?" ("oh hun, your hair is so cute today! Did you use mousse? *we've had discussions about hair products before*) I explained that no, I am still just using gel, and she's like "oh, pues, está muy bonito hoy, pero el otro día no" ("well, your hair is definitely cute today, much better than that other day" *thanks for reminding me of that*)...so, what I consider as an awful hair day, Salud considers very cute...hmm...
I am excited for the weekend though...we're planning a "Sevilla weekend", sort of...We'll check out different like Roman ruin type things one day, and probably just having a shopping day the other...plus, it's a three-day weekend, so we'll have extra time to explore, but we're not quite sure what all the holiday entails, so there is the chance that absolutely nothing will be open and/or nothing will be going on...hmm...
Yup, it's going to be a really short post today, because I really don't have much to say!
Take care!
So, I thought of a random story, so I decided to add it:
Yesterday, well, it was just plain a bad hair day, but I was in a bad mood, so it seemed fitting...I had gone all through the school day very much aware of my bad hair day; I was playing with it and hiding behind it and such, because I figured it really didn't matter--it couldn't get much worse...I walked home thinking about how bad my hair looked, but I was like, oh well, it doesn't matter, it's not like I'm doing anything today...So I get back to the apartment and I say hi to Salud, and she's like "oh, nena-- ¡qué bonito es tu pelo! ¿usaste espuma?" ("oh hun, your hair is so cute today! Did you use mousse? *we've had discussions about hair products before*) I explained that no, I am still just using gel, and she's like "oh, pues, está muy bonito hoy, pero el otro día no" ("well, your hair is definitely cute today, much better than that other day" *thanks for reminding me of that*)...so, what I consider as an awful hair day, Salud considers very cute...hmm...
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
The Foods of Spain
I don't have anything particularly significant to say today, so I think I will take this time to comment on Spanish cuisine...
Until tomorrow...
¡Que Dios les bendiga!
- Olive oil: a very essential element in the Spanish diet; it's in nearly all the dishes, except for perhaps the bread...but they take care of that by dipping the bread in the oil that goozes out of their salads or fried eggs or fried potatoes or fried chicken or fried fish...or that they pour over their tomatoes. Back in the day, I used to think olive oil was like cool and special...I have now consumed more olive oil in a few short weeks than I probably had in the 21 years leading up to this point...it's quite a different perspective...
- Seafood: also a big part of the diet here; much easier to get quality seafood when you're by the Atlantic AND the Mediterranean than when you're stuck in the middle of cornfields. I am enjoying this treat, even though it is usually saturated with olive oil and sometimes fried. However, tentacles are a little bit awkward to eat...I've been able to manage it...my roommate has a much harder time...Squid is pretty delicious and has a good texture, so I just flip the tentacle-y pieces over and pretend they aren't there; my roommate has to do a lot to keep herself from getting sick every time she spots tentacles floating in her soup; eating them is considerably beyond what she can stomach...oh well...what can you do? Also, I have eaten more things that come in the shells that they once lived in during these weeks than I have ever before; it's an awkward experience, especially when you're supposed to slurp them out of their shells...it's just kind of weird...and shrimp, contrary to what I've ever seen in the grocery store or in a restaurant, have heads with eyes and lots of little legs...I knew that they sometimes had tails, but removing those was about the most work I'd ever had to do to eat shrimp before...it's quite different here...BUT it's all high-quality stuff, so I'll manage through the awkward messiness.
- Bread: essential. In fact, that is what our breakfast consists of...Every single day...I thought I would enjoy that...it turns out that I really miss my cereal and my oatmeal and my nice little yogurt cups...and whole grain bread...I think if that could be changed, if we could get whole-grain bread, perhaps the monotony could be a bit more bearable, but it's not really my place to say anything...Besides breakfast, bread is also served with lunch and dinner, but I try to avoid eating too much of it, since simple starches are kind of bad for you in large quantities...my señora has been worried about me since I don't eat bread, so she has gotten trickier and found crunchy little bread-like things that I simply can't resist...not fair...
- The Spain equivalent of macaroni and cheese: fried egg and french fries...evidently this is like the little-kid favorite, comfort-food type thing here....A plate full of fried potatoes (olive oil dripping out from underneath them) topped with a fried egg (also dripping olive oil)...my señora's preference is a runny yoke so that she can sop it up with bread (and getting some olive oil in there too), but that just doesn't seem safe to me...which reminds me...
- Eggs: eggs here do not come in the refrigerated section of supermercados. Oh no. They sit on a shelf, next to the boxes of milk. And, they are HUGE. Like, extra large eggs in the US? Oh no--like turkey eggs or something...they are absolutely massive...and not refrigerated...so between those two things, I'm just rather confused about the eggs here...and why they don't cook the yokes if the gargantuan eggs have never even been refrigerated!?!?
- Legumes: a huge staple in all Mediterranean countries, Spain included. This is bad for me, since I am allergic to legumes. Thank goodness that Salud is like the most amazing señora ever and able to cook me things that don't contain legumes, sometimes even cooking me a separate meal if she's made a classic legume dish for herself and Karla...She really is like the best señora for sure...
Until tomorrow...
¡Que Dios les bendiga!
Monday, October 5, 2009
Jesus parades
So, this weekend:
Saturday--
Went to Huelva, which required like an hour-something drive via bus...Checked out the monastery where Columbus hung out while waiting for the dinero to come in...Checked out the replica ships in the little lake thing...Then booked it over to the beach...I, along with my roommate, was not thrilled about this arrangement. I had come along because I wanted to see where Chris Columbus had hung out; I wasn't that thrilled about the beach in the first place--I certainly didn't want it to be the main attraction of our trip...it was...and I got sunburnt...Salud laughed at me because I pretty much got a farmer's "tan"; she asked me why I hadn't rolled up my sleeves...I'm thinking, for heaven's sake, how much worse would it be if my shoulders had gotten burnt too?! But yeah, it's almost done being burnt...and I think I might have been better off NOT going on the trip...as Karla put it, 4 hours at the beach was overkill...BUT, I did have fun chatting with some other girls, we're trying to make some fun plans for next weekend, and I went seashell hunting...
Yesterday--
Went to church, struggled to stay awake during the service and pay attention, something that is 600x harder to do in your second language...then had to go take a nap before lunch...I also discovered the wonderfulness of the Sudoku application on my phone--I really hope it doesn't charge me for that :S
Both days, we witnessed something essentially Spanish; I'm still not quite sure what they were...I think they were parades for saints on the particular saint's "day", but I swear the first one looked like Jesus, so I think it was a Jesus parade. They get a band all decked out and ready to go, they have a giant box thing with the saint (or Jesus) and candles/trees/paintings, have people walk underneath it to carry it, have people all dressed up in religious garb with ornate pole/cane things, and then just have a whole bunch of other people following them around. I think, from what Karla has gathered from one of the professors, that when it's "your" saint's day, you participate in the saint's parade, and they march all around town starting at like 10pm...or later...I don't really get it, but it's fun to see random little parades that like stop all the traffic on major roads for awhile...oh Spain...
Saturday--
Went to Huelva, which required like an hour-something drive via bus...Checked out the monastery where Columbus hung out while waiting for the dinero to come in...Checked out the replica ships in the little lake thing...Then booked it over to the beach...I, along with my roommate, was not thrilled about this arrangement. I had come along because I wanted to see where Chris Columbus had hung out; I wasn't that thrilled about the beach in the first place--I certainly didn't want it to be the main attraction of our trip...it was...and I got sunburnt...Salud laughed at me because I pretty much got a farmer's "tan"; she asked me why I hadn't rolled up my sleeves...I'm thinking, for heaven's sake, how much worse would it be if my shoulders had gotten burnt too?! But yeah, it's almost done being burnt...and I think I might have been better off NOT going on the trip...as Karla put it, 4 hours at the beach was overkill...BUT, I did have fun chatting with some other girls, we're trying to make some fun plans for next weekend, and I went seashell hunting...
Yesterday--
Went to church, struggled to stay awake during the service and pay attention, something that is 600x harder to do in your second language...then had to go take a nap before lunch...I also discovered the wonderfulness of the Sudoku application on my phone--I really hope it doesn't charge me for that :S
Both days, we witnessed something essentially Spanish; I'm still not quite sure what they were...I think they were parades for saints on the particular saint's "day", but I swear the first one looked like Jesus, so I think it was a Jesus parade. They get a band all decked out and ready to go, they have a giant box thing with the saint (or Jesus) and candles/trees/paintings, have people walk underneath it to carry it, have people all dressed up in religious garb with ornate pole/cane things, and then just have a whole bunch of other people following them around. I think, from what Karla has gathered from one of the professors, that when it's "your" saint's day, you participate in the saint's parade, and they march all around town starting at like 10pm...or later...I don't really get it, but it's fun to see random little parades that like stop all the traffic on major roads for awhile...oh Spain...
Friday, October 2, 2009
Yay Friday
So, it's Friday...yay!!
I have a presentation today...unfortunately it is for my last class so I have to sit through the other classes just thinking about how I have this stupid thing coming up... :( Oh well, at least it will be over after today! Then it won't be able to hang over me, reminding me of its necessity and importance...And, after this, I'll only have one more presentation left in the semester in ANY class, which will be quite nice...Oh, and since it's on typical foods, we bought some olives, with pits, to share with the class during the presentation...that should be a nice bonus for the class... :)
And, to make sure that I didn't stress out too much, I stopped at the candy store today on my way to school and stocked up on black licorice...I got like 6 different kinds...yum, black licorice!
So, tomorrow is Huelva, today is presentation followed by naptime, and Sunday will be church and relax time...and then Monday I will try and update on new things...there's really not much else to say...
Enjoy the weekend!
I have a presentation today...unfortunately it is for my last class so I have to sit through the other classes just thinking about how I have this stupid thing coming up... :( Oh well, at least it will be over after today! Then it won't be able to hang over me, reminding me of its necessity and importance...And, after this, I'll only have one more presentation left in the semester in ANY class, which will be quite nice...Oh, and since it's on typical foods, we bought some olives, with pits, to share with the class during the presentation...that should be a nice bonus for the class... :)
And, to make sure that I didn't stress out too much, I stopped at the candy store today on my way to school and stocked up on black licorice...I got like 6 different kinds...yum, black licorice!
So, tomorrow is Huelva, today is presentation followed by naptime, and Sunday will be church and relax time...and then Monday I will try and update on new things...there's really not much else to say...
Enjoy the weekend!
Thursday, October 1, 2009
First post of October!
Wow...hard to believe that it really is October already...
Not a lot is new...it's fairly boring, in fact...I'm just trying to get my presentation for tomorrow finished up, and I will be very glad when that is over.
Yesterday, I had food that would make every state fair in the US jealous that they hadn't thought of the idea first: fried bread. I had no idea that anyone would just up and fry bread, but I guess it happens...Needless to say, it was ridiculously delicious and I had to exercise a lot of self-control to not eat all of it, and I am now thinking of the diet I might have to put myself on because of the huge amounts of oil-laden foods that are served here...but yes, fried bread...who would've thought?? They were like croutons, except with considerably more oil, and much larger...so good...
Well, there's not a lot else going on...this weekend will hopefully be an excursion to Huelva, where Columbus hung out when he was trying to get the money raised to head to the East Indies, aka North America...Hopefully it will be nice and we'll also get to go to the beach there...fun fun...
¡Hasta luego!
Not a lot is new...it's fairly boring, in fact...I'm just trying to get my presentation for tomorrow finished up, and I will be very glad when that is over.
Yesterday, I had food that would make every state fair in the US jealous that they hadn't thought of the idea first: fried bread. I had no idea that anyone would just up and fry bread, but I guess it happens...Needless to say, it was ridiculously delicious and I had to exercise a lot of self-control to not eat all of it, and I am now thinking of the diet I might have to put myself on because of the huge amounts of oil-laden foods that are served here...but yes, fried bread...who would've thought?? They were like croutons, except with considerably more oil, and much larger...so good...
Well, there's not a lot else going on...this weekend will hopefully be an excursion to Huelva, where Columbus hung out when he was trying to get the money raised to head to the East Indies, aka North America...Hopefully it will be nice and we'll also get to go to the beach there...fun fun...
¡Hasta luego!
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