Christmas is Coming!

Christmas season is in full-swing here, just as Jasper the Squirrel once said, “day after day, Christmas is on it’s way.”  As you can tell from my having quoted a fictional squirrel, the anticipation is driving me a bit mad.   The holiday is quite beautiful here, but I am beyond excited to come home.  Now, I’m sorry for the delay of this post and the emotional stress it must be causing all of you not knowing what I’ve been up to over here, sleepless nights spent thinking of the Spanish Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum I gave English lessons to, long conversations spent analyzing whether or not I was joking about staying in Bunyola forever, and anyways, I may be SEEING some of you before you read this post, but… here goes nothing. 

The holiday season is very exciting in these parts.  There are tons of markets on the Ramblas and in the two main plazas, Plaza D’Espana and Plaza Mayor.  Everyone is out walking  the decorated streets, and there are vendors selling chestnuts and sweet potatoes that are roasting on open fires!  Also, there are stands selling crepes, churros, candied nuts and other sweets lining the central plaza.   

The Christmas season here is obviously quite popular, but Christmas Eve and Christmas Day have only become really popular for gift-giving in the last 15 years multiple sources have told me.  One of my friends said that Christmas Day has become more of a celebration for adults to share gifts, and that all the kids are more into the Three Wise Men than they are into Santa Claus.  Three Kings Day (Jan. 6) is when the youngin’s here hit the jackpot gift-wise.  It’s great because, the supermarkets and markets are all selling the traditional Christmas turron (nougat), which are basically big chocolate bars, and other little sweets.  There are a lot of cured ham legs being tossed around because nothing says “Spanish Holiday” like a meaty hog leg, and also supermarkets are selling cans of peeled and pitted grapes for the New Year’s Eve celebration.  Here in Spain, traditionally at midnight on New Year’s Eve, everyone eats a grape for every chime of the clock when it strikes midnight.    

What have I been up to other than walking through a winter wonderland?

It’s been cold here, and I had a solid infection that had me unable to swallow for a couple days, but the antibiotics have since brought me back!

Hmm… I got fired/quit from the job with the devil children.  It’s a long story, but it involves, the 5 year-old peeing outside while we played soccer, two other kids getting dropped off to learn from me, and then the mom refusing to pay me for teaching the extra kids.  Instead of paying me, she ended up saying that they didn’t have the money right now, and that I was a bad teacher and that there was no point in my coming back because I did not talk enough to her kids.  Anywho, that was a fun little experience, and unfortunately I won’t be getting pictures of the little plumpsters.

What else?  Oh, I am further immersing myself into Spanish culture.  I made my very first tortilla espanola, and it was delicious.  Also, I bought a ticket with some friends for El Gordo, the Spanish Christmas lottery, and I’m doing Amigo Invisible, or Secret Santa with 15 or so Spanish friends from the neighbourhood. 

Today, I had an amazing day.  Two of my friends and I drove down to Banyalbufar, which is this amazing coastal village up to the Northeast with terraced gardens.  We went to this amazing bodega, where we did this free wine-tasting.  It had the most exquisite artisanal white wine, with accents of oak, vanilla, hazelnut, and fruits.  It was so great.  Apparently, the Mallorcans like their wine strong though, because the wines are all  14.5+% alcohol.  The tour guide gave the tour in catalan, because I was there with a bunch of castellers (the human castle builders) and their families.  I understood most of it, but was able to ask people for clarification in Spanish if I had problems understanding.  It was cool because they had an olive press at the bodega as well, and all the olives and fruit that go into the oil and wine production were all grown on the terraced gardens there on the property.  This bodega was actually a mansion.  The owner bought it in ruins in 1986 and after putting about 120,000 euros into renovating it, it is a spectacular place, sitting 8 terraces directly above the coast.  I was in awe.  After the wine tasting and tour of the property, we did a small excursion, or hike, up through the village to this mountain ravine that led to a pool of natural spring water.  There, we sat down and ate bocatas (sandwiches) and the tour-guide, Guillem, who is a casteller, brought some of the wine from the bodega.  And one of the women had brought home-made sobrassada and foie gras with traditional white bread from Mallorca.  It was so delicious, a lovely little picnic to cap off a lovely little afternoon.

Unfortunately, my camera is somewhat broken so I don’t have any pictures!!  I hope that update has sufficed, and if anything comes up, I will be sure to blog about it!  See you guys soon!

Bunyola Forever!

Sorry- there’s no internet in Bunyola so the last few weeks have been quite rough!

You’re all a bunch of wise-guys, aren’t you?  A family of comedians.  But really, I appreciate the spamming of my last post.  I told you guys in my comeback post to keep me honest, and really, this behaviour doesn’t surprise me as much as it probably should.  I can picture Blurt now giggling like a schoolgirl at a slumber party.

So, what have I been up to? Where in the world is Breezo San Diego?

Quite a bit has happened in the past couple of weeks.  Firstly, I’m now giving English lessons to a 3 year-old and a 5 year-old who live in a cute country house on the outskirts of Binissalem.  Last Wednesday was my first lesson, but it’s really just babysitting them and speaking to them in English, which is quite simple enough for me!

The whole time was pure comedy, but more like one of those comedies you watch half-laughing and half-cringing, like Meet the Parents.  When I first get there, I just want to say these kids are the largest (fattest) Spanish children I’ve ever seen.  We get to the house, and the first thing the mom does is holds the younger kid down and fills a syringe with fruit smoothie that she squirts in his mouth.  After he swallows, he screams gleefully, “it makes me poop, it makes me poop.  Pooping is difficult” in catalan.  Oy, that should have tipped me off that I was in for a ride.  Also, did I mention the family dog is a less rabid-looking doppelganger of the street dog I have beef with… don’t even get me started!

So, the evening started out okay and we started to put a jigsaw puzzle together.  Until suddenly, the younger kid went nuts and started pulling the puzzle apart and spanking his brother.  And then, before I knew it, he had taken off his pants and underwear and was running through the house like the little piggy that went “wee wee wee” all the way home.  Then all of the sudden, the older one starts tackling him and riding him like a horse, until the younger one shots he needs to poop and runs to the bathroom.  I was mortified, livid, and could not for the life of me figure out how to get this kid to put his pants back on.  When the mom came out of her room, she was totally unfazed and put his pants on without underwear.  I was freaked out.  No wonder the girl who used to do this job mysteriously backed out!  Any who, they pay me; so, it’s all good, assuming the dog and/or younger child don’t try to eat me alive. 

Hmm what else have I been up to?  Last week, school was filled with Thanksgiving presentations, which went really well, I do say.  I compared Thanksgiving with the Harvest festival here in Binissalem.  It got the kids talking, and the teachers ate it up like candy… or rather, turkey! 

Then, I missed Thanksgiving on Thursday because I went to Malaga with my roommate to see a concert.  It was a great trip, filled with foreigner faux pas and delicious cuisine.  When we arrived, we went to his house, and met his family and, wait for it… two cats!  Luckily I had been warned in advanced and was prepared, and I actually didn’t even react much because I was pretty diligent about over-medicating… yep.  And, shockingly enough, I loved the cats, Negri and Pinti.  Quite the feat, seeing as I have major trust issues when it comes to cats.

ANYways, there were a few foreigner moments where I looked like an idiot, which ended up being funny enough.  I was sort of in a semi-state of shock the first night because I hadn’t realized how strong their andaluz accents would be.  Typically, I understand everything my roommate says, or at least if he repeats himself once.  The whole family spoke with such strong accents though.  They literally drop half of every word there.  Some of my Spanish friends were saying that they don’t understand the accent either, which makes me feel better.  Everyone in Spain makes fun of the people in Andalucia because they eat their words, and in linguistics we learned about how they aspirate their /s/ sound so that it sounds like a breathy /h/ (ex. ‘mah o menoh’ instead of ‘mas o menos’).  One bar we drove by in Malaga was called “Bacompa,” and my roommate was laughing because it was the “andaluz” word for “Bar Compas”… all these andaluz jokes are funny, until you’re totally lost trying to understand this language that is supposed to sound familiar!  Luckily, it got better by the second day.

It’s a shame they talk so funny because, it’s a great culture down South.   When you think of Spanish culture, or at least the popular commercial image of Spain, I assure you, you are thinking of Andalucia.  It’s the home of flamenco, bullfighting, orange and lemon trees, Picasso and Antonio Banderas!  At the concert, when the crowd was clapping for an encore, it was a flamenco-style clap… Bienvenidos a Malaga!  It really is an enchanting place the Costa del Sol.  However, the whole time we were there, it was raining!!!!  Blasts. 

The first night, we walked around the gorgeous city center, with the shopping and bars around Calle Larios, the Teatro Romano, the Alcazaba castle all lit up at night, and the Cathedral, which is called the ‘one-armed lady’ because it is missing two towers, apparently because during the American Revolution, the British Colonies borrowed the money from Spain that was intended for these towers… or so the legend says.  Then, we tried their traditional fast food, which is a ‘papa’ or baked potato.  We went to Don Papon’s and I ordered the Don Papon con todo.  It was incredible.  It was a giant twice-baked potato fully loaded with green olives, mayo, cheeses, and various other things. I found it to be interesting because it is the only regional food here in Spain that I’ve noticed is not based around a traditionally Spanish crop, but rather an American crop.  But, it makes sense because the Conquistadors’ ships that went to America left from the Costa del Sol; so, my theory is that the papa has a historical colonial past, and that it was popular there because it was a trendy import from the New World that stuck… because it’s delicious.  That’s my theory, and I’m sticking to it!  It was a great trip, and the mom even sent me home with a tupperware of homegrown membrillo (quince).  Mmm mm good.  I left saying I would never be hungry again, but the next night, we were having our Thanksgiving feast in Palma.  I contributed the mashed potatoes, and made dad proud.  It was a joyous feast.  We managed to cook a 6kilo (15lb) turkey in a gas oven with no temperature markings and no thermometer… it took about 5 hours, but it was delicious and nobody got sick! 

		Happy Thanksgiving! VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Yesterday was a fun day too because it was “El Clasico,” which is when Real Madrid plays Barca.  The game started at 9, but the bar was super-packed by 8:15, and it was a really fun environment.  Barca won 5-0, and it was a pretty awful game, but it was pretty entertaining, and the Barca fans were not as obnoxious as they could have been.  After a while, the chirping subsided, and everyone was just enjoying the party and chanting, and having a good time.  The Madrid fans were pretty quiet, but then everyone started getting rowdy and shouting this cheer that goes “Alcohol!  Alcohol!  Alcohol! Alcohol! Alcohol!  Hemos venido emborracharnos, el resultado nos da igual!” (Alcohol!… now that we’ve gotten drunk, the score doesn’t matter to us) to the tune of “O, My Darling Clementine.”  It was a pretty good time, and it was the talk of the town at school today.  I had a teacher change a test from today to next week because the kids weren’t going to study on the night of the Clasico.  Okay, I’m going to go to bed now, but I hope that recap was fun and warrants as many responses as the last post!

HIKE AROUND BUNYOLA

FERIA DE POLLENSA 2010 XXVII de la ARTESANIA MALLORCA

Feliz Cumpleanos a mi

Bon dia a tots!  I don’t have class today so I am currently sitting in bed watching Gattaca and attempting to read a book called El Husar by Arturo Perez-Reverte.  It’s a short read in theory, but the author, Perez-Reverte is a member of the Real Academia Espanola, an organization that for centuries has established itself as the linguistic watchdog of the Spanish language.  So, it’s very well-written, the language is more culto (refined) than I am used to, and I have been looking up every other word in the dictionary, but, I am learning a lot.  My friend who lent me the book is Spanish, and he says he has to look up stuff too so I don’t feel quite so bad about it!  It’s a great book so far, though, I recommend it.  It’s set in the south of Spain during the Napoleonic Era, and it centers around the armies settled in that region.  It’s pretty fascinating, and again, I am learning a ton.

Every day, I am learning something new, which is great because every word seriously counts.   Sometimes, more often than not, actually, one word is the difference between whether or not I understand an entire conversation.  At this point in my Spanish education, I find myself in conversations with native speakers, listening to them tell an entire story, and then at the end asking… “Wait.  One question. What does that ONE word mean?”… and BAM.  Everything is illuminated.  A lot of the time, these are words are idiomatic expressions (frases hechas), or words that have multiple meanings, or sometimes they are words that are more popular in certain regions of Spain, and sometimes, of course, I just have no idea what the direct translation is!  I’m learning though, little by little…poco a poco!

Last night, I went to the opening of a bar.  One of my friends is good friends with the owner.  I went with seven Spaniards…  a guy from Malaga (Andalusia, the South of the peninsula), a girl from Castellon (Valencia, Eastern coast of the Peninsula), a guy from Avila (central Spain), a girl from Salamanca (near Avila), a guy from Galicia (Northwest corner of the Peninsula, north of Portugal), a guy from Alicante (Southeast coast of the Peninsula), and a guy from Palma.  It was the most interesting group of people because they were sort of explaining things to each other and talking about their dialects and languages when the distinctions came up in normal conversation, and it was very natural for me to observe, rather than me having to stop them, and point out words and say “what!?”.  It was amazing, and I was conversing really well.  I met some of them a couple weeks ago, and they were all blown away by how much I had learned in the meantime.  It was a fabulous night, and at the end, we came back and ate cheese with membrillo and almonds and had a nice almond liqueur, listened to music and chatted.   The culture here is really great because it is very family-oriented, and at one point one of the girl’s parents and sister came for a little just to grab a drink and chat.  They were telling funny stories, and it was just really familiar and fun. 

My birthday was great.  The night before, I went out with my friends, and I felt pretty sick on my birthday itself, but it was still good fun.  My friends here made me a delicious feast!  I pitched in my making shrimp fritters, and they turned out quite well.  One of my friends made a chocolate cake with dulce de leche layers that knocked my socks off!  My roommates both gave me little presents, which was very nice and uncalled for, and at school, I didn’t make a big deal out of it, but it was really cute because one little girl had written down my birthday in her agenda, and as I was walking up to building, she and all her friends were hanging out the second-floor windows shouting “Happy birthday, Mari!” in English and waving.  It was really adorable.  It was also quite nice receiving a really nice card in the mail from Mom and Dad, and Emily and Phil and Choll sent a nice little care package!!  So sweet, definitely made me miss home.  But as you can see, I’m powering through! 

Tomorrow, my friend just informed me we are going on a 5-hour hike, then I think I’m going to go watch my friend be a casteller, or rather, do human tower-building (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castell) in Manacor, and then we will probably go out for a drink there.  It’s been a great birthday week, and its shaping up to be a great weekend!  I’m thinking of you guys a lot!

Scenic World

Happy Halloween

This is a picture before the party in Sineu.  The party was great, but we didn’t want to stay over because there were a lot of people and we were going to have to sleep on the floor so we ended up going to Manacor around 3am to go out until we could catch the train at 6am.  However, due to daylight savings, we ended up having to be out in Manacor for an extra hour!!  We did catch a glimpse of Rafael Nadal leaving a bar though.

Boots of Spanish Leather

Never heard this version before, but I like it!

I was needing shoes for the “winter” here, and  I’ve been wanting boots from Spain since my last trip because the leather goods are really good quality.  I kept holding off in Madrid because they were really, really expensive.  I found these boots today, and  I’m psyched because I think they’re really cute and practical, and they were handmade in Mallorca.  I found them at a local handcrafted products store one of my teachers told me about, and they were only 26 euros, which is a steal considering how well-made they are.  They would be at least $80 in the States!  Tonight, I’m going to a Halloween party at my friend’s cottage in the village of Sineu, which is as mom so eloquently put it, “the belly button of the island.”

View of the island Sa Dragonera from Pas Vermell

Did a nice hike today walking through the mountains from Port D’Andratx to Sant Elm.  It was about a 3-hour hike and very lovely!

A couple things

A crazy street dog in Binissalem played chicken with me in the street today.  It was little and yappy… and evil.  It had no collar, and its coat was all wild, and its eyes were filled with rage.  I seriously think it had rabies.  It looked at me all crazed and blood-thirsty, stared me down and then charged.  I literally started running from it, and a truck rounded the corner and probably saw the whole ordeal.  Traumatic!

In other news, I found fudgesicles in the supermarket today.  Win.

Wednesday Musings

Hello, all!  I’m just waiting for the water to boil for my “alubias blancas con chorizo picante” (white beans with spicy chorizo soup).  I found the recipe in the Spanish magazine “Pronto” and thought I’d give it a shot for my first course, or primer plato. The main course (segundo plato) will be a nice shrimp jalfrezi if all goes accordingly!  I’m cooking through my siesta right now, though, so… something’s gone terribly awry already!  The truth is I have only taken one really satisfying siesta since getting here a month ago.  Criminal, I know, as this is the first time naptime has been institutionally built into my day since kindergarten… Alas, that good old American compulsion to fight down-time has gotten to me yet again!

School’s been pretty great this week because my Halloween lessons are going really well, if I do say so myself.  The teachers seem pleased as well, which is a bonus.  The most difficult part about my job, I’d say, is the way they divide the classes up here.  They put all the most motivated students in the same class, leaving all the least motivated students together.  So, let’s just say, I was not looking forward to a 55-minute Halloween presentation for the unmotivated 17 and 18-year-olds.  Imagine senioritis multiplied by 10… and in a foreign language.  The kids in this class know so much more than they want to let on too, it’s sort of frustrating.  I think they just want to look aloof and cool.  Anyways, I was excited because we played a really fun round of Halloween Pictionary at the blackboard, and they were really engaged and using their English skills without even realizing it.  Basically, they were just divided into two teams and I had pictures of Halloween costume ideas on my computer, like ‘zombie, ghost, etc,’ that two students had to draw and their teams had to guess what Halloween costume they were “wearing”.   There was a grammar component to the way they had to answer too.  It was really fun.  I was afraid they would get bored so, I kept throwing in names of celebrities like the soccer player Ronaldinho, which was hilarious because they kept guessing that the kid was drawing a pumpkin or a jack-o’-lantern for some reason, and then at one point after that, a kid was trying to draw a clown, and his team kept guessing “Carles Puyol,” the unattractive Spanish soccer player.  Anyways, I was really happy at the end of the day!

So, I’m riding this momentary high into a delicious dinner.  Will let you guys know how it turns out! 

Tonight, I will probably go to my friend’s apartment, where her roommate has the Trivial Pursuit night, but it’s sort of an exhausting affair because they speak only Catalan, and I might find an alternative plan tonight… Anywho, later everybody!          

Viva España

Viva España/ Viva el Rey/ Viva el orden/ y la ley

Long live, Spain/ Long live the King/ Long live order/ and the law

One of my Spanish friends said this brindis to cheers last night.  To which, another Spanish guy said, “that’s just something drunk people say!”  It’s probably true. 

What a fun weekend it’s shaped up to be. 

I walked around all day on Friday.  Unfortunately, it was one measly cloud away from being a beach day.  We decided to just walk along the coast.  So, we walked alongside an old canal to the contemporary art museum, which is actually in an ancient military fort.  There is a terrace at the museum that you can access for free, and there is a beautiful view of the sea.  You can see the fish market from there, as well as a lovely little square where I grabbed a coffee the other day.  In the square, there is this gothic building with a gorgeous stone angel in the doorway, and the windows are in an intricate cross design.  I was convinced it was a church, even though it didn’t have a steeple.  I asked the waitress, and she said it was la lonja, which I guess is a market.  This one was originally a market for the silk trade.  It is such a gorgeous building.  Here’s a picture of the angel in the doorway:

Anyways, Friday night, I went out for drinks with my Bolivian roommate and her Peruvian boyfriend, one of my friends, and a guy from my program who was going to live in my room if I hadn’t wanted it.  We played the game Uno and then called it a night. 

Then yesterday, some friends and I walked around the historic center again.  There was this crazy festival going on in the main plaza where little kids were wearing sleeping masks and climbing portable rock-climbing walls.  It was hilarious because the kids were so young they were wearing those jeans with the elastic waistband on the butt.  So, basically they were babies and they were blindly grasping for rocks, and I found it really funny.  Also, we stumbled upon this amazing Immigration Fair that I had read about but sort of disregarded because it sounded sort of boring… boring it was definitely not.  There was this line of tents at the park at the foot of the cathedral, and each tent had a different country in it selling delicious food and drinks, and there was music and dancing.  It was mostly Latin American tents, but there were also several African countries and European countries represented.  Then at the end of the line of tents was the biggest pan of paella I have ever seen.  It was the diameter of our old above-ground pool, I’m pretty sure, and it was BRIMMING with seafood paella.  I would have dove into it head-first if not for fear of third degree burns!

Ok, so maybe it was more like there were three pans about this size:  

But I’m especially prone to exaggeration when I’m hungry… and it seemed REALLY huge to me.  Anyways, as you can imagine, it was very delicious, and they piled it onto a big plate.  It only cost 3 euros and 50 cents so it was a steal.

Then for dessert, I had some a sweet tea and piece of cake from the Algerian tent.  The cake was so good, it was layers of crispy pastry with cream in between them, and a sugary layer sort of like the top of a nanaimo bar but vanilla.  Holy crap.  Ridiculous.  Then I waddled around for another long walk, feeling more than satisfied.

Last night, there was a Real Madrid game, and I ran into my Spanish roommate who was headed to watch it at a local bar.  I decided to go for a drink and watch the game, which ended up being a cakewalk for Madrid.  They won 6-1 to Racing Santander, one of the worst teams in the Spanish league.  But it was great hanging out.  My roommate knows the owner well, and some of his friends were there.  So, they were asking me about where I’m from, and they were telling me cool little Spanish colloquialisms.  Anyways, we ended up being there until 5 in the morning chatting and joking around.  The bar was closed to the general public, but we were just hanging around in there.  I think that’s how it works here in Spain, more or less.  If you’re friends with the bartenders or owners, the bar is always open.  Anyways, I ended up not having to pay for any of my drinks, which is great, and I don’t think I’ve laughed that hard in a while.  At one point, I had tears of laughter streaming down my face.  They told me about some great Spanish music.  Here’s one of the songs they played for me.  It’s a famous flamenco group, and the lyrics of this song were actually originally a poem of my favourite Spanish poet, Federico Garcia Lorca. 

Camaron- La leyenda del tiempo

Enjoy!

The buzz

Not too much new here…  I’ve had a bit of time to explore lately just walking to and fro, and I’m really excited because I’ve gotten a wind in my Spanish-speaking sails so to speak… I’ve been making friends all over the place here, mostly random cafe barkeeps who keep the coffee and interesting conversation coming!  It’s great to discover new haunts, and I’ve found some pretty prime-time study/reading/writing nooks.  It feels great to feel confident in my speaking.  Even though I’m not perfect, I’ve definitely turned a corner and finally have a personality in this language... it’s about time. 

Wednesdays are my earliest day, so today I had to wake up at 6:30 to catch the 7:09 train for school.  It’s a 10-minute walk to the train station here, and the 7:09 arrives into Binissalem at 7:35.   I have to be in school by 8.  The train station in Binissalem is on the other side of town from the school, so it’s about a 15-20 minute walk depending on my pace.  At that time in the morning, it is a pretty brisk stroll because the sun isn’t out yet, and you can hear roosters crowing in the background.  It’s a nice walk though and helps wake me up a bit. 

At school today, I was mistaken for a student again by a different parent lunch monitor who wanted to stop me from leaving the building… good grief!  School was good today, but now I’m tired.  Wish I was more interesting right now.  Maybe I’ll be more interesting after a siesta…

2-day School week

End of the two-day school week already… and I’m exhausted.  I had to do a 40-minute presentation on Canadian immigration in a class with the comprehension level of 6 yr-olds.  It was so difficult.  Other than that, things were ridiculous as per usual.  Yesterday in music class, I danced a traditional Mallorquin folk dance with a kid who’s literally 4 feet tall.  And today, one of the lunch monitors mistook me for a student so she was telling me I couldn’t leave the building.  Ridiculous.  I do not look U-17!  Plans for the afternoon: sleep!

Adventures in cooking Parte II

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Piquillo-Peppers-Stuffed-with-Goat-Cheese-358729

Stuffed Piquillo Peppers for a night of Trivial Pursuit

Wait… when did this become a foodie blog?

Adventures in cooking

Found a nice recipe on Epicurious for “Roasted Mackerel and Avocado Salad”

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Roasted-Mackerel-and-Avocado-Salad-355474

I found out how to clean and cut fresh mackerel into fillets… so you learn something new everyday, I guess.  If anyone was curious, mackerel is fairly popular in Spain, and its name in Spanish is caballa. 

It was a delicious, rich recipe that I will definitely make again!

Playa Maricel

About a 20-minute bus-ride from my apartment

The week’s end

Well, my three-day work week is over.  It was tough work, but somebody has to do it.  We have Columbus Day here too, but it’s called Dia Nacional de Espana.  So, right now I have a five-day weekend followed by two days of work.  Tough life.  

School was fine for the rest of the ‘week’.  To address Maura’s inquiry, I did play “If I Were a Rich Man” for the kids in one of my music classes.  The teacher left the room for a  quick minute and the kids were getting unruly, so I pulled it out as a secret disciplinary weapon.  The kids went NUTS.  They started applauding me and screaming and throwing their hands in the air like they just didn’t care.  I think they were just shocked after all the hunting and pecking I was doing trying to read the music for “Big, Big Girl.”  Anyways, the kids are really cute and seem to like me and there are a couple really great teachers.  I have an hour break every day so I’ve been walking to the Church plaza and reading or writing over a cup of coffee.  Quite tranquil. 

Wednesday night, a group of us went to one of my friend’s apartments and played Spanish trivial pursuit with her roommates.  Some of the questions were more focused on Spanish politics and sports so it was tough, but I learned a lot.  On a very interesting note, one of her roommates is from Mallorca, and she hangs in the same circle as Rafael Nadal.  So, when he’s in town, she said she’d let us know where he goes out.  I guess he spends his time in Manacor when he’s in Mallorca because the tourists in Palma (a.k.a. me) would harass him. 

This whole weekend there is a tapas fair going on throughout the city called Tapalma.  Basically, it’s like the tapas fair Emily, Phil and I went to in Madrid last year, except for that instead of being in an arena, there are tables set up outside the actual bars, and you walk around sampling.  It’s a competition for the restaurants; so, it’s pretty good, unique dishes and they capped the prices so its a good way to experience some of the more chichi places here. 

We walked around for a little bit last night, and there was an Indian restaurant that won last year that was good.  I asked them if they have chaat papri, and they said they do; so, dad’s prayers have been answered, and they gave me a lot of props for knowing my stuff.  We ended up getting full after like two places so we walked around for a bit and went to the billiards bar across the street from my apartment for a drink, or so we thought.

Remember my travel tip about asking a local if there is a good regional drink?  Well, I did that and it was definitely awesome.  We had all these rounds of Tunel on the house.  Tunel is a liquor made of sweet herbs, and it was quite awesome.  We met some really cool people at the bar.  It’s sort of a towny dive, and it was really great asking the locals questions about how to say certain things and general stuff about the area.  We were only going to stop in for a drink, but we ended up staying till like 4:30AM.  When I got home, I even skyped with mom and dad.  It was a great night/morning, and I didn’t have to work today so I went to the beach!  This weekend, some of us are talking about doing a two-day excursion in Mallorca, but we haven’t decided where yet.  I’m going to a movie tomorrow night, but I’m not sure it’s dubbed or subtitled.  Hopefully the latter!  I hope all is well in Norteamerica!

1st Day Jitters

So, today was my first day at school.   Off to a great start, the train came about two minutes early; so, I missed it and had to wait half an hour for the next one to come.  So… I was a little late, and I was sweating by the time I got to school because it was so hot out.  I know you guys back at home can’t commiserate with that whole warm-weather situation, and I’m  sorry for that, but in this one particular instance, I would have been loving a brisk autumn breeze, or at least my pits could have used it.  Anyways, the secretary reassured me when I got there and I went to class, where the teacher said he didn’t even know I was supposed to be there today.  Anyways, it wasn’t a big deal because I guess they decided I would spend the first week just observing classes, which is fine by me…

Music class was a bit chaotic.  The teacher told the kids I don’t understand any Spanish, which of course fueled giggles amongst a group of “cool” boys, the ringleader of which goes in spanish, “WAIT.  So she can’t understand ANYTHING.  I’m saying.  RIGHT.  now!??!?!” and I was sort of thinking, “oyyy,” but I said in English, “Just because I can’t understand you doesn’t mean you can talk about me!”  That’s when I realized they really had no idea what I was saying and they are going to have a hard time understanding me…

ANYways, we were singing this song called “Big, Big Girl” that isn’t even really 100% grammatically sound, for the record, and then the teacher tells me to go on the piano and try to play.  I was mortified!! I haven’t read music in like 10 years.  It wasn’t really that bad, as the kids in the class were all playing recorder and singing, and the teacher was playing guitar.  When a girl came out on the bongos is when I realized that this whole situation was turning very School of Rock very quickly.  Basically, all I could do is laugh all day.  The poor kids in the music class were so cute but really had trouble with english.  At the end of class, one kid ran up to me in despair and shouted in Spanish, “but how can I talk to you if you don’t speak Spanish?” It was so sad.

Then I went to a class where they were teaching English grammar, and they asked me about myself.  Weirdest questions. ever.  I think they were confused whether I was Canadian or Canarian (from the Islas canarias) because they were asking me if I knew Javier Bardem.  They were hilarious, but it was VERY difficult explaining that I’m both American and Canadian.  Other questions that were funny: “Why is your skin so dark?” haha, um, “are you a yoga teacher?” hhaha absolutely no idea where that came from.  The next class went the same, except they were a little more advanced, and I had a little posse of girls wanting to know everything about me and if I was coming on the trip to Germany in November (unfortunately the answer is no).  I’m pretty sure I’m not going due to finances.  I mean, I spent my 20 minute break having a lecture in catalan about how the economic crisis has affected education jobs and budgets and how we have to focus on the quality of public education despite cutbacks and the 40% drop-out rate… or at least that’s what I think the guy was saying… again, another situation in which I could do nothing but laugh in my head because he could have been talking about anything, and I was just sitting there letting it wash over me while putting words in his mouth.

So, yes, it was quite the funny first day.  I just got back from tapas hopping on the Tuesday night route and met some new friends, two girls in my program, a guy from Uruguay and a spaniard, all in all a great evening, much spanish was spoken, good times were had, etc.  I have to wake up in 5 hours which is a little bothersome, but, what can ya do!?  hasta luego, amigos

La copa mundial y yo

Today, the WORLD CUP was being shown for 7 hours at “La Caixa,” an art gallery and cultural centre.  They were showing it in a room on the second floor that has a Manet exhibit going on.   Virtually none of the foreign tourists here knew what was going on because they only advertised that it was here in the Diaria Mallorca, the local Spanish paper.   I waited in line for about an hour, and the Spanish couple behind me in line was talking about how it just looked like everyone was in line to see the Manet exhibit.  Literally, there were no signs saying that the World Cup was there, and everyone was being very secretive about why they were in line.  At one point, a British guy asked the lady who works there what the deal was, and what was showing there… and she just told him it was a temporary exhibit and gestured toward a poster advertising the art exhibit.  Kind of brutal.  The kids in front of me in line were playing POGS with wrestlers pictured on them.  It was sort of awesome to see that such a ridiculous fad has spread to Spain.

A Room of One’s Own

This afternoon was lovely.  I got back from the beach with a couple of friends, and then was finally able to go grocery-shopping because I am no longer living in a hostel and now have a KITCHEN.  I moved into my room today!  Thank God we have a little 3-person elevator in our building because I’m on the 3rd floor, and my suitcase has been teaming up with gravity to destroy me, basically.  Once I got there, the girl who’s leaving was all ready to go, and my roommate’s mom actually went with me to the store to get sheets because she knew of a good deal. 

Then we had a lovely lunch, complete with great company and great food (first plate was sliced tomato, fresh mozzarella, parsley, garlic, a little olive oil and salt, second plate was a delicious creamy mushroom pasta, and I brought some bread from a local bakery that we used to sop up any excess deliciousness).

Here are some pictures of my room, complete with pictures of the view from my window.  The balcony pictured in one of those shots is our little terrace in the living area!

I really love it, and the location can’t be beat.  There is a little bar across the street and a tae kwon do studio, and also a supermarket 2-seconds away.  Dad, I hope you’re listening (or rather, reading), on my 2-minute walk to the main train/bus station, there is an Indian restaurant with a plethora of delicious-looking things including several types of biryani and aloo tikki.  No sign of chaat, but my eyes are peeled!

I will post pictures of the surrounding area and the living areas another time, preferably when no one is around.  Also, good news, one of my friends lives near me, and we can walk home together at night.  Safety first last and always! 

First week in the bag

Hello all, yesterday marked the one-week mark in my island adventure.  It feels like I’ve been here a lot longer because I’m still living out of my luggage in the hostel, and some dirty laundry has accumulated, of course.  I moved to a hostel in the historic center and met three girls from my program who have been pretty great companions to me thus far.  Yesterday, we had our orientation, and it was really well-organized, on-time, informative, really pretty ideal.  It was held in this cultural center where they also have art exhibits showing, and it ended in a beautiful courtyard where there were buffet-style nibbles like bite-size tortilla espanola, cups of a delicious salad, phyllo pastry stuffed with fish and peas and onions, etc.  They were also serving various wines, and cups of melon pulp sprinkled with ham… of course, ham. 

Here are some pictures on the walk back from the beach one day.  And don’t worry, there is much more to this place than the beach.  There is a lot to do on the island, actually, it’s a very active place.  I have a lot of free time, as I’m only working three days a week (Tuesdays through Thursday); so, I’m quickly gathering a list of hobbies.  But all in time.  I have to install myself in my apartment first! 

I’m moving into my apartment in three hours or so, and I can hardly wait. Yesterday I met up with my roommate who is from Bolivia, and she seems great.  She has two jobs and is studying full time in the afternoon; so, she is spread pretty thin.  She’s a great language resource, as she doesn’t speak any English, and the conversation was good.  She’s very helpful.  Her boyfriend is Peruvian, and my other roommate is from Spain.  So, I am really looking forward to a lovely little crash-course.  The Venezuelan girl whose room I’m taking over is flying off to Germany this afternoon.  She’s lived in the apartment with the Bolivian girl for two years so they’re having a big goodbye lunch for her before she goes, which I’m going to.  It should be nice.  Well, I hope all is well, and I will be posting shortly with pictures of my apartment.

Embarrassing Z-List “star” spotting

Saw one of Cristiano Ronaldo’s ex-girlfriends, Nereida Gallardo, watching the Real Madrid game tonight at a tapas bar.  I obviously followed their relationship like a hawk and did know she was from Palma, but it did not really cross my mind until seeing her out.  Some guys next to me were joking about whom she was rooting for.  I didn’t say anything to anyone about it at the time, but I thought anyone who is reading this already has an idea of how crazy I am, especially about Cristiano Ronaldo (pre baby-daddy thing, at least)… so, alas, I am posting the fact that I not only saw this woman, but recognized her right away.  Shameful, I know. 

First few days

Ok, so, let me just do a recap of what’s going on over here…  just got back to the hostel from quite the interesting afternoon.  I got up early, ate breakfast and caught the bus into the city center, then I then took a train in to Binissalem (about a 25-minute ride), where the school is I’ll be teaching at.  I really have to hand it to Mallorca, they have a great public transit system that’s really easy to navigate.  The signs are very easy to understand and placed intuitively so you can really visualize where you are according to all the maps, and routes posted!… or maybe it’s just really easy because there are only like 3 train lines and it’s a tiny island… I guess it’s probably a bit of all of these things… Anyways, I found my way to Binissalem, and I’m psyched because the main train station is like a 3 minute walk from where my apartment is (I move in on the 2nd). 

However, it was a little bit of a trek from where I’m staying right now.  My hostel is in this weird little carnival town filled entirely with German people, except for all the shopkeepers, who typically speak spanish.  This place (S’Arenal) it’s called, is a 30-minute bus-ride away from the city, which isn’t bad, and basically I’m just staying here because the hostel is cheap, and I have my own room and a balcony! Also, it doesn’t hurt that it has a nice beach that I spent the day on yesterday!  Anyways, it’s strange because this gorgeous strip of beach is lined with spanish restaurants that sell strudel and bratwurst alongside typical spanish fare, and all the menus are in german, and most of the clientele are the German equivalents of those Americans you see at amusement parks or you meet while you’re traveling, and you’re like… “Really?  These are the Americans that give us a bad name”… 

Anyways, I digress… today I went to the school (IES Binissalem) for a departmental meeting with the “foreign language” department there.  I had no clue what to expect!  The school is about a 10-minute walk from the train station, and the village is old-school, we’re talking really old-school.  There is a beautiful church in the central square, and everything is cobbled, the streets, and houses made of bricks of light stone.  It’s a really beautiful place, quite quaint.  You can see olive trees grouped along the perimeter of the town, as well as hear (and smell) bulls and lambs in surrounding pastures.  When I first walked into the school, I went to the front desk and explained in Spanish who I am and, why I was there and who I was meeting.  The ladies at the front desk were so excited, they had these silly grins on their faces like they were so happy to see me and kept asking me about North America, and how I was finding Mallorca to be, etc. etc., etc. They were really sweet. 

I was a little early, so I had to wait to meet up with the department head.  And she is really nice.  Though we have been communicating via e-mail in english, we spoke in spanish the whole time, and then before we headed to the meeting, she turned to me and asked if I speak catalan.  I basically was like, “oh, well I’ve taken one course and I can read it well, but I have a lot to learn,” to which she responded that the departmental meeting is usually in catalan, but she would try to help me out and take notes. hahah oy.  So, they started the meeting and were talking about the german department, in catalan, and when they started talking about the english department, they switched over to spanish for me… oh man, it was hilarious.  I’m going to learn A LOT.  A LOT.  A LOT.  of both catalan and spanish.  I’m super excited.  Also, for the record, I could mostly understand what they were talking about in catalan, which I did NOT expect.  Everyone in the department was really nice.  When we were discussing my schedule, one lady was like “we’re going to fight for you”, and thanks to her and the head of the department, they condensed my schedule into Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.  Hello, long weekend!!   Also, get this, apparently I’m going to be helping out with music and art classes.   The music teacher is this hilarious guy who speaks really good english, actually.  Well at least, he’s the only one who actively spoke english.  At the meeting, they asked me if I was musical, and I said I can only play one song on the piano (despite having taken it for like 6 years).  They told me I can just play that song all year. hahaha wait till they hear it.  “If I Were A Rich Man” will be haunting them now!    Some pics of Binissalem:

 

Some things weird tidbits I’ve taken note of so far:

- I saw a sidewalk store selling a t-shirt with a cartoon octopus on it singing “ole ole ole ole” and holding a spanish flag in one of his tentacles (re: the octopus that predicted Spain would win the World Cup)… I need to buy one of those shirts.

-All of the houses in Binissalem have green shutters, as do most of the buildings in downtown Palma… reminds me of home!

- People in S’Arenal assume I’m French?  Three separate people have assumed that, at least… strange.

-Also, super-excited I have polarized sunglasses because if not, I feel that I would probably be blind right now.  The sun is crazy here…

Anyways, hope you’re all doing well, I’m going to meet up with some people from my program tonight for the first time, we’re meeting in one of the main plazas to have some tapas, should be good!

Te adoro, Palma

  

These aren’t even pictures of my favorite area.  I put my camera away for that part because I was in awe.  Enough said.

Travel tips for Young Adults

Yep, for “young adults,” not “for dummies,” because if you’re a dummy, stay at home and do whatever it is that dummies do, like, you know, going tanning or picking your nose, or something like that.  For those of you who have seen the movie Taken, you know what happened to the dummy friend, and although I’m aware that is an extreme situation, I cannot stress enough how being aware and savvy can get you out of tough binds ranging from slight discomfort to serious danger.  Yes, my dad suggested I add this section to the blog, and, no, he is not Liam Neeson, and neither is your dad, so take heed! 

This post is the first in a series.  And don’t make any Jack Handy references, please!

Travel Tip #1: Invest in good walking shoes.  I know you’re poor.  You just booked a ticket for Europe that costs more than your credit card limit, you have student loans, the rate of exchange isn’t great… or maybe that’s just me?… Well, maybe you have the money, but you are painfully aware that good walking shoes often resemble moon shoes and/or leather tonka trucks.  Well, they may cost more than you like, but I highly recommend buying a pair of earth-toned Birkenstocks (I think the ones with the thong are flattering and don’t shout “tourist” as much as the 2-strapped ones) and also a neutral-colored pair of nice sneakers, like Nikes, something simple and durable, no imitation material.  Other options will debilitate you and/or make your feet smell like you grabbed them from the elephants’ cage at the zoo.  Consider it an investment.  If you could smell my feet after wearing shoes made with imitation leather, you would petition for the purchase of good quality walking shoes to be a tax write-off.  Again for the penny-pinchers or hobo students, if you buy cheap shoes that end up killing you,  you may have to buy new ones, which ends up being about as expensive as one pair of nice shoes.  And unless you’re at the beach, flip flops don’t cut the mustard, people!

Travel Tip #2: The return trip should be your priority. This is particularly important in a foreign country, where bus drivers or random passersby may not understand the meaning of the word “lost”!  Say you’re at a hostel on the fringes of the city center,or say you’re just going on a day excursion to some quaint village off the beaten path.  Chances are, at some point, you will be taking some form of public transit (a bus or a train) to get there, unless you can afford a taxi.  Chances are also likely that along your route, there will be what I call an English-language black hole.  This may seem like a no-brainer, but I want to stress that getting somewhere is usually easy, but getting back can be a major disaster.  Make sure you are aware of how you can get back, what time services stop and where, if there is a festival going on that weekend that affects bus times.  Find this out.  BEFORE. YOU. GO.  Bus stops do not always have maps, routes or times posted, and you do not want to end up squatting in an English-language blackhole for an extended period of time, especially if you’re alone!

Travel Tip #3: Go to Church, even if you’re not religious. No, I’m not preaching from the blog, or trying to convert people, but going to church in a foreign country is fascinating.  If you’ve ever been to mass before, you’ll know what’s going on no matter what the language.  And more specifically, if you are in Spain, you’ll realize there’s really  not much else to do on a Sunday, considering every little thing is closed.

Travel Tip #4: Find out what a popular regional drink is.  Ask someone from the region if there is a regional drink you should try.  It’s a good conversation starter, and you could end up really liking it… or, as in the case of Alhambra beer (Granada) or caipirinha (Lisbon), you could end up completely obsessed.

Travel Tip #5: In an emergency? Don’t call 911.  At least, if you’re in Spain.  Then you’d call “112”… Find out the emergency number in a foreign place, before you get there.  God forbid you need to use it, and pity the fool who needs it AND is dialing 911.  Now that person is in trouble.

Travel Tip #6: Look for hostels with breakfast included. These are typically buffets consisting of the basics.  Today, the hostel where I’m staying had cereal, granola, buns, croissants, cheese, ham, various fruit spreads and beverages (coffee!)… You can stock up for the most important meal of the day and then you’ll find yourself more content with all the walking you’ll be doing, not to mention, less likely to fall for the expensive, ginormous meals that are often advertised on the beaten path (here’s looking at you, street ad with vat of seafood paella pictured… I bid thee adieu. That ad follows me around everywhere I go in Spain, I swear)….

Travel Tip #7: Take your headphones out.  Chances are you’ll hear some interesting, enlightening things.  You don’t have to be actively trying to take things in, taking your headphones out is half of it.  Oh, the things I’ve learned and friends I’ve made from casually eavesdropping.

Travel Tip #8: Learn another language.  Obviously, if I’m studying in Spain or moving there temporarily, it helps that I’ve put in the time to learn the local languages (be it castellano [“spanish”], catalan, etc.).  As you would imagine, it helps in basically any conceivable situation.  However, I found out that you can use that supplementary language in more interesting ways… for instance, when I was in Paris, I spent a lot of time on my lonesome because I was meeting up with friends halfway through the trip.  Now, there’s a bit of, je ne sais pas, bad blood, between Americans and French, or so I’d heard, so, everytime I spoke to someone, I would say “Parlez-vous espagnol?” (do you speak Spanish?), and they were SOOOO nice to me.  A lot nicer than if I spoke in my strongest yankee accent, I’m assuming… I didn’t test out my theory, though… but if I had, I would have asked the haughtiest looking French person I could find if they knew where I could get some “freedom fries”.  Also, I’m pretty sure I’d be wearing a camouflage fanny pack.  and an Uncle Sam hat. 

More travel tips to come…

1st Leg

--> Philly

excessive caffeination + free wifi + 7 hour layover = this post

Kate gave me this copy of The Alchemist when I graduated. from high school. I'm fiiinally getting around to reading it. It's a super-quick read, and I'm glad to be taking in its optimistic message regarding the beauty of the journey... something I need to take in, considering my current journey includes two 6+ hour layovers!!

In my mind, I’m goin’ to… España

Can’t you see the sunshine/ Can’t you just feel the moonshine

About a month ago, I was stuck in a spider-web of red tape otherwise known as the visa application process.  How I love such dalliances with my fickle mister, the bureaucratic process… oh the memories: taking off work to get documents from an office that is only open on Thursdays, road-tripping to another country (in my case) to hand in my application only to get it denied rudely and arbitrarily…  Honestly, who are these people at the consulate… and how can I get a job there?  Their hours are 10AM-2:30PM (four and a half hour days, whaat?)… and the power-trip seems potentially invigorating.  That said, I found out last week that my application went through successfully and my visa is ready to be picked up… so, finally I know I will actually be going to Spain (and not just in my mind).   

I am seriously excited to get to Palma.  I’m going to cause the biggest stir since Michelle Obama's trip there earlier this summer.  Okay, well, maybe not, but I am rearing and ready!  Still though, this transitional period before going abroad is such a jumbled mess of a time.  Here are a couple of songs that sort of indicate the mixture of excitement and anxiety I’m feeling knowing I’ll be leaving home for a while:

"Don Quixote/Spanish Rain"- Coldplay  New Coldplay song dedicated to their 2010 Latin American Tour… “Spanish Rain”… perfect material for The Rain in Spain

"Boots of Spanish Leather" - Bob Dylan 

"Carolina in My Mind" - James Taylor  As Taylor says in the video, this song was actually written when he was in Spain and homesick

Culture Club

How cute is this (Tim Burton-inspired?) poster art? I love it... the champagne-wielding skeleton's wee paunch... the kissing couple... so precious! The event being promoted here is at "Cultura Club," a club in Palma I've actually heard of. The girl who was in my position last year in Binissalem recommended it to me as a fun place that plays indie music. In the same e-mail, she recommended I check out Youthing magazine... Youthing is basically the Freetime magazine of Mallorca. Madrid had the Guia del ocio, which was really helpful in getting the word out on upcoming cultural events (like art exhibits, concerts, film screenings, etc.), and it had a really great web version of the publication. So, about a month ago, I was pretty bummed when I googled "Youthing" and found their official website to be, well, without. The website was just a yellow pages-style listing of the publication's office address and a picture of a past cover, no links, no 'under construction' signs, just a whole lotta nothing... Until today! I searched again and found out they've updated the website (http://www.youthing.es/) so I can access the most recent issue. Needless to say, score! That's where this depiction of the skeletal soiree caught my eye, as well as announcements for some pretty cool-looking events, like some free music shows and lectures. Here are some local happenings I thought looked interesting, to say the least!:

• an open-mic Poetry slam (in spanish...I think that would actually be pretty entertaining... to watch!)
• a "Youth Group" for 14-30 year-olds offering free massages on Thursday nights in September (I may steer clear of that one!)
• a concert with Elton John performing with Andrea Boccelli (definitely cool, albeit, before I get there and out of my price range)
• a free screening of Shutter Island (LOVE IT) at the local Parc de la Mar

With less than one month left 'til my departure, I'd do well to keep my ear to the streets for chances to get amongst it!!

My Spanish Doppelganger

One of my best friends went to Europe after our high school graduation and saw this poster on the street in Barcelona: She (obviously) had to take a picture of it and send it to me because the name “Maria Figueroa” is really similar to my name, and, well, basically it’s funny to imagine that I had a secret career as a child belly dancer in Spain. Years later, we’ll still reference little Maria, when I jokingly bust a move, for instance. Finally, a few days ago, I had the brilliant idea to see what the deal is with this little Spanish diva. After a quick YouTube search and a lot of soul-searching, I’ve decided to post my findings:

I think this video is funny in its own right, all long-standing jokes aside. ¡Hostia! I can’t wait to watch more Spanish television programming when I get there…

Dear reader, if you are as astonished as I am by the musical talents displayed above, you should check out the truly chilling rendition Maria does of Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” (in Spanish, “Voy a Vivir”) or my personal favorite, this heated collaboration.