Catch Up

Other things have taken priority over blogging: I've been trying to act like a functioning adult and start taking care of myself. While I still spend far too much time in front of a computer, typing words on a screen hasn't been on my to-do list. But now I've found myself with gobs of free time as the year winds down  and the children are taking exams. So I'm sitting here in the school's computer room, surrounded by shouting 6th graders, and suddenly compelled to update this dang thing. In the spirit of laziness, here is the Cliff-Notes version of these past months:

October

I love Halloween. Always have. This year I convinced Álvaro to take me to the Parque de Atracciones to check out the Halloween-themed decorations and haunted houses. We went with his aunt, uncle, and cousin. In one haunted house, I had a complete stranger cling to my dress the whole way through. Fun times.

Halloween at school was the usual dress up in the afternoon merriment. I was a pirate. Again. I was also sick. Again. I watched the original Night of the Living Dead. Again. I am a creature of habit.

November

I still have this idealized vision of a potluck Thanksgiving with expat friends, to compensate for the loneliness often felt while being away from home during the holidays. Didn't happen. So, I had two options: cry about it or suck it up and have my own dang Thanksgiving. I chose the latter. I managed to make a tasty meal without an oven (I cheated and bought a chicken from a Kebap place). It snowed the day of. Overall I was satisfied. 

Also, I finally decided that I was tired of fiddling with my phone during my two-hour lunch break, and took up knitting. 

December

Christmas! Holidays! Festivities! I love the schools at Christmastime, when you get to spend time singing songs with the kids, and suddenly you have delicious dinners with your co-workers. 

Unlike last year, I got to go home for Christmas, bringing Álvaro with me. I decided not to waste my two weeks at home, and actually got to visit a few old friends in the area. The weather was way too hot, but overall I left feeling content. No place like home.

January

I got pick-pocketed for the first time! Fun! It could have been prevented, but I had let my guard down for ten minutes while walking down a relatively empty street on a Saturday morning. I would've been impressed if I wasn't so upset. On the upside, Álvaro was a champion and helped me look through nearby trashcans on the off-chance that I could at least recover my ID card (the only really valuable item stolen). No luck, but watching him take pictures of the inside of trashcans was so ridiculous that I felt better.

February 

I turned 25! Álvaro turned 26! I had a CAT scan on my ankle. I now have a cool 3D image of my foot. I made hats. 

March

After applying back in September/October, Álvaro and I finally had our appointment for pareja de hecho, the American's golden ticket to long-term residency in Spain. While we mostly did it for immigration purposes, I was definitely giddy about adding an extra level of commitment to the relationship. Nothing has really changed, but now I can legally claim him as family. That's pretty cool.

I made my first pair of socks.

We went to Zurich, specifically to see James Mercer perform in Broken Bells. I was in the front row and it was glorious. Worth a post on its own.

April

Weather warmed up. I made a shirt.

We hit three year mark in our relationship, and went to Portugal. The students took some exams.

In late April I was rejected from a supposedly non-competitive auxiliar program, which meant I was suddenly scrambling for employment next year.

May

Lots of holidays, but little to report. Students have taken exams, and have essentially checked out for the remainder of the term. I'm still looking for a job, but to save my skin I've signed up for a CELTA course. This means I can't go home this summer, but hopefully it brings good things. We'll see!

Germany

I've almost been to Germany quite a few times in my life. When I studied abroad in Madrid in the spring of 2011, I highly considered a weekend getaway to Berlin. However, flights were too expensive so I chose the cheaper alternative--Amsterdam--for my northern European fix. Then, this past winter, I learned about German Christmas markets. I thought, "Well that should be a lovely way to spend Christmas break, since I won't be going home." NOPE. Álvaro hesitated too long when making a decision regarding winter break travels, and airfare skyrocketed. Spring break rolled around, and I dreamed of stomping around Berlin in a pair Doc Martens. WRONG-O. Indecision won out yet again (although thanks to an intervention from Dan my Docs were allowed to stop the streets of Barcelona).

So when Álvaro approached me about a possible one week course in Dresden, I reacted with skeptical optimism. It seemed at every stage of planning I expected our plans to completely fall apart as they had in the past. First, he considered not applying altogether. Then, he doubted that he would be accepted. When he received confirmation of his admission, he debated going. 

By this time, I had left for camp. The course was about a month away, and I was too busy controlling a hoard of children and adolescents to look for flights abroad. While I can write a long list of very nice things about Álvaro, "trip planning" is not on that list. He has a tendency to wait too long until the opportunity passes him by. In fact, all of our trip this past year have been last-minute, "Hey, I just got this great idea to go to this place!" affairs. It's not conducive to finding cheap plane tickets. 

You can imagine my surprised when, mid-July, I received an e-mail with two tickets booked for Berlin from the 20th to the 30th of August. Admittedly, the rest of the planning fell on my shoulders, but who cares? I was going to Germany!

We spent five days in Berlin and six in Dresden, renting rooms we had found on Air BnB. I definitely recommend this route for people who want a few extra creature comforts without the price of a hotel. We had access to a mini fridge in both cities, and in Dresden we had a kitchenette, sofa, and a private bathroom with a huge bathtub!

Berlin reminded me very much of Berkeley, my college town. Both are very eclectic cities which welcome and celebrate the "weirdos" of the world. The organic stores, bicycles, and international cuisine made me feel like I was back at university. I immediately felt at home in Berlin. There are some cities that are interesting to visit, but feel like massive tourist traps (I'm looking at you, Venice). Berlin felt like a place I could live. We went on walking tours, learned about World War II and German history. I ate currywurst and doner kebap. Most of the time I was content to just stroll around the cities and take in everything.

The humblest of Protestant churches

The Spree river and famous TV tower by Museum Island

A day trip to Postdam

Modeling around Tiergarten park

Beer: check. Wurst: check. Fries with frysauce: check and check.

German parliament building: best free views of the city (but full of spiders). 

I absolutely wasn't ready to leave for Dresden. I wanted to spend more time in Berlin, but Alvaro had his summer school, so away we went. I admit that Dresden also grew on me. It doesn't have the allure of a big, sprawling city, but what is lacks in urban culture it makes up for in natural beauty. Dresden is a city that would normally only merit a day trip. I had seen the majority of the sights in just one day. Plus, since Alvaro was in class for most of the day, I was on my own. I took advantage of this time and explored the nearby villages, which looked like something out of a postcard.

Stumbling around a palace

This church was mostly destroyed in WWII

Went on a steamboat

In a town called Pirna

I'm on a boat! (that song's still cool, right?)

In "Saxon Switzerland"--the Sandstone Mountains

Königstein

A fort!

This is real. I saw it with my eyeballs.

PROOF.

Meissen: known for its wine. Full of old tourists

View of Dresden from the train

In addition, I was able to spend some time with some of Alvaro's classmates, an international bunch of students. We were almost all expats who had lived (or were currently living) abroad, and so we swapped stories of cultural quirks over glasses of German beer.

Overall, it was absolutely one of the most memorable trips I've ever taken. My only complaint? The language barrier. I've heard that German is supposedly easy for English speakers to learn, but I didn't understand a word of it. After spending a year in Spain, I'm used to being confronted with a foreign language, but at least I can understand it. With German, I was completely lost. Germans generally know some English, but we definitely ran into a few people who didn't speak a word. By the end of those two weeks, I was tired of feeling like a foreigner. I had a fun trip, but I was definitely happy to be home.

And then several days later I got on another plane to Los Angeles....

Candeleda

I'm quite backlogged on blog posts, so even though it's already October I'm writing about the weekend of the 16th of August. (I changed the publish date because its my blog and I can do what I want)

I've touched upon the notion that Spaniards have a pueblo--usually a vacation home in a smaller village, possibly where their family grew up (not always).Alvaro has two villages, and I've had the misfortune of visiting both in winter. Imagine a popular summer destination town in the winter. It's cold. It's deserted. There's nothing to do. So I was quite pleased that, after two years of listening to Alvaro talk about his beloved pueblo Candeleda, I had the opportunity to see it flourishing over the summer.

View Larger Map

Candeleda is a small village on the border of Castilla y Leon and Castilla la Mancha, in the province of Avila and about two hours from Madrid.

"Natural Pools" where people go to swim. A fish bit my foot here.

To be honest, there isn't much to write about my weekend there. I had just returned from the summer camp, and I was going through a bit of a reverse culture shock. I had spent over a month essentially in isolation, surrounded by nature. When I returned to Madrid, I had trouble adjusting to the smells and the views again. A trip out to the countryside was a welcome break in my transition back to the big city. In addition, I had purchased a pair of hiking boots and I was eager to test them out for the first time.

My legs are still two different colors from summer camp :(

We went by motorcycle, which meant packing light and a long, uncomfortable two hour ride. Alvaro's aunt and uncle were very kind to lend us their newly-purchased house for the weekend. Although it still didn't have a fridge, it still had the modern comforts of home (shower, bathroom, etc), compared to his parent's house which is more rustic.

That weekend was hot. It was an oppressive, windless heat that didn't dissipate at night. Alvaro and I managed a seven-mile hike up to an old Roman bridge, and despite the crowds that had flocked to the village for the weekend, the trail was almost abandoned. We dipped in the river, and napped in the afternoon when it was too hot to do much else. At night, Alvaro's parents barbecued our dinner. On the way back, I somehow managed to get stung three times by a wasp--while still on the motorcycle.

Conqueror of worlds. Wearer of ridiculous shorts.

Álvaro off in the distance doing Álvaro-things

Roman bridge

Surrounded by nobody

Overall, a nice, relaxing weekend.  

My Parents' Visit

In keeping with tradition of posting one month late, I am finally getting around to writing about my parents' trip to Spain. They left the 5th, and it has been 21 days of radio silence on my part. What's my excuse? Did I get sick again? Nope. Super busy? Nuh-uh. In fact, in June work ends a full 2-3 hours earlier and I haven't had any private classes in the afternoon. I've had more free time than ever! I haven't got a single excuse, save my own laziness. However, I'm leaving for summer camp in less than one week, which means no internet and no blogging. With this time limit, I'm suddenly motivated into blogging again. Ever the procrastinator.

I'll skip the nitty-gritty details, since writing about a two-week visit would take too long. After a month-long haitus I'm not exactly in blogging form.

First, the low points:
Every travel story has its rough moments. My parents had excellent luck right out the gate, as they opted to take the train to the airport and skip Los Angeles' famed rush hour traffic. To reward them for their forethought, the train decided to arrive 2 hours late. Two. Hours. In comparison, a 15 minute delay in Madrid means that the metro workers are on strike. Thankfully, they caught their plane on time and we had a glorious reunion at the airport. In retrospect, there was only one hiccup in regards to transport. A big hiccup, but manageable nonetheless.

Unfortunately, none of us were in stellar health during the trip. My dad still has some lingering [and unresolved] issues, which meant that we had to take things slowly and frequently stop to rest. In addition, I'd had a lingering cough since the beginning of May, which suddenly worsened just after my parents' arrival. My mom gave me some antibiotics, since Spanish doctors are impossible (open one hour a day and your "office" is in your living room? OK). At one point I almost passed out/threw up in the metro, which was a fun experience. Thank you, random Cercanias worker who bought me a soda. So, I missed out on some valuable time with my mom and dad because I was too dizzy to stand. By the way, cough is resolved and I rescind my judgements on Spanish health care. It isn't all useless old dudes who operate out of their apartment.

Now, to the good stuff:
So much good stuff! First we had good weather for almost the entire trip. It was cold and rainy both the week before and the week after they left, but warm and sunny during their stay. Second, I highly  recommend Hostal Gonzalo. The owner upgraded their hotel room to an apartment so that they'd be more comfortable during their stay. So, my parents got to live the European apartment life with a kitchen, living room, and a balcony. Talk about good customer service.

During the trip planning stages, I was the typical over-eager daughter who wanted to recreate a year's worth of exeriences in 13 days. It was their first trip to Europe and  I wanted them to see EVERYTHING. I think, considering that I was still working Monday-Thursday during their stay, we managed to see quite a bit.

The Itinerary:
May 23: Arrival in Spain. Showed my parents the main sights (Sol, Plaza Mayor, etc). Ate chocolate con churros.
May 24: More walking around and looking at things. I've been in Spain for almost a year and I'd never gone into Templo de Debod, despite the free entrance, so we did that. We experienced a menu del dia (3 course price-fixed menu) at El Lacon.

No, you can't high-five Don Quijote

May 25: Day trip to Córdoba via the high-speed AVE train.

May 26: My parents met Álvaro's parents for the first time, and we went to Toledo.Neither had a good grasp of the other's language, so I was the translator. All things considered it went well.

May 27: Back to work. I tried going to the doctor, which was open for only one hour. I arrived 3 minutes after it opened, and his living room already had about 10 people waiting. NOPE.
May 28: Parents went to the Thyseen museum and the Royal Palace. I went to work. We met up in the afternoon for pizza and watched TV.
May 29: Parents went to the Prado. I went to the Prado with my students. Later, I almost fainted in the metro. I didn't see my mom and dad that afternoon.
May 30: Was still feeling dizzy, so I went to urgencias (urgent care) and was given some medicine for my cough. Rested, and that afternoon we went to Café Central for dinner and live jazz.

May 31: An easy day. Walked around the Retiro park. In the evening we met up with Álvaro's family (including his aunt and uncle) for some tapas and Asturian-style cider.

June 1: Day trip to Barcelona. We woke up at 5 A.M. to catch the train and we back in Madrid by midnight. We spent the morning in the Sagrada Familia. My dad wasn't feeling well, so we caught a hop-on/hop-off tour bus and rode around. Having already been to Barcelona twice, I was content to go along for the ride.

June 2: Met up with Álvaro's family again for a trip to La Granja and Segovia. We were treated by his aunt and uncle to cochinillo (roast suckling pig) and judiones (giant white bean stew). In the spring, La Granja turns on its fountains to the public. We drove to Segovia and saw the aqueduct and alcazár.

June 3: I went to work, and hung out with my parents in the afternoon. My mom and I walked around Spain and picked up a few souvenirs.
June 4: Ate lunch at Café Central and enjoyed the terrace views and warm air. Álvaro's parents stopped by to say goodbye to my parents, and Santi (Álvaro's dad) let my dad ride his scooter around the block.

June 5: I accompanied my parents to the airport and we said our goodbyes. They had an uneventful return trip.

Overall, I was glad to have shown them a bit of my adopted country. Our families met and in spite of the language barrier everyone got along swimmingly. I think their trip helped bridge the gap caused by the sheer physical distance between California and Spain. They've seen the home I'm starting to build here, and the wonderful people I'm surrounded by. I've gone from the girl who couldn't do her own laundry to the girl who is living in a foreign country and speaking a different language. I think, having seen the life I've been leading here (albeit in my little dollhouse of an apartment), my parents can more readily accept their eldest daughter living abroad.