Mis Aventuras en España

And the beat goes on...

2007-06-07T13:12:00.000-07:00

Well, it is my last night here in Spain (Catalunya) and I have done a terrible job of informing you of my adventures and keeping you up-to-date...i guess i was to busy having adventures. You'll just have to wait until I get back to the states and can tell you in person...in the meantime you can look at the pictures I've put up...someday I'll put up the rest. All I can say is that the past nine months have been a crazy adventure and I have made some of the best friends in the world that I will miss terribly. i am going to miss the kids a lots too...but someday I am sure I will see them all again. And with that, here is the typical end of a story saying in Catalunya:
"Vet aquí un gos, vet aquí un gat, aquest conte s'ha acabat"...which literally means, here comes a dog, here comes a cat, this story is finished. But which basically means, the end. and that's all she wrote.

Long Overdue...

2007-05-29T12:48:00.000-07:00

I just got pictures from a calçotada I went to in March (that's what happens when you break your camera...you have to wait for people to get around to giving you the pictures they took) luckily thanks to my wonderful parents I now have a working camera waiting for me in the states, yay!!!
http://picasaweb.google.com/Sarah.K.Herman/CalOtada

fast as a speeding bullet

2007-05-26T13:18:00.000-07:00

just got back from munich on monday
can't wait to come home....lots to pack, everyday is filled to the max!!
here are some pictures from munich, sorry there are no captions... http://picasaweb.google.com/Sarah.K.Herman/MarvelousMunich

quick update

2007-05-08T12:16:00.000-07:00

went hiking a bunch this weekend!! here is the hike on sunday: http://picasaweb.google.es/excursionscat/070506AncientHousesInTheHills
after helping meritxell translate all the information for this hike and then seeing the "Ancient Houses In the Hills" ... i feel they may actuall be closer to cliff dwellings...except not necessarily attached to cliffs, but that's what they reminded me of...
i am attempting to clean my room and pack a bit up...not going very well, it is a disaster area in here
i am going to germany on the 17th to see viki again and i am really excited. this time i get to visit Munich, so it will be a lot of fun!!
i am starting a project for Gepec involving global warming, pictures, and a power point slide. I had my first adventure today wandering around trying to take pictures of chemical plants and ports and industrial things...i was mildly successful...hopefully i'll have better luck next time
ciao!!

'til by turning and turning we come down right

2007-04-28T05:49:00.000-07:00

I really want to enjoy spain and all it has to offer, but at this point all i do is find myself thinking of coming home. This is not to say that I am not enjoying myself here, i love travelling. most recently i have been to scotland and hungary. when i get the pictures I will make albums and then you can see all about my trips. plus I love all my friends here. they are truly amazing and sweet and I have a wonderful time with them. This past sunday a small group of us went to Barcelona for a day out and fun lunch and here are some pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/Sarah.K.Herman/SundayLunch

I was supposed to go to France this weekend, but in the end it didn't work out. So instead i have the house to myself, which I absolutely love. i have walked around in my underware, listened to music and danced, cooked and made a mess and tonight i am hosting a dinner party that i think will be excellent.

in an attempt to take advantage of being in spain and living near the beach, after 9 months of being here, i've finally gone. I really enjoyed it, the sound of the water is always relaxing.

since being here I think i've only become more head strong and passionate about the environment and i have all sorts of plans and ideas to implement when i get back. i am still volunteering for GEPEC (the local environmental organization) when I am not travelling or working.

well, i'm off to go start cooking!

Short but Sweet

2007-03-27T12:35:00.000-07:00

I am determined to write something, but it won't be long. I don't know exactly what my next sentence or thought was in the last post, so I'll just have to pick it up later or start over. Just wanted everyone to know I didn't forget about my blog...I am just too busy having adventures... my most recent adventure was a trip to Italy with Gabe, it was amazing!! here are pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/Sarah.K.Herman

Interestingly enough I got a wonderful book in English in Florence...it is call "The Rough Guide to Ethical Shopping" it is really excellent and I am very much enjoying reading it. Here is the first sentence: "Most of this book is concerned with the social and environmental implications of specific products, companies, labels (such as organic or Fairtrade) and approaches to ethically minded shopping" ...you can see why I like it so much.

Actually, most recently I went for a short hike this sunday...it was the first one of Sergi and Meritxell's business, and they had quite the turn out, yay! here are pictures (created by Meritxell from her pictures and from pictures by another guy on the hike): http://picasaweb.google.es/excursionscat

ok, well, in deference to my title, that is all for now!

It Matters

2007-01-21T03:19:00.000-08:00

Think of how much money you have spent in the past month (rent/mortgage, food, utilities, interent/phone, car, gas, travel, shopping, etc...) what about the past year? Where is your money really going? It adds up and it matters what companies are getting in, because in the end, you give them a lot of money. You may say you are against child labor or fight for worker's rights in your own job, but what about those who produce all the, many times, "useless junk" that clutters our lives. Why is our society obssessed with consumerism and materialism? What was the last gift you gave someone? Did it really mean anything, or did you just get it because you thought you needed to get something? Wouldn't you rather just spend meaningful time with someone you are close to instead of trying to find them some other inane piece of clutter that they don't really need? It is easy to convince ourselves that we need the latest great new shirt, shoes, gadget or whatever, but chances are, you'll definitley survive and probably prosper without it.

so i am totally right in the middle or maybe just at the beginning of this entry but between Jan getting cranky and me wanting go for a run i will have to finish it later....so i know it is kind of strange right now...but i am publishing it because i don't want to lose anything i have started with incase i want it later

Lifesaving Links:
http://adbusters.org/metas/corpo/blackspotshoes/ - really amazing shoes...you should get them the next time you need shoes, I am!

the following thanks to my dad!:
http://www.popsci.com/popsci/whatsnew/f1ae0e0796b84010vgnvcm1000004eecbccdrcrd.html - Las Cruces Sun-News mentioned using two-button toilets to reduce water consumption. This Popular Science article gives an overview and links to the major manufacturers.
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/15.01/home1.html - Wired magazine's January 2007 issue showcases 7 amazing (admittedly high-end) homes built to be low-impact. There are still some ideas for the rest of us here, even if we can't afford to do something so fancy.

Other alternative housing links:
http://www.cobcottage.com/whatis - sustainable and practical earth homes...i think someday i'll build one

I AM NOT SMILING and I'm PISSED!!!!!!!

2007-01-20T03:03:00.000-08:00

And you know that means something is terribly wrong...because as coach gugat put it..."Sarah is always smiling, if sarah is not smiling something is wrong and someone is fired" - or something to that effect. Who is fired? WE ALL ARE!! WHY?? because we aren't doing anything the climate is changing (among other terrible ecological and social disasters)!! DOESN'T ANYBODY CARE?!?!?!!?!?!? I am not smiling because yesterday it was LIKE SUMMER HERE, literally, hot and humid and i was walking around in a tank top and sandals. we have had no winter. THIS IS A MAJOR PROBLEM. Get up off your ass and do something! I don't care what...take bags to the store instead of getting plastice ones and creating more of a problem (look here for more information: http://app.nea.gov.sg/cms/htdocs/category_sub.asp?cid=246 or http://www.abc.net.au/science/features/bags/default.htm ) little things do make a difference. Maybe your 10 bags don't directly make a difference, but when you start using your own bags others see you and you start talking to them, then they start using their own bags and so forth...it is not hard it is easy. If you walk out the door and then realize you forgot them...GO BACK AND GET THEM!! it is worth it...it will take less than 5 minutes! or you can stop using a dryer...the US consumes the most energy in terms of the size of the country and how many people are actually there! Here in Spain i have stopped using a dryer, and this is a humid climate and my clothes are dry. almost no one here uses a dryer...they are not necessary and look how much lower the energy consumption is. Or plant a tree, go on a hike, appreciate nature. Take a walk or ride your bike instead of driving!! It doesn't matter if it takes longer...make time, what is more important..your "schedule", that will stop being important in less than 20 years, because no doubt it will change and you'll probably be doing other things with other people and in the huge grand scheme of things our lifespan is nothing, or the earth??? We need to stop using so much energy, oil, and other finite resources!! (http://hypertextbook.com/facts/1998/TommyZhou.shtml) We need a new lifestyle!! we have to change; our priorities are all messed up and in reality it doesn't matter where you are...some places are more conscious and make more of an effort than others, but there are people everywhere that don't care! WHY IS EVERYONE SO APATHETIC!! WHY CAN'T ANYONE WAKE UP?!?! This is just the tip of the iceberg of all our problems and there are a million more things you can do to help...PLEASE DO SOMETHING, WE HAVE TO START CHANGING, NOW!!! This is not to attack anyone in particular and i completely include myself...we can all always do more!! Now you may think this is all terribly pessimistic, but i am totally optimistic, i know we can change...and there are a small minority of people who are trying to make a difference...take the time to learn about something new...stop watching television and figure out something you can do...read an article about cleaning with non-toxic cleaning products!! JUST DON'T SIT THERE...ACTUALLY DO SOMETHING,GET YOUR HANDS DIRTY!!!

These are all really helpful sites, please take the time to look at them, even if it is only for 5 minutes a day: www.worldchanging.org
www.care2.com
http://www.coopamerica.org/programs/rs/
http://www.stonyfield.com/
http://www.recycline.com/
http://www.rideyourbike.com/driveless.html
http://www.soilassociation.org/web/sa/saweb.nsf/9f788a2d1160a9e580256a71002a3d2b/915aa86cf16fd77f80256e45005cdcb3/$FILE/Myth&Reality.pdf
http://www.equalexchange.com/fair-trade

Magazines worth reading or looking into:
www.odemagazine.com (absolutely amazing!!!)
adbusters (i am sure you have all heard of this one)

You guessed it...

2007-01-14T09:40:00.000-08:00

My christmas story:

So ofcourse as always we had to wait at the airport...big surprise. But Jojo's (pronounced yoyo, it is a nickname stemming from a last name) plane was about 3 hours late and unfortunately we didn't know that before we left for the airport. So we had a nice road trip, got to the airport, figured out how late his plane was, dealt with Katy's christmas fiasco, kind of, and went window shopping. Then we waited some more and finally the plane arrived. yay! We added even more to the car, which was really unbelievable because we already had so much stuff in the car, but we added all Jojo's stuff and Jojo and managed to make it all work. Drove the rest of the way to Bonn pretty much uneventfully, but by the end I was exhausted and just about falling asleep in the car. Viki's mom made us a great dinner of pork, some bread thing that you steam, red cabbage (i think) and fruit salad, but it was all really good.
We were all tired and pretty much all slept in the next day and just relaxed. I made it a point to help Viki's mom with breakfast and other meals or to help cleanup afterward because she was always making everything for us which was very sweet. Everymorning we had a table full of breakfast that was really incredible. That day Viki's friend Roland got into town and the four of us (Viki, Katy, Roland, and Me) went to the Christmas market in Bonn. Viki, Katy, and I had already been to 2 or 3 and been rather unsuccessful but I managed to get pretty much all my shopping (I really only got stuff for the kids here, and Glòria and Ferran) done, which was excellent. While there we met up with Roland and the five of us took off for an Ice Hockey game between Hamburg and Koln. The girls were rooting for a different team than the guys, but at this point and I can't remember who was rooting for who, but I think Hamburg won...I am just not that into ice hockey i guess. But we got there really early and had a lot of time to kill so I have a lot of pictures from the hockey game...I think I spared you from them while making the album because they were mostly all the same...after the hockey game we decided to go out for a little dancing and whatnot, so we found a bar, but both Jojo and Roland were dealing with jetlag (having both just gotten back from Australia in the past 3 days) so we called it a fairly early night and went home.
I actually pretty much made a habit of sleeping in while in Bonn except one day when i woke up early and went for a run. it was absolutely wonderful. Viki described the way to me, and i think i might have followed it. her mom also described another way and i don't really know if i went the way either of them intended me to go...in the end i went farther then i meant to because even though i took the same path back that i took out i managed to get a bit lost. i ended up taking a detour through some german woods, then thought i was close to their neighborhood so i got out of the woods only to find out that half the people i asked for directions (which consisted of saying the street name) didn't know what street i was talking about...great...but since i am here posting this, you can rest assured that i made it back. in the end i made a huge loop in the middle of the path i was supposed to be on, then got back on the path and miraculously made my way back, i really was grateful, you have no idea. but i was really glad to get the exercise in since the house had little plates of cookies and sweets calling your name at every corner. Shortly after breakfast that day Viki, Roland, Katy, Jojo and me all went ice skating. It was a lot of fun, i always have a great time when i go. and for the first time i tried hockey skates, strangely that was all that was available there (it was only a temporary rink, but still). it was pretty fun though. That night Jojo was having a small dinner at his house, so we made a small appearance. Katy was leaving early the next morning and we were all super tired, so we didn't stay long.
This day we got up at 4 in the morning to take Katy to the airport. I didn't have to get up as Viki was driving Katy, but I didn't want Viki to have to drive back alone so I went with them. Viki and I came back and crashed for a while...then we got up and had breakfast. Later that day (December 23rd) Viki's grandparents came, from Ofortsin, so we cleaned the room Katy and I had been staying in since viki's grandparents were going to stay there, and I moved my stuff into Viki's room, which really made it more of a disaster area because we were attempting a 5000 piece puzzle on the floor. (just to let you know, we unfortunately did not finish the 5000 piece puzzle in 6 days, we did managed to start and finish a 1000 piece puzzle though). That day Viki's younger brother, Max, also arrived from...Hamburg maybe, i don't remember, somewhere else in Germany though I think. That night we all (Viki, Max, her parents, grandparents, and me) all went out to a fun dinner that involved the "circus" and dinner. We would be served a course of the meal and then get to see a solo performance. The performance involved balancing, a trapeze artist, a clown, audience participation (viki's dad and grandfather went on stage at one point and later viki and her brother went on stage). it was really a lot of fun, her family was really sweet, dinner was great, and the show was pretty cool and funny.
The whole time I was there her family made me feel super welcome and i was really happy to be spending the holidays with them. My family has never had a very set or specific christmas tradition, so it was interesting to take part in the holiday with a family with a much stronger tradition. Christmas eve was when we really celebrated the holiday. We all slept in, had a nice large breakfast and then spent some time relaxing. Jojo came over so he and Viki could exchange presents. then we talked him into staying a bit longer and helping us with the 5000 piece puzzle. Viki's mom brought us tea and cookies while we were working on the puzzle and it was really fun. The tree had only arrived two days before and so it had yet to be decorated (it was a real tree and they get it at the last minute so it is still wet, they use real candles instead of christmas lights, so that way if one is misplaced, the tree doesn't really burn that fast). So later in the day Viki got out all the christmas ornaments and her, jojo, and me decorated it while her mom was busy cooking and getting things ready for dinner. Then Jojo left and we all got dressed up and went to church around six. Mostly it involved singing a lot of German christmas carols, which was fun. Then we went back home and had dinner, which consisted of Goose, the steamed bread stuff, red cabbage and a bunch of other things. i was really full. Then we lit all the candles on the tree, sang a couple more christmas carols and opened presents. Viki's parents gave me a pyramid (the little things that you put candles in and then the heat from the candle turns them), her grandparents gave me a beautiful necklace, and Viki gave me some perfume and a key chain. It was really nice relaxing night. Then after dinner we had crepe sussette, they have it every year after opening christmas presents.

well, this is already super long and i am not even done, but i am super tired, so it will have to do for now, i will write more another time. here is the photo album: http://drexel.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2042354&l=963fe&id=10500847

a quick note

2007-01-08T11:11:00.000-08:00

i have been meaning to make this little note about my blog for a while now...
if you have noticed a lack of punctuation, like capitalization, it is because i am using a very sticky and loud keyboard to type and many times "no va la pena"...it's not worth it to make the effort to capitalize things

in other news that is random but that i have been meaning to share...
actually, it isn't that random...these are real error messages i have gotten from this computer in the course of using it:

and i quote (what is strange about this is that normally they are in spanish, but these were in english)

1. "oops...the system was unable to perform your operation (error code 008). Please try again in a few seconds."

2. "The server may be a little bit broken temporarily. Please try again in a few moments while it sorts itself out."

I especially like that last one...sometime we all need a little time to sort ourselves out.

Germany for Christmas...almost, first Ofortsin

2007-01-05T00:23:00.000-08:00

Well...I am almost to Christmas. Before we got to Bonn, where we were spending Christmas we stopped in Ofortsin, a little town in the Black Forest. Viki's grandparents live there and when we arrived at their house around 8 at night we were pretty hungry despite our large brunch earlier in the day. So Viki's Grandfather drove us into town (in one of his numerous cars...there were at least 8 in the garage, wow) to a nice hotel where we had a wonderful German dinner of spetzel, soup, german beer, a bunch of meet, and some other things that i really don't remember the name of...sorry, but it was all really good. I was super full by the end of it...that became a very common theme during my stay in Germany...I at a lot of food and a lot of little cookies and chocolates...but hey, it was christmas...or so Viki told me. Once we got back to the house Viki's grandparents went to bed and the three of us (me, viki, and katy) curled up in big comfy chairs and watched love actually. it was a really nice calm night.
The next morning we got up at our leisure, which i think was surprisingly not very late, maybe ten. After breakfast and a kind of sad and pathetic attempt on katy and my parts to stave off the coming ridiculousness of the holiday season by doing some abs we all got ready for the day. we decided we were going to have a day out on the town, so we went out in Viki's grandmother's hats...i must say, we looked rather adorable. first we went off with viki's grandmother to the grocery store to buy food for dinner (in the end we had salad, boiled potatoes (john's favorite..., luckily i don't mind it either once in a while), and bratwurst) and breakfast the next morning. then we drove 20 minutes into town. we stopped at an internet cafe...to deal with katy's insane holiday disaster...long story, you don't want to know (in the end she ended up coming to spain for new years...but that is a whole other story) we wandered around the christmas market for a while, had some gluhwein and didn't really find much. plus, we were getting cold. so we took refuge in a nearby mall, where ironically, we stopped at a cafe and had ice cream...go figure. but we had been restored and were really very productive in buying holiday gifts after that. Then we headed home to help get dinner ready since we were eating with viki's grandparents and we didn't want to keep them waiting.
Viki's grandmother pretty much had everything under control, so we just made the salad, set the table, and had dinner. Dinner was nice and calm and afterward we trekked out to the garden house to get some wine. it was actually pretty funny because it was very dark and there turned out to be no electricity in the garden house. we found the bottles of wine fairly easily but we couldn't read any of the labels...so i grabbed a bottle and gave it to katy, she ran outside to read it, confirmed that it would work (it ended up being a red spanish wine) and we ran back through the cold to the comfort of the nice warm house. Viki and i didn't drink that much wine, but katy got tipsy enough that she started speaking german with viki's grandmother...it was pretty funny. after viki's grandparents went to bed, we truly had a girl's night. earlier in the week in st. gallen we had purchased some face masks...we decided this was the perfect night to try them. We had a blast...and don't worry, we took plenty of pictures...after we cleaned the masks all up we watched Bend It Like Beckham (which in germany is actually called kick it like beckham). viki had bought the movie ealier in the day because katy and i both really liked it and she had never seen it. but viki really didn't like the movie at all...so i inherited it. katy promptly went to bed after the movie...but viki and really weren't ready for bed. so we went for a midnight walk around the neighborhood. we got all bundled up and had a good little walk. the next morning we all got up at a reasonable hour (we had to...we had to be at the airport in frankfurt to pick someone up at noon) had breakfast, packed everything off and headed to the airport. But here are some pictures, and later there will be more adventures to follow: http://drexel.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2042353&l=97365&id=10500847

A German Christmas Continued...starting with Switzerland

2007-01-04T07:50:00.000-08:00

I was met at the airport by Katy and Viki, it was great to see them! From there we headed to Viki's little red car and drove about an hour to St. Gallen. Even though I hadn't seen them for about six years and Viki and Katy hadn't seen each other in about three we all fell back to being friends very quickly and it was like no time had passed at all. That night Viki's friend was having a birthday party so we went bowling and then out dancing. Seeing as how I didn't really know anyone and couldn't speak German I really only hung out with Katy, Viki, and Micheal (Viki's room mate). bowling was fun and fairly uneventful except that i did manage a couple strikes and several spares! In between bowling and dancing we dropped katy off at home because she was tired, we also went to check out the student bar. Normally it would have been closed (considering it was winter break) but micheal is the manager and he had the keys...so me, viki, micheal, and some other guy whose name i can't remember stopped there for a quick drink and to hang out. The bar, like everything else in switzerland was immaculate and wonderfully designed and completely surprising to me since it was for students. the same went for viki's flat, it was absolutely amazing and students would never be able to afford something that nice and large in the states or many other places as far as i know (the flats i have seen here in spain definitely aren't that amazing) anyway, i have gotten off subject. so we went and met up with the rest of the birthday party at the disco. viki is a great dancer...she is so much fun...it was really awesome to go with her. she never stops dancing and she always has lots of energy and new moves...she is truly a character. so that was awesome and fun! when we finally got home to her flat micheal decided we should start a fire and relax around it before going to bed...ofcourse i was exhausted and promptly after 10 minutes of sitting around the fire i fell asleep.
We all slept in a lot the next day (even me...a theme a managed to continue the whole time i was in switzerland and germany, it was truly unbelievable) and had a great german brunch full of bread, of all kinds, meat, cheese, and fruite. we took our time and just relaxed. later in the day viki, katy and i went out into st. gallen to go shopping, but none of us really needed anything or knew what we wanted to get for other people, so we just wandered around. it ended up being a pretty overcast day (apparently these are fairly common in switzerland) so we headed home, made a simple dinner, and watched a movie. Then viki's friend flo (really don't know how you spell his name, but that is what it sounded like) came over and we made chocolate fondue and watched "Dinner for One", which i highly recomend. it is hilarious and it is the national german tradition to watch it for new years (i know we were a bit early). afterward we went for a late night walk (to work off all that chocolate, i ate so much!). When we got back we played some board games, drank some wine, and sat around the fire.
The next day we relaxed a lot and got up late. We packed everything up for our 3 hour drive ot the black forest and then flo came over again. we all had brunch around one and we were so hungry cause we hadn't eaten anything all day...we had a lot of food...scrambeled eggs, bacon, fruit, different kinds of bread, yogurt, juice, meat, cheese...there was something for everyone. Flo and micheal helped us cary stuff down, packed us up...micheal made a mix tape for us for the road, and then we were off. So here are some pictures of Switzerland: http://drexel.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2042352&l=3d670&id=10500847
unfortunately i have run out of time and i must continue this later...

A German Christmas

2006-12-27T07:54:00.000-08:00

Today I just returned from Germany. I had an absolutely wonderful time. So now...to recount all my adventures.

On December 16th I took the train (which I barely managed to make on time...ofcourse...I literally ran to the station grabbed a ticket, ran to the train which was already waiting, sat down and the train started moving) to the airport where I took a flight to Zurich, Switzerland.

i've got to run...i'll finish later

More Hiking

2006-12-27T07:37:00.000-08:00

As always I am forever behind in keeping up with my life...

The first weekend I was back in Spain was really very nice and relaxing. There were holidays here which meant the kids didn't have school and therefore I didn't have much work except watching the baby. Mostly I got to sleep in and relax, which was really nice. Then over the weekend I got to go on a wonderful hike with Meritxell and Sergi, not in Montsant. We left from a little village from Farena and hiked all day, it was great! Partially we hiked all day on purpose, but mostly by the end we were a little lost, but it all worked out. The following week was fairly uneventful and I fell back into my normal crazy schedule long enough to be ready to leave again the following Saturday for Switzerland and Germany!

Here are pictures of my hike: http://drexel.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2041317&l=f1467&id=10500847

Homecoming

2006-12-08T11:49:00.000-08:00

It was the worst reason ever to go back, but it was really nice to see family and friends. I love you Grampa George and I will miss you so much! You were the most wonderul and special grandfather ever!!

After the service I went hiking with family and it was wonderful. I also got to see my parents, a couple friends, and spend lots of wonderful time with my Grama Fern. She showed me the textile museum at the University and the stained glass at the church and we had a great time!

here are some pictures of the hike: http://drexel.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2039394&l=e8645&id=10500847

Thanksgiving Dinner and my Birthday

2006-12-08T10:12:00.000-08:00

Wow, what an adventure...that is all I have to say. I spent all week searching for just the right pan for the 10 lb. turkey I ordered from the market. Luckily I found one big enough for the Turkey but not too big for the oven at the dollar store. I thought I ordered cranberries from the market but in the end ordered blueberries. Many things went wrong, well, at least not as they were supposed to, but in the end it was wonderful.
I could not have done it without the help of my mother who sent me over 20 emails with recipes and suggesstions...although i might have made a little less food without her. I thought I was making one pumpkin pie and one apple pie, but when it came right down to it, I made to of both...well, it all got eaten eventually. After talking with several people and taking the turkey out of the oven, I realized I cooked it upside down, but as I was serving people who had never had thanksgiving before, they had no idea so it didn't matter. Well, all this in comparison to what happened the night of my dinner was nothing.
I spent all day cooking and everything was going really very well. The Turkey was in the oven and cooking along quite nicely and on time...I was planning to take it out an hour before our company arrived. Well...either way, it was done an hour before company came whether I wanted it to be or not...why? Because the power went out..all of it.......no lights, microwave, frigde, or oven! haha ofcourse I was downstairs in the kitchen and the kids and glória were upstairs...Biel and Teresa immediately started flipping out and Glória told me to come upstairs and take Jan and she would go fix it. Well, to make a long story short, Glória couldn't fix it and we still had no power by the time the guests arrived. We did find some flashlights and were planning to buy some candles...I made the gravy by flashlight and then the electrician came! he restored the power but not the oven or the microwave...so I couldn't reheat any of the food, but it was still all wonderful if I do say so myself.
After dinner Glória and the kids put candles in one of the pumpkin pies and everyone sang happy birthday and all my friends brought me presents, i couldn't believe it! they are all so sweet!! It was really very wonderful.
Here are some pictures: http://drexel.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2039387&l=52b3e&id=10500847

Later that weekend Anikó and I decided to go to Montblanc...a small pueblo about 45 minutes away by train. We had a wonderful time walking around and taking pictures...which you can see at: http://drexel.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2039384&l=cbb79&id=10500847

Olive Oil!

2006-12-08T09:19:00.000-08:00

Here in Spain we have the most amazing olive oil. November 18th and 19th there was an olive oil festival here...little pieces of bread drizzled, well drenched really, with olive oil are handed out at all of the 20 or so booths representing different co-ops from different areas. It was all very excellent. On Sunday my olive weekend was concluded with getting to personally collect olives with some friends at their country house. It was a wonderful adventure and learning experience, plus later I got a wonderful present of fresh olive oil. For those of you who were lucky enough to get to try it when I took it back to New Mexico, you know how good it was!
But I have gotten ahead of myself. Friday night was Anikós birthday and in honor she made a wonderful spinach pasta (from scratch, i can't wait to get the recipe!), cheese sauce, and very interesting and amazing cake! then we went out for drinks to celebrate.
On Saturday Miren came to visit and we went to the olive oil festival and then the flea market. It was really quite wonderful and very large. We looked at books, weapons, nick nacks, clocks, type writers, anything you would think of really and we got to hear some native peruvians play music. It turned out to be quite a nice day and we ended up sitting on my patio enjoying the sun and then later going for a nice walk. well, i guess that was it for that weekend...look i am getting so efficient and good at catching up to the present, i am almost done! here are pictures of anikós birthday: http://drexel.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2039311&l=53f18&id=10500847
and pictures of olive picking here: http://drexel.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2039380&l=70c7b&id=10500847

last time no train, this time no hostal...

2006-12-08T08:41:00.000-08:00

In other parts of the world it is important to reserve a room when you are travelling before you get there. Here in Spain I have managed several times without reserving anything in advance. Case in point: my trip to Zaragoza.
The weekend after Madrid, Miren and I decided to visit Zaragoza...no where near as far away, normally about three hours...on the fateful night we went it took about 4 hours. We left around midnight on Friday night...I was completely exhausted and at any point I wasn't walking, I was sleeping, well at least trying to on the train. Miren and I only planned this trip earlier that day and had only bought the train tickets in advance. We tried to find somewhere to stay online but the circumstances (the mean librarian in Tarragona) was giving us mean looks and so we rushed out of the library without booking anything...i guess figuring we would work it out later or something like that.
Well, by the time midnight rolled around neither of us had done anything about it, but oh well...
It turned out that the train station was having construction done during the night so the train to Zaragoza couldn't actually go to Zaragoza at night, so we went to Casetas at 3 o'clock in the morning...and it was cold! There we waited for 20 minutes until a bus came...which thankfully took us to the train station in Zaragoza. Luckily there was a security guard there and he assured us that if we took a cab and asked the driver to take us to a hostal we would find one that was open. And low and behold 4 o'clock in the morning we stumble into a hostal where we got a room with two beds and a shower all to our selves! for only 30€ a night, what a deal! and at 4 in the morning i didn't really care what we got.
Zaragoza turned out to be quite fun and we did a lot of walking once I woke up (at 11 can you believe it??) because we didn't have a map of the city and we figured we could walk around and find the center and the old buildings...little did we know how big of a city Zaragoza was. After wandering around in what turned out to be the complete wrong direction for 45 minutes we broke down and asked where a tourist office was where we could get a map. After hopping on a bus and walking around some more we finally found it and all the ruins. The old buildings were gorgeous and mostly included a bunch of churches...we saw at least 3 weddings! it was rather ridiculous. Other hightlights of the trip included an impromptu jazz concert, touring the local castle, and learning how to write in caligraphy! See pictures here: http://drexel.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2039378&l=bce8f&id=10500847

I don't think we're in Kansas anymore Todo

2006-11-21T13:14:00.000-08:00

Here in Spain I have had one wonderful visitor so far. Her name is Julia and she is amazing. For those of you who don't know Julia is a friend from Drexel. She is studying in England (Northampton) until Dec. 18th. She arrived on November 3rd and we proceeded to have a whirlwind of adventures which she wonderfully described in her mass email. Therefore I am going to post a part of it because I can't describe it any better:
"she [me] doesn't have to work on weekends, so we planned a weekend rendezvous to Valencia, Spain (a 3 hour train ride). when i got into the train station at Reus and met sarah, we cut our time a little close, as she wanted me to meet a few of her friends, Marta and Eleni. We stopped briefly at a nearby cafe for cafes con leches, but had to rush back to the train station, only to discover we missed the train to Valencia. No biggie, we'll just take the next one, we thought.. so we go up to buy our tickets and lo and behold, there is only ONE ticket left. ONE. not two. ONE. we contemplated sneaking on, but decided the consequence of getting caught and thrown off in some random spanish town or severely fined just wasn't worth it.. so sarah goes, where else do you want to go? haha, me, knowing little about local, feasible spanish cities/towns, blurts out... "lets go to madrid!" she gives me a weird, are-you-kidding look, and then says.. ok! let's do it! haha, ahhhh.. yeah, i had no idea that madrid was 7 hours away on the train. we snagged our night-train tickets fast, but the only ones that were left were seats in a 6-person cubby. NICE. oh well, it's experience, right? we didn't care! we had to wait in the station 3 hours before the train arrived, but it was no sweat cause we had so much catching up to do! Finally, we caught the train and got our seats- we were in a car with three south americans- one columbian, one argentinian, and one woman who snored really loud and gave us mean looks... the other two were really nice, and they were all going to madrid for a jazz festival. the other girl was actually from the o.c. HA... HA. yeah, she totally looked like it, too.... she was studying in barcelona and was taking the train to meet her boyfriend and his parents in madrid. she was fake tan, and had bleach blonde hair, and had bright barbie pink toenails, and kept on complaining about her fake eyelashes... but when telling us a story about staying at a dingy hostel in dublin, she blurts out, "what did they think, i'm some sort of priss?" lol.. sarah and i just looked at each other, and tried not to laugh in her face. amazing. so, we barely slept, and when we did, it was in extremely awkward positions, and arrived sweaty, nasty and greasy in madrid at 7:30 a.m. but that didn't stop us from loving that on a whim, we ended up in madrid! how crazy! so we then bought our return tickets, spoiling ourselves with a 'gran clase' room on a night train coming back to reus on sunday night/monday morning. then we found a cheap hotel (we weren't in the hostel mood) and checked on in! the hotel, for 80 euros, was pretty damn nice. we showered, took a little nap, and headed on out in the town to explore madrid! note, i was extremely happy that i was off of the stupid pound, and now was getting 75% more for my money! amazing... in madrid we walked around a lot, visited lots of plazas, took lots of touristy pictures and didn't give a damn, visited the plaza del toros, the bull fighting arena (i was sad we couldn't see a real bull fight... not that i really expected to be able to, since it's november), ate lots of AMAZING food, went to the Reina Sofia art museum, where i stood in front of Picasso's Guernica and gawked for like... at least 10 minutes in awe, and reminiscing about loren's and my amazing performance art piece that made lydia hunn cry, we danced in the rain with our umbrellas, only to be stopped by a creepy old spanish man who wanted to take us out for a beer, rummaged through an old antique store, hunted down non-chain restaurants, met a cute belgian waiter in a belgian bar/tavern and had 'spanish tapas' with our belgian beer, that weren't really spanish at all..... lol (we should have known, and i think we did, we just didn't care that much). [I have to add that our Belgian waiter was absolutely terrible but really funny. I have decided that he is my equivalent of "Bill your waiter"...he broke over 10 glasses all at once and didn't care, it was really hilarious though, even as i write this i can't stop laughing]food. FOOD. we went to a cute family-owned paella restaurant on sat. night. paella mixto. amazing! i love paella so much... mmMMMMMM! i also had gazpacho and we ordered a bottle of wine and ate lots of bread, which we probably shouldn't have, but you all know, if bread's there, you eat it. so, sarah and i had dressed up a bit and were planning to hit the bars after dinner (our dinne reservation was at 10:30... nice. quite the contrast to the brits who eat at 5 pm, if they decide to eat at all inbetween their many many many beers/drinks) anyhow, we both were so full that we couldn't even bare to finish the wine... but we still wanted to drink it! we didn't know if it was customary, or rude to ask to take the bottle of wine with you, so sarah and i argued a bit over who should ask. regardless of who asked, they had to ask in spanish. obviously sarah's spanish is much MUCH better than mine.. mine is like, ridiculous broken spanish... sarah refuses, and from somewhere deep inside of me i muster up the courage to ask, and procede to verbalize (if you can call iti that) to the waiter, "perdona, es posible vamos el vino?" for those of you who know spanish, you must be rolling with laughter.... for those of you who don't, it means, "excuse me, is possible we go the wine?" NICE... NIIIIIIIICE. hey at least i did it, sarah..... after we had our kicks and giggles about that, we went home and crashed.woke up around 10/11 the next morning to catch up on sleep, and went to a cute little cafe for brunch/lunch. i had tortilla espanola, which was, mmmMMMM. it's like a thick, deep omelet[I would actually describe it as more like a quiche], and mine was probably about 3 inches deep. it has potatoes and onions thrown in between eggs and there's lots of flavor in it.. it's round like a pie, and you get a slice of it. wowza. yummy! while exploring madrid (and spain in general for me), we discovered many other wonderful, traditionally spanish foods. chorizo, jamon, cafe con leche (a double shot of espresso with a bit of silky frothed milk poured in), chocolato con churros (thick, melted, rich hot dark chocolate in a cup, with a side of about...20 churros- fried dough sticks...), huesos (very rich pastries- a glazed outside with a rich potato-like sugary filling- which neither nate nor alex nor sarah really enjoyed, but i did, even though a little one (about the size of a cocktail weenie) was like a brick in your stomach. hmm.. what else? i can't recall right now, but that was certainly plenty for both of us for the weekend! we arrived back in reus, spain (pronounced ray-oos) around 5 am on monday morning, took a little walk around the outskirts of reus, and then went back to sarah's host family's house to rest for a few hours until sarah had to start running errands. in the morning around 8, we showed up at sarah's friends', Eleni and Xioni (pronounced chow-knee). i immediately crashed on their couch for a few hours, then got up and explored Reus. Reus is definitely the baby capital of the world. it's crazy! i was dodging babies, strollers, and pregnant mothers left and right. but it was beautiful- old modernist architecture, small restaurants/cafes, shops of all sorts, plazas and statues, etc. One of the best parts of being in Reus was seeing Sarah, but also meeting all of her friends. Eleni and Xioni were two of the sweetest girls I'd ever met in my life. Eleni is greek and Xioni is chinese, and they were both sooo international and spoke various languages.. so impressive and amazing. and best of all- they spoke perfect english! :-) the rest of the time, my spanish skills were being put to the test, sometimes even in dialogue with some of sarah's other friends.... it was quite an experience. i'm actually thinking about picking spanish back up- i could feel my spanish improving just in the few days i was there, so i'm not sure, but it's always a possibility. so sarah and i went to the market, took the kids to school, hung out, and overall just had a great time...sarah and i had such a great time in spain that we decided to meet up again, this time in dublin, ireland for the first weekend of december!"

So it was absolutely amazing and we had a great time! There's just not much else to say except pictures are coming soon...

and here are the pictures: http://drexel.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2037492&l=f7fbb&id=10500847

La Castanyada

2006-11-19T08:40:00.000-08:00

In other parts of the world October 31st is a holiday involving candy, costumes, children, and a little superstition, here in Spain, the day after is a holiday...but people typically celebrate the night before since no one has to work the next day. I started preparing for the holiday on Monday because you typically make panellettes (almond kind of pastries). But you have to make the dough early because it must sit over night. So i made the dough monday night and the kids made them into panellettes and baked them with Glòria on tuesday and we had some of their friends over for dinner. Wednesday I went hiking with Meritxell and Sergi in search of mushrooms, specifically Rovellones. But we didn't find any...instead we ended up with cama grocs (yellow legs). Which we took home cooked and had for lunch. Then we played scrabble twice, once in English and once in Catalàn/Spanish. Sergi won when we played in english, and he is the worst at english!! he just had good tactics and luck, he got to put "ozone" on the triple word score...Meritxell won when we played in Catalàn/Spanish...I was in the middle both times..not sure what that says, oh well. Here are some pictures: http://drexel.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2037023&l=1592f&id=10500847 yay for my shortest entry yet!

I am determined to finish catching up today....

2006-11-19T07:41:00.000-08:00

So the rest of the weekend. Anikó and I decided to go to Lleida. A small city a couple hours away from Reus by train, towards the center of spain....by which I mean farther away from the coast (this specification will become clear in a moment). We managed to get to Lleida around 10 in the morning with no real plan except to see the different cathedrals and old buildings there. As the train moved closer and closer to our destination...it kept getting foggier and foggier...this did not bode well. It turned out that we really weren't prepared for the weather because we didn't think about the fact that it would be much colder farther from the coast. hm....so we got off the train in our skirts and stepped out into the cold and thought maybe it would be a short day in Lleida and we would leave soon...ofcourse this is far from what happened.
As we were making our way to the Seu Vella, a large cathedral that turned out to be very beautiful, we passed a banner for a wine festival...that started at 11 that day! What luck!! So we visited the cathedral...where were able to climb to the very top of the tallest tower, over 200 steps and wander around a very beautiful and amazing courtyard. (My pictures are now on facebook because I ran out of space on photosite without paying and everyone has access to facebook now...here is the url: http://drexel.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2036997&l=f2a60&id=10500847) So after the cathedral we headed to the wine festival. Luckily for us the day had warmed up a little, not much, we still had all our layers on...but we figured the wine would help. We had only to pay 6 € and we got plates with toast, sausage, cheese, booklets about all the vineyards, wine glasses, a little bag, and great wine! there were about 8-10 tables with 3 or 4 different types of wine at each one! During all the festivity we ended up meeting a group of people from Slovakia (who could actually speak slovakian, hungarian, spanish, and a pinch of english) which was great becase in case i haven't mentioned or you haven't been following or keeping track of everyone, I was travelling with Anikó and she is hungarian. So it was really fun for her to have people to talk to. After we had all had enough wine we went to a little coffee shop and talked and exchanged info and had a great time. Afterward one of they guys, Milan (yes, like the Italian city), hung out with Anikó and I and showed us a little bit more around, but there wasn't much else to see.
At this point Anikó and I had decided to stay an hour later...leaving at 6 instead of 5...it was a cheaper train and we had someone to hang out with, so why not? Little did we imagine the troubles in store for us. For one reason or another, which i don't recall, we managed to get the train station and buy out tickets with absolutely no time to spare. Once we got our tickets Anikó and I literally ran all the way to the train, which was leaving in less than 3 minutes...haha! but we made it. Turns out there was a reason it was cheaper. We weren't going straight to Reus, we would have to change trains partway through journey, oh well, no big deal we thought. But we were both really exhausted and the sun had gone down, so about an hour later when we jumped off the train into the dark seemingly abandoned train station we were more than ready to be on the next train. After waiting 30 minutes in the cold...we started to get worried, especially since it was supposed to have arrived at 7 and the other train dropped us of 5 minutes after 7. But we thought, no, it would have to wait for us...Renfe (the train company) couldn't just drop us off in the middle of nowhere without another train. But we got really worried when one guy started saying, "this happened last week, the train never showed up"...but no one else looked that worried and no one was going any where, so we kept waiting. I think one guy called the train station, but i am not sure...as it was late and i was tired and this was all taking place in spanish. at one point i asked someone if there was a bus station in town where we could get a bus to tarragona or reus, no they responded, there is nothing here...great we thought. anyway, the train eventually came, travelling in the wrong direction, but we got on anyway hoping it would go back the way it came and if not, it would be better than waiting where were. Luckily for us it went in the right direction and we made it home.
When we got back to Reus we celebrated with freshly roasted chestnuts over an open fire. November 1st here is a holiday, the castanyada, and people set up fires in metal trashcans and roast chestnuts and sell them on the street, they were excellent!!

AyayayaaaaaaaaaAdventures!!!!!!!!

2006-11-18T23:34:00.000-08:00

Here in Spain you can choose to go to a small little pueblo or village by train and you are bound to find a nice cathedral, church, or other religious edifice to go marvel at...surprise, surprise. But the architecture is always very beautiful. Since that baby was born I have been getting on a train and going somewhere everyweekend...except this weekend, I am going by car. Due to the fact that when I travel I am not here to get on the computer and during the week I don't have time to sit down and write, I realize it has been just about month since I last updated. I think the only way to rectify this situation is to organize the next few entries into descriptions of my weekend adventures with any highlights from the previous week if there was anything terribly exciting (which of course there always is but not everything merits mention...especially since I have a tendency to create novels for entries...)
So the week after the baby was born was ofcourse different since Ferran took a couple days off and was home. But honestly, I don't remember that much about it. I still went to class and all was well. That weekend, well, I've lost what I did Saturday to the unkown parts of the universe (I imagine the memory is hanging out with all the favorite socks I've lost, even though I hate socks) but it must have been something good since I didn't have time to update...
But I remember Sunday and it was definitely an adventure. oh wait, saturday is coming back to me...ah yes!! There was a mime festival here that week. It was absolutely wonderful! Thursday night I went to a show with Meritxell, Sergi, and Javi at one of the nicer theatre's here, actually it was a silent movie, after Absenta instead of going to dance class. It was hilarious. Unfortunately I can't remember the name but it had 3 main characters in it and it was about a man and wife living in the country (oh andthey had a daughter and a nanny too) and woman who comes from the city. The man starts having an affair with the woman from the city and she decides he should kill his wife and move to the city with her. This was ofcourse depicted through terrible acting, strange facial expressions, and short speech screens, my favorite of which went something like: "Couldn't she just get drowned?" - woman from the city. (The speech screens were in english and the characters really didn't have names)...anyway to make a long story short when the man goes to kill is wife he can't do it and they end up floating to the shore and taking a train to the city, where they preceed to have the most ridiculous and hilarious fun. While they were in the city it was one slapstick routine after another and by the end the husband and wife were back in love and the city woman went back to the city lonely and sad.
ok, so for the weekend, because now i have just about run out of time. oh no. so then friday night i went to a show for kids with Meritxell that was in Catalàn. It was really fun and very cute. After that I saw a show with her brother (who met up with after the kids show) and Anikó, who met us in Plaça Prim that was very artistic and good. For any of you who have seen Sha Sha Higy's work, it reminded me a lot of that. The costumes weren't quite as intricate and there were two people. It was very excellent and wonderful. Although sometimes it is hard for me to completely understand really artsy things, this show left me with the feeling that it had shared a message...basically that we put to much emphasis and belief into the media...because the media tends to tell rather negative messages, which then effect us and how we feel, or something along those lines. After that, not wanting to miss anything I decided to go to another show (by this point it was about 9 pm, Meritxell's brother went to go have dinner and Anikó had to go home) which was about Don Quiote, but involved many different cultures and languages (the few times they spoke). It was even more difficult for me to follow than the previous show and after about 15 minutes I promptly continued my tradition of falling asleep during just about anything...oh well. Saturday night I met up with Anikó and we managed to get two shows in. First we sawe a kids show by two guys from the states. It was a play acted out like a silent movie. It was very funny and cute. Reus is such a small world that when we sat dow to watch that show, I realized we were sitting next to "Alfred" (well, the guy who played him in the kids show the night before) and that I had been sitting next to one of the actors on stage now the night before during the show that was similar to Sha Sha Higby's. Next we saw an absolutely amazing and excellent French trio depict a story about three friends (two guys and a girl) who had been friends since they were kids. It told the story not on a linear timeline but jumping from when they were kids to adults through movement, music, and the few props they had. It was a story of love, friendship, promises, and the fact the things change and when they do it is sometimes hard to keep the promises and pacts we made...it was amazing and so inspiring! I think this one might have been my favorite. The great thing about all this was all these shows were free (except the silent movie, which I think was a whole 3 €) and at least an hour long! After the shows Anikó and I decided to grab a coffee and figure out our plan for Sunday...which i will have to write about later because i really must run!
i hope somebody is still reading this and that it hasn't been forgotten since i haven't written in so long...
best wishes,
sarah

The baby was born!

2006-10-21T06:14:00.000-07:00

In other parts of the world, Jan, would be a girl's name, but here in Spain, and I am sure in other parts of Europe, it is a boy's name and pronounced the same way as Jon in the States. Either way, Jan was born this morning at 8:38. Apparently it was all Ferran could do to find a doctor and even then I guess Jan was already born. Ferran and Glòria had only been in the hospital for 10 minutes. As you can tell it was a very fast labor. Both baby and mother are doing very well and should come home from the hospital on Monday. Jan is absolutely adorable and I believe he was around 3.6 kg (which I believe is about 8 lbs). As soon as I get pictures I will be sure to send them out. It is all very exciting and so far the kids have been doing very well with the whole event.
In other news I have had a very busy past couple of weeks, but I finally managed to fall into a schedule and routine. Ofcourse, now that Jan has been born that will all change. oh well, you wouldn't want to get used to anything in life, then it might get boring, right?
The first weekend in October I went hiking again with Meritxell and Sergi. This time the hike was guided by a different group and was all in Catalàn, but I was able to understand a little bit. The week after that was kind of a mess as I lost my house key (in the end it was ok because they were getting the locks changed anyway, but it proved difficult for a couple days), got caught in a torrential down pour without an umbrella or anything. I ended up staying over at Eleni and Xiaoni's that night which was pretty fun. The next morning Eleni made me Greek coffee, which she claimed was really very light, but I have a feeling it was pretty strong. One day I also learned how to make Tortilla Española. It is really quite easy, except for one crucial step. You basically sauteé onions and very small pieces of potato. Next you beat some eggs, add some salt and then you add the potatoes and onions. Next you pour the whole thing in a frying pan. When the egg is pretty much cooked you turn the whole thing over to cook on the other side. Since it is filling the whole pan, it is rather difficult and it involves putting a plate over the top flipping the whole thing over and then sliding it back into the pan and letting it cook some more. Personally I think it would be easier just to put it in the oven and bake it like a quiche, but to each his own.
The 12th of October was a holiday here, so the kids didn't have school Thursday or Friday last week. Thursday the kids' cousins came to visit and it was a pretty laid back day. The highlight of Friday was going out with Eleni, Xiaoni and a couple others to a local coffee shop/bar (a lot like Rico's in Colorado Springs if you know what that is) and listening to a jazz trio. I didn't stay out too late though because I had a big weekend planned.
On Saturday I went to Barcelona with Miren (a french au pair I met in my Spanish class) where we met up with Dyvia (actually spelled Divya, but I must mispell it with Tom because we both like it when "y" is a vowel, luckily Dyvia doesn't mind) a friend of Tom's from Rice and her friend Dave. And then Miren knew another au pair in Barcelona, so we met up with her too! It was quite the international gathering as Dyvia, Dave, and I were from the states (Texas and Colorado respectively), Miren was from France, and Ester was from Germany but was actually Hungarian. We all had a great time and didn't actually see that much but shopped around the Rambla, grabbed something to eat, took the metro, and saw Park Güell (a neat outdoor space designed by Gaudí). That was pretty much it. (photos : http://drexel.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2036994&l=9f97d&id=10500847)
On Sunday Miren and I met up again and went to Cambrills. A small touristy beach town about 30 minutes from Reus. It was pretty dead on Sunday and it was kind of a cold day. So we only sat on the beach a little bit. But we got a map from the tourist center and walked around town and found an old church and some other old buildings. After taking the bus back to Tarragona we went to the Medieval Festival that was being held in the old part of town near the Cathedral. It was quite wonderful because the setting was just perfect as the streets were all cobble stone and the buildings were all old and stone.
This week has gone very well, even the works on the house may be finished by next week. I had Spanish class three times this week and I am learning a lot. The days I have class are actually very nice and relaxing because I have a fair amount of free time after I get back from class and before I have to get ready to pick up the kids from school. Catalàn class is going wonderfully as well. I always have lot of fun because the teacher is really fun. The entire class is in Catalàn though! I can count, ask what your name is, tell you mine, same with my phone number, and I even know a couple verbs now and how to conjugate them. Drawing class is always a nice time as it is very relaxing and good to do something creative each week. So far I have drawn a flower, an eskimo girl (although in my rendering she looked more like she was from China, oh well), and some trees. The flower and the girl were in pencil and the trees were in charcoal. We just choose drawings the teacher already has and then try to reproduce them. The teacher doesn't really say much but just lets us draw for two hours. This Thursday I started a contemporary dance class and I love it! Reus really is a small town and when I got there, one girl in class looked extremely familiar, but I couldn't place her. It turns out she was thinking the same thing and after we all went around and made introductions she remembered how we knew each other. I met her in the bathroom in La Palma in the beginning of September, we were all really surprised. The class was pretty much in Spanish, but I didn't have any problem understanding and it feels really good to be in a dance class again.
I think I have finally hit a milestone with Biel...he is no longer upset when I pick him up without Glòria or I have him at home alone for lunch or he wakes up after his nap and Glòria is gone. Now he wakes up and is perfectly happy, which is really nice. It wasn't that we didn't get along, he just wasn't ready for them to leave and I was new. But now he is very happy and comfortable with me.
I have also had a lot of time in the past couple weeks to do a lot of baking, which I always enjoy. I made banana muffins, apple cinnamon muffins, carrot muffins and yesterday we all made a chestnut cake!

And now the music...

2006-10-02T08:03:00.000-07:00

It is hard to believe I have only been in Spain for a little over a month...I feel like I have been here much longer. Not in a bad way. Just because I seem to meet new people every week and do something new and exciting each weekend, that I have done so much it doesn't possible that so little time has passed. Either way, I have done a lot since I last wrote. The last two weeks at Absenta have been a blast as always. After meeting on the 21st I went with Meritxell and some of her colleagues to La Palma and we heard Makumba Beat which involved a lot of people with drums and other various traditional and interesting instruments, dancing, and generally a good time. I managed to tear myself away around 11:30 and miss the second group because I just had to get some sleep. The next day I met Marta for coffee and our language exchange. She is very sweet and we always have a nice chat...I feel bad that I can't meet longer with her, but right now my schedule is crazy and I always seem to be running late and then running off to do something else right after I meet her. That night I met up with Meritxell, Sergio, and some of their friends to hear another concert (at this point we were still having the festa major here in Reus). The group was Mesclat, and one of Meritxell's friends new some of the members and said they were really good. After driving to where we thought the concert was to be held due to the rain and then finding out it was going to be outside and if it rained be cancelled, we drove the car back into the city and parked pretty much where we started and walked to Plaça Libertat. And ofcourse after about 10 minutes of the concert it started raining and it was cancelled. We were all fairly upset and annoyed by the lack of organization and planning done by the city and decided to head to Absenta to console ourselves. We had a wonderful time as always and ofcourse when the bar closed at 2 we couldn't call it a night because, well, who knows why? so we went to Saua, which is open till 4 and really very unimpresive. Luckily it is right by my house so I didn't have far to walk at 3 in the morning. Needless to say I was exhausted on Saturday. But I went out in the morning rain and ran errands. I didn't mind because I love going out in the cold or wet just so I can come home and curl up with a blanket, book, and a mug of hot water. I had a nice relaxing day, spent some good time with the kids and was asleep by ten. It felt good to get a real nights sleep...but it didn't last long. Sunday was very relaxing and I didn't do much but make dinner and read. But then I met Xiaoni, Eleni, Alejandro, Rafiel, Andres, and Marta for dinner at 9:30. We had a lot of fun and at midnight Xiaoni and Eleni went to go meet Carmen and Tatyianna at Absenta and invited me to come, but I was determined (at the time at least) to get another good nights sleep (I got up early the next morning to go hiking) and planned to go home shortly after they left, so I politely said no thankyou. They made the rest of the group promise to walk me home since they wouldn't be, which was very sweet. But ofcourse after dinner we had to have a drink. So I ended up going to The Green Dog with everybody else and didn't manage to get home until 2, so much for an early night.
But hiking the next day was wonderful anyway and due to all the adrenalin and excitement being tired thankfully didn't hit me until we were in the car on the way back home. Monday (the 25th)was a holiday here so Meritxell and Sergio came to pick me up at 8:30 we drove out to d'Ulldemolins, about an hour away from Reus. We had to stop in a small village for them to pick up some papers for a hike the following weekend, so we didn't get started until around 11. d'Ulldemolins in an area called Montsant and we were hiking in the parc natural del montsant. I took pictures and will put them up soon. It was actually a fairly flat hike with a very well marked trail...until the second part when we decided to find this cave and we practically entered a jungle along the way. And after making our way through the dense growth (there was a small single track trail which was practically overgrown) we couldn't make it up to the cave because it involved climbing up a rickety ladder and using a rope to climb up the rock wall that was completely flat and almost vertical, not to mention wet. So after some partial attempts we abandoned the cave and made our way back through the jungle to the other trail and the car. The rest of the hike and scenery was very interesting because it seemed like a mix of Colorado and New Mexico to me. There were a lot of pine trees and gravel trails and what not, but it was also dry and there were cactuses and other such plants. It was a wonderful hike and it felt good to get out of the ¨city¨and into nature, because there really isn't any to speak of in Reus. I am very lucky to have met Meritxell and Sergio because it is impossible to go hiking without a car as all worthwhile spots are at least an hour away.
Last week was pretty much a blur of cooking and walking back and forth to the kids school and going to the market highlighted by yoga class, my two language exchanges, and officially registering for Spanish class. Yoga was wonderul as always and completely relaxing. I met Marta for coffee and was terribly late but tried to make up for it by offering some of the cookies I had baked...but she didn't care I was late in the first place...next time I meet her I'll be ontime. She even offered to give me a ride to Tarragona on Friday because she was going as well. Absenta was new and different as always, each week seems to bring new people. We met two more guys from Reus. They found out about the language exchange because they were puting up an add in Tarragona to have one there when they saw Meritxell's add and decided to come check it out. One of them seems to be very into bike riding, which is good for me. So I got some tips about where to go and books to get and all this. I am hoping to ride to a little village near here one weekend...we'll see. Registering for class was surprisingly easy and I managed it without any disasters. I was in Tarragona much earlier than I needed to be and so I was able to find the sewing store my mom found there online and look at all the sewing machines and see what they had to offer. I still can't decide if I should get one... I can't imagine that I would have that much time to sew...but maybe on the weekends I could...I really would love to make more skirts...we'll see. Friday night I met up with Xiaoni, Eleni and a couple others because they weren't at Absenta on Thursday...ofcourse we just ended up going to Absenta as always...but it is a great place, so oh well. Saturday afternoon I walked around with Glòria and the kids.
Then Meritxell and Sergio took me hiking again this weekend! Only this time we went to Margalef, which about is an hour and a half away and stayed the night at a ¨refugi, a kind of rural house with rooms to rent (see this url, it should be in english: http://www.indicerural.com/cacalbet/index_eng.htm this is the house we stayed in, if that doesn't work, let me know and I'll give you mored detailed instructions about how to find it) so we wouldn't have to get up as early on Sunday to go hiking. We left at 5:30 on Saturday and had a nice drive on windy narrow roads. Luckily Meritxell enjoys this kind of driving since it is necessary in order to get anywhere good to hike here. The refugi was really neat and I don't know if there is anything equivalent to it in the US...not anything that I know of. Margalef is a small village...kind of like Matajudaica, maybe a bit bigger though. The refugi is a bit like a bed and breakfast. A large house with rooms to rent out. But the owners cook every meal for you...or at least the ones you want. So we had dinner Saturday night, breakfast sunday, and stayed for one night for 40€ each, a very good deal, especially considering the portions. Meritxell and I were so full we had to go for a walk after dinner. I was absolutely exhausted though because I hadn't slept much the night before. Just before leaving for our walk we had been sitting on the couch having tea and coffee (well I was having hot water of course) and I was falling asleep. We didn't get to bed until 12:30 but we weren't getting up till 8, so it wasn't too bad.
This weekend's hike was more work than last week because it was up the side of a mountain and there were very few switchbacks. Unfortunately I forgot to charge my camera and it was completely dead, so I have no pictures. But it was a wonderful hike and there were actually a lot of people. Meritxell and Sergio were actually working for a small company and were guides, so there were 16 of us total hiking. They plan to offer hikes in English and German next year, but this one was in Catalàn. Here is Meritxell and Sergio's webpage about the hikes they want to offer: http://www.excursions.cat/ it is only in Catalàn right now, but they are working in getting it in english and german.
In other exciting news I am going to be cooking for the family every night and I am very excited. So I made a menu for october so Glòria woulnd't have to think about it...because it is just too much right now...and when you have all the rules and different limitations to follow about when you can eat what...it isn't that easy to figure out what to have for dinner. So I finished the menu last night and hopefully now that we know what we are going to eat I can go to the market just once a week instead of everyday.
Luckily I have caught up to the present because there is more than enough for now and it may well be the longest entry I have ever written. Hasta luego!

Jumping the Hurdle

2006-09-20T13:56:00.000-07:00

In other parts of the world, bureaucracy is a force to reckoned with at times. Here in Spain, it is the end all and be all of almost anything you choose to undertake. If you can't figure out how to work the system, you won't get very far. I have successfully managed to get a spot in Spanish level 2, now all I have to do is wait until the 29th to register. Let's just say that if I were not a very persistent or determined person I would not be taking any spanish classes.
Last weekend and the beginning of this week were quite adventurous but have left me rather exhausted. Friday night Andria and I went to a free concert at La Palma. It was really awesome. There was a reggae band from Morraco and then a celtic band from Canada. And I did a jig too! La Palma is only three blocks away from the house and there is always a lot going on there, so I imagine I'll be there a lot. Needless to say we didn't get home until 2:30 in the morning. Saturday I went to the pool with the kids, had an exciting dinner with the family and then met up with Jorge, the guy I met pre-registering and some of his friends and it ended up being an equally late night. Sunday was relaxing which was good. The festa major is about to start here and so there was ¨giant¨parade and gathering. I took a lot of pictures and a couple videos, so I'll send them later. They were pretty neat, but in the end didn't really do much and I was left with the feeling that once you have seen one, you've kind of seen them all. But it was neat to see an old tradition. Later that night I met up with Xiaoni, one of the PhD students I met at Absenta. She is very sweet and we had a nice time enjoying a Champu and talking in english. Monday night there was another free concert, but this time in Tarragona. I met up with Xiani, Eleni, Carmen, and Tatiyanna and we took the bus. We got there about half an hour after the concert started (11:00) but again I didn't get home until 2:45. It was crazy! There were so many people it was unbelievable. We went to hear Juliet Venegas (a singer from Mexico) who was very good from what little I heard of her. I had so much fun going out with the girls...they are all so nice and have already adopted me into their group of friends. Carmen and Tatiyanna are from Argentina and speak spanish, Eleni is greek, but has been here for a year and has very good spanish...so we pretty much spoke spanish the whole night. Xiaoni, who is from China, has a similar spanish level as me and so we switch back and forth between english and spanish.
Now your probably wondering what we could have possibly been doing since the concert ended at 11:00...we met up with so many people they knew in Tarragona it was crazy. So we hung out in a little bar for a bit (30 min. - hour) and then spent 2 hours saying goodbye. Here in Spain saying goodbye is just as important if not more than the event you are leaving. It literally took us half an hour to get from the bar to the car because people just kept talking. It is really kind of hard to explain and you would have to experience it for yourself. Even though I was very tired, I was glad to go out and experience the culture and make friends.
Meanwhile at home we have been busily putting together a schedule and figuring out how everything is going to work...which I am very happy about. I won't be able to take ceramics, like I'd hoped, but I plan to go to yoga twice a week. I'll be able to take Spanish and Catalàn classes. Plus I think I have agreed to at least 5 different language exchanges, luckily only two of which I am actually going to right now.
I've been able to spend some good time with the kids and cook a lot. Most recently I made mashed potatoes, green beans, fish, egg plant, and zucchini soup.
Today I got to go to yoga again and I absolutely love this studio. The classes are very small and challenging and the teacher comes around and corrects you in just about every posture. I am so happy to have found the studio...it is such a good way for me to relax and have a little bit of what I am used to with me.

A Change of Pace

2006-09-14T14:16:00.000-07:00

Here in Spain the rain stays mainly on the plane, well at least, it used to... we have been having torrential down pours the past several nights and even into most of the day these past two days. The storms at night are ridiculous. The thunder and lightning come at almost the exact same time and it just pours and pours and pours...so the rain is very loud as well. It has been throwing what little schedule we had completely off...plus the entire area does not know what to do with itself...it is a bit comical, but not really. For example, yesterday Glòria and I went to her high school (it was only their second day of school and they didn't have classes or anything, just anouncements) and there was mass chaos in the foyer. All the students were gathered in this tiny hallway at 10 in the morning...and no one was showing signs of caring. Plus, there was a torrential down pour outside. What happened was that the students were supposed to go home because they were done for the day, but none of them wanted to walk home in the rain...probably because they weren't prepared for it...it was pretty funny. Glòria and I meanwhile kept on trekking with our errands and were both rather wet by the time we got home...oh well.
So life has been crazy here the past couple days, but it has been absolutely amazing and I think I love it more each day. Everytime I go out I end up seeing a different part of the city...and I am not quite sure how I do this because it isn't very big...then again maybe I just keep passing the same places without realizing it...I don't think so though. I am getting my barings a little slower than I would like, but definitely surely. I wouldn't say I get lost everytime I go out to get something on my own...maybe just momentarily confused.
My big accomplishment yesterday was that I successfuly made caldo (a home made chicken and other meats and vegetable broth...you serve it with pasta and then later make a soup with it if you want). It really isn't very difficult since all you do is put everything in the pot and boil it...but still, I was happy.
Today I ran lots of errands that unfortunately by the time I got done with them didn't really matter, but it kept me busy. I also got to try a yoga class, which I absolutely loved! The studio and the teacher were wonderful, plus it was in Spanish, so that was pretty fun. I am hoping to have enough time to take at least one class per week, but we'll see, I know things are going to get busy, well they already are... I also found Catalan classes here in Reus...and the beginning classes are free! Tomorrow I will find out how I did on my spanish test for the classes for Spanish in Tarragona, with just those two classes alone plus being an au pair I know I will have more than enough to do...but i want to do more...
Tonight I made lots of friends and it was wonderful. I went back to Absenta (the bar...see previous post for further explanation) and met the people who were there last week. The couple who started the whole thing, Sergio and Merichel, go hiking pretty much every weekend and have invited me to go with them, so we exchaned numbers. They are both really awesome and kind and Merichel does yoga as well! Then later three girls came who are PhD students at the university and it turns out they know Ferran...so that was very funny. I bonded with two of them very quickly and we exchanged numbers as well. Plus I made a friend when I pre-registered for classes last week and we may go out Saturday. Yesterday Andria introduced me to Marta and I plan to keep up with the weekly coffee trade...so that will be very good.
Everything is coming together here even though it is still all over the place. I'll take pictures of the house and Reus soon...now it is off to bed.

Time Flies

2006-09-11T13:29:00.000-07:00

Here in Spain I am both busy and having a lot of free time...it is quite the paradox. But school starts tomorrow, so things are slowly getting into a schedule.
Just to highlight the most exciting things that happened since Thursday...I took a test Friday, it went very well. Just some mulitple choice and writing a page in Spanish. A miracle occured and we got the house in a livable state so we all started staying here Saturday night. People were working Friday and Saturday and I helped clean a little on Friday afternoon. Ferran and I both helped clean, with two cleaning ladies, on Saturday from 9:00 until 1:30, so at least certain areas didn't have too much dust. But more work is being done tomorrow...
I have met lots of family! On Saturday after cleaning Ferran and I had lunch with his parents and one brother. Last night there was a little party for a girl who was turning three, which was absolutely adorable. She is the daughter of a lady Glòria used to work with. The party was fairly fun, but it was outdoors with food, which meant there were a lot of bees. Teresa didn't like this at all, so for a lot of the party we just sat far from the food and told stories, which Teresa loved. When we were at home we had a pretend sleepover and got my sleeping bag out and told stories and played dress up. Today there was a family reunion on Glòria's side of the family. There were a lot of people there and I don't really know who they all were exactly. I was more there to help with all the kids...twelve in total I think. There was another girl there to help as well though, so we had a lot of fun! It was pretty much an all day event for us because it was a bit of a drive and these things always last forever.
The other day I went for a run, which was very wonderful. I did get a little lost on the way back and had to ask two people for directions, only because the first didn't help at all cause he didn't know where I wanted to go. But the second person was extremely helpful and I found my way back very easily after he explained everything. Now the next time I go running I know I won't get lost because I have walked around the city more and understand what I did the first time. I hope you are doing well!

Everyday is an adventure!

2006-09-10T15:08:00.000-07:00

I just realized it has only been 2 days since I last wrote...but so much has already happened. When I arrived in Reus (after getting a ride with one of Glòria's friends to Barcelona, where I was dropped off at the metro station, which I took to a Renfe station (basically a regional rail line here), where I got on a train to Reus) I was met by Andria. She is one of Annalee's friends who was an au pair for the summer and is leaving September 18th. She took me around Reus, which was very nice, and introduced me to all sorts of wonderful things. On our way to Noemi's apartment we walked past my future house and then made our way to her apartment, which was very easy to find. Once there I dropped off my backpack and we sat with Noemi for a bit. For the rest of the day we wandered around Reus. I love this city so much...it is absolutely amazing! There are streets where cars can't drive...they are only for people to walk on! I can't do it justice, so when I am not having technical difficulties with my camera, I will put up pictures...once I take them. Before beginning to truly wander, Andria and I stopped at the coffee shop that I have heard so much about (where Annalee used to meet people for language exchanges) have a quick cafe cortado each. As Andria and I were wandering we stumbled across a bar that advertised an informal language exchange the following night from 7:30-9:00. The bar was closed at the time but looked very interesting, so we decided we should come back the next night. Next Andria introduced me to a very popular drink here...a ¨champu¨which is a light beer, estrella damm here mixed with a lemon soda, fanta, i believe. It is actually quite good and very refreshing considering how hot it gets here at the moment. Andria had to be getting home (she lives in a little village just up the hill from Reus, but wanted to make it there before dark) and I had to get going to meet Ferran for dinner. We met at 8:30 (an early time to meet for dinner here, most people meet for dinner around 9) and walked to a neat little restaurant called Vinatxo (vin-a-cho), which means a young wine, but has the connotation of being a poor quality wine. Despite the name, dinner was excellent, and so was dessert and the wine! I didn't get to Noemi's apartment though until 11:15. I had to be in Tarragona at 9:30 the next morning, so I went straight to bed.
Luckily Noemi dropped me off. When we got to the school, there was a huge mass of people out front and one person standing at the top of the steps reading names off a list. This huge mass of people was blocking the doorway and I figured they were there for the same reason I was...but wasn't sure because what I needed to do was go to the fourth floor to get a number that would tell me what time to come back to pre-register. But I didn't want to just barge through anyone and be rude, so I stood there for a little bit...and more people kept showing up looking just as confused as I did, so I was't too worried. As it turned out I got to put my name on the list, and then it was called so I could get in line. What was the line for you wonder? To get up to the fourth floor to get my number of course. The line went all the way from the fourth floor, down all the stairs, and out the front of the building, that is how many people were trying to pre-register for classes...it was crazy! I will find out if I successfully pre-registered on the 15th, but I did get a paper stamped after waiting in line, getting a number, and then coming back, so not all hope is lost, and I was done by 11:30 surprisingly. After navigating this insanity I wandered around Tarragona for a bit, which is right by the sea and a city that is a bit bigger than Reus ( Reus has a population of about 100,000 whereas Tarragona has population of about 140,000). Then I made my way back to Reus where I managed to get a library card and get to Noemi's apartment by2 and have lunch with her.
I feel I must clarify a bit here about meals and schedules. There are two important meals in this country. In the states it is common for families to all eat together at dinner and basically only cook one meal and gather for one meal each day...dinner. Here you cook for two meals...lunch and dinner. You sit together and have a large lunch and then later you cook again and eat dinner together. In terms of schedules nothing is really open until 10, then every thing closes aroud 1 and everyone goes home to have dinner. Places don't open again until the afternoon, from 5-8.
That afternoon I met Andria and we went to the bar for the language exchange. Let me just say this bar is absolutely amazing. For those of you who share/shared in the Moulin Rouge/Green Fairy obssession, you will truly appreciate this. The bar is named Absenta, which if you hadn't already guessed it means Absinthe. The lighting ofcourse creates a lovely green ambience, as if you were floating in a bottle of the bright green drink. I was more than ecstactic to have discovered this bar. The language exchange was awesome too! There were three different groups of people there for the language exchange. The couple who's idea it was and their friend (Sergio, Merichel, and ?), two other girls (who came later and I can't remember their names, one of them may have been Maria), and me and Andria, and Noemi showed up later two. Everyone there besides me and Andria was from Reus and trying to improve their english (not Noemi because she is an english teacher) but they were all really fun and we are planning to meet again next Thursday, so that is exciting.
Things pretty much broke up at nine because we all had things to do. Noemi and I met Ferran and then we all went out for Japanese. This seemed strange to me, but it was a very nice restaurant and I think the fanciest japanese restaurant I have eaten in (which isn't really saying much since I haven't eaten that much Japanese food). Dinner ended late of course and it always ends with coffee...so on the way home Noemi and I decided to stop for a drink which was fun, but made for a late night considering I had to get up the next morning and take a test.
But more on that later because it is one o'clock in the morning here and I really need to go to bed. Wow, i must be a very locuacious (is that how you spell that?) person because I thought i would be able to get caught up to today in a short amount of space...but apparently not. oh well.

Catching up

2006-09-07T07:50:00.000-07:00

I´ve been in Spain now for almost two weeks now and I love it! I just got to Reus yesterday...but I am still not in the house with the family. I went to see it yesterday with Ferran and it is a total mess. The works are suppposed to be done by today...but it is not going to happen...I doubt they will be done by Saturday, which is a problem because the kids start school on Tuesday. So right now Glòria is still in Castellar del Vallés with the kids at her father's house. Ferran is here in Reus, staying with his parents, who also have his niece and nephew staying with them...so there is no more room. So I am staying in Reus with a colleague of Glòrias, Noemi, who has an apartment right off one of the main squares. She is very kind and has been feeding me and even gave me a ride to Tarragona this morning where I pre-registered for a Spanish class.
I'll write more about the present later...first I will try to catch up with what has already happened.
The jet lag wasn't too bad really. The first couple of days I was very tired around 1 or 3 and I wasn't hungry at meal times or tired at bed time, but after 4 or 5 days i would say I was fully adjusted to the time zone. I've been eating very differently here, but all the food is very good. Something that everybody has and is like a staple here is pan tomacuet, which is bread with tomato. It is a piece of bread smeared with tomato then sprinkled with salt and oil. On top you put some kind of ham...usually proscutto or a sweet ham (like plain sandwhich ham in the states, but very thinly sliced). Ofcourse there is a lot of fish and seafood here too and I have that almost everyday I think.
Glòria likes to make everything at home and make stuff from scratch if she can...so I had the chance to learn a lot what they liked to eat and how they made it in Castellar. Which I think was really good because once school starts and we get into a schedule everything will be very busy. Another typical dish here is Caldo, and Glòria showed me how to make this one day. It is a homemade broth...chicken, pork, some other meats, and vegetables all boiled in water for a couple hours. Then you have the broth with noodles or use it to make other soups. We had it with noodles the first night and then the next day made a spinach soup with it. The base for almost all dished here is sufritos...which are chopped/diced onions slowly cooked in oil...I really loved all this cooking in Castellar and I know once we get into a schedule I will get to cook for the family more.
I absolutely love this family. We all get along really well and work together really well. I really feel like an older sister and a true part of the family already. Teresa and Biel are the most well behaved kids I have ever worked with. They are absolutely amazing and I love them so much. Teresa's english is perfect and I can't believe it. Biel doesn't really speak much english, but he understands it perfectly. So we still communicate very well. Plus just listening to Glòria and the kids talk I have been able to pick up some Catalan. It is very similar to Spanish and a very beautiful language.
Castellar del Vallés was a wonderful little village and it was nice to start there with the kids because we were able to have fun and get to know each other before being thrown into a hectic schedule. We were usally all up by 8:30 or 9:00 and then we would have breakfast. A lot of times the kids had pan tomacuet and Glòria and I had yogurt and cereal...and then we all had fruit. Right now usually peaches. One thing I really like about this family is that they try to eat the produce that is in season...so right now we have a lot of peaches. Glòria tells me that in the fall they have a lot of apples...and so on.
Glòria and I get along so well. For one thing, she is just as adament as I am about not collecting plastic bags. It was pretty funny because we both walk around with big tote bags and when we were paying at a store or the market we also would say, no, don't it in a bag and we would put it in our tote bags.
I've already had the chance to see many different places in Spain and I will post pictures as soon as I get to the house in Reus and have the internet and my own computer. It is absolutely wonderful here and I really love it. It is everything I hoped for and more. The cities are beautiful and old and unique, but new at the same time. Castellar del Vallés was a small village with a population of about 20,000. I also visited Barcelona a couple times, which was fun. Glòria drove us in and one time me and the kids went ice skateing and had lunch with one of her sisters who lives in the city. Another time we went to the ¨clicks¨(the little playmobile figures) exhibit that was in the mall because the kids have lots of clicks and really love them. We also spent 3 days in Matajudaica, which isn't really its own place...it is kind of hard to explain. It is a tiny ¨village¨in the countryside that is where about 60 people live and they have a public pool. You can't buy anything here, but must drive two miles or so to another village that is a bit bigger. There are a bunch of these little ¨villages¨that put together make up a whole village and there is kind a school that is located in the center, I don't really know...it is hard to explian. Anyway, it is very close to Flaça, so one day while we were there I took the train from Flaça to Girona, which is a city. This is all part of northern spain and very close to France. Most recently I have visited Tarragona (as I said earlier) which is maybe 10 or 15 minutes away from Reus.
I'll write more about my arrival in Reus and all that later...but I think I've pretty much caught up to the present, yay!

The flight and not much else

2006-08-31T01:29:00.000-07:00

It has been a week since I boarded the plain in El Paso and I can't believe it. Time is absolutely flying by already. I really haven't been that busy, but everything is so new and exciting and I have seen so many different places already that the days pass by very quickly. I think I am finally over any jet lag I had, which is very encouraging. For the the first 3 or 4 days, I wasn't really hungry at meal times and I wasn´t really tired at night (or even early in the morning at 1 or 2). But now I have regained my appetite and I get tired and sleep well. It is very nice to finally be adjusted to the time zone.
To clear up some confusion, I am not actually in Barcelona at the moment. We are staying in Castellár del Valles...a little village about 30-45 minutes away from Barelona. This is where Glòrias father has a house that we are staying in while the renovations on their house in Reus are finished. Ofcourse things in terms of renovations are not any different here and they are behind, so things won't be completely finished by the time we have to go back, but they will be definitely livable.
I have epxerienced so many new things it is hard to know where to start...but I will try tell everything and get everyone caught up on what I have been doing. Right now I don't have access to the internet except at the public library (where I am now) because we are in Castellár, but once we get to Reus and get in a normal schedule I will have a computer in my room with high speed internet.
Anyway...I guess I'll just start with the first day. I arrived in Barcelona at 10 in the morning on Friday August 25th. All the flying and airport stuff went very well (considering the length of my journey) despite the fact that my first flight (from El Paso to Chicago) was delayed by 2 hours. Luckily I had a very long layover in Chicago and did not miss my flight or anything. The flight from Chicago to Madrid was the longest and they served us dinner and breakfast. The airline I flew for this half was Iberia, and it was very nice. The only other issue I ran into was in Barcelona. At baggage claim I was only able to find my big rolly bag and not my garment bag. After finding the correct place to go about this and standing in line for 40 minutes (I was nearly the next person to be served) I spotted it under a bunch of other bags on a luggage cart...who knows how it got there. But I quickly grabbed it and ran out as soon as I could because I knew Ferran was waiting for me.
I got quite the surprise when I got out because Glòria told me it would just be Ferran picking me up, but Teresa and Biel were there as well. They were so wonderful and greeted me with great big smiles. We all connected pretty immediately and walked out to the car. Teresa was full of questions and stories and Biel just kept giggiling and smiling. They are a wonderful family and Teresa and Biel are very very sweet...I love them all already!
I know I really haven't said much yet and I have written a lot, but I have to get going and meet Glòria, so I will write more later.