Breathing that country air.

It has been a great time living in the city. All around me there is movement, excitement, things to do, places to see, yummy food to try and people to surround myself with. However, within a short time of immersing myself in this new life, I began longing for the country I know and love. The pollution and second hand smoke are a constant bother on my throat. There is never a moment of quiet or stillness. So finally Nacho and I took a trip about 40 minutes northwest of Madrid to the mountains, La Sierra de Guadarrama. The route we planned was a 4 hour hike, but we got lost and climbed for over 6 hours. It was a long, cold day but it was worth it.

Our hike bordered the Community of Madrid and the community of Castilla y Leon 

Camino Schmid was our trail

Here is where I spun in circles singing, "The Hills are Aliveee"

A good spot to stop and have a snack!

Stumbled upon some bulls

About halfway up

Very informative sign- "Danger, in general"

When we finally crawled back to our car after hours of hiking we were exhausted. It was windy and cold, but it was a good day, and coming home to hot soup made it that much better!

Top Ten Reasons why this week Rocked!

1. I was invited to an intercambio by one of the professors I work with. An intercambio is a meeting of people (usually at a bar or sometimes a restaurant) and those who are Spanish speak English and vice versa. This is important to me because I am finally starting to have some real interaction with the people I work with. They are all very friendly, and I feel as though I have broken through a barrier and am less shy to speak Spanish with them. I hope this interaction continues- it makes me like my job a lot more!

2. Carlos, an older professor who I work with and also travel to work with, saved me at the bus stop. Every Thursday there is an Italian man who pesters me- flirting, asking questions, generally just being creepy. This week Carlos- who has called himself the father of the group, laid it out flat. Listen, he said (in Italian!), she has a boyfriend, she's not interested in you and you need to leave her alone. Carlos, I wanted to hug you in that moment! He also told me I need to buy a heavier jacket before the winter comes. He's lookin' out for me.

3. I met an American friend! I am going to her house tonight for a tapas potluck. It has been difficult finding friends in the city. And while I have enjoyed hanging out with all of Nacho's friends, it has been my goal recently to make some of my own.

4. My individual afternoon classes are really coming together. It has become easier to plan for the classes, and more importantly, I am feeling more comfortable going into peoples homes and teaching them English. Now that I have more confidence in my ability to teach, I have less anxiety before and during the classes. This, believe me, makes a WORLD of difference on my general attitude. Also, because I am more relaxed in my classes, I am focusing now on being more creative and trying to make sure my students enjoy themselves as well as learn.

5. I have been cooking a baking a lot! That makes me happy. Nuf' said.

6. My transportation skills are definitely improving. I now know multiple routes and different options I have to go to and from work, and it makes a world of difference- the less time I waste waiting at bus stops, the happier I am. And there is nothing like the feeling of seeing the bus pull up right as you arrive at the stop. All is aligned in the universe when that happens. (And thanks to an app on my phone I can check when any bus will be at any stop!).

7. Living in the city can be lonely. But it's also given me the chance to appreciate the kindness of strangers. Believe me, there are mannnyy people who are oblivious to those around them. I find myself getting frustrated a lot because sometimes it seems people don't have any idea there are things happening outside the conversation they're having with someone in front of the entrance to the metro, or in front of the food I'm attempting to grab and put in my cart at the grocery store. Sometimes, even though people see you trying to move around them, they don't think to give you more room. Buuut everyday I see people giving up their seats on buses and metro for those who are more tired. I see strangers helping strangers. I see strangers talking with strangers. You say hello to those waiting with you at a bus stop. You say goodbye when you leave an elevator. Little things. And just yesterday, I was walking down the street, and saw a cute, 3-story building wedged in between two larger buildings. As I was admiring how cute the building was, two men stepped out onto the balcony of the first floor to have a cigarette. Our eyes met and they waved to me. I waved back, and we both continued until finally we were frantically waving at each other and laughing out loud. It was an amazing little touch to my day.

8. The weather has been perfect for afternoon runs. The sun is still strong enough that there is some warmth, but it is still cold and you need a warm jacket and gloves. It's my favorite type of weather.

9. Last week, it was the birthday of the principal of one of the schools I worked at. In Spain, when it's your birthday, you are expected to bring in desserts and coffee for all the employees, not the other way around. So she made this amazing flan and I told her how much I liked it and that I would love to make it myself. This week she asked me to step into her office for a minute. Nervously, I entered. She then handed me a bag filled with ingredients and told me step by step how the make the flan. It was such a thoughtful detail.

10. I bought a new winter jacket! It wasn't cheap, but it is so cute and so warm and I love it! Carlos will be so happy I took his advice.

A walk in the park

Fuen Carral street in the rain- great shopping!

Jamon

The church next to my house

Sunset outside my apartment

We went hiking! More about that soon..

This guy..

A park in Valdemoro where I work

One bad thing- the garbage workers were on strike for 12 days! It made for one smelly Madrid

.

(11. I learned you can froth milk by shaking it in a jar for 30 seconds, then microwaving it without the lid for 30 more. No fancy gaget needed. HELLO homemade cappucinos!)

XOXO To everyone back home!! <3

Today I:

-slept in
-cuddled on the couch
-had hot soup to block out the dreary, rainy day
-thought about my family
-planned thanksgiving dinner
-re-potted my dill, parsley and mint plants
-learned that in Spanish, 'popcorn' translates to "little doves"
-spent too much time reading inspiring quotes on the computer. (see below).

Favorite band- they have so many good things to say

..trying..

One of my favorite poets/poems

Let´s talk about FOOD!

If you know me at all, you know how much I love to eat. And you know how much I love to try new foods. One thing I have found I can say with all certainty is that I am in LOVE with the food of Spain. The rituals Spaniards have surrounding food are different than I am used to, and their attitude regarding what they eat, how much they eat, and when they eat it is one I can respect and learn from.

Small disclaimer: this post contains some pretty large generalizations, both of people from Spain and the United States. I do not believe what is said in this post to hold true for all those who fall under my generalizations and hope that I don't offend anyone. My thoughts are just that- my thoughts which arise from only my observations.

First things first- when eating with Nacho´s family, I am fed like a queen. Nacho´s mom is an amazing chef and I try to show my respect by finishing every plate that´s put before me. They are happy that I am not a picky eater, and because of that I am trying as many new things as I can. I am, without fail, at their doorstep every weekend with an empty stomach and a smile. They're so good to me.

So, let´s talk about timing. Morning- you wake up, you´re tired, you have a coffee. Here in Spain you need to ease into your mornings- never do anything too quickly. Usually, a coffee (which is much smaller than those in the US, a couple ounces at most, but strong) is sufficient to hold me for a while. And later, around mid-morning when I am hungry, I have a bigger breakfast- which they call a merienda (snack). At school, I love to order un pincho de tortilla- Spanish egg omelette with potato. But a famous breakfast here is a toast spread with the juice of a tomato, a little olive oil and salt. Or maybe a toast with jamon and olive oil. Then in the afternoon, around 2-3pm (or 4pm for me, when I get home from work) you have a big lunch. For lunch there are always two plates, first usually a soup or salad of some sort, and the second, some kind of meat. It is also quite common to have wine or beer with lunch. Dessert is fruit, then coffee, and if you´re lucky enough to have the time for it, a siesta. At first it was difficult for me to get used to eating such a big meal in the middle of the day. But now that I´ve gotten used to the routine, it makes sense that you eat your biggest meal earlier rather than later. You take a break from your busy day, you split it in two. And taking this much time to eat, to rest and relax, actually makes me more productive later in the day. I find myself working/being productive until 9 or ten at night, then I start thinking about dinner. Sometimes, to hold you until dinner you have a merienda around 5 or 6, which is usually something sweet (churros con chocolate! I have never drank thicker chocolate, it is divine!). Much later you have dinner, which is much smaller than lunch, around 9 or 10. Dinner may seem late, but people are usually working until around 8 in the evening.

Attitudes about drinking alcohol here are also different. It is more common to have drinks earlier in the day or throughout the day (although a drink is never served without a little something to eat). One thing I love- when pouring liquor for your drink, the bartenders wait for you to tell them when to stop pouring. I flipped out the first time I saw this. What also made me happy is that everyone drinks their gintonics the way I like them- about 40/60 gin/tonic ;) Another drink I love is a clara- beer with lemon fanta. Yum. Ok, drinking is not all we do over here I swear! But pleasure seems to be the key- people are driven to eat and drink whatever they want in the moment they want it, but only very rarely in excess. This sounds like a simple statement, an easy one to follow. But in fact, it appears to me to be an art- a difficult one to master for an American like myself. But by not limiting yourself from that which you want, your body eventually knows what it needs. And I know never to deny myself, say, oil or sugar or wine if that is what I want (and believe me there is no end to the high-calorie spread of choices here), but also am learning to understand how much is enough, and excess is never good.

Rabo de Toro- Bull tail- so good!

Tapas and beer and a football match

Figs! The perfect dessert.

Ciruelas- small plums

Boquerones- yummy fish

And of course.. JAMON

Who wouldn't want to have a coffee with this guy ;)

Paella with chicken

Master Chef Nachy- cooking me salmon!

My attempt at stuffed eggplant

Pincho de tortilla y cafe cortado en el instituto

Stuffed tomatoes

All the nieces and nephews of Nacho had a Halloween/birthday party. The food was delicious!

The best jamon I've ever had

Jamon y queso at a jamon exposition we stumbled upon

Another exposition- this time olive oil. Free tapas <3

El Escorial

The other weekend, Nacho and I took a day-trip northwest of the city to a small town with big cultural significance called El Escorial. The day was drizzly and a little cold, but in a way, the weather helped create a pensive and tranquil tone to our excursion. We took our time touring the monastery and, in an attempt to take something away from the history surrounding us, discussed how life would be at this address so long ago. The afternoon was spent sauntering over the wet cobblestones, running from store to store if the rain came down too hard, but absorbing much more history and culture than water.

This one I took

I am lucky in that Nacho's dad has a passion for history and religion, as well as story-telling. My lunches at the Casal's are jam-packed with history, and I know my sightseeing would would mean half as much as it does without these lessons.

This one I didn't take.. a bird's eye view of the enormous monastery

So long story short- I learned that the monastery was also a royal palace, and in the 16th and 17th centuries, it held the power of the Spanish Monarchy and also the Roman Catholic Religion, a decision made by Phillip II of Spain. The architect of El Escorial was Juan Bautista de Toledo, who also worked in Italy for Michelangelo and on St. Peter's Basilica of Rome (and whose home-turned-museum I toured while in Toledo this past Christmas).

There was a wedding!

The sun came out on the drive home :)

It was nice to get away from work and the business of the city. Next day-trip: La Granja!