Pimientos de Padrón

One thing that is very different going from country to country is food. Certain produce items that are not available here are part of a cultural identity elsewhere, such as padrón peppers. There is even a phrase in Spain about them: "Pimientos de padrón: unos pican, otros no." (Pimientos de padrón: some are spicy, some are not.) My parents were kind enough to plant some in their garden that I had started indoors from seed. Wash, fry, add salt, and you're set to enjoy and laugh at those that get the spicy ones.

Spanish Treat

Isma LOVES croquetas. For him, these dough and meat concoctions are only comparable to his mother's paella, callos (another food from Madrid), and stuffed peppers. Around his birthday, Isma decided to try making croquetas. Before we'd only bought them frozen or eaten what his mom made us. Here's the recipe! Isma added some pepper to make them more flavorful.

Croquetas:
2 tablespoons oil                                       Filling: shrimp, shredded fish,
40 grams butter                                                     shredded chicken,
6 tablespoons flour                                               2 hard boiled eggs, or ham
3/4 liters cold milk
2 eggs
1 liter cheap oil
bread crumbs
salt

In a frying pan, let the oil and butter melt. When everything is hot, add the flour and stir it a few times with a wooden spoon. Little by little, pour the milk in, letting the mixture boil until it thickens. At this point, mix in the filling. Let the mixture cool for at least 2 hours.

After it is cool, mold the croquetas to the size and shape you want. Then, in a bowl, beat the two eggs. Dip each croqueta in the eggs, then in the breadcrumbs, again in the egg, and again in the breadcrumbs.

Fill the frying pan with 1 liter of oil, and when it is hot (I wonder what temperature, silly cookbook), put the croquetas in, about 6 at a time. When they are golden, take them out and serve!

Bubbling croquetas (croquettes) in oil.

Ready to eat.

They were delicious!

Breakfast, With Love

For Isma's birthday, I decided to try something new. I grabbed Grandma Vance's cookie cutter, a recipe from Johnny Appleseed Festival circa 1960, and made biscuits. I never knew that I could make biscuits so easily and quickly without Biscuick. Milk, margarine (didn't have shortening), flour, salt, and baking powder, and...voila, breakfast! They went well with the Spanish ham and sausage that I mail-ordered for Isma's birthday present. 

Chard Cheese Bake

When a friend of ours, Karin Harper, moved from Alcalá de Henares (Madrid) to Austin, Texas she gave me one of her cookbooks that I now LOVE. I like to think that I helped her save the overweight bag charge on the way to the states. It's called Simply in Season and goes through the seasons with reasons according to available local produce (for North America). I've been trying to go through it to find delicious and healthy meals for the two of us, full of disguised vegetables. It's going well!

This one is called Chard Cheese Bake. I'd never had chard in my life before making this recipe. If you took spinach and celery and made their atoms smash together, I think the result would look and taste like chard. It turned out well and would definitely make it again. The biggest problem was what to do with the leftover chard. Any suggestions?


1 pound / 500 g Swiss chard or spinach (chopped)
Cook and throughly drain.
4 eggs (beaten)
1 cup / 250 mL milk
1cup / 250 mL Swiss cheese or another cheese (shredded)
1 cup / 250 mL bread (cubed)
1/2 cup / 125 mL green onions (sliced)
1/4 cup / 60 mL Parmesan cheese (grated)

1. Wash and chop greens.

2. Steam leaves (2-5 min)

3. Steam stems (4-8 min)


4. Chop bread.


5. Combine the rest of the ingredients with the cooked greens.


6. Pour into a greased 2-quart / 2-L baking dish. Cover and bake in preheated oven at 375F / 190C until set, 30-50 min.



This recipe comes from: Simply in Season edited by Mary Beth Lind and Cathleen Hockman-Wert, Herald Press, 2005

Easiest Spanish breakfast

Yesterday I had the day off, so I took some time to make one of Isma's favorite breakfast foods. Here's how it goes.

1. Take some tomatoes.



2. Peel them.
3. Put them in the blender.
4. Spread on toast and eat with a little olive oil and salt if desired.



Mmmm.

New Most Delicious Things Ever

No joke. It was like the most delicious thing ever.

Ok, I'm done channeling my cousin Shannon now. :P

Saturday night Isma and I went out to eat and for dessert we shared a cup of panna cotta with wild berries. It's light custard/yogurt-like goodness. Wonderfully amazing. You should try it!

Greek yoghurt panna cotta in blackberry sauce. Photo courtesy of Stu Spivack

Source: http://flickr.com/photos/stuart_spivack/84610490/

Peppermint

It's 9 PM and I'm sipping piping hot herbal mint tea, snuggled up in warm flannel pajamas and an overgrown knit sweater, eating Junior Mints with peppermint crunches. I don't think that I've ever fully appreciated the wonder of peppermint before. It tastes like home and Christmas: delicious. A wonderful way to unwind after my longest work day of the week. Out the door at 7:40, back in at 7:30. It's been a long day, yet a pleasant day. Hugs, kisses, "Happy New Years" and everything else that greets people returning to work after Christmas break. One of the girls hugged me tight when I came in the door (20 minutes late...thank-you broken down trains) and told me I was her favorite teacher. In English. Though quite possibly, she told the rest of the teachers that as well. I don't care. Today I feel loved and we'll leave it at that.

Johnny Appleseed Festival

A few weeks ago, my parents and I celebrated the beginning of fall and apple cider season (which, sadly, I haven't drank this fall) by attending the Johnny Appleseed Festival in Johnny Appleseed Park. Bean and ham soup, corn bread baked on a wood fire served with homemade butter, apple dumplings, antiques, pioneer costumes, colonial music, antiques, crafts...fun! Mom didn't want to walk much on account of her foot hurting, so we spent a lot of time watching the dancing and listening to the music...pioneer days, folk, fiddle music, and a drum and fife corp. I marveled at the traditional crafts in between chasing down the bagpipers. Kilted people playing Scottish melodies is not to be missed.

Johnny Appleseed Festival

Last Day of School!

Two very important things have transpired:

Number 1: Today was my last day of work until September! Summer vacation...yay hooray. Now you know why I wanted to be a teacher. The kids' last day was Tuesday, and after spending three days grading papers, I'm done. I've got some pictures from our last day.









Number 2: I finally managed to make a Spanish omelette (tortilla) that didn't end up A) completely scrambled eggs, B) halfway scrambled eggs, or C) on the counter. Colin said it looks gross, but I promise it tasted good. Now if I can only do it again. Next task I suppose is learning to make paella. One thing at a time.

Marseilles

The last weekend in May, I went to Marseilles to visit Amber Veldt for the weekend. I left work a little early Thursday, which wasn't a big deal since the kids were busy taking their oral English exams. We visited the city Thursday and Friday, went to Aubagne Saturday, and visited Monaco Sunday. I flew out on Monday morning. The flight from Madrid was about 1.5 hours long, after which I had to take a 20 minute bus ride to the city itself. The ride cost more than 8 euros, which is pure highway robbery. In Madrid, I can go on a ride like that for less than 2 euros. I wasn't feeling that well Thursday, so we took it easy that evening, going into the city after a few hours of rest to see the sunset over the water and visit Palais Longchamp. We wanted to see the sunset from above the city, but since after waiting and waiting for the bus, it didn't come, we settled for watching it from the marina. Palais Longchamp was beautiful on the outside, but inside there is a collection of mangy stuffed animals. Apparently not very well kept. When we got home Thursday evening, we warmed up some curry chicken on the stove and put some snails in the oven. Second time to eat snails...though I have to say that Angelita's tasted better. As we were turning in, tired as can be, a small gecko scurried into the room from the open window and disappeared behind the heater. We brainstormed how to get rid of it, but coming up with nothing, let it be and went to sleep.

Friday morning we awoke around 8 and were out by 9:30. Crepes for breakfast made by Blandine, and eggs and coffee compliments of Amber. Once in the city, the smell of the harbor reached us before we reached the ferry to buy our passage to Chateau d'If. The fish market, complete with eels and strange fish, stretch along the font of the harbor. When we got to the ticket counter, I saw, to my surprise, students from ECA in Madrid. The senior trip was a cruise, and one of the stops was Marseilles. Lynn, Bryan and William Calderwood, as well as the French teacher Marie and other students were all there. We ended up seeing them all about 4 times throughout the day. Amber and I said goodbye to them for the moment and boarded the ferry to Chateau d'If, the fort/prison where the "Count of Monte Cristo" takes place. It was interesting to see and the boat ride was wonderful. Afterwards, we took a train up to Notre Dame de la Garde, eating lunch and sightseeing along the way. The church impressed me with it's beautiful and detailed interior. We missed the return train, and so walked down the hill to the tram to go back to her home there. In the evening we made tortillas, fresh limade and limonade, and had a water fight with the boys.

Saturday morning we got up to go to Aubagne, where Amber takes viola lessons. We stopped by an artisan market, and bought some Marseilles soap. We smelled so many different soaps that by the end, we were both sneezing up a storm. We walked to her conservatory, and then I went back toward the old center to wander the cute streets and shops. We got home around lunchtime, ate, packed, and left for Blandine's sister's (Mariel) place halfway between Marseilles and Monaco. It's near Cannes, and they say that Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie live just on the other side of the mountain (that I took a picture of). That evening the home's owner, Marcelle, made us pizzas cooked in a stone oven. It was a loooong French dinner, but me not understanding French may have contributed to my sense that it was never ending.

Sunday morning we, Blandine's family, our hosts, and Amber and I, got up at 6 am to catch the train to Monaco. I was so sleepy after the late dinner that I snoozed in the car until the train station. Once in Monaco, I believe my favorite parts were the aquarium museum, the changing of the guard, and just walking around the idyllic, fairy tale city. Midday, we ate a picnic in the park and got scolded for touching the sacred grass. After lunch and seeing the palace and such, we took a bus to the Monte Carlo to see the casino. I stepped in to see the lobby. It was absolutely beautiful, not ruined by the slot machines that were further in.

Monday morning we got up around 6 again to head back to Marseille and catch my plane. The whole family that Amber stays with there took me to the airport, and I said "au revoir" to everyone, and gave kisses. I may have picked up a few French words, which I'm sure I've lost by now. I have said "merci" on accident a few times, though.

Marseille

Mercury Rising

It's hot! You know, the temperatures here now are about what I'd expect in Indiana at the end of June, July. Today it might have gotten up to 84 F (29 C). I haven't got any shorter pants to wear to work, so I dressed up with a skirt today and sleeveless shirt. Much better than long pants.

Last Friday, after sleeping in and all that jazz, I went into Madrid with Tamy and we met up with Kristen in Atocha to find what people were doing for San Isidro. Apparently, midday, not much. I saw one of my first grade students, but didn't say hi because he obviously didn't recognize me. I realize that to them, I'm a teacher, I belong in the school, and do not exist outside of it. When Isma got off work, he met up with us beside the Reina Sofia museum and we all saw an automatons theater, basically a mechanized puppet show from the 1920s,(I dragged them to see it). It was cool how they moved, wires attached even to the lips, to make satirical comments about the society back then. After the show/exhibit, we enjoyed some sangria with calamari sandwiches and patatas bravas (potatoes with a spicy sauce). Mmmmm.

Saturday morning, I went to a rastrillo, or flea market, with Tamy and her family at ECA. The junior class was trying to raise money for their end of the year trip next year. Each year the seniors go somewhere abroad, and the planning starts now. For supper, I went with some friends to Domino's pizza. Yeah, one of the few Domino's pizza joints in Spain is in Alcalá de Henares, right by where I live!! It was good. Not as good as in the states, but nearly the same.

Sunday, I had invited Laura, Guille, and Isma to eat at my house. I made macaroni and cheese (your recipe, Mom), salad with chicken cooked in the frying pan (not fried), and strawberries. Angelita was eating at her son's house, so we had the house to ourselves. I loved having guests and cooking for them.

Tuesday was Angelita's birthday and she's been celebrating all week, having family and friends over to eat. I celebrated with them on Tuesday evening, after work. On my way home, I stopped in a flower shop to buy some carnations and a small vase to give her. To get it into the house unseen, I put the flower stems in the sleeve of my jacket, and covered the flowers with the body. I felt sneaky, but she did like it when I got to cut the stems and put everything together.

Fail

Here's my attempt to make a Spanish tortilla for lunch. I did okay, fried the potato slices, poured in the egg, and then waited. And waited. And waited. Then came the hard part. Flipping it over to cook on the other side. I ungracefully managed to slide the tortilla onto a small plate, but when I tried to transfer it back into the pan, half fell onto the counter, and half into the pan. Fail. For the record, it did taste good.

Wind storms and snails

About a week ago Spain was having very high winds, and a huge sign was knocked loose from a building near a highway, making the road dangerous. They couldn't take it down until the winds calmed down, and the highway was blocked off (perhaps partway, I'm not sure). All this is fine and dandy, but when I arrived at the bus stop that morning, I knew something was wrong when I saw the line, as long as a freight train. Oop, the buses weren't running well, I thought. I had planned to buy minutes for my cell phone at the tobacco stand that day after work, but it turns out I needed them sooner than that. Luckily, I had enough to send an instant message to a friend, who called my school for me. I ended up walking/running to the train station, and made the 30 minute walk in 20 minutes, arriving before the first bus. Everyone was very understanding, since the traffic jams were all over the news. I got to school and substituted in the first grade class, enjoying the day and not yelling at the class even once. They must have been all sleeping, since I had no problems whatsoever.

Last Sunday, I went with Kristen and her friend Carmen to el Retiro to relax and eat lunch in the park. It was about 70 degrees, weather which has stayed with us throughout this week as well. After eating and taking a stroll through the paths crowded with lovers and baby strollers, we went to the Prado to see the Francis Bacon exhibit. His paintings are interesting and good, but I can't say that I enjoyed them because they are quite disturbing. The carnality, violence, despair, and confusion of the artwork makes me utterly thankful for the hope that I have in God. Later, during the evening, I got to talk to Colin this afternoon for almost an hour. Colin, that was a wonderful end to my week (or beginning according to English calendars).

This week I have enjoyed walking outside in t-shirts and talking with other assistants and teachers during breaks outside in the sun. This week I talked with Oscar, another assistant at my school, and he said that he would like to be with the first graders next year. I love the first graders, but I also immensely enjoy my time with the fourth graders. It would be wonderful to be with the fourth graders alone, especially since I like to work with the fourth grade English teacher. We have a good relationship and I feel like I would have more freedom to be creative and contribute to the class and instruction.

My last news (very important!!) Last week I ate snails. And...they taste good! I was writing something on the computer, probably an e-mail, and Angelita poked her head into my room. "Do you like snails?" she asked me. How was I to know? It's not common the American that has eaten snail. So, I went to the kitchen and tried. Here's a list of things that I have learned to eat/have eaten in Spain.

snails
unpeeled shrimp with their heads
octopus
squid
rabbit
all varieties of fish (with heads and all the bones...each one uses a different technique to cut it)
sardines
cow stomach

Thanksgivings

In response to your question, Mom, the early Thanksgiving dinner was very good. We ate an early dinner, about 9:00 pm. There were 22 of us family and family friends at the table, eating wonderful Thanksgiving food and talking whenever our mouths weren't too full. Mashed potatoes, the biggest turkey you've ever seen (not kidding), gravy, stuffing with nuts in it, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole. Only things missing were Brenda's molasses cookies, lemon fluff, layered salad, and Margie's wonderful pumpkin pie. There was pumpkin pie, but it couldn't compare with Margie's pies. At the end of the dinner, we all placed our place tags in a bucket and drew to give thanks for the person who we received. That was a bit nerve wracking since I didn't know the person very well, but I wasn't the only person in that situation. It was a nice idea, though and created reflection on the meaning of the day.

Speaking of Thanksgiving and pies, my small group is having a Thanksgiving dinner tonight as well. Two Thanksgivings in one year! Neither with my family, but I try not to think about that. Yesterday I was a bit sad, realizing that all of my family was at Gary and Margie's together. Guess that means I love and miss them. But, today, there will be too much joy and celebration for melancholy. I have just finished making two pumpkin pies, completely from scratch. Completely. Let me tell you.

First, buy the pumpkins. Cook them in half with a huge knife, cook them in the microwave for 20 minutes each, scoop them out, puree them, and then add the spices. The spices were a bit tricky. I went to an Arab produce store in Lavapies to buy fresh ginger (which I then squashed the best I could). I bought whole dried cloves, since I couldn't find it in powder. Crushed that with the pestle and plate too. And 30 minutes ago, putting away the spices, I found powdered cloves. That was a little crushing. The mixing then with the other ingredients was easy. While I cooked the pumpkins, I made the crust too. I guess that wasn't that hard. I got to mix it with my hands, which was fun. The hardest part was cutting the pumpkins in half and crushing the cloves. And I didn't find out until after making it that you're only supposed to use the top part of the whole cloves. Hope the rest isn't poisonous or something, because I definitely crushed that as well. After I finished cutting, mixing, and mashing, I'm sure that anyone surveying the kitchen would swear that a hurricane had swept through the room. Now it's a little calmer, the multitude of dishes are washed, and the last pie is out of the oven, cooling on top of the stove. I stole an itsy bitsy piece out of the smaller pie...just to make sure it's edible. I dare say it is. It takes a lot of willpower not to steal more, but I remind myself that Thanksgiving dinner is waiting for me tonight, complete with turkey, so I should behave myself.

In other news, I have now seen the new James Bond movie. Pretty good, though I'm wondering what I missed that I would have caught in English. My curiosity isn't strong enough to go see it in English, though. I also met the new 5th grade English teacher at the school. He's young, studied in Ireland, and can cook American food better than the other auxiliar from the US (Erika) and me. How many 25 year old guys know what to do with fresh ginger or how to stuff a turkey for Thanksgiving...especially when turkey with stuffing isn't their tradition? Well, at least I know who to talk to now if I need to find something in Madrid or have a cooking doubt. With his skills, I'm sure that the other teachers at the school will have him married off faster than you can blink. Poor guy.

School, friends, and chili

Monday:
Fairly routine. Still haven't gotten a white board, so to give written examples I write on a piece of white paper and sticky tack it to the wall or a chair. Works okay.

Tuesday:
Today I got the class terror in my small group. I would say that half of the words out of my mouth were, "No, Carlos" or "Go to the thinking corner, Carlos," or "Dejalo!!" (Leave that/him alone!!). Sometimes Spanish works better to get after the little ones. I was quite proud that I got him to do most of his work (albeit not well). He is constantly playing with his things, not paying attention, messing with the other kids things, talking, and being defiant. In the corner, he laid down on the ground and sang. Hmph. I still, when he is not being naughty, try to give him some positive attention, since he acts out, getting so much negative attention all the time. The teacher I work with says he's manipulative...I'm not sure. He is certainly not well behaved.

On my way to the after-school volunteering, I ran into a young man I had met at church the Sunday before. It was nice to recognize someone on the street (and nice he helped me get off at the right bus stop). It was also my first week with the 4-5 year olds at the school my church does an after-school program. I had no idea that their attention spans were so short! I am bringing many many more activities this time, as well as a coloring sheet, crayons, extra paper, and bilingual stories.

After the hour with the kids, I went back into Madrid to have coffee with a Scottish girl I met at orientation, Aillish. She had a huge list of private English lessons that she had no time to do, which we looked at over tea, spicy chicken empanadas (not Spain Spanish), and a brownie. I took down a few names to call later that were in the same area as my elementary school.

Wednesday:
Normal. Called one of the families who wanted English lessons...teaching two hours (11 year old and then 13 year old) next Tuesday after the after-school program. That will make Tuesday a later night getting home. One family is enough, since I realize that the rest of the free time I have is best kept to study, read, clean, sleep, cook, and make friends.

Thursday:
I cooked chili, applesauce, and cornbread all from scratch! Actually, not completely from scratch. I found chili powder amongst Angelita's spices. Not just any chili powder...chili powder from Kroger's. Yep, Kroger's brand in a Spanish kitchen. She didn't know she had it, which means her daughter must have brought it back from one of their stays in the states. Angelita really liked all the food, which made me happy. Cooking was really relaxing too. Except, of course, when I realized that I didn't have eggs halfway through making the cornbread. Turn off the oven, turn off the burners, grab keys, run to the grocery store, and run back to hope that the preheating oven hasn't completely cooled off. Oof.

Family Time

This weekend has been full of things to do and company. Friday, Angelita's grandson, Juan Marcos, got married and so her son from Sevilla was in town for the weekend. I got four good Spanish meals this weekend, since Angelita always invites me whenever she has company. Friday her son David, wife, and her daughter, Bárbara, came over for lunch (which lasted until about 5:00 I think). All I remember is that because the meal after the wedding was going to be vegetarian, we had to have shellfish and seafood for lunch. You should have seen me struggling to eat the langostinas (crayfish/shrimp type things). First, you take of the head, then peel off the tail and rest of the hard skin. I felt like a child that needed her food cut up, with Angelita helping me peel some so that I could actually keep up with eating with the others. Later, since everyone went to the wedding, I got to spend the evening alone.

Saturday I went into downtown Torrejón to see the town's festival. The festivities honoring their patron Mary were this week. I got to see a lot of Porsches that they had on display, old photos of Madrid and Torrejon, a band and celebrating people, and enjoyed being in the fiesta atmosphere. About 3 pm David and his family came over to eat again, and then I went with them to a town in the mountains (30 minutes in car), Las Rozas, to go shopping. I told myself that I could spend 20 euros at the most if I found something. Little did I know that it was an outlet mall of VERY expensive stores. Burberry, Levi, Pepe Jeans, etc. I could have bought a cheap t-shirt for what I would spend. But, it was nice to be with people, see all of the 300 euro (marked down) coats, and see the mountains. That evening, David, Angelita's son, took us all to eat costillas (ribs, American grilled style) at a nearby restaurant. We didn't get home till about 12:30 pm. Late! (for me)

Sunday I went to the young people's Sunday school class, which began this week. I think that the class is going to be very good, and I hope to get to know the people that come. After church, we had about 9 people around the table for a lunch of paella, salad, snacks, and fruit. It was soooo good. About 4:45 I was picked up for youth group. Youth group here is for middle schoolers until 35 it seems, as long as you're unmarried. I was not the oldest one there. We played a game in the park, sang worship songs, talked in small groups, and listened to a message. I felt very welcome there, so I will go back next week. It was good for me to be with other people my own age (and younger) and just have fun. Angelita suggested that I felt comfortable because there were other Americans there, but I think that it was something else, since the first ones to greet me were Spanish high schoolers, and I didn't talk with Americans for even close to the majority of the time.

Thursday, September 25

During the morning, we took the metro to Arc Triumf. In the park beside the arch, we saw some older men playing bocce ball. I knew that there were places to play soccer, basketball, even ping pong in the parks, but not bocce. We watched for a bit, and then we walked through the city park, saw the Parliament building, an old run-down market place, and then the Museu Picasso after getting a little lost and waiting in a looooong line. I liked the blue period even though if it is depressing because of the emotion…but Amy didn’t like because she doesn’t like blue. She’d prefer the purple period, which doesn’t exist. It was interesting to see the chronological organization of Picasso’s works starting about at 15 years old. There were also ceramics, which we decided that he should have not taken up as an art form. We did like his prints. As we were leaving, I gave the street guitarist 1 euro because he made pretty music. Unlike the guy in the Madrid subway who plays on a keyboard with one hand and canned background music, with a very limited repertoire (we’ve heard the same songs in the three times we’ve seen him) and still makes mistakes with the slow one-handed songs. I won’t give him money.

Today the food was great. I got paella. And Amy liked her food too (yummy ice cream!!). Yum. My desert was a baked apple, which I did not know would come soaked in liquor. It was interesting. After eating, we wandered through the old neighborhood and went into an art gallery (my idea) and accidentally fell into a philosophical conversation with the very bored art student manning the shop. It was very pleasant and I wish him the best with his art.

After seeing a cathedral or two, we went to Park Guell, which had Gaudi’s handiwork and where he lived. We again got kinda lost, but not really, and had to climb a HUGE hill up to the park. Half of it was escalators, though. I asked for directions at a bar, and the owner tried to tell me that the park didn’t exist anymore because of pickpockets. We walked up a hill with crosses on it from which we could see the entire city, surrounding mountains, and the sea. On the path, there was a man playing an instrument (a Hang, which means hand in Berne or something) that looked like a pot/wok and sounded beautiful when he played it. Amy almost died on top of that hill, though she concedes it was a beautiful viewpoint. The best part was all the mosaics of ceramic. It was very extensive. Amy said she is too organized to do all of those patterns.

Monday, September 22

This morning we went to the Real Fábrica de Tapices (Royal Tapestry Factory). The guide book didn’t mention that the only tour was in Spanish, and apparently we weren’t the only ones who didn’t know. Of the dozen people on the tour, two spoke some Spanish (me and another young man) and later a Spanish couple joined us. There was also a couple from Israel, a Italian man married to a French woman, a couple from Canada, and another from Romania. I was “elected” as common translator, or rather appointed by the guide. I think I should have gotten in free for doing them such a service. Hmph. It was really interesting, though, seeing them making rugs and tapestries. All of the carpets/tapestries there are made by order. The clients pay about 900 euros per square meter for the Turkish style carpets and 1200 euros per square meter for Spanish style carpets. The styles differ by how many vertical threads they use per knot. The designs they choose from are mainly traditional and tapestries are generally copied off famous paintings, often from Goya. To make the tapestries, which they knot from the back, they use mirrors so that they can see the design and their work. Cool!

For lunch we went to a Museo de Jamón *(Museum of Ham). So, we ate ham, which was the best ham we’ve had here. Then, we had hot chocolate and churros, which is like chocolate melted in a cup with fried dough. Very yummy, very bad for you, but very yummy.





After lunch Amy braved the scary city alone!!! I went home to do errands and relax and she went to the Reina Sofia museum, across the street from Atocha, the main train station, so neither of us were worried. Guernica by Picasso is probably the most important painting there. It’s about the civil war in Spain, when Franco bombed a Basque village that had no military importance…basically a massacre. There were sensors to keep people about 5 feet away from the painting. Amy didn’t like that, since she likes to put her nose just far enough away to not smell the paint. Miró had several works there. She liked his sculptures, but not his paintings, that she said a kindergartner could have done. They had an interesting film (in English with Spanish subtitles) about rock ‘n’ roll as art and religion in America. Also of interest was an exhibit that combined light and sound to cause movement in 3D works. She wants everyone to know that she had no problems getting back to the apartment all by her self. It was a good test for both of us.

We go to church

Sunday the two of us went to Angelita’s church. Lynn, the Veldts’ cousin that picked the two of us separately at the airport, came and got us. It was raining, so for the first time in three months church started on time. We were late. I guess people couldn’t hang out outside and talk. I was able to meet the woman in charge of after-school tutoring and told her that I was interested in working. They start in October, and I want to devote two afternoons a week to do that. She said that they needed teachers! Tamara, the daughter of Loli who lives near here, said that if I wanted to go to their young people’s group, she could take me or Brian or Lynn could since their boys go. I might visit another church, but I think that since most of my connections in the community here are connected at the church we went to this week, that it would be easier to get there and be connected with all the activities. Amy gave me a list of Churches of Christ in the area.

After lunch, Amy and I went to the Museum Thyssen-Bornemisza. It had a nice variety of paintings from medieval ladies to Pollack. Both of us really liked a painting about Elizabeth and Mary visiting before the children were born. You could see the unborn babies inside the mothers’ dresses. Quite amusing. The same weekend, there was a bicycle race in Madrid and all the streets were blocked off to car traffic. From the museum’s window, we could see the cyclists flying past in a triangular formation. It was so cool! That night on TV we saw them interviewing the young (cute) Spaniard who won the race, the third in a series throughout Spain that he had won. I enjoyed the impressionists’ paintings and one painting by Georgia O’Keefe. It wasn’t a flower, but I don’t remember what it was…maybe a tower? Amy’s favorites were the ones with autumn scenery in them because of all the pretty fall colors, and it reminded her of her beautiful couch that for some reason no one else likes. I think they probably have bad taste (unless I decide I don’t like it either after seeing the couch).

I cooked chicken legs for supper and threw out moldy rice. And we had peaches, delicious Maria cookies (circles kind of like graham crackers, without the graham) with Nutella (hazelnut/chocolate spread). We were weak and had more than two cookies, even after I had put them away. But, we walk a lot and so it doesn’t matter. Angelita complimented us for eating a full supper for once. She doesn’t see that we eat more for lunch. I think the meal almost had all the food groups (salad for lunch). Later in the evening I managed to shock myself by touching the metal by the plug. That was interesting. I dropped the plug, and was all right. I was having trouble putting the plug in; I won’t make the same slip again.

febrero 21

I was thinking the other day about how much is different here, things I didn’t think about before I got here, and what is the same. I bought Colgate toothpaste because I wasn’t sure what the other brands contained. The food in the supermarket is different, such as there is not cheddar cheese, only white cheese from Denmark or here. There is no spaghetti sauce here either that I’ve seen. And vanilla comes in a powder, which I haven’t found yet. Instead of peanut butter there is Nutella (a great invention, might I add). The cold medicine is not in pill form, instead it is dissolved in water and the efforts to make it taste nice failed. There is a phone in my apartment, but it isn’t used ever except to answer from below the building and let someone in the door. Instead, people have cell phones and we message each other important info with text messages and there are pay phones on many corners. There are lots of small food stores/pharmacies and everything is in walking distance. I don’t even have need to use the bus.

The first weeks have not been too hard, except communication. I am not used to hearing Spanish all around me, so I have to concentrate hard to understand. I mishear things that people say a lot. Asking questions is hard for me too, but not too bad. I try to look up words ahead of time…I delayed going to the bookstore to buy books because I didn’t know how to ask the bookstore if they could order the books from another store.
I am resigned to sounding like I do (well, like a foreigner who doesn’t speak very well). I know that I am improving, little by little. There is nothing else to do other than speak the way I do, and at times I may provide humor for others. Or at least they try hard to understand me. I called a basket a chestnut the other day on accident at the grocery store. Basket=canasta; chestnut=castaña.

I have not had to buy any books except two for my Spanish class…the professors have bibliographies and everything is in the library. I haven’t had any readings to do yet, but I read on my own to gain necessary vocabulary. I still need to finish signing up for classes. I am taking four classes, and attending five. I was going to take five classes, but I realized that it would be too much for me if I want to cook and see things and talk to people. I am taking a women’s studies class, “Mujer, Educación y Trabajo,” a class about the history of education, a Spanish class for foreigners, and a religious studies class, “El Hecho Religioso.” I talked to the professor of the fifth class, “Surrealismo en la literatura y el cine” (surrealism in literature and movies) and he said that it would not be a problem for me to attend and listen without signing up for the class. That’s two less papers and presentations for me! I am enjoying all of my classes so far. It is hard for me to understand everything, but I am told it gets better. I am understanding enough to get the gist of each lecture. The class on Surrealism is the hardest to understand, but I don’t have to worry about that now. My favorite class is the Spanish class. It is very relaxed, the teacher, Javier, is very personable, and the other students all want to learn as well, unlike in the university at home. It is a better format than the classes at home also, with conversation at the base and written exercises as well.

My campus is built in a rectangle, with a green in the center and the buildings around the periphery. All of the classes are in the first building, the Aulario. The main library is the next large building (I posted a picture of it earlier). The other smaller buildings are for each facultad, or school in the university. However, there are not classes in these buildings, just labs and offices and meeting halls.

It has been pointed out to me that my English is pathetic/awkward in these blogs. So, if it is, I am sorry. I am hardly ever speaking English, and perhaps the sentences are phrased more like Spanish grammar. Maybe. Or maybe I just can’t speak English.