Amazing Animals

I know I'm a nerd, but ever since some friends of mine mentioned the documentary series, Planet Earth, back in the fall, I had been antsy to see it. I remember watching it intermittently at Gary and Margie's house with Mariel and Tim. This Saturday, four of us met for a early supper (early for Spaniards, still late for Americans) and then to Guadalajara to enjoy hours of animal footage. I hadn't seen the part about the shallow seas or the jungle, which was quite interesting. And, of course, the polar bears and penguins are always a favorite, although I could scarcely keep my eyes open during the last part. You can see some of the pictures through the link, though it's not as cool as the videos. British accents, amazing animals, and friends...good times.

Today the weather was quite odd. Although it was a bit windy and nippy, I decided to take advantage of the sun and walk to Atocha (the train station) from school instead of taking the short train ride there. When I stepped out the front door, cold mist-like raindrops hit my face. Confused, I looked at the completely cloudless blue sky above me. I have seen rain torrents on sunny days before, but never rain without clouds.

Halfway to Atocha, I remembered that Madrid is host to Cows on Parade, and that there were supposed to be some in front of the train station. I took a nice walk down Paseo de Prado, looking in at the barren botanical gardens and then stopping to look at the cows before catching the train back to Torrejón. It reminds me of the mastodons that they put up in Fort Wayne. Similar idea. Apparently this same exposition (or similar) has been all over the world. They were in Chicago in 1999. I might look up the map to go see some more cows; we'll see if I feel like it. It would be like a treasure hunt!

Goodbye sniffles.

Sunday I was still a little sniffle-y, but by Monday I was feeling fine, with only a minor lingering cough and slight oddness to my voice. This week, I went to church in the morning at San Fernando. Traveling by public transportation makes it difficult to arrive exactly on time, so I reached the church about 30 minutes early. I used the time to have a devotional and a cup of coffee, or rather milk with coffee, at a nearby bar. In the evening, the youth planned the semester that we have just begun. I hope that this semester is a good one for the youth group, in which all examine what we do and are able to build each other up, the young and the older. It was good to hear a discussion about integration into the church as a whole as well, because it is important to not feel or be disconnected. We are not our own entity, rather the church is a community of all ages, serving together. Speaking of connections to the church body, I have been reflecting on how I relate to the church here, where I should be, and what I could be doing. I'm not sure if I should stay in the church in Canillejas where I have been, or if I should move to San Fernando, where I have been with the youth. It's a smaller church where I know the people better. I think that going to one church in the morning and then meeting with others in the evening, being here in Madrid for such little time, is stretching me a little thin. I hope to decide in the coming week whether to go or stay.

Extra vacation days?

My first complete week back to work was plagued with a bad cold and laryngitis. Monday I called in sick to go to the doctor and got some cough medicine. That visit was kind of confusing and overwhelming for me, so I didn't ask some questions I had. It was okay, though. It was difficult in school, not knowing if I could teach the class well or not, but I went to work Tuesday through Thursday. Friday, I completely lost my voice, so a friend called in for me at the school and my private class. It was good to sleep and read that day. Saturday I stayed in again. I did have a visit from a friend of mine, Tamy, that brightened my day.

Wednesday afternoon of the same week Angelita came home. Although I like living alone, it is nice to have her back. I'm glad that she's not in the hospital anymore. She is very happy to be back into her house and eating her own food. Hospital food isn't the most delicious in the world...apparently a cross-cultural phenomenon.

I heard from Colin about his track practices. Can you believe that they've been running outdoors in -30 F windshield? Crazy kids! He told me that they ran into a mall to get warmed up, and were kicked out. They tried again in another and were, surprise, booted out again. Calvin College has been constructing a new athletic center, and the track was not finished yet. Are you able to use the new facility, now, Colin? Other news...he has his university first track meet today (Saturday 24).

The snow in Spain falls mostly on the plain.

My last day of vacation I spent working, planning lessons at a friend's house. I surprised myself at how focused I was, knowing that the next day, three weeks of little responsibility were ending. It was great to get a head start on lessons, since it sometimes seems to pile up. Before I headed home, we took the telescope out to a soccer field to see the stars. The frozen ground crunched under our feet as we trudged up the hill to the flat field. We did manage to see what we set out for, but at the cost of numb and stinging fingers and feet, and several frostbitten toes that crept away to search for a warmer place while we weren't looking. Perhaps we'll try again when it's a bit warmer.

Friday it snowed! As I walked down the stairs to catch the bus, I stopped on the second floor landing, as usual, to look out the window. As of 9:30 AM, the ground was already covered with snow, and huge white puffy flakes were floating down steadily from the clouds. Jumping with joy, I ran upstairs to change my shoes, grab a scarf for my head, and then ran down the stairs again. It was the talk of the city the entire weekend. Snow. In Madrid. And inches (or centimeters, I suppose, even though they're teensy tiny). Paqui, the mother of two of my private students, told me that it hasn't snowed this much in Madrid in 100 years. I could scarcely get Sergio to concentrate during his class, his eyes diverting to the window, looking longingly at the snow every 30 seconds. Upon arriving in Torrejón, I learned about the complications that arise in Madrid when it snows. Because it NEVER snows, or at least never lasts more than a half day, the city is not prepared to deal with the wet stuff. The trains were super full, since the buses from Madrid to all the surrounding towns weren't running. The buses in town weren't running either. I was lucky to get a ride home from the train station, but otherwise, I would have had a 30-minute walk (on a good day) in the snow. Some highways were blocked off because the cars already on could neither go forward nor exit due to the traffic and slick roads.

In the evening, I called my friend Tamy, and we took advantage of the weather to have a snowball fight, make snow angels, make a snowbunny (see photo), and then drink hot apple cider. I sledded down the hill in the park on a piece of cardboard we found, feeling exactly like a little kid. Besides sledding on purpose, we also both fell down the hill during our many vane efforts to climb the slick slope. The next day we could finally use the highways, so Tamy and I went up to Guadalajara to meet some friends and play in the snow there. Snowballs in the face. Ouch. But so much fun! I think Spain loves me. Snow in Madrid, not just in the mountains, just for me.

Snow Days!

We Three Kings of Orient are...

January 6th was El Día de los Reyes, where in Spain the children receive presents from the three kings. The kids leave treats for the wise men, instead of for Santa. Now, lots of families give gifts on Christmas too, from Santa, but that's an imported tradition. The day before the holiday, there is a cabalgata, or parade, where people riding on floats throw hard candies at the spectators. I went with some friends to see the cabalgata in San Fernando, the town where I go to youth group. The church took part in the parade, equipping a Nativity themed float with people and decorations.

On the day of the holiday, I went with Tamy, Eva, and their family to her brother, Moises's house in Ciempozuelos, some distance on the other side of Madrid. It was nice to be invited, especially since the hosts hadn't met me before. The food was so good. Their sister-in-law baked, American style, one of the best turkeys that I have ever had. They carved it and took out the stuffing in front of us. After awhile we drank Spanish hot chocolate and ate roscón...there's a picture of it in my photos. The sister-in-law is an expert on law pertaining to foreigners in Spain, so I know where to turn if I am in a big jam. She is also quite pregnant, and we spent a lot of time oohing and ahhing over cute baby clothes, crib, and other like items. We spent the afternoon playing video Trivial Pursuit and Parcheesi (Parchís in Spanish). I suffered during that one...Tamy's brother and her mom, Loli, kept attacking my pieces! All in all, I would say that it was my best Tres Reyes celebration ever, albeit my only.

Photos! All are from the 6th, half from with Tamy's family, part from a get-together with friends in the evening in San Fernando.

January

New Year's

During these past holidays, I think that I spent a total of about 5 days in the house. I got home the 30th from Pamplona at about 11:45 pm after a trip I wish to not remember. Being in a train and then bus feeling nauseous late at night are not fun things. My pride kept me from asking for someone to come get me from the train station. I'm a silly girl.

The next day, I went to Guadalajara, a nearby city, to stay at Guille and Isma's house for New Year's. I got to see the computer game Spore...Mom, do you remember reading about it, with the evolution of the creatures from the beginning as a cell and the end as creatures with towns and everything? Maybe not. Before supper, the three of us settled in to watch Wall-E, which I hadn't seen yet. About halfway through, we were called down to supper, a special meal due to the holiday (and perhaps the guest). It was all very delicious, so delicious that I forgot that there are always three courses. As you can imagine, I pretty much filled up on the first, complete with cold smoked salmon on toasted crackers, shrimp, and salad. My mistake would have been okay, if my ever-communicative face hadn't yelled, "There's more?" Oh well, I have had plenty of opportunities to embarrass myself, and wouldn't want to deprive myself of more. My face betrayed me once more when I tried "queso fresco," something which I don't have a word for in English, for dessert. They told me it didn't taste like anything, and they were probably right, though for some reason my taste buds took an aversion to it. I wish I could have been better behaved, I'll try better next time. When it approached the new year, we all sat together at the table to bridge the two years with prayer. I think it's a wonderful tradition. After midnight, we toasted the new year with sidra (an apple wine, kind of) and shared hugs and kisses. First year to get kisses from outside the family! (though that would be the culture, nothing more).

New Year's Day, Guille and his dad showed Isma and I around Guadalajara. Me, because I am not from there; Isma, because he didn't know his own city. My favorite part was the labyrinth of hedges beside an old palace/church (don't remember which). The three of us entertained ourselves chasing each other through the maze. In the evening we walked to a park with a fish in the fountain, but we couldn't find the fish. After contemplating it for more than a millisecond, I decided that it would not be a good idea to jump in and look for the legendary aquatic creature. I ended up staying another night in Guadalajara and went to the zoo the next morning. Some friends of mine went ice skating in the afternoon, but I went home sick.

The 3rd, I wasn't feeling up to doing much, so Tamy and Isma came to my house and cooked spaghetti with me. That really made me feel special. Sunday rounded out my time with Guille and Isma's family, spending Sunday morning at their church and the Sunday lunch with their family. I throughly enjoyed all of the hugs their mom gave me; though not my mom's hugs, they were good heartfelt mom hugs. Everyone needs those.

Nombres (a tangent)

Did you know that in the 2000s, Erica was the 160th most common name in the states? In the 1980s it was 36. Apparently, I'm going out of style. The Makaylas and Gabrielas and Aaliyahs of the world have got me beat. I thought it was interesting to look at the list and see what names have become more common. Searching for some of my Spanish friends' names, here's what I found: Guille has moved from 412nd to 420th (sorry, not too popular), Ismael has moved from 417th to 329th, and Tamara has moved from 144th to 544th. Notwithstanding the examples I've given, Spanish names have, as a rule, moved up in popularity, I would assume reflecting the changing demographics of our country.

And, Colin, your name is 106th, up from 126 when you were born. Although, I'm sure the vast majority pronounce it wrong, just like Colin Powell does. Remember when you tried to convince us that his name was pronounced like yours?

If you want to see your name, you can go to the Social Security's database of names listed by decade back to the 1880s: http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames/decades/names2000s.html.