Great visit, great company! Part 3 - More Madrid

The final days of Dahveed's visit were spent with him being very understanding that my injured foot needed some rest and going on a trip by himself to Toledo, as well as us spending his last day in Spain in Madrid. (Dahveed's trip to Toledo was plagued by ticket changes, multiple customer service windows, broken shoes, rain, and things he wanted to see being closed. Never the less, he came back from the trip with great things to say about Toledo which I can honestly say I probably couldn't have done myself had I experienced what he did.)

Neither of us had been to El Rastro before, which is Madrid's largest outdoor flea market that happens every Sunday morning and it's HUGE! It is also one of the most known places for pick-pockets in Madrid and Dahveed didn't even complain when I asked him like 50 times if he still had his wallet, iPod, and camera. :)

We found a restaurant to eat lunch at near the La Latina metro and thank you to Mama Zavala for the sponsorship of that lunch, it was a good one!

Later, we tried to go to the Reina Sofia museum but like many things in Spain on Sundays, it was closed. No pasa nada, we ended up relaxing in Retiro park and made it out of there just in time before the rain hit. I'm amazed at how quickly the weather changed here in Spain. One week it was hotter than you know what and two weeks later, it's raining and cold. Overall the visit of Dahveed's to Spain was really good, with many memorable moments, and many patient moments of Dahveed being understanding when I was a little slower than him due to my bum foot. I'm so happy that after talking SO much about how much I love Spain, and HOW wonderful my Spanish family is, he now knows for himself. And I got to experience some of the places in Spain that I hadn't previously been with him!

Great visit, Great company! Part 2 - Villanueva, Oviedo and Luarca

When we got back from our mini road trip, we went to Villanueva so that Dahveed could meet my Spanish parents, Elias and Paquita. It was a great time but I must say that after 3 days of seeing A LOT with Carmen and Edu, I was pretty tired. The intense card game that always happens was a little harder but Dahveed was able to catch on very quickly and did very well! Of course, my Spanish "aunt" More won. :)

On Wednesday we left to the northern part of Spain, first to Oviedo and then to the coastal town of Luarca. Oviedo is a pretty old town in the northern part of Spain and possibly where my Valdez family comes from! It was very cool to be there because another thing that is interesting is that the cathedral there holds the cloth that is thought to have covered Jesus' face in the tomb. It is such a wonderful town and bigger than I thought it would be.

On Thursday we went to Luarca which Dahveed had read great things about in terms of being able to experience the northern coast of Spain. I was very pleasantly surprised to find that Luarca is a small fishing town that has a lot of beauty and is very relaxed. We spent the day there before heading back to Oviedo and I am very happy to be able to have seen the ocean from a part of Spain that I had never been to previously!

Here is a video of a crazy Texan on the beach in Luarca!

Great visit, great company! Part 1 - Paracuellos, Madrid and Road Trip

It has been a little while since I last posted anything and the reason for that is that I've been having a great time with Dahveed doing all kinds of stuff while he was out here visiting. I think right about now he is boarding his plane back to good ol' CO, but I'm happy to report that he now understands my absolute love for Spain. And I know he found a place in his heart for Spain as well!

The visit started with Carmen, Miguel and I waiting at the airport for Dahveed and before he came out of the terminal Miguel was making me laugh by calling "Dahveeeeeeeed!!" to where his mom told him she thought that the whole airport heard him. When he got here, it was my few days taking care of Miguel during the mornings before his regular daycare started up again and I was happy that Dahveed got to see some of what my days have been like with Miguel. Also, he was very generous to bring over plenty of children's books, CDs, and DVDs that he and his mom and his aunt got for Miguelito per my request. Miguel was VERY excited about all the new stuff, needless to say.

One thing that I was also very happy about was that Dahveed got to come with me to my first day back at TKD after the month of August off since the gym closed for vacation. The class was tough but good and I'm really excited to get back into it.

Dahveed and I went to Madrid on Friday and saw many cool things such as the Prado museum, the Palacio Real, Plaza Espana, and Retiro Park. Then the first weekend that he was here, we went on a mini road trip with Carmen and Edu to see Segovia, Avila, Salamanca, and Zamora which are nearby towns. I didn't realize that when we got to Zamora, we were about 60 kilometers from Portugal! Here are some photos:

Some of my favorite moments were seeing an impromt mini concert of this live band near the bottom of the aqueducto in Segovia, running into a very cool Renaissance festival in Avila, trying different tapas in Salamanca, and definitely dinner in an old time bodega that was turned into a restaurant in Zamora. This blog takes FOREVER to upload photos so if you would like to see more, please check out my facebook page.

Hotter than the sun in the south of Spain!

First, I miss you all very much and really appreciate all the photos, emails with details about life back in the states, and texts! I can't believe August is almost over. It's amazing how time flies! It's still very hot here! It was like 90 degrees in Alcala the other day at 7PM in the evening. Kiki, even though you are in AZ I think I got you beat with the heat over here. :)

One thing is for sure that the Spanish people sure do know how to party! Edu and Carmen went to the wedding of a friend this weekend and the celebration lasted for 3 days. Not only were they invited to the lunches, dinners, parties, and everything else for the wedding....the accomodations for the entire weekend were included in the invitation. I don't want to see the final bill for the expenses of putting all of your guests up for a whole weekend! Anyways, because they were gone, the rest of us (Miguelito, Aena, y yo) went to Villanueva for the weekend to stay with my Spanish parents. As always, it was a wonderful weekend of swimming in the pool, great food, and playing with the kids.

Miguelito riding the bike like his older cousins. It is so cute because his legs can't really reach to make an entire circle with the petals so he just does half circles over and over and over in order to move forward. He almost has the ability to make a turn all by himself but really only goes in a straight line. And he needs help to get off so when he is tired of it he yells "Ania, quiero bajar!!" louder and louder until I go and get him off of the bike.

Miguelito playing with his animals to the left and to the right, Mickey (just back from Turkey) and Rasca with his new haircut. He looks like a different dog!!

Okay, so it is well known in the family that Sonia doesn't smile for ANYTHING! Carmen showed me her wedding album and Sonia didn't smile in any one of the photos. We had to do two takes to get her to smile and immediately after the flash, the smile faded and she went back to watching cartoons. It's so funny because she smiles a lot in real life!

My sister Elisa, the doctor should LOVE this story! One morning I slept in (more than usual) and so when I got up Paquita said that she thought that I had low blood pressure and that this was the reason for me sleeping more than normal. (Anyone who knows me knows that I LOVE to sleep in) So she whipped out an automatic blood pressure machine and proceeded to put the thing around my arm and turn it on to take my blood pressure. After two attempts the machine said that I had a blood pressure of 108/65, but in Paquita's words "Diez seis (ten six)" and said that it was too low and I had to drink coffee the next morning with my breakfast. She said that I should have a blood pressure around "thirteen eight" and made sure that my Spanish sister, Yolanda, also was aware that I was supposed to drink coffee the next morning. Then, when everyone got back on Monday night and we were having dinner, they proceeded to argue over whether I had to drink coffee to elevate my blood pressure or whether drinking some soda would do the trick. I love them!

Mickey and Ana came over for dinner a couple of times since Mickey had been gone to Turkey for work for about a week and everyone wanted to hear about his trip. We were all teasing him that he looks pretty middle eastern with his beard and that with a turban, he should have fit right in! Anyways, Ana and I got to talking and she told me that it was traditional when she was a little kid (she is in her late 30s now) that they would take out little kids' tonsils WITHOUT anesthesia!! She said that there was this chair that they would strap them into, insert this device that would open their mouth and basically hold them down to take out the tonsils. I can't even imagine! Then later on, I made the mistake of getting into a political discussion with Mickey which was a bad idea since Mickey served in the Spanish military and is VERY passionate about politics in general. I think that I can say my spanish is getting better if I can have a political debate with someone in another language! But I'm sure that I will hesitate the next time Mickey wants to talk about American politics with me.

I'm really excited that I applied to participate in a program called Pueblo Ingles and I was accepted! This is an intensive language program for people who want to be immersed in the English language for a week at a time. The last week of September, I will be traveling with about 50 other people (half Spanish people, half English speakers) to Valdelavilla in the Soria region of Spain (a little northeast from Madrid) to spend the week talking English with the Spanish participants. This program is VERY expensive for the Spanish speakers that pay for it but absolutely free for the English speakers. That means that I won't have to pay for any of my accomodations including hotel, food, or transportation. I think it will be a great opportunity for me to experience helping the Spanish participants be immersed in English.

I'm so excited that my two visits from friends from the US are almost here! Dahveed is coming in a little over a week, and then the following month Kat, Andrea and Anthony are coming. It's going to be so good to see some familiar faces and have some fun seeing all of the sights in Madrid. I can't wait!

Take care everyone and I hope you are all doing well. I miss you guys!

Steph

Has it already been a month?!

So I realized today that it has been over a month since I arrived in Spain! I can´t believe it, the past several weeks have flown by. This past weekend for the first time I felt a tad homesick. That and AT&T called to make sure that I was okay since my minute usage on my phone went from crazy to almost nothing and they were worried that I was thrown in the Pinta. :) I told them not to worry and at some point I would be back chatting on the phone non-stop again. I want to thank all of you that read my blog since sometimes I feel like I´m just blabbering to myself. My girl Mandy, Juls, Pinche, Dre, Meachie, my Imerica peeps, and all the rest of you that take a look now and then, I thank you! But don´t forget to tell me what is going on back home please favor (this is how Miguel says please now, he mixes English and Spanish, it´s SO cute!).

Two things happened this weekend, well maybe three. First, I learned that no matter how old you are a new Pixar movie is always a great idea! I went to see the movie ¨UP¨ in 3D and it was so cute. I was thankful that I wasn´t the only one in our group that got teary eyed, pretty sad I know but what can I say? I also learned that sometimes, no matter the situation, orange juice may be the absolutely only thing that a person wants in that moment. I had no idea that orange juice could be so powerful to some. :) And lastly, I was reminded this weekend of what an absolutely amazing Spanish family that I have here. Let´s just say that I was in a situation that made me a little uncomfortable and one quick phone call to my Spanish sister and her husband and everything was pretty much taken care of by them. My favorite was when my Spanish brother in law said ¨it´s just what you do for family, and you are family so we are going to take care of you¨. I´m truly blessed to have them here for me and I can´t even imagine what it´s like to move to a place where you don´t know anyone. Also, I have an upcoming visit from a particular Pinche Texan that I´m excited about and Edu and Carmen have offered so much help and hospitality regarding this, it´s amazing! It´s going to be a wonderful visit and I´m so happy to have him coming to see some of Spain with me. Oh, and one more thing. I heard that many of my CO friends got to enjoy Ozomatli this past weekend in CO. Ahhhh, I´m so jealous! I love my Ozomatli and they had been slackin on coming through CO. And then I go to Spain and they decide to come, Man! Can someone please tell ChaliTuna he needs to get everyone together and come to Spain?!? :)

I hope you all have a great week! Take care and miss you all!
Steph

Granada is always a good idea.....

My trip to Granada was so great! It was wonderful to see my cousin, Tracie, and get to experience some of her life there. I went to Granada 6 years ago but this time was much less touristy and much more family fun time! Here are some photos:



Below the bus ride to Granada and the bohemian toaster that my cousin uses to make toast. :)







Above while waiting in the bus station there was a place to pay money to charge your phone, how clever! Below, Tracie and I after a three hour lunch of paella and calamari.


Above, a famous graphitti (sp?) artist in Granada named El niño de las pinturas, so amazing! Below overlooking the view of the cathedral.


These are some of the paintings of Tracie´s roommates. He has a very bohemian style and we had a great time trying to decide what they meaning of them is. The one on the left is the one that Tracie swears she is taking home with her and the one on the right is a work in progress and very big!


More later but wanted to put some photos up now. Take care, miss you all!
Steph

Little boys will be little boys....

So first of all, yesterday was my best friend, Mandy´s birthday! Happy birthday my girl! We will do more celebrating when I make it to NC. :)

Warning: This post is rated PG-13!

This week has been a very good week with Miguel. I now have him saying Please regularly and he repeats a lot of what I say in English. I love when he is counting by himself, he now uses both English and Spanish numbers, like One Two Tres Cinco. It´s so cute. On Tuesday we were going to the summer house to go swimming and see my Spanish parents before they go on vacation again, and we were driving in the car. As usual, Miguel was just talking to himself as well as to Carmen and I, and all of a sudden he blurts out ¨Tengo paco grande!¨. Here the word that they use for a little boy´s private part is paco so basically he said ¨I have a big pee-pee!¨ Then Carmen said ¨No sweetheart, your pee-pee is still pretty small.¨ And Miguel kept saying over and over and louder and louder ¨Paco Grande, Paco Grandeeeeee!¨ It was SO incredibily funny I laughed so hard. So to distract him I told him to put on my sunglasses and he wanted to take a picture but at least it kept him from telling about what a big pee-pee he has!Later, we visited with the family for a while and then one of Carmen´s friends, Javi, came over and we all went swimming. One time after getting out of the pool, his mom was taking off his swimming Pull-Up and Miguel said ¨Paco duro?¨ which basically means ¨Pee-pee hard?¨ and everyone kept telling him ¨Yes, Miguel your pee-pee is hard¨ and I had to take deep breaths to keep from falling over in laughter! It was so so funny! I guess this is what I have to look forward to with my new nephew when he gets a few years older. Of course everyone had a great time eating and laughing back at the summer house and here are some pictures of Mickey and Ana playing with Miguel pretending to tackle him.Edu was very kind to get me some free passes to the gym that he goes to in Madrid and so I went this week with him and it turns out to be Gold´s gym. We ran into his friend Rocio who has a Canadian girl living with her for the summer to teach their kids English and suggested that I meet up with this girl. So yesterday I went back to the gym in the afternoon and afterwards met up with Leah. We walked around Madrid and when we stopped in a little cafe, this girl sat down next to us and I thought she was Spanish. After about 10 minutes listening to us talk in English the girl said ¨Do you guys work here in Madrid?¨ and turned out to be a girl from Minnesota who has been teaching English in Spain for the past 9 months. Her name is Molly and we talked for a while about her experience. She gave me some websites to look at and some great ideas for myself. She also gave me her email and I think she will be a great resource for me. It´s just kind of random how things happen like that. I think I now have the bus schedule down pretty good and the metro in Madrid is very easy.

I´m very excited for this weekend because I´m going to Granada tomorrow to visit my cousin Tracie who is living there! Should be a very great time.

I hope everyone is doing well and I miss you all very much! Thank you for all the emails, texts, prayers, and everything else. Elisa, thank you so very much, I owe you one!
Steph