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Saturday, January 31, 2009
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Hurricanes, Hockey, and Gyros!
Last night was quite an interesting night, if I do say so myself.
I was texting my friends to go out for the night, but basically one person in each apartment is sick: Katie, Natalia, Cassi, Dave. I watched some TV for the first time since I left the states, and of course every channel was in Spanish. That is, except for the British-run MTV stations and BBC. And Al Jazeera. I watched some American shows dubbed in Spanish, like the cartoon Jimmy Neutron, as well as Lost "PERDIDOS." I was also in severe withdrawl of modern music (I guess they play some hits that are hits in America, but it's like the 2-year old "Rehab" by Amy Winehouse and "Womanizer" from Britney Spears, for the most part). HERE, on their MTV, they ACTUALLY PLAY VIDEOS ALL DAY! It was amazing. Oh, and they had VH1 as well, where they played The Doors and The Who.
My host dad came in the room as I was flipping through some of the music stations, and we chatted about music that he listens to and concerts he's been to. He said he saw Tina Turner a couple years ago, and I told him my parents went to her concert/planned to go to her concert (I actually can't remember if they did now or not) this past year, and they had a special party room with a balcony to watch the concert. He was like "Oh, como los VIPS!?" Only he said VIPS as one word instead of letters and I thought that was funny.
He said he also went to a Michael Jackson concert back in the days of "Bad." He also saw Van Morrison, who he loves. He also mentioned his older brothers, when he was a kid, played in a band. I asked what type of music they played and he said "pop music" like Van Morrison. HOW COOL IS THAT?! He also saw the Rolling Stones in concert three times. Twice in the past 10 years, then once in '85 or something. He also once saw Elvis Costello and he also once saw Steve Winwood. It was hard to catch on to some of these names b/c of the accent he'd say them with, but I eventually figured it out. He mentioned a few other bands he went to go see in the past, but I can't remember them right now.
He also mentioned that Pink Floyd is coming to San Sebastian next month. I am for SURE looking into that. Even though they don't have all their band members.
I eventually got a hold of Luke and made plans to go out with him and a few friends to dinner.
I left the house at around 9:45 to meet up with Luke at the bridge, then we went from there to wander somewhere to eat dinner. On the way, we ran into Carter, another USAC student. We chatted with him for a while until The Columbians showed up, then Carter left to go hang out with his friends in La Parte Vieja. The four of us wandered aimlessly and I noticed this guy dressed in a light brown blazer and tee and khaki pants around our age or a bit older walking in the same direction as us for a bit and told Ana, who started noticing it, too. Eventually, he turned to us and said "Mind if I ask where you all are from?" in English, with an Australian accent. He was 24, his name was Tom Cleghorn, and he played Hockey for the San Sebastian team (http://www.rfeh.com/web/competiciones/goleadores.jsp?competicion=180&fase=1&grupo=1&origen=competicion1.jsp). He heard us talking in english and wanted to know where we were from, since he obviously felt out of place in a country without english-speakers. He was asking us what we were doing, and we said "trying to find somewhere to eat." He suggested a place and we started walking toward it, but on the way we found a gyro place (strangely, I had mentioned eating gyros about 10 minutes before discovering this place) and it had fries which pleased Ana and Natalia, so we went in. We hung out and chatted with this guy for a while, and he was really nice and interesting, telling us about how he surfs around here and is here for about 7 weeks to play hockey for the SS team.
At this restaurant, also, Ana asked for a Bailey's on the rocks, and none of us thought the guy who worked there knew how to serve that, since he basically filled half a cognac glass with Bailey's and put ice in it. I also have no idea what language the men here spoke, since they seemed clueless whether we spoke in Spanish or English. I think they were Turkish.
When we were done, I don't think they knew how to calculate our bill, because in total we had...
A gyro
A gyro and fries
just fries
potatoes
5 beers
a water
a Bailey's
2 cokes
and an ice cream.
And the bill total was 32 Euros or so.
I know for sure the ice cream was at least a euro, the cokes were at least a euro each, and each gyro was about 5 euros. That's 17 euros there, and that wasn't including fries, potatoes, 5 beers, a water, and a bailey's. And I am sure that would not add up to only 15 euros.
But hey, cheap food is nothing to complain about.
After we left (which we had to do since they started turning off the lights...), we wandered around a bit, heading in the general direction of the columbians' apartment, since they live on "Reyes Catolicos" nicknamed "Reyes Alcolicos" because it's the bar street. On our way, we discussed how the USAC people sent us an email about how the weather would be, advising us to not leave. Since my internet was down (i'll explain in another post), I didn't get this email. Now I've had a chance to read it, and summing it up won't do it justice, so I will just repost it here:
____________
Title: Important Weather Alert
Dear Students,
We are expecting severe weather tonight in the Basque Country. Winds of 95
miles per hour are expected and waves may reach as high as 40 feet. You
should avoid being outside during this type of weather as tiles, flower
boxes, trees or cranes may fall. You should not be alarmed but use prudence
when you are outside and try to stay inside for the worst of the storm
between 6:00 pm tonight and 6:00 am.
Be safe!
USAC Office
____________
By the time we were leaving the restaurant and walking to the girls' place, it was midnight, and it was also a balmy 55 degrees F, with light winds, not enough to mess up my hair. Natalia was mocking the email we got, saying "apparently CRANES are supposed to be falling, WATCH OUT GUYS!" It was very mild weather.
We went to WARHOL, a bar, and the boys and Ana got a drink each, but Natalia sat down, saying she didn't want a drink b/c she was beginning to get a bit of a cold.
After a little bit, Natalia said she'd just go, because she wanted to sleep. She left, then about 4 minutes later returned and said there was a salsa bar next door and she wanted to go in. Obviously this is the opposite mood she was in 4 minutes ago, but she said she'd stay out longer if dancing was involved. So everyone finished their drinks and we went next door, only to find that we stuck out like a sore thumb. I am not sure if it was the age difference, with the crowd being in the 30's age group, or that it was only half full, allowing more staring from the patrons. We left as soon as we arrived.
Then, everyone seemed to not be in the party mood anymore, so Ana and Natalia went back to their place, then Luke said he was going to a friend's(Dixon's) house, and that Tom was welcome to join, but it would be in the opposite direction and therefore a longer cab ride home so he decided to just head back now.
Therefore, I was left to go home, too, so Luke and I went in the eastward direction together, across the bridge, until he had to head up north again to go to Dixon's.
I was texting my friends to go out for the night, but basically one person in each apartment is sick: Katie, Natalia, Cassi, Dave. I watched some TV for the first time since I left the states, and of course every channel was in Spanish. That is, except for the British-run MTV stations and BBC. And Al Jazeera. I watched some American shows dubbed in Spanish, like the cartoon Jimmy Neutron, as well as Lost "PERDIDOS." I was also in severe withdrawl of modern music (I guess they play some hits that are hits in America, but it's like the 2-year old "Rehab" by Amy Winehouse and "Womanizer" from Britney Spears, for the most part). HERE, on their MTV, they ACTUALLY PLAY VIDEOS ALL DAY! It was amazing. Oh, and they had VH1 as well, where they played The Doors and The Who.
My host dad came in the room as I was flipping through some of the music stations, and we chatted about music that he listens to and concerts he's been to. He said he saw Tina Turner a couple years ago, and I told him my parents went to her concert/planned to go to her concert (I actually can't remember if they did now or not) this past year, and they had a special party room with a balcony to watch the concert. He was like "Oh, como los VIPS!?" Only he said VIPS as one word instead of letters and I thought that was funny.
He said he also went to a Michael Jackson concert back in the days of "Bad." He also saw Van Morrison, who he loves. He also mentioned his older brothers, when he was a kid, played in a band. I asked what type of music they played and he said "pop music" like Van Morrison. HOW COOL IS THAT?! He also saw the Rolling Stones in concert three times. Twice in the past 10 years, then once in '85 or something. He also once saw Elvis Costello and he also once saw Steve Winwood. It was hard to catch on to some of these names b/c of the accent he'd say them with, but I eventually figured it out. He mentioned a few other bands he went to go see in the past, but I can't remember them right now.
He also mentioned that Pink Floyd is coming to San Sebastian next month. I am for SURE looking into that. Even though they don't have all their band members.
I eventually got a hold of Luke and made plans to go out with him and a few friends to dinner.
I left the house at around 9:45 to meet up with Luke at the bridge, then we went from there to wander somewhere to eat dinner. On the way, we ran into Carter, another USAC student. We chatted with him for a while until The Columbians showed up, then Carter left to go hang out with his friends in La Parte Vieja. The four of us wandered aimlessly and I noticed this guy dressed in a light brown blazer and tee and khaki pants around our age or a bit older walking in the same direction as us for a bit and told Ana, who started noticing it, too. Eventually, he turned to us and said "Mind if I ask where you all are from?" in English, with an Australian accent. He was 24, his name was Tom Cleghorn, and he played Hockey for the San Sebastian team (http://www.rfeh.com/web/competiciones/goleadores.jsp?competicion=180&fase=1&grupo=1&origen=competicion1.jsp). He heard us talking in english and wanted to know where we were from, since he obviously felt out of place in a country without english-speakers. He was asking us what we were doing, and we said "trying to find somewhere to eat." He suggested a place and we started walking toward it, but on the way we found a gyro place (strangely, I had mentioned eating gyros about 10 minutes before discovering this place) and it had fries which pleased Ana and Natalia, so we went in. We hung out and chatted with this guy for a while, and he was really nice and interesting, telling us about how he surfs around here and is here for about 7 weeks to play hockey for the SS team.
At this restaurant, also, Ana asked for a Bailey's on the rocks, and none of us thought the guy who worked there knew how to serve that, since he basically filled half a cognac glass with Bailey's and put ice in it. I also have no idea what language the men here spoke, since they seemed clueless whether we spoke in Spanish or English. I think they were Turkish.
When we were done, I don't think they knew how to calculate our bill, because in total we had...
A gyro
A gyro and fries
just fries
potatoes
5 beers
a water
a Bailey's
2 cokes
and an ice cream.
And the bill total was 32 Euros or so.
I know for sure the ice cream was at least a euro, the cokes were at least a euro each, and each gyro was about 5 euros. That's 17 euros there, and that wasn't including fries, potatoes, 5 beers, a water, and a bailey's. And I am sure that would not add up to only 15 euros.
But hey, cheap food is nothing to complain about.
After we left (which we had to do since they started turning off the lights...), we wandered around a bit, heading in the general direction of the columbians' apartment, since they live on "Reyes Catolicos" nicknamed "Reyes Alcolicos" because it's the bar street. On our way, we discussed how the USAC people sent us an email about how the weather would be, advising us to not leave. Since my internet was down (i'll explain in another post), I didn't get this email. Now I've had a chance to read it, and summing it up won't do it justice, so I will just repost it here:
____________
Title: Important Weather Alert
Dear Students,
We are expecting severe weather tonight in the Basque Country. Winds of 95
miles per hour are expected and waves may reach as high as 40 feet. You
should avoid being outside during this type of weather as tiles, flower
boxes, trees or cranes may fall. You should not be alarmed but use prudence
when you are outside and try to stay inside for the worst of the storm
between 6:00 pm tonight and 6:00 am.
Be safe!
USAC Office
____________
By the time we were leaving the restaurant and walking to the girls' place, it was midnight, and it was also a balmy 55 degrees F, with light winds, not enough to mess up my hair. Natalia was mocking the email we got, saying "apparently CRANES are supposed to be falling, WATCH OUT GUYS!" It was very mild weather.
We went to WARHOL, a bar, and the boys and Ana got a drink each, but Natalia sat down, saying she didn't want a drink b/c she was beginning to get a bit of a cold.
After a little bit, Natalia said she'd just go, because she wanted to sleep. She left, then about 4 minutes later returned and said there was a salsa bar next door and she wanted to go in. Obviously this is the opposite mood she was in 4 minutes ago, but she said she'd stay out longer if dancing was involved. So everyone finished their drinks and we went next door, only to find that we stuck out like a sore thumb. I am not sure if it was the age difference, with the crowd being in the 30's age group, or that it was only half full, allowing more staring from the patrons. We left as soon as we arrived.
Then, everyone seemed to not be in the party mood anymore, so Ana and Natalia went back to their place, then Luke said he was going to a friend's(Dixon's) house, and that Tom was welcome to join, but it would be in the opposite direction and therefore a longer cab ride home so he decided to just head back now.
Therefore, I was left to go home, too, so Luke and I went in the eastward direction together, across the bridge, until he had to head up north again to go to Dixon's.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Lost in Translation pt 1
I knew this was bound to happen during my stay here...
I came home from hanging out at a friends place around 11pm. The door was closed to Andrea's room and the light looked like it was off. I went to my room and was on my computer for about an hour, then I went into the hallway to walk towards the bathroom. I then noticed Andrea's light was on and she was on her computer. I was confused, because I thought she was sleeping, but now she was clearly awake. I went into the room and asked her if she was sleeping before. She just stared at me, confused.
Then I realized that I asked "Were you sleeping?" IN ENGLISH.
She knows an itty bit of English, I believe (she had to read the entire book A Christmas Carol for school), and she waited for a moment to process it, and then replied "Estoy dibujando" (I am drawing).
I responded in Spanish, telling her that I only just realized that I spoke in English, and I wasn't even thinking.
I don't know how to describe that moment, only that it felt weird.
I came home from hanging out at a friends place around 11pm. The door was closed to Andrea's room and the light looked like it was off. I went to my room and was on my computer for about an hour, then I went into the hallway to walk towards the bathroom. I then noticed Andrea's light was on and she was on her computer. I was confused, because I thought she was sleeping, but now she was clearly awake. I went into the room and asked her if she was sleeping before. She just stared at me, confused.
Then I realized that I asked "Were you sleeping?" IN ENGLISH.
She knows an itty bit of English, I believe (she had to read the entire book A Christmas Carol for school), and she waited for a moment to process it, and then replied "Estoy dibujando" (I am drawing).
I responded in Spanish, telling her that I only just realized that I spoke in English, and I wasn't even thinking.
I don't know how to describe that moment, only that it felt weird.
La Tamborrada Video
This is the first song they played at the flag raising at midnight (12am Tuesday, here in Spain).
The beginning is the leader psyching up the crowd, the song actually starts at the 2:13 mark.
Enjoy.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Video Chat
The most effective and cheapest way to communicate with my family is on video chat. My dad made a screenname a while back and we tested it while I was still at home.
Whenever Eric gets on the chat, however, things take a weird turn. Especially when he uses the keyboard. Here's an excerpt of our conversation today. Note the LOST reference.
(click image to enlarge)
Whenever Eric gets on the chat, however, things take a weird turn. Especially when he uses the keyboard. Here's an excerpt of our conversation today. Note the LOST reference.
(click image to enlarge)
Touching down in Madrid Town
As you may have noticed, lots of the content of this blog is out of order. A prime example is this video I have of us landing in Madrid via airplane (taken over a week ago). It doesn't have audio, just fantastic visuals. Enjoy.
Tour de San Sebastian
Here is some video I took on the bus when we arrived in San Sebastian the first night. Our director, Patricia, had a microphone on the bus and therefore would narrate stuff we passed. I am handy-camming it, so don't get too nauseous from the shaking.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Differences Pt. 1
Obviously, being an American, I have noticed cultural and legal differences here in Spain. Let me list a few.
Dessert. Usually, in America, when we have dessert after dinner, it usually consists of ice cream, cookies, or cake. Here, they ask if I want a pear or yogurt. Everyone likes their yogurt here in Spain.
Dogs. Um, I don't think there are leash laws here in San Sebastian. You walk along the river and there are people walking around along with what looks like stray dogs. Then you realize the dogs have an owner. I like to play the "Who do I think is the owner of this dog" game. Even though the dogs wander pretty aimlessly, they are very well behaved and usually stay with their owner. A street could be very crowded and the dog will be 30 feet in front of its owner, but the dog will never leave them. I like watching the owners occasionally throw a ball or something ahead of their walking path, the dog chases it, picks it up in its mouth, then stands there, as if frozen in place, looking back at the owner waiting for her to approach the dog and re-throw the ball. Or the dog will wander ahead (again, about 30 feet) and if the owner wants to "reel" them in, they quietly whistle or say the dog's name and the dog surprisingly comes running back to the owner. Oh, and what's also different here is that dogs are allowed to relieve themselves anywhere on the streets, or so it seems.
Seating at restaurants. In Spain, apparently you pay different prices depending on where you sit. The prices, from lowest to highest, are at the bar, at a table inside, and a table outside. You can pay up to a 20% "tax" for sitting outside on the patio of a restaurant, just because it's nicer. Therefore, if you are eating alone, the best deal is at the bar since you pay practically nothing.
Eye contact and smiling. I was told this before I came here that people don't make eye contact or smile much. It's still hard not to do so. When you are walking around Chicago, or especially in the suburbs, one usually smiles at a stranger if they cross paths on the sidewalk. Here, if you make eye contact with someone, especially if it is a girl to a guy, the guy will most definitely start hitting on you/approach you to hit on you. It's so weird to completely ignore people, like last night when I was walking home, I'd have my head up looking straight, and if I briefly glanced at a guy walking with some friends, he'd start curving his walking path toward me unless I'd look straight again and ignore him, then he'd swerve back to his friends. It's so odd. Smiling is also pretty uncommon, and it's more "come hither" than eye contact, again when it is a girl to a guy. People walking down the sidewalk stoicly walk past one another looking straight ahead. Unless they think you are an American (if you talk to your friends in English) then Spaniards staring at you is highly acceptable.
Milk. I am pretty sure they don't have 1% or 2% milk. Therefore, I am dying a bit inside. I can't drink a half gallon at each meal like I do at home. I think it's whole milk, which I don't mind in cereal since the cereal's flavor takes over. And it's also weird because when you go to the grocery store, all the milk is packaged in what looks like large juice boxes...and they are in the store on the shelves. That's right...at room temperature. It's a little disconcerting. My family keeps it in the fridge after opening, though.
Mayonnaise. This seems to be really popular on burgers here, just as normal as tomatoes and lettuce. Of the 4 times I've had a burger here, I've had mayo on the burger.
Open beer laws. In America, it is illegal to have open liquor on public property (in most places). i.e: you cannot carry a 6pack in one hand and an open Heineken in the other while walking down Michigan Avenue. Here, that is not the case, as tested by my friends. This was especially not the case in Madrid, where we'd walk in a group of 15 or 20 people and I'm pretty sure half or more would have a bottle of Heineken, wine, or beer in their hands. Last night while we were walking around, Angela was a bit nervous anytime she'd drink from one of the boys' bottles, but we literally walked 4 feet away from 6 or 7 cops througout the night who stared at us and said nothing.
Above: Tiny car on the tarmak of the Madrid airport
Cigarette Warnings. In Spain, the cigarette warnings are similar to those in the US: very small and vague. In Heathrow airport, however, I had a chance to see the British cigarette warnings, which were quite specific as far as what cigarettes can do, and the size of the warning increased with the size of the box. They seriously don't want people to smoke there. Then you go to the Madrid airport and they have an impractical "smoking room" with open ceiling and no doors...so the smoke would just dissipate into the rest of the airport. As far as being effective, they were close, but no cigar. (get it?!)
(the two above) Smoking warnings on cigarette boxes in the Heathrow airport.
The big year. In the US, the 16th birthday and 21st birthday are HUGE, but here in Spain, number 18 is the biggest, since it is somewhat of a combo of both. At 18 here, you can drive, buy cigarettes, drink, carry liquor on the streets, etc etc. Also, you know how in America, the underage kids sneaking into bars are around 18-20 since the age is 21 to drink? Well, since it's so low here in Spain, the kids sneaking into bars are as young as 14.
Curfew. There is no legally set curfew here in Spain, but instead it is set by the individual families. The 15 year old daughter I live with is allowed to go out whenever she wants, since she's pretty well-behaved. Last night, for example, she stayed out on a Saturday until 4am. But that's not that unusual as I will explain next...
Time. People always say "oh the Europeans like to be late to everything, blah blah blah." I haven't quite experienced that as I have experienced the times people are out. Here's how it is in Chicago, for example.
11am-1:00pm normal chunk of time for lunch
4:30-8pm normal chunk of time for dinner
7-midnight normal chunk of time for Going out/party time
In Spain, however, this is waaaaay different.
1-3:30pm normal chunk of time for lunch
8-10pm normal chunk of time for dinner
11pm-6am normal chunk of time to go out/party
Therefore, when we leave my friends' apartment at midnight to just begin going out, it's just getting started. The streets by the bars are DEAD from 9-11pm, usually. The places are usually hopping at 1am. I don't think they even have happy hour here.
Oh, and time here is written in military time (aka, the store opens at 16:00!) But the people say it normal ("hey, the store opens up at 4pm!) It's a little inconsistent.
Above: Here's a picture I took while walking the streets in Madrid at 1am. This is how packed it was.
PDA/Couples. In Chicago, you'll see couples linking arms or holding hands on the street, occasionally pecking kisses while waiting to cross the street. It's also common to see a guy and a girl walking and it is a possibility that they are only friends. Here, anytime you see a boy and a girl walking, it is GUARANTEED they are a couple. And they have their arms around eachothers' waists, and they will walk 5 or 6 steps and full on make out beside a store front. And no one looks twice. Yesterday I saw a couple walking, then they stopped, the man dipped the woman down and gave her a big kiss on the lips. It's pretty intense.
Buses. I don't know what they are in Chicago for the CTA, but the public buses here are Mercees-Benz brand.
I had to take a picture of this since I always take the #147 bus in Chicago to get to class...and here is one right in Madrid! I am not sure if the Madrid buses were Mercedes, but the ones in SS most definitely are.
Here's Angela and Katie on a motorcycle parked on the street. Katie wanted to look like she rented one, so she hopped on, then I took the picture and they jumped off and we ran, fearing the owner would see us.
Dessert. Usually, in America, when we have dessert after dinner, it usually consists of ice cream, cookies, or cake. Here, they ask if I want a pear or yogurt. Everyone likes their yogurt here in Spain.
Dogs. Um, I don't think there are leash laws here in San Sebastian. You walk along the river and there are people walking around along with what looks like stray dogs. Then you realize the dogs have an owner. I like to play the "Who do I think is the owner of this dog" game. Even though the dogs wander pretty aimlessly, they are very well behaved and usually stay with their owner. A street could be very crowded and the dog will be 30 feet in front of its owner, but the dog will never leave them. I like watching the owners occasionally throw a ball or something ahead of their walking path, the dog chases it, picks it up in its mouth, then stands there, as if frozen in place, looking back at the owner waiting for her to approach the dog and re-throw the ball. Or the dog will wander ahead (again, about 30 feet) and if the owner wants to "reel" them in, they quietly whistle or say the dog's name and the dog surprisingly comes running back to the owner. Oh, and what's also different here is that dogs are allowed to relieve themselves anywhere on the streets, or so it seems.
Seating at restaurants. In Spain, apparently you pay different prices depending on where you sit. The prices, from lowest to highest, are at the bar, at a table inside, and a table outside. You can pay up to a 20% "tax" for sitting outside on the patio of a restaurant, just because it's nicer. Therefore, if you are eating alone, the best deal is at the bar since you pay practically nothing.
Eye contact and smiling. I was told this before I came here that people don't make eye contact or smile much. It's still hard not to do so. When you are walking around Chicago, or especially in the suburbs, one usually smiles at a stranger if they cross paths on the sidewalk. Here, if you make eye contact with someone, especially if it is a girl to a guy, the guy will most definitely start hitting on you/approach you to hit on you. It's so weird to completely ignore people, like last night when I was walking home, I'd have my head up looking straight, and if I briefly glanced at a guy walking with some friends, he'd start curving his walking path toward me unless I'd look straight again and ignore him, then he'd swerve back to his friends. It's so odd. Smiling is also pretty uncommon, and it's more "come hither" than eye contact, again when it is a girl to a guy. People walking down the sidewalk stoicly walk past one another looking straight ahead. Unless they think you are an American (if you talk to your friends in English) then Spaniards staring at you is highly acceptable.
Milk. I am pretty sure they don't have 1% or 2% milk. Therefore, I am dying a bit inside. I can't drink a half gallon at each meal like I do at home. I think it's whole milk, which I don't mind in cereal since the cereal's flavor takes over. And it's also weird because when you go to the grocery store, all the milk is packaged in what looks like large juice boxes...and they are in the store on the shelves. That's right...at room temperature. It's a little disconcerting. My family keeps it in the fridge after opening, though.
Mayonnaise. This seems to be really popular on burgers here, just as normal as tomatoes and lettuce. Of the 4 times I've had a burger here, I've had mayo on the burger.
Open beer laws. In America, it is illegal to have open liquor on public property (in most places). i.e: you cannot carry a 6pack in one hand and an open Heineken in the other while walking down Michigan Avenue. Here, that is not the case, as tested by my friends. This was especially not the case in Madrid, where we'd walk in a group of 15 or 20 people and I'm pretty sure half or more would have a bottle of Heineken, wine, or beer in their hands. Last night while we were walking around, Angela was a bit nervous anytime she'd drink from one of the boys' bottles, but we literally walked 4 feet away from 6 or 7 cops througout the night who stared at us and said nothing.
Here's Luke and Bo when we were walking to a club last night, Luke demonstrating the open beer law perfectly.
Efficiency. I feel like Spain is just a more efficient area in general compared to the US. EVERY apartment building I've been in since I have been here has either motion sensor lights or lights you must turn on when you enter the halls. Therefore, when you walk into the lobby of my apartment, it's pitch black unless you switch on the light. At the hotel in San Sebastian, you had to crazily wave your arms around in the staircase and each floor's elevator lobby to turn on the lights. It was creepier/cool on the staircases there because you'd run down the stairs in darkness, and the more you progressed, the more lights would go on. It was cool. At the Madrid hotel, you had to stick your hotel key in the light switch to turn it on. No key, no lights. It helped I guess to not leave your key in the room. It sucked a little though, because the heating was also attached to this key mechanism and we couldn't warm up the room while we were away, so we'd return after being in 38 degree weather to a 50 degree room. The cars here are also very small, so I guess that would fit into the efficiency aspect as well.
Above: The lightswitch at the Madrid hotel. Slide the key into the top, press the giant square below to turn on.
Below: Katie's and my room at the Madrid hotel, Hotel Regina.
Above: Tiny car on the tarmak of the Madrid airport
Cigarette Warnings. In Spain, the cigarette warnings are similar to those in the US: very small and vague. In Heathrow airport, however, I had a chance to see the British cigarette warnings, which were quite specific as far as what cigarettes can do, and the size of the warning increased with the size of the box. They seriously don't want people to smoke there. Then you go to the Madrid airport and they have an impractical "smoking room" with open ceiling and no doors...so the smoke would just dissipate into the rest of the airport. As far as being effective, they were close, but no cigar. (get it?!)
(the two above) Smoking warnings on cigarette boxes in the Heathrow airport.(below) The smoking "lounge" at the madrid airport.
The big year. In the US, the 16th birthday and 21st birthday are HUGE, but here in Spain, number 18 is the biggest, since it is somewhat of a combo of both. At 18 here, you can drive, buy cigarettes, drink, carry liquor on the streets, etc etc. Also, you know how in America, the underage kids sneaking into bars are around 18-20 since the age is 21 to drink? Well, since it's so low here in Spain, the kids sneaking into bars are as young as 14.
Curfew. There is no legally set curfew here in Spain, but instead it is set by the individual families. The 15 year old daughter I live with is allowed to go out whenever she wants, since she's pretty well-behaved. Last night, for example, she stayed out on a Saturday until 4am. But that's not that unusual as I will explain next...
Time. People always say "oh the Europeans like to be late to everything, blah blah blah." I haven't quite experienced that as I have experienced the times people are out. Here's how it is in Chicago, for example.
11am-1:00pm normal chunk of time for lunch
4:30-8pm normal chunk of time for dinner
7-midnight normal chunk of time for Going out/party time
In Spain, however, this is waaaaay different.
1-3:30pm normal chunk of time for lunch
8-10pm normal chunk of time for dinner
11pm-6am normal chunk of time to go out/party
Therefore, when we leave my friends' apartment at midnight to just begin going out, it's just getting started. The streets by the bars are DEAD from 9-11pm, usually. The places are usually hopping at 1am. I don't think they even have happy hour here.
Oh, and time here is written in military time (aka, the store opens at 16:00!) But the people say it normal ("hey, the store opens up at 4pm!) It's a little inconsistent.
Above: Here's a picture I took while walking the streets in Madrid at 1am. This is how packed it was.Below: a picture of last night at midnight outside the club my friends went to.
PDA/Couples. In Chicago, you'll see couples linking arms or holding hands on the street, occasionally pecking kisses while waiting to cross the street. It's also common to see a guy and a girl walking and it is a possibility that they are only friends. Here, anytime you see a boy and a girl walking, it is GUARANTEED they are a couple. And they have their arms around eachothers' waists, and they will walk 5 or 6 steps and full on make out beside a store front. And no one looks twice. Yesterday I saw a couple walking, then they stopped, the man dipped the woman down and gave her a big kiss on the lips. It's pretty intense.
Buses. I don't know what they are in Chicago for the CTA, but the public buses here are Mercees-Benz brand.
I had to take a picture of this since I always take the #147 bus in Chicago to get to class...and here is one right in Madrid! I am not sure if the Madrid buses were Mercedes, but the ones in SS most definitely are.Keyboards. Katie and I had the hardest time figuring out how to type the @ symbol at an internet cafe in Madrid. Plus the extra buttons were everywhere. And notice the extra letter by the L.
Motorcycles/vespas. There are two differences. In Chicago, I'd say 95% of motorcycle drivers are men, and they usually only ride them when the weather is super nice. Here, it's raining/snowing/sleeting and people are riding around on two wheelers. Also, I've seen a lot of women riding. I wouldn't say it's 50/50, since there are still more men, but I'd say it's more like 60/40 men/women.
Above: Spaniards on their vespas, making their own lane of traffic in Madrid.
Here's Angela and Katie on a motorcycle parked on the street. Katie wanted to look like she rented one, so she hopped on, then I took the picture and they jumped off and we ran, fearing the owner would see us.La Comida
I am sure you are curious about the type of food I am eating here. It's surprisingly not that weird. I am a picky eater, but I'll try something if necessary to "assimilate."
Back in Madrid, our breakfast food was supplied by the hotel, so it was a continental breakfast style meal. They offered cocoa puffs, Smacks, and corn flakes for cereal, then water, juice, coffee, tea and milk (whole) for drinks, then toast and jam/butter, then some deli meats and cheese. I have never had the desire to wake up early and eat salami, so I would usually pass on the latter two offerings.
Back in Madrid, our breakfast food was supplied by the hotel, so it was a continental breakfast style meal. They offered cocoa puffs, Smacks, and corn flakes for cereal, then water, juice, coffee, tea and milk (whole) for drinks, then toast and jam/butter, then some deli meats and cheese. I have never had the desire to wake up early and eat salami, so I would usually pass on the latter two offerings.
Above: A group of us USAC students the last breakfast we had in Madrid. I am not sure who the two girls in the foreground are, but the back row is me, Tyler, and Josh, and the middle row ignoring the two I don't know are Adam, Kyle, and Katie.
When I arrived here last Sunday, my host mom had leftover noodles for me to eat from their lunchtime. It was very much like Pesto Cavatappi from Noodles and Company, no joke. It was DELICIOUS. They also, of course, had baguettes.
For dinner that night she made hamburgers. I don't know if it was because I mentioned I liked them during lunchtime, or if it was because she had stacks of frozen patties in the freezer. The most curious part of that meal was the "hamburger sauce" which looked like either 1000 Island dressing or ketchup and mayonnaise mixed together. I stuck with the mayonnaise that was already on the burger and that's all.
The following night she made "vegetable puree" that I thought would be a sauce for something when she was describing to me what we'd have for dinner that night. However, it ended up being soup, and it was a mix of spinach, broccoli, potatoes, carrots, and other veggies, and looked much like pea soup. It was great. I thought that'd be it, which I was fine with, then she brought out pot roast with mushrooms. Twas DELICIOUS.
Her husband, Francis, came in from out of town on Thursday, and we had a dinner with the four of us, which I think was the most odd thus far, but I ate it. We started with cucumber soup, then moved on to what looked like tuna salad spread on top of bread. I ate it, and it was great. Then came the main course, which was chicken with some kind of beer sauce. It was good, except Elena, the mom, kept putting more on my plate when I was basically finished, including the pieces of chicken that, to this day, I have no idea what part of the bird it came from. There were so many bones in weird directions that I couldn't determine where it was from. I only enjoyed the chicken breasts. THEN, even after this, they had more, and Francis was explaining that this was some kind of special cheese that was smoked for more flavor. Let me tell you, I'd hate to know what flavor it originally had since the smoked aspect didn't help it's foot-like qualities of flavor. It was a hard cheese that looked like Parmesan, and they served it with some kind of candied fruit and walnuts, and you were supposed to pick up all three with your fork and eat it at once. Good thing they served this last so I had the "I'm full" excuse to not eat any more. The candied fruit hid some of the disgusting flavor, but not quite enough. I wonder if the family noticed my extreme desire for water during this part of the meal.
Then, yesterday, I ate hamburgers again but only Francis was home for lunch. I didn't realize this the first time we had hamburgers for a meal, but the fries they made were in their very own FRENCH FRY FRYER. Homemade. They were delicious.
As for breakfast, I usually have been eating alone, since the family is usually up and out by now. Even though I've said I'll eat some cereal and a muffin, the mom usually leaves out an entire kitchen's worth of breakfast food. This includes, but is not limited to: 3 types of juice (punch, peach/grape combo, pineapple), coffee, tea, toast (little crusty bread cracker things), pears, apples, oranges, grapes, bananas, donuts, jam, nutella, milk, corn flakes, and muffins. I usually eat only the cereal and a muffin and I'm good. Yet every morning, it's the same. It's great. And the presentation is 5 star, reminding me a bit of the scene in A Little Princess when the girls wake up to a feast of every imaginable breakfast food.
Today, since it is Sunday, the breakfast fare was a bit different. I woke up and Francis and Elena made eggs and some meat. The table was filled with food, including what looked like grilled ham slices, salami, scrambled eggs, juice, baguette and jam, yogurt, dates, and warm tomato slices with olive oil. Elena told me it was their version of an "American breakfast." As you can probably tell from the offerings, I was RIGHT AT HOME.
And I think it's especially cute that the host family has a different napkin ring for each member of the family. Therefore, I have my own little napkin ring with a flower-type design. That way I know which one is mine when I grab it out of the drawer, and I know where to sit at the table if it's already out. I think it's still a little weird though that we use the same napkin practically all week, but also at every meal we have paper napkins. It's different.
Oh, and if I haven't already mentioned it above, every meal is served with baguettes. EVERY MEAL. I have eaten my body weight in baguettes since I got here. I bet the Spaniards measure their yearly expenses in gas, heat, water, groceries, clothing, and baguettes. Yesterday when we ate soup at Luke's and Dave's place, Katie offered to buy the baguette for dinner because she's always wanted to walk down the street with a baguette sticking out of her grocery bag.
And, since living with a host family permits 2 meal offerings a day, I can ask Elena to pack me lunch (since walking back home for lunch would take too long). I have only done this once, and when she asked me what she should pack, I said I would eat whatever. I was pleasantly surprised with cookies, a ham and cheese sandwich with the crusts cut off, a juice box, and an apple. It was so cute!!!
Friday, January 16, 2009
Un buen dia
What a beautiful day today.
I woke up around 11:30am, since I was up so late last night. I ate breakfast (I will write about that in another post) and fiddled around for a bit, waiting until early afternoon for my friends to get up and be alive, since they were all probably hung over.
I walked over to Las Columbianas around 1:40pm, apple in hand to have a snack for later. I hung out with them for a bit, enough for them to say they were so sick/hungover that they would stay in at least until dinner. I called up Luke and Dave and they were actually going out, so I went with them so they could grab lunch. We went to this "Hamburger Disco" or something or other, and I can't remember its name. It was trying hard to be an american restaurant, that's for sure. After that, Dave decided to go back and take a siesta, so Luke and I wandered around shopping. It was a nice 55 degrees F, so I only had on a tee and sweater. Luke had to get some jeans and shoes, so we went to a ton of stores and basically just browsed the area.
It was basically the first time that I've been here where I got to browse at my own leisure. And it was the first time where I got to look at stores since I have been in Chicago. We went to a TON of stores. We went in La Parte Vieja and El Centro, where all the shops are and such. After that, we went to Gros, where Luke lives, and wandered around that area. That I liked a lot more because it was more Spain than La Parte Vieja, with the crooked streets, less people, and more cool architecture. Cassie, a girl who is here for a year-long program since Fall through USAC, suggested we get notebooks and other school supplies at the Chinese stores here, which have a hodge-podge of random stuff.
Luke and I saw one while we browsed through Gros, and we stopped in and found the most random stuff. Only intending to have me buy notebooks, we bought a lot more. I got some notebooks with lined paper (very hard to find, graph-paper notebooks are much more popular) and then we wandered the aisles for a good half hour. They had juicers, coffee grinders, chef hats, durms, glasses, shot glasses, extension cords, backpacks, cleaning supplies, towels, drying racks, ponchos, watches, photo albums, costumes, glitter glue, and a TON of other random stuff. I even saw that rubber-duckie shaped soap dish I've been looking for. And the morally questionable gold sparkle dress with a super short length!
And, for the big celebration on the 20th here in San Sebastian, I really want to buy a chef hat and drum (the big celebration includes people dressed up as chefs and people playing drums for 24 hours straight). But I feel like that aspect of the parade is only for kids, but we shall see. Speaking of which, walking home I saw a ton of kindergarten-age kids dressed as such, since today is the last school day before the big celebration.
They even had food and a frozen section, where Luke bought edamame.
Then we went back to the upstairs ground floor where Luke and I set our eyes on their candy display. He bought a done of gummy candy covered in that sour powder stuff, then I was trying to ask the woman what these round chocolate balls were (I really wanted malted milk balls), but I had no idea how to say it. Trying to communicate with a Chinese Spaniard is quite hard. Finally Luke suggested that I just ask to try one. It was like a giant piece of rice krispie cereal covered in chocolate...not what I wanted.
Then I saw these giant euro-shaped papers that I assumed would be candy since they were in the bins like all the rest of them. I was so curious that I just had to get one, since it was only .20 Euros. After I got it, we left and I was eating it as we walked, and the closest thing I could compare it to is Host from church. And now I took another taste and it's like the sweetness of certain kinds of flavored lipgloss. So...lipgloss-flavored Body of Christ, anyone? Luke was all "Are you sure we are supposed to be eating this?" I think so...it WAS by the candy along with gummis and sweettarts and whatnot.
We continued walking, and Luke stopped in una panderia (bakery) to get a baguette. I have to say, the Spaniards LOVE their baguettes. I think I have eaten the equivalent of 4 or 5 whole baguettes since I arrived in the country.
I think I remember Angela even saying that back in Madrid she was with the boys and they found some baguettes on the sidewalk and had a sword fight with them. They are EVERYWHERE.
After that, we parted ways and I walked along the river back to my host home as the sun was setting. It was the most beautiful thing I have felt since I have been here. It was so lively with people walking around, and it felt like a vacation with the time of day and relaxed feeling I had. Walking along the river is incredible, almost better than along the ocean when I go to class every morning since there are less cars here and more people. The scenery is spectacular, where you can see the profiles of all the old buildings surrounding you, with tons of space in between so it doesn't have that stuffy city feel. I was just grinning as I walked, probably freaking out the Spaniards (they don't like to smile...Luke and I saw some Spaniards take a picture in front of a fountain and not smile. It was weird). It was fantastic.
Now I am relaxing a bit until dinner time. Well, I guess more than "a bit" since I got home around 5pm and dinner is usually around 9ish.
I love it.
I woke up around 11:30am, since I was up so late last night. I ate breakfast (I will write about that in another post) and fiddled around for a bit, waiting until early afternoon for my friends to get up and be alive, since they were all probably hung over.
I walked over to Las Columbianas around 1:40pm, apple in hand to have a snack for later. I hung out with them for a bit, enough for them to say they were so sick/hungover that they would stay in at least until dinner. I called up Luke and Dave and they were actually going out, so I went with them so they could grab lunch. We went to this "Hamburger Disco" or something or other, and I can't remember its name. It was trying hard to be an american restaurant, that's for sure. After that, Dave decided to go back and take a siesta, so Luke and I wandered around shopping. It was a nice 55 degrees F, so I only had on a tee and sweater. Luke had to get some jeans and shoes, so we went to a ton of stores and basically just browsed the area.
It was basically the first time that I've been here where I got to browse at my own leisure. And it was the first time where I got to look at stores since I have been in Chicago. We went to a TON of stores. We went in La Parte Vieja and El Centro, where all the shops are and such. After that, we went to Gros, where Luke lives, and wandered around that area. That I liked a lot more because it was more Spain than La Parte Vieja, with the crooked streets, less people, and more cool architecture. Cassie, a girl who is here for a year-long program since Fall through USAC, suggested we get notebooks and other school supplies at the Chinese stores here, which have a hodge-podge of random stuff.
Luke and I saw one while we browsed through Gros, and we stopped in and found the most random stuff. Only intending to have me buy notebooks, we bought a lot more. I got some notebooks with lined paper (very hard to find, graph-paper notebooks are much more popular) and then we wandered the aisles for a good half hour. They had juicers, coffee grinders, chef hats, durms, glasses, shot glasses, extension cords, backpacks, cleaning supplies, towels, drying racks, ponchos, watches, photo albums, costumes, glitter glue, and a TON of other random stuff. I even saw that rubber-duckie shaped soap dish I've been looking for. And the morally questionable gold sparkle dress with a super short length!
And, for the big celebration on the 20th here in San Sebastian, I really want to buy a chef hat and drum (the big celebration includes people dressed up as chefs and people playing drums for 24 hours straight). But I feel like that aspect of the parade is only for kids, but we shall see. Speaking of which, walking home I saw a ton of kindergarten-age kids dressed as such, since today is the last school day before the big celebration.
They even had food and a frozen section, where Luke bought edamame.
Then we went back to the upstairs ground floor where Luke and I set our eyes on their candy display. He bought a done of gummy candy covered in that sour powder stuff, then I was trying to ask the woman what these round chocolate balls were (I really wanted malted milk balls), but I had no idea how to say it. Trying to communicate with a Chinese Spaniard is quite hard. Finally Luke suggested that I just ask to try one. It was like a giant piece of rice krispie cereal covered in chocolate...not what I wanted.
Then I saw these giant euro-shaped papers that I assumed would be candy since they were in the bins like all the rest of them. I was so curious that I just had to get one, since it was only .20 Euros. After I got it, we left and I was eating it as we walked, and the closest thing I could compare it to is Host from church. And now I took another taste and it's like the sweetness of certain kinds of flavored lipgloss. So...lipgloss-flavored Body of Christ, anyone? Luke was all "Are you sure we are supposed to be eating this?" I think so...it WAS by the candy along with gummis and sweettarts and whatnot.
We continued walking, and Luke stopped in una panderia (bakery) to get a baguette. I have to say, the Spaniards LOVE their baguettes. I think I have eaten the equivalent of 4 or 5 whole baguettes since I arrived in the country.
I think I remember Angela even saying that back in Madrid she was with the boys and they found some baguettes on the sidewalk and had a sword fight with them. They are EVERYWHERE.
After that, we parted ways and I walked along the river back to my host home as the sun was setting. It was the most beautiful thing I have felt since I have been here. It was so lively with people walking around, and it felt like a vacation with the time of day and relaxed feeling I had. Walking along the river is incredible, almost better than along the ocean when I go to class every morning since there are less cars here and more people. The scenery is spectacular, where you can see the profiles of all the old buildings surrounding you, with tons of space in between so it doesn't have that stuffy city feel. I was just grinning as I walked, probably freaking out the Spaniards (they don't like to smile...Luke and I saw some Spaniards take a picture in front of a fountain and not smile. It was weird). It was fantastic.
Now I am relaxing a bit until dinner time. Well, I guess more than "a bit" since I got home around 5pm and dinner is usually around 9ish.
I love it.
Un noche loco...y normal
I am sure you want to know what the night life is like. I am going to try and recollect the craziness from last night. As you all know, I don't drink at all, so just remember that this a completely sober recollection. Enjoy.
Also, let me just warn you that there is a lot of confusion with names for you, since there are so many. I will try my best to clarify who is who.
Katie=My first friend here, the girl I roomed with in the hotel in Madrid when we went there for a 5 day tour before going to San Sebastian, as well as in the hotel in San Sebastian for one night before we went to our host family.
Angela=One of the girls in our "group" that consists of the boys (Bo, Luke, Dave) and Katie, Angela and me. She is from Columbia and speaks fluent Spanish and English.
Bo: From Glenview area, we met at the airport when we landed in Madrid.
Luke and Dave: Luke and Bo went to Iowa together, and stayed together in Madrid. Dave and Luke found they were going to be roommies here in SS, and became fast friends.
Ana and Natalia: aka Las Columbianas. Whenever referring to these sisters, we call them the Columbianas because they obviously are from Columbia, but also travel attached at the hip, so whenever you talk about one, the other's usually involved. Natalia is 1 year older in school.
Megan: Las Columbianas' roommate. She's cool...I only met her yesterday.
Okay, if you don't already know this, people go out late here. In the US, "late" is around 10pm. No, Spaniards eat dinner at 9pm...so that is not late at all for them. I ate at 9pm with my host family, which I will discuss in another post, and after that I bid them farewell. I walked to Las Columbianas' place by the cathedral (smack in the middle of El Centro). At 10:15pm it was pretty dead, but when I mean dead I mean I still probably saw 30 people walking around in the entire 15 minute walk. People were out walking their dogs and whatnot, so it was still a SAFE "dead" town.
So I got to their place, and Ana was Skyping (online video chat), and Natalia and Megan had just woken up from their late siestas. Ana was feeling sick and took some cold medicine, so she was going to go out but take it easy b/c she didn't want some odd medicinal reaction with the alcohol and Spanish Theraflu, and she just didn't want to feel crappy in general from the alcohol. So I hung out there while they did their makeup and got dressed, and we played music and had some fun. They were also drinking some wine, obviously common in Europe, as well as hard cider, which are popular at places called sidrerias, where it is like a tavern dedicated to cider...hard cider. I didn't know these places served hard cider and when I found it was alcoholic I was a bit disappointed, since the idea of filling up your cup under a spout of an enourmous barrel of cider seemed like fun. But I tasted the stuff the girls were drinking, and to me it tasted like any other alcohol...just like it smells. Ick.
So we left their apartment at midnight or so (I wasn't paying too close attention to time, but I assume this would be it). Us four walked to Molly Mallone's, an Irish Pub (yes, in Spain...but apparently it is popular) a few blocks away. We went there and the entire USAC group (the people from the US who are travelling here to study abroad and were with us either in Madrid or Madrid and the San Sebastian hotel) was there, probably about 30 in total. The place was packed, a lot of the crowd was our age to about 30 years old. Early in the night, Natalia and I were leaning against the railing that looked over to the bottom floor (only about 6 feet down), where there was a man playing guitar who clearly spoke no English, yet was playing "Paint it Black"(The stones), "Dream On"(Aerosmith) and "Underneath it All"(No Doubt) in English. Natalia got a beer and set it on the railing, and tells me "Hey, don't knock this over! Be very careful!" Meanwhile, I am exchanging numbers with some girls in the USAC group so we could stay in contact, then I hear a weird dull thunk. I ignore it and continue talking to them. When I am done, Natalia grabs my attention, laughing and frantic at the same time, saying she knocked the glass over, and it shattered on the amp below. I was laughing so hard. The Spaniards who were sitting on the lower level were all staring at Natalia and me. Natalia quickly snuck away, and with her super short stature, it wasn't too hard. She couldn't handle the accusing eyes. I stood there for a while chatting with people, then moved since I was now in the guilty spot and the Spaniards would stare at ME if I looked down. Apparently after it happened, the singer said "I like to live dangerously" in Spanish when the cords got all wet. I moved over to the other group of people to yell at Natalia for making the entire lower level think I am a moron for knocking over a glass. She was so embarrassed but laughing at the same time. It was great. After being there for a while, we got ready to leave. Everyone stepped out, but Natalia had to go to the bathroom, so I said I would go with her so she wouldn't be left behind. There we met a completely drunk British lady who was telling us how to pronounce words in English and sound proper. "It's not 'NAW'...it's 'Nooooooooo.' It's not 'HEY YOU!' It's 'Hellllllloooooo...'"
No one was coming out of the stalls for about 10 minutes, so I went outside to wait for here, and the USAC kids were out there as well. When we were outside, Megan was talking to these two French guys about our age, who only spoke French and Spanish, so obviously the latter was how we communicated. The four of us chatted a while, me with the red shirt guy and Megan with the giant-birthmark-on-the-neck guy, until people got antsy. During this time I also got a phone call from some Spanish guy who I couldn't understand, so I gave it to Angela, who was somewhat tipsy, and she chatted with him for about 5 or six minutes. Apparently he thought I was someone named Lara, and he was talking to her about going to a club. Everyone was starting to go, so I just told Annette to tell me where they were going so we could meet them...I pulled out a map, and since she was pretty drunk (it was her birthday), she responded by saying "Hey, no, don't use a map! This is the WEEKEND. Use a map on the WEEKDAYS! We are going whereEVER! We don't need a PLAN!" And so on and so forth. I tried to explain to her drunken self that I would need to know where the heck the group was going so that we could meet up. She didn't quite understand. I told her we couldn't just wander aimlessly around the bar area trying to find everyone. She didn't understand. I gave up on talking to Annette.
Finally, everyone decided to wait around until everyone was out of the bathrooms and such. Everyone started walking in the direction of the bar except Megan, who was happily chatting with the French boys. Ana, who was anxious to MOVE ON ALREADY was across the street, shouting to Meghan in English "GIVE UP ALREADY! HE'S NOT EVEN CUTE! LET'S GOOOOO!" We finally got her and started walking. By now there was only about 14 of us. We walked there and I was linked arm in arm with Angela, who was...how do you say...very jolly. We walked and walked, then got to Bar Tas Tas, where we had gone a few nights ago (a few nights ago it was packed...but only because USAC was there...before that there were about 2 spaniards). Last night it was PACKED with a ton of different people. We ran into Angela C., Peter, Maria and Meghan, who are all Loyola people in USAC (except Maria...she's Norwegian and in USAC). We were there for only about 2 or three songs...and I don't think anyone in our group got drinks. We left pretty fast.
We moved on and started walking a bit. In this walk we ran into some Spanish boys about our age and they started walking with us to the next bar. Also in this walk, Bo kept complaining that he had to pee. We kept telling him to just pee on the street, since there was practically no one around and the dogs pee on the streets too. He obliged. We then arrived at the next place, which I don't know what it was called. We walked in and had to show IDs, so we are all lined up at the door shuffling for IDs (here it's only 18 to drink). When I get to the front, the guy just looks at me and lets me pass. I thought he was doing it to all the girls (common practice), but he only did it to me. I guess I am special. We go downstairs to a dance floor and bar, FILLED with kids our age and younger. It was like going to a school dance...that had a bar. All the people there were Spanish, from what I could tell. We stayed here a while. Angela was having fun talking to Spanish boys. I saw a broken bottle in the corner of the dancefloor and jokingly blamed it on Natalia. Apparently it was actually Ana's fault...she tried to clink bottles with someone and used a little too much force. She then swept the remnants in the corner with her foot. After this bar, much of our group left, since it was getting pretty late. I really was not keeping track of time, but I am sure it was pretty late. Katie, for example, had to go to class at 9am today. So did Annette, but the birthday girl didn't want to go home yet. We gathered the troops and moved out, waiting outside of the bar until everyone was out. It looked like they were closing the bar as well, since the metal rolling door was halfway pulled down. I only noticed this because Bo smacked his head on it to go back in to use the bathroom. Then nearly smacked his head, along with Luke, as they exited.
We were lingering outside of this place for a bit, since people who have had a few drinks can't make decisions. There was another group of Spaniards, about 20 of them, guys and girls, who were our age wandering around too. Bo said he thought one of the girls was hot, and Angela took the liberty to waltz straight up to the group and chat with them in Spanish about life in general. Bo said to me he would completely die inside if she called her over. She didn't. But, on the way to Bar Be Bop, we chatted with these people and made quick friends.
Guy: De donde eres? (where are you from)
Me: Soy de Chicago. (I am from chicago)
Guy: AHHH! Si! Chicago...Bulls? Me gustan!
Me: Hahaha, si, si.
They told us they were students studying to be teachers and this was their big party out to club ZM on the beach. They were begging us to go. At this point, Angela, Annette and I were with the Spaniards outside of Bar Be Bop, where all our friends were. We chatted with the guy and with Elena, another Spaniard. They kept telling us we were super nice people and they wanted to hang with us. We couldn't ditch our friends, so we said we'd exchange numbers and hang with them sometime in the next 5 months. Annette and Elena exchanged numbers, then we went in the bar. By this point, Elena's friends were getting a bit mad b/c they were chatting with us for so long and their group wanted to move on.
We went into the Bar Be Bop and it was PACKED. This time the crowd was a bit older, about mid-20's to early 30's. Natalia told me about some man who was hitting on her before I arrived, making obscene comments and gestures. She was now hiding from him.
We were here for a while, where many odd things happened. Let me just say that when you are in a bar like this, or maybe ALL bars, if you make eye contact with the opposite sex, they will approach you. It can be a bit awkward. I was looking for the rest of our group, since at one point I only was with Angela for a long time and could not find anyone else. I was a bit concerned that they left us. We were together the whole time, though, so it was fine.
While looking around for Bo, Luke or Dave, I accidentally made eye contact with some guy, who walked up to me as his friends all watched, and the conversation was something like this:
Man: Speak Spain?
Me: Como?
Man: (points to me and nods in affirmation) You Speak Spain?
Me: El espanol? Si.
Man: You...from here?
Me: No, de los Estados Unidos (the US).
Man: Ah. Tu amiga. Esta alla? (Is she there?) (points to corner to a USAC girl)
Me: No, estoy buscando a mi amiGO.
Man: Oh, (stepping back as though I rejected him), vale (okay).
Meanwhile Angela is with me having a GREAT time. We were talking a bit, then she randomly says "Okay. Let's speak Spanish now!" and turns to the closest guy and says "Hola, Soy Angela, y tu?" (Hey, I am angela, and your name?) and begins a conversation. In the course of the next half hour we danced and hung out while a part of me was concerned that we couldn't find any of our group. Also in this time I was approached to play the "ice cube game" where you stand in a circle and pass an ice cube to the person on your left by holding it in your mouth. I was a bit disgusted by this, so I just ignored them. We stepped outside and finally found Bo, Ana, Megan and Natalia. I went to get Angela, but she decided to go home with her other group of friends (some guys she knows from school in Nevada who are also visiting Spain) and Annette decided to stay with them, too. May, another USAC girl, wanted to go home with Ana, so they walked back to El Centro while Natalia, Bo, Megan and I began to walk to Luke and Dave's apartment.
Bo, who has been to their apartment everyday at least twice a day, could not find it, and when we did, said to buzz 2-1 (it's actually 1-2). Luckily I knew the address and number, so we made no mistakes. We got up to their apartment and Luke was sleeping in his room, and Dave and their roommate Alex was there. By now it was about 3:45 am. For a while Natalia, Dave and Alex discussed who would sneak into Luke's room and sleep in his bed for the night since Megan and Natalia decided to stay over. This discussion was about an hour long. Natalia asked if they had any alcohol and Dave brought out what looked like absinthe, since it was bright green. It was something peppermint.
What followed, the description of the flavor, was something as follows:
"This tastes like toothpaste and rubbing alcohol."
"It tastes like someone melted down spearmint gum"
"It tastes like crap."
One reason why I don't drink.
Eventually we worked out the sleeping situation...Bo on the couch, Dave in his own bed, Alex and Megan in Alex's bed (it's a queen), and I think Natalia went into Luke's room, since he has a king size. I didn't previously tell my host parent's that I'd stay somewhere else, so I thought it was best to go home. We called a cab and had difficulty communicating since the operator had no idea what street I was saying, but we eventually figured it out and I took one home at 5:30am. The ride was about 8 euros.
I arrived at my family's home and went to sleep.
Intense, right?
Also, let me just warn you that there is a lot of confusion with names for you, since there are so many. I will try my best to clarify who is who.
Katie=My first friend here, the girl I roomed with in the hotel in Madrid when we went there for a 5 day tour before going to San Sebastian, as well as in the hotel in San Sebastian for one night before we went to our host family.
Angela=One of the girls in our "group" that consists of the boys (Bo, Luke, Dave) and Katie, Angela and me. She is from Columbia and speaks fluent Spanish and English.
Bo: From Glenview area, we met at the airport when we landed in Madrid.
Luke and Dave: Luke and Bo went to Iowa together, and stayed together in Madrid. Dave and Luke found they were going to be roommies here in SS, and became fast friends.
Ana and Natalia: aka Las Columbianas. Whenever referring to these sisters, we call them the Columbianas because they obviously are from Columbia, but also travel attached at the hip, so whenever you talk about one, the other's usually involved. Natalia is 1 year older in school.
Megan: Las Columbianas' roommate. She's cool...I only met her yesterday.
Okay, if you don't already know this, people go out late here. In the US, "late" is around 10pm. No, Spaniards eat dinner at 9pm...so that is not late at all for them. I ate at 9pm with my host family, which I will discuss in another post, and after that I bid them farewell. I walked to Las Columbianas' place by the cathedral (smack in the middle of El Centro). At 10:15pm it was pretty dead, but when I mean dead I mean I still probably saw 30 people walking around in the entire 15 minute walk. People were out walking their dogs and whatnot, so it was still a SAFE "dead" town.
So I got to their place, and Ana was Skyping (online video chat), and Natalia and Megan had just woken up from their late siestas. Ana was feeling sick and took some cold medicine, so she was going to go out but take it easy b/c she didn't want some odd medicinal reaction with the alcohol and Spanish Theraflu, and she just didn't want to feel crappy in general from the alcohol. So I hung out there while they did their makeup and got dressed, and we played music and had some fun. They were also drinking some wine, obviously common in Europe, as well as hard cider, which are popular at places called sidrerias, where it is like a tavern dedicated to cider...hard cider. I didn't know these places served hard cider and when I found it was alcoholic I was a bit disappointed, since the idea of filling up your cup under a spout of an enourmous barrel of cider seemed like fun. But I tasted the stuff the girls were drinking, and to me it tasted like any other alcohol...just like it smells. Ick.
So we left their apartment at midnight or so (I wasn't paying too close attention to time, but I assume this would be it). Us four walked to Molly Mallone's, an Irish Pub (yes, in Spain...but apparently it is popular) a few blocks away. We went there and the entire USAC group (the people from the US who are travelling here to study abroad and were with us either in Madrid or Madrid and the San Sebastian hotel) was there, probably about 30 in total. The place was packed, a lot of the crowd was our age to about 30 years old. Early in the night, Natalia and I were leaning against the railing that looked over to the bottom floor (only about 6 feet down), where there was a man playing guitar who clearly spoke no English, yet was playing "Paint it Black"(The stones), "Dream On"(Aerosmith) and "Underneath it All"(No Doubt) in English. Natalia got a beer and set it on the railing, and tells me "Hey, don't knock this over! Be very careful!" Meanwhile, I am exchanging numbers with some girls in the USAC group so we could stay in contact, then I hear a weird dull thunk. I ignore it and continue talking to them. When I am done, Natalia grabs my attention, laughing and frantic at the same time, saying she knocked the glass over, and it shattered on the amp below. I was laughing so hard. The Spaniards who were sitting on the lower level were all staring at Natalia and me. Natalia quickly snuck away, and with her super short stature, it wasn't too hard. She couldn't handle the accusing eyes. I stood there for a while chatting with people, then moved since I was now in the guilty spot and the Spaniards would stare at ME if I looked down. Apparently after it happened, the singer said "I like to live dangerously" in Spanish when the cords got all wet. I moved over to the other group of people to yell at Natalia for making the entire lower level think I am a moron for knocking over a glass. She was so embarrassed but laughing at the same time. It was great. After being there for a while, we got ready to leave. Everyone stepped out, but Natalia had to go to the bathroom, so I said I would go with her so she wouldn't be left behind. There we met a completely drunk British lady who was telling us how to pronounce words in English and sound proper. "It's not 'NAW'...it's 'Nooooooooo.' It's not 'HEY YOU!' It's 'Hellllllloooooo...'"
No one was coming out of the stalls for about 10 minutes, so I went outside to wait for here, and the USAC kids were out there as well. When we were outside, Megan was talking to these two French guys about our age, who only spoke French and Spanish, so obviously the latter was how we communicated. The four of us chatted a while, me with the red shirt guy and Megan with the giant-birthmark-on-the-neck guy, until people got antsy. During this time I also got a phone call from some Spanish guy who I couldn't understand, so I gave it to Angela, who was somewhat tipsy, and she chatted with him for about 5 or six minutes. Apparently he thought I was someone named Lara, and he was talking to her about going to a club. Everyone was starting to go, so I just told Annette to tell me where they were going so we could meet them...I pulled out a map, and since she was pretty drunk (it was her birthday), she responded by saying "Hey, no, don't use a map! This is the WEEKEND. Use a map on the WEEKDAYS! We are going whereEVER! We don't need a PLAN!" And so on and so forth. I tried to explain to her drunken self that I would need to know where the heck the group was going so that we could meet up. She didn't quite understand. I told her we couldn't just wander aimlessly around the bar area trying to find everyone. She didn't understand. I gave up on talking to Annette.
Finally, everyone decided to wait around until everyone was out of the bathrooms and such. Everyone started walking in the direction of the bar except Megan, who was happily chatting with the French boys. Ana, who was anxious to MOVE ON ALREADY was across the street, shouting to Meghan in English "GIVE UP ALREADY! HE'S NOT EVEN CUTE! LET'S GOOOOO!" We finally got her and started walking. By now there was only about 14 of us. We walked there and I was linked arm in arm with Angela, who was...how do you say...very jolly. We walked and walked, then got to Bar Tas Tas, where we had gone a few nights ago (a few nights ago it was packed...but only because USAC was there...before that there were about 2 spaniards). Last night it was PACKED with a ton of different people. We ran into Angela C., Peter, Maria and Meghan, who are all Loyola people in USAC (except Maria...she's Norwegian and in USAC). We were there for only about 2 or three songs...and I don't think anyone in our group got drinks. We left pretty fast.
We moved on and started walking a bit. In this walk we ran into some Spanish boys about our age and they started walking with us to the next bar. Also in this walk, Bo kept complaining that he had to pee. We kept telling him to just pee on the street, since there was practically no one around and the dogs pee on the streets too. He obliged. We then arrived at the next place, which I don't know what it was called. We walked in and had to show IDs, so we are all lined up at the door shuffling for IDs (here it's only 18 to drink). When I get to the front, the guy just looks at me and lets me pass. I thought he was doing it to all the girls (common practice), but he only did it to me. I guess I am special. We go downstairs to a dance floor and bar, FILLED with kids our age and younger. It was like going to a school dance...that had a bar. All the people there were Spanish, from what I could tell. We stayed here a while. Angela was having fun talking to Spanish boys. I saw a broken bottle in the corner of the dancefloor and jokingly blamed it on Natalia. Apparently it was actually Ana's fault...she tried to clink bottles with someone and used a little too much force. She then swept the remnants in the corner with her foot. After this bar, much of our group left, since it was getting pretty late. I really was not keeping track of time, but I am sure it was pretty late. Katie, for example, had to go to class at 9am today. So did Annette, but the birthday girl didn't want to go home yet. We gathered the troops and moved out, waiting outside of the bar until everyone was out. It looked like they were closing the bar as well, since the metal rolling door was halfway pulled down. I only noticed this because Bo smacked his head on it to go back in to use the bathroom. Then nearly smacked his head, along with Luke, as they exited.
We were lingering outside of this place for a bit, since people who have had a few drinks can't make decisions. There was another group of Spaniards, about 20 of them, guys and girls, who were our age wandering around too. Bo said he thought one of the girls was hot, and Angela took the liberty to waltz straight up to the group and chat with them in Spanish about life in general. Bo said to me he would completely die inside if she called her over. She didn't. But, on the way to Bar Be Bop, we chatted with these people and made quick friends.
Guy: De donde eres? (where are you from)
Me: Soy de Chicago. (I am from chicago)
Guy: AHHH! Si! Chicago...Bulls? Me gustan!
Me: Hahaha, si, si.
They told us they were students studying to be teachers and this was their big party out to club ZM on the beach. They were begging us to go. At this point, Angela, Annette and I were with the Spaniards outside of Bar Be Bop, where all our friends were. We chatted with the guy and with Elena, another Spaniard. They kept telling us we were super nice people and they wanted to hang with us. We couldn't ditch our friends, so we said we'd exchange numbers and hang with them sometime in the next 5 months. Annette and Elena exchanged numbers, then we went in the bar. By this point, Elena's friends were getting a bit mad b/c they were chatting with us for so long and their group wanted to move on.
We went into the Bar Be Bop and it was PACKED. This time the crowd was a bit older, about mid-20's to early 30's. Natalia told me about some man who was hitting on her before I arrived, making obscene comments and gestures. She was now hiding from him.
We were here for a while, where many odd things happened. Let me just say that when you are in a bar like this, or maybe ALL bars, if you make eye contact with the opposite sex, they will approach you. It can be a bit awkward. I was looking for the rest of our group, since at one point I only was with Angela for a long time and could not find anyone else. I was a bit concerned that they left us. We were together the whole time, though, so it was fine.
While looking around for Bo, Luke or Dave, I accidentally made eye contact with some guy, who walked up to me as his friends all watched, and the conversation was something like this:
Man: Speak Spain?
Me: Como?
Man: (points to me and nods in affirmation) You Speak Spain?
Me: El espanol? Si.
Man: You...from here?
Me: No, de los Estados Unidos (the US).
Man: Ah. Tu amiga. Esta alla? (Is she there?) (points to corner to a USAC girl)
Me: No, estoy buscando a mi amiGO.
Man: Oh, (stepping back as though I rejected him), vale (okay).
Meanwhile Angela is with me having a GREAT time. We were talking a bit, then she randomly says "Okay. Let's speak Spanish now!" and turns to the closest guy and says "Hola, Soy Angela, y tu?" (Hey, I am angela, and your name?) and begins a conversation. In the course of the next half hour we danced and hung out while a part of me was concerned that we couldn't find any of our group. Also in this time I was approached to play the "ice cube game" where you stand in a circle and pass an ice cube to the person on your left by holding it in your mouth. I was a bit disgusted by this, so I just ignored them. We stepped outside and finally found Bo, Ana, Megan and Natalia. I went to get Angela, but she decided to go home with her other group of friends (some guys she knows from school in Nevada who are also visiting Spain) and Annette decided to stay with them, too. May, another USAC girl, wanted to go home with Ana, so they walked back to El Centro while Natalia, Bo, Megan and I began to walk to Luke and Dave's apartment.
Bo, who has been to their apartment everyday at least twice a day, could not find it, and when we did, said to buzz 2-1 (it's actually 1-2). Luckily I knew the address and number, so we made no mistakes. We got up to their apartment and Luke was sleeping in his room, and Dave and their roommate Alex was there. By now it was about 3:45 am. For a while Natalia, Dave and Alex discussed who would sneak into Luke's room and sleep in his bed for the night since Megan and Natalia decided to stay over. This discussion was about an hour long. Natalia asked if they had any alcohol and Dave brought out what looked like absinthe, since it was bright green. It was something peppermint.
What followed, the description of the flavor, was something as follows:
"This tastes like toothpaste and rubbing alcohol."
"It tastes like someone melted down spearmint gum"
"It tastes like crap."
One reason why I don't drink.
Eventually we worked out the sleeping situation...Bo on the couch, Dave in his own bed, Alex and Megan in Alex's bed (it's a queen), and I think Natalia went into Luke's room, since he has a king size. I didn't previously tell my host parent's that I'd stay somewhere else, so I thought it was best to go home. We called a cab and had difficulty communicating since the operator had no idea what street I was saying, but we eventually figured it out and I took one home at 5:30am. The ride was about 8 euros.
I arrived at my family's home and went to sleep.
Intense, right?
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Apple Coldplay
Yesterday I saw a Spanish version of Chris Martin (lead singer of Coldplay). He looked just like him...but he was Spanish. He had blondish brown hair, blue eyes, tall, long black pea coat, dark jeans and brown shoes...and he was pushing a baby around in a stroller. Do you think the baby's name is manzana?
No Gwyneth Paltrow in site, though.
This makes me think...does everyone have a foreign doppelganger?
No Gwyneth Paltrow in site, though.
This makes me think...does everyone have a foreign doppelganger?
Textbooks!
Can I just say that I love European textbooks! They are so cheap! Last semester at Loyola, I spent around $400 on textbooks. Most books were $30 and up; one was around $98. Very typical for college.
Then I come here and look at my textbook list, and the most expensive one is 19 Euros. MOST EXPENSIVE! And a few of the books I don't even have to buy b/c my host mom has them in her house (some of the literature books). Very nice.
Then I come here and look at my textbook list, and the most expensive one is 19 Euros. MOST EXPENSIVE! And a few of the books I don't even have to buy b/c my host mom has them in her house (some of the literature books). Very nice.
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