'Twas the Week before Christmas

An update on the week before Christmas (in case you couldn’t tell from the title):

On Tuesday, we did our Secret Santa gift exchange in English. When we drew names for it last week, I of course (because I have no luck) drew Toni, a punk-rocker, long-hair, chains-on-his-pants kind of guy who is very nice, but I don’t know him very well. In the end, though, I bought him chocolate and a mini gumball machine, and it turned out just fine. My Secret Santa, Sandra, gave me an assortment of turrónes (Spain’s famous Christmas sweets) and a necklace that I love. The highlight of the gift exchange was when Salva, a chronically late boy in my class, unwrapped an alarm clock. Apparently it was payback because last year he gave his Secret Santa a pizza cutter. Haha.

After the gift exchange, I left school for part of the day to go to the police station with Stephanie to get fingerprinted for our student cards. It was my third police station visit, and we have to go back again in January to pick them up. A slightly funny story...When I was getting fingerprinted, the lady kept saying "sueltala! sueltala!" and I wasn't paying attention and thought she was telling me to press my finger harder on the inkpad. She was actually telling me to lift it off...


Stephanie and her finger that got fingerprinted!

On Wednesday, we technically had school, but it was some sort of movie/sports day so none of the bachillerato students went. Instead, I hung out with David and two of David’s friends who don’t go to our school, Marta and María. I officially love Marta. She had me hooked when she asked me “Do you like Harry Potter?” Haha. That day, we climbed 205 winding stairs to the top of the Torre del Micalet with a gorgeous view of Valencia from the top. I could have stayed up there all day!! However, we had reservations at an Italian restaurant at 2, and afterwards we spent the afternoon walking through the city and the river (which really isn’t a river- it’s a giant park because the river was drained decades ago because of flooding). David, Marta, and María took the bus back at 7:30, but I stayed to pick up a last minute Christmas gift. I also took a look around the bookstore at Nuevo Centro (a huge mall) and had a really funny moment where I suddenly realized “Hey! This is so cool! All the books are Spanish!” so of course I bought one. 20 euros. Ouch. But it’s a bestseller so it’s worth it right? I’ll let you know once I’ve read it.


Valencia


Valencia again


Lunch at the Italian restaurant- it came wrapped as a swan!

Oh, an interesting tidbit- at one point that day, we stopped to watch the Christmas lottery being announced (or rather, sung) on TV. Spain’s Christmas lottery is a big deal here. Every year on the 22nd, children from an orphanage in Madrid sing the winning numbers on TV for hours. It’s kind of cute, but gets annoying after you’ve heard them sing “Mil Euuuuros” for the umpteenth time.

I’ll save Christmas for a different post, since it will be a long one and then I’ll also have to post about Rome! We’re leaving tomorrow and I’m way excited!

Besitos to all! I hope your Christmases were wonderful!

Paige

Ha llegado la Navidad!

On Friday, Paula and I decorated for Christmas. My host parents went to bed early, but we stayed downstairs to get the house ready for Navidad. I must be honest, our decorations…are a bit sad. Our tree is reminiscent of Charlie Brown’s in size, and besides the tree, there really weren’t any other decorations. (Although the maid did tack a piece of tinsel to my bulletin board!) The nativity scene, however, was huge. In Spain, every single house has a nativity scene. Not all houses have a Christmas tree, but a nativity scene is a given. Paula and I had fun listening to Christmas carols (in Spanish, so I didn’t know any of the words), decorating the tree, and setting up the nativity scene. When we were finished, we turned the lights off so we could plug in the tree lights and get the full effect. Since the lights were off and the Christmas carols were blasting, we had a small dance party in the living room. It’s moments like those that I won’t forget.


Belén



The tree!


Setting up Belén

The following week, my host mom was in Madrid for business and my host dad was sick, so Paula and I ate dinner alone that week. Paula was thrilled that there was no one to tell her to eat her vegetables, and although I considered telling her to eat them, I realized ‘Hey, I’m her sister, not the babysitter.’ I think we got a bit closer that week. We watched Patito Feo (sort of like Hannah Montana for the Spanish speaking world) during dinner and I silently laughed at how dramatic it is. Paula would never tell her friends she watches it, but everyone in the family knows it’s her favorite show.

On Saturday, it was Paula’s 13th birthday party, and she and 10 girls from her class went to a laser game place and then out to eat at Foster’s Hollywood, which is an “American” restaurant. I was spared from playing laser game, and then my dad came to pick me up in time to eat. Amparo, Ambrosio, and I sat at a separate table from the eleven 13-year-old girls. Overall, it was fun, and it was nice to see Paula so happy. Although she did mention after everyone left that she wished she had been given some toys. That’s Paula for you : ) ¡Feliz cumpleaños Paula!

The cake


Presents! (a sweatshirt and candy from me, and a set of toiletry cases from her mom and dad)

And finally….I have some exciting news. Over Christmas break, we’re going to Rome!!!! I’m crazy excited- I’ve obviously never been to Italy, and so I’m so grateful to my host family for planning this trip. Roma here I come! We’re leaving on the 27th and coming back the 30th. I can’t wait!

Besitos,
Paige

I'm freezing and I'm being followed by schnauzers: Part 2

Part 2: I’m being followed by schnauzers

It all started last week during the long weekend when Paula and I went over to Fran and Ester’s house to say hello to Julia. Paula is obsessed with Julia, so she often asks me to bike over to see her. Ester has 4 or 5 sisters, each with 2 or 3 kids, so at any one time there might be a dozen or two people at her house. Paula and I happened to arrive at what was apparently peak visiting hours, because there were tons of small children running around. Halfway into the afternoon, the doorbell rang again and I heard a dog barking. And in came…a miniature schnauzer! He was so cute. I miss my little schnauzer back home. I think this dog knew it because he came right up to me and started licking my hand. Awww. They told me his name was Alf, I think.

The next day, I was out running, and passed 2 more schnauzers out walking in the park. Then the next day I saw 3 more. Then the following day I was waiting at the bus stop, and a lady with a schnauzer sat down on the bench next to me. The next day, as I was walking home, contemplating the number of schnauzers I had seen that week, I turned the corner to see an enormous standard schnauzer on a walk with his owner. This continued all week. And they were all different! I think I saw upwards of 12 or 14 schnauzers.

It’s confirmed: I’m being followed by schnauzers. My mom said it must be a sign that soon she’s going to get so sick of my dog she’s going to mail him to me. And I quote: “If the box comes and the thing inside just flops around…I’m sorry.” Oh mom.

Besitos,
Paige


Snickers I promise I will come home!

I'm freezing and I'm being followed by schnauzers: Part 1

No, the title of this post is not some strange analogy. It is, rather, an accurate glimpse into my life right now. Let me explain.

Part 1: I’m freezing.

When I found out I would be living on the Mediterranean, I pictured sun, beach, and warmth. It’s true that it’s like this 75% of the year. However, right now, it’s 39 degrees. Now, before all you Wisconsonites start saying “Hey! It’s -15 right now! 39 degrees is balmy!” let me tell you something. The. Heat. Is. Not. On. You know that post I wrote a couple weeks ago mentioning how excited I was that my family and school had finally turned the heat on? Yeah…apparently that was a special occasion or something. My host parents only turn the radiators on every once in a while, and unlike central heating, it really doesn’t do much. Especially since our whole house is tile. I’m honestly more cold in the winter here than I ever was in Wisconsin (inside at least). Spain, you’ve betrayed me.

Now, in school, the heat is on most of the day. It’s a tiny radiator in the corner that does nothing to heat the room, but luckily (or so I thought) I sit right next to it. However, since the kids in my class seem to be INSANE, they like to open the windows. Just when I’ve inched my chair close enough to the radiator to be warm, someone opens the window. Who opens the windows when it’s 39 degrees out??!! At one point I asked “Why are we opening the windows?” and someone answered “To ventilate the room.” Oh, okay. Because that makes sense. Not. The thing is, I know that everyone is cold, because they all huddle in the corner by the radiator between classes. So why do we keep the windows open? I’m so confused. I wear my coat inside. I need to buy mittens. And a scarf and a hat. When I see someone coming over to open the window, I have a sudden urge to yell “Touch that window and I’ll cut off your hand!” But I don’t, because I’m a good exchange student.

This is not me being wimpy about the cold. I am honestly freezing. As I write this, it is 32 degrees. That’s the point when water turns to ice. There is frost on my window. Yet the heat is not on.

You see that on my window? I assure you it's not mist or dew. It's frost.

Weekly News and Small Victories

Just thought I’d mention, in case you don’t watch the news, that on Friday the 3rd, the air traffic controllers went on strike and there were no flights in or out of Spain. It was insane- President Zapatero declared an “estado de alarma,” (state of alarm) throughout the country. It was announced on a loudspeaker throughout my neighborhood. I must admit, it was kind of cool being here for what was definitely a historical moment for Spain.

In other news, on Wednesday, since I still didn’t have school, I went over to Stephanie’s house to help make a French dessert for her French class. When I told my host family I was going over to cook with her, my host dad joked that it might be a bad idea. His exact words were “Cooking? Given your past experience, you’re allowed to cook with Mika, but not Stephanie.” Haha : )

I got to her house and we made a delicious lemon tart that turned out great! We did some “improvising” again, which made me a little nervous, but it actually worked this time! (unlike a certain pumpkin pie…). We even made fresh lemonade from the leftover lemon juice. Yum!

I then had to rush back to the city from her house because we were eating around 2:00 at my grandma’s house. My host dad’s brother came as well, with his wife Ester and of course baby Julia. I hadn’t seen Ester for a while because since she’s a doctor, she’s been studying for a test to enter in a program to specialize in something. It was good to see her. I love Fran and Ester- they’re both hilarious. I brought one of the lemon tarts Stephanie and I made, and everyone loved it! I’m thinking Christmas cookies are up next!

Paula and I at a park in Valencia before lunch at Grandma's

It was back to school as usual on Thursday, although I did surprise myself in History on Friday. The teacher asked, “Paige, what was the reign of Isabel II like?” and at first I kind of blinked stupidly at him (teachers don’t really call on me here, for obvious reasons). I was hoping he would just ask someone else, but he was persistent. I was about to revert to “Lo siento…no lo sé,” when I realized ‘hey! I actually know this!’ and answered, “Well, it was very difficult, with many changes in power between the progresistas and moderadistas.” Yes!

Hey, small victories are what count here : )

Besitos

Paige

First Days of December

Let’s rewind to after Mika left:

I spent the week limping around because apparently the boots I wore walking around the city with Mika were REALLY small. They didn’t feel small when I bought them, but now I’m thinking they’re at least 2 sizes too small. I could hardly walk all week. I had a huge purple bruise covering my entire left foot. At first I didn’t tell my host parents about it, but after awhile I was seriously considering asking to get a foot X-ray because it wasn’t improving all week. But good news, it’s better now. The bad news is that I can’t wear those boots again, which is too bad because I really loved them.

On Wednesday, I stayed home from school because I wasn’t feeling well. Okay, so I just had a cold and my throat hurt a little. In high school in the U.S., I definitely would not have stayed home. But since this is a gap year, I decided there was no reason to go to school not feeling well when I didn’t have to. When I wasn’t better on Thursday, my host parents told me to stay home again. My host dad even left work for an hour to come home and check on me. It was so cute! He brought me up a tray with orange juice, medicine, warm milk, and bizcocho (Spanish sponge cake). Mmmmmm! He asked me if I wanted him to take me to his mom’s house so I wouldn’t be alone all day. Awww! I said no, I would be fine, but I kept saying thank you over and over again. I don’t think he really knew how much I appreciated being taken care of.


Amparo and I in Peñiscola

There was no school Saturday through Wednesday because of Constitution Day and the Day of the Immaculate Conception so on Monday we drove out to Peñiscola, a seaside town about an hour away. On the way we stopped at the Caves of San Jose, which are these underground caves filled with water. We took a boat ride through the caves, and it was so cool!! I had to keep ducking my head inside the boat since I’m so tall and the ceiling of the cave was really low at some points. Everyone kept yelling “cuidado!” at me, as if I didn’t see that I was about to smack my head against the ceiling…




When we got to Peñiscola, we ate a delicious lunch of fresh mussels, paella, and chocolate tart. Then we toured the famous castle of Peñiscola that was once home to the pope, Papa Luna. The castle was built on a tiny peninsula, so when you looked back to the town, you could see the beach on both sides of you. Gorgeous! The views of the sea were incredible. I must have at least 5,000 photos of the Mediterranean at this point, but it never gets old. It is said that Papa Luna’s bedroom window looks directly to Rome across the sea, so of course, I waved hello to Rome. It was one of those perfect days that you never want to end.


Paula and Papa Luna

Okay, well, I’ll stop now and write another post later, since this one is getting long. Besitos!

Paige

Pumpkin Pie Part 2: Success!

If you haven't yet, read Pumpkin Pie Part 1 first :)

On Friday, Mika came to stay the weekend, something I had been looking forward to for weeks. When I first asked to invite her, my host mom realized that it would be Thanksgiving weekend (because her daughter is in the U.S.), and said we must have a Thanksgiving dinner on Saturday with Mika. That was why I originally wanted to make the (disastrous) pie on Wednesday.

When Mika arrived on Friday, I had to explain why we would not be eating pumpkin pie the next day. She laughed at my pie fiasco story, and we decided we would think of something else to make. We were going to go out that night, but Mika had a really bad cold (okay, that’s an understatement…she looked like she was about to die) so we decided just to stay home and look up recipes. We decided on chocolate chip cookies, and also found recipes for mashed potatoes, stuffing, and cranberry sauce for our “Thanksgiving dinner” the next day.


Mika and I in my room

After breakfast on Saturday, we went to this little grocery store by my house to get the ingredients. When I got the ingredients for the pumpkin pie on Wednesday, I went to a huge grocery store in Valencia, because I figured it was sure to have everything. However, while walking around in this tiny hole-in-the-wall grocery store in my neighborhood I spotted….a pie crust!! There was still a ton of pumpkin left from the original pie attempt so I decided it was fate: we had to attempt the pumpkin pie again. Then we went looking for cream and I found…sweetened condensed milk!! Yes!

When we got home and told my host mom we were going to attempt the pie again she was (understandably) reluctant. But I had a good feeling it was going to work out this time. We converted the recipe to grams and milliliters and measured everything perfectly. Then we waited to bake it because everyone started showing up to eat.


the pie before putting it in the oven

the cooks!

In the end, we didn’t make the stuffing, mashed potatoes, or anything else, because everyone brought a ton of food. Apparently my host mom went all out in making sure I had a Thanksgiving dinner this year, which was incredibly sweet of her. My host dad’s mom and brother came as well (with baby Julia! She is such a cutie!), so in the end there were nine of us. We didn’t have turkey, but we had chicken, which was just fine. It was even stuffed with something (when I say “something” I mean I really have no idea what it was…).

It was a wonderful meal, even though poor Mika was feeling really sick at that point. My host dad’s brother is a doctor, though, so he gave her some medicine. He promised it would have no side affects other than making her hair fall out and making her speak fluent Spanish. I told him I wanted some as well.


What a cutie!

The food

Everyone at the table (minus Paula, who's taking the picture)

My host dad cutting the chicken

Mika and I decided to go out that night, and just before we left, the pie had cooled and we all tried it. Success!! It was perfect, and everyone loved it. My host mom even asked if she could take some to work to share with her friends. Yes! We were very proud of ourselves.


Success!!

Our night out was rather uneventful due to the fact that it was absolutely pouring, but it was fun nonetheless. We got back early, around 2:30am (early for Spain, that is), and went to bed. The next day we walked around the city a bit and took pictures, and then I took Mika to the bus station. It was sad to see her go; we have so much fun together. But we’re going to our beach apartment for Christmas, so we'll see each other soon.


Under the umbrella on Saturday night

On a random street in Valencia


Well, that’s all for now. Besitos!