I am almost hesitant to post this...restart my blog after a 3 year hiatus. What with Facebook and other social media venues, blogging seems almost passé. However, I was amused as I read back over some of my earlier posts. So, here I go again!
It should be called fate that I happen to restart this blog almost an exact 3 years after having made my last post. The last post was a humorous picture encouraging shoppers to order their Thanksgiving turkey that I took at the Hipercor (think upscale Walmart) near my house. At the time, Thanksgiving wasn't anything here in Spain. However, here I am 3 years later, on a committee to plan a Thanksgiving celebration for approximately 120 people. That IS a lot of turkey... especially in a country where the largest Tom weighs in at 8 kilos (17 lbs). Mom told me we would need approx 40 lbs (18 kilos) of turkey to feed 60 adults (the rest are kids).
The other day I walked into Hipercor to ask about ordering the turkeys and approximate cost, when I told the butcher I would need the birds for the end of the month his face lit up and he said "Ahhh!!! Para el Día de Acción de Gracias!"... I felt identified. It actually felt good that someone, not American, knew about a tradition near and dear to my heart.
Now, if I could only convince the rest of the Spaniards that Hallowe'en is not an American tradition and that we don't impose all our holidays on Spain. We just take the best of what there is from around the world (Hallowe'en, St. Patty's Day, Cinco de Mayo, and the Running of the Bulls a.k.a. San Fermín to name a few) and add our unique American touch to it, that's all! We are days away from celebrating Hallowe'en Spain style. We have had our annual NS (bilingual family fungroup) Hallowe'en party. Now it's time to carve our pumpkin!
Friday, October 28, 2011
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
American Holidays
Ok, I have been absent for a bit, but I just had to share this all with you:
One thing is to be able to buy ingredients and such to try and replicate a traditional American holiday such as Thanksgiving... another is to be marketed to directly...when there is no such celebration in Spain at all!!!
I suppose I will give it about 3-5 years and we will start to see Spanish adaptations of Thanksgiving (Día de Acción de Gracias). Afterall, they are beginning to embrace Halloween even if it isn't socially accepted in all circles... and Santa Claus (Papá Noel) has found his place on the store shelves between the Belénes (Nativity scenes) and Reyes Magos (Three Kings).
Who knows??
Thursday, August 21, 2008
A Toddler's Busy Social Life
When I was single, I needed a planner/agenda to keep my professional and social life straight.
As a married woman, I found modern technology to be helpful with a shared online calendar with DH and a PDA that could be synchronized with my agenda in my computer.
As a mother, I am about to pull the hair out of my head! I don't know how to keep it all straight. The playgroup that I started for AR is on summer hiatus, like the rest of Spain. However, we have joined another one which meets twice weekly during the summer. Our playgroup will enter full swing in September with a rhythm and music class planned as well as a repeat visit to Burrolandia. There are discussions about starting dance classes in English as well. Anything to get AR communicating as much as possible in English.
Apart from the playgroups we have the playdates and the birthday parties and trips to Safari Madrid. Forget Mommy's social life. She is too busy keeping AR's social life under control.
In addition to his social life, he has a busy traveling life as well. In getting ready for a trip to Russia, we've had to renew his Spanish passport...already!! And the boy has been around with at least 3 trips to the USA under his belt in his young life. Now Russia... Ah, the life of an expat's child. And that isn't counting the number of kilometers he has logged in various road trips with Mommy and Papá ... a couple of times to Soria, to Valencia, Segovia, Toledo, around Madrid Community, and soon to the Sierra de Francia. We will be heading there for a long weekend and it's my job to plan and organize the trip. It will be AR's first tent camping adventure!
We will come back just in time to celebrate the annual festivities of San Sebastián de los Reyes. This will be AR's second time at these encierros. It has been an annual event that my father-in-law loves to go to. We can't let him down this year!!
As a married woman, I found modern technology to be helpful with a shared online calendar with DH and a PDA that could be synchronized with my agenda in my computer.
As a mother, I am about to pull the hair out of my head! I don't know how to keep it all straight. The playgroup that I started for AR is on summer hiatus, like the rest of Spain. However, we have joined another one which meets twice weekly during the summer. Our playgroup will enter full swing in September with a rhythm and music class planned as well as a repeat visit to Burrolandia. There are discussions about starting dance classes in English as well. Anything to get AR communicating as much as possible in English.
Apart from the playgroups we have the playdates and the birthday parties and trips to Safari Madrid. Forget Mommy's social life. She is too busy keeping AR's social life under control.
In addition to his social life, he has a busy traveling life as well. In getting ready for a trip to Russia, we've had to renew his Spanish passport...already!! And the boy has been around with at least 3 trips to the USA under his belt in his young life. Now Russia... Ah, the life of an expat's child. And that isn't counting the number of kilometers he has logged in various road trips with Mommy and Papá ... a couple of times to Soria, to Valencia, Segovia, Toledo, around Madrid Community, and soon to the Sierra de Francia. We will be heading there for a long weekend and it's my job to plan and organize the trip. It will be AR's first tent camping adventure!
We will come back just in time to celebrate the annual festivities of San Sebastián de los Reyes. This will be AR's second time at these encierros. It has been an annual event that my father-in-law loves to go to. We can't let him down this year!!
Friday, August 15, 2008
Seven Long Years
Well, I finally did it! After seven long years, I finally busted out and dusted off my rollerblades! Can you believe it? At 40 years of age, I am finally skating again! It's about time, I say. My saddlebags or "cartucheros" as they are called in Spanish were getting the better of me. You can blame only so much on pregnancy and motherhood.
I am out of the blaming mode and into the action! Of course, the first time out of the gate I had to fall and skin my knee. Well, skin my knee is putting it lightly. More like skin all the layers of the skin off my knee!
Next step, to convince DH to invest in bicycles so we can take advantage of the wonderful bike path that winds through our neighborhood. Certainly AR will enjoy riding on the back of one of them!
I am out of the blaming mode and into the action! Of course, the first time out of the gate I had to fall and skin my knee. Well, skin my knee is putting it lightly. More like skin all the layers of the skin off my knee!
Next step, to convince DH to invest in bicycles so we can take advantage of the wonderful bike path that winds through our neighborhood. Certainly AR will enjoy riding on the back of one of them!
Friday, June 06, 2008
Umbrella, car, bus, OK! And the words come tumbling out!
AR is at an age where the experts say that the words come tumbling out for monolingual kids.
Since he is being raised bilingually, he has twice the amount of words to process and learn as a monolingual child. Needless to say his linguistic production is a bit behind the monolingual kids his age. However, being a first time mom, I can't help being a little over anxious about the situation, worried that he will get left behind (but intellectually knowing that he won't). Fortunately, through conversations with friends of bilingual children, I see that he really is on track. Added to the complication of being bilingual, according to his pediatrician, it's quite normal for celiac children to lag behind other non-celiac children their age. Should I breathe a sigh of relief or just worry some more??
How many of you understand baby talk? You know, the unique way toddlers have of expressing their wants, needs and desires (between emotional meltdowns). Sometimes real words, sometimes their own words. Difficult huh? Especially if it isn't your child. Now try understanding baby talk from a child who speaks a different language. Ha!
How many of you understand Spanglish? You know, that unique way that some (U.S.) Latinos speak among themselves effortlessly blending English and Spanish in the same sentence. Now try understanding Spanglish baby talk!
That's the language of AR! It really is quite amusing and you need to be a cryptologist to figure out what he is saying at times. For the most part I understand him because I have the advantage of understanding Spanish and being his mother.
His word for train is "tah-tah". We don't know if it is Spanish or English. One day we were waiting for the surface level metro when he suddenly said "ahí tah tah tah ahí ahí tah"! He was clearly excited as the train came slowly to a stop. To others it might have sounded like babble, but his mother clearly understood his Spanish/English/babytalk. Of course he was saying "Ahí está el tren/the train. There! There it is!"
This really is a fascinating ride!
Since he is being raised bilingually, he has twice the amount of words to process and learn as a monolingual child. Needless to say his linguistic production is a bit behind the monolingual kids his age. However, being a first time mom, I can't help being a little over anxious about the situation, worried that he will get left behind (but intellectually knowing that he won't). Fortunately, through conversations with friends of bilingual children, I see that he really is on track. Added to the complication of being bilingual, according to his pediatrician, it's quite normal for celiac children to lag behind other non-celiac children their age. Should I breathe a sigh of relief or just worry some more??
How many of you understand baby talk? You know, the unique way toddlers have of expressing their wants, needs and desires (between emotional meltdowns). Sometimes real words, sometimes their own words. Difficult huh? Especially if it isn't your child. Now try understanding baby talk from a child who speaks a different language. Ha!
How many of you understand Spanglish? You know, that unique way that some (U.S.) Latinos speak among themselves effortlessly blending English and Spanish in the same sentence. Now try understanding Spanglish baby talk!
That's the language of AR! It really is quite amusing and you need to be a cryptologist to figure out what he is saying at times. For the most part I understand him because I have the advantage of understanding Spanish and being his mother.
His word for train is "tah-tah". We don't know if it is Spanish or English. One day we were waiting for the surface level metro when he suddenly said "ahí tah tah tah ahí ahí tah"! He was clearly excited as the train came slowly to a stop. To others it might have sounded like babble, but his mother clearly understood his Spanish/English/babytalk. Of course he was saying "Ahí está el tren/the train. There! There it is!"
This really is a fascinating ride!
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Five Trips
Five trips. Five magical trips. What can you do in five trips? Five was the average number of trips I made to Spain each year when DH and I were "dating". Five also represents the number of trips I usually make back and forth to the car when I return from grocery shopping alone.
But now five trips means something else for me. Five trips means irreplaceable tenderness. The other night DH and I were sleeping soundly in bed. I was dreaming, but don't recall what I was dreaming about. All of a sudden I felt a soft "plop" between my hubby and I. I was stirred from my sleep as I heard the pitter patter of little feet run up then back down the hallway. Then, another soft "plop"....then more pitter patter of little feet. This situation repeated itself five times. After the fifth soft "plop" and pitter patter of little feet I felt the covers of the bed slowly slide down from my shoulders. There was a bit of a struggle and then there he was... our little guy snuggled between DH and I along with Elmo, Bear, Doggie, Perro and Carlos the Caballo (we weren't very original in the names department) and of course his nana (blankie). He has taken to sneaking to our room in the middle of the night lately. But this was the first time he made so many trips to bring all of his little friends with him. It's a good thing he didn't decide to lob his large plastic truck that he likes to sleep with over the side of the bed as well. Five marvelous trips.
But now five trips means something else for me. Five trips means irreplaceable tenderness. The other night DH and I were sleeping soundly in bed. I was dreaming, but don't recall what I was dreaming about. All of a sudden I felt a soft "plop" between my hubby and I. I was stirred from my sleep as I heard the pitter patter of little feet run up then back down the hallway. Then, another soft "plop"....then more pitter patter of little feet. This situation repeated itself five times. After the fifth soft "plop" and pitter patter of little feet I felt the covers of the bed slowly slide down from my shoulders. There was a bit of a struggle and then there he was... our little guy snuggled between DH and I along with Elmo, Bear, Doggie, Perro and Carlos the Caballo (we weren't very original in the names department) and of course his nana (blankie). He has taken to sneaking to our room in the middle of the night lately. But this was the first time he made so many trips to bring all of his little friends with him. It's a good thing he didn't decide to lob his large plastic truck that he likes to sleep with over the side of the bed as well. Five marvelous trips.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
my little guy
Who needs a dog when you have a burro??AR's playgroup (Northern Stars) took a trip to Burrolandia, an animal sanctuary dedicated to saving the Spanish burro which is running into danger of extinction. Needless to say, a good time was had by all!
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Spring Is In The Air
Some sure signs that spring is just around the corner in Spain:
Melon wrapped in ham appears as one of the appetizer choices on the menú del día.
Strawberries with whipped cream appear on the dessert menu.
The baby bucket brigade begins to show up at the park
It stays light out until 7:30-8pm.
A Tribute to Pretty P.
Pretty P., Ravashing R. and Beautiful B. That was our gal-pal group. We spent many a nights together having fun in Old City. In fact, our catchy nicknames were given to us by the parking lot attendant. Those were our single days when we were all living in the Philly area. Hard to believe just 7 years later two of us not only not live in Phila but we live in different countries! Add to that two of us now being married with children. So, we have added Adorable A. and Enchanting E.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Catching Up on Life
Wow, almost a year has passed since my last post. Where does time go? I suppose I keep pretty busy with work, the dining club and the playgroup. One friend asked me how I keep up with everything...well now you know...sometimes things just slip through my fingers.
Celiac Disease
I suppose the "big news" since I last posted is that AR has been diagnosed celiac which has forced us to rethink our eating habits. Celiac, for those unfamiliar with the disease, is an intolerance to gluten, a protein found in wheat and other main grains...specifically: rye, barley, and oats. "Safe" grains for AR are rice and corn among a few other lesser known grains.
Initially we thought the transition to gluten free was going to be difficult. However, with just a few minor adjustments and the help of the ACM (Asociación de Celiacos de Madrid) food guide we develop our weekly shopping list around the brands that have certified their products gluten-free. What also helps is that we don't have the habit of buying many prepared foods. Most everything we eat is prepared from scratch which means less preservatives and other gluten-containing ingredients. I have learned to make gluten-free muffins which have become AR's favorite. As soon as he sees the cookie jar filled with them he doesn't want to eat anything else for breakfast.
The road to his diagnosis was a long one and started when he was just 8 months old and demonstrated serious digestive problems. More serious, however, was the plateau he hit in his growth chart. He literally stopped growing for a few months. All of this occurred around the time that we started him on cereal. After various blood tests and on other investigations, a test for intolerance to gluten came back positive and our pediatrician sent us to a specialist who then recommended the biopsy of the small intestine. This was the defining proof that AR is intolerant to gluten. However, it doesn't end here. Around 6 years old we will have to re-introduce gluten in his diet and then run tests again and check his tolerance.
Bilingual Babbling
AR's vocabulary and verbal skills continue to grow. He has begun to produce 2-3 word sentences, primarily in Spanish but a couple in English as well. His English is a bit weaker, but that is to be expected. Eventually he will get better. I continue with his bedtime routine of reading him 3-4 books. He also has the chorus of Row Row Row your boat down pat and loves to sing it with both Mommy and Papá.
The Northern Stars English Playgroup has also been a big help to his linguistic development. At least that is what I think...and perhaps I am a bit biased since I started the group. We are now about 50 families strong who get together on a monthly basis to "play" in English. There is a nice core group of families who participate regularly and it has been wonderful developing friendships with others going through the same challenge of raising a bilingual child. Most of the families are following the OPOL method so that makes it even easier to compare notes.
Future Plans
The future's so bright, I gotta wear shades.... isn't that a blast from the 80's past! We are trying to be optimistic and plan ahead. There will be big changes for one of us in terms of employment so with that in mind we have decided to look into other entrepreneurial ventures. Do keep tuned as we move ahead with our development and share details here!
Wishing everyone a wonderul Easter!
Celiac Disease
I suppose the "big news" since I last posted is that AR has been diagnosed celiac which has forced us to rethink our eating habits. Celiac, for those unfamiliar with the disease, is an intolerance to gluten, a protein found in wheat and other main grains...specifically: rye, barley, and oats. "Safe" grains for AR are rice and corn among a few other lesser known grains.
Initially we thought the transition to gluten free was going to be difficult. However, with just a few minor adjustments and the help of the ACM (Asociación de Celiacos de Madrid) food guide we develop our weekly shopping list around the brands that have certified their products gluten-free. What also helps is that we don't have the habit of buying many prepared foods. Most everything we eat is prepared from scratch which means less preservatives and other gluten-containing ingredients. I have learned to make gluten-free muffins which have become AR's favorite. As soon as he sees the cookie jar filled with them he doesn't want to eat anything else for breakfast.
The road to his diagnosis was a long one and started when he was just 8 months old and demonstrated serious digestive problems. More serious, however, was the plateau he hit in his growth chart. He literally stopped growing for a few months. All of this occurred around the time that we started him on cereal. After various blood tests and on other investigations, a test for intolerance to gluten came back positive and our pediatrician sent us to a specialist who then recommended the biopsy of the small intestine. This was the defining proof that AR is intolerant to gluten. However, it doesn't end here. Around 6 years old we will have to re-introduce gluten in his diet and then run tests again and check his tolerance.
Bilingual Babbling
AR's vocabulary and verbal skills continue to grow. He has begun to produce 2-3 word sentences, primarily in Spanish but a couple in English as well. His English is a bit weaker, but that is to be expected. Eventually he will get better. I continue with his bedtime routine of reading him 3-4 books. He also has the chorus of Row Row Row your boat down pat and loves to sing it with both Mommy and Papá.
The Northern Stars English Playgroup has also been a big help to his linguistic development. At least that is what I think...and perhaps I am a bit biased since I started the group. We are now about 50 families strong who get together on a monthly basis to "play" in English. There is a nice core group of families who participate regularly and it has been wonderful developing friendships with others going through the same challenge of raising a bilingual child. Most of the families are following the OPOL method so that makes it even easier to compare notes.
Future Plans
The future's so bright, I gotta wear shades.... isn't that a blast from the 80's past! We are trying to be optimistic and plan ahead. There will be big changes for one of us in terms of employment so with that in mind we have decided to look into other entrepreneurial ventures. Do keep tuned as we move ahead with our development and share details here!
Wishing everyone a wonderul Easter!
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
"Ya 'ta"...All Done!
This is an exciting time with AR. Actually, every living, waking and sleeping moment with him has been exciting...But now we are in communication mode and it is fascinating to watch him pick up two languages simultaneously. This is the extent of his vocabulary so far (at least what we can understand of it):
English
ma-ma (mommy, of course)
da-da (daddy)
duh (duck)
Spanish
gua gua (agua)
Papá
ya 'ta! (ya está -- all done!)
Mommy has been really good about following the OPOL (one parent, one language) method. Papá, on the other hand, will find himself in hot water one day. The theory is that if the parents follow the OPOL method, the child will learn to separate the two languages and know who he should speak which language to. So in my case, if the theory is right, AR will always speak to me in English (at least intially).
However, since Papá speaks to him in both English and Spanish, AR will grow up thinking that Papá really speaks both languages. In reality, Papá just picks up on a few key sentences he hears me say ("give me a kiss", "pick it up", "mmmmmm yummy apple", etc.) and when he sees that I get a positive response, he also uses them! He gets frustrated at times because he feels that AR understands English much better than Spanish which is why he reverts to the simple English sentences. I have to laugh when Angel tells me that AR brings him books to read...but they are all in English!
I highly doubt that AR understands English better than Spanish. I am the only one who really speaks it to him on a consistent basis and we are only together in the mornings. Then he heads off to his daycare, which is all in Spanish, until his father or his abuelos pick him up around 7pm and continue communicating to AR in Spanish. Next year the daycare has programmed to change their curriculum to bilingual instruction...or at the very least, will have some English incorporated into the day's activities.
It is never to early to start worrying about the education of your child here in Spain, and especially if you want to raise him bilingually. We just learned that the public school in our neighborhood started bilingual education with this year's (Sept. 06) entering class. By the time AR is ready to go (Sept. '09) they will have had a couple of years under their belts to get the wrinkles out of the program. I am breathing a big sigh of relief because the only other option would be to send him to a private English school...to the tune of 700-800€ per month ($953-$1,090) ouch. We had already pulled him out of his English speaking daycare when the director announced that the rates were going to increase to $680 per month next year (with the surcharges for extra hours, snack, etc). Actually, our reasons for pulling him out were others, but the money factor certainly did not help the situation.
We are not completely out of the woods since spaces in the public school system are limited and with the boom in immigration lately -- both legal and illegal, the competition has become fierce. Of course the spaces in the public schools are awarded on a point-based system with those having the highest number of points the greater advantage. Points are awarded on the basis of your income (the lower the better), siblings (if you already have a child enrolled in the public school), where you live (your proximity to the school...the closer, the better), etc. Someone told me that with me being a native English speaker, AR will stand a better chance of getting into the public bilingual school. I have yet to confirm the rumor.
Anyway, for now we will continue our language development at home and with his friends through the Northern Stars Playgroup!
English
ma-ma (mommy, of course)
da-da (daddy)
duh (duck)
Spanish
gua gua (agua)
Papá
ya 'ta! (ya está -- all done!)
Mommy has been really good about following the OPOL (one parent, one language) method. Papá, on the other hand, will find himself in hot water one day. The theory is that if the parents follow the OPOL method, the child will learn to separate the two languages and know who he should speak which language to. So in my case, if the theory is right, AR will always speak to me in English (at least intially).
However, since Papá speaks to him in both English and Spanish, AR will grow up thinking that Papá really speaks both languages. In reality, Papá just picks up on a few key sentences he hears me say ("give me a kiss", "pick it up", "mmmmmm yummy apple", etc.) and when he sees that I get a positive response, he also uses them! He gets frustrated at times because he feels that AR understands English much better than Spanish which is why he reverts to the simple English sentences. I have to laugh when Angel tells me that AR brings him books to read...but they are all in English!
I highly doubt that AR understands English better than Spanish. I am the only one who really speaks it to him on a consistent basis and we are only together in the mornings. Then he heads off to his daycare, which is all in Spanish, until his father or his abuelos pick him up around 7pm and continue communicating to AR in Spanish. Next year the daycare has programmed to change their curriculum to bilingual instruction...or at the very least, will have some English incorporated into the day's activities.
It is never to early to start worrying about the education of your child here in Spain, and especially if you want to raise him bilingually. We just learned that the public school in our neighborhood started bilingual education with this year's (Sept. 06) entering class. By the time AR is ready to go (Sept. '09) they will have had a couple of years under their belts to get the wrinkles out of the program. I am breathing a big sigh of relief because the only other option would be to send him to a private English school...to the tune of 700-800€ per month ($953-$1,090) ouch. We had already pulled him out of his English speaking daycare when the director announced that the rates were going to increase to $680 per month next year (with the surcharges for extra hours, snack, etc). Actually, our reasons for pulling him out were others, but the money factor certainly did not help the situation.
We are not completely out of the woods since spaces in the public school system are limited and with the boom in immigration lately -- both legal and illegal, the competition has become fierce. Of course the spaces in the public schools are awarded on a point-based system with those having the highest number of points the greater advantage. Points are awarded on the basis of your income (the lower the better), siblings (if you already have a child enrolled in the public school), where you live (your proximity to the school...the closer, the better), etc. Someone told me that with me being a native English speaker, AR will stand a better chance of getting into the public bilingual school. I have yet to confirm the rumor.
Anyway, for now we will continue our language development at home and with his friends through the Northern Stars Playgroup!
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Score (another) one for the cooking club!
I have been feeling really domestic lately. My friends in the States wouldn't recognize me, the girl who used to dine out almost 3 times a week!
I scored points with Ángel and surprisingly with AR when I gave Dad's pancit recipe a test run. Not bad first time out of the box. In fact, Ángel liked it so much that he asked me to make a second batch of it. I willingly complied, happy that I found an appreciative audience.
Pancit. The Filipino national dish. Yum!
Next came Dad's recipe for beef with broccoli. The trick of this recipe is to add just the right amount of fresh ginger and to not overcook the broccoli. After making a trip to a local Chinese food supermarket to get the ginger (something so "exotic" is nearly impossible to find in the neighborhood supermarket and when I asked at the hypermarket they didn't even know what jengibre was!) I once again donned my apron and Asian cooking cap (well, not really) and whipped up a batch of this yummy dish that Dad makes so well. Scored points (AGAIN) with the hubby and my little pumpkin delighted in sucking on a garlic and ginger laced broccoli stalk. No wonder his breath is a bit powerful at times!
However, the icing on the cake (pun completely intended) was when my suegra gave me the most flattering of piropos. The other day I had made a batch of simple butter cookies and then went off to work. Later that night my suegra and cuñada Cristina came over for a visit. Ángel took out the cookies and served them up with a nice cup of café con leche. My suegra was convinced that he had purchased them at the local pastelería. She said that while I made a great banana bread there was no way I made these cookies so light and flaky. :) Didn't that make my day! Now, she doesn't ask me to make her banana bread anymore because I gave her the recipe. However, she has already put her order in for another batch of butter cookies. I think this recipe will be kept a secret. You never know when a little soborno will come in handy!
I scored points with Ángel and surprisingly with AR when I gave Dad's pancit recipe a test run. Not bad first time out of the box. In fact, Ángel liked it so much that he asked me to make a second batch of it. I willingly complied, happy that I found an appreciative audience.
Pancit. The Filipino national dish. Yum!Next came Dad's recipe for beef with broccoli. The trick of this recipe is to add just the right amount of fresh ginger and to not overcook the broccoli. After making a trip to a local Chinese food supermarket to get the ginger (something so "exotic" is nearly impossible to find in the neighborhood supermarket and when I asked at the hypermarket they didn't even know what jengibre was!) I once again donned my apron and Asian cooking cap (well, not really) and whipped up a batch of this yummy dish that Dad makes so well. Scored points (AGAIN) with the hubby and my little pumpkin delighted in sucking on a garlic and ginger laced broccoli stalk. No wonder his breath is a bit powerful at times!
However, the icing on the cake (pun completely intended) was when my suegra gave me the most flattering of piropos. The other day I had made a batch of simple butter cookies and then went off to work. Later that night my suegra and cuñada Cristina came over for a visit. Ángel took out the cookies and served them up with a nice cup of café con leche. My suegra was convinced that he had purchased them at the local pastelería. She said that while I made a great banana bread there was no way I made these cookies so light and flaky. :) Didn't that make my day! Now, she doesn't ask me to make her banana bread anymore because I gave her the recipe. However, she has already put her order in for another batch of butter cookies. I think this recipe will be kept a secret. You never know when a little soborno will come in handy!
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Pancit, Baby! The Joy of Feeding AR...
Raising a bicultural/bilingual baby is more challenging than I originally thought. Heck, raising a kid is challenging enough without adding more ingredients to the mix.
One of the best words of advice that I recieved when I was pregnant with AR came from a dear high school friend who has 3 of his own. He must know what he's talking about. I have these words permanently engraved in my head: "You will receive a lot of advice from a lot of people. The only advice that I will give you is to follow your instincts and you will be fine".
Since then, I have listened to advice from my American friends, Spanish friends, my mother, my suegra, a couple of pediatricians, lab technicians etc. Sometimes I wonder if my instincts are right!
If that weren't enough, we have this wonderful invention called the internet which allows me to see what the trends are in the States as far as feeding baby and can compare them to trends here in Spain.
Mom was really surprised when AR's first solid meal (after cereal) was a puree of carrots, potatoes, leeks, zucchini, pumpkin and chicken. Here they follow the sink or swim protocol of feeding baby. All or nothing. None of this test each food separately, keeping a diary. After reading so many (American) magazines and websites, you can bet that I was just a bit uncertain. Heck this is all new to me. What do I know? I really wanted to follow the American trends, but then decided on the Spanish since our pediatrician is Spanish.
Moving to the solid food stage has been a real trial. And, as some of you know, there are the ongoing digestive/growth concerns as AR is very small for his age (yet very agile). We are currently undergoing many different tests and analyses to check for intolerance to gluten and/or lactose. Cereal still remains one of the most challenging foods to give him.
However, we are pleased to see that our little guy eats just about everything else! His initial favorites were chicken and rice and peas and ham. He has now matured to more complex tastes such as mommy's lentils with garlic and chorizo or hake with bechamel sauce (all purees, of course).
The other day when I was feeding him lunch, a puree of chicken and rice, he seemed far more interested with what was on my plate. I had just gotten ahold of Dad's pancit recipe the night before and had made batch of it that morning. Why not? I thought. I mean, what do babies in the Philippines eat, if not one of their national dishes?? So, I gave AR a long noodle appropriately seasoned with a bit of green onion, garlic and fish sauce. He didn't know what to do with it at first, but then copied me as I showed him how to shove it in his mouth. After that he continued to ask for more noodles!
Last week was full of new tastes for our growing explorer. First, papá Angel took him to a restaurant and invited him to a squid ring while he had a cup of coffee. Apparently AR loved gnoshing on that squid ring. Then, last weekend Angel made a rice curry with chicken and I pureed some of it a blender. AR scarfed that down as well!
Well, now it seems to be it was a lost cause. No going back to plain old chicken and rice for him! We have unintentionally converted him into a bonafide sybarite! What next? Bento boxes for daycare?
One of the best words of advice that I recieved when I was pregnant with AR came from a dear high school friend who has 3 of his own. He must know what he's talking about. I have these words permanently engraved in my head: "You will receive a lot of advice from a lot of people. The only advice that I will give you is to follow your instincts and you will be fine".
Since then, I have listened to advice from my American friends, Spanish friends, my mother, my suegra, a couple of pediatricians, lab technicians etc. Sometimes I wonder if my instincts are right!
If that weren't enough, we have this wonderful invention called the internet which allows me to see what the trends are in the States as far as feeding baby and can compare them to trends here in Spain.
Mom was really surprised when AR's first solid meal (after cereal) was a puree of carrots, potatoes, leeks, zucchini, pumpkin and chicken. Here they follow the sink or swim protocol of feeding baby. All or nothing. None of this test each food separately, keeping a diary. After reading so many (American) magazines and websites, you can bet that I was just a bit uncertain. Heck this is all new to me. What do I know? I really wanted to follow the American trends, but then decided on the Spanish since our pediatrician is Spanish.
Moving to the solid food stage has been a real trial. And, as some of you know, there are the ongoing digestive/growth concerns as AR is very small for his age (yet very agile). We are currently undergoing many different tests and analyses to check for intolerance to gluten and/or lactose. Cereal still remains one of the most challenging foods to give him.
However, we are pleased to see that our little guy eats just about everything else! His initial favorites were chicken and rice and peas and ham. He has now matured to more complex tastes such as mommy's lentils with garlic and chorizo or hake with bechamel sauce (all purees, of course).
The other day when I was feeding him lunch, a puree of chicken and rice, he seemed far more interested with what was on my plate. I had just gotten ahold of Dad's pancit recipe the night before and had made batch of it that morning. Why not? I thought. I mean, what do babies in the Philippines eat, if not one of their national dishes?? So, I gave AR a long noodle appropriately seasoned with a bit of green onion, garlic and fish sauce. He didn't know what to do with it at first, but then copied me as I showed him how to shove it in his mouth. After that he continued to ask for more noodles!
Last week was full of new tastes for our growing explorer. First, papá Angel took him to a restaurant and invited him to a squid ring while he had a cup of coffee. Apparently AR loved gnoshing on that squid ring. Then, last weekend Angel made a rice curry with chicken and I pureed some of it a blender. AR scarfed that down as well!
Well, now it seems to be it was a lost cause. No going back to plain old chicken and rice for him! We have unintentionally converted him into a bonafide sybarite! What next? Bento boxes for daycare?
Monday, April 09, 2007
The Great Easter Egg Hunt
Well, it seems that this was not my year for introducing Easter egg dyeing to AR. Yesterday we took a jaunt up to San Sebastian de Los Reyes to visit one of our favorite stores, IKEA! As some of you know, my entire office was practically furnished at IKEA and a good percentage of our home has been too.
After IKEA, it was time to do our weekly shopping and this time I won out. We avoided the hypermarkets and went to a traditional supermarket. Bad move. They were completely sold out of eggs. I don't even know what color eggs they had. All I knew is that there were none left to buy. The only other time that that had happened to me was right around Christmas time in the States when it was time to bake the Christmas cookies and ACME had it's famous BOGO (buy one get one) offers on a dozen eggs.
Seeing as we went to the supermarket right before 2pm (and everything closes from 2-4pm for the siesta time) there was no chance of making it to another one. Besides, we had to get home to prepare lunch for Angel's mother and sister who were coming over for lunch. So, unfortunately AR will have to wait another year to break in Dudley and the egg coloring kit!
After IKEA, it was time to do our weekly shopping and this time I won out. We avoided the hypermarkets and went to a traditional supermarket. Bad move. They were completely sold out of eggs. I don't even know what color eggs they had. All I knew is that there were none left to buy. The only other time that that had happened to me was right around Christmas time in the States when it was time to bake the Christmas cookies and ACME had it's famous BOGO (buy one get one) offers on a dozen eggs.
Seeing as we went to the supermarket right before 2pm (and everything closes from 2-4pm for the siesta time) there was no chance of making it to another one. Besides, we had to get home to prepare lunch for Angel's mother and sister who were coming over for lunch. So, unfortunately AR will have to wait another year to break in Dudley and the egg coloring kit!
Friday, April 06, 2007
When in Rome...
With Easter right around the corner I thought it would be fun to dye Easter eggs with AR and possibly with all his friends in Northern Stars. His ever-doting grandparents* lovingly sent him an Easter package which contained a Dudley the Rabbit Egg Coloring kit....certainly brought back childhood memories!
Last week just prior to our weekly marathon food shopping trip I made sure to include an extra dozen eggs on the list. What was I thinking? Have I really been living here so long that I have forgotten some of the basic differences in the food category? We went to one of the overrated hypermarkets which I so completely despise. You need two hours to walk 5 kilometers down immense aisles of products just to finish your weekly grocery shopping which would have taken all of half an hour in a conventional supermarket. One would think that with such variety and choice it would have been no problem to find a dozen white eggs. Well, no such luck. Eggs here are brown. Once in a very great while you can find a dozen white eggs. Last weekend was not one of those great whiles. No problem finding small, medium, large and extra-large brown eggs... in half dozen, 10-egg, dozen and 18-egg and 3 dozen flats. Even quail eggs abounded. But no white eggs. It would have been really cool to find white quail eggs...that way they would be baby-sized to color for Easter. I know, I am asking for the impossible.
So, I am holding out for tomorrow when we brave the crowds and do our weekly shopping yet again. Maybe I can convince Angel that it really is worth it to go to a normal supermarket...maybe just maybe they will have white eggs...
*his grandparents are, of course, my parents. His abuelos are Ángel´s parents. The change in language is an easy way to distiguish the two sets of proud grandparents! :)
Last week just prior to our weekly marathon food shopping trip I made sure to include an extra dozen eggs on the list. What was I thinking? Have I really been living here so long that I have forgotten some of the basic differences in the food category? We went to one of the overrated hypermarkets which I so completely despise. You need two hours to walk 5 kilometers down immense aisles of products just to finish your weekly grocery shopping which would have taken all of half an hour in a conventional supermarket. One would think that with such variety and choice it would have been no problem to find a dozen white eggs. Well, no such luck. Eggs here are brown. Once in a very great while you can find a dozen white eggs. Last weekend was not one of those great whiles. No problem finding small, medium, large and extra-large brown eggs... in half dozen, 10-egg, dozen and 18-egg and 3 dozen flats. Even quail eggs abounded. But no white eggs. It would have been really cool to find white quail eggs...that way they would be baby-sized to color for Easter. I know, I am asking for the impossible.
So, I am holding out for tomorrow when we brave the crowds and do our weekly shopping yet again. Maybe I can convince Angel that it really is worth it to go to a normal supermarket...maybe just maybe they will have white eggs...
*his grandparents are, of course, my parents. His abuelos are Ángel´s parents. The change in language is an easy way to distiguish the two sets of proud grandparents! :)
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Tales of An Immigrant Mother
So...on February 17th, my residency expired and I had to renew my status here.
Thinking that Spain is pretty modern (which it is...and surprisingly fast in some things)..and generally distracted by other things in life, I didn't start getting the paperwork together until a week before the expiration date...I started on February 10th. The only thing that I had to really make an effort to get was a copy of my inscription/registration in the neighborhood where we live (certificado de empadronamiento) and a recently certified copy of our marriage certificate (the Spanish version). Usually to get the neighborhood registration, it's a question of walking into the local government office, standing in line (only about 45 minutes or so depending on the amount of people there) and they should give it to you. Shouldn't it be my luck that they told me to come back 5 days later to pick it up.!!!!
Ok, with the deadline drawing closer, Angel went to the central registry office in center city Madrid to get a certified copy of our marriage certificate on February 13th. After waiting in line for an hour and a half, filling out the due forms, etc...they told him the certificate would be available for pick up from March 8th onward!!!
So much for getting my renewal done on time....Now that makes me an illegal immigrant! Or in more diplomatic terms, an immigrant in an irregular situation.
Anyway...finally having all the documents together, Angel took me to the immigration office this past Friday morning at 9:15 am. Keep in mind the office opens at 9am. Well, much to my dismay there was a line of at least 800 people wrapping around the next block. My first class on Fridays is at 12 noon on the other side of town. Needless to say, I did not get in line. Angel parked the car and went inside to talk to one of the government workers who assured him that although I have "comunitario status" (pertaining to the European Union, not "just an immigrant fron a non European Union country") I had to wait in line and chances are that they wouldn't get to me until 5pm....this at 9:15 am (the offices close from 2-4pm for lunch)! They then told him that a good number of people start lining up at 5am. Viva bureacracy!
So, Monday morning bright and early, my alarm went off at 6am. "This is so unreal" I thought and grumbled about in the dark. After getting it together (baby and all) I arrived at the immigration office at 7:15 am. There were already almost 500 people in line in front of me. And a steady stream of immigrants arriving by the second to line up. Unbelieveable. So, Angel with a chuckle and a smile dropped me off and very sweetly offered to come back with a folding chair and thermos of coffee. Grrrr..
After 5 hours of waiting in line, I finally completed the process of presenting all the paperwork (the abovementioned documents, proof that Angel lives in the country, a copy of my now-expired residency card, a copy of Angel's ID card, a complete copy of my whole passport, and 3 passport sized photos). Lovely. I don't know why I was surprised when the woman told me that I would receive a letter in the mail in approximately 3 months to inform me that my new residency card would be available for pick-up. And yes, I will have to wait in that same *damned* line in front of immigration to pick up my card. GRRRRR!!!
On another note, AR continues to grow slowly. He now weighs 8.5 kilos (approx. 18lbs) at almost 14 months of age. In the 3rd percentile. We have taken him to see another pediatrician for a second opinion. He basically confirmed everything that our current pediatrician has told us and sent AR for a battery of tests to check for some kind of intolerance. The results are back and they indicate that he is partially celiac (allergic to gluten which is found in wheat) and possibly lactose intolerant. We have to re-do his urine analysis and run through the battery of tests that the first pediatrician has sent us to do as well. Certainly by the time we come to the USA at the end of next month, AR will be on a special diet. Poor thing.
Despite all that, he is thriving...and very very active. He loves to play chase with papá and peek-a-boo (cúcu-tras) with both of his parents. If we hum the William Tell overture he goes over to his rocking reindeer and starts to rock it back and forth. He settles down nicely when mommy reads to him and generally loves going to his toy box and systematically pull all his toys out one by one and throw them over his shoulder. His vocabulary consists of mama, dada and duck. :). He understands many more words but hasn't started saying them himself yet...
Thinking that Spain is pretty modern (which it is...and surprisingly fast in some things)..and generally distracted by other things in life, I didn't start getting the paperwork together until a week before the expiration date...I started on February 10th. The only thing that I had to really make an effort to get was a copy of my inscription/registration in the neighborhood where we live (certificado de empadronamiento) and a recently certified copy of our marriage certificate (the Spanish version). Usually to get the neighborhood registration, it's a question of walking into the local government office, standing in line (only about 45 minutes or so depending on the amount of people there) and they should give it to you. Shouldn't it be my luck that they told me to come back 5 days later to pick it up.!!!!
Ok, with the deadline drawing closer, Angel went to the central registry office in center city Madrid to get a certified copy of our marriage certificate on February 13th. After waiting in line for an hour and a half, filling out the due forms, etc...they told him the certificate would be available for pick up from March 8th onward!!!
So much for getting my renewal done on time....Now that makes me an illegal immigrant! Or in more diplomatic terms, an immigrant in an irregular situation.
Anyway...finally having all the documents together, Angel took me to the immigration office this past Friday morning at 9:15 am. Keep in mind the office opens at 9am. Well, much to my dismay there was a line of at least 800 people wrapping around the next block. My first class on Fridays is at 12 noon on the other side of town. Needless to say, I did not get in line. Angel parked the car and went inside to talk to one of the government workers who assured him that although I have "comunitario status" (pertaining to the European Union, not "just an immigrant fron a non European Union country") I had to wait in line and chances are that they wouldn't get to me until 5pm....this at 9:15 am (the offices close from 2-4pm for lunch)! They then told him that a good number of people start lining up at 5am. Viva bureacracy!
So, Monday morning bright and early, my alarm went off at 6am. "This is so unreal" I thought and grumbled about in the dark. After getting it together (baby and all) I arrived at the immigration office at 7:15 am. There were already almost 500 people in line in front of me. And a steady stream of immigrants arriving by the second to line up. Unbelieveable. So, Angel with a chuckle and a smile dropped me off and very sweetly offered to come back with a folding chair and thermos of coffee. Grrrr..
After 5 hours of waiting in line, I finally completed the process of presenting all the paperwork (the abovementioned documents, proof that Angel lives in the country, a copy of my now-expired residency card, a copy of Angel's ID card, a complete copy of my whole passport, and 3 passport sized photos). Lovely. I don't know why I was surprised when the woman told me that I would receive a letter in the mail in approximately 3 months to inform me that my new residency card would be available for pick-up. And yes, I will have to wait in that same *damned* line in front of immigration to pick up my card. GRRRRR!!!
On another note, AR continues to grow slowly. He now weighs 8.5 kilos (approx. 18lbs) at almost 14 months of age. In the 3rd percentile. We have taken him to see another pediatrician for a second opinion. He basically confirmed everything that our current pediatrician has told us and sent AR for a battery of tests to check for some kind of intolerance. The results are back and they indicate that he is partially celiac (allergic to gluten which is found in wheat) and possibly lactose intolerant. We have to re-do his urine analysis and run through the battery of tests that the first pediatrician has sent us to do as well. Certainly by the time we come to the USA at the end of next month, AR will be on a special diet. Poor thing.
Despite all that, he is thriving...and very very active. He loves to play chase with papá and peek-a-boo (cúcu-tras) with both of his parents. If we hum the William Tell overture he goes over to his rocking reindeer and starts to rock it back and forth. He settles down nicely when mommy reads to him and generally loves going to his toy box and systematically pull all his toys out one by one and throw them over his shoulder. His vocabulary consists of mama, dada and duck. :). He understands many more words but hasn't started saying them himself yet...
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
My Bilingual Baby
So, I am deep in the throes of motherhood, and very much intrigued by the concept of being "bilingual from birth". For me, speaking only English to AR is simply the most natural thing in the world to me. It's like we have our own secret language that we communicate in when we are out and about (even though he isn't yet talking).
At home we use the OPOL (one parent, one language) method. Ángel naturally speaks to AR in Spanish, and I speak to him in English. Our dinnertime conversations are always very interesting. Daddy will say something to AR in Spanish and I will say the same thing to him in English. It's interesting to see how he responds equally well to both languages. His verbal communication is still limited to mama and what we think is dada. However with his gestures and babbles he certainly makes us know what he wants!
It's fun to see people's reactions on the street as they do a double take when they hear us (well, me) chattering in English. The most interesting time is when we go to the playground. Mothers and their babies will come up to us and ask what his name is, how old he is, etc...in Spanish. So I tell AR to tell them how old he is ... our (my) conversation sounds something like this:
me to AR: Look Ángel, you have a new friend! Tell him your name. Go on! Say "Me llamo Ángel Rubén. ¿Cómo te llamas?". Tell him how old you are. Go on! Say "tengo un añito".
The reactions after that bit are very interesting. One day, the father of a child, after a similar exchange asked me, in English, where I was from. Something that I was totally not expecting (the in English part, that is).
Anyway, Mommy, in her anxiousness that her son learn English as well as he will learn Spanish, has started up an English speaking playgroup in the northern part of Madrid...hence the name...Northern Stars. I have been doing some real life networking as well as some virtual networking on a very interesting website dedicated to raising your children bi/multi-lingually: Bilingual Babies.
This past Sunday we had our first get together at an indoor baby gym... 10 families came out with a total of 14 children! Wow! Now Angel Ruben will have lots of English speaking (bilingual) friends!
At home we use the OPOL (one parent, one language) method. Ángel naturally speaks to AR in Spanish, and I speak to him in English. Our dinnertime conversations are always very interesting. Daddy will say something to AR in Spanish and I will say the same thing to him in English. It's interesting to see how he responds equally well to both languages. His verbal communication is still limited to mama and what we think is dada. However with his gestures and babbles he certainly makes us know what he wants!
It's fun to see people's reactions on the street as they do a double take when they hear us (well, me) chattering in English. The most interesting time is when we go to the playground. Mothers and their babies will come up to us and ask what his name is, how old he is, etc...in Spanish. So I tell AR to tell them how old he is ... our (my) conversation sounds something like this:
me to AR: Look Ángel, you have a new friend! Tell him your name. Go on! Say "Me llamo Ángel Rubén. ¿Cómo te llamas?". Tell him how old you are. Go on! Say "tengo un añito".
The reactions after that bit are very interesting. One day, the father of a child, after a similar exchange asked me, in English, where I was from. Something that I was totally not expecting (the in English part, that is).
Anyway, Mommy, in her anxiousness that her son learn English as well as he will learn Spanish, has started up an English speaking playgroup in the northern part of Madrid...hence the name...Northern Stars. I have been doing some real life networking as well as some virtual networking on a very interesting website dedicated to raising your children bi/multi-lingually: Bilingual Babies.
This past Sunday we had our first get together at an indoor baby gym... 10 families came out with a total of 14 children! Wow! Now Angel Ruben will have lots of English speaking (bilingual) friends!
Sunday, March 27, 2005
Word Play
Lately my life has been crazily tied up in English classes. But I am not complaining. I actually really love what I do! The best thing is that I learn some of the most fascinating things about the English language. I am going to share some of this new found knowlege with you right now! :)
A year ago I was in the doctor's office. He told me to come back the next morning in ayunas (without having eaten anything for 12 hrs. prior). I didn't know the word ayunas when he said it to me, so he had to explain what it meant. On the bus ride home, I got to thinking about how we say that in English...after a few minutes of pondering I was able to pull the word "fast" from the depths of my memory (it's not a word that I use everyday in my English classes!). I have always been a lover of words and reading... so I was just aimlessly turning the two words over in my mind: fasting/ayunas when the word breakfast popped into my brain. I thought about it for a second and thought break-fast... interesting. The word for breakfast is desayuno in Spanish. Turning it over more ... des-ayuno. Des is the Spanish (latin?) prefix for "un" such as undo (deshacer), unemployed (desempleo). So naturally I determined that desayuno literally meant undo the fast.. and in English we express that as "breaking the fast" or breakfast. So this all must go back to some religious roots, such as in the Muslim countries that fast at sundown.
I like playing with the words in English because as illogical as it seems at times (especially to a Spanish speaker) there really is a lot of logic behind it. I help the students see words inside of words so they can learn through self-discovery rather than teacher translations. So when I am asked what a words such as overcharge, homeless and keyboard mean, I tell them to break the words down into smaller words and work out the meaning that way. The students come away with a great sense of self-satisfaction when they reach that "aha!" moment of working out the meaning of the word. It's something that really makes me happy to see.
A year ago I was in the doctor's office. He told me to come back the next morning in ayunas (without having eaten anything for 12 hrs. prior). I didn't know the word ayunas when he said it to me, so he had to explain what it meant. On the bus ride home, I got to thinking about how we say that in English...after a few minutes of pondering I was able to pull the word "fast" from the depths of my memory (it's not a word that I use everyday in my English classes!). I have always been a lover of words and reading... so I was just aimlessly turning the two words over in my mind: fasting/ayunas when the word breakfast popped into my brain. I thought about it for a second and thought break-fast... interesting. The word for breakfast is desayuno in Spanish. Turning it over more ... des-ayuno. Des is the Spanish (latin?) prefix for "un" such as undo (deshacer), unemployed (desempleo). So naturally I determined that desayuno literally meant undo the fast.. and in English we express that as "breaking the fast" or breakfast. So this all must go back to some religious roots, such as in the Muslim countries that fast at sundown.
I like playing with the words in English because as illogical as it seems at times (especially to a Spanish speaker) there really is a lot of logic behind it. I help the students see words inside of words so they can learn through self-discovery rather than teacher translations. So when I am asked what a words such as overcharge, homeless and keyboard mean, I tell them to break the words down into smaller words and work out the meaning that way. The students come away with a great sense of self-satisfaction when they reach that "aha!" moment of working out the meaning of the word. It's something that really makes me happy to see.
I Finally Did It
Hi there everyone! It has been awhile since you have heard from me and my monthly (give or take a few months :)) ramblings about life in Spain.
Over the past few months several of you commented that you missed my emails telling about my life here in Spain. Now I understand where reality TV gets its success from. People love being the fly on the wall and living other people's lives vicariously. More than a handful of you suggested that I start a BLOG starting with my sister who suggested it over two years ago!
So, here you have it. My very own weblog... or "blog". Hopefully it will provide you with hours of entertainment! Little by little, I will be uploading all my past "issues" of my Life in Spain, and I will try to be better about keeping you all updated about my life here in the land of yummy cheese, great wine, chorizo, bulls, flamenco and tapas!
Over the past few months several of you commented that you missed my emails telling about my life here in Spain. Now I understand where reality TV gets its success from. People love being the fly on the wall and living other people's lives vicariously. More than a handful of you suggested that I start a BLOG starting with my sister who suggested it over two years ago!
So, here you have it. My very own weblog... or "blog". Hopefully it will provide you with hours of entertainment! Little by little, I will be uploading all my past "issues" of my Life in Spain, and I will try to be better about keeping you all updated about my life here in the land of yummy cheese, great wine, chorizo, bulls, flamenco and tapas!
Thursday, June 24, 2004
Forever Young: Life's Connections
Forever Young
I was always reminded of my years at LVC serving as one of the DJs in the campus social club whenever I heard the song Forever Young by the one-hit-wonder group Alphaville.... that is until I went to my local Madrid food market, “Los Mares” for the first time.
I turned 36 this past January... hard to believe. I had a moment (or two) of crisis as I began to think about my age and get anxious about it. To make matters worse, I started to think about my friends from Lebanon Valley College, from Radnor High School and from many of my life journeys ... the ones that are married with kids. I stopped and thought, “where on earth has time gone??” (by the way, please don´t stop sending the kiddie pics... I love them!). It got me down a bit. Ángel tried cheering me up by reminding me that he was turning 40. Ufff....
Then, I discovered a miracle cure for this age-related depression. Actually, it´s a great pick-me-up anytime I am feeling down... I go shopping at Los Mares. You have to understand that shopping at Los Mares in and of itself is an adventure... a journey into a land of mixed smells... fresh fish with fresh baked bread, aged cheese with hanging ham hocks. It´s also a visual journey full of vibrant colors and activity. From the brightly colored fruits to the blood red meats, a rainbow of seafood. And the din... from the fish mongers to the frutero (green grocer), the butchers, etc... calling out to the clients, reconfirming orders asking about grandchildren, offering samples of their foods. It´s true pleasure for the senses. But this isn´t the real cure...
The cure is the special treatment that I get every time I go. From the butcher calling me joven... "¿qué más joven?" ("what else young lady?") to the poultry man calling me his queen:
Me: can I have a dozen eggs please?
Him: what else my queen?
Me: half a kilo of chicken breasts cut into filets.
Him: Anything else beautiful?
It´s enough to make any woman leave floating. Of course, I have to mention that I hit another small bout of depre (depression) when I heard them talking to a woman of about 70 in the same manner as they spoke with me. It´s all a farce I thought. But that´s ok... I have learned to accept the piropos (compliments) and let them be my pick-me-up for the day. Now whenever I enter the market, invariably I am humming “Forever Young”.
Summer weather in June
This past week the temperatures hit 40º celsius in the shade. That translates to 104ºF. As I commented to my sister the other day... one really begins to develop an appreciation for why the Spaniards take such long and leisurely lunches/siestas midday. It´s just so darned hot that you can´t really do much else. Too bad that doesn't seem to be the norm in stressed-out, work-crazed Madrid. The heat is asphyxiating.
I´m also convinced that heat drives people out of their homes. Which might explain the visits that I have been receiving from Miguel. He first came by the office when I was in class with another client two weeks ago. He was content to wait the 30 minutes until I finished. He excitedly explained that he MUST learn English. He told me that in today´s world English was absolutely necessary. I don´t disagree with him... especially to get ahead in the labor market here in Spain. However, Miguel is about 75 years old!!! Since his initial visit, he has come back twice. I finally gave him a level test to assess his level of English. He has a surprisingly ample vocabulary. When I handed him the test he asked, what do I do? Translate the questions in Spanish? No, I answered him. You answer them in English”. In English?! He was astonished. He told me, I don´t know English which is why I want you to teach me. Then he asked me to pronounce a few random words in English and giggled with delight at my “perfect pronunciation”. I hope I can learn to speak as well as you can!
May there be more Miguel´s in this life!
Life´s Circles
Back in 1987 when I was here studying at the Universidad de Madrid Complutense, I became friends with Javier F. Javier was my intercambio (language exchange partner). We would go out a couple of times a week with two specific objectives... for him to improve his English and for me to improve my Spanish. After a few beers, we never ran out of topics of discussion. He introduced me to his circle of friends which included Pepe, Antonio, and Carlos. Pepe and Carlos were law students and Antonio was studying medicine. I started going out with all of them feeling very much a part of the sophisticated Euro culture of having a leisurely cup of coffee in an outdoor terrace (long before Starbucks was a household name). After awhile, Pepe and company lost touch with Javier, as did I. However, I remained in contact with Pepe and continued going out with them until my semester ended. For the next couple of years, I exchanged Christmas cards with Pepe, but eventually lost touch as the years passed. A year ago, I was watching TV here in Madrid... thinking about the olden days of studying here... and the friends that I had. Suddenly, on the news I saw a guy that I could have sworn was Pepe. The man was a lawyer giving a press conference about the music industry and the illegal piracy. For a month I kept debating the idea and then finally sat down and wrote him a note and sent it to the only address that I had for him. The weeks, then months passed and I never heard from him. I was a bit disappointed but figured, what the heck... he is a big time lawyer now and probably doesn´t even remember me!
I was in the office this morning when the phone rang. I answered it with a “good morning”. A Spanish male voice on the other end asked to speak with “Becky”. Those of you who have visited me here will know that most everyone Spanish calls me Rebecca. I suppose it´s more Spanish sounding than “Becky”. I was a bit taken aback as I didn´t recognize the voice. I said “this is Becky”. The male voice continued, “I bet you don´t know who I am”. I responded, “continue talking I´m sure I´ll recognize the voice”. The unknown voice said, “you´ll have to remember back 17 years”. No, I thought. It can´t be. Then the voice continued... "Becky, it´s Pepe". Pepe! I screamed! It was so exciting to hear from him. He went on to tell me that he hadn´t seen Carlos in about 15 years, but recently got a call from him because Carlos had received a call from Javier! Now we are all planning to get together for dinner with our respective spouses. I´ll have to report back on how it went!
The first few weeks of July are going to be busy! I have gotten the usual calls/emails from passers-through. First on the agenda is Penny K. She arrives tomorrow with a group from Villanova University. I think we´ll invite her to our house for dinner if her tight agenda allows it. Next comes Dr. Iglesias, my college Spanish professor. She´s in town for a conference and we are planning on getting together at some point before she returns to the States. Then comes my sister and her friend Vanya visiting from St. Petersburg, Russia. I am sure that they will melt once they feel the temps that we have been experiencing here! Ángel and I are hoping to escape the second half of August to the mountains in the north to do a little camping and hiking before the high season of English teaching really kicks in in September/October. Hopefully this fall we will be seeing former roomie Liz and her hubby Mike as they pass through Madrid on their way to the beach. Any others planning their European getaway? You know where we are so feel free to look us up!
I was always reminded of my years at LVC serving as one of the DJs in the campus social club whenever I heard the song Forever Young by the one-hit-wonder group Alphaville.... that is until I went to my local Madrid food market, “Los Mares” for the first time.
I turned 36 this past January... hard to believe. I had a moment (or two) of crisis as I began to think about my age and get anxious about it. To make matters worse, I started to think about my friends from Lebanon Valley College, from Radnor High School and from many of my life journeys ... the ones that are married with kids. I stopped and thought, “where on earth has time gone??” (by the way, please don´t stop sending the kiddie pics... I love them!). It got me down a bit. Ángel tried cheering me up by reminding me that he was turning 40. Ufff....
Then, I discovered a miracle cure for this age-related depression. Actually, it´s a great pick-me-up anytime I am feeling down... I go shopping at Los Mares. You have to understand that shopping at Los Mares in and of itself is an adventure... a journey into a land of mixed smells... fresh fish with fresh baked bread, aged cheese with hanging ham hocks. It´s also a visual journey full of vibrant colors and activity. From the brightly colored fruits to the blood red meats, a rainbow of seafood. And the din... from the fish mongers to the frutero (green grocer), the butchers, etc... calling out to the clients, reconfirming orders asking about grandchildren, offering samples of their foods. It´s true pleasure for the senses. But this isn´t the real cure...
The cure is the special treatment that I get every time I go. From the butcher calling me joven... "¿qué más joven?" ("what else young lady?") to the poultry man calling me his queen:
Me: can I have a dozen eggs please?
Him: what else my queen?
Me: half a kilo of chicken breasts cut into filets.
Him: Anything else beautiful?
It´s enough to make any woman leave floating. Of course, I have to mention that I hit another small bout of depre (depression) when I heard them talking to a woman of about 70 in the same manner as they spoke with me. It´s all a farce I thought. But that´s ok... I have learned to accept the piropos (compliments) and let them be my pick-me-up for the day. Now whenever I enter the market, invariably I am humming “Forever Young”.
Summer weather in June
This past week the temperatures hit 40º celsius in the shade. That translates to 104ºF. As I commented to my sister the other day... one really begins to develop an appreciation for why the Spaniards take such long and leisurely lunches/siestas midday. It´s just so darned hot that you can´t really do much else. Too bad that doesn't seem to be the norm in stressed-out, work-crazed Madrid. The heat is asphyxiating.
I´m also convinced that heat drives people out of their homes. Which might explain the visits that I have been receiving from Miguel. He first came by the office when I was in class with another client two weeks ago. He was content to wait the 30 minutes until I finished. He excitedly explained that he MUST learn English. He told me that in today´s world English was absolutely necessary. I don´t disagree with him... especially to get ahead in the labor market here in Spain. However, Miguel is about 75 years old!!! Since his initial visit, he has come back twice. I finally gave him a level test to assess his level of English. He has a surprisingly ample vocabulary. When I handed him the test he asked, what do I do? Translate the questions in Spanish? No, I answered him. You answer them in English”. In English?! He was astonished. He told me, I don´t know English which is why I want you to teach me. Then he asked me to pronounce a few random words in English and giggled with delight at my “perfect pronunciation”. I hope I can learn to speak as well as you can!
May there be more Miguel´s in this life!
Life´s Circles
Back in 1987 when I was here studying at the Universidad de Madrid Complutense, I became friends with Javier F. Javier was my intercambio (language exchange partner). We would go out a couple of times a week with two specific objectives... for him to improve his English and for me to improve my Spanish. After a few beers, we never ran out of topics of discussion. He introduced me to his circle of friends which included Pepe, Antonio, and Carlos. Pepe and Carlos were law students and Antonio was studying medicine. I started going out with all of them feeling very much a part of the sophisticated Euro culture of having a leisurely cup of coffee in an outdoor terrace (long before Starbucks was a household name). After awhile, Pepe and company lost touch with Javier, as did I. However, I remained in contact with Pepe and continued going out with them until my semester ended. For the next couple of years, I exchanged Christmas cards with Pepe, but eventually lost touch as the years passed. A year ago, I was watching TV here in Madrid... thinking about the olden days of studying here... and the friends that I had. Suddenly, on the news I saw a guy that I could have sworn was Pepe. The man was a lawyer giving a press conference about the music industry and the illegal piracy. For a month I kept debating the idea and then finally sat down and wrote him a note and sent it to the only address that I had for him. The weeks, then months passed and I never heard from him. I was a bit disappointed but figured, what the heck... he is a big time lawyer now and probably doesn´t even remember me!
I was in the office this morning when the phone rang. I answered it with a “good morning”. A Spanish male voice on the other end asked to speak with “Becky”. Those of you who have visited me here will know that most everyone Spanish calls me Rebecca. I suppose it´s more Spanish sounding than “Becky”. I was a bit taken aback as I didn´t recognize the voice. I said “this is Becky”. The male voice continued, “I bet you don´t know who I am”. I responded, “continue talking I´m sure I´ll recognize the voice”. The unknown voice said, “you´ll have to remember back 17 years”. No, I thought. It can´t be. Then the voice continued... "Becky, it´s Pepe". Pepe! I screamed! It was so exciting to hear from him. He went on to tell me that he hadn´t seen Carlos in about 15 years, but recently got a call from him because Carlos had received a call from Javier! Now we are all planning to get together for dinner with our respective spouses. I´ll have to report back on how it went!
The first few weeks of July are going to be busy! I have gotten the usual calls/emails from passers-through. First on the agenda is Penny K. She arrives tomorrow with a group from Villanova University. I think we´ll invite her to our house for dinner if her tight agenda allows it. Next comes Dr. Iglesias, my college Spanish professor. She´s in town for a conference and we are planning on getting together at some point before she returns to the States. Then comes my sister and her friend Vanya visiting from St. Petersburg, Russia. I am sure that they will melt once they feel the temps that we have been experiencing here! Ángel and I are hoping to escape the second half of August to the mountains in the north to do a little camping and hiking before the high season of English teaching really kicks in in September/October. Hopefully this fall we will be seeing former roomie Liz and her hubby Mike as they pass through Madrid on their way to the beach. Any others planning their European getaway? You know where we are so feel free to look us up!
Monday, March 15, 2004
Despicable Terrorism
Contemplating What It All Means
I am forever asking you all to forgive my silence (all though it´s not really possible to shut me up completely!). The unfortunate events that took place here in Madrid on March 11th have given me, and plenty of other people, a second look at life and I wonder what it really all means. I have become a news junkie ever since marrying Ángel. I mean, current affairs were always an interest of mine, but now (over the past three years) even moreso as I struggle to feel connected to one country or another someway, somehow. When September 11th happened, I couldn´t help but feel like I was viewing the drama from high above. Connected, but yet not really connected. Connected because the USA is my country, yet disconnected once I knew that my family and friends were safe and not in any imminent danger. The same happened here for me in Madrid. I felt connected as my path crossed with many who were closely affected by the bombings, yet at the same time I felt disconnected, almost untouchable... as if the bombings would have never been able to hurt me or any of my loved ones. It was a strange out-of-body feeling.
I keep up with the news from the USA as much as possible. I read the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times, The Economist, scan CCN, scan Fox News, check Reuters and the BBC, not to mention the Spanish press. A healthy mix of left and right wing opinions and views. I like to think that I am fairly well versed in what is happening in my country, and around the world for that matter. However, I haven´t been able to come to a clear conclusion about what the March 11th bombings mean for Spain and the world.
Despite what is appearing in the (right wing) press in the United States, I do not believe that the Spaniards voted out of cowardice. Nor do I believe that they “voted” for Al Quaeda. However, I DO believe that what happened here, and the recent change in government (certainly not abrupt since the political race was neck and neck with the right leaning Partido Popular –PP – only slightly ahead) was a pure statement of democracy. Over the past two years there have been demonstrations against the war in Iraq, against the war in Afghanistan, the John Lennon “give peace a chance” parties, etc. While I don´t necessarily subscribe to these ways of expressing opinion, I´d be foolish not to mention that the Spanish culture is a very vocal culture. It is not one to conform or to run away in fear. It is one to demonstrate publicly about its displeasure (and it´s pleasure) of social issues. With the elections at hand, the Spanish population overall, was getting fed up with the governing party ... the attacks on March 11th were merely the straw that broke the camel´s back. People came out in record numbers to vote. The news here says that this year 75% of the eligible population voted, 2 million more than the year before. That, my friends, is a democracy, not an act of cowardiceness.
I did attend the peaceful protest against violent crime and terrorism in the streets of Madrid on Friday March 12, with Ángel, his brother and his brother´s wife... in the pouring rain with our umbrellas and candles. It was an extremely moving moment for me. Never in my life (so far as I can remember) have I ever felt such a strange mix of emotions. What moved me even more was to think that in Madrid alone, I was in a crowd of 2 MILLION people protesting. JUST IN MADRID! The Spaniards, after the horrific bombing which, when you compare the size of Spain --40 million -- to the USA --almost 300 million and damage –200+ deaths to 2000(?) deaths, can be considered Spain´s “September 11th” did not run and hide in their homes for fear of another attack. They took to the streets in angry defiance at the thought that someone(s) would so as dare attack the country. Overall, on that fated March 12th, an estimated 11 million people in Spain, ONE QUARTER OF THE POPULATION, took to the streets in peaceful, yet visibly angry defiance of such violence.
I have never been fond of the idea that the USA was taking a pre-emptive strike against Iraq...nor have I ever been really fond of José Luis Zapatero the new Prime Minister-elect of Spain. José María Áznar, Spain´s outgoing Prime Minister, ... I had learned to deal with although not necessarily agree with.
I suppose I am in a wait and see mode to see how these elections will affect, if at all, world politics and particularly the November elections in the States.
Perhaps I have bored a number of you with my political rants...but I would certainly welcome responses, feedback, and/or debate on the issue.
OK...off my soap box and onto lighter dribble.
An Expat´s Life
It is said that it takes an expat (expatriate...such as yours truly) anywhere from 3-5 years to fully adjust and feel at home in their new country. I am trusting that my familiarity with Spain and ability with the Spanish language has reduced my learning curve to the minimum 3 years. That being the case, next month, April 16th to be precise, marks my 3 year anniversary living here in Spain. Hard to believe that it has been that long already. My memories of life in the USA...particularly the last moments, will be forever crystal clear in my mind... and they almost always bring a smile to my face. According to those 3-5 year statistics...everything from here on out should be cake for me. It has definitely been an interesting ride and time in my life, these last 3 years...I can´t help but wonder if they would have been as varied and “drama filled” had I stayed in the States. Then again, I never really did have a boring life in the USA either. My favorite motto... better busy than bored!
On the wild rollercoaster of life!
So, we have finally launched our on-the-street marketing campaign for IberEnglish Language Partners. As I said in one of my classes, and had the students in stitches ... it has been a long pregnancy (2 years)! Our soft marketing campaign has consisted of papering our neighborhood walls and parked cars, within a walkable distance to our offices, with small posters and flyers about the business. It has been a great way to know first hand the demographics of our neighborhood. We have been in campaign mode for a month and so far have pulled in five new students. Plus, a couple of drop-ins and other callers to gather information about what we offer. All this, along with the four different corporate classes (in-company) I teach. We have worked our numbers and calculated that our maximum capacity, operating two classrooms simultaneously is 100 students. It will be a while before we reach that number, but we are well on our way. We are also technologically official now that we have registered our domain: IberEnglish Language Partners. Ángel, man-of-many-talents, is the webmaster and as you will see, the site is in plena desarrollo (development) as we speak. Be sure to check back often to see our progress! The “Iber” part of our name stands for the Iberian Penninsula which is comprised of Spain, Portugal and Andorra. There are lots of businesses here that start with Iber and we were pleasantly surprised to discover that no one had registered “IberEnglish”. Don´t let anyone kid you....running your own business is more difficult than working for others! I start my first class at 8am and teach back to back classes, occasionally with little more than an hour in between straight through until 9:30pm. Then, if I have any translation work... that gets added on at the end or between classes.
It´s a Pig´s Life
In one of my previous editions of “life in Spain” many moons ago, I mentioned the tradition of “La Matanza”. Those of you who understand Spanish might understand that that loosely translates to “the killing” or better yet, “the slaughter”. Well this year, between Ángel and his brother (and of course with the blessing of their respective spouses), decided to buy a pig to slaughter and have a traditional “matanza”. This tradition is usually carried out in families and takes place over several days (or in our case, a couple of weekends). We bought a nice big fat pig and took it to a vet to have it inspected and approved and then slaughtered. From there, we brought it to Ángel Sr.´s workshop where he proceeded to butcher it...saving the ham hocks for cured ham... cutting out choice pork loins, separating the brains, etc ... you get the picture. We took some of the meat and ran it through a hand operated meat grinder to make my favorite Spanish sausage, chorizo. Added the seasonings and stuffed the intestines to make more chorizo than I dare dream about. We then cooked the blood with onion and added cooked rice and pine nuts to make morcilla, or blood sausage/blood pudding. Yum yum! Once I got over the initial queasiness of seeing a slaughtered pig on the floor with various parts lying about, the sausage making was actually quite fun!
What did make me a bit queasy was one of the dishes my mother-in-law prepared. All I saw her do was scramble some eggs... I did not notice the ingredients that she threw in at the last moment. When we sat down to eat, she asked me if I wanted some “huevos con sesos”. I didn´t know the word sesos but, so what, I´m adventurous! When she served me the eggs, I asked her where the sesos were.. she said they were already mixed in. Still not knowing I took a mouthful and then caught everyone looking at me expectantly! Of course, Ángel had to be the one to rain on the parade and oh-so-lovingly explained that sesos was another word for materia gris or cerebro or, in English... BRAINS! I felt my stomach turn literally in knots and couldn´t take another bite! The other lovely dish that she prepared were pig jowls in tomato sauce. It actually wasn´t that bad... it was just the thought that made me a little nauseous.
Life Goes On
Life goes on... I´m enjoying contact with lots of interesting people and am anxiously awaiting Semana Santa (Holy Week)since Ángel has promised to take me camping in the mountains of central northwestern Spain. That will be fun! Please keep me up to date with what is going on in your lives! I love getting emails about the babies, the marriages, new connections, old friendships. So do stay in touch... and if you are ever thinking of heading our way...don´t hesitate to look us up! Even if it´s only to meet for cerveza and tapas! We´d love to see you!
I am forever asking you all to forgive my silence (all though it´s not really possible to shut me up completely!). The unfortunate events that took place here in Madrid on March 11th have given me, and plenty of other people, a second look at life and I wonder what it really all means. I have become a news junkie ever since marrying Ángel. I mean, current affairs were always an interest of mine, but now (over the past three years) even moreso as I struggle to feel connected to one country or another someway, somehow. When September 11th happened, I couldn´t help but feel like I was viewing the drama from high above. Connected, but yet not really connected. Connected because the USA is my country, yet disconnected once I knew that my family and friends were safe and not in any imminent danger. The same happened here for me in Madrid. I felt connected as my path crossed with many who were closely affected by the bombings, yet at the same time I felt disconnected, almost untouchable... as if the bombings would have never been able to hurt me or any of my loved ones. It was a strange out-of-body feeling.
I keep up with the news from the USA as much as possible. I read the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times, The Economist, scan CCN, scan Fox News, check Reuters and the BBC, not to mention the Spanish press. A healthy mix of left and right wing opinions and views. I like to think that I am fairly well versed in what is happening in my country, and around the world for that matter. However, I haven´t been able to come to a clear conclusion about what the March 11th bombings mean for Spain and the world.
Despite what is appearing in the (right wing) press in the United States, I do not believe that the Spaniards voted out of cowardice. Nor do I believe that they “voted” for Al Quaeda. However, I DO believe that what happened here, and the recent change in government (certainly not abrupt since the political race was neck and neck with the right leaning Partido Popular –PP – only slightly ahead) was a pure statement of democracy. Over the past two years there have been demonstrations against the war in Iraq, against the war in Afghanistan, the John Lennon “give peace a chance” parties, etc. While I don´t necessarily subscribe to these ways of expressing opinion, I´d be foolish not to mention that the Spanish culture is a very vocal culture. It is not one to conform or to run away in fear. It is one to demonstrate publicly about its displeasure (and it´s pleasure) of social issues. With the elections at hand, the Spanish population overall, was getting fed up with the governing party ... the attacks on March 11th were merely the straw that broke the camel´s back. People came out in record numbers to vote. The news here says that this year 75% of the eligible population voted, 2 million more than the year before. That, my friends, is a democracy, not an act of cowardiceness.
I did attend the peaceful protest against violent crime and terrorism in the streets of Madrid on Friday March 12, with Ángel, his brother and his brother´s wife... in the pouring rain with our umbrellas and candles. It was an extremely moving moment for me. Never in my life (so far as I can remember) have I ever felt such a strange mix of emotions. What moved me even more was to think that in Madrid alone, I was in a crowd of 2 MILLION people protesting. JUST IN MADRID! The Spaniards, after the horrific bombing which, when you compare the size of Spain --40 million -- to the USA --almost 300 million and damage –200+ deaths to 2000(?) deaths, can be considered Spain´s “September 11th” did not run and hide in their homes for fear of another attack. They took to the streets in angry defiance at the thought that someone(s) would so as dare attack the country. Overall, on that fated March 12th, an estimated 11 million people in Spain, ONE QUARTER OF THE POPULATION, took to the streets in peaceful, yet visibly angry defiance of such violence.
I have never been fond of the idea that the USA was taking a pre-emptive strike against Iraq...nor have I ever been really fond of José Luis Zapatero the new Prime Minister-elect of Spain. José María Áznar, Spain´s outgoing Prime Minister, ... I had learned to deal with although not necessarily agree with.
I suppose I am in a wait and see mode to see how these elections will affect, if at all, world politics and particularly the November elections in the States.
Perhaps I have bored a number of you with my political rants...but I would certainly welcome responses, feedback, and/or debate on the issue.
OK...off my soap box and onto lighter dribble.
An Expat´s Life
It is said that it takes an expat (expatriate...such as yours truly) anywhere from 3-5 years to fully adjust and feel at home in their new country. I am trusting that my familiarity with Spain and ability with the Spanish language has reduced my learning curve to the minimum 3 years. That being the case, next month, April 16th to be precise, marks my 3 year anniversary living here in Spain. Hard to believe that it has been that long already. My memories of life in the USA...particularly the last moments, will be forever crystal clear in my mind... and they almost always bring a smile to my face. According to those 3-5 year statistics...everything from here on out should be cake for me. It has definitely been an interesting ride and time in my life, these last 3 years...I can´t help but wonder if they would have been as varied and “drama filled” had I stayed in the States. Then again, I never really did have a boring life in the USA either. My favorite motto... better busy than bored!
On the wild rollercoaster of life!
So, we have finally launched our on-the-street marketing campaign for IberEnglish Language Partners. As I said in one of my classes, and had the students in stitches ... it has been a long pregnancy (2 years)! Our soft marketing campaign has consisted of papering our neighborhood walls and parked cars, within a walkable distance to our offices, with small posters and flyers about the business. It has been a great way to know first hand the demographics of our neighborhood. We have been in campaign mode for a month and so far have pulled in five new students. Plus, a couple of drop-ins and other callers to gather information about what we offer. All this, along with the four different corporate classes (in-company) I teach. We have worked our numbers and calculated that our maximum capacity, operating two classrooms simultaneously is 100 students. It will be a while before we reach that number, but we are well on our way. We are also technologically official now that we have registered our domain: IberEnglish Language Partners. Ángel, man-of-many-talents, is the webmaster and as you will see, the site is in plena desarrollo (development) as we speak. Be sure to check back often to see our progress! The “Iber” part of our name stands for the Iberian Penninsula which is comprised of Spain, Portugal and Andorra. There are lots of businesses here that start with Iber and we were pleasantly surprised to discover that no one had registered “IberEnglish”. Don´t let anyone kid you....running your own business is more difficult than working for others! I start my first class at 8am and teach back to back classes, occasionally with little more than an hour in between straight through until 9:30pm. Then, if I have any translation work... that gets added on at the end or between classes.
It´s a Pig´s Life
In one of my previous editions of “life in Spain” many moons ago, I mentioned the tradition of “La Matanza”. Those of you who understand Spanish might understand that that loosely translates to “the killing” or better yet, “the slaughter”. Well this year, between Ángel and his brother (and of course with the blessing of their respective spouses), decided to buy a pig to slaughter and have a traditional “matanza”. This tradition is usually carried out in families and takes place over several days (or in our case, a couple of weekends). We bought a nice big fat pig and took it to a vet to have it inspected and approved and then slaughtered. From there, we brought it to Ángel Sr.´s workshop where he proceeded to butcher it...saving the ham hocks for cured ham... cutting out choice pork loins, separating the brains, etc ... you get the picture. We took some of the meat and ran it through a hand operated meat grinder to make my favorite Spanish sausage, chorizo. Added the seasonings and stuffed the intestines to make more chorizo than I dare dream about. We then cooked the blood with onion and added cooked rice and pine nuts to make morcilla, or blood sausage/blood pudding. Yum yum! Once I got over the initial queasiness of seeing a slaughtered pig on the floor with various parts lying about, the sausage making was actually quite fun!
What did make me a bit queasy was one of the dishes my mother-in-law prepared. All I saw her do was scramble some eggs... I did not notice the ingredients that she threw in at the last moment. When we sat down to eat, she asked me if I wanted some “huevos con sesos”. I didn´t know the word sesos but, so what, I´m adventurous! When she served me the eggs, I asked her where the sesos were.. she said they were already mixed in. Still not knowing I took a mouthful and then caught everyone looking at me expectantly! Of course, Ángel had to be the one to rain on the parade and oh-so-lovingly explained that sesos was another word for materia gris or cerebro or, in English... BRAINS! I felt my stomach turn literally in knots and couldn´t take another bite! The other lovely dish that she prepared were pig jowls in tomato sauce. It actually wasn´t that bad... it was just the thought that made me a little nauseous.
Life Goes On
Life goes on... I´m enjoying contact with lots of interesting people and am anxiously awaiting Semana Santa (Holy Week)since Ángel has promised to take me camping in the mountains of central northwestern Spain. That will be fun! Please keep me up to date with what is going on in your lives! I love getting emails about the babies, the marriages, new connections, old friendships. So do stay in touch... and if you are ever thinking of heading our way...don´t hesitate to look us up! Even if it´s only to meet for cerveza and tapas! We´d love to see you!
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