In Sevilla!

Just a quick note to let everyone know that Mom and I are still alive and enjoying our time in beautiful Sevilla...despite the fact that it's 104 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT!!!

We may or may not go to Granada tomorrow (have decided against Córdoba), but we'll have to see. We have not gone into a single tourist attraction, though we have taken some great pictures and I've bought some stuff, some for other people and some for myself.

I will mention before I go that our trip to Sevilla started off interestingly. I misjudged what time we needed to be at the airport, and since I'd told mom to trust me she didn't double-check, so we missed our original flight. Luckily the next flight was practically empty and only and hour and a half later, so we hopped on that one instead.

I was really proud of mom for not losing her cool, and proud of myself for keeping my head (though I was super embarrassed!) and dealing with the situation calmly.

One more day in Andalucía and then we fly back up to Madrid, spend Monday afternoon there and then fly to Paris Monday night. The temperature will be much cooler, and I can't wait for the butter-laden food! Yum yum!

Besos! =*)

Notes

1. Saying goodbye to all my students is sad. I've had such a good time with them over the last ten months, and they're all so friendly, affectionate, inclusive, funny, fun-loving and wonderful people. I know I'll probably come to love my German students too, but Spanish people are special. They freakin' rock.

2. Last week I learned the difference between un coñazo, una mierda and una putada. Un coñazo is a boring situation; una mierda is something bad that happens but is really no one's fault; and una putada is something bad that someone does to you. Hm. Still need to find out how una porquería is different from all of the above. Anybody out there happen to know?

3. The amusement park on Saturday, for example, could be considered both un coñazo and una mierda. We waited in line for an hour just to get into the park, and then every ride we went on (I only went on 4 or 5) had a wait of at least an hour. The park was chock-full of teenagers scoping each other out, making out, horsing around, smoking in line. So in addition to it being hot and us spending a lot of time standing around sweating, I felt like the oldest woman alive. Note to self: amusement parks not so much fun after high school.

4. Part of the atmosphere of a Spanish bar or cafetería is all the noise. In fact, the people who work in these places seem to go out of their way to make as much noise as possible: really loud milk steamers, loudly banging freshly washed dishes around, calling out orders to each other from opposite ends of the bar. And then there are the customers, who are quiet when by themselves but if you get a group of 3 or more become rambunctious. I have to say that it all seems rather jovial and fun when you're in the mood, but when it's my first coffee of the day it's a bit of much.

5. Speaking of morning coffee, while I was getting one this morning at about 9am a guy came in and sat beside me and ordered a bottle of beer. At 9am. Which only further proves my point that the Spanish don't consider beer to be an alcoholic beverage; they see as a cool refreshing drink when you need a cool refreshing drink. Period.

6. The five basic Spanish food groups: pork products, fish & seafood, potatoes & bread, beer, eggs.

Last classes, etc.

Mom comes tomorrow! Woohoo!

And I actually might be ready on time! =*)

Copy and paste this link to see some photos from my last week in Madrid: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=45437&l=f9d8e&id=595126014

everybody wants a piece of me

Had a really fun day today.

After sleeping in and a slow wake-up, I headed off to TtMadrid around noon to print some stuff and say goodbye to the teachers there. Had a nice chat with Tem, gifted her some peanut butter and was on my way.

Next I met some of my students and their co-workers downtown for lunch, which turned out to be a bunch of tapas at an Asturian bar, then some coffee (for me) and cocktails (for them) at another bar, then more tapas and beer and sangria at a bar in Huertas (I finally learned how to peel shrimp!), then another beer in an Irish pub in Sol. Whew! Six and a half hours of eating and drinking. My kind of vacation! I will def miss those guys.

From the Irish pub went directly to meet up with a Spanish friend (Carlos of the hiking trip whom I briefly dated) at Tribunal for Mexican food. Closed that place down, wandered around for a while looking for his car, got a little lost on the way home, and finally arrived, safe and sound, a little before 3am.

Tomorrow am going to the amusement park with my former private student, Alba, and perhaps her sister. They have water rides, which I am very much looking forward to since it has been hot here these past few days. (Though not as hot as it will be when my mom and I travel to Sevilla!!)

Sunday I have a lot of administrative wrapping up to do on my classes, not to mention hanging out for a bit with Leslie of Philadelphia and for another bit with Craig of New Zealand.

Busy, busy! But I'm happy to be able to say proper goodbyes to the people I've come to know here in Madrid.

And what's even nicer for me is finding out that I've had a positive effect on people's lives. One of my classes bought an enormous (Texas-sized) greeting card for me and they all signed it AND they gave me some cute gifts. How thoughtful! And tonight Carlos confessed that our brief acquaintance has had an effect on how he thinks about life and the direction he wants to take his career. Major! And here all this time I thought my presence here wasn't making a damn bit of difference to anyone. It's so flattering and gratifying to know that I matter to people and that they consider their lives richer for having met me. Too cool!

ACK! ACK! ACK!

One week left until Mom comes and I leave Madrid! Ack ack! My head is overflowing with logistical details...all the little tasks I have to complete before Mom gets here, all the gaps in my schedule that will fill far too fast as I try to cram everything in.

It's a little overwhelming at the moment, so I am resorting to my age-old friend The List. Whenever I have a lot of things to remember it helps me to write things down in the form of lists and then to prioritize tasks based on importance, deadline, and most efficient use of time.

Two of my classes have canceled again today, so I get to spend the next four and a half hours cleaning out my room, dividing things into piles: trash, recycling (did you know you can recycle your clothes and shoes here?? too cool!), for Leslie, for TtMadrid, for the big suitcase, for the trip with Mom. I expect I'll also do a little preliminary packing.

Only one week left!!!

sudden doubts: the influence of literature

Last night I finished reading the short story "Horseman" by Richard Russo. In the past I haven't enjoyed his writing but I really liked this story, probably in part because it was about an academic and it reminded me how much I liked being one and made me miss it. But the story itself was a little depressing; it tried to have an optimistic ending, I think, but didn't quite succeed. Or perhaps the unconvincing, optimistic ending in itself was the point.

As soon as I finished the story, I began to reflect on the course of my own life and was filled with sudden doubts: I've told myself that I'm on a personal journey. That living abroad is a meaningful and valuable experience, that it's preparing me for some as-yet-unknown destiny. But what if it's not? What if I'm just filling time with "busy nothings"? What if I'm just as lost at the end of this experience as I was at the beginning? Will it still have been worth it in the end?

On a different note, I had a revealing dream the night before last (no pun intended). I dreamed that I was at some kind of deserty, mountainy retreat with a bunch of my students and there were outdoor showers so I decided to get naked and take a shower in front of my students. I was fine with it at first until I realized that my nakedness was making some of my students uncomfortable, and then I got really self-conscious and regretted my action.

The meaning of the dream is clear to me. I'm feeling insecure because I've given some of my students my blog addresses and I'm afraid they will be made uncomfortable by my openness and honesty. In class I've managed to keep some distance between my students and myself. I've tried to maintain a certain degree of professionalism, which to me means keeping large portions of my personality out of it...it definitely means keeping my own insecurities and personal feelings out of it. But most of what I've kept hidden from my students is here in my blog and I'm afraid some of them won't be able to handle my "nakedness."

I suppose it comes down to the age-old question of acceptability. Am I acceptable? Am I too strange? Too honest? Too different from other people? I suppose I'll continue to struggle with this my whole life. Recognizing the problem, though, is half the battle.

Happy Father's Day!

To all the dads out there: Happy Father's Day!

And to my own father in particular: I'm so grateful for your presence in my life. I love you very much.

13 days 'til Mom arrives!

Am just counting the days until Mom comes and I leave Spain. On the one hand I will miss my students and the friends I've made here, but on the other I'm so so SO excited to see my friends and family at home.

This weekend is a busy but pleasant one. On Thursday I went to my students' informal futbol match and then to a nearby bar for tapas and drinks afterwards. Those boys are always so nice to me, true gentlemen, and it's a good opportunity to practice my Spanish.

Yesterday afternoon my friends Marta, Emma and Laurel came over and I made lunch of macaroni and cheese, buffalo wings and salad. Yum yum yum! Used the entire bottle of Frank's hot sauce in one go, but it was so worth it. They turned out great! Then last night was the farewell party of Mary, who has been doing TtMadrid administrative stuff for the last couple of years and is now going to San Diego to start law school. We went to a bar near the Plaza de España that also has a dance floor in the basement. I danced for hours and had an awesome time.

Today I get to lie around all day but tonight I'm going to a friend's birthday party. I think the friend might even be DJing the party.

Then tomorrow (Father's Day!) I think I'm having lunch again with Emma, Marta and Laurel, and in the evening I think Meaghan and I are having a movie night.

So clearly I am staying busy. My social calendar is filling quickly since time is running short and everyone wants to have a last hang-out before Mom comes and I'm effectively gone for good.

I'm so excited to be coming home! I can feel Oregon calling to me, can feel its air in my lungs, can see the mountains and beaches and rivers and lakes and the high desert, can feel my friends' embraces, hear their voices and laughter...mentally I am there already; I'm just waiting for my body to catch up.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM!

birthday all over again

This morning I was feeling a little down because I've had to say goodbye forever to several of my students in the past couple of days. But then the doorbell rang...

...and a package arrived!!!

Kelsey, Steve and Robert sent me goodies! In addition to the boxes of macaroni and cheese (hooray! how did you know I'd run out??) there were not one or two but THREE organic chocolate bars with almonds (chocolate with nuts! chocolate with nuts!), a bottle of Frank's hot sauce (chicken wings, look out!), a box of organic earl grey tea (am on my second cup of the day), a Starburst blueberry sucker (slurp!), a package of scone mix (woohoo!), two good-sized rabbit pelt scraps (perhaps will make bikini top?), a CD (have not yet listened but is on tomorrow's agenda), and a cute birthday card.

My friends are so awesome and thoughtful! Thanks, guys!

o, happy day!!!

Barak Obama is the Democratic presidential candidate!!! Jumping for joy!

Now we just need to get Hilary Clinton on the ticket as his running mate.

Oh, happy day! Hope lives!

little wonder

A couple days ago I stumbled across a huge, beautiful park just a ten minute walk from my house. I've been living here for eight months, dissatisfied with the location, depressed about the lack of things to do in this hood and with the lack of beauty around here, and all this time I lived within ten minutes of my salvation. I feel like an idiot.

On a related note, my angst seems to have inspired me to become some kind of health nut all of a sudden. My restlessness has prompted me to take walks for the hour before sunset for the last three nights, and I'm actually considering taking up jogging.

I was going to try jogging tonight, but I was starving after work and had to eat a big meal, and I didn't think it best to jog right after that unless bulemia was the plan. Which it definitely is not. I prefer the taste of my food going down, thank you. So I opted for a fast walk instead. Very satisfying.

Am feeling better, not quite so sad or lonely.

Had a nice email and phone chat with Mom yesterday. Talking with her makes me feel good about myself. It reminds me that I can be sweet and lovable and thoughtful and that I'm not always offensive and bitter.