Third Time's the Charm

I finally did it! I finally partied Madrileño style. Saturday I went to Kapital, probably one of the most popular nightclubs in Madrid. It's huge! It's got seven floors. The first is the biggest. On this floor they play house music and they have beautiful men and women dancing on stage. The second floor has karaoke and it is like the pub area. The third floor was one of my favorites. It has hip hop music (which here I think they call funky). The fourth floor plays something I can't remember. The fifth, another good floor, has pop music (mostly Spanish ones). The sixth is a movie theater where people make out. They were playing Lord of the Rings Part II on Saturday. And lastly, the seventh floor was a lounge. It had pretty furniture and pretty lights.

This place was crazy and very expensive. It cost me a whole 20 Euros for admission and one drink, another 2 Euros for coat check ,and 11 Euros for every extra drink. I was shocked! But it was worth it. It was a ton of fun.

I went to Kapital with Andrew, my roommate and his friend. After some pre-drinking (a necessity in Madrid since drinks at the clubs are muy caro!), we left for the bar at about 1:30 AM. We danced all night and the real Madrileños made sure Andrew and I checked out every floor. None of us really drank much because it was too expensive. Surprisingly, I didn't start feeling tired until about 6:30 AM. By that time, I decided that I might as well finish off the night. So we stayed until 7, when they finally kicked us out. By the time we got our coats, a cab and got home, it was already 7:30.

Although the night was awesome, I have to say I was a piece of shit all Sunday. I slept for about 5 hours, got out of bed around 2, watched TV for a few hours, took a nap at 6, watched some Ten Things I Hate About You in Spanish (in honor of Heath), did some half ass lesson planning for about 10 minutes, and then fell asleep at 10:30. And I didn't even get drunk!!!

I'm not quite sure if I can do this every weekend, but I will definitely do it as much as I can.

Check out the pics:

Kapital

Love Me Sexy

This also made my day. I saw it as I was looking for the Spicy commercial. Why is Will Farrell so freaking funny??!!! I can't wait to see this movie. I hope they show it here in English...although by the time it comes out here, I can watch it on DVD when I go home for vacation.

Spiiicccyyyyyyy!!

I know I'm weird, but I totally love this commercial and I just had to blog about it. Natania reminded me of it today and it totally made my day. This just puts a smile on my face on a really shitty day. My favorite part is when the dad tries to get through the bedroom door and he can't!!!

Crochety Old Man

I should've known that I was going to have a bad day today after I had my first bad bus experience this morning. Every morning, I go to Plaza de Castilla to take the bus to El Molar, the tiny town in the mountains where I work. In Plaza de Castilla is a bus terminal where you can take all sorts of buses that will take you to many surrounding towns outside of Madrid. It's packed all throughout the day with people traveling to far places for work or for pleasure.

For most buses, people politely line up and wait their turn to get on the bus. For some reason the people on my bus never ever line up. They all just crowd and push their way to the door. And it's only with this specific bus that leaves at this time because I've taken this bus at other times and people line up! So of course, I do what everyone else does and I slowly push my way closer to the door.

As usual, I do the same today. Just when I was about to get on the bus, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around to see this crotchety old man yelling at me. He was probably in his 80s. He was speaking very fast so I couldn't understand him, and I also had my headphones on. But I could definitely tell that he was angry. I just heard him say "un momento", and I could decipher from his gestures that he should get on first because he's old and no one is letting him get through the crowd. So of course, I let him get on before me. The lady between him and me just looked at me and shook her head, also annoyed at this crotchety old man. As he was getting on, he was still semi yelling and bitching and I suddenly hear him say, "coño". Now coño means vagina. Everyone here says that randomly without necessarily saying it to a specific person. They usually say it just how we would say, Oh shit.

But in this context, it was like he was saying it to me, and that pissed me off! I wanted to say: Señor, first of all, I didn't freaking see you! How am I supposed to know an old man is trying to get on a bus when he's behind me! Second, there are 30 other people trying to get on the bus. Why only yell at me? And third, don't you ever ever call me a coño! I don't care if you are older than me, but you have no right to call me that!

Of course, I couldn't say it because I only know three of those words in Spanish. And even if I knew Spanish, I still wouldn't say it because really, I'm not that tough.

So once again, I vent to myself. Joder!

AAARRRGGGHHHHH!!!!

Today, I cried for the first time in Madrid. Oh wait, no I've cried before, but this was the first time I cried ABOUT Madrid. It was like all my frustration just came out...in tears because sadly that's the easiest way for me.

The past few weeks, I've been going back and forth with this teaching thing. I wasn't quite sure if I like it. I didn't like the fact that I had to do work at home, and honestly, I'm just too lazy to do lesson planning sometimes. In class, I was struggling with making all my students happy. Half of them have never had any previous English lessons, and the other half have had English lessons. I didn't quite know how to teach both levels without boring or demotivating (the worst thing a teacher can do!) anyone.

But then after doing it for about a week and a half straight, I started to get used to it. I was getting to know and understand my student's needs. I was slowly establishing a structure in my class, finding the right balance in teaching a wide range of beginner level students. I was even able to overcome a huge challenge this week. On Monday I got two new students: one higher level; the other very, very beginner with low motivation. The higher beginner fit right in. The low beginner was crying on Tuesday. She felt very lost and confused. It didn't help that everyone was ganging up on her because they thought she was going to delay the rest of the class if I had to reteach everything she had missed the first two weeks.

Yesterday, after doing some regulatin' in the class (I had to do the "We're all adults, so let's all be nice" speech) and seeing a I'm-ok-now-I-understand smile on the new student's face, I was happy and content for the very first time since I started teaching. But of course, it was too good to be true.

Today as I was having my daily cafe con leche and tostada with my students, they mentioned how they will have to find another course in March when they finish with this course. That comment got me all confused. When I was offered and I accepted this job, I was told that I would be teaching at this training center until June. I told my students that and they confirmed that the course is over for them at the end of February. Then we all thought maybe I would get another set of students.

After break, we went back to the training center and I asked Maria, my coordinator at the center who speaks very little English, about the dates. She also confirmed it. A student asked her in Spanish if I was going to get a new set of students and she said no. I may not have understood every word that she said, but I didn't need anyone to translate it for me. She said, "Tita didn't tell you?". Tita owns/runs the academy I technically work for. Language academies here find teachers and provides them to clients. I was pissed!

For the rest of the class, I was just annoyed and not my bubbly self. My students were trying to make me feel better (they've all gotten used to my perkiness and could tell I was angry from the way I was teaching), but it just wasn't helping. I called Tita during the next break. She says she didn't know about it either and she will talk to them. But for some reason, I feel like someone is lying to me. When I talked to both Maria and Tita, I feel like they both knew about it and just didn't tell me. I'm just not getting any good vibes from anyone.

So, I got on my bus back to Madrid and cried about it. It was like all my frustrations just came out and I couldn't stop. I'm frustrated because I don't have any friends. I'm frustrated because I'm retarded and can't learn the language quickly enough. I'm frustrated because just when I think things are good, something terrible happens.

I knew going into this that it won't be perfect. I knew that it might take a while for me to really feel good and happy. I knew that there would be good days and bad days. But today was just a bad day. So bad I really just want to get trashed this weekend. But who do I get drunk with? And with what money (now that I am possibly going to be unemployed - again - sooner than I thought)?

Joder!

RIP: Heath Ledger

I just heard the saddest news since I've arrived here: Heath Ledger is dead. I know most people might think this is silly but I am seriously sad about this. I heart Heath Ledger! I fell in love with him the first time I saw him in Ten Things I Hate About You. If you haven't seen that movie, go rent it!! It's a classic! I also feel like I know him because I've had close encounters with him: I was shopping in the same store as him in New York City, and I will be in the next Batman movie with him (I will be one of the many girls screaming and running away from Heath).

Estoy muy triste! Another great talent gone to waste :(

Moral of the story: Lay off the crack...it ain't breakfast food!

Cute Men, Great Shoes

I was recently taking a walk around Madrid and of course, started thinking about random things. One of the things I thought about was Madrileño men and women. Ladies, you might want to keep reading.

I find the men very attractive. I especially like the way they style their hair. Some have it very long and put it up in a sexy ponytail. Usually long hair kinda grosses me out but I have to say many Spanish men really pull it off. Then there are the short-haired, clean cut ones that look a bit too predictable but they're cute nonetheless. The other hair style (which is probably my favorite) is the not so short, not too long curly hair. Many Spanish guys have loose curly hair and they look really hot when they just let it grow out a bit. Even better is when they have light eyes and dark hair...muy gwapo! Of course like any other country they have some pretty unattractive guys too. But generally, I have to say that there is a lot of good eye candy in this town.

As for the women, I realized I don't really have an opinion. I'm sure the women are gorgeous, but honestly, I've been too busy looking at their shoes. Most women here have great footwear, and I can't stop looking at them. I've been on a mission to find the perfect boots! I see women with cute boots everywhere and I just want to know where to get them!

In conclusion, I have come to realize that in Madrid, I've become very good (and less discreet) at checking out gorgeous men, and obsessed with checking out women's shoes.

Estoy aprendiendo Español

Now that I have taken care of getting a job, an apartment, familiarizing myself to my new surroundings, and adjusting to most of the Spanish lifestyle, I finally feel settled and ready to focus on learning Spanish.

Everyday, I listen to my lessons from Coffee Break Spanish, a free podcast you can download from itunes. I have also invested on a mini English - Spanish/Spanish - English dictionary that I carry with me everywhere. When I teach, I also learn new Spanish words from my students. Ideally, Spanish should NOT be allowed at all in the classroom. This rule forces the student to really know and understand English. But every once in a while, when all my explanations, my examples, my amateur acting, and horrible drawings are still not sinking in, one higher level student will usually tell the whole class the Spanish translation.

My roommates and I also made a deal. Every week, a different language will be spoken in the apartment. This week was English week (whew!), and next week is Spanish week (I will be in my room a lot!). Every morning, they also write Spanish words they don't know in English on the washboard. When I come home from work, I look up the English translation, write it on the board, and we talk about it at night.

Last night, I had my first intercambio. An intercambio means an exchange. In this context, an intercambio is when two people help each other practice the other's language. I set one up with this guy, Nacho. I met Nacho when I was looking for an apartment. He was renting a bedroom in his piso and I went to check it out. Although I liked his apartment, it was just too far from the center. But I really liked Nacho not only because he has an awesome name, but also because he was very nice. He told me he was learning English and wanted to improve his speaking skills. So I decided to set up an intercambio with him so we can help each other out.

For our first meeting, I thought it went pretty well. I think that was the most Spanish I've spoken since I've gotten here. My spoken spanish was muy terible and at times it was frustrating, but I think it was helpful. It made me realize that I know a lot more Spanish than I think, and that if I really just force myself to speak it, I can do it.

So hopefully we will meet again and practice, practice, practice. That is all I need. Well, that and the Spanish Verb Conjugation book.

Extreme Cheeseburger? Bring It On!!!

I was just checking my yahoo email and the main headline I saw was "Would you try a deep-fried, cheese-stuffed burger made from bacon?" Ummm, YES!!! It had me at fried...and cheese...and bacon...

I need meat!

Pictures...for real this time

I finally figured out how to upload pictures on to my blog. They are embedded into various posts. So if you want to see them, you have to go through all the old posts to look at the pictures .

I hope you enjoy them.

Random Madrid Pics

After my completing my four week teaching course, Andrew, Andrea and I decided it was time to be typical tourists. We were cooped up in the classroom and our apartments doing lesson planning for four weeks that we didn't really have any time to enjoy Madrid, let alone take pictures.

So here are some pictures I took in December. Sadly I still don't have that many pictures of Madrid. I promise I will start bringing my camera with me at all times! The other set are pictures of the first apartment I stayed in.

Madrid

My first Flat

Second Attempt to Partying Like a Madrileño

I decided it was time to take another stab at the whole Madrileño social life. Carlos (the possibly old guy from the salsa club) and I have been texting (yes, I text now) back and forth since before the holidays. Finally, we were both free on Saturday, last Saturday. I was very excited. I've been wanting to go dancing for a while now.

At about 9, he texted me saying he was going to the same salsa club where we met. Que hora es, I asked? At 1 freaking AM. 1 AM??? Seriously??? I just thought, oh hells no! By one, I am ready to start heading home! Fortunately, Andrew was there to convince me to go out. Sometimes, I just really need someone to force me to do things.

When I got home to get ready, I started talking to my roommates and they were telling me they were going to a club. The more we talked about it, the more I wanted to go. The music was mostly pop music (I really wanted to booty dance, not make a fool of myself dancing salsa), the admission was cheaper (Salsa club: 12 Euros/$18; other club: 8 Euros/$12), and the crowd was younger (the salsa club had a lot more old people than people my age). Plus, I thought this would be a good time to hang out with my new roommates.

So I put on some party music in my room and got ready. Surprisingly enough, I got my second wind by 1 and was all pumped to go out. It was so much fun. The club was super crowded and everyone was dancing. The music was a mix of Spanish and American songs. There were lots of booty dancing going on. I loved it. Andrew and I were dancing fools.

By 4, I was physically tired, and sweaty, and nauseous from all the smoke around me. So Andrew and I got our coats and headed home. Once again, the line into the club was just starting to grow. At 4 AM, mind you! Just when I thought I did good, I failed at it again!

The next day was just a waste. I woke up late and couldn't function for most of the day. I just don't know how they do it. Maybe I'll be better the third time.

uuf

My wonderful friend, Kevin, who is currently in the Dominican Republic for the Peace Corp has inspired me to write a post about my favorite Spanish expressions. He also has a blog, which I will soon link to mine as soon as I figure it out...his blog is awesome!

The first one is not really an expression but something I enjoy hearing everyday. The Madrid train system is great and very efficient. But my favorite thing about it is the announcements, specifically: "Proxima Estacion Gregorio Marañon. Corespondencia con Linea Siete". Something about the way the male and female announcers say that makes me smile. It just sounds so pretty...and Marañon rhymes with Estacion!!!

Another favorite is "joder, tia!!" Joder means fuck and tia is what you call your friends. So it's kind of like saying, "fuck, man", or "fuck, dude", or something like that. I also just like tia on it's own. Like when they say, "Hola! Que tal, tia?", which is like, "Hey! What's up, buddy?". And with joder, it just sounds awesome! The first time I heard tia in this context was when Juan called me tia. And I just responded with, "Huh? I am not your aunt?!!"

Last but not the least, I love hearing the spanish people say "uuf". It's not really a real word (I don't think). It's more like a sound they make...like how we say ewww...except it's not for something gross. They say it when you speak about terrible things. Por ejemplo, when I told my roommates I have to get up at 6 every morning, they said, "uuf".

Obviously, these things sound so much better when you actually hear them with the real Spanish accent. Hopefully by the time I go home, you'll hear me randomly say them.

Oldest Restaurant in the World

Last Friday, I went to Restaurante Botin, the oldest restaurant in the world, according to the Guinness Book of Records. The restaurant has been in operation since 1725. Of course, it's more for tourists...my roommates didn't even know about it! But for being a tourist trap, it was pretty freaking good and reasonably priced for the most part. One of their specialties is the Roast Suckling Pig. Although the sound of eating crispy pork skin was music to my ears, I just couldn't get myself to eat that much pork (I'm more of a chicken girl)...and I just couldn't justify spending 20 Euros on a pig. So I settled for the Roast Chicken, which was for half the price and pretty effing amazing.

So if you ever find yourself in Madrid, I do recommend Restaurante Botin. Not only for it's very cool ambiance and it's history, but also for it's good food.

If you want to more about it and practice your spanish, click on the link.

Get a freaking room!!!

So I am by no means a conservative person but major PDA (Public Display of Affection) really, really bothers me. A quick kiss? That's cute. Holding hands? That's fine...that's nice. Slightly caressing each other? That's alright. Lovingly looking into each other's eye? Ok, that's lame but sweet I guess. But fully making out in public or giving each other 20 consecutive individual kisses is just a no-no (unless you're drunk and at a bar...hahaha...ooops).

Madrid is full of PDA offenders! It is quite ridiculous. On the train, on the street, at the store, in the middle of the plaza, at the restaurant. You name the place, people will make out there! The worst is at the restaurant. It's like I'm eating people!!! Don't make me vomit my wonderful paella on you. I think sometimes, the 20 individual kisses in a row is worst. It's like if you're gonna do that, you might as well make out. It's not less annoying to do that!

Does this bother anyone else, or am I just becoming a bitter old woman???

New Mac

Ok, I know this is totally non-Madrid related, but I just have to vent about it. Plus, I haven't blogged in a while and I felt like posting one...but I badly need to go to bed, so this was the quickest one I can write.

Anyway, how freaking awesome is the new MacAir??? I am totally not a hi-tech kind of gal...I did own that "brick" cellphone that could receive text message but not send any for THREE years! But I've completely fallen in love with Macs. I feel like I discover something new with my Mac everyday. I can make music (b/c I do that so much!), Skype without fidgeting with a webcam, take funny pictures with my photobooth, and my fave, use a remote control to play music or watch a slideshow of my pictures (sometimes I'm just that lazy to walk a foot away from my bed to my "computer table"). It's freaking awesome!! And now they come out with a super light one???!!! That's like my dream Mac!!!

Early birthday/Christmas present, anyone?

I'm not Chinese, damn it!

One funny thing I've noticed in most foreign countries is that people are a bit less conscious about offending or insulting people. It's not that they have any bad intentions, it's just how things are. For example, in the Philippines, people say to me, "My, you've gotten fat!", right to my face - hence why I work out like crazy before a trip to the Philippines. And in that country, to say such things is quiet alright. No one will sue you for emotional damage! I guess we, Americans, tend to be a little bit too politically correct sometimes.

I am usually pretty politically INcorrect (among the right people, of course) and I can take a lot of jokes, especially about me being Asian. I'm usually the first one to make fun of my Asianness. But there are times when it just really bothers me. The one thing that I can't stand sometimes when I'm in a foreign country is when people assume I'm Chinese.

Ok, so I am like 12.5% Chinese, but that is not enough to call me Chinese! I've never even been to China. I know very little about my Chinese background. The closest thing to making me Chinese is the fact that I LOVE Chinese food (mmm...me want crab rangoon). I just think that when people look at me, they think Filipino, or a non-Chinese Asian. When they look at my clothes, they think American (I can't seem to lay off the Northface jacket and the gym shoes). So, I am NOT Chinese!

Last week, I was on the train and this little girl started saying, "China! China!" (pronounced Chee-na), right to my face. I just ignored her. Today, two men started "speaking" Chinese as I walked passed them. They kept doing it too until I was far enough to not hear them anymore.

But tonight was just the tip of the iceberg. I have noticed that most Chinese people here do one of three things: own/run an alimentacion (convenience store);own/run a 100 peseta store (like a dollar store except not everything is a Euro...just really cheap stuff); and run a makeshift shop on the street corners of busy areas during weekend nights selling bocadillos (sandwiches), drinks, candy, gum and cigarettes to borachos. I went to a peseta store tonight to get some school supplies for my class. I was walking around when a man asked me if I could tell him where to find the shavers!!! I was like, ok, seriously I am not Chinese! I don't work here, asshole! But of course I didn't say this to him. I just said a polite, "Lo siento, no entiendo." And he still kept asking, this time acting it out hoping I would understand him better. So I finally just walked away.

I'm not saying this only happens in Spain. I've also experienced it in Amsterdam and Ghana. It's like all Southeast Asians are considered Chinese. Ok, I confess, sometimes I can't tell between all the Asians, but at least I don't assume they are Chinese. I know I shouldn't be annoyed by it. Some people are not as fortunate to be educated about things like, Americans are not only white people...and it's not totally their fault.

However, I know one of these days it is going to really get me and I'm just going to snap at someone. Oh wait, actually I think I did that already...in Amsterdam. I had some "unknown" substances in my body (but not like Britney Spears "unknown"), so I had some substance courage. Or wait, maybe that was my friend that said something to the guy. Oh man, I can't remember anymore.

Alright, now I'm just rambling. Enough procrastinating and off to lesson planning. Yay!

Rebajas!!!

Depending on how you look at it, the word rebajas can be a good thing or a bad thing. For me, it's a bit of both. Today, I went for a walk when I suddenly saw big REBAJAS sign in front of Zara. Rebajas means sale. I've been waiting for this day since I got here. The sign completely lured me into the store and made me spend money I don't really have. But how can you pass up a really cute top for 7.95 Euros??!!!

I was so excited and also very impressed with myself. I didn't spend anything beyond what I got at Zara. All the other stores were too ridiculously crowded. I just couldn't handle it. I only have that much tolerance for Zara. It probably also helps that I don't quite know how to ask if I could try on a pair of shoes in my size in Spanish yet. If that wasn't the case, I would have three new pairs of boots!...yikes!

Feliz Reyes

On January 6th, the Spanish celebrate Los Tres Reyes, Three Kings day. This holiday is actually bigger than Christmas for Spain. The children go to sleep on the 5th hoping to get presents on the 6th from the Three Kings. Santa Clause is definitely not as popular as Melchor, Baltazar, and Caspar (are those their names???). When you go shopping, you will not see kids lining up for Santa; They are lining up for one of the Kings. I've heard that some are lucky enough to get presents on both days, but some only get it on the 6th. This holiday is so big that the big sales don't start until after Three Kings. They also get the 7th off from work, hence me not working today.

I don't really know anything else about the holiday. I didn't notice anything different besides the fact that most stores were closed. I guess I will never really know what it's like unless I have family here. So if you all want to know more about it, look it up!

Starting Over

Coming back to Madrid was kind of weird. Even though I was only gone for a little less than two weeks, it felt like I was away longer. It felt like I had to relearn everything. I think the part that stores languages in my brain was ready to explode. I had English, Filipino, German and Spanish all mixed up. It couldn't quite decide which language switch to turn on (and I barely know two of those!). Maybe I was tired, but there was definitely a time on the train when I couldn't remember how to say thank you in Spanish. I just kept thinking, danke or thanks.

It just felt like I was new to the city all over again. It didn't help that I came back to it being a big ass mess. It literally looked like a tornado had hit the Metro. There was shit everywhere (train tickets, soda cans/bottles, food, pants, half of a shoe, etc.). It made me wonder how crazy it was here on New Years. I heard later that the cleaning people might be on strike, hence the nastiness that has taken over Madrid...you gotta love the Europeans and their strikes!

Because I was too cold to leave the house in Germany, I had a lot of time to think about anything and everything. Idle time for Fran is never good. I found myself thinking about my future and its stability. I started to doubt myself and wondered if I could actually be a teacher. What if I end up a horrible teacher? What if I just hated teaching? What if I get fired and have to find a new job? What if my wages are not enough to live on? I kept focusing on the disadvantages of my current job: very long commute, lots of extra work at home, no vacation time, and no paid holidays.

Then I started to think about my personal life. What if I don't make new friends? What if my apartment situation doesn't work out? What if I don't get over my boy problems and I will become an old bitter woman with cats (and I hate cats!)??? Did I make the right decision of leaving Chicago? Should I just give up now before I'm in too deep and go home?

I was a disgusting mess. It was like a cloud of negativity and bitterness and self-pity was constantly hovering over me. I hated myself for thinking these things, but I couldn't stop. It was very unlike me. I never let myself dwell on stupid shit like this...there are way bigger problems in the world.

Thankfully, by the end of my holiday in Germany, I was able to slap myself in the face and tell myself how stupid I am. I mean, there's no need to have a pity party for myself. When you're sad and alone and not in your usual comfort zone, it's easy to forget why you made a huge change in your life in the first place. I forgot that I was also miserable in Chicago. I forgot how much I hated my job. I forgot how stagnant my life was at home and needed something new. Once I allowed myself to remember all that, I was okay again.

So I've decided that new year means new beginnings. I will do my best to make the most out of this experience. Plus, I told myself I have to stay here at least a year. I have to stick it out. It's too early to quit. I'm also slowly erasing/shedding all the bad juju from 2007, and it feels liberating. I know I will still have my random panic attacks every once in a while and that's okay. But one thing is for sure: I'm not going to let it get to me. Old happy annoyingly cheerful Fran is making a comeback!

My Third Home in Madrid

I've been in Madrid for almost two months and I've already moved twice! Hopefully, this is the last one for a while. I was planning on moving to the new piso on the day I got back from Germany. However, my roommates were working and didn't get out of work till 7. By then I was too tired to move all my stuff. So, I just picked up my keys so I could move all my stuff in slowly Friday morning. I also knew my roommates would be at work so I wouldn't be in their way. By the way, I will take a picture of my key to show you guys. It's pretty freaking awesome!

Anyway, Friday I lugged all my stuff to the Metro, onto the train, out of the Metro and to my new apartment. It was hellish! For some reason my bags are all super heavy. I haven't even bought that much new stuff. I just had a lot of books for my classes and I came back with a ton of tea and chocolate from Germany (compliments of my Aunt...god, she's awesome!). The worst thing was that my new Metro stop has no escalators or elevators. And then there's a bit of an incline as you walk to my apartment (I'm definitely not in the Midwest anymore!). Moving was a bitch. I guess I could've taken a cab and moved it all at once without having to do much lifting and continuous carrying, but why would I spend my money on that.

I am all finally moved in although my room needs major help. I am still lacking sheets, the room needs to be cleaned (the person who lived here before left lots of shit), and it just needs a nice girly touch (like flowery, colorful accents). I also wanted to put up some pictures and I realized I brought only a few. I was packing so last minute that I didn't have a chance to go through my pictures and bring a lot. I also planned on going to Ikea this weekend but I just didn't quite have the time to do that. Plus, it's still the holidays here so I don't want to risk going all the way there when it's actually close.

My roommates have been fine so far. I haven't really seen either of them that much. One has a girlfriend and he's been hanging out with her all weekend. The other one? I'm just not quite sure where he is. I haven't seen him in a few days and I haven't had a chance to ask where he is. It's definitely still in the awkward stage. I'm still waiting to have that bonding moment so we can all feel comfortable around each other. We probably just need to get drunk together...that usually breaks the ice.

So piso #3, so far so good.

Trains, Planes, and A Vomiting Guy

January 3rd was a very long day for me. I didn't really sleep the night before because I had too much on my mind. And then after semi sleeping for about an hour and a half, I got up at 3 AM so I could take my last nice hot relaxing shower at my Aunt's. We left the house at about 4:40 to catch the 5 o'clock train to Munich. From Munich, we had to catch another train to the airport. That was about an hour and a half train ride.

Thankfully, my aunt and uncle were with me at the airport. They are so awesome that they woke up early too and took me to the airport despite all my protests. If my uncle wasn't there, I probably would have missed my flight considering I was half asleep. I got on the plane and slept for most of the 2 hour flight back to Madrid.

I was lucky enough to pick out my favorite seat, which is the window seat. But of course, I'm never that lucky because a little kid sat behind me and kicked my seat a lot. He was also crying and screaming like a baby for most of the flight. My tolerance for kids that day was at an all time low. If I wasn't so tired, I probably would have made a scene.

The middle seat was empty and a guy about my age sat on the aisle seat. Across the aisle from him was, I assume, his brother of about 20 years of age, and their mom on the next seat. As we were landing, the 20 year old started vomiting like crazy. It was weird because he was completely fine and the next thing I knew he was barfing, while his brother pointed and laughed at him. I tried really hard not to laugh at him also. Not to be mean or anything, but has anyone actually seen anyone use those barf bags before? I thought those are just for show. Ok, I admit it. I used it once. But that was when I was 6, it was my first time on a plane, and it was 1987 Indonesia. Planes weren't as stable then!...because we all know how stable they are now :) This kid was seriously huge! It was hilarious!

Even funnier was that I saw him later on that day in Madrid. I was walking around (like a zombie) with my friend and saw a family walking in front of us. I thought, man these people look familiar! Sure enough it was the barfing kid. What are the odds?! Such a small world!!!

Munich

How To Answer The Phone In Various Countries

USA: "Hello"
Italy: "Pronto"
Spain: "Si"
Germany: "Stiegler" (or whatever your last name is)

This post would be way better if you could actually hear them being said. I'll make sure to do my imitation for all of you when I get a chance.

Gluckliches Neujahr!

Germans really know how to celebrate New Years...food, booze, a british film, lucky pigs and loud explosions. What more could you ask for???

Every year, my relatives have a New Year’s Eve party at their house. The guests involve family, friends and neighbors. Unlike Christmas when we had a nice fancy 5 course meal, New Year’s Eve is more of an informal buffet style dinner. My aunt and I started cooking two nights before the party. We were basically cooking for 2 days straight. I promised my relatives I would bake a cake. Of course, I made this promise before I remembered I was in Europe, the land of wonderful homemade baked goods. There was no way I could get away with baking a “cake from a box”. So, for the very first time ever I made a cake from scratch. Thanks to Natania, I got a really good recipe for banana nut cake with cream cheese frosting. It was pretty freaking good. I’ve also finally figured out how European cakes are almost always perfectly moist…they have this powder thing you add to the batter. I’m totally buying a bunch of those before I go home for good.

We finally finished cooking right before all the guests started to arrive at 8. We had so much food I didn't know where to start. The good thing was we had all night to eat so there was no need to eat everything all at once. Of course, beer and wine was served with food. I restrained myself and just drank water (without gas!..yuck).

While taking a break from stuffing ourselves, we watched an old short British film called, Dinner for One. Every New Year's Eve, this film is shown sporadically all throughout the day on TV, and it has nothing to do with New Years. It's pretty hilarious. It's about an old lady celebrating her birthday with friends who have already died and her butler. If you want to see it, it's on Youtube. It's about ten minutes and pretty awesome...you gotta love the Brits and its humor.

At midnight, we all drank champagne and greeted each other. After that, it was time to bundle up and create chaos in the backyard. Everyone brought all sorts of fireworks. It was ridiculous. The entire neighborhood was going crazy. Apparently, everyone competes with each other as to who has a better fireworks show. It was kind of scary because these things were literally exploding just a few feet away from me. Obviously, they don't have as many regulations here as we do in the US. Also, this is all happening in the freezing cold. It was kind of funny to see fire on the snow.

Sadly we ran out of fireworks (I didn't want it to end) and it started to get really cold. When we got back in, a neighbor gave each of us a lucky pig. In Germany, a pig brings you good luck, so on New Year's everyone gets some kind of pig paraphenalia.

Another tradition is to get your fortune from melted metal. Each person got a piece of metal. You put it in a spoon and melt it over a candle. Once it is completely melted, you dump it into cold water, which will solidify the metal in some other weird form. You take out the metal from the water and look at its shadow. Whatever shadow it creates will determine your fortune for the next year. My metal had a shadow of a hammer. The fortune said that I will make my own luck. I was pissed! It was like getting a fortune cookie with a fortune that said, "You are a caring and loving person". WTF!!! That's not a fortune! Luckily, there were a few more metal pieces left. So I melted another one and got a shadow of a tree this time. My fortune this time was true friendships. That sounded a lot better to me, so I was satisfied. Hopefully, it comes true here for me.

Gluckliches Neujahr

Eating miniature trees

Before I moved to Madrid, I made a promise to myself to be as open as possible to everything. Even though I've traveled to many places, I find myself holding back every once in a while when I encounter completely unfamiliar territory. One of the things I always have problems with is food. I'm a pretty picky eater: very limited fruits and vegetables, no seafood, no weird looking things, etc. But with this "new" life, the rule is: if the food looks edible enough, no matter what it is, I have to eat it. I don't ask questions about what it is until after I eat it. This way I don't have bad thoughts about it before eating it.

The past ten days in Germany has definitely been a culinary experience for me. I've eaten things I never thought I would eat: goose, brussel sprouts, eggplant, sauerkraut, mushrooms, lots and lots of fish, and broccoli and cauliflower (I always use to say, "Why would I eat miniature trees??"). Of course, I drew the line when my uncle offered me liver (yuck!). But other than that, I've pretty much eaten anything given to me. The funny thing is that I enjoyed eating them. They weren't bad at all. I've been missing out on some good ass food the past 26 years! I've been such a fool!

Now, I feel like I've overcome one problem already and it feels liberating.

About a hundred more to go...