It only took me 22 days in Spain to figure out how to use the washing machine! I'll have you know this is a success story. I have clean clothes! Other practical things I have done this week include getting a bank account and residency card, sweeping my floor, changing my sheets, and walking through the crosswalk (directly translated from spanish: zebra passage) when it says not to go but the lanes are clear. We also finally found the Salt and Pepper in the grocery store. I am still hesitant to buy fruits and veggies that aren't prepackaged because there is a weighing device that looks quite uninviting. Ashley did it and said it was a piece of tortilla though so... I think I will be ok.
Now for the fun stuff: I went to the beach this last weekend. Punta Umbria, Huelva. I burnt my bum, but other than that it was a positive experience. We are renting a car and headed to Lagos, Portugal this weekend. Search it in google images. It is gorgeous! I went last year and have dreamt about the burgers from a little place called "NaNaBa" and will finally be reaquainted with them in just a few short days.
OH the lasagna barbacoa was NASTY. I don't know what I did wrong, but I don't care. I will never consume such a strange combination again. I had you all concerned for good reason... YUCK! I'll be sticking to chorizo and cheese sandwiches with more olive oil than I have ever consumed, it is a safe bet. Ashley and I have devoured over a liter of olive oil in 3 weeks. That doesn't include the olive oil we use outside our house. Yikes.
I miss you all terribly, but am having a wonderful time here in Spain. I promise some pictures soon!
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Monday, October 4, 2010
Lasagna Barbacoa
When Chelsea and I were here in Spring 2009, our Spanish "Mama" would randomly feed us lasagna. The first time she served it we were in for a wonderful surprise because the marinara sauce was not marinara at all, it was BBQ sauce. You may be cringing thinking about how any Italian food, especially lasagna could be good with BBQ sauce... Well don’t hate it till you try it. As I was walking through our local grocery store today I saw the frozen food section. PERFECT! I looked in the freezer bins next to me: 1st Item - Lasagna Barbacoa. So I promptly bought it and will be enjoying it here in about an hour. Or maybe frozen pizza.
Grocery shopping was fun until I couldn't find the bags to load my stuff into. I asked the checker, apparently that question she asked me after, "Do you have a "Tarjeta de Dia" or "Dia Card" was do you need any bags of course I said "No." I always say "no" to questions I don't understand. Anyway, 33 cents and a lecture later I was filling my bag. At least my food that will last for the next few days only cost about 12 Euros.
My school doesn't have a schedule for me yet. The first day I was just introduced to all the teachers beso after beso after beso. I was introduced to the class and was accused of have a "strong" American accent. I thought California was the only state without an accent!?! There is only one bilingual class in the whole high school and they are 12 year olds. They have different classes as 7th graders do in the states so I will be helping out in Math, History, Science and English class for 2 hours a week each. There is a building next to the school that has some prep school classes and the students are anywhere from 17-22. I will be helping make one of their computer classes bilingual 2 hours a week. I'm a little rusty on my computing and technology vocabulary so that mixed with people my age won't be intimidating at all.
More to come, as long as my internet stops being temperamental.
Ok BBQ lasagna here I come!
Grocery shopping was fun until I couldn't find the bags to load my stuff into. I asked the checker, apparently that question she asked me after, "Do you have a "Tarjeta de Dia" or "Dia Card" was do you need any bags of course I said "No." I always say "no" to questions I don't understand. Anyway, 33 cents and a lecture later I was filling my bag. At least my food that will last for the next few days only cost about 12 Euros.
My school doesn't have a schedule for me yet. The first day I was just introduced to all the teachers beso after beso after beso. I was introduced to the class and was accused of have a "strong" American accent. I thought California was the only state without an accent!?! There is only one bilingual class in the whole high school and they are 12 year olds. They have different classes as 7th graders do in the states so I will be helping out in Math, History, Science and English class for 2 hours a week each. There is a building next to the school that has some prep school classes and the students are anywhere from 17-22. I will be helping make one of their computer classes bilingual 2 hours a week. I'm a little rusty on my computing and technology vocabulary so that mixed with people my age won't be intimidating at all.
More to come, as long as my internet stops being temperamental.
Ok BBQ lasagna here I come!
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Volver
It is incredible being back here in Sevilla. It all seems so fresh in my mind... like I never left. In a city that is over 2000 years old, I guess things just don't change too often.
The amount of paperwork I have to fill out seems like a full time job. Residency cards, bank accounts, lease agreements, cell phone contracts, and much more... It's worth it though. Being back in the city I fell in love with a year and a half ago is priceless. The people here are so precious and kind. Ashley, my roomy, and I went to our old school and they welcomed us with open arms. The director said come back anytime, this is your home. AKA I have WiFi and printing capabilities in the city center. SWEET!
My day of travelling was incredible. It started with free extra poundage, luggage, and gate passes for my parents. We had to sprint across the airport in Madrid to catch our flight in 20 min, but made it luggage or not. I got my final piece of lost luggage today. Of course it was the one with all my clothes, thankfully I had too much stuff to fit it in that suitcase so I had one set of clothes in my carry on. ANYHOO...
We are looking at a place to live tomorrow and it should work out. It is in a shnazzy part of town so we will be surrounded by nice people and safe resturaunts, stores ect. I am supposed to be going to tapas at 9:30pm and it is 9:33 so I better run.
Be back with updates soon!
The amount of paperwork I have to fill out seems like a full time job. Residency cards, bank accounts, lease agreements, cell phone contracts, and much more... It's worth it though. Being back in the city I fell in love with a year and a half ago is priceless. The people here are so precious and kind. Ashley, my roomy, and I went to our old school and they welcomed us with open arms. The director said come back anytime, this is your home. AKA I have WiFi and printing capabilities in the city center. SWEET!
My day of travelling was incredible. It started with free extra poundage, luggage, and gate passes for my parents. We had to sprint across the airport in Madrid to catch our flight in 20 min, but made it luggage or not. I got my final piece of lost luggage today. Of course it was the one with all my clothes, thankfully I had too much stuff to fit it in that suitcase so I had one set of clothes in my carry on. ANYHOO...
We are looking at a place to live tomorrow and it should work out. It is in a shnazzy part of town so we will be surrounded by nice people and safe resturaunts, stores ect. I am supposed to be going to tapas at 9:30pm and it is 9:33 so I better run.
Be back with updates soon!
Saturday, September 25, 2010
All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go...
For those of you who have ever been to Sevilla, Spain, you know why I named this blog NO8DO. But… for those of you who have not, here is a little background:
As you walk down the narrow streets of Sevilla you will see this city motto inscribed on bus stops, fire hydrants, benches, taxis, and monuments. NO8DO is a rebus. The figure eight in the middle is actually a skein which translated into Spanish is “medeja.” The emblem read exactly as written would then read No medeja do which means absolutely nothing. BUT say it ten times fast and it sounds remarkable like “No me ha dejado” which translated into English is “She (Sevilla) will never leave me.”
As I am a closet romantic and self proclaimed history buff I wanted to check out the tale behind this enchanting motto. Apparently, King Alfonso X son of Ferdinand of Castile had a greedy and irreverent son Sancho. As King Alfonso X grew older and his eldest son died, Sancho began his quest for the throne. Sevilla was one of only 3 cities in Spain who stayed loyal to the rightful King Alfonso X. Thus, he gave them this motto in recognition of their devotion. NO8DO
For now, I am in Denver. My last day in the US for a while… I have a new niece Jada Violet who is the most adorable little girl I have ever seen. Who knew something so small and precious could capture the hearts of my entire family in 5 days. Typically she is sleeping, crying, eating and pooping, but sometimes she just stares at us and it is so captivating we don’t dare look away.
Well, I’m signing off… I need to spend time with the little bean. See you next time in Spain!
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