Dinner Guests

A few random things-

• I think I bought scented tissues today, FML
• My sinus infection is gone.
• I forgot to tell you all that I had a taste of Spanish Flan from an actual restaurant while I was in Tarragona and it's not so bad, actually kind of tasty. Thank you Linda!
• I've been getting my fitness on at the gym a few times a week and let me tell you, I've never seen so much old lady cash and prizes in my life. European locker rooms are interesting places. 
• My post on my trip to Paris is coming shortly... sorry it's taking so long.
• I have switched rooms with Amy, Gina and I are roommates now. Gina and I are close and her and Amy were having problems so rather then Gina move out, I switched. 

Tonight Gina's parents came over for wine and tapas in the salon and then chocolates and cava (a Spanish sparkling wine produced in different parts of Calalonia). I really enjoyed myself, we chatted with Senora, which she dumbed down her spanish a bit thinking Gina's parents might catch a phrase or two, which helped me a lot also. Normally she talks to fast for me to keep up, but tonight I could understand most of what she said and was even helping Gina translate, her parents don't speak any spanish. Senora was really on her game with the giggling, it was very cute and Gina's parents got to see her at her best. She kept serving more wine and more cava and giggling about it. She made a typical tortilla with potato, and another with spinach, melon with ham, pan con tomate, and there were olives, and cheese and crackers, it was all really delicious. 

I think Gina's parents had a good time, they were laughing a lot and the conversation was good. It makes me wish my parents were here. Senora made me promise that my parents would come over when they are here in April, yes mom and dad you are invited to a gathering in the salon also haha. Although conversation might be a little easier since mom speaks spanish.

It was a great night, and when I told Senora I had fun, she hugged and kissed me for what seemed like five minutes, I think she enjoyed herself also. 

At Last, a Few Words on Tarragona

I owe you guys big time, it's been a while since my last post. The delay is mostly due to me not wanting to write about my trip with all of IES to Tarragona. I've been putting off writing down my thoughts on the weekend in my journal even, mainly because I don't want to talk about it anymore...here is what I finally wrote in my journal:

I've been sitting here for five minutes trying to decide what I want to write, strugggggling to put words on paper...how about a list of what I liked...

The beach. Before and after lunch the second day we had some free time at the beach. There is something about the smell of salt in the air that takes me home, it was comforting. When I looked at the ocean and pretended that everything around me wasn't there and that my surroundings were that of home, I felt calm. Because the trip to Tarragona was cold, to busy, full of people constantly complaining, and slightly boring I was sort of homesick. I felt trapped, like the feeling I used to get in high school when I didn't feel well but I would have to sit through class, miserable and unable to leave because I had a test the next block. That trapped feeling made me want to be home, where life would be simpler, no struggle to speak the language, no having to socialize and make new friends, instead just comfortable and relaxed in a familiar place. But now that I am back in Barcelona I don't feel the desire to be home, I find comfort in returning to my room here, free from the grips of the IES Tarragona itinerary.

It is interesting how much easier it is to leave home each time I do it, I'm not talking about going back to school, but when I leave the country. In high school I used to get very homesick when I would travel, it probably had something to do with the fact that I traveled with other families and with school, rarely with my parents. But last summer when I was getting ready to go to Bolsena I was very anxious and nervous about leaving home. It probably had something to do with the lack of information I had about the program, not knowing if my meals were provided, what the living situation would be like, or how hard the course content would be. After boarding the plane and hanging up the phone with my mother I thought to myself, "What the hell am I doing? I must be crazy." Well, if I am crazy I am glad because that was the best time of my life. I learned so much content wise and about myself. The friendships and memories I got form that experience are more than I ever imagined taking home with me.

Since I made it through that, this time when I got on the plane I wasn't nervous, I was anxious though, which probably had more to do with my cancelled flight than anything else. I just wanted to be in Barcelona, I knew what I was doing, where I was going, where my meals would come from, my Senora would cook them, she would do my laundry, clean my room, etc...Things weren't so uncertain and even though the idea of living in a strangers house made me feel a little uncomfortable, I was ready.

It makes me sort of sad though to think leaving gets easier, but I guess there is a difference between going away for a while but still missing those you left behind. Just because it is easier to embrace change and adapt to my new surroundings each time I leave home doesn't mean I don't miss my family and friends any less. I wish for their companionship just as much.

Sunrise from my hotel room balcony

Travel Dates: Update #2

January 28th-30th: IES Study Trip to Tarragona


February 5th-7th: Paris

February 26th-28th: Euskadi (The Basque Country) -- Bilbao, San Sebastian, Hondarribia, Guernica, San Juan de Gaztelugatze & The Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve

March 6th: La Garrotxa's Volcanic Zone Natural Park -- Day Hike through Santa Margarita and Croscat volcanoes, walk through Fageda d'en Jorda & a visit to the Cooperativa La Fageda, a dairy farm, to make yogurt.

March 11th-14th: Glasgow, Scotland & London

March 19th-21st: Amsterdam

March 28th-31st: Morocco

Senora Elisabeth finds her Inner Rachel Ray

So, I know I've talked to a lot of you about how awful my Senora's cooking was during the first few weeks, but I have decided it is safe now to announce apparently she CAN cook. The three of us have given her lists of foods and food preparation that we like and dislike. She had asked us the first week to write some things down and obviously we should have done it sooner because immediately after she had those lists the food improved. For the past week dinner has tasted great each night, she's made salmon, quiche, vegetable soup, grilled steak with garlic and olive oil, omelets, carrot soup, fried eggs, large salads with lots of vegetables, etc. No more of those nasty mashed potatoes with mystery chunks or those weird mushrooms typical in the Mixed Vegetable from Thai place (those creep me out).


We also told her that we are interested in trying foods typical to Catalonia. One night she made us Arroz con Verduras (Rice with Vegetables) and served it with tomatoes with basil and olive oil and a fried egg. It was rice mixed with sauteed onion, spinach, peas, raisins, pine nuts, bay leaf, and olive oil. It was so simple yet absolutely delicious. Senora told us it was a typical dish but didn't really explain, so I asked my Food and Culture teacher about it and she told me that anything labeled Catalan most of the time will include spinach, raisins, and pine nuts.


That explanation was quite helpful today when Jami and I were at lunch together in Born. Born is one of our favorite areas of the city, especially for eating. We picked a small restaurant near the Church de Santa Maria del Mar originally thinking we might go with the lunch special, which includes a first course, a main dish, bread, a drink and dessert. It's typical for restaurants to offer this sort of deal from about 1pm-3pm each day, most of the time it's a great deal (ranging from 7€ to 15€ and even more really nice places). But when we sat down my eye caught the plate the man across from us had in front of him. I asked him what he was eating, he said it was the spinach crepe and it had been recommended to him. It looked more like a burrito then a crepe, but it was stuffed with lots of spinach, pine nuts, raisins, and small diced vegetables like carrots and a bit of onion, mainly it was a lot of nicely seasoned spinach, all surrounded my a bright red colored paprika sauce. I loved it.

Day 1- Stupid! Should have worn a warmer coat!

Last weekend I did the Barcelona Bus Turistic with Devan, Emily and Denielle. We got two day passes at a reduced rate from IES so Saturday we did the red line and Sunday we did the blue line. Saturday we saw some of Gaudi's work, Le Pedrera, Mercat de Sarria, Port Veil, the Maritime Museum, Barri Gotic, Montjuic, etc. Sunday we saw more North Barcelona, including Gaudi's Sagrada Familia, Gracia, Sarria, etc. It was so cold we learned our lesson the first day when none of us were prepared, so Sunday we wore gloves, hats, and heavy coats so we could last the entire ride on the top, open section of the bus. Since it was so cold we didn't get off the bus much. Mainly we used it as a way to get to know the city streets and areas and which places we want to visit when A.) it is warmer out and B.) when we have full days to dedicate, for example Montjuic would be a great all day adventure and beautiful in the sun. The best part of the entire thing was the people watching, great views from so high up!

Really ornate, super cool lamp posts designed by Gaudi.

Tomorrow morning I have to be at Placa Catalunya at 7:45am to get on a bus to Tarragona, Spain. It is a Study Trip with IES. Everyone is going and we do all the activities with our Spanish class. Expect a post about what I see and do there this weekend.

Lastly, I had my first meeting about my trip to Morocco in March. There are 12 of us going and 3 IES staff and when we get there, former Peace Corp volunteers lead us around as well as local university students who are trying to work on their English. We spend two of our nights with a host family, the others in a hotel, there will be hiking, great food, beautiful landscapes, camel riding on the beach, possibly some swimming blah blah blah.  I am so freaking excited for it, I wish spring break were tomorrow!

Orange Bliss

I used to feel oranges were a whole lot of work, thick skin, rind in your fingernails, an all day aroma of citrus and sticky hands, all for a mediocre outcome. I find it incredibly disappointing to peel an orange, take a bite, and not have my taste buds jump with sweet and sour excitement. In the past two weeks however I have consumed an average of 2-4 oranges a day. They are so juicy and flavorful that when I open the fruit cabinet I find my self bypassing my usually favorite apple, and easier to peel clementine, and reaching my hand straight to the back for an orange.

And on the topic of oranges, I came across this interesting post on Civil Eats, Getting Fresh: An Interview with Alissa Hamilton on Orange Juice. She wrote the book Squeezed: What You Don't Know about Orange Juice. Check out the interview, it's something to think about. I don't really drink orange juice at home, pretty much only in mimosas on Christmas morning, but it is important to ask ourselves where the foods we eat and the things we drink come from and what is actually in them. 

Travel Dates: Update #1

DEVAN AND I ARE GOING TO PARIS!!


Booked my tickets last night for Paris February 5th-7th!

Flan is Gross...

Spanish Flan is an oven-baked caramel custard dessert that is very popular here. It is made with a top layer of custard paired with a light caramel sauce, which is put in the bottom of the pan underneath it. Both are baked together. When chilled and then inverted to un-mold, the sauce pours over the custard and is served as is. The typical flavoring is simply vanilla, but there are numerous variations that include almonds, pistachio, orange, coffee, lemon, and various other fruits.


It seems it can also be bought pre-made in the grocery store (like pudding packs) as well as an "instant" jello-like packet version. Just add water!


FLAN IS GROSS-- Senora made it because Amy likes it and then tried to force feed it to Gina any I. We politely declined a helping the second night.