Changes

So, since being here in Europe I have changed a lot. The most dramatic changes for me is the no shopping rule I’ve been living with, my change in diet, and my general disregard with fashion. Lets start with no shopping. I can not say that I haven’t bought anything since living here in BCN, but I have put myself on a budget of buying only things I HAVE to have. When I packed to leave I was drunk (thanks everyone for the limo) and I didn’t pack the way a smart person would. I “forgot” all the essential things like socks, jackets, long sleeves, adequate footwear, ect. So, I have had to buy a few things, but my normal days at the mall are no longer. It hurts to report, but it’s true. Second, my taste buds have had to blossom since living here in Spain. Here is a list of foods that I never ate in the US, I call them the Kate made me do it list: guacamole, avocado, red and green peppers, Skyline Chili, garlic, ham (only Spanish cured ham), mushrooms, coffee, spicy salsa, fish, seafood, sushi, black beans, steak, hummus…
Kate will eat almost anything and she’s like you have to eat it so just eat it and I do. I NEVER ate Skyline Chili in the states and now I kill some dip or some on my hotdog just because it’s different and has taste! The third change is my fashion here in BCN. It’s not that I have lost my touch or gone blind, but because my amazing closet is somewhere buried in my rents’ basement I don’t have much to work with. If you have been checking out my photos on webshots you’ll see what I’m throwing out! I work with what I got here in my tiny closet. I know it’s not that big of a deal, but I hate looking sloppy and sometimes it just happens here! There are also other personal changes that actually mean something but I’ll keep them to myself and see if you can pick em out when I come back.

Sailing:

When Kate, Annie, and I first moved to BCN we decided we need to make friends. That’s pretty obvious because everyone wants friends, but we decided we needed friends who had certain attributes. Kate wanted a friend with a boat, I wanted someone who spoke the language and knew the places to go at night, and Annie wanted the know about good food in BCN! Well, needless to say we got all that and more! I met Marc (my intercambio) at TEFL the last day of our teaching. He speaks Catalan, Spanish, English and whatever else I can’t remember. He also has a friend Antonio who owns a sailboat. Their other friend Roger is a photographer who knows all the great places to eat and go out in BCN. We have hung out with these guys ever since meeting at the Marce Festival. One afternoon the guys asked us to join them for a sailboat experience. Just to give a little background I had never sailed before and am afraid of water, Kate and Annie have had some experience sailing, Marc gets seasick, Roger sailed halfway across the world with Antonio, and Roger’s nephew Nolask had never been sailing. We got some sandwiches and boos an d jumped on the boat. Marc was already rethinking his decision of coming with us when it was too late and we had untied and set off to sea. Nolask is a curious, energetic, young man who was jumping up on the front of the boat to have the sea splash him in the face that is until he was in the back puking his guts out! Annie turned about 37 different shades of green and was right beside Nolask puking the entire time! It was great. Well, not them puking but I had a great time with the sea air flowing through my hair and the water splashing up in the boat and seeing the fear in Marc’s face! Roger and Antonio told Kate and I that the winds were pretty strong and the waves were super choppy, but we were having a blast. We only decided we had to turn back when Annie was threatening to jump off the boat in the freezing water and swim to shore! I was pretty happy with myself because I wasn’t afraid and I held down my breakfast! We got to the shore and went to the beach and ate our sandwiches, lomo con queso, and drank bottles of Cava. Annie chilled out on a towel for the remainder of the day to settle her tummy! Marc being the responsible adult figure he is decided to teach Nolask how to kill someone with his bare hands! It was pretty funny to watch Nolask practicing on Marc! I have to point out here that we had only met these guys maybe two times and we were in some town we didn’t know! Real smart. After a great day the guys decided it was out of the way to drive us home so told us we needed to take the train…so like em! So, I can’t remember details but Roger and Ant have sailed for super long distances for long amounts of time on that boat. I could not imagine, but I’m up for sailing any sunny day!

The night I should have died:

One night Steve called me and was like let’s drink. Since I can’t say no we decided to go to this place off of the Ramblas where Steve knew the bartender. We started out with some of his roommates from his flat. I met a dude from Indiana who knows Baundi and played soccer with him at Hanover (random, small world) who also hung out. Anyways, we met a couple who was on holiday from Ireland and that’s when things got ugly. All I remember is someone asking for shots and then I took it and it was lights the fuck out! I heard something like oh yeah it was absinth…and then next thing I know is I’m flying over the rooftops of BCN. Yeah, I did say flying! I guess some of us decided to go up on the roof terrace of Steve’s flat and then somehow we ended up roof jumping over 6 story buildings. This is when I should have died. What the Hell was I thinking…well duh I wasn’t. I must have thought I was some crazy athletic cartoon character who could leap over gaps in roofs and bounce if I fell! The cops were called on us and we had to RUN and then FLY over the roofs to get to safety. I don’t remember much but that it seemed like a dream and I would have chalked it up as one except I had bruises and cuts all over to prove that I was a dumbass! The next day we met up with the couple again and they informed us that their last day in BCN was spent in bed because they were so sick from the previous night of drinking! Go us! Steve feel free to add anything I left out!

Monday Dinners:

Every Monday Kate, Kris, Steve S, and I get together at our casa and cook dinner and drink wine and catch up. Kate cooked the first meal and made chicken stir-fry, Steve was next with amazing Carbonara; I made Mexican night with tacos and tonight is Kris’ turn. I made a cheesecake just in case Kris isn’t up to par! Kate has been brainstorming some dinner ideas such as breakfast foods and I think I’m going to try to find the ingredients to make my famous lasagna (be jealous Bob and Sam)! All we have to do now is figure out how to convert the measurements and we’re golden! Who knows how many kilo liters are in a liter…not us!!

One Sunny December Day:

Remember when it was December 8th and we were having a picnic in the park…well that was today! I talked to mom the other day and she said Lakota had a snow day and everyone from home has been facebooking me about the cold weather! I still think it gets too cold here for my tastes, but it is “temperate” and I haven’t seen a single flake of snow so I guess it’s alright. Kate and I met up with a lot of other TEFL teachers and friends at Parc De la Ciutadella and had lunch and cava. Parc De La Ciutadella has the Arc de Triomf, the Catalan Parliament building, museums, and a botanical garden. That night everyone met out for drinks for Steve Allen’s birthday and Kate, Danny, Steve and I had sushi at a really cool neighborhood near our hood. I am definitely going to take people to this stretch of bars and restaurants because there is such a wide variety and every place is cool in its own way. I do believe I made an ass of myself after drinking wine to pregame, sake and vino at dinner, vodka at the first bar, going to Sub Rosa (I already explained this place puts drugs in their drinks), and whatever else I drank at the other 50 bars and clubs we ended up in! Thanks Kris for taking care of me!!

San Sebastian, Spain:

Kate and I had over a week off of school because of Easter so we decided to check the internet and find a place in Spain we could afford to run off to for a bit. We came up with San Sebastian in the bosque part of Spain. San Sebastian is this little fisherman’s village on the sea that is famous for their version of the tapas called pintxos and their white wine. The day before we left, San Sebastian was hit with a huge tidal wave that destroyed many buildings, cars, businesses, and roads. Yes, the day before we got there the biggest wave they had seen in over 80 years hit and took a toll on the city! When we arrived we took a cab to our hostel which ended up being a 5 euro fare because we thought San Sebastian was huge, but in reality it’s super small. We checked in to our hostel and the manager told us what was now closed because of the wave, some roads, the hot springs, some restaurants, and the clubs along the beach! We decided we’d take a look around and see what trouble we could get in! We walked, climbed, strolled, and tromped all over every square inch of San Sebastian! At night we would go on pintxo crawls instead of pub crawls! At each bar you walk in and look at the bar to see what beautiful creations they have out on display for you to eat, you ask for a plate and a drink and then pick out the pintxos you want. They have every different kind tapas you can think of and many I didn’t even know what they were! My favorite drink was the txakolin (sort of a Riesling tasting wine that has to be poured high above the cup to oxygenate it) and my favorite pintxo was a croquette filled with duck and mushrooms! Kate liked the Kalimotxo (nice red wine served in ice with Coke) and a pintxo that was in a seashell with seafood in it. We tried a lot of different pintxos throughout our stay and realized that these Spaniards eat and drink 24/7 so it was just the place for us! The beaches are very nice and the town is very beautiful. We definitely want to go back when the temperature is super hot and we can sun bathe and check out all the surfers! Oh, did I mention that San Sebastian is also famous for their waves for surfing? Well, there were tons of water sports happening before our very eyes! The water was so cold I couldn’t believe anyone would want to be near it, but they were surfing, body boarding, kayaking, and wind surfing! All in all, Kate and I had an amazing time in San Sebastian and would recommend it to anyone who likes the beach and beautiful scenery!
Ooo almost forgot about how funny I am! Well, Kate and I were walking to our hostel and there was this group of older people walking our way. One of the men (old enough to be my father/grandfather) was eyeing me and walked right next to me and asked me in Spanish where the beach was. Since it was around 9pm or later I was like “What” or “Que?” He asked again where the playa was so I pulled out my gun and pointed to the beach (while making my huge arm muscle budge…duh)! I thought is was sooo funny and I am still laughing at myself even while I write this! Ha.
Luke, we got to the Bilbao Airport and we checked in and got in line at gate 5 (which was on our tickets) and the lady took our tickets and we entered the plane. Kate and I walked to the back of the plane to our seats and there was an elderly couple in our seats. I looked at Kate and was like what’s the deal with people being in our seats (it happened like 3 times throughout our trip) and she was like well they’re moving. Just then over the loudspeaker the lady says in Spanish something about Seville and I turn to Kate and say SAVILLE? Yeah, we were on the wrong plane! Somehow the people let us through the line, check-in, and boarding without noticing we were heading to the wrong place! Jerry’s kids I tell ya!

Question:

When did it become alright and even fashionable to wear shit that doesn’t make a bit of sense? Last night I was in Travel Bar Port with the crew participating in Trivia Night when I saw these girls dressed in the worst outfits I’ve ever seen! I know fashion is hard to understand most times and no one can say that 6in stilettos are as comfortable as trainers but, wearing thick framed glasses with no lenses? Seriously!? This chic had on glasses with no lenses, a long tank top with black tights and red Converse shoes that looked as if she wore them in the sea and walked in the Mt.s and her hair was crimped. She was a damn mess and she walked around as if she was Gwen Stefani on the red carpet. Her friend also rocking the nasty ass Converse trainers and black tights had on the smallest shorty shorts that were white with shiny material woven in. She also had a tank top on and was wearing her hair in a sort-of side pony. I have to mention that Kate and I both had our winter coats on because it was super cold and raining. I’m so sick of this fashion that says I’m a damn slob and proud of it! That girl is giving other girls a bad name because not only does she look stupid I hear her talking and she acted stupid. Maybe this is showing my age, but I never went to my closet (my amazing closet) and said what should I put on today so I can look a damn mess! I would never buy layers of clothes only to wear them at inappropriate times. Walking in Sarria, a very nice part of town I work in, I see the most amazing stores and fashion and wonder if these girls have ever seen an outfit that matches!

Tape Worm:

We have this reoccurring discussion about tape worms. I know it’s a bit strange but for some reason the damn thing keeps coming up! When Kate and I were talking about the two girls eating like pigs but being so skinny, it was there. When I looked at the pictures from my birthday and realized that I am not the skinny girl I think of myself as, it was there. When Kate and I were discussing the children outside walking barefooted in the nasty streets of BCN, it was there. And when I was walking with Alex in the sunny cobblestone streets of Villafrance, it was there. For some reason I have thought or talked about tape worms ever since I got here. Alex kindly explained that he thought that Kate might have a tape worm because she can house just about everything in the flat and not gain a pound. He also told me how she could extract the worm from her body by eating only salty foods and then holding a glass of water near her mouth and when the worm came out of her mouth to drink she could grab it and yank it out. I about died when he said this, but Kate also told me the same story so I guess it’s been done before. I’m seriously going to have to look these suckers up on the net because it’s freaking me out that I keep hearing about ‘em and hell I want one!

Skiing French style:

Carlos, the father of the two young girls I teach on Thursday nights, asked me if I wanted to go skiing that weekend with him and his family. I couldn’t say no to this amazing offer because it had been over a year since I last got to ski. I packed my pack and headed to the Brils’ flat on Friday. We got in the car and headed to their mountain house in the Pyrenees. Wait, I’m getting ahead of myself! I got to the flat where Cristina, the mother, was trying to get all the stuff packed and the girls ready. Meanwhile, the girls were trying to rip my boots off so they can wear them, jumping rope in the house, running ramped in the hall, and not listening to a word their mother was saying. When we finally got in the car they were put in their car seats and we were off. The trip I believe was 2 hours I can’t remember because I was too distracted with the two girls. You have to remember I speak English and a little Spanish, the girls speak Spanish and Catalan and no English, and the parents speak a little English. I had been nervous the entire day worrying about all those hours with a family that I could not communicate with. Carlos can speak a lot better than he thinks and his wife and I could speak pretty well also, so a dogged that bullet. The girls were another problem completely. They are what should I call them… spoiled brats and get everything they want. All the girls have to do is wine, cry, or yell for anything and it will be done. Yeah, that about covers them. There was not a moment that went by that one of them wasn’t crying or whining or screaming about something…made me rethink kids once again! I thought it was Carlos who was the pushover but I think the mother babies them so much and that’s the reason they are like that. One Thursday I was teaching and Cristina the 5 year old said caca which means shit so I said well go to the bathroom then. She kept yelling EEErriinn (that’s how she always says my name) so I go in there and she hands me toilet paper and expects me to wipe her! I laughed in her face gave her back the tp and walked out of the bathroom! I ain’t no mother, ain’t no nanny, and sure as hell don’t get paid enough! So, as I was in their holiday home I noticed that the mother did everything for them. It was exhausting to watch! The first night we arrived around ten and the little one went straight to bed while Carlos and Cristina were cooking. I helped set up the table and then we sat down for our 15 course meal at 11 at night! First, there were the crisps and next the pork loin and steak, and then the corn on the cob, followed by soup, and bananas and yogurt, and then ended with dessert. I was lucky I was drinking red wine and a beer at the same time so I didn’t have time to eat everything they were trying to stuff me with! On record the 7 year old can eat more that Kate or any man I know (and that’s saying something). She ate everything on her plate and kept asking for more (at 11pm) and asked for more dessert and she is less than 4foot tall and weighs less than 50lbs. Man she’s an eater. The next day I was awoken to the sound of Cristina’s little voice asking where I was at 7am. Everyone was up and getting ready to pack the lunch and get suited up. Guess what time we got to the slopes? Carlos and I got my rentals, ate, got the car ready, packed up our packs, all in about 30 minutes and you know the two girls were still in the mirror crying about how their hair looked (they ski in helmets)! We finally got in the car to drive the 15 minutes to the French Mt. we were skiing and got on the slopes at 10:15am. Their house is located on the border of Spain and France, but we decided to ski in France because it is cheaper and less crowded. After we got started the day flew by and I had a great time. The girls were a little scared at first because all the snow France had gotten in the past 4 days was ripped away by the 150km winds at night to leave a wonderful ice-filled hill. When everyone got their ski legs on we were able to hit most of the runs. Around lunch the girls found other kids to play with at the bottom of the hill and Carlos and I were free to ski the blacks by ourselves! You know the kids that they were playing with ended up being the family I no longer teach for with that devil child Tony! His parents were like “How’s the new job at the school?” “Do you have any free time for more classes?” Thank god Carlos was like we can’t talk we gotta ski and we high-tailed it outta there as quickly as possible! Carlos is a phenomenal skier. He has skied many different places and has also jumped out of helicopters with a parachute on his back into fresh power! I was a bit nervous to ski with him because I didn’t want him to have to worry about waiting for me, but I think I did alright for not skiing for over a year. We had a blast for 2 hours and then had lunch in the sun at the bottom of the hill (with Tony and Imma and the lot). After lunch we met up with two of Carlos’ friends who are snowboarders and we skied the rest of the evening. After it was getting dark we packed up and came back to BCN. It was a good trip with good skiing and definitely made me appreciate the sacrifice my friends have made when they decided to have children of their own (not saying your kids are bad like these girls, just that kids are a handful)! About the place we skied; it’s called Cerdagne Puigmal, they have 35 runs on the map, elevation is 2,700 m, they have a range of difficulty from green to black, and they have weird between the legs lift thing that’s like a T-bar but it ain’t. The weather was sunny and the snow was icy at first but loosened up as the sun hit it, on the side of the Mt. where Carlos and I skied the snow was deeper and there was a base unlike the rest of the Mt. I would say it reminded me of a steeper Seven Springs, Pennsylvania.

Sunny Sunday:

Catalan Alex borrowed his father’s car and took me on an amazing road trip on Sunday. It was the most beautiful day anyone could ever imagine. The sun was out and it was warm but not too warm and there was a slight breeze that wasn’t too cold. Alex took me to the little town outside of Barcelona called Villafranca. Villafranca is a wine town that is famous for their vineyards and cava. The town is very old with cobblestone roads and ancient churches. His father has his business in this town and drives there each day from BCN. We ate lunch at a proper Catalan restaurant (everyone here speaks Catalan) where we ate steamed mussels, chicken croquettes, some past dish with chocolate sauce, and a huge salad with blackberries, blueberries, cranberries, and all sorts of other nuts and good stuff. I literally thought I would die if I ate another bite. Good thing we split it! After lunch (and dinner) we walked around the old streets and eventually got back in the car to drive to this little castle Alex had found. The castle was a real live castle but we don’t know what it was for or what it’s used for now. It is in this tiny town with some houses, a restaurant /inn, a lake, and the castle. We sat outside in this gazebo made of vines and trees and drank our café con leches. After digesting we drove back to BCN the long way through all the little towns near the sea that I am in love with Sitges, Tarragona, Casdefells, and Graf. Graf can only be entered by a one-way tunnel and is on the sea. There isn’t much there but a few houses and a marina, but the town is so quaint that I love it! This was the best Sunday I have had in BCN thus far and it was such a nice break from the hustle and bustle of the city. Thanks Alex!

Anne and Aaron’s Visit:

If you take all the places Kate, John, Annie, Leslie, and I have seen in BCN and add them together it would not equal the amount of places Anne and Aaron saw here on their Spring Break! They were definitely busy tourists and got their money’s worth! Of course the airport again was a nightmare. I sat in the terminal waiting for their 2:45 plane to arrive for 6 hours! I finally got fed up and left and you know ten minutes after I arrived at my place our buzzer was ringing and it was them! I still can’t believe that anyone can find our flat but somehow Leslie and Anne and Aaron managed. I felt bad because as Anna and Aaron were settling in every one of our friends were coming in the flat ready to drink and party and all the couple wanted was sleep. Since it was Kate and my birthdays we had people over to the flat to pre-game before heading out to the club. A and A opted not to join us because jet lag had set in. I can honestly say that sometimes during the week I forgot that A and A were even here because they would get up before I got up for work and wouldn’t return until my work day was over. We went to a Japanese restaurant where they cook in front of you on Sunday for my real birthday. Proper Spanish style the meal lasted over 4 hours long! The rest of the week Anne and Aaron saw the sights, Anne ate a nasty hamburger (I forgot to warn her not to), and I got them wasted on their last night here. We ended up going to the bar down the street that has kegs at your table. As your table drinks everyone watches the TV screens to see who has drunk the most beer and when some other table passes you everyone yells! It’s an amazing place. Afterwards, we took them to a couple of bars along the water and Anne ended up drunk as a sunk at a hidden bar I like to go to. Anne thought it was really cool that there are bars here that look like flats and you have to ring the bell to be allowed in. All in all, I think they had a great time and we were happy to host them (you know they had to buy me dinner and brought Skyline!). If you want more details ask Anne!

Animal stories:

Since I’ve been here I have heard the most amazing stories that have to do with animals! The first I heard at a picnic. A girl had this pet snake and the snake was a boa constrictor. She loved her pet so much that she let the big snake sleep in her bed with her. The snake was fine for awhile and then it seemed to be sick because it wasn’t eating. She decided to take the snake to the vet and find out what the problem was. He told her that the snake was healthy and sometimes snakes don’t eat for long periods of time. After the second month had gone by she was convinced that something was wrong because it still had not eaten anything. Again, she went back the doctor and then he asked about how the snake lived. She explained that she loved the snake so much that it slept in her bed with her and would stretch out along her body under her armpit. The doctor said the snake would have to be put to sleep at once! The girl was like “What? Why?” Then the doctor told her that the snake was not eating because it was sizing her up. “The snake wants to eat you so he’s starving himself and measuring you every night to see if you’ll fit!” Yeah, this is the point where Kate was freaking and everyone else was like what the Hell was wrong with this weird ass chic that she would love a snake 1st of all and then let it out of its cage and in her bed! Then someone else that was at the picnic was like who was this girl and the name was given. We were like why do you care about her name? Then another person said they heard the exact same story from one of their friends! So, this is either false or there are 2 really messed up chics with bed snakes! Second story is told with a French accent so read it with that in mind! Antoine, Kate’s boyfriend from France, said that while living in a flat one year he had a flat mate that owned a pet rat. Yes, a rat. But this was no ordinary rat, it was clean and intelligent! Antoine: “The rat took a bath every week and we would let it out of the cage and it would know where it was allowed to go and not allowed like the table. The rat would curl up in the shoulder of anyone who was watching TV on the couch and sometimes the tail would dangle in your face. The rat would let you know if it was thirsty by kissing you or really licking your mouth to get the spit. (I about died at this part) One time the rat went behind the TV and then the TV stopped working and the rat SHOT across the room because it ate through the wires. The other roommate opened his door everyday and only asked one question, “Is it dead yet?” When I first saw the rat when I moved in I was like no way but then I didn’t mind it. One time it even ate the last bit of our joint and slept in his cage for like 3 days! One day we came home and it had a (he’s acting like he’s popping a zit) on the top of his head. It was a huge pimple (after Kate and I told him what a pimple was)! Then two days later it was all blown up in its cage. The roommate opened the door and asked only one last time. “Is it dead?” The rat died of a tumor on its head. End of story in French accent.