'Ta luego, Madrid!

On the plane leaving Spain.  I was recently asked a lot if I was excited to be going home, or excited to be leaving Spain.  Well, for those of you who don’t know, I’m not actually going home!  And I not excited to leave Spain.  I am looking forward to starting a new adventure, or simply continuing  the adventure (because isn’t this relly all just one big adventure of life?) in a new place.  Either way, I am excited to be going to a new place, kind of.  Minneapolis isn’t a new city, but the experience will be new; working almost full time, class, studying, EXPLORING, so stay tuned for "abroadcast: a little less abroad and a little more Midwest", updates will be coming regularly.

Well, I don’t know if im going to do a blog in Minnesota, but I have really enjoyed the regular posting to broadcast. More just to feel like I have an audience (thanks if you are actually reading this) but honestly this blog was/is for me.  Sure it was a convenient way to reach everyone, and you could decide to read at your leisure and pick and choose what posts you wanted to read, but feeling like I had an audience made me want to write more, even though Im not really writing for anyone in particular, or because I think other people want me to or need me too.  Sometimes I would think about some of you (those who I solicite to read this) as I wrote or remembered a particular anecdote, and so it was nice to have that connection with family and friends, even from so far away and only mentally.

Anyway, back to Spain, for at least 5 more minutes of reading, depending on how long I decide to blabber on for my last post.  The last day in Madrid was great. I slept terribly, a mix of excitement and nerves, and got up early to take my final.  Then I had only 2 obligations: spend the rest of my euros and pack! I had a giftcard from the birthday gift Pilar bought for me that I returned and decided to buy a fun lipstick! Something that I wouldn’t normally buy for myself. Realized one thing in Spain that I won't miss while purchasing the lipstick.  Customer Service.  The concept is just different here.  Where in the US, salespeople hover a little too hard, in Spain, they are just plain old rude.  Like they have 10809385 other better things to do than help you.  This is exactly what I experienced with the lady at the mac makeup counter when I asked her to help me find a lipstick.  I finally found one I really liked, but with zero gusto from the saleslady and much effort on my part to try to explain what I wanted and ask her what I could try and if she could help me apply it (I am apparently terrible at putting on lipstick).  Got my lipstick, regardless, no thanks to you, mean mac lady. Anyway, then Jana and I went off to Zara, where I got some work pants.  Still had a few $25ish euros to spend, not counting the money I had set aside for the taxi ride and going out. 

The last 25 euros were very well spent, checking something off my life/spain bucket list, that could evasively described as something every girl should maybe try at some time in her life (so I've heard), or something that is very common amongst women, especially in Spain.  And we'll leave it at that.

Then pack, pack, pack, pack! I sounbelievablyluckily found an extra duffel bag suitcase at the apartment, and with that managed to disperse my 45 kilos worth of luggage into the two bags (21.5 kg and 23.5 kg respectively), as well as my big backpack and purse. 

We went out to dinner to celebrate.  We being Leticia, Jillian, Murphy, Claire, and Michelle (my new housemates), and Jenna.  We went to this realllly cool and hip restaurant that I had been to, but didn’t stay to eat.  Its called Ojalá and they have a beach on the bottom floor and you sit around a low table on cushions and the floor is covered in sand.  The waiters are all cute hunky guys with lots of tattoos and cut off shirts.  Un sitio muy chulo, as we would say in Spanish.  We shared some really great Spanish fusion style dishes, and then went out to a club in Salamanca, the supa swanky neighborhood, that has an open bar on Wednesday nights, especially when Jenna knows one of the promoters.  It was a really fun night out, not too crazy, and just nice to enjoy the city one last time, and especially at night, since that is when Madrid comes alive! 

I forgot to get a picture of the cool sand...and the whole table with the cushions, and the hot waiters.  This will have to do.

Looks gross, but tasted good!

My taxista, Javier, was super nice.  Even though I was dead tired (having slept only 3 hours) Javier and I chatted the entire 40 minute ride, about kids, wives, traveling, everything! My last full Spanish conversation!!

Also, I must note on my choice of travel outfit.  Leggings, for optimal comfort and warmth.  Big comfy white blousy shirt, since it’s a little stylish, and I was traveling in Europe. Flannel, the one that I picked up/stole from the hostel after the South Korean girl in my room left it behind (I think on purpose…) Scarf, the big pashmina/silk one purchased in Morocco for warmth (these planes are freezing) and eye cover when I want to sleep.  Desert boots, as mom calls them, or my most Spanish article of clothing, made in Spain!  Club Roma Bingo hat that was gifted to me at the bull fight.  I had to bring it back, but couldn’t pack it in the bags, so yupp, I’m that doucher wearing a straw hat in the airport… And some guy in the Amsterdam airport started talking to me in Spanish and it was disappointed that I had to tell him I was American...I he thought I was Spanish because of the hat.

At the Madrid airport, I finally checked in my bags and walked to the gate.  I bought a bocadillo with jamon Serrano, my last bocadillo and last jamon (maybe forever?). 

Semi-culture shock getting on the Delta flight to Minneapolis…everyone speaks English, and when I get surprised, like when the flight attendant just took my cup, my first reaction was to say “Gracias” or “Hola” or “Hasta luego” as greetings.  Shoudnt be too hard to get back into the Amurica mode though.

In the airports and on the plane I have been filling in the last few pages, literally, of my journal.  Re-reading certain days, and laughing, reminiscing, or cringing sometimes at what I wrote. 

Comprehensive review of my study abroad experience:  I have gained a lot, mentally, emotionally, and physically…had to get one fat joke in there, sorry, but there are consequences to a diet of wine, olive oil, fried, and lack of exercise.  There is really nothing I regret.  I’ve had a lot of great me time, which is what I wanted and needed.  For once I really allowed myself to be the most important person, 100%.  On another note, learning how to be me also required learning how to not be me, aka the Type A, rigid, structured, list-making, anal-compulsive, worrying, sometimes anxious, and far too responsible (sometimes) me.  I still make lists, and I haven’t forgotten all those awesome traits, but I have been able to let loose a little.  Flexibility, forwardness, exploratory drive, and openness to trying all new experiences has done me a lot of good.   One of the things I really want to do is to be able to bring this mentality back with me and integrate my new philosophy (so pretentious) into real-life (because lets be honest, this semester wasn’t exactly real life, but at the same time, I don’t se why it cant be…) Study abroad has changed me, and I wont leave anything behind in Madrid, its all coming with me, packed in my suitcase, scribbled in my journal, written in this blog, stuffed in my brain, imprinted in memories, and documented in photos.  The ambiguous “It” being how I’ve changed, what I’ve gained, and all that has been rearranged.  I could go through and have a good old list of superlatives, most memorable memory, best meal, funnest trip, new best friends, craziest night, coolest story, but why?  Its all a package, each step lead to the next, each experience not without some predetermined ideas or consequences, and it wouldn’t be fair to tease it all apart and deconstruct this experience, other than what I have already done by documenting everything (well almost everything). 

Also, I have just experienced one of the fastest 5 months of my life, so maybe I shouldn’t try to enjoy life so much because then it will just be over quicker! Just kidding!

I am trying to think of a concluding line, something witty, punny, and quirky to sum this all up.  But in the end, its not really a conclusion, just part of the continuum.

'Ta luego and besitos!

La Complutense (UCM): El campus de Somosaguas

Took these pics awhile ago, on my first your of the Somosaguas campus at Complutense.  Never posted them, but Somosaguas is the hippier campus, it has the facultades de psychology, sociology, political sciences, social work, etc... The campus is a lot different than Oxy, lots of graffiti and posters for demonstrations.  The bathrooms are notorious for be being gross and never ever having toilet paper, rarely having soap, and sometimes, the water in the sinks doesn't even work.  

I expected to make some Spanish friends in class, but my class had fewer than 15 people (there may have been more that just never showed up) and none of them were very friendly.  I made one friend, Jana, but she was on Erasmus and is Canadian, but ended up being a savior to explain to me some of the points for the big trabajo I have to turn in.  There was one boy in class who was nice, but always asked really annoying and unrelated questions and took up about 20 minutes of class time every day with his silly "preguntitas."

I took a psych class there, "Emoción, Cognición, y Salud" that met once a week for 3 hours (but really only 2.)  I picked this class because it seemed interesting, but also because the once a week meeting would allow me more free time to explore Madrid.  I am glad I picked it, the Professor was really nice and smart, but it was kind of boring.  Lie, it was really boring.  However, it was great that it only met on Tuesday of all days, because all Spanish holidays and days off happen to be Tuesday!  Also, the student strike on May 22 (a Tuesday) made it so that our last day of class was canceled.  So, in one semester of about 15 weeks, I had class cancelled 5 times, which is pretty typical Spanish. 

Also, there is no homework, except a few easy trabajos at the beginning, but then I have to turn in a big psych evaluation of someone, where I got access to all of these psych tests that I never ever would have access to in the states.  But, they were on the virtual campus website, or available for check out in the library.  Also, there are two finals, one on the campus virtual, and the other in class a week later, that are 30ish multiple choice questions.  I'm super nervous since I've never really done a multiple choice, or a psych test in Spanish before!

Also, having my exam on the 6th of June gave me a good excuse to stay in Spain free of charge and add some more trips, like Morocco, Valencia, and Barcelona.

I met with my Professor sometime before the first final, Profesor Antonio Cano Vindel, to chat about the exam and hopefully mitigate my nerves.  He was very nice, told me everything would be more or less general topics, and that I have been in every class (unlike most of the students) and that if i study, he thinks I will be okay.  After, we chatted a bit, I told him about my major and summer research, and he even offered me a ride home, since we live close to each other.  I cordially declined, since I had some errands to do anyway.

Somosaguas building, that looks like a prison.  Apparently it used to be a prison!

Very liberal and open school!

Student bookstore

typical graffiti everywhere, these gems are written on the inside of the bathroom door

Think I might actually pass this class too.  So long story short, and to not worry all of you, I failed my first college exam.  YUPPPP. 3.19 out of 10. Ouch.  
Here are my excuses:    
1) The test was a lot more detailed than I thought. Sad thing is I DID study, just not quite the right stuff.
2) It was a 36 question multiple choice "tipo test" in SPANISH
3) It was online and I only had 30 minutes to do it.
4) A little clock followed me around the whole page making me anxious and nervous and reminding me that I had very leeetle time left.  For a class that talked a lot about anxiety and stress (and health) and used many examples of anxiety when taking tests, I think this was a very ironic point.
5) THE CLINCHER: Tipo test is like the SAT: you answer wrong, you get points taken away. OOPS! Lily didn't know that! No one explained it to her and I didn't even think about asking. (Fault on both sides.)


Anyway, I knew the first evan (worth 25%) didn't go well.  Didn't think it went THAT bad until I saw my grade. But with the homework grade (also worth 25%), and a hearty 6.33 (which is a good grade in Spain, here they don't inflate/bs grades like in the states (for better and for worse)) on the second and more valuable final (worth 50%), I think I will at least pass the class, which is all I really want at this point in life.   


WOOHOOOO! Summer vacation!

La Vida Cotidiana: Spain

Dinner at 9 pm...still getting used to. Don't know if I'll keep it up in the states, but maybe I'll treat myself every now and then. Its really only a problem when you like to go to bed at 10...which I do.

I am getting good at sleeping in. SCORE. Its the only way I can survive here. And naps. Naps are good. And essential.


The Fiesta-Siesta life-style. 'Nuff said.

Starving myself until 2 or 3 pm to finally eat lunch. Getting easier.


No fresh vegetables. Still rough.

Líli = Lily.  I just introduce myself with my Spanish name because people understand me better that way. Also, Berrin, pronounced Berrrrrrrrrin, with extra emphasis on the R!


Afternoon goes from 12 until about 9.  Then it becomes night time.


Tiny showers. so. over. it. And no bath tubs.


Greetings. People are just so darn friendly here. Whenever you enter/exit a room, you say "Hola" (upon entering) and "Adios"/"Ciao"/"Hasta luego" (which is the most common, which usually becomes more of a "'Ta luego" than a full hasta), upon exiting.  Fun little anecdote.  I was in the dentist's office waiting for my appointment to get my retainer fixed. (Thanks Stan) and a woman walked out from her appointment to leave the office, and said "Hasta luego" to everyone sitting in the waiting room, aka me and old man Spaniard.  No lady, we have never spoken, we never said hi, I don't even know your name, and I actually do not think that I am ever going to see you later...but thanks for the saludo! And being so friendly!   


Beday: Still haven't used it.


Drying clothes on a close line.  This, my friends, is so exciting, and will never get old.  Well maybe after awhile...or in winter, or if I had a family.  In summer, I swear its quicker than a dryer.


Using so much oil to cook things...chicken, fried egg, peas (actually), you name it...is actually a perk: you never really have to clean the pan.


Dos besos.  When you come AND when you go.  Really awesome when you run into a group of about 12 people and you 2 besos all of them.  Then when you leave 5 minutes later you have to dos besos all over again! So many besos!


So, thats all for this post!


DOS BESOS!

Funny Signs

After trying to be the location for the 2016 summer olympics, Madrid is trying to be the location for the 2020 summer olympics, and they already had the banners out for it in January.  Still in the running as of June...

Funny enough, this means don't step on the grass, not don't pee on the grass.  Someone also added "in high-heels" on the bottom of it too.
The bottom one says have your dogs on a leash, but someone creatively crossed out dogs and wrote police.

Café in Malasaña, the alternative neighborhood new my new apartment.  The sign reads, "The Terrace: DON'T SMOKE JOINTS" amongst a list of other rules for sitting outside.

Despedida Dinners and Cooking Escapades

So we all know I like to cook.  So here are a few kitchen anecdotes.


#1: My friend Julie, who is currently traveling the world, (Shout out to Julie!) came back to Madrid for a day between Italy and northern Spain.  Well it happened to be her birthday the day before, so I made a feast for her and some IES friends (including Kate's mom and brother) of bean chili that I got from a vegetarian cookbook in the apartment (yupp, I cooked from a recipe all in Spanish, and it tasted GREAT!), baked eggplant chips, and delicious salad with the works: beats, corn, tomatoes, red onion...and of course, homemade dressing.

Alubias con curry, eggplant chips, SALAD!

Happy Birthday cookie cake

#2: Made cookies, with real nestle toll house chocolate chips (but shortly learned you can just buy a bar of chocolate and chunk it up (DUH!).  Also had to scour the town for some brown sugar. Finally found it at the cursed Corte Ingles, the second one I went to.  Brought them to Pilar and Sergey when we went out to dinner so I could say goodbye to them for the last time. It was great to see them! I didn't realize how much I was missing them!  Hopefully we can exchange a few e-mails! Pilar told me she is looking for a new, bigger apartment, and Sergey had his final soccer game the next day.  He also moved into my old room. It was weird to see it with all his stuff in there, but I'm glad that Pilar and Sergey now have more space.  Funny where we went to dinner: VIPS. A chain restaurant that is pretty much like Denny's Lions, or any old diner in the states.  Huge portions, not Spanishy food. Swore I would never go there, but just like Burger King, broke that one with Pilar and Sergey.  Anyway, Pilar loved the cookies!  We ate them after dinner with a glass of milk :)


#3: David, my good buddy from IES is doing the Camino de Santiago (an 800 mile pilgrimage across the north of spain).  He has called a few times to chat, and the last time he called, he said he was coming to Madrid for a night to surprise his Spanish girlfriend and needed a place to shower (boy did he need a shower!) and chill for the afternoon. Perks of an apartment, he could come here.  Of course I fed him! I great Mediterranean meal of things he can't eat on the pilgrimage road...home made chummus, italian pasta salad with mushrooms, green beans, peppers, and red onions, and israeli salad. YUMMM.  He also got a cookie that I had extra from the batch I made for Pilar and Sergey.


#4: The other day I decided to change up my daily salad and shred some carrots into it.  YUM!!! And it gave me the inspiration to make carrot salad.  So I did it, today.  Yupp folks, I invented my very first recipe from 100% scratch!


Ingredients:
Shredded carrots
Tahini
Soy sauce
Peas
Chopped green onions
Peanuts, shelled
Minced ginger




Mix tahini and soy sauce and a little water in a separate bowl until creamy.
Shred carrots and combine with ginger, peas, and green onions.
Add tahini and soy sauce mixture.
Stir.
Enjoy.

Asian Carrot Salad

#5: So I decided to make datebars. E-maield my good buddy Carly for the recipe. I just had the urge to make date bars... dates are everywhere here, and i wanted to bring something to the staff at my study abroad office, so a date with the date bars! Well, I had all the ingredients ready to go: extra brown sugar from the cookies, oats, the UNOPENED flour in the cabinet, that i didn't buy, so who knows how long its been in there, but it was whole wheat. perfect. butter, dates, vanilla, blah blah blah. I pour out the flour and notice there are little seeds in it. I've never seen whole wheat flour with seeds, but hell, this is spain. So I make the whole thing up, mixing with my hands since there is no mixer, obvy having a great time!

Unfortunately (or fortunately if you continue reading...) I only have a pan big enough for half a batch. I'm all about to put it in the oven and i see a bug crawling on top. oops how did that get in there? Then I look. and there are more bugs. Bugs on Bugs on bugs. Crawling in my date bars!!!!!! THOSE WERENT SEEDS IN THE FLOUR DUMMY, THEY WERE BUGS!!!!!! GROSSSSSSSS. So i dump it out, the flour, and the rest of the extra crust into a garbage back and tie it tight. Completely grossed out (because of course I already ate some of the dough...) Thank you sweet baby infant Jesus (Jews, no cringing, I AM in Spain...) that I had half the batch of filling and enough ingredients, including NOT buggy flour (I double, triple, quadruple, checked.) So i made another one and it is in the oven baking now. Damn bugs.

Corrida de Toros. A ONCE in a lifetime experience.

So one of the last things to check of my Spain list, go to a bullfight.  Well I did it.  I've heard stories, seen cartoons (and yes they actually do drag their front hoof in the ground and practically shoot steam out of their noses (well snot)), heard good opinions, bad opinions, rumors of banishment, but all in all, I just had to see for myself before forming at kind of opinion.  

Entrada

Las Ventas

Didn't know what we were getting ourselves into

And when I decided to see for myself, I didn't realize that I would be about 7 rows back, right in front of all the action.  Our seats were literally right up there and on the side where everything happened.  

Still smiling...

Thats how close we were...

It wasn't a pleasant experience.  Thats for sure.  I just got back so I am still trying to digest the experience, the crowd, watching SIX animals die nonchalantly before my eyes, the tummy ache that still lingers (well that could be from the really good chummus I made today or the candy that we had to buy after the 'show' (if you could call it that) to cheer ourselves up.  

Candy stand

There are definitely a lot more logistics that go into the bull fight than I had originally thought: the entrance procession, the headmasters of the show, the Picadores, who make the first stab into the bull from horseback, the Banderilleros, or mini matadors as I like to call them, who taunt the bull originally and stab them with little baras before the matador comes out, with the whole get up, sword and red blanket to do the whole song and dance (literally) and eventually kill the bull, the guys on the side who hand over the baras, swords, towels when it gets bloody, etc... the man who's sole job is to open the gate and let the bull out, but gets to sit on the side with a fancy outfit on anyway, then the guys who come with the horses to drag the dead bull away, the rackers, who clean up the sand after each bull, and finally, the line maker man, who redoes the lines halfway through the show.  

Mahou advertisement in the middle of the arena.  After all, it is a sporting event

Head master man

Ready for action

Picadores

Banderillos

Right, I forgot to mention the bull, the 1000 pound beast with the sad look in its eyes, the snot dripping from its nose, sweating, panting, getting stabbed and never getting a break until finally at the end he is killed by maybe having one, two, or three swords stabbed into his neck. They even have names.  Today I saw Sevillanito, Madroñito, Milillero, Medroso, Aviador, and Sombrerillo.

Sevillanito (literally, little Sevillian)

And thats just in the arena.  In the audience, you have the band, playing a little tune when the bull dies (and we all stand, what out of respect? which makes no sense to me...)  Also you have the tourists, and among them, the disgusted american girls (us), the crazy American lady who "lived with a matador for 3 years" and completely loves it that we met on the metro, the group of asians who sat next to me, oohing and ahhing and taking millions of photos, the Spaniards who get really into it, yelling at the matador and the bull, cheering, chanting, and of course, complaining.  

Innocent spectator

But the relationship between the three is the most interesting.  According to crazy metro lady, the bulls are starved, deprived of water, and left in a dark room days before entering the ring so they are already tired.  The mini matadors also tire out the bull before the main matador gets his turn.  The crowd must also be pleased, meaning the matador has to work the bull just right, do his dance long enough, do enough twirls, get close to the bull, do some more fancy tricks, but not too long that we get bored and restless and start yelling.  Big job worrying about the crowd.  But what about his own safety? At what point does he decide to forgo the trick, piss off the crowd, and hopefully not get gorged by this angry, tired, snotting animal?  Not to mention he is wearing a very flamboyant, sparkly, tight suit, giving him both a camel toe and what I'm sure is a very large and uncomfortable wedgie.  


The bulls also differ in tiredness, rambunctiousity, size, and the matadors vary in skill, and tonight, we saw a whole combination of matadors and bulls, switching between better matadors, meaning they  perfectly taunted the bull, even dropping his hat in the center of the arena as a presentation to the bull, doing the right amount of turns, getting close to the bull, killing him with one sword, wiggling his taught little tush in the right way...  Then we saw worse matadors, who dropped their blanket, missed a jab (or two, three, or four),  got blood on their clothes, didn't stab the bull deep enough, etc...

Matadero

The first bull/matador combo we saw, according to the really nice and really enthusiastic Spanish woman, wasn't so good.  She had a great time explaining to us the beauty in the show, the rules, etc...and even gave us some hats to wear.  

Jillian, Murphy and Me, in our new hats!

In the end, it is a show of entertainment.  The ushers take our tickets and lead us to our seats.  People are munching on popcorn, sunflower seeds, and drinking beer that vendors sell up and down the stands.  Fans complain, yell at the arena, throw their cushions into the arena afterwards since they aren't pleased (true story).

cushions in the arena post show

Did I mention that I saw six bulls die today?! Lets see if I remember all their deaths; there was the first one, that left the biggest impression, and was probably one of the worse deaths since the matador wasn't too skilled.  Then one dies with blood bubbling from his mouth, another wavered like a drunk person before going down, one twitched as the mini matador jabbed the knife into him a few times more just to make sure he was dead, another that fell immediately after the first sword was thrown. Have I given enough details here?  After about bull number 3, I was kind of immune to the whole killing part.  It was still sad to see the bull suffer, and looking into their eyes every time they were stabbed wasn't too heartening, but at one point I even lost count on what number we were on and surprised myself when I casually asked, "What number is this again? Four? Five?" in a an almost bored and different tone.   

Picadero making the first stab

The final stab

Dragging away bull #1.  Don't worry, there were 5 more!

This was not a pleasant experience.  I still don't know quite how I feel.  Should it be outlawed? I don't know.  Will it ever? Doubtful.  Will I go again? No.  Am I glad I went? Yes.  

**Broke my camera after Bull #1. Tried not to let this take all my attention away from the bullfight but it did make me sad.  However, since I wasn't worried about taking pictures, I was focusing more on the bullfight in front of me.  The theme of this post was also "Corrida de Toros" not "boohoo, Lily broke her camera" so I refrained from mentioning it, but I am very sad. I would have taken a picture of my broken camera to add to the blog but for obvious reasons I couldn't do that... At least its the end of my trip and I think I can get it fixed for free when I return to the states. In 5 days! But thats a whole other topic.