Ciudad numero 1

I'm in Madrid! After not sleeping on the plane and talking to the Egyptian boy from Philly about traveling, I had about a 1 hour uncomfortable nap.  En total, I was awake 36 hours so that I could get on Spain time, which if you're wondering is 7 hours ahead of Central time.

I am reading All the Pretty Horses. I'm only about 50 pages in, but McCarthy's style takes some getting used to. Fave passage so far:

" What he loved in horses was what he loved in men, the blood and the heat of the blood that ran them.  All his reverence and all his fondness and all the leanings of his life were for the ardenthearted and they would always be so and never be otherwise." pg. 6

Good stuff.  My hosts are Stuart and Beatrice Aspden, a British man and Spanish woman.  They have three boys: Daniel, 14, who is in boarding school in England; Alvaro, 11; and Gabriel, 7.  They are bilingual, but when they speak English to me, which they insist on to be polite, they have a British accent. Precious.  The Aspdens are currently remodeling their beautiful apartment, so we are all in a small three bedroom place with one bathroom. It's quaint, and I could live here forever.
In fact, Stuart and I talked about why people would ever want to leave Europe for America. Their architecture(s) and culture(s) are centuries old.  It makes America look like a spoiled 5 year old with an Iphone 4. Not to mention, everyone is so distinct looking here. Stereotypically when you think Spanish or Hispanic the only thing coming to mind is black hair, brown eyes, brown skin. BUT NO! Yesterday, a family of ginger kids.....In the posh part of town, everyone is designer-oriented and beautiful.  However, I've also seen more mullets that I have cared to see. Ones with shaved heads and dreads at the end or just shaved heads with long hair at the end....Europe version of the Southern American  classic.

Though I've only eaten one dish that is truly Spanish, I did have a cafe con leche upon arrival.  At the market, there's a station just for olives! A dozen different kinds! So for my first lunch, I had three kinds of olives, fresh shrimp, and salad.

Having studies most of my Spanish from South American speakers, getting accustomed to the Spain acthent is not difficult, just intriguing.


Day 2: I attended Alvaro and Gabriel's Scout Ceremony that was coupled with a Catholic mass.  The ceremony was for the groups to move up into the next group.  Then the families all sit down together and eat.  Everyone sat with their families but would get up, walk around to the other tables, and sample food from everyone.  The only similarity I can think of is dinner on the grounds at church, only this one was much more mobile and less formal.

So, here I am, searching for an apartment in a city an hour away and trying to get my life in order before I cute the safety net: the Aspdens.  Correction from previous post: I will be in a small pueblo Alcazar de San Juan. 


Ciao.

The Beginning of The Beginning

The beginning of the beginning only means that I'm starting a new "chapter".  A new chapter seems trivial, so I would call this, like Jane Austen, a new Book.  Book IV, or the fourth city I have inhabited.  This one just so happens to be across the ocean distanced from everyone I know and all my southern comforts. 

I will be moving from small town Oxford, Mississippi to Ciudad Real, a smallish town in the Castillian-centric region of Castilla-La Mancha.  Known for its wine, windmills, and literary references from Don Quixote, Ciudad Real will be my home fro the next 9 months.  For someone who has had everything placed before her, I have been paying my own way through life this summer.  For the first time I will be living off my own bacon, cheese...what do they call money these days? I guess I better bring the slaughter home, then.  With my saved Bailey Bux and Spanish income, I will officially be independent.  Cue Destiny's Child.  Downside: I can't cook. Add that to the list of things to accomplish. Yes, I have a list of activities I want to accomplish/learn while abroad. 


Number 1: Find a place to live.  No, I do not have a place to live.  I'm being greeted at the Madrid airport by Stuart, a nice Brit and family friend of my aunt in Dubai.  I will be staying with his family for a few days while adjusting to Spanish life.  I'm trying to decide what book to bring on the plane...I'm 300 pages shy of finishing Brisingr, but I'm not about to lug that monster around.  Maybe All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy.


Time to finish packing and enjoy my last day in Oxford.