CAPEA

I was invited to a capea recently and my first thought was, I'm not really a fan of bull fights. After second thought, and Alena insisting that in capeas the bulls don't die, I thought, what the hell, and went. I am never one to shy away from trying something I have never done before (This is how I end up eating cow brains in México or on an island in Belize that is inhabited by a drug cartel). To preface this, a capea is to Spain what a weekend bbq and pickup baseball game is in to us in the States. You get a bunch of people on a greyhound bus and take them outside of the city, start the bbq (grocery store burgers on baguette bread, of course), open the free bar, and let out the bulls. It becomes a free for all of guys showing off their masculinity, but dressed in nice jeans, button-up shirts and loafers. I guess if you get knocked around by the bull you might as well look nice.

After a break of hamburgers and more sangría, Chio and I headed into the ring to check it out. We met Jaime, from Córdoba, who had been in there with the capote (the pink and yellow cape) from the beginning. He taught me how to hold the capote and how you drag it on the ground in front of the bull so he doesn't see your feet. Then they brought the cows out for a second round (since they were tired and were a lot tamer) and I decided to try my hand at it. Being one of the only Americans at the capea (there were five of us out of about 50 people) this brought on a ton of attention from everyone watching and chants of "la americana" followed suit, along with every guy in the ring telling me I have "cojones". In the end, Chio and I stayed there after the bus left to hang out with some of the people we met and for my valiant efforts in the ring they gave me a Spanish flag to take home. All in all it was definitely a cultural experience, and I found myself saying "only in Spain..." more than a few times during the course of the day.

Cinque Terre

This post is extremely outdated...

Last month Emily came to visit (yay!) and we made a 4 day trip into Cinque Terre, the five UNESCO-protected villages lining the Italian coast. What seemed like a quick trip into Italy ended up being quite the opposite. Getting to Vernazza, the town we stayed in, involved every mode of transportation except for maybe a mule...Leaving Madrid at 7am we took a subway, airplane, shuttle bus, and two trains, arriving at 9pm in Vernazza. I guess the time we arrived is a bit deceptive, since we had somewhat of a mishap in Génova. Trains in Italy are very cheap and usually pretty efficient, but are not well-marked at all. And apparently the board that lists all the train platforms don't always work very well. So instead of heading on a train to Vernazza from Génova, we boarded a train that was going in the opposite direction. We didn't notice this until I asked the woman next to me (I asked in a mix of Italian and Spanish) if we were heading to Vernazza, and she looks at me, puzzled, and shakes her head. Then she turns to another group of passengers and they all shake their heads, and soon enough the entire train car knows that the two American girls got on the wrong train. Fortunately, everyone on the train was extremely helpful, and the woman got off the train with us at the next stop and helped us get on the train going back to Génova. She explained everything to the train conductor, as well as everyone in the train, and we ended up not having to pay. This was with her speaking not a word of English, and me miming works or mixing Spanish with the 5 words I knew in Italian.

It was worth it though, as Vernazza ended up being gorgeous and the food amazing. We gorged ourselves on pesto genovese (since Genova is so close) with pasta shaped like a twisted toothpicks, grilled mozzarella and tomato panini, lots of gelato, limoncello, and the best tiramisú I have ever had. I think I gained about 5 kilos that weekend alone.

Our trip home was almost as eventful as our trip there. We ended up in the Milan airport waiting for our flight, but accidentally wrote down the wrong time. Thinking our flight was at 3pm we got to the airport at noon with plenty of time to spare. We get up to the counter to check in, and they send us away, we are too early. We come back again in an hour, and they look at us again, and say, you are too early. We look at the flight on the screen. Our plane leaves at 5:30pm. We have over 3 hours to kill at the airport. For some reason I always end up back in Milan, my least favorite city in Europe. But the important thing is, we made it (on a plane full of annoying Italian high school students heading to Madrid for the weekend). After leaving Vernazza at 6am we arrived back in Madrid at 10pm.

Aside from being able to take a break from the smog in Madrid and breathe fresh sea air, it was also nice to visit a place where people are super friendly and with chefs who know that cooking involves more than just frying something in olive oil or cooking it to death in tons of garlic. Can't wait to go back this summer.

Carmen

Sara Baras is one of the most famous flamenco dancers in Spain. She is from Cádiz and began dancing at her mother's studio when she was a young girl. When I heard that she was putting on "Carmen" and it was coming to Madrid, I jumped at the chance to go see her. The show was amazing. She did all the choreography herself and some of the music was written by Paco de Lucía, a well-known flamenco guitarist. Below is a video of her (not in Carmen though, I couldn't find a good clip).

Everything about flamenco fascinates me--its moorish and gypsy roots, and how it permeates Spanish culture. Listening to mainstream Spanish pop songs, you can still hear the influence of flamenco in the way they sing. And it also just seems to be second nature. You can be walking down the street, on the bus, in a restaurant and it is likely that someone will break out into song. It is something that anyone can join in on, whether singing, dancing, or just clapping along, like I normally end up doing. Around the time I first moved in with my roommate, I went out one night with her and a few of her friends. Her friend Jaime, an avid musician, brought a flamenco box and a drum out with us. After a night of bar hopping, we all ended up in the alleyway of this club at 6am. Jaime set down the flamenco box and started to play. A random guy sat down and started playing the drum. Pretty soon a group of guys came over and started singing. After 10 minutes we had a group of 30+ people singing, dancing, and clapping along to an impromptu flamenco dance party. Pretty amazing, and apparently nothing out of the norm for 6am in a madrileño alley.

Anaa amreekiya

I think I may have bought the last jar of peanut butter to be shipped to Madrid from the States. It was packaged in July, well before the outbreak of salmonella, and I found it at Alcampo, a gigantic grocery store/mall-ish place that has everything you could ever want to buy. Except peanut butter. Because I bought the last jar. And I don't know what I am going to do when it runs out because I live on this stuff. Everyone I have met so far thinks it is disgusting. My friend Javi claims that peanut butter is made in China (just like everything else) where workers sit, stuff their mouths with peanuts and chew...and what they spit out is peanut butter. I understand that it is a bit thick...and you need to balance it with milk or an apple, but it is a staple, and I realize one of the only things that originated in the States (unless you want to go into the argument about Incas inventing it hundreds of years ago). When you think of "American" food, you think of hamburgers, fries, hot dogs...but none of those really originated in the States. 

My third graders are currently on a trip at an albergue (like a youth overnight camp) this week, except 2 students from our class, and 3 from the other 3rd grade class. Turns out Zakaria, a boy from the other class, is from Morocco. This was super exciting for me, so any spare minute we had I barraged him with questions in arabic (What is your name? How are you? Is this your book?) and we spent some time writing in arabic on the board. Turns out he understood what I was asking, and now he is probably regretting telling me where he is from. I was so excited that I could practice, and I realize that teaching and learning languages make me really really happy. I keep thinking about everything I could do if I became fluent in arabic as well...I could communicate with our Iraaqi students at home in Seattle, I could teach arabic to American students, since it is a language that is becoming more and more useful to know. Too much to do...too little time.

Arabic phrases of the day:

keetab=book

mumtaaz=excellent

Anaa eesmee=My name is...

Spanish-style Lentil stew

Ingredients:

500 grams of lentils (brown lentils of any size)

1 garlic head

2 onions

3 red tomatoes (the riper the better)

1 green pepper

1/2 red pepper

2 carrots

1 Spanish-style cured chorizo

paprika

salt

black pepper

fresh parsley

2 bay leaves

olive oil

water

1. SOFRITO (onion and tomato base)

Chop up 3 garlic cloves, 1 onion, the green and red peppers, 2 tomatoes, and mix in a sauce pan with 1 tsp of salt and olive oil (roughly 3 tblsp. enough so the vegetables don't burn). Sauté for roughly an hour on low heat (almost until it becomes a sauce-like consistency).

2. Once the sofrito is ready, move it to a larger pot along with the lentils (rinsed), garlic head, 1 onion, and one tomato (garlic, onion and tomato should be whole, but well rinsed), 2 carrots peeled and chopped, a little bit of chopped parsley (3 tblsp?), chorizo (chopped), 1 tsp black pepper, and 1 tsp. paprika. Cover with water and heat until it begins to boil, then reduce heat to medium. It will take roughly an hour to cook, make sure to stir from time to time and adjust heat so the lentils do not burn.

This is so far the best lentils recipe I have tried (I found it online) but it turned out really well. I made the sofrito the night before and stored it in the fridge until I had time to cook the lentils. The sofrito is a very important step in cooking the stew as it helps give a lot of flavor (as well as the chorizo).

Bronquitis

I went to the doctor this morning after my severe cough and fever kept me awake all night. After a 3 hour trip to the clinic I was told that I have acute bronchitis. Let's just say, it isn't very fun. But I get to keep my xray which is kind of cool. I was also given a prescription for antibiotics, ibuprofen, as well as two other pills for the cough and fever.

At first I was hesitant to go to the doctor, because in the past here it has been almost more work getting an appointment than actually going in to work. And if you miss a day at my school you have to bring in a "justificante" or a doctor's note saying why you were gone and that he/she approved it. Otherwise you are not paid for your day at work. Which seems a bit strange that they wouldn't trust people to actually be sick and tell the truth. But, in a sense it is better than how things work in the Seattle School District, because if you have a long term illness, you still get paid if you have proof from a doctor (although I have been told that if you have to go on sick leave for longer than 5 weeks you lose your job and they place you at another school for the next year).

So, three days of sitting on the couch and watching movies await. 

Arabic words of the day:

shukran=thank you

kalb=dog

madrassa=school

medina=city

A letter to Spain

Dear Spain,

It has come to my recent attention that your economy is headed to the toilet. A projected 29% unemployment rate by the end of this year paired with a credit fallout and high rates of layoffs mean that a recession, albeit severe, is almost a definite. Although I am in no way experienced in the field of economics, I am, as most everyone is, a consumer, and any insight I have comes from that experience.

I would say now is the time I give you some heartfelt advice. Below are some areas that are in dire need of improvement.

1. Customer Service

It has always been my impression that if you own some type of establishment that sells products, it is your goal to sell those products. And if someone who comes into your store is confused, or does not understand how the product or service works, you would generally think that the storekeeper or clerk would help that person so they would buy something. In my five months living in Madrid thus far, this idea has been all but shattered. It seems as though no one in this city wants to make money. I can't count on two hands the number of times I have walked into a restaurant, shop, or department store and either been ignored, waved away (literally), or treated like I was 5 years old. I know I am not from here, and sometimes I get confused because things like cell phone contracts and doctor's offices are run differently that what I am used to, but in a country with an aging population and a quickly diminishing economy, you would think that tourists would be a welcome sight. I know that tourists can be annoying, and talk super loud and wear their North Face jackets and Rod Lavers and make fun of Spanish culture. I get it. But I also get that adequate customer service and increasing sales go hand in hand.

Example:
I recently bought a converter, or a big mess of a contraption that converts US voltage to European voltage, at El Corte Inglés, the behemoth of a department store that you can find in every corner of every city in Spain. (Side note: a converter converts voltage, an adaptor just converts the type of plug, I learned this too late and fried a few electronic devices). I needed two adaptors besides the converter in order to make the entire thing function, so I was sold what I thought was a US adaptor. I get home and I found out the thing doesn't work because there are prongs in the plug that won't let anything plug into it. I had my roommate as well as her boyfriend try it out, to no avail. So, I head back the next day to exchange it. I get to the counter and the lovely woman says to me, "Yes?" I tell her I need to exchange the adaptor for one that fits. She looks at my adaptor and says, "I can't take that back, it is out of its package". "Yes, I know", I say, "but in order to test it, I had to cut it out of the package, because you sell it in packaging". Then I point to the sign that says "At El Corte Inglés if you are not satisfied, we return your money". I asked her whether or not that sign was true, because there are about 15 of them on every floor. She sighs heavily, obviously not excited that I am challenging her. She discusses the predicament for a moment with another sales clerk and comes back. "I'll return your money" and walks over to the register. I proceed to tell her that I don't want to return it, I want something that works, if she could please help me. She waves me away, saying "those are the plugs we have, if none of those work, we don't have what you need". So I go over, none of them fit, and she says "see, I told you". I keep insisting that if they sold me something to convert US voltage, there has to be something that works. I ask again if she can help me. She does not, and hands me 1,50€ back, making a comment about why should I care to return it if it is so cheap. She finally decides to come over and help me since I am standing there trying every plug on the chain. She finds one that works. Then she takes the plug I HAD BEFORE and plugs in my cord, but in order to do so, she has to break the prongs that are in the plug. I say, "ohhhh, so you have to break it in order for it to work" in as sarcastic a tone as I can muster. She glares at me and says, I guess so, and we both return to the counter so I can RE-BUY what I just returned to her 10 minutes prior. I walk away, shaking my head, with numerous people staring at me. I felt proud of myself that I stood my ground but also miffed that she thought she could wave me off. This experience is not an isolated one, as I have many more stories where that came from.

2. Web Sites

If you took away my laptop it would be as though you took away my mode of communication, my navegation device, and also my 411. I use the internet for practically everything. My roommate makes fun of me because the first thing I do when I get home is turn on my computer. But she also has a gadget that she is attached to, which is her cell phone. For me it is too expensive to use my phone here, so I prefer to communicate via email or facebook. In the States, if I want to find something, all I do is google it. If it is, say a grocery store or a yoga studio, it most definitely has a website, and the website is easy to navegate, and generally has the key information easily accessible, like the address and hours of operation. I have realized that I take this for granted.

Many places in Madrid don't have websites, and if they do, they are generally confusing and hard to navegate. Here are some examples (in Spanish, sorry):

Salamandra Climbing Gym
El Corte Inglés supermarket

now compare them to some websites in Seattle:

Vertical World Climbing Gym
Safeway supermarkets

I understand that as far as internet and online companies go, the US pretty much beats out everyone, but nowadays if your company or store doesn't have an adequate website in the States, you are considered to be in the dark ages. Not so true here, it is as though they don't want you to find what product you need, or even find the store at all. So, my advice is, while you are sitting around trying to figure out how to boost sales, update your website, and people might actually go to it. I can't tell you how many times I have tried to find something on a website here and have given up and gone to another place because it was easier to find.


3. Immigrants help your economy, not hurt it

People may disagree with me, but in my experience living in the US as well as in Spain, the immigrant population is always the hardest working. They are the backbone of the economy. They do work that other people don't want to do, and they do it at dirt cheap wages. They also pay taxes, pay rent and buy things (which, surprise! help the economy). Zapatero's government recently announced an incentive to immigrants to return to their native countries in exchange for unemployment payments that would last up to a year:

The government offers incentives for immigrants to return home

Any documented immigrant who is unemployed would qualify for the incentive. It doesn't sound like a bad deal, but it also just adds to the growing sentiment here that immigrants are bad for the country, and they are taking away jobs. I was recently on a walk to the bank near my school and I saw stickers on a telephone pole that said "Join the fight, keep Spain for the Spaniards, immigrants out" and directed people to a website with the information about how to get involved. I went to the website but it has since been removed. The sentiment will not be so difficult to get rid of, and I can imagine that things are only going to get worse. What also bothers me is that when many Spaniards hear the word "immigrant" they think of someone from South America or Sub-saharan Africa and somehow associate them with the guys who sell pirated cds on the street, or somehow "beneath them". In September when I told my host mom in Cádiz that I had found an apartment in Madrid, she asked me, sounding concerned "are there a lot of immigrants in the building?" I looked at her, saying, I am not sure, but inside thinking, what does she think I am, a Spaniard dressed up like an American?

So, Spain, I love you very much, and it may seem like I complain whenever I get the chance, but I am truly looking out for your own interests (since I also don't want them to make cutbacks in the program I am in and send me home)...

Besitos,
Maya