Thursday, January 16, 2014

Inglaterra

          Here is the update about England!  Waiting in the airport by the gate was funny because everyone was speaking to me in Spanish, the air flight attendants, and the English people around.  I was flattered when the attendants still spoke to me in Spanish after I responded instead of switching to English.  After a nice nap, I met Nate in Liverpool and his Dad drove us to the train station which took us to York.  York looks like Diagon alley from Harry Potter.  That’s the best way to explain what it was like walking around, sans wizards memorabilia.  In York we went on a haunted walk, where the tour guide talked about the horrible and historical things that had happened in certain houses and streets.  The whole town was so old, but people were still using the same rooms!  Houses from the 1300, 1400 and 1500 were still standing, so was a roman wall!  People were also very friendly.  




Next we went to Whitby, which is a little fishing town on the coast.  I loved it!  It reminded me or Red Bank a little.  This is apparently THE place to get fish and chips, so that consisted of most of our meals there, thankfully that was only one night because fried fish and French fries aren’t necessarily the best combination for the waist line.  But maaaannnnnn they were delicious!  Freshly caught and served with vinegar. 





          After that we stayed at Nates parents house close to Manchester.  All of the buildings were made of stone instead of brick, but reminded me a bit of New Jersey.  His parents were very sweet and took us out for a proper English breakfast and English supper (the day after Ill talk about that in a bit).  They use the terms dinner, supper, and lunch interchangeably and “tea” can be referred to as afternoon or evening tea…where you may or may not drink tea that’s just how they refer to snack time.  Nate got me to try “pate” which was the equivalent of liver mush.  I had maybe the amount of a thumbnail and its apparently quite a delicacy…along with black pudding.  I will NOT try that and if you would like to look up what it is you are more than welcome too…

          The next day was his nephews birthday party and I’ve noticed his family isn’t big on cooking (Nate cooks the most and that usually consists of omelets or Asian cuisine.)  It was cool to see their different chips, candies, and way of celebrating.  It was very similar to any American style party, they started singing “Happy Birthday” and continued with a chorus of singing “For he’s a jolly good fellow,” and is apparently typical to extend the song.  The equivalent of our “How old are you now.”  It was interesting the differences between our English’s, there were times I didn’t understand a word!  Usually context clues can help, but these really were different words!  When I come up with some examples I’ll write them down…

          Before we left the airport I was treated to a typical Sunday lunch, which is our thanksgiving dinner.  Ohhhhhh maannnnn can you imagine my excitement?!  It was buffet style and they carved the turkey/beef/pork, onto your plate.  YUM!!!!  They thought it was crazy we only ate that once a year.  I explained that we had variations on it, but that would be their “pasta Sunday.”  The idea that we eat macaroni on Christmas baffled them. 


          It was weird being in England and seeing the rolling hills while I was on the train and in the car.  When I zoned out, it felt like I was on a car trip to New Jersey or Boone.  Which was good and bad as you might imagine.  It was nice to be surrounded by familiarity, green landscapes, a nice family, and English, but it reminded me that I wasn’t at home.  And that home is across the ocean.  In Madrid, it’s clear that I am a foreigner and am in a foreign land.  In England, I felt like I was at home, and then was quickly reminded that I am still a foreigner.  People would smile when I started to talk and immediately ask where I was from, always guessing America.  Well there's no denying it really... 

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Feliz Navidad y Bon Nadal





Merry Christmas everyone!  Its Christmas morning here in Barcelona, and I am the only one awake.  I also am the only one not still dealing with jet lag and the adjustment it takes to being in a new place for a few days.  Nonetheless my Mom, Dad, brother and sister are here in Spain with me celebrating Christmas so we can all be together.  This is one big present for our family so this year won’t be as much about gift giving, but culture experiencing.  
So far we have been to a couple cathedrals and walked around the beautiful streets of Barcelona, enjoying food, wine and each other’s company.  Barcelona and Madrid are quite different, Barcelona’s main language is Catalan and the architecture is different for each and every building. 
Last night we watched “The Sound of Music,” (which is popular in Spain as well it is just called “Sonrisas y Lagrimas” Smiles and tears) and it has become a new tradition to watch on Christmas eve, as we have since my Nana passed away four years ago.  It was one of her favorite movies and it was a good way to end a day of walking around and seeing Christmas lights. Today we are having a relaxing day where the family will open MY presents too them, and we’ll head out to one of the few restaurants that will be open on Christmas day.  It won’t be my mother’s homemade Italian meatballs or anything, but Italian food will be had later on this week. 




….
To continue the previous thought, yes, we did have Italian food.  Twice.  And I will say Barcelona’s roman influence is very apparent in their Italian cuisine.  Hopefully I can find as good of a place in Madrid as we did here!  I’ve been afraid to try…
My family is back on their way to the United States and I am sitting in the Barcelona airport getting ready to fly to the UK for New Years.  We had a really nice time hanging out, and enjoying all that Barcelona has to offer.  It’s a beautiful city influenced by Romans and the Spanish, creating “Cataluña.”  We saw the famous architecture of Anton Gaudi, like the Sagrada Familia, Casa Mila and Parc Guel.  I think it’s safe to say we walked around a lot and ate our weight in tapas.  It was fun to have a “grown up” vacation, drink wine, and enjoy the nicer things in life with my parents.  That being said, it’s funny how quickly your brother and sister can transform you from an adult, to a child in seconds. 

Several times during the trip, my siblings and I let ourselves be kids and played “I spy,” in an art museum.  Complete with running around, anxious pointing and silly picture taking.  Thankfully those who noticed us smiled, and didn’t seem to be upset by the obnoxious young adults/teenager.  Needless to say that made me a little nostalgic for home and appreciate the relationship I have with my family.  It’s a long journey from the U.S. to Spain and I am happy they came to keep me company during Christmas. 
I am thoroughly enjoying Madrid, and plan to reapply for the program in order to stay in Spain one more year.  However, that doesn’t mean I don’t miss home and the people I left behind. 






It’s time to go on another adventure to a new country, the United Kingdom!  I will be traveling with a native Brit in the north of England, seeing York, Whitby and Manchester.  I’m prepared for cold and rain, so I’ll let you know if I see any sunshine!