Return of the PeeeeeePeeeeeeee

The kids at school laugh when I say ¨PP¨. The way they say it in Spanish is Pepe, not pee pee. And we all know what pee pee means. So when I've made attempts at conversation about the elections it usually involves lots of giggles. But I've also seen a surprising difference of opinion. I thought in a private Catholic school most kids would come from wealthy, conservative families. But, maybe half the kids in the classes where we've discussed the elections were not for the PP.

Let me explain. (And Spanish friends are welcome to correct me, please!) PP stands for partido popular. It's Spain's conservative party that was founded by a former minister of tourism during Franco's dictatorship. Hmmm...

Here is Alfredo Rubalcaba, presidential candidate from the socialist party (PSOE), and Mariano Rajoy, candidate from the conservative party (PP), during a recent debate.

In the very recent elections, the socialist party, PSOE suffered a major defeat by the PP. Mariano Rajoy is the new president. For the last two terms, Jose Zapatero has been president. From what I've heard, in the beginning he was okay. He made same sex marriage legal, raised the minimum wage and withdrew Spanish troops from Iraq. He worked on a lot of social issues including gender-motivated violence and discrimination.
But once the crisis hit, his popularity sort of sank. His party broke promises and hasn't handled the crisis well at all. Needless to say lots of Spaniards were furious and decided to not vote for the PSOE this time around.

So with the recent elections there were much fewer people voting for PSOE. People are voting for different parties (in Spain there are more than two!) or perhaps some people were disenchanted and didn't vote at all. And then lots of people voted for PP so there you have it! The PP won and they won the majority, but most Spaniards did not vote for them.

Since the PP have absolute majority some Spaniards are uneasily awaiting what they're going to to. One concern is that they will reverse the law allowing same sex couples to marry. I can't see that happening! It would piss off so many people.

Spain definitely needs smart leadership right now. Many people are out of work and cuts in spending are squeezing people's pockets. There are more people on the streets and more people getting by on very little. I've heard one of the first things Rajoy wants to do is cut unemployment benefits. Hmmm. Doesn't sound like they are going to start out on the right foot!

Vuelvo a Granaaaaaada! And a look at simple Spanish inventions that are still used today!

Last weekend we went to Granada for Carlos's Grandmother's 91st birthday. This is the view from her balcony. Her big house is filled with antiques. She is a very sweet woman who reminds me of Grandma Doris. They both have trouble seeing and have notes all over their houses written in big lettering. Visiting her and spending time with the rest of the extended family was nice. 

I have missed my own Grandma Bloom's birthday and other family gatherings. I think that's one of the hardest parts about being away from home. Missing family. But Carlos's family have been very open and welcoming. I always feel comforted when I spend time with them.

(you can click on a picture and it will take you to a slide show where you can see them better)

La abuela and three of her nietos. She has eight grandchildren. She spends a lot of her time at this table, surrounded by her pictures, religious figurines, and family and friends. I think she's so lucky to still be living in her house where she always has a caretaker or family member with her. Until two years ago she was living alone. She can walk around okay with a cane, ¨like an old turtle¨ says Carlos.

It seems in Spain there are lots of elderly people who are still very mobile. They may walk very slowly with their canes but at least they are out and about. In the States there are fewer elderly people who are so active and present in the community. A common site in Spain is a bench on the sidewalk or in the plaza where a group of old men or women are sitting. They sit there for a long time and watch the passersby, the old men checking out the young women.

It's common to see an old woman slowly walking with her little dog or her grandchild. Perhaps I'm seeing this more because I am in a big city where it's more convenient to walk everywhere, but I do think that the elderly here are more active and seen more in the community.  And Carlos tells me that it's even more common in a pueblo to see the elderly out and about. Maybe this difference between Spain and the States can be attributed to cars. In the States most cities have evolved with the use of cars and people generally drive everywhere instead of walking. In Spain it's much more normal to walk to the grocery store or friends house. 

This is Iglesia de Santa Ana in Plaza Nueva. This is a very beautiful area of Granada. Left of the church begins the Albaicin quarter which is the oldest part of Granada. It was built by the Muslims and since then has housed various cultures. There are lots of churches that were once mosques. The streets are narrow and twisty. The neighborhood is on a hill and looking out to the east you can see the Alhambra. 

Here are some photos that I took when Dorothy and I were there last year:

   I took this photo from the side of the hill where the Alhambra is. So this is looking across from the Alhambra to the Albaicin.

The Alhambra at night! This was taken from the hostel where we stayed in the Albaicin. Something about the Alhambra and the surrounding trees and narrow streets creates a sort of magical atmosphere. Every time I've been there has been in winter. I imagine in spring and summer it's even more beautiful.

Here are some of the famous caves in Granada where people still live. Seems like a mix of hippies and gypsies.

Air conditioning units make creepy eyes.

This statue shows Cristoforo Colombo (that's his real, given Italian name) asking Queen Isabela and King Ferdinand for money to finance his trip to find the East Indies. They agreed to help finance his trip in 1492. This was the same year they kicked the Muslims out of Granada.

Here is a map that CC believed to be correct before the ¨discovery¨ of the Americas:

Man, can you imagine what it was like to live in those times, before humans knew of all the continents and where they were in relation to each other? And what kind of excitement it must have been to learn of completely different places and the life there! Too bad it's always been a story of greed and destruction. I guess that's the history of humans.

Okay, back to present day Spain and it's simple, yet genius inventions!

To my Spanish friends the following pictures might seem like a strange ones for the blog, but I'm including it because as far as I know we don't have these kind of nifty dish rack cabinets built above the sink. I took this one for everyone back home! Isn't it smart?

And of course we have the heat lamp! Dorothy took this picture last year at Carlos's mom, Isabel's house. I forget the name, but it's basically a heat lamp that goes under a table. In the winter everyone gathers around the table and the table cloth also serves as a blanket that sits on your lap, keeping the warm air around your lower half. It's very cozy. Before electricity they used hot coals. Needless to say there were a lot of house fires because of this, but they are relatively safe today.

So simple!

Okay this next one isn't really an invention, but it's something that is very very Spanish and you see them everywhere:

Dried delicious pig legs. Jamon! Me encanta Jamon! They are in houses, bars, and restaurants. In bars and stores they are all hanging from the ceiling and if there are a lot of them the air has a dried meat smell. It can be a little much sometimes. 

In houses you often see them set up on this wooden board with a rack that holds the leg. With a super sharp knife you slice away! This is also in Isabel's house.

It seems like it's these simple things about Spain that I love the most. Food and ways of life that have been around for a long time. Viva España! Y Viva Jamon!

little things...

Sometimes this is dinner:

And here is the new sofa that has been a top topic of conversation. The one before was like a stiff board.
The room is slowly becoming more alive as we add more plants and pretty things for the walls.

Los Ositos

Carlos has always referred to his family as Ositos, which means little bears. Here are some photos of Los Ositos and friends. 

On Sunday we went to the famous Rastro, a market that sort of resembles the kinds of things you'd find at a hippie music festival. Lots of leather belts and bags. Pretty dresses and skirts, jewelry, tapestries, plants, etc. My favorite area is where lots of gypsies are selling second hand leather and fur jackets and lots of antiques. They have cheap underwear and socks (not used, just cheap). They are always shouting and very convincing that you should buy that two for one deal on pantyhose. Funny place. Gypsies tend to have darker skin and hair and it seems most of the women are stout with round, strong faces. A hardy bunch.

Here is our group walking through the Rastro. It was winding down at this point and we were looking for a place to have tapas and a beer. 

The red haired woman is Vega, Sergio's girlfriend. The woman in the blue scarf is Isabel, Carlos's mom, Javi, his brother, is wearing the blue jacket with the white hood. Sergio is the goofy one with the big grin on his face and right behind him is Dimitri, Carlos's cousin.

Here is a Peruvian (?) man with his Peruvian puppets and flute. His little song was very sweet and his puppets were tap tap taping along. 

There are always lots of street performers at the Rastro. A group of African men came dancing through the market with drums and all. There are lots of African immigrants, especially in my neighborhood. Many of them set up shop on the sidewalks to sell purses or jewelry. Some go from bar to bar selling African jewelry. Many don't have work. I was speaking with one man the other day who said he was from Darfur. I asked him if he missed his home and he looked at me like I was crazy and said, ¨Do you know what is happening in Darfur?¨ I felt a little embarassed. I know, of course, what is happening, but in my efforts to make conversation I made a mistake!

There is a lot of racism in Spain. African immigrants (not Arabs) are a relatively new here. The man I was talking to said he would give anything to live in the United States where he said the black man is more respected. I guess we have come a long way in the States, but there's still a lot of ground to cover!

Here are the singers and drummers:

The gypsy section of the market. There are always several antique stands with rusty farm tools and skeleton keys, wooden boxes, and dusty boxes.

We stopped at a crowded bar and had cañas (small beers) with tapas. Here's a plate of anchoas. They are  in a vinegar and olive oil brine with garlic and parsley. We also had other typical caña tapas: olives and calamares. Delicious.

It's really typical in Spain to go out on Sunday with your friends and family. The bars are filled with people. Normally you eat and drink standing up and people are constantly squeezing past you. The waiters shout  out orders to each other. Some how drinks and food get paid for, you squeeze your way out of the bar and the next group crams themselves in.

We ended our day with lunch at my and Carlos's favorite restaurant in Lavapies, El Automatico. They have delicious Spanish foods such as salmorejo, which is a cold tomato soup that's blended with bread, olive oil, red wine vinegar, and garlic. With chopped boiled egg and jamon on top. It's creamy and heavily! 

Sergio and Vega! 

An Arabian Night

Last weekend Carlos's mom and brother came to visit. We basically ate delicious food and talked and lounged. Very Spanish! Friday night we rented Paranormal Activity 2 and ordered Chinese food. So we all piled on the *new* couch and stayed there for most of the evening! The new couch is a sofa bed and really comfortable. hint hint. A great place for visitors to spend the night!

Saturday we went out to eat at this great Arabic restaurant. I ate cream of eggplant and chicken tangin. So so delicious.

The atmosphere is really nice.  Found this photo on the internet.

After dinner we went to the Arabic baths. Carlos and I have been there a couple times before. It's really close to our house.

The atmosphere of the baths makes you feel like you could have traveled back through time. There are Arabic designs on the walls and floors. The lighting is dim and there are candles in little nooks in the walls. There is a temperate water pool, a hot water pool, and then a little pool with extremely cold water. There's also a steam room and tea room.

Here's a photo from the internet. The pools are divided by these walls with arches. It's really beautiful. The best part for me is going from the really hot pool into the freezing water. It seems insane at first, by immediately after immersing your body in the cold water you feel so good. Something about your blood movement. You feel very alive. In the tea room there is this nice sweet mint tea. 

Here is the cold pool. Judging from the curved brick ceilings I think this place used to be a bodega. There are lots of old bodegas in Madrid that are now bars or clubs. 

The baths are one of my favorite places to go. After we were done we all felt like jello- loose. And ready to collapse on the sofa. I always sleep deeply after going to the baths. I feel it's well worth 24 euros. You have something like an hour and half to be there. If any of you decide to visit me I'll definitely take you here!!

¡Truco Trato!

I did my best to celebrate Halloween in a city that's just now being inundated with Halloween paraphernalia. The little kids are taking to it pretty fast, but the older ones sort of roll their eyes. And the cynics launch into tirades about how American consumerism is invading Europe! Okay, that's true in a way, but I tried to encourage those around me to embrace the dressing up part.
Here's our pumpkin. I bought him a couple weeks ago. I carved out the insides and then let him sit in the kitchen for a few days before moving him to the balcony. On Halloween night I finally decided to carve him up and discovered lots of fuzzy mold inside. Poor fella. As I carved his simple features, his face nearly collapsed. Little cracks formed around the cuts and the mouth ended up with a crooked smile that was unintended, but looked good.

Can you spot our little rotten friend?

While walking to the grocery store I looked up an saw the moon- glowing and perched between the buildings at the bottom of our street.

Carlos and I met up with my new friend Brenna. I whipped together a strange ¨zombie cook¨ costume with a couple aprons and torn pieces of white fabric in my hair. Carlos wore his monkey mask and Brenna wore an old skeleton costume that belongs to one of the boys she takes care of. We wandered around looking for something fun to get into, but we were among the few who were in costume. Like I said, Madrid is just now catching on. 

People really loved Carlos's mask. Lots of shouts and smiles.

We stopped at a cafe and had some beers. Three boys in masks were going from table to table saying ¨Truco trato!¨ When they came to our table I was caught off guard as one boy jumped up and screamed with his scary mask. They were expecting money from people, but I was prepared with some twix bars which they devoured like little rats!

The pensive monkey.

Mediterranean Chicken with Capers

I just have to share this delicious photo and recipe. I sort of combined a couple recipes I found on the internet with my own inventions and wha lah! I call it Mediterranean because, well, it was a Mediterranean raised chicken and the recipe includes capers, which are grown here!

Here it tis:
First I sautéed some garlic in a pan. Then I added chicken broth. Then I put in four boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
I let them slow simmer cook. Turned them over a few times. Once the chicken was mostly cooked I poured off some of the broth to use later.
In a separate pan I sautéed onions, red bell peppers, and mushrooms. Not sure what kind of mushroom. There are so many different kinds sold here in the stores! It wasn't the boring little salad ones we have back home. Bigger and more fragrant.
Okay so I sautéed the veggies and then added them to the chicken.
In a little sauce pan I melted some butter and then added a little bit of flour. I mixed the flour and melted butter into a sort of creamy paste. Then, with the heat on med-low I added a little milk. Stirred until it thickened. Then added more. It's amazing how such a small amount of flour can thicken a lot of liquid. I probably used about a cup or so of milk and then started adding in the leftover broth. Once I had about 2 cups of thickened milk-broth mixture I added it to the chicken and turned the heat on low. At this point I added the capers.

I then let it all simmer together for 30 min or whenever Carlos finally came home. It was delicious! I've made it before with other vegetables. I've also made it without the four-butter-milk, but I like the creamy texture it makes. You could probably use real cream, but this is sort of a cheap substitute. If any of you more experienced cooks have any recommendations for making this better, let me know!!

I would like to note that the pan is one of these new ceramic coated pans. I looked all over for a regular stainless steel pan and they don't seem to exist. It's def hard to find a cast iron pan! Either the yucky teflon or this new ceramic option. There are still warning signs that say to only use wooden utensils and not to scratch it so I wonder how safe it really is.

Nuestros Amigos en Plaza Mayor

Yesterday Carlos and I went for a walk to plaza Mayor. There are always lots of clowns, sparkly deer-faced creatures, invisible men, a Mickey Mouse, Sponge Bob, and even a fat Spiderman! I saw this group of girls gathered around the invisible man. They were staring at him, waiting for something to happen and I think he was waiting for them to slip some change into his pocket.

And here is our sparkly deer friend.

He made a clacking noise with his wooden mouth. Carlos had a stare off with him.

All the people in green shirts had taken part in a huge rally opposing new cuts and rules for the public education systems in Spain. The governments of several provinces have eliminated thousands of jobs and require the remaining teachers to work 2 hours more per day with more students per class. Teachers have been on strike for a while. Public school classes are often canceled. Carlos and I talked to one woman who had come up from Castilla La Mancha to take part in the National rally here in Madrid. She said while it might not seem like much to some, the two extra hours is a heavy burden on the students and the teachers. Since teachers often take work home they have more than two hours extra and with 30 or more students in a class it's often impossible to teach. Needless to say there were lots of parents and students at the rally too.

Here is our balcony. The lavender has passed away. Not enough water. Actually, a few of the plants were on the brink when I arrived, but with some more water and amor! they are vibrant again. There is even one little flower on the jasmine! I want to buy more plants. Maybe some succulents for inside the house. I want to create a jungle nook in the living room. 

Notice the GRE study book. Closed, sitting in the sun. I have less than a month before the exam and now I'm finally reopening the book!

Well, that's all for this entry. It's Sunday. I have a pumpkin to carve, class planning, GRE studying, and Carlos and I are returning to IKEA to get a couch. Oh boy!

Is anyone reading this?? Sometimes I wonder...  

La Cocinita!!

Here is our little kitchen. The ironing board isn't usually out. I actually have to iron some clothes for work. That's a first!

I was baking a meatloaf in the oven when I took this picture. It was ricisimo!! A lot of the furniture and cabinets in the house are plastic/ laminant. It seems most Spaniards buy IKEA furniture for their houses. It's super cheap and looks clean and new and then breaks. 

Tonight for dinner I made my favorite garbanzos and chorizo. It's so delicious and easy. Here's the recipe:
In a pot add:
-tomatoes (I use two cans of whole, peeled which is about 7 plum tomatoes)
-about a cup or so of water or chicken or veggie broth. Use more if you want it more soupy.
-1 jar of garbanzos already cooked
-half a head of a small cabbage, chopped up not too much
-a link of chorizo cut little 1/4 in thick round pieces. It's important to use good chorizo if you can find it!
-spices- I change it up, but usually use black pepper, a little cayenne, pinch salt

Serve with a soft baguette and lalala que delicioso!!!  Me encanta!!!

That's all for now folks!

La Bola del Mundo

Yesterday I woke early (well, early for living here and it being a Saturday) at 10:00. Carlos usually sleeps in til about midday. I walked a few blocks away to my favorite little cafe. It's also a used bookstore. The croissants there are delicious. The cafe has bohemian look on the inside with abstract-shaped mirrors on the wall and lamps with beaded fringe. It's a tiny place like most bars and cafes in this neighborhood.

Getting up before the sun is high and lots of people hit the streets is nice. The streets are less crowded and something about the energy, the air feels cleaner and less hectic. Lots of elderly people are out doing their shopping or going for a walk. Indian men are restocking their fruit stands and the Chinese are restocking their stores of super cheap stuff. Birds are chattering in the trees lining the wider streets. It's a nice time to take notice of these details.

In the afternoon Carlos and I went to visit his friend, Arturo, who lives just north of Madrid in the mountains. The mountain range is called the Cordillera Central. Central mountain range. It divides two parts of Spain. North of the mountains is a mesa, an area called Castilla Leon. South is Castilla La Mancha and Extremadura. We took a ski lift to the highest point in the mountains and hiked around for a couple hours. The north side of the mountain we were on was very cold. Air from the north whipped around us and snuck through our clothes. From the north side we could see Salamanca down below. From the south side, which was warmer as we were protected from the winds, we could see Madrid. I have to say Madrid looked a bit creepy. A big, sprawling city obscured by smog with it's 4 ¨fork¨ towers looming above everything else.

Up on the mountain there were a couple herds of sheep and cows. There weren't many trees. At the very top there were none. I'm not sure if that's because of the altitude or because they were all cut down long ago for pasture. I notice a forest in the distance below where the trees were growing in uniform lines. Arturo said that much of the area had deforested for pasture and now there are efforts to reforest the area. The trees seem to be mostly pine. I want to buy a plant/tree identification book and learn more about what grows around here.

A view of some forests. Here is Arturo and Julia, Arturo's German girlfriend.

Good morning, good morning and how are you today?

I'm fine, thank you. I'm fine, thank you. Lalalalala

This is one of the morning songs we sing in the little kid class. Primaria 1. Class of 5 and 6 year olds.

Here is Eoin (pronounced Owen), my fellow language assistant.

Well, I  just finished my first week of work. I'm tired and have another (surprise!) awful sore throat. I really think I need to get my tonsils removed. No one else I know (except Dorothy) has a sore throat this often. Once I get my insurance here (next week!!) I will look for a doctor who I could talk to about a tonsilectomy.

Anyway, enough about that!
The school- I am working with a wide range of age groups. I go to classes with kindergarteners and all ages up to 17. With young kids I am in the classroom with the teacher and usually I plan an activity for 10-15 minutes. Some teachers prefer for me to come prepared for activities for the whole class.
I like having the age variety, but it definitely requires more planning. If I had 3 age groups that repeated all week I wouldn't have much planning work, but since I have every age group, buff! (as they say here) it's more work. I'm sure with time I will get into a rhythm and I will know what works well. I'll eventually have a bank of good ideas. So far I am thinking- debate topics, working in pairs and doing interviews and then presenting to the class. Any other ideas? You can email me- sassa@riseup.net

I'm watching the news right now-
A bull fighter was caught in the head by a bull's horn. The bull got him just after he had shoved two long spears into his back. They showed it over and over again. He's in the hospital. Bull fighting has been outlawed in Catalonia. I wonder how long before the rest of the country follows suite.

Other news- In Castilla Leon there has been an increase in wolf attacks on domestic animal herds. The news channel showed an old farmer man with his cane and walking with his sheep. He circled a wolf track in the dirt.

A woman and mother of 3 children was able to keep her house from being taken over by the bank after a large group of protesters gathered outside her house for a few days. Not sure of the details. Then the news showed scenes of people chaining themselves to their houses and refusing to leave. The police were dragging them off or breaking into windows.

The economy is pretty bad here and seems to be getting worse. Lots of people are losing their houses. My friend Sergio just lost his job. His boss said they have to take measures to save money now in case the economy plummets again.

The PP, the ¨popular party¨ is gaining lots of support and are expected to win in the national election. It's the big conservative party here.

well, that's all for now.

If I feel better tomorrow Carlos and I will go to the mountains to visit a friend of his. I hope I do feel better. I already long to spend a weekend in a rural area and escape the city for just a bit!

Love to you all!
xoxo

Hahaha I just looked up the web site of my school and on the front page it mentions the two new language assistants. They seem to think my name is Shara. Oui vey!

  Here she is- the Sovereign!! This is in Villafranche, our first stop. We took a smaller boat to the port and then a train to Nice.

Here is Carlos (yellow shirt) and his brothers, from the left: Gonzalo, Miki, and Javi. This picture was taken in the port of Villafranche.

Here is a nice view of the port at Villafranche. Notice the giant Sovereign in the background! From here we took a train to Nice.

Here is our tiny room. No windows so it was easy to sleep forever.

The Vatican! Lots of beautiful architecture all over Rome. We did a whirlwind tour and were on our feet most the day walking from one site to the next. It was a hot day. There were thousands of tourist. Perhaps the most visited city in the world? Lots of nuns walking around. In the center of the city we meandered through narrow streets and came across a film crew shooting a scene with people in 20s style clothing. It was pretty wild to see Roman ruins in the middle of this city. Lots of different kinds of architecture all in one place. You really get the feeling that Rome was built upon other cities. All the ruins sites are below ground level.

Here is Natalia, Miki's girlfriend, Miki, and Javi. We're in some spacious, open plaza watching a lady feeding pigeons.

And here she is! The pigeon lady with her trusty bike packed full of bird food! We saw her later on in another part of the city. I love this picture. I changed it from color to black and white. It seems to have more feeling that way. I like how the wind is whipping her dress up.

Musicians in the plaza.

The entrance to the Pantheon. The Pantheon was originally built as a temple to all the gods of ancient Rome in 27 BCE. It's a circular, domed building with huge granite Corinthian columns.

A ruins site. Notice how it's below ground level.

The front of a specialty foods market in Naples. Here they sold tons of different kinds of herbs and dried peppers and cheeses and olive oils.
There were lots of pretty sites in Naples, but it was a dirty city. Lots of trash and grime. Apparently the sanitation workers have been on strike for a few weeks and we heard something about mafia disputes. There were large mounds of trash every where. Kinda yucky.

The medina in La Goulette in Tunisia. The medina is the older part of the city. All the walls are painted white and the doors and windows are blue.

A typical alleyway in the medina. I love the big earthen pots. I think only very wealthy people live in these neighborhoods. Our bus passed other areas where apartment buildings were crammed together and it wasn't so romantic-looking.

Last night on the big boat. We all watched the sunset and then got into the jacuzzi. My favorite spot on the boat was on the back, stern?, where I could lay back in a comfy chair and watch the water. A nice place to go in the morning before the ship was teeming with people.

Here is a map of the cruise route.