Oh, Hey There 2011

So now that all of those boring old 2010 updates are out of the way (ancient history, really), I can finally start moving on into the new year.

As I said before, I really strongly believe that 2011 is going to be a hell of a year. I really have no concrete idea on what is in store for me, but I do know this: it will. be. AWESOME.

So far, the year has treated me pretty well. First and foremost, about a week in and it got me out of Oklahoma! Doesn't get any better than that, am I right?

Oh, just kidding, of course. It was sad to leave home after a really great couple of weeks.

But getting back to Spain is always pretty fantastic as well. After living in Madrid for about a year and a half, it feels as much like home as anywhere else. So it was nice to get back to the familiar sights and sounds (and smells.....not quite as welcome) of my vida madrileña.

This time around, I seemed to have a lot more problems with adjusting to the jet lag. Sometimes it works out for me, sometimes it doesn't. But my first week back at school was kind of hellish because I didn't sleep well at night and therefore was exhausted during the day. Which meant that I naturally took out my anger and frustration on my 6 and 7 year olds. Because there's nothing like the tears of a child to really brighten my day.

Oh, just kidding again. But I probably was a bit crabby during the week, to be perfectly honest.

So the first weekend, what did I do to try and get myself back on schedule? I went out on Friday AND Saturday night and stayed out until 7 and 8 in the morning. Which I suppose is pretty much on Spanish time.

Friday night I spent the evening with some coworkers, Marcus and Callie, and we had a very unexpected and eventful night. Started out having a drink after work, then proceeded to Callie's place to have some wine and relax, then moved out into the city where we managed to keep ourselves occupied all night long.

Saturday night was spent with my friend Robin, who cooked yet another amazing meal (for proof of her food's amazingness, refer to my Thanksgiving post) and then we also enjoyed ourselves out on the town.

But as fun as the Madrid nightlife can be, once you're past the age of 18 it can be a bit hard on your body. So what happened? Oh yes, this week I got pretty terribly sick. What started as a cough became a wheeze became a full-fledged hacking chest cold.

I took Friday off because I could barely talk and spent all that day plus the next in bed. Finally on Sunday I started to feel normal again and was ready to get out of the house. Luckily, Lupe was also feeling some cabin fever, so we met and went to watch this movie:

English translation: "Even The Rain." Apparently it's up for some awards and it was pretty good. I don't know if I would pay 8€ to watch it again, but still not too bad. And it's always a treat when I watch movies in Spanish and realize that I fully understand what is going on.

Later on we went to a park in northern Madrid called "Parque del Capricho." Despite the freezing cold (great for my lungs, I'm sure) it was a really beautiful day, so I snapped a few pictures.

I love this one because there is such a contrast between the green grass and the blue sky. There really wasn't a cloud in the sky that day and it made the cold more bearable.

And here is shot of me and the beautiful Guadalupe. You can't really see me at all, but that's probably for the best. I still wasn't quite at 100% and wasn't looking my best.

Another beautiful shot of the park. And as proof of the level of coldness, note how the stream is frozen. According to the other Americans I work with (Marcus and Tom from Nebraska and Callie from Wisconsin) this weather isn't even remotely cold. But all I know is that this Oklahoman thinks it's FREEZING. Northerners. What do they know anyway?

Apparently the Spanish agree with me, though. As evidence, I present to you:

One of the many, many, many women who never leave the house without their luxurious fur coat. Even if they're in tennis shoes and going to eat at Burger King. Lupe and I actually laughed at this and it's such a weird Spain phenomenon. Spanish women love their fur coats at all times, even when it's not all that cold.

So anyway, 2011 has been treating me pretty well so far. And I'm always excited to see what else it has in store.