tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70198473509753593882024-03-13T08:51:53.364-05:00Just A Small Town Kid Seeing The WorldJordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09091751381913071392noreply@blogger.comBlogger86125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7019847350975359388.post-9082249122475714352011-03-11T03:29:00.005-06:002011-03-11T04:36:03.922-06:00New Apartment, New Start<div>You know what's amazing? The fact that such a small change, such as moving to a new apartment, can make everything seem so brand new. </div><div><br /></div><div>I'm officially all moved in to my new place and couldn't be happier. It's a tiny little studio apartment, but it's my own space. No one else's. Just mine. Not that I don't like sharing, it's just that it's so nice to come home at the end of the day to a place that is all my own.</div><div><br /></div><div>It's in a perfect location, too. I now live about 10 minutes away from the bus station where I take the bus to work every day. So now instead of having to take the metro for 30 minutes to get to the bus station, I have a little morning walk and I'm there. It's fantastic. It's also in a great, lively area with tons of restaurants and bars and young people. Plus, I'm now living right next to my friends Robin, Tom, Marcus and Lupe, so it's a little added bonus!</div><div><br /></div><div>And now it's time to give you a tour of the new place! (which, let's be honest, won't take long)</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHCFRb80lUdk-h0RZNivA618i7-xFAUiSUpQkK5Qhgfu3yNCAaZOM9pzvLJwa-7eemV5eR_TcGAahxN2YIcObmTlm1-W44BUXCKyUOl8UXkgAkBlo4m8GCyl6-ICYLfzXUVTNP3D__kZXy/s1600/IMG_2650.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHCFRb80lUdk-h0RZNivA618i7-xFAUiSUpQkK5Qhgfu3yNCAaZOM9pzvLJwa-7eemV5eR_TcGAahxN2YIcObmTlm1-W44BUXCKyUOl8UXkgAkBlo4m8GCyl6-ICYLfzXUVTNP3D__kZXy/s400/IMG_2650.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582765370913575618" /></a>First up is a shot of my "living room." You can see my storage places and my little tv and on the right is one of my balconies. That's right...I have multiple balconies.<br /><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2FmczB9r70tgy9NulMEethyphenhyphen6tctrF4vIVWkdf-g2JH9NvVCl7z6in_ZNvwT_shEdKLUQ8jiDNS5SkLSSuOEhJZZmt6VQw6VfjE5nDU9NM9mRlWT95NmbG3KkZUSR4wp7wD1aG6fMKOkHi/s1600/IMG_2651.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2FmczB9r70tgy9NulMEethyphenhyphen6tctrF4vIVWkdf-g2JH9NvVCl7z6in_ZNvwT_shEdKLUQ8jiDNS5SkLSSuOEhJZZmt6VQw6VfjE5nDU9NM9mRlWT95NmbG3KkZUSR4wp7wD1aG6fMKOkHi/s400/IMG_2651.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582765363954479810" /></a>Next up is my kitchen/entry way. Conveniently located right next to my living room/balcony area. </div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvlWFSjX3StmICjxMfaqEMlAPi-Y-HqAHohLqcOEDcMOsfqEtlrdC1noMnGh6Uwc2z4mJScbhDCV1MBfiAD4W19vcS1u7uu9TIFKjdOC3WSnBjydXHI_rVCeeDFY5ZPkXZXqPQxVEKGhvg/s1600/IMG_2652.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvlWFSjX3StmICjxMfaqEMlAPi-Y-HqAHohLqcOEDcMOsfqEtlrdC1noMnGh6Uwc2z4mJScbhDCV1MBfiAD4W19vcS1u7uu9TIFKjdOC3WSnBjydXHI_rVCeeDFY5ZPkXZXqPQxVEKGhvg/s400/IMG_2652.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582765358855055250" /></a>And here we have a close-up of my kitchen area, complete with all the necessary amenities: sink, mini fridge, microwave, stove, washer AND bottle of wine. All the important things for a happy home.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9AG-ElLZbNJ7cWf93eaiT2Q_ScLsXHJkHvfgtMLL9rFuNVAc0OiFS5gdvTYZJ6zk7fvgIdHGPLJ5wzRv8_rPKja9FJPwIV4EG_TjvdFIeGP8NiWJMTt15kWrpovxQ8NJNqKvyziUMx3sq/s1600/IMG_2653.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9AG-ElLZbNJ7cWf93eaiT2Q_ScLsXHJkHvfgtMLL9rFuNVAc0OiFS5gdvTYZJ6zk7fvgIdHGPLJ5wzRv8_rPKja9FJPwIV4EG_TjvdFIeGP8NiWJMTt15kWrpovxQ8NJNqKvyziUMx3sq/s400/IMG_2653.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582755168011922546" /></a>On the other side of the apartment is my "bedroom." The bed is actually a futon that doubles as a couch for my living room, but so far I've mainly just left the bed out. Next to the bed you can see my other balcony. And, as you can also see, I'm still showing my Oklahoma pride. :)</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhohrw0ylHxuUVooYSkkcG4WHpdavbkdmUJQHK_-CRofkrNdVwqfFfgBhxWiHZGq_ZaJw_lS6EYotOYN6KOc90qKRSaNms-KtfdZDR9eABq-qrgR5rMN4NgpBsdqPSsUavN7WnlotyHALY/s1600/IMG_2655.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhohrw0ylHxuUVooYSkkcG4WHpdavbkdmUJQHK_-CRofkrNdVwqfFfgBhxWiHZGq_ZaJw_lS6EYotOYN6KOc90qKRSaNms-KtfdZDR9eABq-qrgR5rMN4NgpBsdqPSsUavN7WnlotyHALY/s400/IMG_2655.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582755166994754738" /></a>Here is a shot out of one of my balconies that faces onto my street and directly across into another building. At night we can kind of all see into each others' places, but it's all good. I've never been much of an exhibitionist before living in Spain, but it kind of comes with the territory here. You can also see that this balcony also doubles as my "dryer." Gotta love hanging the laundry out to dry. (side note: next time I write a "Things Jordan Misses," I will write about dryers)</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPjCTTj3cEPMVjvCAvtyYyhHEowoxnKd__RdJhmX_fzzcN1fNla4GH3cR3FbPxhRz7k1-hN75oXU6f5e1nyf6kLswWy5UGOIQpfp6urV8y1D8XAU4ivhd8oqu1YqXNfmggZDJuNacxh5cm/s1600/IMG_2656.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPjCTTj3cEPMVjvCAvtyYyhHEowoxnKd__RdJhmX_fzzcN1fNla4GH3cR3FbPxhRz7k1-hN75oXU6f5e1nyf6kLswWy5UGOIQpfp6urV8y1D8XAU4ivhd8oqu1YqXNfmggZDJuNacxh5cm/s400/IMG_2656.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582755159290804658" /></a>Here is a shot of my street from out on the balcony. You can kind of tell that it's a lively little area with tons of shops and tons of action.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6nwTi_GCJdsx1mTrB7cCM8-EhcOj6Ko464cEYf6uZSUVPgPBs-GnLsS79LYRoN2XOjns4u39DxzU3qtQ7Jmzj4JsPRKnHGEFeTeFXHX7Irrn8zcTyy3t7_FfFfkJT_cxPFuoi7mUJX5eW/s1600/IMG_2662.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6nwTi_GCJdsx1mTrB7cCM8-EhcOj6Ko464cEYf6uZSUVPgPBs-GnLsS79LYRoN2XOjns4u39DxzU3qtQ7Jmzj4JsPRKnHGEFeTeFXHX7Irrn8zcTyy3t7_FfFfkJT_cxPFuoi7mUJX5eW/s400/IMG_2662.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582755155034578946" /></a>Here is another shot of the bedroom area but now converted back into the living room. So my big comfortable bed becomes a big comfortable couch. </div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ1u8SJ93ZGdvu0Joi12RnJcUimbRxf-6fEIK4MQBcTY1PtW6aiZBY5RSmPi1EHa8NFvReXEM0NkyaGQcqbMU376pPUQ5TbjzbYGn8PHmYW23LRXvRXRgxfOyTxzm52PXR6V4wY5oW_hB3/s1600/IMG_2664.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ1u8SJ93ZGdvu0Joi12RnJcUimbRxf-6fEIK4MQBcTY1PtW6aiZBY5RSmPi1EHa8NFvReXEM0NkyaGQcqbMU376pPUQ5TbjzbYGn8PHmYW23LRXvRXRgxfOyTxzm52PXR6V4wY5oW_hB3/s400/IMG_2664.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582755152342065954" /></a>And last but not least, my "dining room." I have a little folding table that can extend out even further than this depending on how much company I have. And with the size of this apartment, I honestly doubt I ever have a ton of people over at one time. </div><div><br /></div><div>The only thing I don't have pictures of is the bathroom, but it's pretty basic. Shower, sink, toilet and that's about it. I'm sure you can imagine it.</div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway, I'm really happy with the new place and happy with my new start. And I honestly think it's the perfect way to live out my last few months in Spain.</div>Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09091751381913071392noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7019847350975359388.post-63858897417840944062011-03-09T05:50:00.007-06:002011-03-10T04:28:00.621-06:00Amsterdam, Ik hou van je.<div><i>Translation: Amsterdam, I love you. In dutch, of course.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>As always, the time is flying and things are happening and I'm failing to take the time to sit down and write about it all. I suppose part of this can be blamed on the fact that I have moved apartments and don't currently have internet. Which makes it kind of hard to write on the blog. </div><div><br /></div><div>So I believe the last place I left off was talking about my upcoming trip to Amsterdam. And before I continue, I just want to point out that this is the perfect example of why I love living in Europe. Anytime I want, I can hop on a plane and be in a foreign country with a whole other language and a completely different set of people. Weekend trip to the Netherlands? Sure, why not?</div><div><br /></div><div>So anyway, along comes yet another random Spanish holiday that gives us a long weekend. As always, I had no idea what the holiday actually was for and none of my Spanish friends or coworkers could explain it to me. However, the fact remained that it was time for a little vacation. Much needed, of course.</div><div><br /></div><div>So my friends Lupe, Rachel and I hopped on a late flight from Madrid to Amsterdam on Thursday night to fully take advantage of our three day weekend. </div><div><br /></div><div>The first thing I want to point out is that flying with an actual good airline instead of a cheap airline like Easyjet or Ryanair was INCREDIBLE. I officially love KLM. Tons of free food and drinks, friendly stewardesses, flights on time, and no people on the speakers constantly offering to sell you lottery tickets, bus tickets, cologne, etc. etc. I need to fly with real airlines more often.</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM_Z3gREHzKNB6jdcY-h7H5DWN8yY73ZKJbebjk96-pG8-jDG9JLUJvD1dGUTmIgAZVC3MuDAz4H8n_0AnbrjRfoyLAveM3-n3FUdo7G8Pq_vrd7FA1vldznu96ccaLQCC71iLH6oJeDtA/s1600/IMG_2578.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM_Z3gREHzKNB6jdcY-h7H5DWN8yY73ZKJbebjk96-pG8-jDG9JLUJvD1dGUTmIgAZVC3MuDAz4H8n_0AnbrjRfoyLAveM3-n3FUdo7G8Pq_vrd7FA1vldznu96ccaLQCC71iLH6oJeDtA/s400/IMG_2578.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582054069476908882" /></a>Lupe on the left and Rachel on the right are showing how excited we are to be in Amsterdam AND how much we love KLM.<div><br /></div><div>So by the time we got to Amsterdam and got to our hostel, it was around 2 in the morning, so we ended up going straight to bed. But the next day we got up fairly early and headed out to see the city.<br /><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDmPiYs0o2EsycSJnNWE3RMbqmK1eD3-51oVomj3HUmBLEtVKbFcKJ8uCNFieI8OizWDBMlv58EnbhydrVBmIyHaj6QES0gq79lQfH1JCPiENKLeqoRZG5i8JuglDAvFHSQHL8rrY_2nvs/s1600/IMG_2583.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDmPiYs0o2EsycSJnNWE3RMbqmK1eD3-51oVomj3HUmBLEtVKbFcKJ8uCNFieI8OizWDBMlv58EnbhydrVBmIyHaj6QES0gq79lQfH1JCPiENKLeqoRZG5i8JuglDAvFHSQHL8rrY_2nvs/s400/IMG_2583.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582054064914113634" /></a>Unfortunately, the weather gods and I always seem to butt heads. As you can see here the days were overcast and kinda rainy the entire time. What you can't see is that it was freezing. But whatev. You can also see a good example of typical Amsterdam. Canals that run throughout the entire city and beautiful buildings and houses situated right on the canals. Everything just looked so.......dutch.</div><div><br /></div><div>And aside from kind of being the Las Vegas of Europe (neon lights everywhere and the smell of marijuana gently wafting from the many, many "coffee shops" in the city), it was pretty awesome.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaOaPmrMMgGTAqra3PoV7g5pVE537pPxQoF56vPpAzaptlpyF2hAdS8pOY7IbYTMSyf47foH901I05TrQ8i08LxpA0k80ZbeHS09f7QQ0Xq1ATfW4iUnbZ8wTZL1NgwRcLAb-ZeI9k0ibP/s1600/IMG_2587.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaOaPmrMMgGTAqra3PoV7g5pVE537pPxQoF56vPpAzaptlpyF2hAdS8pOY7IbYTMSyf47foH901I05TrQ8i08LxpA0k80ZbeHS09f7QQ0Xq1ATfW4iUnbZ8wTZL1NgwRcLAb-ZeI9k0ibP/s400/IMG_2587.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582054060007610370" /></a>Of course we had to take some pictures with the famous "I amsterdam" sign. You can never avoid being a tourist, you know?</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw13YuqiPK3uTG5nz7La5V2qmBxJ-qQupv-782flL0lUln3pJk9r4dJsPkl7jhxKsfFuNPtiAfbYyB7yyhfTfs2jQJs2dyW0JbRD-kjsbmZNBZ5m8CHSt6RWhdHAEIC_MAyYWjZShckS83/s1600/IMG_2596.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw13YuqiPK3uTG5nz7La5V2qmBxJ-qQupv-782flL0lUln3pJk9r4dJsPkl7jhxKsfFuNPtiAfbYyB7yyhfTfs2jQJs2dyW0JbRD-kjsbmZNBZ5m8CHSt6RWhdHAEIC_MAyYWjZShckS83/s400/IMG_2596.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582052639013874994" /></a>And this picture shows a good example of how we chose to fight the cold. Amsterdam is completely full of bakeries and coffee shops (the non-marijuana kind) and they are all DELICIOUS. We stopped and had pastries, sandwiches, coffees, etc. as often as possible and we were always satisfied. My waistline and my wallet both prove just how much I enjoyed the Dutch food. </div><div><br /></div><div>And their apple pastries were always INCREDIBLE.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpIpOvKmDXgGqSMhpH25ECpTGNp7yee0LisCWTts50n4tHfY_36FiOBb5qRH3vkzJwJlOJ0ivq1VFG19-svhjhvChuwzK9eDTkUW4N0g5sfQVQzdcKxsMNKhqefw9dJTuitcE3gMOFcyoD/s1600/IMG_2599.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpIpOvKmDXgGqSMhpH25ECpTGNp7yee0LisCWTts50n4tHfY_36FiOBb5qRH3vkzJwJlOJ0ivq1VFG19-svhjhvChuwzK9eDTkUW4N0g5sfQVQzdcKxsMNKhqefw9dJTuitcE3gMOFcyoD/s400/IMG_2599.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582052631338915362" /></a>Of course when one thinks of Holland, a few things come to mind. Tulips, apple pastries, and clogs. Here is a picture of Lupe in one of the clog stores somewhere in Amsterdam. There were tons and tons of them hanging all over the walls and the ceiling. Although they don't look too terribly comfortable, they were really cool looking. I bought a small one for a souvenir.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbwVpBwwiRIWS812UI8JQIlT5kYb5fuGwROJrYJ6L_OuPIlzvKsWAY1VPi3-7LPXz6XveGCeJVl3mnRQz3ef9lecL4FVkt_VpfDYhrC_TsSiBBjbflDUgrOkZZb9Hsk2ymZ60WpeATTsEN/s1600/IMG_2602.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbwVpBwwiRIWS812UI8JQIlT5kYb5fuGwROJrYJ6L_OuPIlzvKsWAY1VPi3-7LPXz6XveGCeJVl3mnRQz3ef9lecL4FVkt_VpfDYhrC_TsSiBBjbflDUgrOkZZb9Hsk2ymZ60WpeATTsEN/s400/IMG_2602.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582052627742089426" /></a>And luckily, I found that the store did, in fact, make clogs big enough for my big American feet.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtrDySNm4N8LHplIEC-pW3Dy4Dwh1IVdkB4VEBHp4LEHZQW25z-BtERDxM2K-mS4R1IHr4kdI8k8NOt0HxLNTJUsUGPb2HY2uFVURbK0kv5s9_boD50TJI9pPVcydJ7eCoKhXDNQAg17ES/s1600/IMG_2610.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtrDySNm4N8LHplIEC-pW3Dy4Dwh1IVdkB4VEBHp4LEHZQW25z-BtERDxM2K-mS4R1IHr4kdI8k8NOt0HxLNTJUsUGPb2HY2uFVURbK0kv5s9_boD50TJI9pPVcydJ7eCoKhXDNQAg17ES/s400/IMG_2610.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582052616062864050" /></a>One of the favorite things that I did in Amsterdam was make a visit to the Anne Frank house, where the Frank family spent over two years in hiding during WWII. For those not familiar with the story, the Franks were a Jewish family who had fled to Holland to escape Nazi Germany. Later, after Holland fell to the Germans, they went into hiding in a small annex at the back of a storage/office building. They spent two years hiding from the Germans and eventually someone betrayed the family and told the Germans about them. To this day no one knows who it was.</div><div><br /></div><div>The house became so famous because Anne Frank, who was 12 years old when the family first went into hiding, kept a diary about the family's experience in hiding. After the war, Anne's father (the only member of the family to survive the concentration camps) published her diary. For anyone who hasn't read the book, I highly recommend it. </div><div><br /></div><div>Seeing the house in person was incredible. I can't imagine living in such cramped, dark spaces for such a long period of time, all the while being terrified of being found out and captured. This picture is of me in front of the front door of the house.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVwAVqSwam0MTPuWN8Qegqlmehz4rNZyJ5vDe1wbXDruvdRMWA7Wax5w5Veb4V6ZoaFFfGlD8vQnwciWsCpfpBFL3G7kiosOzmSIHx-2CVb8g7LET9ysqdu2Oo0LFyKxsVyJYhSg9FD7Yr/s1600/IMG_2641.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVwAVqSwam0MTPuWN8Qegqlmehz4rNZyJ5vDe1wbXDruvdRMWA7Wax5w5Veb4V6ZoaFFfGlD8vQnwciWsCpfpBFL3G7kiosOzmSIHx-2CVb8g7LET9ysqdu2Oo0LFyKxsVyJYhSg9FD7Yr/s400/IMG_2641.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582052609754305346" /></a>And I ended up finding a pair of clogs that fit just a tad bit better....</div></div><div><br /></div><div>So all in all it was a great trip. Very cold and very rainy the entire time, but awesome to see another new country. Just another reason why I love living in Europe. </div>Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09091751381913071392noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7019847350975359388.post-28230880631575035472011-02-20T12:31:00.005-06:002011-02-21T16:03:07.222-06:00A Trip to the Coast, Some Life Changes, and Lots and Lots of Rain<div>Man, it's been a while since my last post. I'm going to blame it on the fact that it's been a really, really busy couple of weeks and leave it at that. But suffice to say, I haven't had a ton of time for blogging.</div><div><br /></div><div>I guess first and foremost, I should start with my trip to Valencia. On the first weekend of the month, I left school on Friday afternoon, headed straight for the bus station, and readied myself for the 4 hour bus ride from Madrid to the Mediterranean coast.</div><div><br /></div><div>I've made the trip several times now to visit my Valencian friends that studied at OU and I've gotta say, I kind of enjoy the long bus ride. It gives me some solo time to just read, or listen to music, or just kick back and relax and ponder things. Alone time is something that I never really appreciated before coming to Spain, but I've found it to become some of my most treasured time. </div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway, I arrived in Valencia around 11:30 at night and my friend Dini was nice enough to pick me up from the bus station and take me to my friend Xamu's house. We were having a mini-OU reunion because our friend Susana was going to study in Australia for 6 months and it was kind of her goodbye dinner. Naturally, I arrived just in time for the end of dinner. Typical. </div><div><br /></div><div>But they were all happy to see me, mostly because I brought presents. Specifically, I brought bags and bags of candy brought all the way from good old Oklahoma.</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz71F_RxCnE9tyuGEMdfaSLYR0RMqijW76IAT5Q6mB1160JQHr1-3mhwffFZ9HCjCZIFoEAv0Zc67uz2q4SBDjTTW2lkq3aOM1nm-MxJdOJoeCFpueIqXR4h5WkUyMEuHLSt97MTZzQ5Cx/s1600/IMG_2521.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz71F_RxCnE9tyuGEMdfaSLYR0RMqijW76IAT5Q6mB1160JQHr1-3mhwffFZ9HCjCZIFoEAv0Zc67uz2q4SBDjTTW2lkq3aOM1nm-MxJdOJoeCFpueIqXR4h5WkUyMEuHLSt97MTZzQ5Cx/s400/IMG_2521.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576255269841754162" /></a>Here are my friends Paz and Susana holding up the Twix, Reese's cups, Butterfingers, and Almond Joys that I brought to everyone. I was definitely happy to see that they were such crowd pleasers.<br /><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXCDCfvzwk6qS2RPEf3LTpgYAgWo6VvW33o9qIjPLmxdm-HTlllQXX9Dxdr5ov4LbJyf3Nuh2IgIeltTsADt7LvL7CRiAS2I62pUKYdKMYJDveTd08FDx1fHm_29eWqzXW1PkhYktcd4OG/s1600/IMG_2527.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXCDCfvzwk6qS2RPEf3LTpgYAgWo6VvW33o9qIjPLmxdm-HTlllQXX9Dxdr5ov4LbJyf3Nuh2IgIeltTsADt7LvL7CRiAS2I62pUKYdKMYJDveTd08FDx1fHm_29eWqzXW1PkhYktcd4OG/s400/IMG_2527.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576255262459806226" /></a>After everyone finished up eating, we hung around Xamu's place for awhile so that we could all chat and catch up on things. Lots of gossip about old OU friends and lots of chatting about what we're all doing with our lives. We're all in our mid-20s and few of us are very certain about where our lives are going. So it was nice to relate with everyone on that. Here is a picture of Susana, me, and Dini (the one who picked me up from the bus station).</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTiKFzylSdOmUauT5AEdXSH26pYlx_-Uzh4uN7G4kBE2gN8X2j7t_6KrqP-QyzItYajZZ851kRoP05jfSLRXhkIkQUu4L0RlAkFXsCMZhx1cdxzsvBeKASc4g6xTXuKJ2u2pmvpH9ovh0Y/s1600/IMG_2541.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTiKFzylSdOmUauT5AEdXSH26pYlx_-Uzh4uN7G4kBE2gN8X2j7t_6KrqP-QyzItYajZZ851kRoP05jfSLRXhkIkQUu4L0RlAkFXsCMZhx1cdxzsvBeKASc4g6xTXuKJ2u2pmvpH9ovh0Y/s400/IMG_2541.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576255255229065378" /></a>Later on, we decided to go out on the town. I let the Valencians choose all the places to go because there is honestly no better way to see a town than with a native leading you around. Here are my friends Cobra (real name is Alejandro), Xamu (real name is Jaime, Spaniards love their nicknames), Paz, and Susana. </div><div><br /></div><div>We ended up going out to a bar mostly populated by 40 to 50 year old women, so things were pretty interesting. We stayed out until around 5, fairly early for Spaniards. But Sus had a long goodbye weekend with all of her family and friends, so we had to get her home and rested up.</div><div><br /></div><div>The next day I spent with another friend of mine from Valencia named Koke (real name is Jorge). We both were pretty tired and didn't feel like doing much, so after a much-needed siesta, we drove out to a place called the Albufera. It's this HUGE salt water lake that is kind of an inlet from the Mediterranean and it's a famous spot for going at sunset. The next picture proves why:</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigUy8ph3wsXMlndQYrVfO_BAjrdo-dtIKVbQQ2RbnUOzpGugfK0jsZLDKKkMllJAjklWSELq7bi4kGe3Pm2hbfnjvl7CmkMsUwGS24_MHMK72LAeD73Naynen6nh2y0vWNBoAhqPLPelOa/s1600/IMG_2563.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigUy8ph3wsXMlndQYrVfO_BAjrdo-dtIKVbQQ2RbnUOzpGugfK0jsZLDKKkMllJAjklWSELq7bi4kGe3Pm2hbfnjvl7CmkMsUwGS24_MHMK72LAeD73Naynen6nh2y0vWNBoAhqPLPelOa/s400/IMG_2563.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576255234364129714" /></a>Seriously one of the most picturesque places I have ever been to. Absolutely gorgeous at sunset. Really breathtaking in person and, as with so many other pictures, this picture just doesn't do it complete justice.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDnvkFKAm0uWhyphenhyphenCjvOxp8xiTJKBDOYUZlg65oUKYu8mgj0lZbRvRGD1XJl1EzMmziuFxnXy-JXzuoBIR7P-Rm87rHANRkkYp2gaN6RmfK6uSy8qkKKfBr1wF_Q6paSGpcQYnBE87OMKQlu/s1600/IMG_2572.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDnvkFKAm0uWhyphenhyphenCjvOxp8xiTJKBDOYUZlg65oUKYu8mgj0lZbRvRGD1XJl1EzMmziuFxnXy-JXzuoBIR7P-Rm87rHANRkkYp2gaN6RmfK6uSy8qkKKfBr1wF_Q6paSGpcQYnBE87OMKQlu/s400/IMG_2572.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576255214744091842" /></a>The weather was so nice that after seeing the Albufera, we also went on a little stroll on the beach. Yes, folks, that is the Mediterranean and a completely deserted beach. But it was beautiful and it is always so refreshing to be near the Sea. For both the body and the soul.</div><div><br /></div><div>After coming back, I had to face some changes that started speeding my way. Basically, a lot of it revolves around moving to a new apartment. No, it has absolutely nothing to do with fighting with my roommates or my landlord. I won't go into it too much on here, but when I get moved in to my new place, I'll throw some pictures up of it all. Maybe I'll explain later, but I promise, it's actually a very boring story. </div><div><br /></div><div>And other than that, we've had a rainy spell here in Madrid. And I mean really, really rainy. Rainstorms in Spain are not at all like rainstorms in Oklahoma. In OK, the storm comes in, floods us with rain, and goes away all in the span of a day. In Spain, it's a slow steady rain that lasts for days and days and days at a time. And winter is unfortunately the rainy season in Madrid. So mix the really cold weather with tons of rain, and it gives you a lot of depressing weather.</div><div><br /></div><div>So I guess that's it for this update. I maybe did a few other things throughout the last couple of weeks. Went out on the weekends and met up with friends here and there. Hung out with my friends Robin, Rachel, Lupe, and Lizzie. And maybe those stories will get told later. But for now, I'm done and done. </div><div><br /></div><div>Expect my next update to include lots of pictures of Amsterdam because my trip to the Netherlands is this weekend! Woo hoo!</div>Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09091751381913071392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7019847350975359388.post-10030617645360163292011-01-30T16:16:00.004-06:002011-02-02T17:06:47.812-06:00Small VictoriesAn old OU friend of mine recently wrote a blog post on her site about how nothing major had really happened in her life during the previous week, but how it is always important to recognize the small things in life and to celebrate those small victories that happen every day. Otherwise the small things can start to get you down.<div><br /></div><div>I can relate. I feel as if I have quickly slipped back into the daily routine of life here in Madrid and find myself thinking about how I have not made any major accomplishments in the last week. It's really an incredible phenomenon that one can live in a foreign country and still feel as if things are mundane.</div><div><br /></div><div>So it's time to celebrate my small victories and appreciate the little things that have happened in my life lately. Let's do it!</div><div><ul><li>Body Factory Gym received a new member last Tuesday when I finally decided to do something good for myself and signed up for a gym membership. I've found that I have really become pretty lazy when it comes to doing things for myself, so I finally jumped on the gym bandwagon. (and I feel like I should note that a lot of the motivation for this also came from peer pressure from my co-workers) And I've actually already worked out several times. So yay me.</li><li>I FINALLY booked some trips for myself to get out of Madrid for awhile. I'm going to Valencia next weekend and then Amsterdam at the end of the month. One of my goals for the time I have left has been to do more traveling because I know after leaving in the summer I probably won't be back for a while. Valencia is always fantastic because I have some really great friends who live there and the Netherlands is a place I haven't been to before. So it looks like I've got some pretty cool places to look forward to!</li><li>Speaking of the two previous bullet points, I made the decision that the money I make while over here doesn't do me a whole lot of good just sitting in the bank. So even if cool things (like the gym or a plane ticket) cost a little extra money, it's all worth it in the end. It's just money, right?</li><li>I downloaded two new books (one is a historical thriller that supposedly has received high marks on amazon and the other is a Salmon Rushdie novel, and he is an author who I have recently become obsessed with) and have been reading away once again. Seriously, the Kindle is pretty much the best 150 bucks I've ever spent.</li><li>I made some new Spanish friends in the past few days, and for some reason that always makes me feel kind of accomplished. Like my Spanish is good enough that actual Spanish people like to talk to me in their native language. Or maybe it's just that I'm the foreign guy who sounds funny when he speaks. Either way, I've got new friends. </li><li>I re-connected with some old friends who I haven't talked to in a while and that always makes me feel good, too. I always fear that one of the biggest sacrifices I've made in my years over here in Spain has been my friendships from back home. It's really tough to maintain close friendships when you're an ocean apart. But I'm working on it and this week I did a pretty good job, I think.</li><li>I downloaded some new music, which seems awfully insignificant, but trust me. With my hour and a half commute every day, good new music can be a life saver.</li></ul><div>So, as you can see, nothing major in the life of Jordan these days. But some decisions were made, steps taken to further myself, and some big things planned. Individually, everything would seem awfully minor. But together it makes me realize that my life is pretty dang good.</div></div>Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09091751381913071392noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7019847350975359388.post-86336255157722019292011-01-25T13:38:00.006-06:002011-01-30T16:58:15.406-06:00A Lesson in Spanish Culture...and Marketing<iframe width="480" height="295" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/zvd9NeW6zfc?fs=1" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><div><br /></div><div><i>Disclaimer: This is not being posted out of perversion. It is being posted to prove a point. So before you judge me, watch the whole commercial and read what I have to say. And then judge away.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>As a student in Oklahoma, I studied international business and marketing. With that in mind, the way the Spanish culture expresses itself, both in real life and in the world of advertising, is absolutely FASCINATING to me. Seriously.</div><div><br /></div><div>Exhibit A: The above advertisement.</div><div><br /></div><div>First, let's analyze the ad itself. For a little background info, this is an ad that is shown on prime time television on all the major television networks in Spain, so it's not just on "special" networks for men. From an American standpoint, my first thoughts were that it was for condoms or something equally sex-related. There is so much gratuitous skin and less-than-subtle sexual context that I really couldn't fathom what else it could be advertising. (And be honest, if you're an American, you thought the same thing.)</div><div><br /></div><div>And then BAM! IKEA!</div><div><br /></div><div>What?</div><div><br /></div><div>I think it can definitely be said that an ad like this would just never fly in the much more conservative (comparatively) American culture. We're just not that comfortable with our bodies and public displays of......well, anything, really. It just wouldn't work. (I mean for the general public. I'm sure there are some demographics out there that would love it.) And plus, I just don't think we can connect sex and furniture superstores. The American mind just doesn't work like that, I'm afraid.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now, the Spaniards, on the other hand....I mean, it is a long-running commercial in Spain. Guess that kinda speaks for itself.</div><div><br /></div><div>First of all, Spaniards don't see gratuitous skin as anything major. Take a trip to any beach in the country and check out all the topless women and men in Speedos and it's something that is painfully (and I mean that literally) obvious. And the nudity is no big deal to everyone around, despite the fact that you want to poke your own eyes out.</div><div><br /></div><div>Also, public displays of affection are extremely commonplace here. Take a trip to any park, theater, supermarket, metro station, school, workplace, etc., etc., etc. and you'll get an eyeful.</div><div><br /></div><div>So as long as this ad doesn't show the actual sex act (which it comes awfully close by an American standard) then it is A-OK. And what's more, the Spaniards can get past all the skin and sex and actually make the connection between what's happening in the ad and the joy of buying and having great, impossible-to-put-together furniture. And that is FASCINATING.</div><div><br /></div><div>Right? You all agree with me, right?</div><div><br /></div><div>BAM, you just got a free lesson in international marketing.</div><div><br /></div><div>And that'll be enough nerd time for tonight.</div>Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09091751381913071392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7019847350975359388.post-11056287353151839112011-01-23T15:22:00.010-06:002011-01-25T13:32:51.082-06:00Oh, Hey There 2011<div style="text-align: left;">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.</div><div><br /></div><div>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.</div><div><br /></div><div>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?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Oh, just kidding, of course. It was sad to leave home after a really great couple of weeks.</div><div><br /></div><div>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.</div><div><br /></div><div>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.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Oh, just kidding again. But I probably was a bit crabby during the week, to be perfectly honest.</div><div><br /></div><div>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.</div><div><br /></div><div>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.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>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.</div><div><br /></div><div>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.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>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:</div><div><br /></div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 279px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Z4u8HGcFzWQg8bR6iHANnp8ffRRCp4CRJSbN37hzG9BM6Ua7ljPxNrU_4tOzUojcUibQYy3L3HDNqnrTGVc1pI2Dnu5dw3A-G2UDAA8Dxub97oqmhBvk89XIm85Vdp_W8-xJuB4KrZNF/s400/tambien_la_lluvia_cartel.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565505144856955218" /></div>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.<div><br /></div><div>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.</div><div><br /><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb596XqQ2EnG_eYv3qe5WpfyDDJWhDY8ohbq7ijMrBTw5O8ZP11xXRmkm-WNRf-wvzXFZKVgZbIIGegNqKY6MNQCCdY2JOupv80B5S96edTwbeCc_6XEygkhYIG0dIqmd_sPnztUoUR1Gl/s400/IMG_2504.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565508410290648018" /><div style="text-align: left;">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.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT0fQgKNhYU23VGTiy-tB5zRQP-t5rzlF9ChAOCmf0vTfDfIdG5k6Yk4mBy43jcqLR64-_A432kE9m6n4WXc8-s1qcifFb6VMjkwxII_azQ9jS6kMDu4tDs6oAqSbqhAwRjM-z4QeLrLuR/s400/IMG_2489.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566207684435475458" />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.</div><div><br /></div><div><img style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR5G4EJZG5TZTXfHb72Pcs8qGwVOJnzNsdOMMsMlftlctekbxXZxAd6D6wRU1xKGSeIhby__nNrOtFFa4AYan9-AlRohzuwemar8oOlIN_XNyHyYJyShwIbNGFX0nIIakcEO0ZmYNZrOcd/s400/IMG_2467.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565505149094137458" />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?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMe08g3w2Ubi9sCEi4cPrcgS-osTiO50YmYgFk0U5JziOscLxW4z2APpSyfgTBOyOzS89VFb3cS55h1z-UfqAyqn5pFcGYJrQXTYwHR3ybMcgezEun25lXIKt-O_Fpy1LafWn7zoEVlCuo/s1600/IMG_2514.jpg"></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Apparently the Spanish agree with me, though. As evidence, I present to you:</div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMe08g3w2Ubi9sCEi4cPrcgS-osTiO50YmYgFk0U5JziOscLxW4z2APpSyfgTBOyOzS89VFb3cS55h1z-UfqAyqn5pFcGYJrQXTYwHR3ybMcgezEun25lXIKt-O_Fpy1LafWn7zoEVlCuo/s1600/IMG_2514.jpg"><img style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMe08g3w2Ubi9sCEi4cPrcgS-osTiO50YmYgFk0U5JziOscLxW4z2APpSyfgTBOyOzS89VFb3cS55h1z-UfqAyqn5pFcGYJrQXTYwHR3ybMcgezEun25lXIKt-O_Fpy1LafWn7zoEVlCuo/s400/IMG_2514.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565508415191777266" /></a><div style="text-align: left;">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.</div></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">So anyway, 2011 has been treating me pretty well so far. And I'm always excited to see what else it has in store.</div>Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09091751381913071392noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7019847350975359388.post-54661336031929697242011-01-20T04:06:00.014-06:002011-01-23T15:19:30.818-06:00Update #3 - Christmas Across the Globe<div>And now....for the third installment of updates from waaaaay back in 2010.</div><div><br /></div><div>Ah, Christmas. A time of perpetual happiness and joy. A time of giving and receiving. A time of goodness and laughter. A time of vacations from work. </div><div><br /></div><div>Which of the above do you think I was most looking forward to? Cause let's get real for a second here....a teacher's life is neither glamorous nor rich (in the monetary sense). But the vacations make it all worth it, especially the two weeks off for the Christmas season.</div><div><br /></div><div>But no, in all honesty, the Christmas season is my favorite time of the year. Everything from the Christmas lights and decorations to the hustle and bustle of the shopping crowds. It's really a great time.</div><div><br /></div><div>As the countdown began to the big day, I was still in Spain because school continued until December 23rd. Which was fine even considering the fact that I would be cutting it close to get home in time for Christmas (cue Bing Crosby's "I'll be home for Christmas").</div><div><br /></div><div>The last week of school was actually really fun. Instead of giving real classes, I mostly just talked about Christmas with all the kiddos, painted pictures, played games, sang carols, and just had a good time. And even though we teachers told ourselves it was having fun with the kids in the spirit of Christmas, we really knew that it was because we couldn't have forced them to focus on anything else at the time. </div><div><br /></div><div>But the kids really were great, and seeing the kids sing "Frosty the Snowman" and "Jingle Bells" was pretty fantastic when you take into account that these are 6 and 7 year olds singing in their second language. It really is amazing to see the kids develop and grow and actually gain skills thanks to the work that I've done with them. Extremely rewarding.</div><div><br /></div><div>So anyway, along comes December 22nd (I was leaving on the 23rd to fly to the USA) and I realized I still hadn't taken any pictures of the Christmas lights in Madrid. So I braved the cold and the rain and the massive last-minute shopping crowds just to get a few shots of the beauty of the city at Navidad.</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_tBunGCxlD8bGsfFtXoowe_j3LhgHR1iWc5YGwoi4i_TgCvrWkfmrdjld71YXc1cHyDyfBJW31KvaGSpAh-W-3VtHFNsQzGcPL_G-B8-WJce061IFhQz0_euqIQrGIu6X2PUBGQdtPV8G/s1600/DSCN0333.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_tBunGCxlD8bGsfFtXoowe_j3LhgHR1iWc5YGwoi4i_TgCvrWkfmrdjld71YXc1cHyDyfBJW31KvaGSpAh-W-3VtHFNsQzGcPL_G-B8-WJce061IFhQz0_euqIQrGIu6X2PUBGQdtPV8G/s400/DSCN0333.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564738286932732402" /></a>Here is a shot of the massive tree in Plaza del Sol, right in the center of the city. And when I say massive, I mean several stories tall. Pretty incredible.<br /><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj95gePCgztZEZdtPmMPowL9uUT5zKx_yT26SJSssqS17euNioPJb6wmBQn3q-tOURGvrTTNKy2p_7XMvK_Ny68aM1HjDGKyslEg0swzecOfetlS_bQ1PyZ9sHmfgDT6X_g0tmNnkv5Ntze/s1600/DSCN0342.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj95gePCgztZEZdtPmMPowL9uUT5zKx_yT26SJSssqS17euNioPJb6wmBQn3q-tOURGvrTTNKy2p_7XMvK_Ny68aM1HjDGKyslEg0swzecOfetlS_bQ1PyZ9sHmfgDT6X_g0tmNnkv5Ntze/s400/DSCN0342.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564737229153098098" /></a>And what would Christmas in Spain be without the Three Wise Men? Kids here don't write letters to Santa, but to the Reyes Magos (Three Wise Men) and parents take their kids to sit on their laps for pictures. Really strange for a foreigner like me who was raised in a Santa culture, but definitely cool.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFZsYIJAacsV1A8OlX7kR0HUUFrldgvIT-ISqkXdq8nwqxt2h8Ta0_I7-sKJHDy9l2LEF4vqrN97MoltS8_U-u-lzxrrOo_nDzjaq99l8Nqii250aEMdgRgZ7HyE56qRFq3SAw4IL4dTYU/s1600/DSCN0347.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFZsYIJAacsV1A8OlX7kR0HUUFrldgvIT-ISqkXdq8nwqxt2h8Ta0_I7-sKJHDy9l2LEF4vqrN97MoltS8_U-u-lzxrrOo_nDzjaq99l8Nqii250aEMdgRgZ7HyE56qRFq3SAw4IL4dTYU/s400/DSCN0347.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564737221756324994" /></a>And here we have the Plaza de Callao, not too far from Sol, with yet another massive tree and even a fake ice skating rink. Which is interesting, because instead of ice there was a plastic covering. Not sure how it worked, but hey, the kids loved it.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp8hbSf153w0s8NtyJ8bZtIf29wDDY_Ql4Sv2bf-H8Aw42e-CzeE43ozpp9zgz5IcMGFciVIExa9n9YG9_1IC6eKv2m9_W1Lr4hVZY8lqZrX6z9xJl3uZcz_SGaJ5yEEVz70j8t3e-FM45/s1600/DSCN0358.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp8hbSf153w0s8NtyJ8bZtIf29wDDY_Ql4Sv2bf-H8Aw42e-CzeE43ozpp9zgz5IcMGFciVIExa9n9YG9_1IC6eKv2m9_W1Lr4hVZY8lqZrX6z9xJl3uZcz_SGaJ5yEEVz70j8t3e-FM45/s400/DSCN0358.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564737215341261954" /></a>Here is Cortylandia, a favorite of all the little Spanish niños. El Corte Inglés is a famous store in Spain where you can buy absolutely anything you need. Every year they make this massive display for the kids and parents bring their kids to the store just to see the show. It may not look like it in the picture, but the stage and statues are several stories tall.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyQsgCaojkQhlgadMtMzDJnKMkNpo4iuJN3CIfNcH5Fl554LZdVv_XsclPVbXddwJpHe9-Q-CRGf19BOBaGGGc3HI6ESkiyEttd4XknYjXgTUdEC3zl7if0QyCyYJ-hS8aY_L43t1NLSw2/s1600/DSCN0360.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyQsgCaojkQhlgadMtMzDJnKMkNpo4iuJN3CIfNcH5Fl554LZdVv_XsclPVbXddwJpHe9-Q-CRGf19BOBaGGGc3HI6ESkiyEttd4XknYjXgTUdEC3zl7if0QyCyYJ-hS8aY_L43t1NLSw2/s400/DSCN0360.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564734775520997426" /></a>And one last shot of the Christmas lights over Calle Mayor. These are my favorite lights in the entire city because they stretch the entire length of the street. Really beautiful.</div><div><br /></div><div>So after my stint walking around and enjoying the lights, I then realized that it was nearing midnight and I was leaving the next morning.....and still hadn't packed. Typical Jordan style. And basically that meant that I got home with a suitcase full of completely random stuff, most of which I ended up leaving at home.</div><div><br /></div><div>But I was extremely lucky to make it home with no delays and no problems, which is very rare for me. I almost never make it home without delays and cancellations, so I'll just chalk it up to a Christmas blessing that I made it home on time as planned.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now, one of the things I always look forward to upon arriving in the good old USofA is having my Mom there to greet me at the gate. Because it's always a guaranteed crying-fest and it warms my heart. haha But I was really looking forward to getting home and seeing everyone, because unlike many people out there, I'm lucky enough to have an awesome family who I love spending time with. As crazy and weird as we all are, it's always guaranteed fun when we get together.</div><div><br /></div><div>Since I didn't get into Dallas until after 9 at night, that meant I didn't get home until after midnight. Which meant as soon as I got home, I went straight to bed to sleep off the nearly 24 hours of travel that I had just finished. But the next day, the festivities began.</div><div><br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_QF4MRe_jJOae_GYGsOoV6bEi8EbuFxRV9VTRH0lTSiUcjfUoCY9n6chyphenhyphenWsPvX4aSPIWUxCD9DmqfrT1ToMM87mwI0l0_B8dox3Y719aDu40_wqIU64zH_un72K8PvJ4jkvZJXVQQTUPr/s400/DSCN1426.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564734765505133442" />Christmas Eve is when my family usually exchanges presents, so as soon as I woke up on the 24th, this little guy pictured above was waiting for me to help tear into some gifts. My nephew Colt it my little sidekick every time I go home and it amazes me how much he has grown over my time in Spain. When I first came to Spain in August of 2009, he was so small and still very much in the toddler phase. Now I can carry on a full conversation with the kid and it's always a guaranteed laugh. And teaching 1st and 2nd graders have left me equipped with just the right conversation topics to really fit right in with him.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1KUhUDeMitKE4zBwIL0GYI1QjXDLZkUF6kcruPOzMaEN8dN7wL2h7Pu9nWCC4FxEQtsiiyc9Xpr_RvWqQDdrGDfbGtfv-uDLlQFUfCwm6brUl0F0rpibvncOtO6xtK16vIx2hpgyr43Gr/s1600/DSCN1417.JPG"></a><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1KUhUDeMitKE4zBwIL0GYI1QjXDLZkUF6kcruPOzMaEN8dN7wL2h7Pu9nWCC4FxEQtsiiyc9Xpr_RvWqQDdrGDfbGtfv-uDLlQFUfCwm6brUl0F0rpibvncOtO6xtK16vIx2hpgyr43Gr/s1600/DSCN1417.JPG"><img style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1KUhUDeMitKE4zBwIL0GYI1QjXDLZkUF6kcruPOzMaEN8dN7wL2h7Pu9nWCC4FxEQtsiiyc9Xpr_RvWqQDdrGDfbGtfv-uDLlQFUfCwm6brUl0F0rpibvncOtO6xtK16vIx2hpgyr43Gr/s400/DSCN1417.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564734770049608914" /></a><div style="text-align: left;">Of course my Mom is a proud Nonni to the little kids. And she is always ready and prepared to pose for a photo. So here she is with my nephew and Mickey in the background.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzp81XwKKIL4D9acWYmqu5jyE2XFJRF1vUxzv9a-KgCFNmaexExMzyXwW6A0PnzXmMc-l-n3ytQgh-eJ-wufflWnSbtE0hgTwUTKCKuFuu3XryPHjxBm83P4CLrh-sj6UAzw0F5bwZ_fVt/s1600/DSCN1434.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzp81XwKKIL4D9acWYmqu5jyE2XFJRF1vUxzv9a-KgCFNmaexExMzyXwW6A0PnzXmMc-l-n3ytQgh-eJ-wufflWnSbtE0hgTwUTKCKuFuu3XryPHjxBm83P4CLrh-sj6UAzw0F5bwZ_fVt/s400/DSCN1434.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564729687585291410" /></a>And here we have my other nephew, Cade, who is around 9 months old with my Dad and my grandma in the corner. This is another kid that I'm shocked and amazed at how big he is. When I left just this summer he was still tiny and in that boring-but-cute phase. Now he's so expressive and developing his personality. I can only imagine what he'll be like when I see him in the summer.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5xtS_A54E3amBfwLRHXUEnGuF6JRzYp4vDuTSGkfTelWXTOpkVwZmrscyS8eOZoktxinNCic-SjHdZrK3d9iORqCN7cnlMfP3P1abvDARvhyrtLu2Sn9ILOCbfe7BW4pfBrveaFSGmxUl/s1600/DSCN1468.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5xtS_A54E3amBfwLRHXUEnGuF6JRzYp4vDuTSGkfTelWXTOpkVwZmrscyS8eOZoktxinNCic-SjHdZrK3d9iORqCN7cnlMfP3P1abvDARvhyrtLu2Sn9ILOCbfe7BW4pfBrveaFSGmxUl/s400/DSCN1468.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564729678308929538" /></a>And here I am jamming out with my brother and sister-in-law. The nightlife in Oklahoma might not be quite the same as the nightlife in Madrid, but it's still a good time.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQebIXiF8RmgD55azsD2JThao0hZ3SCKnsgsOWrswQBoYmX8WqIbubgk55adiyVYHhFzoFUKsc4l8yaWFtqQHeVVclyNQt9I_KODtCNowirWdBocJToFcWpgYfrjpfjGLNjaLkRnn-TYZ4/s1600/IMG_2441.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQebIXiF8RmgD55azsD2JThao0hZ3SCKnsgsOWrswQBoYmX8WqIbubgk55adiyVYHhFzoFUKsc4l8yaWFtqQHeVVclyNQt9I_KODtCNowirWdBocJToFcWpgYfrjpfjGLNjaLkRnn-TYZ4/s400/IMG_2441.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564729674532408370" /></a>And one last picture of Colt jamming out on the drums.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>So, not to get too serious or sappy on here, let's just suffice to say that I had a fantastic time at home. And it went by WAY too fast. But as always, it just showed me that, although it always hard to leave, I always have a great place to go home to.</div>Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09091751381913071392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7019847350975359388.post-39581010595154420042011-01-19T07:17:00.008-06:002011-01-19T16:43:23.149-06:00Update #2 - The French Road Trip<div>Whoa, two posts, two days in a row? Is the sky falling? </div><div><br /></div><div>I know, it's crazy. But BELIEVE IT. Cause this is happening.</div><div><br /></div><div>So now it's time to give a little update on what happened after Thanksgiving. We'll title it "The French Road Trip," just for kicks.</div><div><br /></div><div>On the very first weekend of December, all of us working at schools in Madrid struck the jackpot and were rewarded with a 5 day weekend. Don't ask me why...I just chalked it up to one of the many random Spanish holidays and didn't ask any more questions. So a few friends and I decided to seize the opportunity once again and rented a car that comfortably seated 4 people and then the 5 of us loaded up and left Madrid driving due North.</div><div><br /></div><div>Our plan? To have no plan. We were going to wing it. No hostal reservations. No strict map routes. Just go into northern Spain/southern France and go wherever the wind directed us. While this sounded good in theory, there were a few of us in the car who are...let's just say "type A personalities" that weren't so okay with that. But that's neither here nor there.</div><div><br /></div><div>So the first night, we decided in the car that we should just go as far as possible and work our way back. So we thought about maybe going to Marseille on the southern French coast and driving back from there, stopping in cities along the way. However, the traffic leaving Madrid on a holiday weekend is HORRENDOUS, so we had been in the car a solid two hours and still hadn't really left the city. So we made a snap decision and decided to spend our first night in.......</div><div><br /></div><div>Barcelona!</div><div><br /></div><div>Not too bad for a backup plan, eh? I drove for most of the time that first day and now I can say I've driven in the two biggest cities in Spain. I'm kinda proud of that. </div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgJb9D2bfOh37HNSpGQLeQU0Lai4CxE4G37k1i3IX1YY7oOw6aHTz0-CGlkL0GswDXbyKGPtiJqvdNIM-zPPF34Ll0PjQS4oXm0A6Nt47QdYlmpmbgp7s5tp_SBY8zwSx3eoiZQrc3MokL/s1600/DSCN0258.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgJb9D2bfOh37HNSpGQLeQU0Lai4CxE4G37k1i3IX1YY7oOw6aHTz0-CGlkL0GswDXbyKGPtiJqvdNIM-zPPF34Ll0PjQS4oXm0A6Nt47QdYlmpmbgp7s5tp_SBY8zwSx3eoiZQrc3MokL/s400/DSCN0258.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563889207803747346" /></a>Once we all made it to Barcelona, we were pretty exhausted so we didn't end up doing much more than walking around, eating, and enjoying the Christmas lights. So here is our little group posing in front of one of said light displays: me, Lupe, Amanda, Lizzie, and Rachel. All very, very cool girls. <div><br /></div><div>And yes, I was the only testosterone in the group. Made for an interesting trip.</div><div><br /></div><div>So the next day we got up fairly early, left our hostal (which was an experience in itself) and went on in to France. Rachel had friends who were in France teaching English, pretty much exactly like we are doing here in Madrid, and we made plans to meet up with them in a little town called Nimes, which was a couple of hours past the Spain/France border.</div><div><br /></div><div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqbb5cZyarhUAXz21jXoHTZXcN8_VUIjHAqmMtxZRBk0xUom3UpW5RM2oA_f1sE1HnkwHaC398cgSmL-XgS35XTALJ8C5KV9a5T4cDUIe2YBbXd0cOgCvpjIbFwA78oR6RPzy9Vl-nwF7u/s1600/DSCN0269.JPG"><img style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqbb5cZyarhUAXz21jXoHTZXcN8_VUIjHAqmMtxZRBk0xUom3UpW5RM2oA_f1sE1HnkwHaC398cgSmL-XgS35XTALJ8C5KV9a5T4cDUIe2YBbXd0cOgCvpjIbFwA78oR6RPzy9Vl-nwF7u/s400/DSCN0269.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563889199470285202" /></a>Although it was a quaint little French town, the weather most definitely did not cooperate with us. The cold wasn't unbearable, but the rain made it kinda rough. As you can see with Lupe, Amanda, and Lizzie here, we stayed bundled up most of the time and kept the umbrellas ready. </div><div><br /></div><div>Rachel hadn't seen her friends in a pretty long time, so she decided to spend the night with them while Lupe, Amanda, Lizzie and I went further into France.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZwEXhrQ9AazJFffIy1ckJgDYtp_8VHi8O6cgg6stmm_8fnanZUy88HQTkqwt80TYaNCRY9zXunIpGTvJJF1cDjJU9u-lXWFfKLVmdITY4IPc58gHQottTTPRuSucSThglj1bQMJB7oWHh/s1600/DSCN0271.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZwEXhrQ9AazJFffIy1ckJgDYtp_8VHi8O6cgg6stmm_8fnanZUy88HQTkqwt80TYaNCRY9zXunIpGTvJJF1cDjJU9u-lXWFfKLVmdITY4IPc58gHQottTTPRuSucSThglj1bQMJB7oWHh/s400/DSCN0271.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563889193889407458" /></a>So we continued on into the French Riviera area to a town called Aix-en-Provence. It was a beautiful little town with some really great Christmas markets and beautifully decorated for the holiday season, as you can see above. Another great little French town and much, much different from my experiences in Paris.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifbAwMfJB1kS42vK1uQPVH-P2mtm3kBmVz_gpB_Ns9NXVTDuvMylkWvD_WKtZW_5ydcjB-3Jqcbf0EC5Rx91hDmMYYY2mS_a4I-mEeDsA_FhiigPkAKqrtjlxvUr93n5vIwSS4hFVW8c97/s1600/DSCN0279.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifbAwMfJB1kS42vK1uQPVH-P2mtm3kBmVz_gpB_Ns9NXVTDuvMylkWvD_WKtZW_5ydcjB-3Jqcbf0EC5Rx91hDmMYYY2mS_a4I-mEeDsA_FhiigPkAKqrtjlxvUr93n5vIwSS4hFVW8c97/s400/DSCN0279.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563887797931673458" /></a>"Joyeux Noel" = "Merry Christmas" in French. We saw this all over Aix-en-Provence, so I had to snap a shot of it.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirgG2rOMOfY7MTw0DMxlSIlTyWZSITlfh3YspY1FsVes5pnxuxW4IzksTlDZadRkDLuSGR8HMtEQH9ZgNsLw0r1lM-cxCS2qhvQrVIO9q7nF-IO5UlfwACS8n8peWGH-AsbutKUN1rTZrv/s1600/DSCN0284.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirgG2rOMOfY7MTw0DMxlSIlTyWZSITlfh3YspY1FsVes5pnxuxW4IzksTlDZadRkDLuSGR8HMtEQH9ZgNsLw0r1lM-cxCS2qhvQrVIO9q7nF-IO5UlfwACS8n8peWGH-AsbutKUN1rTZrv/s400/DSCN0284.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563887793483753186" /></a>The next day, after taking a nice, long rest the night before, we went out and explored the town and it's Christmas markets. It was just as cool in the daytime as it was at night. </div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKAUUqmiA_v4Y93jLowtKdlNR00oRjjfgcxQ8yaQSEBm0z4mqkVIhT4cUZ5G-F7IX00OlSXzghhRdWnlUeScRL_HumqGgJOyu47a3u2woVhAGgczUI17F7yyUR-jvWYlEAr2SAnQJnBFo1/s1600/DSCN0292.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKAUUqmiA_v4Y93jLowtKdlNR00oRjjfgcxQ8yaQSEBm0z4mqkVIhT4cUZ5G-F7IX00OlSXzghhRdWnlUeScRL_HumqGgJOyu47a3u2woVhAGgczUI17F7yyUR-jvWYlEAr2SAnQJnBFo1/s400/DSCN0292.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563887786384776818" /></a>And even cooler, they had a park named after me! And all along I thought the French were so lame...who knew?</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjckcqwf1Wnsm_mLMkgiB1xSySSSzNIt5UzodV6YIHtRcRCAwgiFtc9ghneWw_yU25ciQeCis-q-9o4Fd_symaYrq8JpCPFN5ES_J-qnefdxoTty9tPLN4luvqIX0EW_ocaZ3yro9Y-o4Fn/s1600/DSCN0308.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjckcqwf1Wnsm_mLMkgiB1xSySSSzNIt5UzodV6YIHtRcRCAwgiFtc9ghneWw_yU25ciQeCis-q-9o4Fd_symaYrq8JpCPFN5ES_J-qnefdxoTty9tPLN4luvqIX0EW_ocaZ3yro9Y-o4Fn/s400/DSCN0308.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563887783603150466" /></a>After milling around Aix for a good part of the day, we loaded up once again and left for Montpellier, back towards the Spanish coast. We were going to meet back up with Rachel and her friends there and check out yet another French city. While Aix was a great little town, Montpellier was a little bigger and, therefore, a little fancier to behold. Here is a shot of the main central plaza which also had a Christmas market going at the time. I was thoroughly impressed.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMTCVB_20lPhM-q4o_-3K7zkIQewnuK-e1eY-ggZw6Bd7Blb_pbEDNrHi-hNb5a9V-OCUQzPr6mMiNMTkya6WAJMgYjIA4I-idWWszHZeXhu7cRoGpW4Pq5Tt1jX62qO32RRlltfR4REB7/s1600/DSCN0311.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMTCVB_20lPhM-q4o_-3K7zkIQewnuK-e1eY-ggZw6Bd7Blb_pbEDNrHi-hNb5a9V-OCUQzPr6mMiNMTkya6WAJMgYjIA4I-idWWszHZeXhu7cRoGpW4Pq5Tt1jX62qO32RRlltfR4REB7/s400/DSCN0311.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563887772554155266" /></a>The French Christmas markets are full of all kinds of goodies, from chocolates to meats to handmade artisan crafts, but one of my favorite things that we found was hot spiced wine. It tasted a lot like Spanish sangria, but warmed up like coffee so it warmed you up from the inside. Which was perfect for the cold French weather. Here are the 5 of us reunited enjoying a "vin chaude," or hot wine in French.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>That night we originally had planned to get back into Spain, spend the night, and then wake up early to continue on to Madrid the next day. However, after a dinner of crepes, we decided to save some money on a hostal and just drive straight through the night to get back to Madrid early the next morning.</div><div><br /></div><div>Once again...sounded great in theory....not so great in practice. I drove for several hours until we got back to Barcelona, but at that point I was completely spent. And let me tell you, between Montpellier, France and Barcelona, Spain, there's a whole lot of nothing. Especially at night when you don't get any of the great mountain views. So I was dead at the wheel and we still had about 6 to 7 hours to go. So I let the girls take over to get us home and crashed in the back for a good portion of the time.</div><div><br /></div><div>We got back to Madrid around 6 in the morning, went home and slept off the tiredness from all the driving, and prepared to go back to work the next day, although it was about the last thing that any of us wanted to do.</div><div><br /></div><div>But, just like all the other trips I take here, this one was amazing. Such good company and such amazing sights to see. I constantly feel so incredibly lucky. It really was a great time and it easily rivals most other road trips I've taken in my lifetime.</div>Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09091751381913071392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7019847350975359388.post-76384075863666364752011-01-18T08:36:00.009-06:002011-01-18T14:13:16.403-06:00Update #1 - Euro Thanksgiving<div>Even though Thanksgiving was a couple of months ago now, it ended up being so incredible that I felt it was necessary to give it the credit it deserves. </div><div><br /></div><div>Plus, in sticking with my newfound desire to update this thing more often, I need to go back and talk a little about things that went down between my last post and now. And this is my feeble attempt at getting all the important things down.</div><div><br /></div><div>So anyway, going into this Thanksgiving, I was a little skeptical because last year was so amazing. As my first time to ever be away from home for Thanksgiving (or any major holiday, for that matter), last year proved to be a pretty awesome substitute for the family Turkey Day. </div><div><br /></div><div>(For those of you who don't remember or just weren't aware, last year I went to Valencia to have Thanksgiving with some Spanish friends who had studied abroad at OU and some Masters friends. It was enjoyable, to say the least.)</div><div><br /></div><div>So yeah. Thanksgiving 2009 left some big shoes to fill.</div><div><br /></div><div>However, I somehow lucked my way into being invited to 3 separate Thanksgiving dinners of the holiday weekend, so if one dinner couldn't do the job, then surely three of them could, right?</div><div><br /></div><div>So here are some stories and background info of the 3 Thanksgivings of 2010:</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Thanksgiving #1 - Thursday, November 25th, 2010</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>My good friend Lupe, who I met last year in the program, currently lives with two other American girls named Lizzie and Gaby. All of us naturally wanted to have a dinner on the actual day of Thanksgiving, and Lizzie wanted to show her British boyfriend a traditional American celebration, so we set to planning a small gathering.</div><div><br /></div><div>Luckily, the girls volunteered to do all the cooking, so my only job was showing up and eating. Which I was more than happy to take care of.</div><div><br /></div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0C45GWu6_RRlVCJgym_DI7g_cXxktL97oKH4ULQuIeMsj1LlSxWSjQ_bp-sisAUagJDtUGp6j5WKgf9qk8stvmKTgRxFBZmPisj6Rm07_IQsOKQmyIP7bT7mrUc1pPtdfdhb-0XEwEws7/s400/72621_10100141297500522_5126284_54442749_2870675_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563536071239686146" /></div><div>Here is a group shot of me, Lupe, Amanda (another Masters friend), and Lizzie in the girls' kitchen. The great thing about this picture is that it makes it look like I might actually be doing something to help rather than just taking up space. But we all know that the food prep in the kitchen is half the fun, right?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaJrByjPTwWC-ER-WbodyDlwxZDIaVaWeN6MVXq4ODO9fDYMXdauR0EUMZvTqMnu1Oz_tiJXcttYY0dKBWvR4dV7Obs5llFpWZ11zXCsqlFBGWyYRLjYv0IXTP5g5O3IaoQ6c1KdlVgbLL/s1600/154834_571149070911_39003198_33042875_2644811_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 297px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaJrByjPTwWC-ER-WbodyDlwxZDIaVaWeN6MVXq4ODO9fDYMXdauR0EUMZvTqMnu1Oz_tiJXcttYY0dKBWvR4dV7Obs5llFpWZ11zXCsqlFBGWyYRLjYv0IXTP5g5O3IaoQ6c1KdlVgbLL/s400/154834_571149070911_39003198_33042875_2644811_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563536065306723986" /></a></div><div>As a smaller gathering, we didn't make the massive amounts of food normally associated with a Thanksgiving dinner, but we still had quite the spread. Turkey, dressing, green bean casserole, homemade rolls, etc. Not too bad.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPKPwA87vUKBiOBsY8VZFBbn-9fzjMh_qfqEFoHj0oN_WjNKh3b08bb0Lb_ogI03HCLx4TI-GTtVIXJa6dOEsmaX53MI8B3WWqBvYkvkMmAhxszfGuJrBtyHpwkozjtYodpb-a9f1_aYGK/s1600/156981_571149001051_39003198_33042873_7543374_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 296px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPKPwA87vUKBiOBsY8VZFBbn-9fzjMh_qfqEFoHj0oN_WjNKh3b08bb0Lb_ogI03HCLx4TI-GTtVIXJa6dOEsmaX53MI8B3WWqBvYkvkMmAhxszfGuJrBtyHpwkozjtYodpb-a9f1_aYGK/s400/156981_571149001051_39003198_33042873_7543374_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563536061999697090" /></a>And a little close up shot of the turkey. (or maybe it was a chicken? I feel like my details are starting to get a little foggy.)</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Thanksgiving #2 - Friday, November 26th, 2010</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">So then on to the next night. And despite still having some serious stomach pains from eating too much from the night before, I went in for round 2. As the Spaniards say, "</span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">hay que aprovechar la oportunidad!</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">" ("you've got to seize the opportunity!")</span></b></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">So this time, my friends Jocey, Joy and Rachel (more good friends from last year) were having a gathering at their apartment in Lavapiés, a really hip part of Madrid that's great for going and getting tapas or for stuffing your face with obscene amounts of food at a friend's apartment.</span></b></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">Except there was a big difference between this Thanksgiving dinner and the one the night before. This time around the girls had invited like 30 people to their apartment with the instructions that everyone had to bring something, whether it be food, drinks, utensils, etc. So basically, imagine your typical amount of food at a Thanksgiving dinner and multiply it by about 100.</span></b></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">This one was also cool because it was kind of like eating Thanksgiving dinner at the United Nations. Seriously, a ton of different countries were represented that night and everyone was shocked to see that, yes, Americans actually do celebrate Thanksgiving by eating ourselves silly.</span></b></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></b><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe9KGCcHwTQFkgTqz5D_Ub3Gd9znuHX7SayD9Mb9fLa7G8HGjLBPBTvj7cgd3KSslVDr3PbH14wgp1n2XRl4pa7J_CM82k2e0K5YpA-ZcO-4ZrEZWPoN29TnTVJ9wXRN5Yo4LU1TiIy8bK/s1600/75881_559268414631_18000327_32491565_5763159_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe9KGCcHwTQFkgTqz5D_Ub3Gd9znuHX7SayD9Mb9fLa7G8HGjLBPBTvj7cgd3KSslVDr3PbH14wgp1n2XRl4pa7J_CM82k2e0K5YpA-ZcO-4ZrEZWPoN29TnTVJ9wXRN5Yo4LU1TiIy8bK/s400/75881_559268414631_18000327_32491565_5763159_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563536055062149218" /></a><div>Here I am with the lovely hostesses: me, Joy, Lupe (from the night before), Rachel, and Jocey. These girls are awesome and I am definitely thankful for them, and not just because they cook for me.</div><div><br /></div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrd7fhVsAMHL4Om0RGZ2WvZNKLKgcftk8Q9glXGGPi4PZX0RiapJcHTi9MB65KIQGgmFmFkKP8Cg1-U0cZ_EvZbfAmZ1PkKmYP9BIIrWD_S-h2RhkAeKhT5IWx4pmWFl-iqIFB2oHnVl1x/s400/75324_559268100261_18000327_32491551_4046663_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563535606727753010" />Here is a shot of the turkey and ham that was cooked to perfection by Jocey. I really wish the pictures did it more justice because it was delicious and it looked like they had robbed a farm by how much food there was.</div><div><br /></div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNRcrveprE0d-qReYR5Yvs0Xw1hgWLegROdkXGxgfMKNi3IbyIUKo0HH_UzKKoU4LUX98yJfKhhSaW14ObVwhXvOTQ-Fz3TQVkWoHjCNeoFft34BoNcCSeuYEbD7qtoY_5XJxWpMdFoPdN/s400/151025_559268110241_18000327_32491552_7430083_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563535611369902226" />A shot of some of the homemade casseroles and things that the girls made/people brought. Once again, the picture doesn't really do it full justice because there were several tables lined with dishes like this.<br /><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGzPWA5I7YByWiXGGPNk9obFYtrt-FJC9ZRyDYEIjJ1rpiHi3rESn639RpqG96gBGpVXVoOtsJPc3KT0f3jqYlx-tbA55IKA68rUeeNGcG9CeAdfvHBfr_pS93AnCav6YdBxgRXfTmQ4q0/s1600/154326_559267950561_18000327_32491544_3721165_n.jpg"><img style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGzPWA5I7YByWiXGGPNk9obFYtrt-FJC9ZRyDYEIjJ1rpiHi3rESn639RpqG96gBGpVXVoOtsJPc3KT0f3jqYlx-tbA55IKA68rUeeNGcG9CeAdfvHBfr_pS93AnCav6YdBxgRXfTmQ4q0/s400/154326_559267950561_18000327_32491544_3721165_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563535619032784194" /></a>And, as you can see, a party full of expats living in Madrid is never complete without a ton of wine. Which coincidentally was also my contribution to the dinner.</div><div><br /></div><div>Don't judge.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Thanksgiving #3 - Saturday, November 27th, 2010</b><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Last, but definitely not least, my good friend Robin (yet another of my friends from my Masters) has a Spanish boyfriend and, as this is her 3rd year here, a ton of Spanish friends. So she wanted to throw a big T-giving dinner for the Spaniards and invited several of her American friends as well. I was one of the lucky ones on the guest list.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">This one was a little bigger than dinner #1 and smaller than dinner #2, but basically all you need to know about Robin is that she is seriously like Martha Stewart. The Thanksgiving dinner had every single traditional dish that belongs on the table: the turkey, the stuffing, the rolls, the green bean casserole, the broccoli casserole, the cranberry sauce, the pumpkin pie, etc.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">And here's the thing: it was all homemade.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">That's right. Every. Single. Thing. Made by Robin's hand. Even the cranberry sauce! Now I don't know about all of you out there, but my family's cranberry sauce always had the little rings around if from where we pulled it out of the can. So I was kind of blown away.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">If that doesn't impress the hell out of you, I really don't know what will.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_jY5UoBDoUtwjWC78RkPXIf_u7q857c98cPE7HxZWllIQzr_7G-OIpWIomVEsYcS9Sc8HjIBR2u8ewrO_pc-ag1hu-NIe9xmJ3OcCWRIM-O8Z_ro9ZvPVjpRMlID7U1Ja5f04kxgRDgDU/s1600/162929_10150146081286521_706796520_7832219_2022540_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 282px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_jY5UoBDoUtwjWC78RkPXIf_u7q857c98cPE7HxZWllIQzr_7G-OIpWIomVEsYcS9Sc8HjIBR2u8ewrO_pc-ag1hu-NIe9xmJ3OcCWRIM-O8Z_ro9ZvPVjpRMlID7U1Ja5f04kxgRDgDU/s400/162929_10150146081286521_706796520_7832219_2022540_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563535602393446242" /></a>Here's a shot of the the master chef with her finished product.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJyH-iTvS1sSCqN-zMCqYfvWsdsPIngE6xCtHassHlhqdJu5-kxXZEHDin5Wory88XQSYvWHqIOSXhuGAH86yhNk6vvIGDOG6J_EwmJOuHPlV3JHzcqYRax69ENICNjT3yAk6hz7V8ZiE-/s1600/162929_10150146081296521_706796520_7832221_3898689_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJyH-iTvS1sSCqN-zMCqYfvWsdsPIngE6xCtHassHlhqdJu5-kxXZEHDin5Wory88XQSYvWHqIOSXhuGAH86yhNk6vvIGDOG6J_EwmJOuHPlV3JHzcqYRax69ENICNjT3yAk6hz7V8ZiE-/s400/162929_10150146081296521_706796520_7832221_3898689_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563535597796814322" /></a>And a shot of the table before we all dug in. Unfortunately no group pictures with this dinner, but you get the idea. And the night was filled with great conversation and good times.</div></div></div><div><br /></div><div>As you can imagine, Sunday was basically a time to pop a lot of Tums and try and fight through the indigestion pains. </div><div><br /></div><div>So overall it was quite a fantastic Thanksgiving, despite being so far away from home. Even though I didn't have my family close by, I had all of my Spain family right here with me. And despite the amazingness of all of that great food, all of my friends that I've made over here in Spain made it a Thanksgiving that I will truly never forget.</div>Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09091751381913071392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7019847350975359388.post-81978951015705394372011-01-11T02:20:00.004-06:002011-01-18T08:32:20.607-06:00A New Year and A New DirectionMy my my. I once again have failed miserably at keeping this old blog of mine updated. Not that I did a whole lot in the month of December, but for the sake of posterity, I'll make some time this week to go back and write about all that happened during the last month or so of 2010. <div><br /></div><div>Of course, there was Thanksgiving. 3 of them, to be exact. And a road trip to northern Spain/southern France. And all of the Christmas festivities/traveling home for the break. So I think all of that merits some attention, don't you?</div><div><br /></div><div>But as for now, I just want to jot down a few of my recent revelations and goals that will (hopefully) take place over the course of 2011. Some of this stuff is still relatively new in my mind, so forgive me if it seems like I'm rambling because I'm still working it all out for myself.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>1</b>. While at home over Christmas break, I was given the very strong conviction that this will be my last year in Spain and that it is time for me to hang up the proverbial dancing shoes and start that next phase of life. I'm actually pretty comfortable with the decision. However, that decision itself led to several other goals being put in place, such as.....</div><div><b>2.</b> Getting my resumé redone and ready for job applications. This is more of an immediate goal than a long-term one, but it's currently at #1 on the list of things to do. I would really like to nail a job down by the summer, and I think it's doable. But one thing I would LOVE to know: why oh why does resumé-making have to be so damn difficult?</div><div><b>3.</b> Traveling will be a priority for me over the next few months. Seeing as how these are my last months in Europe, I know I need to take advantage of the cheap and easy travel opportunities available to me here. When will I ever be able to take a weekend trip to Paris or Rome or Amsterdam or Morroco (and on and on and on) ever again?</div><div><b>4.</b> I know I say this over and over again, but I really want to give some attention to my poor old blog. Poor thing is going to start having abandonment issues before long.</div><div><br /></div><div>I know there's more rolling around this great big head of mine, but I'm exhausted right now and it's all I have the patience to write. Guess I'm not doing too hot on #4 just yet.</div><div><br /></div><div>It's a work in progress.</div><div><br /></div><div>But anyway, the point is that I feel like 2010 was a year of uncertainty as I really had no idea where I was going in life. But I have a strong feeling that 2011 is going to be a big year.</div>Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09091751381913071392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7019847350975359388.post-21203355885696355922010-11-24T14:24:00.003-06:002010-11-28T13:22:20.764-06:00¡Vivimos en Avenue Q!<i>Translation of title: "We live on Avenue Q!"</i><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 283px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-N23nAV9pjdgRADpKgSaf3vR2PXyr1phtrDFb_5-sa78U9xOkwu-tSEotMS-hs5VnGNLqj9UduHFBI3x8X4yP3VkdP8npayHkRxBonxL_k4HwX9Hzt-bJb7P3h4_C5yInGBtvuexI_eiG/s400/avenue_q.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544550032587562866" /></i></div><div>For those of you who don't know what Avenue Q is (because I didn't until very, very recently), it's a Broadway musical which takes the puppet and musical stylings of Sesame Street and morphs it into a hilarious, slightly raunchy, entertaining-for-adults show.</div><div><br /></div><div>Recently, Avenue Q expanded over to Spain and, in fact, above you can see the poster for the show here in Madrid. It says things such as "Warning! Contains full-frontal puppet nudity!" and "NOT for children!" Those things alone should give you some kind of an idea of what takes place here.</div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway, Tom and Marcus are two other Americans that work at my school. We've all become pretty good friends over the past year after spending about a year and a half working together here in Spain. So a few weeks ago, Tom and Marcus started talking about how this show was opening up here in Madrid and how they both really, really wanted to go because it was hilarious. And, of course, I had never heard anything about it, so I agreed to go just to see what they were talking about.</div><div><br /></div><div>So we each bought tickets and invited some other friends and went to see it. And oh man it was one of the best shows I've ever seen! I was laughing nearly the entire two hours of the show. </div><div><br /></div><div>It was definitely a great time and a much-needed laugh in the middle of a busy week. And, as always, it made me glad to have such great friends to do things like this with here in Madrid. I have truly been blessed with some amazing people in my life.</div>Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09091751381913071392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7019847350975359388.post-75706355595362802812010-11-23T05:23:00.001-06:002010-11-23T05:24:50.911-06:00Please Make This Happen<div style="text-align: left;"><iframe width="460" height="275" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/NB3NPNM4xgo?fs=1" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div>I already published this on my facebook, but I love it too much to not share once again.</div><div><br /></div><div>Friends and family, please please please make this happen for me when I walk through the welcome gates back in America!</div>Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09091751381913071392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7019847350975359388.post-18476478866472836132010-11-22T12:12:00.004-06:002010-11-23T05:20:49.083-06:00Seasons Greetings and Felices Fiestas!<div style="text-align: left;">Something I had been wanting to write about lately was the rapidly approaching holiday season. As you might guess, the holiday celebrations in Spain are juuuuust a bit different than they are back home. I had planned on writing out a comparison of the two before Halloween, but apparently I can only write on here in little spurts.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>So it's after Halloween but.....oh well, I'm writing about it anyway!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Historically the image of Halloween that we Americans have (dressing in costumes, trick or treating, carving pumpkins, etc.) is more of an American thing. But Halloween is actually becoming more and more of a big holiday in Spain. </div><div><br /></div><div>However, there is one main difference.</div><div><br /></div><div>Here is an example of costumes that kids can wear in the US.</div><div><br /></div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEholXpTSazqFsSIYsJsz2MBHjh8xnyf0ohs0_jj3YtGBM-CwzMs19ho2RlfZorbkYVOBE5xi1oEsqL6MgOn8Fcwe8QjDYvKvqxdRILYuTTSkf9PHsCHY77wWqpOe_kQUnPv5sebnpX9h_cV/s400/b-454830-halloween_costumes_.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542698038779514994" /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div>Adorable. Fun. Cute. The kids can be a pirate, or Minnie Mouse, or a reindeer or a caveman. Whatever the kid fancies, they can wear it as a costume.</div><div><br /></div><div>But here are some prime examples of typical costumes in Spain.</div><div><br /></div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 372px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW7W6zyuEsjp53Dd1yRCrEp_O3lM31D9BIfVFthSEQrBxbKfq4PK23uQrEUflkYk5lFtefipRiNmZIKveU7xSwZMJNEHrl2zasXAdE-vuSZ7WJE3cyTjbsDePXje8ulIdd92JsmP1ZmBkf/s400/disfraz-halloween-cabeza.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542698051439968274" /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2NV4wKzaq73xymCiM2sRpfGg2s2r88aqgaFMfWnfb4OfEVM2Vnm4sfYNm2UDpQyZudFvzwflnkHKYIqF0i_bhKiK5ysCD6vsbytrYezZfokIeOqy86zn6Ka9z6katJ3-Edogtcsu7FDml/s400/1682424364_b12418c4f1_b.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542698034580780898" /><div style="text-align: left;">Fun and whimsical, right?</div></div><div><br /></div><div>Yeah, no. Not even slightly. In Spain the only acceptable costumes are full of blood and guts and gore. And I know that these are photos of adults, but trust me, the kids are pretty much the same. I have some pictures of my little kiddos in their Halloween costumes, but I would hate to post pictures of the kids on the Internet. But trust me, they are very similar to these.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>And if you wear a costume that a Spaniard deems as "not scary," you receive a lot of ridicule because "if it's not bloody and terrifying, it's not a Halloween costume." Which is funny because Halloween is a holiday that Spain totally jacked from us.</div><div><br /></div><div>To each their own, I suppose.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now, typically after Halloween, we Americans immediately switch to Thanksgiving mode. Time to prepare for turkey, tons and tons of other food, and football. This is what I have in mind (and am totally craving at the moment):</div><div><br /></div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 399px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxHKKv-Zw3cbeIhvuMGMg8yc4h5O9DSws3khEEQVNbvjrs3ps0AjIFUUnRb9Zn8alKxRrdu0Ryjdc3OAub9AsTTIfZyQB0r_F95qBds9ZgzTauuHCyoJnY4LUqHjvZYgztsyPPTao_vFuk/s400/Feast.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542698056421908450" /><div style="text-align: left;">But living in a foreign country is kind of a harsh reality when it comes to American holidays. Unfortunately, the Spanish just don't seem to care about our day of giving thanks. So this is the spread I have to look forward to this year:</div></div><div><br /></div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi611vvv8CPe6j4vFWWSEKJSpFfVkkCl2Lr-Kc69mfQLGzy0UOk1pirDLsIAQC1xsREfAEsYQ1zEwQqO0Cm8U7nQNQ2xRbP4i9PS0edy5RD2Qh8JJOO1mdBdy2h1uePo2usrNhzWXoGTN7x/s400/empty-table.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542698047335560002" /><div style="text-align: left;">And believe me, the thought of it is slightly depressing.</div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">However, some friends and I are going to try and throw together a good old-fashioned American Thanksgiving dinner to show the Spaniards just what they're missing. We'll see how it turns out. Pictures to come, I'm sure.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">And now on to my favorite of all the seasons....Christmas! Now I don't want to talk too much about the holiday because I'm sure a lot of time and writing will be devoted to writing about it later. But the great thing about living in a country where they don't celebrate Thanksgiving is that they skip right on to Christmas! So that means I get a whole extra month of this:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 350px; height: 250px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvlvBJdfi6jWyfcCX3_DNHmeZ_fVYP32ARd9xmZnru8aJ9UdlkXrj1u_FOntQFCZd5atfceIwSHyvOIFA0x9vbT8uKx4LtEy-Ssd9bYrUs9r4Jm-YnHePkCGLuYIsrz9nSKLSWi9S-4FIi/s400/navidad-madrid-2008.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542702272209805330" /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgntXaUdZ_KrVm4itc9fvkl3OgpboOiUSY2Nm3xITbL7BP-6YNQ12qSMNvYPpVp6wvtk88dyVx0A56Mub9y2t6rMr7z9LerYry_JbKTkSHYicHcj7U6_hGLU-azVmOIB8WXFubQnHMFLuO1/s400/luces-navidad21.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542702252824719522" /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaBazgoJXxoOcfNSVT3dtCTt66_5g-fp2ZRp6I9qywblHG3I7qbpqC5PcJCDUt-oTR2DA3P2MhYb7k2N1SYhfcnLb40Fcz_ZmXh6sB27IZaCqxpaDXvkjwKZlqs8l42VaHutON9lW3eFI6/s400/llueve_navidad.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542702244569829122" />And the great thing about Madrid is that it really spares no expense when it comes to Christmas lights. Huge 30 foot trees everywhere. Lights hanging on every street. Elaborate Christmas displays in every store window. It's a beautiful thing.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">So even though I don't get my family and a huge Thanksgiving meal on November 25th, at least I get a little extra Christmas to make up for it.</div>Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09091751381913071392noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7019847350975359388.post-5945824946667986202010-11-09T12:58:00.005-06:002010-11-13T17:26:42.123-06:00I Want My MTV!<div style="text-align: left;">Well, now that the lovely trip down memory lane is taken care of, I can move on to much more interesting things....like what I did this weekend!</div><div><br /></div><div>Actually, the sad fact of the matter is that much of my weekend was spent sleeping. I find myself being tired a lot lately, but I know it's just because of the time change and the fact that I leave my apartment to go to work before the sun comes up and I get home after the sun is down. It'll take my body a while to get used to this winter rhythm, but I'm slowly but surely getting there.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>So anyway, Friday night was spent with my fellow teachers. Last year we started a Friday tradition of going out for drinks immediately after school lets out for the weekend. This tradition started out fairly tame. We met at a bar close to the school, had a drink and talked about the week, and all went home. However, our Fridays have turned into quite the spectacle as Spaniards really don't know how to go without a party. So these Friday evenings with the other teachers have turned into an all evening, rack up a nice bar tab, get loud and rowdy kinda evenings. But it's a blast and I often tell myself that this is just one of the many things that only happens in Spain.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Saturday was fairly normal, met up with my friend Lupe and her roommates and we went out on the town.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Sunday, however, was the big MTV day here in Madrid. Every year a different European city hosts the MTV European Video Music Awards and it just so happened that Madrid was the host this year. This translated into good news for me because that meant a huge free concert right in the middle of the city.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Now normally when I hear the word "free" before anything, I automatically jump to the conclusion that it will be a cheap, watered-down, dollar store version of whatever the thing is. So upon first hearing of the concert, I thought it would be groups like "Johnny and the Peanut Butter Cups" or "The Bubonic Plagues" or some other random group that no one has ever heard of.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>But no.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>This concert was bringing in 30 Seconds to Mars, Katy Perry, and Linkin Park. Oh, and just a little surprise appearance by Kanye West. (who, although I think he is a HUGE douche, I was excited to see in person) So the set list was cool, the environment was cool (right next to a big famous Madrid monument, and the price was cool (€0).</div><div><br /></div><div>Here are a few pictures taken from the concert:</div><div><br /></div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig9S_pm9Mx1tfom-Ws4FGLbQbwXDkvtgU3FbPaYwE1ElMuC2A-kD7Wwz1ZhlzmH-B5uUh4DWnFLoqKmz57TJ0jC9t4AqyYECnXlDRw8AT4TMSmYEUU3XqP-gnO98wKLNVVxxjUFnfpUwoU/s400/DSCN0200.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538386042049983042" />This was taken during the 30 Seconds to Mars show. You can see the Puerta de Toledo, one of Madrid's famous landmarks, lit up as the backdrop to the stage. Very, very cool.</div><div><br /></div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1V2-Lr1pEH8ZVa2-NLuyIFu1bnPLwc8z2p8GpQAUl30peVjQu-dFyg0G7GA0mgLctP_0cqMabTGgXRshhQWDVkymMloq5WQzSWOb5TyQqNCTt3pZpxWiBizN9iVCggyPzEkRZ-vX1fXKx/s400/DSCN0204.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538386042461592690" />And here is a shot of the stage as Katy Perry was singing her new song "Firework."</div><div><br /></div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0NyQOWWXemNxEyJePa0GFPav663kK_pgEUVYp6XNL6OT-HtdizdattpBH71SQSkbGSIKETvwNSnmxW6-7ztQn0ih1lPWBKklg2wnrLs0JgDayAKPa4p0bEHtlEgNAi_LJ8FzMt53o7uOC/s400/DSCN0207.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538386049586108946" /><div style="text-align: left;">And a little close-up shot of Katy on the screen while she was singing. Not a bad live performer, despite her trying to say a few simple phrases in Spanish and completely butchering them. I mean, I'm definitely not a fluent Spanish speaker, but hearing her pronounce the few things in Spanish made me cringe.</div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">So definitely a good weekend.</div><div><br /></div>Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09091751381913071392noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7019847350975359388.post-66314278699930223902010-11-08T15:03:00.013-06:002010-11-09T12:57:45.222-06:00Things Jordan Misses, Part 2<div style="text-align: left;"><i>(Also titled: An Ode To Those Who Are Far Away)</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>Originally this post was going to be about the free concert MTV put on in Madrid yesterday because of the European Video Music Awards. And how I saw Kanye West, Katy Perry, Linkin Park and 30 Seconds to Mars. And how it was really awesome and how I love living in a city where things like that just happen on a regular basis.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>However, after work today I found myself in a very nostalgic mood. Like, "sit around and listen to Enya and light some candles" kinda nostalgia. (Wait...am I the only one who does that?)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Aaaaaanyway.....I decided to change the route of this particular blog post and have another installment of "Things Jordan Misses." This one has a bit more of a serious tone to it than the 1st one, but I promise I'll try to keep it light. And Kanye and Katy will have to wait for another day.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>So what am I missing at this point in time? Well, to be very blunt, I'm missing all of the people I have left behind back home. (Now Mom, before you freak out and call/text/skype/facebook/email me to make sure I'm okay, I promise you I'm fine. These moments happen to all of us occasionally.)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>So this post will be my nod to all of the people I love and miss. A tip of the hat, if you will. We'll see how it goes.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><b>1. The Familia</b></div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN_2J3zATKOyKObe72NCB5SgBo3lkAkpUqfjFanCxylaGuYBAIwHzEafiIbr5i3RBu7BydlVJPYzNK3MJOhEwLpUG-hdrW1twudCBz9X8GBB_v0-9KyWbfRhpQShkmtHJY1DjI_qZyeEK9/s400/DSCN0417.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537290451764572002" /><div>Well, let me just go ahead and throw out the obligatory "family" part. I mean, this kind of goes without saying, right? They're my family, of course I miss them. I hate being so far away, especially with the two newest members of the clan growing so fast. But I know that they're always waiting for me as I walk through that "Welcome to America" gate at the airport.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>2. Erin</b></div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-nLU1FUL5SRmZoxHTFYhxF52HoOOT2ThUk2iecbY6nlYxfCifqOrxWjRYbHY8z3RxuWsXLVI4BqTbzs2Z6xs4W5GFGLNCJcDC7x-tNuM8jXVQtHArJI6fg67ABFsds89CZwgapr1J19Oe/s400/Erin.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537611078324755378" />The next person I find myself missing on a daily basis is my best friend Erin. She and I met freshman year (or soon thereafter) and stayed extremely close throughout our entire 4 (and a half) years at OU. It broke my heart a little bit when she started medical school and I moved out of the country, but we've still stayed in touch constantly and I've seen her both times that I've been home over the last year. But I'm always looking forward to the times when I see her again.<div><br /></div><div><b>3. Kayla</b><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1sNag8NQDNG91SkL0swhF62ET_u66nCijSfM-QhgEMz3M-YMMqLbTHGDBAIULhvGrSp2wvyUXfxwbyjT0uetGt75iT5YRe0bu5wrcMWB6VJouVup5QVQscJAYxQR_Rx-OtBEhHDeFSQV1/s400/Kayla.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537611277638673570" />And here we have my good friend Kayla, who was my partner in crime here in Spain last year. This girl has also been a huge part of my life for several years now and I can't imagine my first year in Madrid without her....and daily wish she was still here with me. Unfortunately, despite my best efforts, I couldn't get her to stay here with me for another year, but this is another one I look forward to seeing when I go home.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>4. Every one of these guys</b></div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPEgBR_J4DTKvn6wXXJZwOL_2frdszbiiLrSNAX6IRpqD4jS3zVZ7a3WJHZsDBzy92i38U9hTKK2kWDsCxq-67ZYUPFkK-fkPSSyP400WRfDfyF9q4rA0IDZqnFNWBWuHdiXIWZcKHf6Pg/s400/G204.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537611088186033378" />It's actually kind of funny that I'm missing all the guys in this photo because all of them (with the exception of the girl in the photo) are European. From left to right there is Jorge from Spain, Marc from France, Dini (standing) from Spain, Guillaume from France, me, Rudolph from Germany, Nellie (a fellow American) and Jacek from Germany. However, despite them all being on my same continent, they're still all very far away, so it counts. It's hard to imagine a cooler group of guys or a better group of friends than this. They made my last year at OU amazing. (and they know it) Luckily, I've had a few reunions with them since living over here, so it's made me miss them just a bit less than I would have otherwise.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>5. Drew</b><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbpzor0DbatyT2GdAMBbxD9BQcWCPavQbhLOxUcV619IUV2GbfCZcJsVTQyKZLEhI6dlVsa2eHaVRaUKbL40WhlyYVPxdfZspvsJzeVpj-kgfu3avaPaaBtilHRVkB5b6iUgKCJ9fK-VMZ/s400/Drew.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537611068616045714" />So Erin snuck in to another picture, but it's just because I was too lazy to search for a picture with just me and Drew. But Drew was in my fraternity at OU and one of my best friends from the beginning to the end. I got to hang out with him a bit this summer, but not enough, and I can't wait to get back and have a reunion with this guy.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>6. Elizabeth</b><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglJrtCUMPbzYb6eKWEdZM6Q5f2ITmNoJyFR0w1bsXiRhpuc25r-RkgJQKoxX-CnPFnG_L5SeTbg4LbD_zb1gEHhSJWtGtKXqQK4cTKIKst8CUGikkTlB2-ud0vDU8OfCDVZfMWaIcCwAMH/s400/Elizabeth.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537611072087242530" />I was actually lucky enough to have Elizabeth come visit me last year, which was a blast, but once is never enough. Another one of my best friends from OU and my neighbor for two years when I lived in Phi Delt and she lived in Tri Delt. One of the most fun people I know. She'll be getting married soon, which blows my mind, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the date will be at a time when I'm in the US to see it happen.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>7. Bishop</b><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihJrMA5OT0InVk0d8Icufmrdm8Xe2_f_e5GoGE5BPUQF4maZpkgcKTqMykL-0DlmFCTzY1u65LOAVAWRDps3Y_pALb_nHF4vJjrgCWl0nxharlgOiFQ0Tni6md-qLsvqpbexv2UUzEFWpS/s400/Bishop.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537611059121559106" />Another one of my fraternity brothers and my roommate for my (1st) senior year at OU. Bishop is one of the most hilarious guys I've ever met in my entire life and I haven't seen him in way too long. This picture is from Homecoming '07 when the two of us were both selected to be on Homecoming Royalty Court. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>8. Megan</b><img style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWopyj6kzdvT_q9dhSvV-kTJrwfqmfKezpICBq3yoqNBg7Hk86LlK7vbRRwyI16TNI51eZJu9cHxCAVqEYApaHux1nJz0qKVN_WfQzO_72FMA7iHg82ecutTRmvuHtqKkdZLI34VKI0qSP/s400/Megan.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537611282015650018" /><div style="text-align: left;">Another good friend who came to visit me in Madrid, this picture is of me and Megan at a bar in Madrid. Megan is one of the most caring, accepting, kind individuals that I have ever met and always a good time to hang out with. She and I always seem to have a good time, whether is going and sitting by Lake Hefner and talking or bar-hopping around Madrid, Spain. </div></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">And of course, there are countless others I could include on here, but I'm getting lazy and this is all I really have the patience for. But I miss everyone that I've left back home and I constantly look forward to being reunited with them again. I don't lie when I say that I have NO idea what my future holds and where I'll be in a year's time, but the one thing I do know is that all of these people will be a part of my life, whether in Spain, America, China, the moon, or anywhere else.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">And that is what Jordan is missing right now.</div>Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09091751381913071392noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7019847350975359388.post-37273981070580162012010-11-05T06:48:00.003-05:002010-11-05T08:29:24.192-05:00Más Feliz Que Una Perdiz<div style="text-align: left;"><i>Translation: "Happier than a partridge." Similar to "Happy as a clam" in English. Who knows why partridges and clams are so happy?</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;">Last weekend we had yet another 3 day weekend because Spain basically has an infinite number of holidays. It's easy to get used to the lifestyle here and at least once a month having a nice, long weekend. This 0ne was for El Día de Todos los Santos (All Saints Day), so the Monday after Halloween I didn't have to work.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">So to take advantage of the mini-holiday, I hopped on a bus on Friday after work and went down to Sevilla in the south of Spain to visit my friend Martín. The beauty of traveling within Spain is that it is super easy to find a bus that goes anywhere in the country and it's really really cheap. For example, this trip only cost me 30 euros round trip. The bad part is that the bus ride was 6 and a half hours long. So that part was no fun. But it was definitely worth it once I got there.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">First of all, it was really interesting to be in Sevilla after being in Kansas City only a couple of months ago. Sevilla and KC are sister cities, so you can find stuff scattered throughout either city about it's "sister." Here you can see a sign by the train station leading onto Kansas City street:</div><div><br /></div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsL8F9lKNyruVwDBdsSpWX6L4XKWeYZ8-o4sG6W2XILcmsBFr54IPpuB1l1jhrZFUQcBhJ8DshyphenhyphenaiP9dB0Vf7lgXovDu7vMohfqUMUM-_-kREtkza-hf0MlqlKqRbAzUmw3s7-XRRLjKRC/s400/IMG_4471.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536033778566728386" />So anyway, Friday night I didn't arrive until almost midnight because of the long bus ride, so my friend Martín picked me up at the bus station and we went straight to the apartment of Fernando, one of Martín's friends, to have some drinks and to hang out. At that point, I didn't know any of his friends, so I was a bit nervous. In the south of Spain, the people speak a lot faster and have a pretty different accent than those in Madrid. So meeting them all and trying to understand everything that was going on was a bit difficult until I became more accustomed to the accent, and that only served to make me more nervous.<div><br /></div><div>But of course, that is nothing that a couple of drinks and a few hours of hanging out can't fix. </div><div><br /></div><div>So around 4 in the morning (typical Spanish time) we decided to call it a night and I went and slept. Overall it was a good first night because I met several of Martín's friends and had a good, relaxing time.</div><div><br /></div><div>On Saturday we woke up and Martín and I went to grab some lunch and to walk around the city a bit. The food in the south of Spain is delicious, so that's always a guaranteed good time. However, on Saturday it was really rainy and cold so we postponed our tour of the city because we didn't want to be out in the nasty weather. Plus, I have already been to Sevilla before, so I had already seen all the main sites. So we went back and just kind of watched some movies and hung out indoors until the evening, when we went to grab some dinner and meet up with some friends again. Another pretty chill day/night, which was definitely fine by me.</div><div><br /></div><div>On Sunday, Martín had a wedding in the morning, so I was on my own for a bit. So I slept in and then took some time to walk around the city and see some sights. And of course, eat as much food as I possibly could. </div><div><br /></div><div>Here are a couple of pictures from walking around the city:</div><div><div><br /></div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAdcFZOgGqmH9Upd7WzOH5w0anpsKqD2lFW8uwnJy7ocdsc8TXzSLOYc2YUni87fFe33Sqr4eTb39rq65es0xuaN0z_bdzLVZq6ew2klLcVGORIdqChqVEwDeGN_zARCzZFWpoHviEWZuK/s400/DSCN0185.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536033783346137986" />This is the Giralda, the famous tower in Sevilla. It was built hundreds of years ago and has switched hands from Catholics and Muslims various times throughout the centuries, but it's still standing strong. You can go up inside of it, which I did when I was in Sevilla years ago. But this time the line was too long and I didn't have the patience for it. </div><div><br /></div><div>And as you can see, the weather was really nice that day.</div><div><br /></div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNiKupPnKsqIgkMon1_KrlN_JMNM4fMeTrUwe7IRquV3SGk1ufD0V6YUZBApqH7GPf2dVM7qTtvhpBb7VBxkoumxmAgwxDo2uD7a5s4BwCW-i76Lkxbpqq8CwjJrYhZam-O1lKYybk2voh/s400/DSCN0191.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536033792376018546" />Here is the huge Plaza de España that was just finished being renovated. It is gigantic and absolutely beautiful. The picture really doesn't do it justice. </div><div><br /></div><div>So Sunday is when the real fun began. It was Halloween, so there were all kinds of parties and theme nights going on all over the city. However, Halloween is celebrated a bit different in Spain. It's not a night made for dressing up as cowboys or princesses or Sarah Palin. It's supposed to be a night of pure terror and the only costumes that are acceptable are vampires, witches, zombies, etc. Lots of blood and gore and dead things. In fact, here is a picture from inside one of the bars we went to that night:</div><div><br /></div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMkBJ9Sb2lSJYCsW87wI9iCPM1ugf70yj4MUBEHcT3JlbPoUVYTQ3T1YXMizSovqRwPygmIp-A3moo-96tFES1EwaYUfHluOugNzWsFWGbC-j64j19vXENiJ6J7m3e6mN-pizapsWFkw6c/s400/DSCN0198.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536033804276406466" />Looks like something from the exorcist, right? So dead people everywhere and nothing whimsical and happy about it. But just like all other things, it's so cool to see how things are different from place to place.</div><div><br /></div><div>So we spent the night hopping around to different bars and discotecas and grabbing drinks here and there. Altogether it was me, my friend Martín, and his friends Blanca, Fernando, and Javi. Here is a partial picture of the group:</div><div><br /></div><div><img style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRQB124BagUlC-lNYxaIlLDRJuHdFYVUKs5fD3T_HPN73A3rBGzul2-lYQ12HylvQp-CtjryZj3qT7xxwsSaCxWNEyUBd-HSc4mAa0SHX3tWW0RSN1TPihyBJqJsA4FA9Oz8mXkkzjpM-S/s400/DSC00660.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536033809724974354" />From left to right: Martín, Blanca, me (incapable of making a normal face in pictures), and Fernando. This was such an incredibly fun group and I couldn't be happier that I spent Halloween with them. As you can see, we didn't get dressed up. That makes me kind of sad, because in the US I never miss an opportunity to dress up as something crazy. But costumes just aren't as popular here in Spain, so I suppose it's alright.</div><div><br /></div><div>So here are a couple more pictures from the night:</div><div><br /></div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvllbBAyTbS8WVIOyD8CxLbIl_pFMlGXWN6YG495FnGjwydeQLlbcN9QcALamiTrk7jwjXG2YjzMRvWuiOBm9ksyZEgeAi7SAhPL55tR0u6zYWcjZIHGp6qDFyFWQnUTvUSXJ9CIgPO3fY/s400/DSC00651.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536035493216551010" />Blanca and Fernando showing just how much the love me. And I am obviously very excited about that.</div><div><br /></div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8xuPGEhpGaue78Tq2uJB3dO-l2xmHUwoLxHM2cxwO3_W75Q_gLk0jTQdI98OfbROr5XWmzSyB73PvmI4AXASGpAnxrbMKA3F3omw8VnwFl30LBTQOgNDQzM2BhZb65WRAo9z6FDkvXLJ4/s400/DSC00684.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536035504640794754" /><div style="text-align: left;">And I seemed to find a kindred spirit in Fernando because he's also completely incapable of making normal faces in pictures.</div></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">So Halloween night was really fun and I'm so glad I got to spend it in Sevilla with my new Spanish friends. :)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The next day I got to sleep in a bit and then had some lunch and hopped on the bus to come back home to Madrid. Spending another 6 and a half hours in the bus wasn't really the ideal way to end my trip, but I slept most of the way anyway, so I guess it wasn't so bad.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">But it was a really fun trip and SO nice to get out of Madrid for awhile. I love this city but sometimes it's nice to have a break from the hustle and bustle.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">So overall, Sevilla gets pretty high marks from me.</div>Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09091751381913071392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7019847350975359388.post-34408259172085389862010-10-26T05:02:00.008-05:002010-10-26T05:23:33.310-05:00Things Jordan Misses, Part 1<div style="text-align: left;">So it's time for a new installment of posts that I would like to call "Things Jordan Misses."</div><div><br /></div><div>Now living in Spain has provided me with a million little things that I can't get anywhere else in the world: a night out getting tapas, eating <i>jamón</i> by the pound and drinking sangria by the gallon, walking around Madrid and always discovering something new, etc.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>However, it would be nearly impossible to live in a foreign country and not miss the small comforts of home.</div><div><br /></div><div>So here's what I'm currently missing:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmYqC9clNpYiRuJIYaaG7xvBGE0PcAxwI8JYQR4s8NCZ7nW4ZCrxscDitXKmueSHm25NYYHgMXH5yt2BOVeF4amjZUMuTxMXfiX-fZq4NEIVEyUbPp_tnuri36E4txGN0eyYIxEbiQjaUJ/s400/fireplace-m.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532294529459550370" />No, I'm not missing sitting in my Dad's lap and no, I'm not missing playing with my toy train set. Focus more on the background. </div><div><br /></div><div>I'm missing having indoor heating.</div><div><br /></div><div>Many of you may not realize, but a lot of older apartments in Spain (and I think I live in one that was built in the stone age) were never fitted with indoor heat and air. This means no air conditioning in the summer and no heating in the winter. And now that it's starting to get colder, this guy is REALLY starting to miss having some heating.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>And maybe some of you think that I'm whining. Or perhaps that I need to suck it up. But getting out of bed in the morning and setting my feet on the cold tile floor of my bedroom makes me feel like I'm living in this:</div><div><br /></div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 265px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiprso5P4sKQSFehK59PcC-TPX3EtqFoJXlTtPRv55Zm2NEBlgOISgV4S8OiBREtySOSc1Nvjq9KKEfikoP9jdtezCB7tlikGLLszMh8YZoP8ggRNe1Q2e8mwWJ9dGpcD-M__JPPeHT8lT4/s400/cl_20071221_antarctica_adeliepenguins_110_65150.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532294525964853298" />Oh, and I don't exaggerate. This is serious. I think a penguin could live and function happily in my bedroom.</div><div><br /></div><div>And maybe it's that I'm spoiled. But I miss the days where I could wake up, be ever-so-slightly uncomfortable with the temperature and walk to the thermostat and crank it up or down until my heart was content and my feet weren't popsicles.</div><div><br /></div><div><img style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 300px; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbP5d4Cn4FlK1lHoCVd8Kj4ZsqiCC-4JVxk073puhRyUphPX8jYy7XF13mt2rKp4-FHRfxXCMjM5-Lh_GhzDbr6PjfFnpUcguwr4XfJNFI4W10ZlnSrXxBMuAz2jM8OT9TAnSpNkEIiIqb/s400/heating_control.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532294537343996626" /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div>So let this post be my own personal tribute to indoor heating. Oh, how I miss you and the way you kept me nice and toasty and warm in my bed.</div><div><br /></div><div>So for now, here's a big, warm hug from <del>the North Pole</del> Madrid, Spain.</div><div><br /></div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 236px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLQoqWU_yKnHrtpEftbUES3Py06zbvQAUD6jbYVe-ics-DTL0v_7yrV8K1yPOmLTJKCjQFB2jjXhLRlVTbJ-xCHvxRAOvQhjbrl8WqJU8LGX-OJUYjcxvagpT6SdLVf8xzYGGHjETHus7p/s400/NorthPole.gif" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532297389972316114" /></div>Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09091751381913071392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7019847350975359388.post-28959013525404679192010-10-06T16:10:00.002-05:002010-10-06T16:27:55.914-05:00I'm Famous!But seriously, though. I'm famous.<div><br /></div><div>It all started last week when the headmaster of my school came to me and told me that a radio show would be coming into one of my classes the very next day. No other information. Just that some sort of radio program would be there at some point during the day. </div><div><br /></div><div>Well, come to find out it was Radio Nacional de España, which is equivalent to NPR in the US or maybe BBV Radio in the UK. Basically, it was a big deal. A lot bigger deal than what I was expecting. </div><div><br /></div><div>So finally I get some details on the situation. The radio host is going to come into one of my 1st grade science classes and kind of listen in on the class and see what actually goes on in a bilingual school. They were doing a show on bilingual education in Spain, which is becoming more and more popular and of all the classes in all the schools in the country, they picked mine. Which was pretty dang cool. </div><div><br /></div><div>So they tell me to just do a normal class and don't do anything differently from what I would normally do in class. No problem there. However, right as class is about to start and the radio host lady is setting up, in walks my class' home room teacher, the director of English programs in the school, the headmaster from primary school, the headmaster for the entire school, the director of UCETAM (the association that our school is a part of...a big deal that he is there), the director of all Gredos San Diego schools (the school system that my school is a part of), and various other big wigs from Madrid. </div><div><br /></div><div>So at that point, the nervous level went from around 4 or 5 to 150. </div><div><br /></div><div>So I start class, and I'm hoping and praying that the kids remember all of the vocab that we've gone over and that they'll do me proud. I had a lot of eyes on me and I think all of them were thinking the same thing. I mean, this show is going to be broadcast over the entire country of Spain. They were hoping that this guy from Oklahoma had been doing his job and would make the schools look good.</div><div><br /></div><div>So as I'm teaching, the radio host continually requests for me to do special things. Like, as I'm going over vocabulary with the kids, she comes and whispers in my ear "Can you ask a question and have the entire class answer all together?" Which is no small feat. Coordinating 30 6 and 7 year olds to do something all together? Near impossible. But it magically worked out.</div><div><br /></div><div>Then, "Can you have them sing a song in English?" Okay. I've only been teaching them for nearly two weeks. I haven't taught any songs yet. So I had to think of some songs that I've heard them sing in their pre-school classes and came up with "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" and I had to pray that they remembered it from the year before. And once again, my little angels didn't disappoint.</div><div><br /></div><div>So it went on that way for the entire class and my little kids, bless them, performed like pros. </div><div><br /></div><div>And then it was over.</div><div><br /></div><div>Or so I thought.</div><div><br /></div><div>So then, as I'm exiting the class, the radio host comes to me and tells me that she now wants to interview me to add to the program (all in Spanish, of course). Now let me just tell you, I'm pretty confident in my Spanish skills. I still don't think I'm fluent, but in my day to day life, I get by without many problems. However, a full-on interview in Spanish that is going to be broadcast to the entire country? Holy crap.</div><div><br /></div><div>I wish I could tell you I did good. Or that I did bad. But to be honest, I don't remember at all what I said. It was a lot of questions from her and a lot of word vomit from me. The headmaster of my school listened in on the interview and told me that I did "excellent." And by the amount she was beaming, I assumed she was telling the truth. But man oh man, I was so nervous.</div><div><br /></div><div>I still haven't heard the show yet. Supposedly they're going to send me an mp3 of it, so if you're interested in hearing it, let me know and I'll get you a copy as soon as I get one. And keep your fingers crossed that I don't make an idiot of myself in front of the entire country of Spain.</div>Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09091751381913071392noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7019847350975359388.post-46946447701637484072010-10-04T13:39:00.006-05:002010-10-04T16:13:24.892-05:00A Day In The LifeIt's amazing how I can have so much free time this time around and yet still get so impossibly behind on updating the blog. I'm trying to get back in the habit of writing on here, but honestly, I have no idea how I did it so much the first time I came here. Maybe it's a good thing, though....like a sign that I actually have friends. haha<div><br /></div><div>So anyway, it's been a busy couple of weeks.</div><div><br /></div><div>I had told myself that I was going to shoot for updating once a week. Which I still think I can do. However, right around the time that I was going to blog last weekend, I came down with a pretty nasty case of strep throat. And I mean it when I say "nasty". I mean, I'm no stranger to throat/lung illnesses. I generally come down with something along the lines of strep every year. Therefore, I can basically be considered an expert on what makes it "bad" or "not so bad." This one qualified as "God awful."</div><div><br /></div><div>Imagine your tonsils swollen so big that they make your neck bulge out quite noticeably. Imagine the little hangy thing at the back of your neck (whatever the hell it's called) swollen so big that it hangs down into your throat and you have to sleep on your side so that you can breathe at night. Imagine having a 102º fever. Imagine not eating/leaving your bed for nearly 4 days until you can get to the doctor. Gross, right? Yeah, it was awful. And I once again had to maneuver through the Spanish medical system to get all fixed up. But the doctor remembered me from last year (like I said, this sickness is an annual thing) and he told me that my Spanish had really improved. So I guess some good came of it all.</div><div><br /></div><div>But other than getting massively, horribly sick, I really haven't done much. It has taken me awhile to get adjusted to this new schedule and I've just been trying to get back into a routine. Like I said before, it's not a difficult schedule and it is MUCH better than last year. I really have zero complaints and am really enjoying things. But after a summer of sleeping all day and generally doing nothing, it's been quite the struggle to get back into work mode.</div><div><br /></div><div>Since I don't really have any good ideas on how to update on my new schedule, I thought I might just run through what typical day is like for me here in Spain. So let's try it:</div><div><br /></div><div><b>A Day in the Life of Jordan</b></div><div><br /></div><div><b>7:00 am</b> - Wake up to the gentle sounds of "Ave Maria," which is conveniently one of the ringtones on my phone.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>7:01 to 7:50 am</b> - Hit snooze three or four times, jump out of bed when I realize I'm going to be late, have a quick shower and run out the door.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>7:50 am</b> - Catch the metro and start my hour-long commute to work.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>8:30 am</b> - Switch from the metro to the bus.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>9:00 to 9:45 am </b>- Arrive at school and start my first class of the day. Today it was 1st grade science. Generally spend most of the class getting my little 6 and 7 year olds to wake up and pay attention. Spend about 5 to 10 minutes of actual teaching.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>9:45 to 10:30 am</b> - Run to my next class (unfortunately in Spain the teacher's don't have home rooms. The kids stay in one class all day and the teachers have to run from class to class. It's a weird system. Don't get me started.) which today was another class of 1st grade science. Spend time calming the kids down. Get some actual teaching done this time around.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>10:30 to 11:00 am</b> - Beautiful, blissful break time that the entire school gets to take. The kids go to the playground and the teachers go have a much-needed coffee and cigarette break. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>11:00 to 11:45 am </b>- Class #3 = 1st grade English. Spend 20 to 30 minutes calming the kids down after break time. Tell them for the bazillionth time that they should have gone to the restroom during break time and that they'll have to wait until the end of class.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>11:45 am to 12:30 pm </b>- Class #4 = 3rd grade science. Have my lesson plans prepared and ready to go, only to be told by one of the Spanish teachers that I have to "review last weeks lesson because they're going to have a test." Fantastic.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>12:30 to 2:30 pm </b>- Time for my 2 hour lunch break. Why the kids need 2 hours for lunch, I'll never know. But it gives all of us teachers another chance to down some more coffee. I try to spend my two hour break planning for classes, but usually get pulled down into the teacher's circle outside, drinking coffee and chatting about the weekend/upcoming breaks.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>2:30 to 3:15 pm </b>- Another 1st grade English class. Spend a solid half hour calming the kids down after the 2 hour lunch break. Once again telling them that they should have used the restroom during the break. This 1st grade English class is generally better than the first one because I've already tested things and worked out the kinks in my lesson. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>3:15 to 4:00 pm </b>- Another 1st grade science class. Just like above, as my third 1st grade science class of the day, teaching the class is down to an art. I teach all of the necessary things and generally feel good about the class.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>4:00 to 4:45 pm</b> - Last class of the day. Another 3rd grade science. And I can't lie, I love my 3rd graders. They're a really good class to end on. It's different from 1st and 2nd grade because I can actually joke around with the 3rd graders a bit and have a bit more fun. And I'm not constantly telling them that they can't go to the bathroom.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>5:00 pm </b>- Catch the bus to start the commute back home.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>5:30ish</b> - Depending on if the weather is nice or not, I either take the metro (takes about 20-30ish minutes to get home) or I walk from the bus station (takes about an hour). Despite the walk being around an hour, I don't mind. I can put the headphones in and take various routes through Madrid. I'm lucky because my walk home takes me past the Royal Palace, Plaza Mayor, and several other cool Madrid locations. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>6:00 to 11:00ish</b> - Depending on the day, my afternoon activities can vary quite a bit. Some days I go meet friends for dinner and drinks. Some days I try to get some exercise. Today I spent the afternoon just doing grown-up things: laundry, grocery shopping, etc. Regardless of what I end up doing, it just always feels good to know that I can do whatever I want. No masters to worry about. No papers to write. No exams to study for. It feels good. :)</div><div><br /></div><div>And now it's just after 11 pm, and that means it's time for me to get ready for bed. As you can see, the days at school are pretty long, so I've got to get plenty of beauty sleep for the kids. (you think I'm joking, but last year a kid told me I had a "fatty face." These kids can be brutal.)</div><div><br /></div><div>So I hope this wasn't too awfully boring. Next time around I'll tell the story of how I became famous here in Spain. See? I'm always leaving a cliff-hanger and keeping you coming back for more. :)</div>Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09091751381913071392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7019847350975359388.post-4816580499687219482010-09-20T15:30:00.012-05:002010-09-20T16:54:24.393-05:00Late Nights and Pig Fights<div style="text-align: left;">So I've been here for just a little over a week....and I'm already falling behind on posting on here. That doesn't really bode well for the rest of the year....but I'll do my best.</div><div><br /></div><div>So where to begin?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>It's really amazing and it's a phenomenon that seems to be pretty standard with my time in Spain, but time itself has such a weird effect here. On one hand it feels like I've hardly been here a day. And on the other it feels like I've been here forever. So pardon me if everything I talk about today seems a bit scattered....a lot has happened in a very short period of time. </div><div><br /></div><div>Let's go back to last weekend, shall we? (meaning: my first weekend here over a week ago) I had posted a couple of random stories over the weekend but then failed to mention absolutely anything at all about the weekend itself. So let's try that.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Well, to start off with, I got into Madrid pretty early in the morning. Around 8ish, I believe, which is WAY too early for me. So the Saturday that I got here, I didn't have much on the agenda but to sleep, wake up, eat, take a nap, wake up and eat again, and go to bed for the night. Yet my friends had other plans for me.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>As I was blissfully napping away, my friends Marcus and Lupe felt the need to come and wake me up. Which wasn't too horrible I suppose. As it happened, that first Saturday was a huge annual festival in Madrid called "La Noche En Blanco" or "White Night" in English. Basically it's a huge arts and cultural festival with tons and tons of free concerts, free food, free everything. And literally the entire city is out in the streets for the big fiesta. So naturally, we got a big group of people and went out all night long. It's basically impossible to live in Madrid and not stay out until the sunrise, whether you want to or not.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP1HO3CRHrRK2N9VZ4AIU7H7NejgQqUTnaqMBmZ2NdmZb433l-LJE2w-cBoPBhR4EMEuCu9CsksVWFmVAD4JQs1AWX274IHPy4zje3_JykoiNY9t_UMZSI-a1Mt8Y8CQmbKzWZg_xEcz0J/s400/20090919+Noche+en+Blanco+18.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519099579284970290" /><div>Here is a picture from Noche En Blanco that was taken on Gran Vía, which is one of the biggest and most important streets in Madrid. Imagine Fifth Avenue in New York. And as you can see, it's full of people and lit up everywhere. Quite the spectacle.</div><div><br /></div><div>And now onto the week itself.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>I actually became a bit spoiled at work last week. Our bosses told us that we wouldn't actually enter the classrooms until the second week so that we would have time to "plan" and "reacquaint ourselves with everything." Which basically translated into us sitting in the teacher's lounge all week checking facebook and looking at random websites. But I can't complain, I guess, because it was better than just getting thrown into the classroom without any sort of mental preparation.</div><div><br /></div><div>And, in my school's typical style, they changed my schedule soon after I posted about it. Not a lot of changes, but they took out all my art classes and gave me third grade science instead. Still, though, no complaints here. It's so much easier to plan this year and actually get to know my kids. I only saw many of my classes last year once a week, so I never could remember all of their names. </div><div><br /></div><div>And before you think I'm a terrible person for that, you have to remember that I had over 1,000 kids to memorize last year. Try walking into a Wal-Mart and memorizing the names of every person in the store. Then go to about 10 more stores and memorize all of those peoples' names as well. And then we'll talk.</div><div><br /></div><div>Anywho, this year I have fewer classes, fewer kids to remember, and more time to spend with all of them. So it's pretty great.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>I wish I could say more went on during the week, but it was pretty tame. I did a lot of laundry and went grocery shopping. And those are pretty much the highlights of the week.</div><div><br /></div><div>So now let's move on to this past weekend. (meaning: two days ago)</div><div><br /></div><div>Once again I ended up spending a lot of time with Marcus and Lupe. Those two are pretty important people in my cast of characters this year and I don't know what I would do without them. Marcus also teaches at my school and has become one of my really great friends. Lupe was in my program last year and is temporarily living in the third bedroom of my apartment. Also one of my really great friends.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>So anyway, in addition to those two and my roommate Javi....</div><div><br /></div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 237px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUi63xVYCQnWndOq0NcgWpw8AZK0PKuFPL2AxhH_VuefuqQ-AgvAv1VeLY_3XqSmNnGdB_ZRa4WOBgyjDiJB_FkLfF5CgLpwGeKaGS-LDkmnVzrslAjeZfECAvDOg30OsjF51Kq7gZtu4T/s400/33988_404079522446_515242446_5044732_271747_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519105440820788946" /><div style="text-align: center;">(who can be seen here, for those who are interested in who I am living with)</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">....we also had some of Javi's friends visiting from Salamanca, which is a city a couple of hours away from Madrid. So it was sure to be a busy weekend.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">So on Friday night, Marcus and I went and hung out with his roommates and some of their friends for awhile and then moved on to my roommate and his friends for awhile. And before we knew it, it was about 5 in the morning. Which, in Madrid terms, is relatively early for a Friday night. However, my body is still on Oklahoma terms, which meant that I should have been in bed about 5 hours before then. At the latest. So we called it a night and made our way home.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">And then came Saturday. After such a long night the day before, I was determined to take it easy. You know, have a nice dinner, maybe stay home and watch a movie. But the fact that I am kind of a pushover is my downfall. I am way too easily convinced to do things, as evidenced by Saturday night.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">So at first, Lupe decided to cook dinner for me and another of her friends. Which is fantastic because Lupe is Mexican and cooks the most AMAZING authentic Mexican food that you could possibly imagine. Seriously. And afterwards we decided to go have a mojito at a nice, calm bar and then call it an early night. Which I almost did.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">We got home around 1 in the morning and I was already feeling exhausted and knew it was time to get to bed. So, off to bed I went. I chose to stay awake for a bit and check through my email and such before I went to sleep. So in comes Javi around 2 in the morning and he is on his way to meet up with the friends from Salamanca. And even though I was exhausted, I agreed to go with him. Like I said, I'm a pushover. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">So we go meet up with the friends and head to a discoteca, which at 3 or 4 or the morning is just starting to really get going. And we stay. And we dance. And we hang out. And before I know it, we're leaving to go home and it's daylight. And it's 8. In. The. Morning. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Holy crap.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">So all I can think about is getting to bed and sleeping until Monday. And we're walking along Gran Vía (the big main street) and along comes this....</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 291px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjPjMgfTi9dQAZ1LPA-dIO9Wy3wgH3QGdeN8qrgJp5LZux7XdkLXz_x30LACwy2LIekSTjqHdSyTdVZvADmJfi2noVj0zFWi_pHCQS3AyjUnFyBswtrlh0hJ2d5_zyAEhyYVF7b83V8NTF/s400/elrincondelascuatropatascerdovietnamita.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519110810815395650" /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I wish I could say that I was joking. But no. A man (with more facial piercings and dreadlocks than any human being should probably have) was walking a pig. Through the streets of Madrid. As if it were a little dog.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">What kind of city have I moved to?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">So anyway, Rubén, one of the friends from Salamanca, decides that he wants to pet/hold the pig. And the piercing/dreadlocks guy is cool with it. So Rubén proceeds to pick this disgusting little mini-pig up despite it squealing like it's heading for the bacon fryer. And all I could think was, "Oh, these poor, poor city people."</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">But that's not the worst part. Oh no. The worst part is when this random lady (potentially an even BIGGER hippie than the pig owner, if at all possible) proceeds up to our group and the dreadlocks guy and screams at us about how pigs don't belong in the city and that we're evil for supporting it.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Now, normal people would set the pig down, back away slowly until hippie lady becomes distracted by some other person committing a crime against the animal kingdom, and then make a break for it. But no. Apparently Spaniards don't work that way.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">So all of the Spaniards I was with (5 of them in total) proceed to have a very heated debate with this woman about the treatment of the pig. Such a heated debate that people walking along the street stopped to stare and take in the spectacle of it all. And the debate drags on. And on. And on.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">FOR AN HOUR AND A HALF.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Once again, I wish that I was joking. I really do. It was past 9 in the morning at this point. I had been awake for nearly 3o hours straight. At that point I could have cared less if someone was walking a baby human down the street on a leash, much less a pig. And yet somehow I just couldn't pull myself away. It was like a black hole. I was in and there was no escaping it.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">So finally, after the crazy Spaniards finished what was quite possibly the most pointless debate in the history of debates, we went to the metro and I made my way home. And finally, after several late nights in a row and one massively annoying fight over a pig in the city, I went to sleep and hardly saw Sunday.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Now, today I entered the classroom and had my first full day of teaching, but I think that update will be best saved for later since this story ended up being so long. I think re-hashing the pig story has fried my brain just a bit and I can't even imagine typing more.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">So that'll do for now.</div>Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09091751381913071392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7019847350975359388.post-67368998016822157612010-09-13T13:11:00.004-05:002010-09-13T14:13:57.013-05:00Back To Work<div>And it's official...summer vacation is officially over. Let's have a moment of silence as we honor our dear, departed free time.</div><div style="text-align: center;">.</div><div style="text-align: center;">.</div><div style="text-align: center;">.</div><div style="text-align: center;">.</div><div style="text-align: center;">.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Just give me a sec to wipe away the tears........aaaand I'm good. I don't think I need to go too in depth on what makes summer so great. Zero responsibility. Sleeping in. Easy living. It's a beautiful thing. And what makes it worse is that my summer this year was extra-good. It involved the padres coming to Europe and all of us making a grand tour of Europe. It involved this guy going home and enjoying 6 weeks of sweet, sweet Oklahoma summertime. It was almost too good. Damn it.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">But as of today, I worked my first full day teaching the little niños once again. And I must say, it wasn't all that bad. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqWki34tmBO-GxJf6VtkPmao5T5dPjd0tu757lJJbMMrrRibtrPaW6gwZ97Nq-4gGxF6-CEvP9ImOe63paqpvGRZPa6hABPjy46wFg2l0vGS2h6EZzCxtx0eCsfDS04NHAi00HO47XaY-R/s400/IMG_2379.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516465614168856466" /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Here is a quick shot of my school. Notice how it looks like a prison? Believe me, the similarities go far beyond the bars around the building.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">So anyway, I received my teaching schedule almost immediately upon arriving at school. Which might not seem all that remarkable, but (trust me on this one) it is a HUGE feat for my particular school, seeing as how last year I was two weeks into the school year before I even knew what I would be teaching. And I suppose that I didn't even need a schedule last year to tell me that I was in WAY over my head....I taught everyone from 2 and 3 year olds to high school juniors and seniors.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">However, all that is leading me up to the beauty of my schedule this year. I will be teaching (drumroll, please) 1st and 2nd grade science, art, and English! Woo Hoo! And <i>only</i> 1st and 2nd grade science, art, and English. I can't even begin to describe how amazing it will be to only have to plan classes for one age group. Let me give you a little scenario so that you can compare and share in my joy for this new schedule.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Last year, on any given day, I might have a 2nd grade science class, a high school senior English conversation class, a pre-school English class, a 6th grade art class, a 4th grade science class, a 2nd grade art class and a 3rd grade English class. Imagine planning out separate lessons for every single one of those grades/subjects. And now imagine only getting to use those lessons for that particular day and then the next day having to plan new stuff for 7 or 8 completely different classes.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Now let's fast-forward to this year. On any given day I might have 4 2nd grade science classes, 2 1st grade art classes and a 1st grade English class. My schedule the next day will be pretty much the same. And the next day. And the next. Planning is going to be a breeze AND I might actually learn my students' names this year. (Which shouldn't be as hard as it is, since about 75% of the girls are named Maria and 80% of the boys are Alvaro or Pablo)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Now, I will say that I'm a little bummed that I won't have any older kids this year. They were usually really fun to work with and overall pretty intelligent. But just take a look at these pictures of some of my 1st graders from last year (in their Halloween costumes) and tell me that you wouldn't love working with them:</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzMA_jxGAK4jAxPcamQJAdvpBz48XfC0fGYpvBoOkn4Z67lPOgHcFD0HJMxhbbiwsdlt7CzbGjIAwlXIzbmMSp_EBsQucrSMrlAX6byv03eYNCruStlP6W7olcoOqUw5B9_uSD2PVA66Jx/s1600/SANY0282.JPG"></a><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzMA_jxGAK4jAxPcamQJAdvpBz48XfC0fGYpvBoOkn4Z67lPOgHcFD0HJMxhbbiwsdlt7CzbGjIAwlXIzbmMSp_EBsQucrSMrlAX6byv03eYNCruStlP6W7olcoOqUw5B9_uSD2PVA66Jx/s1600/SANY0282.JPG"><img style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzMA_jxGAK4jAxPcamQJAdvpBz48XfC0fGYpvBoOkn4Z67lPOgHcFD0HJMxhbbiwsdlt7CzbGjIAwlXIzbmMSp_EBsQucrSMrlAX6byv03eYNCruStlP6W7olcoOqUw5B9_uSD2PVA66Jx/s400/SANY0282.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516465632870347362" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD1_g7SLJevYQZXcURheWS9rBFAuHxe9Mkv1bn8OOymiON20rDy3cZrLr0s6ciG9A1vg7k13zYWskNPYbM1EczdWPSvaHU9MXQjbRULa6EaK6CAnGLYqQ1j3sEPtb7CVyPY3fiyIX5fNOc/s1600/SANY0281.JPG"></a></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD1_g7SLJevYQZXcURheWS9rBFAuHxe9Mkv1bn8OOymiON20rDy3cZrLr0s6ciG9A1vg7k13zYWskNPYbM1EczdWPSvaHU9MXQjbRULa6EaK6CAnGLYqQ1j3sEPtb7CVyPY3fiyIX5fNOc/s1600/SANY0281.JPG"><img style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD1_g7SLJevYQZXcURheWS9rBFAuHxe9Mkv1bn8OOymiON20rDy3cZrLr0s6ciG9A1vg7k13zYWskNPYbM1EczdWPSvaHU9MXQjbRULa6EaK6CAnGLYqQ1j3sEPtb7CVyPY3fiyIX5fNOc/s400/SANY0281.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516465621716221570" /></a><div style="text-align: left;">So I've decided that since they are adorable, I can handle working with only them this year. And here are a few more reasons why working with them will be great:</div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>1. I can still scare them.</b> If they start getting out of hand, it's not too difficult to give them "the look" and get them calmed down. This doesn't work so well with older kids.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>2. They love me.</b> Pure and simple. In their eyes, I'm the coolest guy there is. And who am I to argue with that?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>3. They're not that smart.</b> Which is fantastic, because I'm not either. No more planning science lessons about electricity and magnetism. No more sex education. No more being unable to answer complicated science questions. I'll feel so much more intelligent this year.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>4. They don't start class until 9.</b> Again, this is another reason you might not appreciate. But trying getting out of bed at 6 a.m., making the hour commute to work, and giving an entire 8 a.m. class, all before the sun comes up. It's no fun. But it's not my problem anymore, because these kids don't start until 9. Which means I get a whole extra hour of sleep. Which means that I will be considerable nicer to these children.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>5. They're adorable.</b> Now, I know I already said this one. But it's worth repeating, right?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">So anyway, it looks like it'll be a pretty good year. As of now, I'm excited about my schedule. Give me time and I might change my tune, but I don't think that'll be the case. </div>Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09091751381913071392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7019847350975359388.post-6036223783152189702010-09-12T14:23:00.005-05:002010-09-12T15:15:01.244-05:00Loving, Leaving, and Starting Again<div>Well, folks, I think it is safe to say that last year was a massive failure. In terms of blogging, that is. The whole two posts that I took the time to write from Spain last year really served well to document my time abroad. As long as you weren't curious what happened after September.</div><div><br /></div><div>I suppose I was somewhat justified in not blogging all the time. I was constantly working either on homework for my masters or stuff for the classes I taught at my job. It was a busy year and finding time to blog about it all just wasn't happening.</div><div><br /></div><div>But all that is about to change.</div><div><br /></div><div>Here I sit in my apartment in Madrid once again, about to start year #2 in Spain. I never really would have expected a second year here had you asked me last August, but things just kind of fell into place that way, as they always seem to do. </div><div><br /></div><div>So now I'm here again with MUCH more free time on my hands. I'll only be teaching this year, so that pesky masters won't get in my way anymore. Which should be awfully nice. </div><div><br /></div><div>In any case, I think it would be appropriate if, before starting this new year of experiencing life abroad (and actually blogging about it this time), I did a little recap of last year. Which should be about as close to impossible as anything else I've attempted on here. </div><div><br /></div><div>But here's my method. I've looked through all of my pictures from the last year (okay, so maybe I kind of glanced through them) and chose one picture from each month that I think pretty much sums up that particular month. I'll give the background story for each picture and with each story, you should more or less get a feel for the year in general. I guess we'll see if it works.</div><div><div><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhisLjYx6XhJNr0TME_yTGLbgbot5e7s81bSwT6wx8L5J0FYeGy4nmvgXRLnPyDyqbL7w8RGRgl6uOov_wXaCPNt5NlTWczfVuVe1lERjL0-l_h1OIMz45bnothKiU2fnnC7U8_rcnSYYv8/s1600/2August+09.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhisLjYx6XhJNr0TME_yTGLbgbot5e7s81bSwT6wx8L5J0FYeGy4nmvgXRLnPyDyqbL7w8RGRgl6uOov_wXaCPNt5NlTWczfVuVe1lERjL0-l_h1OIMz45bnothKiU2fnnC7U8_rcnSYYv8/s400/2August+09.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516109281405798978" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a><b>August</b> - This picture is of some of my lovely friends (from L to R - Jorge, Kayla, Annie, Jacek, William and me) in Valencia, Spain. I was lucky enough in the beginning of the year to take a little "Intro to Spain" trip to Jávea and Valencia on the Mediterranean coast. While there, I got to see several of my friends who had studied at OU and just enjoy being in Spain. It was a fantastic way to start the year. I didn't yet have any responsibilities and just had two full weeks of relaxing. Not exactly how the rest of the year would be...<br /><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEnPyRXw24AgcFaiFIFkA6QCKnEP_DhcfCvmh-YYyKGhS0pKSs_OfyeE9zPmuzqGwOOPt_TN9JAnk2uM2e0fRyztAK8TfF64TcnzMTvsDxYBj6kXNeW32vijDJoXcnQMClXatpyMAiLcrm/s1600/3September09.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEnPyRXw24AgcFaiFIFkA6QCKnEP_DhcfCvmh-YYyKGhS0pKSs_OfyeE9zPmuzqGwOOPt_TN9JAnk2uM2e0fRyztAK8TfF64TcnzMTvsDxYBj6kXNeW32vijDJoXcnQMClXatpyMAiLcrm/s400/3September09.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516109274426962738" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a><b>September</b> - This is a picture that I had posted previously when talking about the roommates in my first apartment in Madrid. Yes, I said "first apartment." I'll get to that.</div><div><br /></div><div>But in early September, things didn't seem like they could be any better. I had seven roommates (Gaby and Simón from France, Saila from Finland, Gigi from Italy, Maite and Guillermo from Spain, and Kayla from Oklahoma) and things were busy, but it was all so dang exciting. Meeting all these new people and having all these new experiences were just incredible. Everything was so new and I was loving life.<br /><div><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixXsh2VdTET44iUrXOzHoO5hYMmHpFRO4fwfNDP3LFi1OlhCx_US0kqpWaKSK6Av5CXWgLwjyaRfWC8iFfJ1l7JA1ioeqI0gHf_cdcEf2C2SsmqomRTFQaCGkfi90DlSUk96mfSun24qHB/s1600/4October+09.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixXsh2VdTET44iUrXOzHoO5hYMmHpFRO4fwfNDP3LFi1OlhCx_US0kqpWaKSK6Av5CXWgLwjyaRfWC8iFfJ1l7JA1ioeqI0gHf_cdcEf2C2SsmqomRTFQaCGkfi90DlSUk96mfSun24qHB/s400/4October+09.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516107248021433266" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></a><b>October</b> - A lot of things happened in October and it was difficult to narrow my choice of photo down to just one, but I chose this picture for two reasons. But first, the back story. At Halloween, Kayla and I took a trip to Paris, France to visit several of our friends: Jacek from Germany, Jorge and Gloria from Spain, and William and Marc from France. It was an awesome reunion and we had the best possible time. One of my favorite trips from the year, without a doubt.</div><div><br /></div><div>So anyway, my two reasons for choosing this picture: 1) Because Paris has become one of my favorite cities in the world, if not my absolute favorite, and being there in the fall was beautiful. 2) Because at that point in time (at the end of October) Kayla and I were reaching our breaking points. We had begun to realize that our living situation was less than ideal. (Okay, it was horrible. 8 people and 1 bathroom? Pure insanity.) We saw that we had almost no free time due to the demands of our program. And, if we were both honest with ourselves, we were probably both a little homesick. So we really needed something good in our lives to bring us back from the brink right at that time, and this trip was just exactly what we needed. Kayla and I talked later about that trip and agreed that it was a turning point for the year. Who knows it the year would have ended up so great without it.<br /><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj68JTes3G2uHrMKN7zreBfkPt4LhmOgOBxMRsM_OM-Sb6uaacvbl4QtwER8o33slDXBlHvkB5UDYd0CHPDg1Hk64lUuuaX-HyaYB2XhCl9Qv4rtR4d8Yc1jOManOenIrUmFfOSaOdSKhii/s1600/6November09.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj68JTes3G2uHrMKN7zreBfkPt4LhmOgOBxMRsM_OM-Sb6uaacvbl4QtwER8o33slDXBlHvkB5UDYd0CHPDg1Hk64lUuuaX-HyaYB2XhCl9Qv4rtR4d8Yc1jOManOenIrUmFfOSaOdSKhii/s400/6November09.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516107239656160754" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a><b>November</b> - I think this picture is somewhat self-explanatory, but I'll give a brief explanation anyway. Four of us from our program (Kayla, Alicia, Amanda and myself) all decided to have an American-style Thanksgiving celebration. We just couldn't imagine a year without it. And if all of us couldn't be at home to enjoy our mothers' home-cooking, then we would make the best of it. One of our friends from Valencia (Susana) offered her house to create this massive feast, and I think we did a pretty good job. And all of the Spaniards agreed with us.</div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiBW1kQPkwvq9_xjMB05zNuynibBff6RoVf7o_c2YNRZ3xugC0nwxDdi-71q3zrXOWbZUr6pp23uFH7WiM7-0NAx-s1hMHFO-U12GZEGLaX6MldB2rfxKtWfxicrSXK0WadvHPPCrtnWHl/s1600/8December2.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiBW1kQPkwvq9_xjMB05zNuynibBff6RoVf7o_c2YNRZ3xugC0nwxDdi-71q3zrXOWbZUr6pp23uFH7WiM7-0NAx-s1hMHFO-U12GZEGLaX6MldB2rfxKtWfxicrSXK0WadvHPPCrtnWHl/s400/8December2.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516107228090055586" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a><b>December</b> - I was lucky enough to be able to fly home at Christmas and no picture is better than this one of me with my nephew to represent how great that trip was. At that point I had been in Spain for five months, and I needed some family time. </div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Zm6d1SEDfMQoIPn0gSPo0PtxaDi4jn6JicwjN3A1XqWuxMx-8gr3L1QLSkR2F4jSSOCOJUrfeA1DRDh0gRy3gw__ciCF53kLzVcDXp2ibIBHjHKpu0XfnaTvaGIYlOYPo2Q5dYt7Dpwr/s1600/9January10.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Zm6d1SEDfMQoIPn0gSPo0PtxaDi4jn6JicwjN3A1XqWuxMx-8gr3L1QLSkR2F4jSSOCOJUrfeA1DRDh0gRy3gw__ciCF53kLzVcDXp2ibIBHjHKpu0XfnaTvaGIYlOYPo2Q5dYt7Dpwr/s400/9January10.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516107221115132066" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a><b>January</b> - Soon after returning to Madrid, I made another trip to Valencia to visit all of our great friends there. We had a really big gathering of OU people and just had a great weekend. This trip was also needed, because right after getting back to Madrid, I think I was missing home just a bit. And being around all of our awesome friends that we had met in Oklahoma, I felt much better about things.</div><div><b><br /></b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO5w1IMliwERr4K5sFh565zJheGR9Ceh2ECMu3AmcUnFQDXZ2KCjTnukYji5qp78yanwD4HpOE31l6tEKgnyu3wZgmpf_1Ov-ZclbJ3ozPVVG5VVw7Xn1Pj2N8oMUBOEFS2iHaIXq7MSSj/s1600/11February10.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO5w1IMliwERr4K5sFh565zJheGR9Ceh2ECMu3AmcUnFQDXZ2KCjTnukYji5qp78yanwD4HpOE31l6tEKgnyu3wZgmpf_1Ov-ZclbJ3ozPVVG5VVw7Xn1Pj2N8oMUBOEFS2iHaIXq7MSSj/s400/11February10.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516107202795015266" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a><b>February </b>- Over the year, things just got better and better in all aspects. I found a new, much better apartment. I was getting much better at managing out time for homework. And things at my job were becoming really fun. This picture is of me and some of the other teachers I work with during Carnival. It's strange getting used to all of the crazy Spanish traditions and it was always a good time. The reason we're all dressed up is because Spaniards use Carnival as their time to dress up in crazy costumes instead of Halloween, when the only acceptable costume is something very scary. That was a fun day.<div><br /></div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbXDP1W-eZMRbczvuUe2IKMoOnjgNhbED8dQJ_2FYROPWMn0bQ8EyeENKn0H6hzBWiYqG_rQAp7k-v4u9suy8tJ1Ilw-7XNeF-uMGlMdoPzz2WVAybrjnrNvOnsv84ujSYu0up1bIRkCk8/s400/12March10.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512500213466531330" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /><b>March</b> - In March, around Spring Break time in the US, Spain has Semana Santa, or Holy Week in English. During that week, the country basically shuts down. In Semana Santa, you have two options: One is to stay in Spain and enjoy the festivities, because there is a lot going on at that time. But we chose Option Two, which was to travel outside of the country. So a group of us did a tour of Italy for about 10 days. We started in Milan, then went on to Venice, then Florence, and finally Rome. This is us in front of the Coliseum. And what an amazing trip it was.</div><div><br /><div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibJcvbDGFW9GQMqrDytVjGEztlFR8SYqU0T8CIWKO76Xn3_lU0L6qAiyj7sDFN7za6ps3RGNPQWc8u2XnBEzbJqvDADb_W5ccI2QnSGtAJLMMUTsRbJDW9E5J5AFftBydQvunKriNZ3Pp3/s400/13April10.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512500219673783730" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /><b>April</b> - Otherwise known as Birthday Month. Kayla and I have birthdays that are only a few days apart, so everyone in our program was nice enough to throw us a big joint birthday party. And it was incredibly fun. And it really made me realize what amazing friends we had made over the year.</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVZXxR1jzIZCxCRlrHs4TRpbfwZi18w9RuZGmHN-g7HMYmE-jDy1o-EVjL0KBrsunK3lqouyTiwJQI_vCf7cwxXQXtBzDVyBTP3FxfQFcfj7btq6Ny4-dF_MKj4tdnEWZ84DFf9yp-HFGb/s400/14May10.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512500225428190562" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /><b>May</b> - Another Spanish holiday and another Spanish costume. In May in Madrid, there is a holiday for the city's patron saint, which is Saint Isidro. Madrid has a traditional costume, which my Spanish friend Adriana and I are modeling in this photo. Adriana also worked at my school last year, and we were required to wear these costumes. It was really cute to see all of the little kids in their little costumes.</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKDLwkE2GBqPv9z7QpNr0kGy5UHfk0OVQUjk5mFuG8vVIxCGO12cD4U4mftqWvCmQi1kUIjn4IAGz_isHKG3Dg2j_HGuOjmsWXWPpu0-gqxXndPR6Ldt7OIDAEygh-1TGZWkMNMzDbl0fg/s400/15June10.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512500237302644466" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /><b>June </b>- This is the month where everything paid off. This is a picture from our Graduation Day. It's a picture of every single person in my program. It was a really great group of people and I made a lot of great friends. A lot of them are back this year with me, and I'm excited about that. And I'll definitely miss those who aren't here again.</div><div><br /></div><div>What's also cool about this picture is that it was taken in the chapel where we had our graduation ceremony. The chapel is part of our university and it is around 600 years old! People like Miguel Cervantes (the guy who wrote Don Quixote) have received their degrees here, and now I've joined their ranks!</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5xOBO08N0OEWdW8lxgE2CQNYN1R9Mtrg207AyK9e8OsTyueqqQO9DGVmDJqd66SlWx40dCS0QBLxLvMh2Ps-qmkNIrgBDL6SJeEfXDo0K5bShE7cw_lM7wGouctSV2Osm45fB7Txu0fX-/s400/16July10.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512500248124456226" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /><div style="text-align: left;"><b>July</b> - Perhaps my favorite picture of all! In July my parents came to visit me in Madrid and I couldn't wait to get them here. After a few days in Madrid, we then went on to Barcelona, Paris, and Rome and it really was the trip of a lifetime. It was my parents' first time out of the US and I was so excited to show them all of the places that I've come to know. This picture is of us right after Spain won the World Cup. We watched the game at a big outdoor area in the middle of the city with thousands of Spaniards and enjoyed the celebrations that went along with it. And, of course, we wore our Spain colors, as you can see here. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">So, as you can see, it was an incredible year. It's almost hard for me to describe just how amazing it all was in such a short space (if you can call this short!). But it really was wonderful year with all of it's ups and downs. I learned a lot and made a lot of great friends who I know I will have for the rest of my life. And I had the experience of a lifetime.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">But now it's time for Spain Round 2. And it's time to make way for some new experiences and some new friends. It's time to start again. And if this year is half as good as the previous one, then I know that I'm in for some fantastic times.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Tomorrow starts my first day at school and the start of my year. I guess we'll see how it goes.</div><div style="text-align: center; "><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div>Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09091751381913071392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7019847350975359388.post-29229010677939406462009-09-03T10:40:00.004-05:002009-09-03T14:43:33.956-05:00Mi Vida Española<div style="text-align: left;">Ah, my Spanish life. It seems like it changes a bit every day, but always for the better.</div><div><br /></div><div>As I had mentioned before, Kayla and I got back to Madrid and vacation time is officially over. Kind of.</div><div><br /></div><div>School hasn't yet started, so we've had some time to go out a bit more, do a bit more sightseeing, etc. So the stressful part hasn't quite kicked in yet. Aaaand more importantly, our little international apartment family is finally complete! Woo hoo!</div><div><br /></div><div>Let me give you a little rundown of my roommates for the coming year:</div><div><ul><li>Kayla - a fellow OU Sooner who is also in my same program with the Universidad de Alcalá. She's been one of my very good friends for a long time and I'm not sure what I would do without her. I don't really know what else I can say about her that I haven't said already, but I do know that I'll probably become a Shakira expert by the end of the year because of her.</li><li>Maite - our Spanish roommate. She's 24 (or 25, I don't really remember) and she's originally from Bilbao in the north of Spain, but she's lived in Madrid for several years now. She doesn't really know any English, which can be both good and bad. It definitely helps with practicing Spanish, but it also kind of creates a language barrier for any real, intimate conversation. In any case, she's very nice and a good person to have around.</li><li>Gabriel - our 17 (almost 18) year old roommate originally from Nice, France. However, although his father is French, his mother is Spanish so he is of both nationalities and he speaks perfect Spanish. He also speaks great English and he loves speaking it with us. He loves America and even has an American flag hanging in his room. He's a pretty cool kid and I think we'll get along really well. He's starting his 5 year program in Madrid this year.</li><li>Saila - the 24 year old roommate from Helsinki, Finland. Her name is pronounced SIGH-la. She's here for an exchange year to finish up her Masters and being from Scandinavia she speaks perfect English. Her Spanish is pretty good, about the same level that I'm at. She's tall, super platinum blonde, and reminds us of a Barbie doll. Pretty much your stereotypical Scandinavian girl. She's really cool though and a lot of fun to talk to and hang out with. She and Kayla are very similar in a lot of ways and they've already hit it off very well.</li></ul><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9s6FhUHkrq3G6XWzXPz-No8JrT3iV0cxNzyfBduwoDvBPxreGpltb_2GYX8zZ9-b-IWwWZopAE9qJCTycFyQL9WtjxOt1R29U7u4VjWa0IqlgVvcB0WiesoZ0aXL3wrHq3TMAHirUIae7/s400/CIMG0216.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5377309261144015282" /><div>And here is a picture of all of us minus Maite from just a couple of nights ago. From left to right it's Gabriel, me, Kayla, and Saila. And Gabriel wanted to do like Kayla and I have done several times making the OU symbol, so we're holding up an M and U for Madrid University. haha</div><div><br /></div><div>And technically we have a 6th bedroom open, but we're all kind of hoping that no one takes it. Right now there's a great environment in the flat and we don't really need anyone else. Also, right now one of our showers is out of commission, so we don't really want to have to share one shower between 6 people. haha (No worries, it's getting fixed soon. I don't live in the ghetto, I swear). </div><div><br /></div><div>And also some good news: We're getting our own wireless internet tomorrow! Which is AWESOME! I'm sick of stealing crappy internet that only lets me look at gmail, youtube, and my blog. And that way I'll finally be able to use skype and see people. I can't wait!</div><div><br /></div><div>So as you can see, life is good thus far. I was a little worried about how the roommate situation would work out, but I don't think I could have asked for a better set of people to live with. I'm even more excited to live here now.</div><div><br /></div><div>And now it's time for a siesta. Man, Spanish life is rough....</div></div>Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09091751381913071392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7019847350975359388.post-42885636427187588672009-08-31T07:39:00.003-05:002009-08-31T19:35:47.366-05:00Buckle In......Cause this is gonna be a long one.<div><br /></div><div>It's been well over two weeks since I've updated. Which normally isn't all that bad, but considering the mountain of things I've done over the past couple of weeks, this could be a difficult task. But in the interest of keeping things as brief and non-boring as possible, I'll try and keep from being too over-expressive.</div><div><br /></div><div>First of all, as I'm pretty sure I mentioned before, Kayla and I left Madrid on Wednesday the 12th to go meet up with our friends Gloria and Jorge in Jávea, which is a little beach town about an hour south of Valencia. While we expected to get plenty of beach time and to get a little more tan, I couldn't have even begun to imagine just how amazing the next couple of weeks would be. (Unfortunately, since it's been so long since I've updated, most of the stuff is running together in my mind, so it probably won't be in perfect chronological order. But I'll try.)</div><div><br /></div><div>So anyway, we get to Jávea and meet up with our friends who we've been waiting to see for months now and it was awesome. It's so good to see some familiar faces. Also it was awesome because Jávea is an incredibly beautiful Mediterranean town. The sea was beautifully blue, the weather was fantastic, and the people were friendly. Anyway, in true Spanish style, the first night they took us out and we stayed out until around 7 in the morning. Which I suppose was a good way to start our vacation time.</div><div><br /></div><div>Over the next week, Kayla stayed with Gloria and I stayed with Jorge, so we each had slightly different experiences, so I'm sure our stories would differ a bit. But all I know is that my week in Jávea was AMAZING. Rather than giving a day by day account, I'll give a quick list of the things I did:</div><div><ul><li>Went motorbiking around the city on Jorge's motorbike. Which was surprisingly awesome. </li><li>Went cliff-diving several times, with the most memorable (and terrifying) being a cliff that was over 4 stories tall. Needless to say, it took us about 30 minutes of psyching ourselves into actually jumping off and not just climbing back down. haha In fact, thinking about it now is making my palms sweat. And if you don't think 4 stories is very tall, just walk to the roof of a 4 story building and look off the side. See how brave you are.</li><li>Fought bulls at a Spanish <i>capea</i>. A <i>capea</i> is a small, private bullfight where everyone gets to take part. Rather than one full-grown bull, there are many smaller, younger bulls, so there is much less danger of getting hurt. And basically, it's a bunch of young guys eager to jump in the ring and show off how manly they are. So naturally, I had to jump in there and prove that Americans are just as good as Spanish. Not sure how good I did, but I do know that I did a pretty good job of not getting hit by any bulls. Mission accomplished.</li><li>Went snorkeling with Jorge's family and watched a guy dive down and pick sea urchins right from the sea, and then proceeded to watch him cut those sea urchins open on our yacht, and then proceeded to eat raw sea urchin. Which was quite possibly the fishiest tasting thing I've ever had in my mouth. Still good, just different.</li><li>Stayed out until 7 am more than once. I'm not sure how the Spanish do it, but I know that this guy's body will not be able to put up with that too often. I enjoy sleep WAY too much.</li></ul>There were a few other experiences here and there, but those were the main ones that make for the best stories. And if I was to account for the entire week in Jávea, I'm sure no one would ever read it.</div><div><br /></div><div>So then I rode to Valencia with Gloria and Jorge where I met up with my friend Dini, who I was going to stay with during my time there. Glo and Jorge both live in VLC, but they needed a bit of a break after hosting us for so long. (And just as a side note, it's so odd being the one everyone is having to take care of. I'm so used to being the host and the driver.)</div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway, Valencia was amazing because two more of our good friends, William from France and Jacek from Germany, flew in to meet us and have a big OU reunion. And it ended up being so incredibly fun. Again, I'm not going to go too much into detail about what all went on, because it consisted of a lot of going out, a lot of sightseeing, and a lot of beach time. But I promise it was fun. All these guys are some of my best friends and we've been planning this reunion for what seems like forever, so for it all to finally take place was great. And of course, it was over all too soon. But, no worries, we already have plans to meet in Madrid sometime this month, Paris in October, and Berlin in November for the 30th Anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Not too bad, right?</div><div><br /></div><div>And I feel like I should mention that I've adopted a new Spanish family as my own (no worries, Mom and Dad, it's only a family while I'm in Spain. You're not being replaced). Dini's family was absolutely incredible. I've never been in more of a welcoming, accommodating environment in my entire life (aside from my own home, of course). They were so fun and I really felt like I became a part of the family over my week with them. I know that anytime I get homesick or need a good home-cooked meal, it's only a short train ride away.</div><div><br /></div><div>But now vacation time is over and I'm back in boring, old Madrid in my apartment. JK JK. There really are no "life as usual" feelings for me now as even the mundane is exciting. I finally have gotten around to doing some decorating for my room. Kayla and I went to the famous Rastro, Madrid's huge open-air market on Sunday mornings, and both of us got some things to make our rooms feel a bit more homey. I'll get some pictures up soon. </div><div><br /></div><div>Speaking of pictures, throughout my entire vacation time, I took about 5 pictures. I know, TOTAL failure. But plenty of other people took pictures, so I'll steal some of theirs soon and post them and take full credit for them.</div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway, I LOVE my room now. I bought a HUGE tapestry thing for my wall, a poster, a lamp, and some other odds and ends. It no longer feels like I'm living in a dorm room! Hooray!</div><div><br /></div><div>And I feel like I should end this now. It's getting to the point where even I'm bored from it. I promise I'll get more pictures soon and that I'll update a little more regularly so that it won't be a novel to read for each post.</div><div><br /></div><div>Until next time....</div>Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09091751381913071392noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7019847350975359388.post-11059460768033666662009-08-10T17:09:00.006-05:002009-08-10T17:48:29.277-05:00Slowly But SurelyMan, I need to get on the ball with this blog! Although time here definitely feels much much slower than in the US, it's amazing how time really flies. For example, I can't believe it's already been a week since I was at home. So on that note, if I don't get going soon, it's going to be impossible to update this thing without writing a novel. So here goes nothing....<div><br /></div><div>First of all, I suppose I could talk about the flight, although it wasn't the most exciting thing in the world. Fairly simple, no problems. However, I have found a new favorite airline. Oh, British Airways, how I love you. Seriously folks, I had my own individual TV screen where I could choose from an entire library of movies, tv shows, and radio stations. Amazing, really. Especially compared to the nightmare that was Continental Airlines last year. But that's neither here nor there....</div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway, got into Madrid on Tuesday afternoon and Kayla and I promptly went to lock our luggage up in the airport. Or so we thought. It actually ended up being around an hour wait to get our luggage and then another hour to get into the locker area. But despite the wait, we felt secure in knowing our belongings were in good hands. And then we proceeded to our hostel, which was also fairly simple. Although I will say that a nice, cool shower felt amazing after a day of travel and sweating with our stuff in the Madrid heat.</div><div><br /></div><div>Thus began our search for a place to live. Of course we had been doing a bit of looking beforehand on various websites to try and get a headstart, but for anyone who has done any kind of apartment/house hunting, you'll likely agree that it's nearly impossible to do it before actually getting to the location. So once we got an internet connection, we looked for every possible appealing apartment listing. And the next day, we made a ton of phone calls to set up appointments to view the different places.</div><div><br /></div><div>Luckily, Kayla and I didn't have to do too much searching to find our perfect place. After only viewing one other apartment (that definitely didn't strike our fancy, on any level, but most importantly factoring into our decision was the incredibly weird Canadian that lived there) we made our way to an apartment right by Gran Vía and Plaza del Sol, which, for anyone who has been to Madrid knows, is an AMAZING part of the city. It's right by absolutely everything, including all the shopping areas, the nightlife, the important sites of the city like the Royal Palace, and so much more. Basically, we never thought we would be able to find a place like this that we could afford. And then, almost magically, it appeared. Upon viewing it, Kayla and I decided right then and there that this was the place that we wanted to spend our year. And even better, after meeting a couple of our roommates, we realized even how much luckier we are.</div><div><br /></div><div>Our apartment has 6 bedrooms, 5 of which are currently occupied. Of course Kayla and I both have one apiece. We also have a 22 year old Spanish guy named Guillermo, who seems to be really cool. He's very artsy and trendy and loves to go out. Our first night after meeting him he took us out with all of his friends and gave us our first taste of the Madrileño nightlife (including staying out until almost 7 a.m). Also there is Maite (pronounce MY-teh), a 24 year old girl who is also from Spain and who is full of information for us. While she is a bit more reserved than Guille (GEE-yay, short for Guillermo), she is still really cool and friendly. And last but not least we have Gabriel, a 17 year old guy from France. We have yet to meet him as he has been on vacation since we got here, but according to Guille and Maite, he's nice enough. And then we'll just have to wait and see who else ends up living with our little international apartment family.</div><div><br /></div><div>Probably the only things that a person might have as a complaint for our apartment are the stairs (We live on the 5th floor with no elevator. Imagine carrying a year's worth of luggage up 5 flights of stairs. Not pretty.), the air conditioning (Or lack thereof. But really nowhere in Spain has air conditioning, so there wasn't much we could do about this one.), and the Internet situation (We don't currently have it. No skype, no facebook, no nada. However, at times we are able to steal internet from a local hotel, much like I am doing now. So it works out I guess.) </div><div><br /></div><div>But Kayla and I both feel incredibly lucky that we found such a great apartment. Quirks and all (it's a really oooooold building) it's a great place and an even better location. I've been really blessed with both the place I'm living and the people I'm living with. I know it's going to be an absolutely amazing year.</div><div><br /></div><div>Other than all of that, we've just been doing a lot of sightseeing. And just as I remember, everything in Madrid is photo-worthy and beautiful. This city has so many incredible things to see and I am completely and totally in love with it. I dare anyone to come to this place and not get swept away by it. And the more things we see, the more people we see hanging out, the more times I wake up to a great Madrid morning (or afternoon, in some cases), I know more and more that this is where I'm meant to be at this moment in time and that this is a defining moment of my life.</div><div><br /></div><div>Whoa, that just got deep.</div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway, I'll try and keep things a little more updated and hopefully get some pictures up on here soon. Although, with my stolen wifi internet, I doubt the pictures happen soon. </div><div><br /></div><div>As for now, love you and miss you all! </div><div><br /></div><div>Besos y abrazos muuuuuuy fuertes! (Kisses and reeeeeeeally strong hugs)</div>Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09091751381913071392noreply@blogger.com0