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Saturday, June 30, 2012

Portlandia

I LOVE PORTLAND!

I really love Portland.  That's all there is to it.  

I've been here now for a little over two days and it has been fantastic.  It is wonderful to be in a place that still feels like one of my homes, though it's been so long since I've actually lived here.  So many of the people I love are here in the Portland area; a fact that certainly simplifies my visits to the States. ;)

As always seems to happen on my travels, things have naturally gravitated toward food:  I have eaten sushi for the first time in two years; yesterday I ate Mexican so spicy I was crying, partly out of joy and partly because my tongue was on fire. ;)  I have been relaxing with wonderful home cooking at my Aunt's house.  And reveling in the general abundance of good, fresh foods all around me--a visit to New Season's reaffirmed this feeling.  And last night I spent the afternoon in the kitchen with my dear friend Sara making pesto and gazpacho, laughing, hugging, smiling and marveling at our culinary abilities.   



I'm here through next weekend and am planning to eat my way back to Reno. 

 ...So much food, an so little time!

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Chasing the Sun

Thinking that  so many places and people that I love are existing simultaneously always blows my mind.  When I left La Roda at 4am, I could perfectly imagine my parents' home in Sierra Valley just after sunrise with the smell of sagebrush on the crisp mountain air; or Portland's cloudy skies that make the dawn light linger.  Just the same way, as I sit here now in my aunt's house in Raleigh Hills with the smell of the BBQ and potatoes grilling in the oven, looking out on her green, green garden (shocking coming from Southern Spain), I can imagine my friends drinking and dancing, perhaps getting some late night churros at the annual Feria de San Pedro. :)  I miss it, the same way I miss Portland or Sierra Valley when I'm there.  Isn't it too bad we can't be everywhere at once?!

I spent 11 hours flying from Paris to Seattle in perpetual daylight--flying out of Charles de Gaulle at 11am and landing in Sea-Tac at 1pm.  If only the flight were really two hours!  I am 9 hours younger now, and it feels great. ;)  Although, actually I guess having been born in Pacific Standard Time, I've just come back to my real age.
 
Bottom line: it's good to be back.

My flight was uneventful.  They stole my turkey tomato sandwich in Seattle because it could have contained fruit flies (?!).  However, I successfully smuggled in several packages of jamón, saffron, and even 2 kilos of bread. :)

I landed in Reno at 5pm on Tuesday and flew out of Reno at 5:30pm on Wednesday to come up here to Portland.  I'm staying with my auntie through the weekend and then with a friend for the rest of the week.  I had a DELICIOUS sushi lunch with an old Portola friend today (haven't had sushi for 2 years!) and spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around downtown together catching up.  Tomorrow I'm spending the day with my good friend, Sara; Saturday I get to hang out with my cousins and maybe swim in their pool if the good weather holds; Sunday there's a family BBQ; July 3rd I'm meeting up with an ex-professor and friend and the following weekend there's a BBQ with friends.  Whew!

You can see my social schedule is rapidly filling. ;)

So many people, and so little time!

Monday, June 25, 2012

Me Voy!

This will be my last post from Spain.  I'm leaving home at 4am tomorrow morning.  My flight leaves Malaga for Paris (then Seattle and finally Reno) at 6:50am.  My bags are packed...except for a few last min. things like my toothbrush and, of course, my lap top! ;)  I'm not taking a whole lot, most of the stuff filling my suitcase are things to give people.  I'm planning to do a bit of shopping while I'm home and take advantage of the crumby economy and the euro-dollar exchange rate (around 1.25 I think) to renew my wardrobe. ;)

There's not much to report and all the juicy, not-fit-for-internet news you'll be getting in aprox 48-72 hours straight from the horse's mouth. ;)

See you soon!

Saturday, June 23, 2012

A Free Woman

I'm free!  Finished with private classes, and finished with exams. :)  How strange, the nagging feeling that I should be doing something else rather than blogging has disappeared--what a relief!  I guess I could be beginning to pack my bags since I'm leaving for the States in just two days, but... these rare moments of freedom need to be documented, so here goes:

Since I only had four classes this semester, my exam schedule was much shorter than usual.  I took two yesterday and two this morning and then caught the train home to be here in time for lunch.  Like every Saturday we went to eat at my mother-in-law's house.  Although she quite often prepares too much food and Angelines usually ends up arguing with her about cooking for an army when she knows there are just three of us, today she had the excuse that it is my last Saturday in La Roda. :)  She very sweetly said that she wanted to send me off with a special meal.  Angelines couldn't say anything to that and so we had a very nice, very filling lunch: tortilla española  (a specialty of hers), clams, filetes empanados and a big green salad.  Of course there were also peaches and cherries for dessert.  Sound good?  It was!

Back to my exams:  Unless my instincts are way off, I think these might have been the best exams I've done so far in my studies here.  I was most worried about my music exam because even though I had done very well during the year, the test seemed complicated.  We had to listen to and identify the period (Middle ages-XX century) of three different pieces and then write a brief commentary of each--instruments involved, the tempo, the dynamics, and justify the period identification.  Although we had had a lot of practice with this during the semester and I had been listening like crazy to all the music, I was still a little nervous.  The second part of the exam was to develop one of the units we'd studied during the semester in three pages; for example: Classicism and Romanticism in music (!).  In the end, all was well.  I know that I correctly identified the three listenings and I think I did a fairly complete (although very summarized) development of the unit selected.

My other exams were in the three classes that were all so similar.  Do you remember my commenting about that at the beginning of the semester?  In the end, their similarities were helpful for studying purposes because in total there was less material than really corresponds to three different classes, if you know what I mean.  The exams were fairly easy.  All of them had a multiple choice section which was pretty tricky; but in each of them there was also a section of short answer questions and practical applications which I'm pretty sure I nailed.  I know that I passed all of them and as I say, if my instinct isn't completely off, I'm pretty sure I did very well. :)

Now I'm back at home waiting for the heat to subside somewhat so I can take my pooch for her paseo.

I'll be seeing most of you so soon, I can hardly believe it.  Why is the end of things always such a rush?  Even in situations when we want to savor the moment, the end always flashes by in a whirl and we're left wondering what happened and clumsily taking the next step.  Frustrating.

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Playa!

Monday, the newlyweds came back from their honeymoon and Angelines and I went to pick them up.  Since their flight didn't come in until around 8:30pm we took the day and headed to the beach for the first time this season.  I'm not fond of this picture, but I thought a little photo commemoration was in order for this picnic on the playa.  We forgot our beach umbrella and so what would have been money for a second helping of grilled sardines (YUM!) paid for the lounge chairs/umbrellas on the beach.  Here I am with my beach bocadillo and tinto de verano. :)


Laying Tiles

The first tiles on the bathroom walls were put in place yesterday--so exciting!  Things are moving along.  The bar still isn't built because the builders have been working with the plumber and electrician to get all the wiring and piping set.  I remember my parents' last visit, my dad was fascinated by all the Spanish construction sites.  They used hollow bricks in their building and my dad correctly assumed this was to facilitate piping and wiring inside the walls (I took some pics of that, just for you, dad).  The process is something like this: they knock out a line along the wall, put up the tubing or water pipes and then throw cement over the top.  Simple! ;)

Here are the latest pics:

Toasting in the women's room... ;)  The blue is where the sink and mirror will be, the rest is white.  The men's room will be brown and white.
This picture is for my dad--water pipes in the wall.

Through the stairwell looking up at the tin roof.

Here's another one for my dad--the tubes for electric wiring.

Saturday, June 16, 2012

Adios, Mila!

Puppy love!
Thursday my friend Sarah came over with her puppy, Mila.  They are moving to the Canary Islands and so this was a good-bye play date for the pups.  We went for a long walk, early in the morning and then Mila hung out in the patio with Bela while Sarah went to say good-bye at the school.  I couldn't believe it, but the dogs NEVER quit playing!  They calmed down a little bit after about four hours, but they were still biting and jumping and rolling around.  Their energy is amazing and apparently endless!  But, as was to be expected, Bela crashed all afternoon and I only took her for a short walk around 8.  She was a TIRED girl...and she's definitely going to miss her little white buddy! :)


Tug-o-war!!!

Friday, June 15, 2012

Travels

A friend had her own map up on her blog and I thought I'd join in.  It's kinda fun to see where you've been.


visited 25 states (50%)
Create your own visited map of The United States or Free iphone travel guide

I'm not counting layovers in Missouri or Florida...  Airports don't constitute a visit to a state.



visited 17 states (7.55%)
Create your own visited map of The World or Like this? try: Google Chat Bot

Same here, Mexico isn't on my map because I'd hardly call a day in Tijuana a visit to Mexico!  It says I'm at 7.5% of the world...I've got a lot more travelling to do!  Oops I forgot the UK!

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Whirlwind Weekends

I'm snacking on fresh pineapple for dessert, watching Spain's second game of this year's Euro Cup Championship (Spain-Ireland: currently 3-0!) and have decided to send you all a long over-due post rather than doing any studying. :)

Signing the papers.  Angelines was one of the witnesses in the ceremony.
Last weekend was the wedding of two of our good friends.  It was a beautiful, intimate ceremony, held outside in one of the Roda's new parks.  The weather was perfect.  By the time the 7 o'clock ceremony rolled around there was a light breeze and  it was beginning to cool off (that means only high 80's).  The flowers were beautiful, the grooms were both stunning, and the general atmosphere was a festive one full of love--a perfect wedding.

I was very honored to be asked to speak during the ceremony and even choked up a bit during my speech.  Listening to the other speakers got the tears really rolling and I found myself thankful I wasn't wearing mascara.  There were rivers running down my cheeks.

Giving the rings
In Spain, the norm is getting married by the church.  If you're married by the church in Spain, it must be IN the church.  No one has a catholic wedding outside.  This was, of course, a civil wedding and therefore it was more "American" in the sense that it was very much personalized for the wedding couple, friends reading and even a song was dedicated to the grooms.  In the church weddings I've attended here in Spain (four, I think...) there are different readings from the Bible and a lot of talk about the couple's commitment to each other before God.  There isn't much, if anything, very personal said about the individuals.  I prefer a more personal wedding, perhaps because it's what I'm used to, but in either case, this one just felt good: all of us, family and friends together celebrating the beautiful union of two very dear people.  There was nothing over-done, or distant about the ceremony, quite the contrary; and when the grooms kissed and then gave each other a big, long hug, it just felt simple and right.

The ceremony was of course followed by appropriate Spanish merry-making, which means we were out until the wee hours.  I left early, around 6am ...just slightly earlier than my own wedding. ;)  

Here are some pre-wedding photos for your enjoyment:

Getting dressed:  the groom and witness




This is the groom's nephew who was the ring bearer...he broke down in tears when he realized he was expected to walk up in front of so many people with his little pillow.  Even with his mom he began screaming and bawling...poor kid.


Monday, Angelines and I drove the grooms to the airport to leave on their honeymoon and since then the week has flown by.  As always, it seems the more time you have, the more things crop up to be done!  I've decided against going to the romería in Valverde (our sister romería)...

GOOOOAAAAALLLLLLLL! (4-0 Viva la Roja!)  Excuse the interruption. ;)

...as I was saying, the romería this weekend would just be too much.  It's going to be my last full weekend at home before I leave for the summer.  The following weekend are my exams in Seville; I want to be at home.  Besides, getting in some more studying won't hurt either. ;)

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Progress Report:

Once again, I'm late putting up pictures of the construction work.  These are a little out-dated now.  I'll have to make another stop by to check on the progress for you all. ;)  I took these last Tuesday or so.  The inside walls are going up.  The bathrooms are finished.  They may have started building the bar...but I haven't gone by in a while so that will have to be another post. 

Enjoy the pics!

This is Carlos, Angelines's cousin's husband, our builder.  He's putting in the insulation...styrofoam boards (?!) between the outer brick wall and another inner one.  

This is the entrance to the bathrooms.  To the left you can see what will be the beginning of the storage space for Angelines, it wraps around behind the bathrooms, parallel to the staircase that will lead to the flat above.  The bar will also be on the left (not built yet).

Looking from the bathrooms out through the main door.

Thursday, June 7, 2012

Winding up and Winding down

Oh! My students would appreciate (or hate!) that title--phrasal verbs, the bane of ESL students' existence. ;)  That said, I haven't got much to elaborate on.  It feels as though so much is happening at once and yet there's not much to blog about at the moment.

My private classes are ending little by little which gives me more time to study (theoretically), but I can't say that I've taken advantage of this "extra time" at all.  How is it that other things always crop up to push out (more fun phrasals!) whatever it was you were planning to do?

I have been tremendously unproductive in the last five days, but at the same time I haven't had a minute to myself.  Right now, I'm forcing myself to blog even though, as you've probably noticed, I haven't got a whole lot of news.

Last weekend was our good friends' bachelor party and this weekend is the wedding.  The following weekend is the the romería in Valverde del Camino, and the one after that are my exams.  Four days later, I'm heading to the States for the summer.  To say that I am stressed is an understatement.

I am sad thinking of leaving Angelines for so long, a little worried about her coping with being a single mom (poor Bela), and upset that I won't be here as a support in these last months of the new bar's construction.  Angelines is of course much more stressed about construction than I am, but these things are contagious. I'm still stubbornly walking my dog twice a day for aprox. an hour even though that's time I should probably be spending otherwise and the heat means that 7:00am is the latest I can sleep in if I want to give my puppy her morning exercise.  I have still got classes to prepare and give, though each week they are fewer.  We are also in the midst of working out numbers to see if staying in this house is a real possibility, and just the thought of re-negotiating the price makes me feel a little dizzy.  Part of that whole process is looking at other homes on the market, and thoughts of moving and how/when we'd do that really get my head spinning.  Finally, there is the day-to-day of deciding what to eat and cooking it, washing the dishes, sweeping, mopping, doing laundry...

Of course in the back of my mind, nagging at me constantly through all of this is the fact that I should be studying... I just can't seem to find the motivation to focus long enough to sit down.

Friday, June 1, 2012

"Me gusta dormir la siesta...

...Yo soy del Sur!"



Like a good Andalusian puppy, Bela has a siesta everyday.  These are just a few of her favorite positions. ;)