My Lesson with Spanish Culinary Arts

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Cooking: Lesson 1

Today, I became a student in the culinary arts. None other than Catalina, the world’s best cook, led my lesson. For my first lesson: Cocido Madrileno, croquettes, y seafood paella.  As Catalina would prepare and add the ingredients, she would instruct me in Spanish. As I observed, I also wrote down the ingredients and the recipe. The recipes are as follows:

Cocido Madrileno : Garbanzo Stew

Ingredients: garbanzos, carrots, celery, pork/bacon fat, ham bone, white salt bone, thigh/legs of chicken, onion, and potatoes.

Directions: Night before, soak garbanzos in hot water and salt. In the morning, clean the garbanzos with hot water, drain, and add to pot of hot water. Add the vegetables to the hot water (carrots, celery, etc). Also add the bacon fat, white salt bone, and chicken.  Start to boil.

Peel and cut the potatoes into thick wedges. Add the cleaned potatoes to the boiling water. Cover the pan with the lid and let boil.  Watch every so often and remove the foam as desired. Boil for at least 30 minutes and check periodically.

[Remove some of the meat from the pot and let cool. When cooled, pick apart the meat from the bone. Save this for croquettes]. [You can take out some of the broth (2 jars worth) and some of the chicken and put it in the fridge for another soup in the future.]

Continue to heat on low setting. Serve in bowl with some broth, garbanzos, carrots, celery, and chicken leg.

Croquettes:

In a pan, add olive oil and put on low heat. Dice one onion and add to pan.  Do not let it burn. With scissors, cut up the chicken that you put aside from the garbanzo stew. Cut up very finely and add to the onions and olive oil. Mix and stir on low heat.  Next add 2 large spoonfuls of flour to one side of the pan. Heat until a little golden.  Add 2 or 3 ladles of the broth from the stew to the pan and mix until smooth. Next, empty the pan into a big bowl and let cool.   Use it to make croquets.  Break a few eggs in a bowl and mix. Add clump of mixture to eggs and immediately cover in breadcrumbs. Continue until you have covered all of the croquettes.  Put in pan and fry in olive oil.  

Seafood Paella:

Ingredients: Rice, wine, chicken, seafood (shrimp, calamari, clams, etc), vegetables (onion, garlic, tomato)

Directions: Peel the shells off of the shrimp (picture shows the shrimp with the shells) . Put in a pot filled with water, rice, and the shrimp. Next, in a frying pan, add olive oil and turn on low heat. Add the chicken to the pan first. Cook until it is golden. Peel the onion and garlic and add to the pan. Fry everything in the frying pan. Heat until the onion is a little golden. Add some “tomate crudo” and fry a bit. Pour in a cup of wine into the frying pan and let boil. Next, add the rice, shrimp, and other seafood to the pan.  Mix everything in the frying pan. Cook until tender.

Rule of thumb: for every cup of rice, include 2 cups of water.

Serve hot!    

Que aproveche!

Volunteering, Spanish Fiestas, and Futbol!

Thursday, March 24^th, 2011

Volunteering/spanish fiesta:

After 2 classes and lunch today (lentil soup!), I took a super long much needed nap and then lounged around for the rest of the afternoon. I occasionally worked on my Madrid project for culture class, but really not much got accomplished. I was running late because I had been skyping some friends, so I didn’t have time to change clothes (I still looked semi-cute, don’t worry). I met up with Rachel at Corte Ingles, got the best schwarma of our lives (chicken kebab with everything, super picante) and booked it to the soup kitchen. This was Rachel’s’ first time here volunteering and it was a bit of a shock to her I think (as it was to me my first time as well).  When people order things at you in Spanish, it is overwhelming, let me tell you. This volunteering activity is definitely worth it because each time I learn a bunch of new words. I even mastered the proper way to mop a floor J.  As always, Jose was super funny and explained to me how he has a “radar for homosexual men.” I think I finally caught on because I’m 99% positive that he is gay too.  He also sports a really cute murse. I absolutely love the staff because they are so patient with me. I feel more and more confident each time I volunteer there.

Once we were finished mopping and cleaning the tables, it was time to go. Rachel and I grabbed our coats and met up with Sarah and Amanda near Amanda’s piso (apartment).  I was strangely nervous because we had been invited to our first real Spanish party! It was a birthday party too. I didn’t know anyone there, but Amanda had the connections. There were 2 girls there that went out of their way to be amazing hosts for us. They probably could tell that we were awkward and needed some Spaniards to talk to us, but nonetheless, it was probably one of the best times in Granada solely for the experience of going to a local party.  I loved how they had a whole spread of meats and cheeses and baguettes of bread and vegetable spread and beer and wine! That’s why the Spaniards don’t get drunk! It all makes sense now ;). They eat as they casually, key word casually, drink. Around 1:30 that night, the party started to move on to the new discoteca in Granada. We called it a night early because we were all exhausted. The fun part about the end of the night was that Maria Carmen, aka Mamen, invited us to come out on Tuesday for tapas and maybe a disco afterwards! Yay for Spanish friends!

Friday, March 25^th, 2011

Futbol game:

                                                               Rachel and Amanda at the game. Viva Espana!

Lazy morning and afternoon; basically the only productive thing I did was go for a run. It is such a beautiful day today! I was entertained on my run by all of the people out and about on the streets. Apparently, tonight is a big game night: Espana vs. Republica Checa. At the park that I run at, there were already several large beer tents set up for the games festivities. Around 7:00 that evening, I left to go meet up with Amanda to join in on the pregame fun. At this place called the Congresio de Palacio, there is a huge outdoor area with tons of steps leading up to this building. Here is where thousands of young people sat as they anxiously waited for the 10 p.m. game to begin. Amanda and I loved the atmosphere, and the euro beers.  For dinner, we grabbed a quick pizza (just like Dominoes!) and hurried back to the venue. There were tons of stands set up and each had gigantic lines! One was even a line to take your picture with cardboard cutouts of the futbol team! Rachel met up with us later and we decided to settle in to some seats. 

                                                            " A por ellos, oé! A por ellos, oé!"

They were feeling like drinking so they left to grab 40’s of Alhambra beer. I opted out and sat down next to the section with all of the CEGRI kids. I never saw Amanda and Rachel after that: one because it was way too crowded and two because my phone crapped out on me. Oh well, it was super fun to be able to enjoy the game outdoors with some other CEGRI students. There was a huge flat screen tv set up so that everyone on the stairs had a clear view of the game. Listening to the comments shouted out by the fans was hilarious. There was a lot of name calling and swearing, and I’m also glad I could actually understand them J. The crowd went crazy when we won and the song, “We are the Champions” came on. It never fails to make me laugh when English songs are played.  The walk back home to my house was like swimming in the opposite direction of the current. Tons and tons and tons of fans were heading home after the game and I got caught walking the wrong way.  –just keep swimming…swimming…swimming!  (“Finding Nemo” anyone?)

Epic Birthday Weekend

Friday, March 18^th, 2011

After a few chill days in Granada, it was time for my amazing weekend to begin! Friday, I went with a small group of CEGRI students and our program directors to Cordoba for the day. We had tons of places to go and see today. We visited several of the famous buildings around town, such as the Arab baths, the cathedral, the mosque, and more. In between our tours, we had a 2-hour break to have lunch and check out more of the city. Lunch was fun because we traded food like we were back in the 4^th grade. I got the tuna sandwhich! Afterwards, we had our minds set on finding the plaza de toros, or something like that. It took a while to navigate around the windy streets, but eventually we found it. It was a gigantic plaza with cute restaurants all around. It would have been nice to see this plaza back in its prime. While walking back to meet the group after our break, Jeanette, Mckenna, and I got a bit lost. On the plus side, we discovered remnants of Roman ruins. After a pit stop at the ice cream place, we met back up with the group to see the mezquita. All day it was super hot and sunny, so by the time it was 5 o’clock, I was definitely ready to head home to Granada. Friday night was the Festival de la Primavera, or in other words: Botellon. This happens once a year and all of the youth of Granada go to a plaza to drink and celebrate outside. I’m glad I did not attend this because I heard there were no bathrooms…and no bathrooms plus a ton of drunkards?  Yup, you can probably imagine the aftermath.

                                                       Mckenna, Jeanette and I in Cordoba!

Saturday, March 19^th, 2011

Early morning; alarm went off at 7 a.m. in order to catch the bus to the Granada bus station. Fail. I ended up having to pay for a taxi that cost 5 euro more than the bus. Oh well. Totally worth it because I got to go to beautiful NERJA, Spain!  We arrived around 11 a.m. and checked into our fabulous 3 person private room for only 11 euro! Score! It was perfect and cheap. After getting a bit lost on our way to the beach, we finally found our way to a private beach where nearly 15 more chicas from CEGRI were sun bathing. For the rest of the day, we chilled, snacked and had lunch, and tomar-ed el sol for the whole day. I got a little bit sun-kissed, but it was to be expected. I even used 50 SPF!  Later that night after an amazingly long and warm shower, we met up with 10 or so chicas for Mexican food. It was quite the awful service experience, especially since the restaurant was empty, super cold, and the menu prices were soooo high! I got a burrito (except it should have been on the children’s menu, it was so small) and I paid 13 euro. Yikes!  Still yummy though. Early bed time tonight after viewing the incredibly full moon on the beach. Is this real life?

Sunday, March 20^th, 2011

Mckenna and I decided to hit the beach early and the rest of the girls headed for the world famous caves of Nerja. I decided not to go because they were an hour walk away and cost too much money. The two of us met up with Breanne, a girl from the program who had her parents and sister with her. It was really nice to actually talk to an American family, which sounds strange, but it was comforting. I think Breanne’s family ended up having a really nice time at the beach. Around noon, Mckenna and I met up with the rest of the girls at a different private beach to have our lunch (which we purchased super cheap from the Mercadona, yes!) For the rest of the day, we again tomar-ed el sol and hung out. We played a little cards and later ended up doing some adventurous exploring. I also enjoyed walking alongside the water looking for shells and seaglass. I took some home as a souvenir. Around 5:30, the whole group decided to get ready and head back to the bus station, but not before having an awesome ice cream cone overlooking the Mediterranean Sea!   Looovvveeed Nerja and I highly recommend it to anyone.

"Vamos a la playa!  ( A mi me gusta baila!)"

                                                  Our beautiful view as we enjoyed some helado.

Monday, March 21^st, 2011

Strange day: here goes: Today is my 21^st birthday.  I always imagined my golden birthday being something epic, like partying it up in Vegas, etc. etc.  This is how it went: I woke up to my senora forgetting my birthday completely and her saying I don’t understand any Spanish at all and basically that I’m dumb. I regressed to my room and cried. I always hate having a birthday actually. The day took a strange turn during my break with Rachel.  I was feeling kinda low and was looking forward to just chilling with her for a while. As an awesome surprise she gave me a pair of amazing dangling earrings! I can’t wait to wear them out all the time J.  Within only a few seconds of receiving this present,  I was crying again! This time, it was out of happiness and I hugged and thanked Rachel. I think I was so emotional because it really is hard being away from my family and twin sister. It was the first time in my life that I wasn't at home with everyone to celebrate mi cumpleanos.  The gift from Rachel was such a nice gesture and I love the earrings so much! 

Back to school, I had an art fieldtrip outside to visit some cathedrals. Along the way, a bird pooped on my tan leather jacket and it was green caca!  I almost cried here, but felt that 3 times in one day (on my birthday) would have been too excessive.  In order to cheer myself up, I treated myself to some candy, but only had 35 cents. I explained this to the owner and he said to take a little and then he would weigh it. Turns out, it was 65 cents worth, but he basically told me that it was a gift from him to me. I walked out of there with a smile and headed home. After quickly getting ready, I told my senora I was going out for my birthday. She felt terribly that she had forgotten and she gave me a kiss on each cheek. I met up with the girls at school and went to dinner at this amazing American food place where I got a huge hamburger and plenty of French fries (with mayo).  The girls were all so nice when they each chipped in and paid for my dinner.  :) Love you girls!  We went out for one drink and tapas after, but decided to call it an early night. When I get back to the states, I will definitely party round 2 American style. 

                                                                      My first sip of beer.   :)

                                                      Tapas at Bella y la Bestia con mis amigos!

"Chill" time in Granada

Monday, March 7, 2011

Every Monday and Wednesday, Catalina has made me a sandwich to-go and I eat in a plaza near my school.  I will no longer be eating in my favorite plaza and I’ll tell you why.  From the top: Usually, I sit by myself on a bench and eat my lunch. I take my time and enjoy the sun. I have found that sitting in a plaza alone is a great way to meet locals. Since the Spaniards are a bit more forward than Americans, they aren’t afraid to start conversations with people. I have come to know quite a few construction workers that take their lunch break there along with a fellow named Andres.  I really did enjoy talking with Andres during lunchtime, especially because it was all in Spanish. He probably sat with me for 3 lunches in total, but I got to know a lot about him. I found out that he is 56, yet he appears to be in his mid 40’s. He smokes a lot and enjoys Spanish cuisine. He is an aspiring author, waiting to see if his first book can be published. Overall, super nice old guy, but as soon as I tell my family about him, they go bonkers, in a caring sense.  Long story short, once the entire extended family has gotten involved, I decide to email the poor guy with a lie. I tell him I no longer will bring a packed lunch because my senora wants to cook for me everyday at home. Lies. I actually will still bring a lunch, find a new plaza, and forever avoid my favorite lunchtime bench. No pasa nada. I will meet more locals and hopefully they will be closer to my age and less creepy.

Tuesday, March 8^th, 2011

After lunch today, which was migas y pescado (fried bread crumbs and whole fish), I took a nap and woke up feeling really motivated to go running.  I was really curious to run along the river. I ended up running to an amazing sports park. It had outdoor exercise equipment, multiple tennis courts, a kids playground, and a skate park. It’s always really neat to encounter something new. I’m tempted to go back and rent a racket to play…any takers? Later on after my shower and homework, Catalina made a fantastic dinner! It was some type of chicken and also a plate full of steamed artichokes. I never thought I would be a fan of something like this, but I think it’s one of my favorite vegetables now. I should learn how to make them… along with all of my other favorite meals here!  Time to actually study- grammar quiz on Thursday: kill me now. 

Thursday, March 10^th, 2011

Apart from the fact that I had to take a very difficult grammar prueba today, I had a wonderful afternoon/evening in Espana!  Lunch was served, and for the first time, my senora made French fries…homemade! Also, I ate 2 sunny-side up fried eggs with several pieces of bread…yum!  After a lengthy siesta, I got motivated to get ready and go out to meet some chicas. Earlier that day, I had received a text from my friend Stephanie that read,  “sunset and margaritas tonight?”  Of course I wanted to see the sunset and drink some margs! At 6:00 I met up with my friends, Stephanie and Abby, at school.  The plan was to watch the sunset up at San Nicholas in the Albaicin where there is the best view in the entire city: the beautiful Alhambra. We enjoyed the view, drank and ate chocolate. Couldn’t get any better?  Next stop: La Cantina Mexicana for a margarita! I was in a bit of a hurry because volunteering for the soup kitchen was tonight, so I had one real quick (only 1 euro) and headed off to volunteer. I got there just as they were saying grace. Perfect timing. I helped serve the sopa de pollo. It’s interesting to interact with the locals here, especially since most of these people eating at the soup kitchen are either homeless or they are gypsies.. a.k.a. I get to interact with some real Spaniards. I didn’t learn any funny jokes today, but there were 2 gorgeous boys working tonight. Too bad they were only 17. After soup was served, we cleared and brought out the second course, which was pasta. It’s common to give them seconds and thirds of each course. I find myself trying really hard to make conversation with these people, but at the same time, I always end up saying “lo siento, no entiendo..” but they understand and then rephrase whatever they were saying before.  I really enjoy talking with Jose because he is always making jokes or singing or smiling. It is really fun to be around him. When we were finished cleaning up tonight, one of the workers asked if I could come back on Saturday at 8:30. I will try, but I also want to go out with some chicas to El Camborio (disco in the caves). Anyways, after volunteering, I was so happy to find out that my friends were still at the Mexican restaurant. I hurried back in time for one more 1-euro margarita. Que oferta! We all decided to call it an early night.

                                                            Cheers to a new Thursday ritual!

                                                           Muchos estudiantes de CEGRI enjoying some euro margs!

Friday, March 11^th, 2011

After a day of running, eating, napping, and relaxing, I met up with the orphans (Sarah, Rachel, Amanda, and Stacy later on) to go see a movie!  I honestly cannot remember the last movie I saw in the theatres, which means it has been quite a while. I was so excited because we were going to see Tangled… in Spanish!  We snuck in candy and snacks, even though the sneaking part wasn’t necessary there, and we settled in right as the movie had begun. It was a good idea to see a childrens movie because the vocabulary was right up our alley. I understood basically all of it and was really proud!  I guess that sounds pretty lame, but it was great to see a whole movie and be able to understand in a different language. After the movie, we decided that we wanted tapas or dinner or something. After walking around for a while, Sarah remembered a Mexican place she wanted to try.  Once inside the girls ordered a margarita and I later ordered a tinto de verano. It was great to be able to catch up with the girls, even if it was mostly complaining about our senoras. Around 1 a.m. we figured it was a good time to head home.

Saturday, March 12^th, 2011

Rachel and I went to the market today, but not really to buy, only to look and maybe attempt to barter. I picked Rachel up at her place at 12 p.m. and we took our time walking over there. It was a relaxing afternoon and it was nice to be able to get out and walk around for a few hours. We each bought something from the candy/nut stand and found a park bench to try a few. Afterwards, it was time head home, but since I basically had an entire free day, I offered to walk with Rachel back to her piso (apartment) and I did. Once back at my piso, I heated up the delicious lunch that Catalina had made. It was a vegetable dish with ham along with some chicken on the side. I had the laziest day afterwards that included a long nap and skyping with several friends and my family. All in all, I stayed in bed that day from 4 until 8: win. 

After getting ready, I headed out that night to meet up with some people to pregame, go to a bar, and hopefully head to the disco in the caves. Once at the park, it seemed as though half of CEGRI was there too, also pregaming for the disco in the caves. I played it cool because I didn’t eat dinner besides an apple. We headed into Los Grifos, the bar with the taps at each table, around 12:30 and drew some beer from the tap. We each only had one, besides Rachel, just so we could experience it. Rachel began our epic night of bartending, NBD.  Around 1:45 a.m., the rest of the gang decided to leave Los Grifos and head to El Camborio, the disco in the caves. Rachel and I were seriously too busy having the time of our lives being the bartenders. After a while, the real bartender took his seat on a bar stool and we were allowed full control of the bar. We made drinks for the locals! The whole night was hilarious and I’m pretty sure my abs hurt from laughing. Around 3 a.m., it was time to go home. The 30 minute walk home turned into an hour of hilarity that even if I tried repeating I don’t think I could. The funniest comments were made and that walk was quite memorable to say the least. Once at her flat,  hilarity ensued. I won't go into details, but I basically had a 30 minute conversation/lecture with a 70 year old woman. Epic night.  I must say though, I was extremely proud of myself for speaking Spanish and understanding the majority of what the senora, aka butterball, was saying.  Basically, it will be another good story to tell back home. 

                                            Mini-botellon before the epic bar-tending inside Los Grifos.

                                                 Miguel taught the two of us the ways of bar-tending!

Unofficial and El Camborio

Friday, March 4, 2011

Unofficial.  I actually did start it with a very enjoyable, 30 minute run. I was super proud of myself for even running, but then my senora knocked my spirits down a bit when she said she was surprised at how short I was gone and maybe I was out of shape :/ I guess I’ll have to make an attempt at running more. I am signed up for the marathon in October…  After a shower and lunch, the festivities of unofficial were about to start. Since I didn’t know how/didn’t care to share with Catalina about the details of the day, I told her I was going to a café and then out for tapas with my friends and wouldn’t be back until later that night. First stop, meet up with people near Los Grifos around 4 p.m. The original group was about 10 people all together and we smartly chose to begin our celebration with 1.50 euro 40’s of Alhambra. Like a group of sketchy teens, we drank our beer in broad daylight in a plaza. NBD.  Around 5 p.m., we ventured into Los Grifos. This bar is unique because each table has its own beer tap. In theory, this is a fantastic idea! The bar has the advantage though because it got a little pricy by the end. Each person paid between 10-15 euro for about 4 beers.  I had so much fun though, especially because of Antony! He was probably 70 years old, drunk, and smoked too many cigarettes. He attempted to teach us Flamenco dancing too. Later on, he bought me a beer :) Antony introduced me to Victor, a 27-year-old local Spaniard who still studies at the University of Granada. Apparently, he’s not too bright of a student.  Anyways, I held a legit conversation in Spanish for nearly an hour. I was so proud of myself!  Once we paid our bill, it was off to our favorite Irish Pub in town, Hannigans. Here, a few others drank more, but I opted for water (and a schwarma)- good life choice.  This unofficial was super fun and I’m glad I could still participate even if there is a bit of a lake separating us from U of I.

                                                Estabamos celebrando el dia no oficial en Granada!
                                                 

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Around 10:00 a.m. I receive a text from Sarah about the Mercadillo. I almost forgot about it so I’m super glad she reminded me. I met up with Sarah and Nicky around 11:15 and walked back with them towards the market. On our way, we picked up Stephanie who I had invited to come along.  I wasn’t planning on buying much today, but I walked out with a bag of sweets, a pair of white knock off converse shoes, a long black peasant looking top with a belt, and thick black sweatpants that are so comfy! Some great purchases I think. The market was hoppin' today and Sarah and Nicky loved the atmosphere. We’re pretty sure that a large portion of everything sold at the mercadillo has been stolen from the stores. No pasa nada. Around 2 p.m. it was time to say bye to the girls and head home for lunch. 

I was able to skype with my parents for nearly 2 hours and shortly after I took a long nap. After hanging out with Catalina, eating dinner, and getting ready to go out (hair straight!) I met up with a large group of people around 11 in the city center, bought some alcohol to pregame at La Plaza de los Tristes, and headed to El Camborio around 1 a.m. I was drunk by this point and should not have had any more alcohol at the bar. Of course, I had at least 3 shots of tequila… obviously, the nights ended in shambles for me.  Sarah and Rachel helped me out a ton. Rachel was a lifesaver! I went outside to the patio to sit down and try and relax. Around 3:30 a.m. Rachel, Nicky, Amanda, and I took a taxi home. All I can say is, I’m so greatful for my friends here in Granada. 

                                               At the disco, el Camborio. Check out the Alhambra.

Sunday, March 6, 2011

I slept until 12 and was super hungover. Excedrin migraine for breakfast: breakfast of champions. I ate lunch early at 1:30 by myself and also swiped an orange Fanta from the fridge. Yum. Chill day and time to actually do some homework…ended up taking a massive nap, showering, eating dinner, and doing only a little homework. Sorry about it!

Volunteering in Spain!

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Tonight was my first time volunteering at the comedor social, or soup kitchen in Granada. For my culture class at CEGRI, it is required to volunteer about 2 hours each week. This is both to be submerged in the community as well as it is to improve our Spanish speaking skills and confidence.  For the first month of searching and looking for a place to volunteer, it was very difficult to get into contact with the comedor social. I called several times and the secretary at CEGRI also called several times, but still no response. The telephone number that was included with the information did not function at all. Instead, we needed to go directly and speak face to face with the director of the comedor social. I originally went to speak to them with Sarah, strength in numbers, except we went around 1 in the afternoon and it was closed. We soon found out that nighttime hours were much better and there was dinner served there for people to come and enjoy a hot meal. 


Once back from our large break and a long weekend, I was finally available to go back again, this time by myself. I went around 7:00 at night and got there in time to help prepare the chicken soup. At first, it was a bit uncomfortable because everyone was speaking to me so quickly with their thick Andalucía accents. Once I told them I didn’t understand everything they were saying, they all were so wonderful and spoke slower and clearer for me. I discussed my working hours with the director, Jose, and we figured out that Tuesday and Thursday nights will work best for my schedule and theirs.  Soon after, one of the cute older women working at the soup kitchen tied an apron around my waist and told me to wash my hands quickly so I could help cook. Soon after, they pulled out 2 entire chickens from the boiling water basin and plopped them in the sink to rinse with cold water. From there, three of us were assigned to pick apart the chicken meat into small pieces so that they could be added to the soup. Afterwards, I watched as some of the women added vegetables to the soup. While I wasn’t physically helping at this time, I was certainly learning a lot of vocabulary from the staff. Everyone was so kind and truly wanted to help me learn. I didn’t get to interact with the locals who were coming here to eat, but I will on Thursday.

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Day 2 at the comedor social.  I was there for 2 solid hours from 8:30 until 10:30 p.m. I was introduced to the new kitchen staff, which was equally as nice as the Tuesday stuff but way more hilarious. 3 of the 5 of them wanted to learn English! So I told them I would help with their English and they could help me with their Spanish!  There is a funny man named Jose who liked to make fun of me and tell jokes as well. In the kitchen, I helped prepare a little bit of the dinner by cutting up 15 or so lemons for the tables. Then, as we waited a little while longer for the soup to get ready, I talked with the other workers. Two of them are students at the University of Granada working through a program called Erasmus. Then there is Jose, who is a middle aged funny man who later invited me out for tapas, but I politely declined. Lastly, there was a married couple, both in their late 30’s or early 40’s. The husband was deaf, so it was interesting trying to talk with him. He was interested in getting to know WHY exactly I was volunteering. It was hard to explain to a deaf Spanish man that it was required for a class…but with the help of his wife, he eventually understood me.


Promptly at 9 p.m., the doors opened and people came in to eat. The room holds about 60 people and its necessary for the people outside to grab a number as they wait in line so as to secure them a meal. As a volunteer, our jobs were to serve them dinner, but not without saying grace first.  Even if it was in English, I wouldn’t know all of the words to the Lord’s Prayer, but it was so interesting to hear a prayer in Spanish. After grace was said, the soup was immediately served. I grabbed a large pot of steaming hot chicken and vegetable soup. I carried mine towards el fondo, the front of the room to serve the first tables. Mostly men were at the comedor social, so it was interesting when a few of them (drunk probably) tried to hit on me. A little gross, but interesting all the same. Let me tell you, it is difficult to understand a homeless man’s drunken smoker’s accent in Andaluz.


After soup was served, I was asked to pass out more bread, which was in a large crate. The bread seemed to instantly vanish, but I guess it was only because everyone there was practically starving. Next course was spaghetti, but first we needed to clear the plates. After doing so, we served the pasta. I received many thank you’s and more pleases. It was quite the experience. Throughout the evening, I was even asked if I was Spanish, but I think these men were only trying to please me. Another popular guess is English, but of course I never lie and I always admit that I’m from the States. Apparently, a lot of the Spanish think negatively of Americans, so maybe next time I’ll tell a little white lie and say I’m from Ireland J


Once the pasta was eaten and plates were cleared, it was time for dessert, which was their choice of a vanilla yogurt or chocolate pudding. The pudding was an interesting choice because, later, it was a bit difficult to clean. The diners were asked to leave soon after and the clean up began. We swept and mopped and washed the tables and cleaned the dishes. All the while, I was picking up on Spanish words, like rag, sponge, blanket, and more.


**The funniest part of the night was actually when I was the butt of their funny joke. Jose asked me to repeat the word “cebolla” which means onion after 3 phrases and repeat fast. It goes like this, “Cebolla por la manana, cebolla por la tarde, cebolla por la noche.” When you say this fast, the word cebolla turns into a dirty word, se folla, which means to have sex in Spanish. They thought it was hilarious, and eventually I understood the joke as well. Oh well, know I’ll just have to pass on this joke to all the other Americans. I said goodbye to the awesome staff, grabbed my coat and walked out. Not too much longer after, I randomly ran into 5 American girls from my program. They graciously invited me out for tapas, which I accepted. For dinner tonight I only had eaten an apple and a twix bar, so it was nice to have a drink and a tapa. It was a great way to end an awesome day. Time for bed. Tomorrow is “unofficial” but not entirely sure how I am celebrating it. Maybe with a long run in the morning? I think yes.

Long Weekend in Barcelona!

BARCELONA!

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

With my bag packed and my tuna bocadillo para llevar (to-go), I went to my 6:30-8:00 p.m. class. Directly afterwards, I met up with Amanda and Rachel to walk/cab it to the Granada bus station. On our 1 and ½ hour bus ride to Malaga, Rachel and I talked in Spanish for a good portion of the viaje. We actually held a pretty legit conversation too! We hopped the airport shuttle and we set up camp in our usual airport café couches. I probably slept around 3 hours that night, which was way more than expected!

Thursday, February 24, 2011

We had a semi-early flight to Barcelona at 8:20 a.m. but right before our time to go through security, Amanda got attacked by food poisoning or some kind of stomach flu. We are blaming it on her Senora’s bocadillos that sat out on the counter all night.  The plane ride was pretty rough for Amanda, but all of the flight attendants were super nice and continued to ask if she needed anything to feel better. Once we landed, Amanda was starting to feel a little better, but we all really needed to just get to our hostel and rest for a bit.  I was hoping to just pay for the four nights at the hostel and head straight to our beds, but a bit of a bump in the road occurred. I had booked a 4 person private room for only 3 people…so that meant that we were forced to pay for the 4^th bed. Not cool. If we switched to a different room with only 3 beds, it would have cost just about the same. Oh well.  We paid the extra 40-euro and stormed off to our room. We were all really mad at the time but later realized that it was probably worth it in the end to stay at this hostel because of the amazing location on Las Ramblas and the fact that we had a huge room with our own bathroom and shower was amazing. Free internet with no time allowance was an extravagance that we were not used to as well.  Once situated in our rooms, we settled down for a nap, which shortly turned into a 5 hour nap. No pasa nada. It was much needed anyways, especially for Amanda.

Once we were all awake, we decided to walk along Las Ramblas. This is a very touristy street that has a bunch of restaurants, tourist attractions, entertainers, and much more. We stopped in at the Boqueria Market were there was fruit, vegetables, fish, meat, nuts, and CANDY galore!  I was in heaven. After being super touristy and taking photos of everything, we were on a mission to buy super cheap food at the grocery. We were successful in purchasing our breakfast/lunch/snack food all for under 8 euro each for our 4 day weekend. Pretty awesome I’d say. That night, we stayed in and planned our mammoth weekend in Barcelona.

Fruit!

Candy!

Friday, Feb 25, 2011

After researching tours around the city from the night before, we found an intriguing 4 hour bike tour of Barcelona. If anyone is interested in a super fun time and also get to learn a thing or two about this wonderful city, I highly suggest checking out Flat Tire Bike Tours. It was 20 Euro but worth every penny- seriously. The day was perfect and sunny. I think the other girls would agree that it was probably the best thing we did all weekend. We toured some of the best places in the city including the Gothic quarter, Sagrada Familia, Parc de Ciutadella, the Olympic Villave, Port Vell, Barceloneta Beach, La Catedral, Palau de la Musica Catalana, Plaza de Rei, Arc del Triumf, and the Basillica de la Santa del Mar. It was the perfect afternoon! The tour even stopped near the beach for a lunch and sangria break. Amanda, Rachel, and I ordered a pitcher of sangria while we ate our delicious packed lunch that consisted of nutella sandwiches, apples, granola, and cookies. So nutritious!  After our basically 2 glasses of sangria, it was quite entertaining to hop back on the bike to finish our fabulous bike ride through the city. Once back at our hostel, we decided to nap for a little while before we got up and rallied. 

Arc de Triumf- Bike Tour!

Sagrada Familia with the chicas!

Lunch break near the Barceloneta Beach

We decided to do a little shopping, mostly for jewelry (and long earrings, but failed) as well as stopping for dinner at a fast food vegan restaurant. I ordered my first falafel pita and thought it was super tasty, and only 4.20 euro.  We were super cheap, and as typical poor college students, we searched for our cheapest pregame option, which turned out to be 1-euro bottle of white wine. Yep, you heard me right.  We pregamed in our hostel that night and headed out to Razzmatazz. This is apparently a super fun discoteca in Barcelona, but by the time we got there, the three of us were so tired and ready for bed, a bit lame but true. We paid the awful 15-euro cover to get in (which didn’t even include a free drink! --Granada, there are so many great things about you that I take advantage of).  Once inside, we enjoyed our favorite shot, tequila. After exploring the place, we decided we’d give dancing a try. Basically, it only proved to us even more how creepy Spanish men are, pero no pasa nada, it was great to experience the nightlife either way. After getting lost and being forced to take a cab home, we all passed out in our beds and looked forward to hiking in the morning.

Saturday, Feb 26, 2011

Because of our late arrival to our hostel last night around 6 a.m., we slept until 12:30 that afternoon. Even though we were still exhausted and a bit hungover, we gathered our strength and put on our hiking clothes. Actually, it was more me putting on hiking clothes and Amanda and Rachel dressing like athletic Sorority girls. We set off for Mt. Tibidabo with our google map directions. Google steered us a little wrong, but we eventually found our way 2 hours later. Once on the trails, we found a great spot to eat our cute packed lunches of the same food- nutella sandwiches, apples, granola, and cookies. Shortly after, we stumbled upon a steep bike path, which obviously, we took up the mountain. Man was it a workout! My quads are still store!  Thank god we finally made it to the top of the mountain. It was a long way getting up there but the view made it all worth it. From the top of Mt. Tibidabo, every part of Barcelona could be seen. None of my pictures do it any justice. The way down was much quicker, as well as way more hilarious! It included a photo shoot on the side of the road, which apparently, was witnessed by some friends studying abroad in Barcelona who coincidently were taking a bus up the mountain…shout out to Alex Catuara!  Within an hour, we made it down to the bottom and like magic, we found a metro station with our train leaving in 5 minutes! Talk about good luck J

The sorority hikers. 

The Intense Hiker.

The end of our awesome photo shoot!

Back at the hostel, we napped a bit and got ready for a fun evening with some AOII’s in Barca. We met up with Stephanie D’Anza and Alex Catuara along with some of their friends to have an actual apartment pregame! It’s crazy how someone can miss something like getting drunk in an apartment. The plan was to go to a shot bar and get a flaming harry potter shot, but a few got a little too drunk so we decided to call it a night and hail a cab.  A bit of shambles, but hilarious all the same. We made it back safely around 3 a.m.

Sunday, Feb 27, 2011

Around 11 a.m. that day, the three of us were ready and eager to go on our free Gaudi walking tour of Barcelona.  It included all of his major architectural works except for Park Guell. Our guide was really knowledgeable about the city as well as about architecture and Gaudi. We were able to revisit the Sagrada Familia too. By the looks of his works, Gaudi was both a madman and a genius. Most of his works look like they were created after taking some acid and drinking some absinthe, oh wait, I’m pretty sure that’s true? Around 2 p.m. that day, the tour ended and we ate our adorable lunches and I’m sure you can guess what we packed. Amanda was eager to see the inside of Sagrada Familia, but Rachel and I were curious to check out the tour of the Gothic Quarter.  On our way to the second tour, Rachel and I tried the gelato and loved it!  I had a bit of trouble eating mine. I ended up with ice cream all over my hands and spilled a bunch on our table. A bit embarrassing, but I guess I can see why my Senora always tells me I eat like a child. For our second tour, our tour guide had an attractive Australian accent. Let me tell you, I hung on his every word. I actually learned a lot on this tour including: 60% revenue comes from tourism in Barcelona, it is legal to carry 50 grams of weed in one big bag (not smaller bags though), it is legal to walk around naked but illegal to walk around without shoes. Also, it is tolerable to carry around 2 pills of ecstasy and a small amount of cocaine. Hmm, who knew!? 

Gaudi

After this interesting tour, Rachel and I enjoyed a 1 euro glass of sangria with the rest of this tour group. A bit tipsy, we met up with Amanada and headed off to Gaudi’s famous work of Park Guell. It was a race against the sun setting basically. By the time the metro dropped us off, we were watching the sun set. It was difficult to really see the extent of this park because of the lack of light, but I got the general concepts. The park was a bit trippy but understandable because it was created by Gaudi. On our way home, we grabbed a quick bite to eat and chilled at the hostel. Early bed time tonight because our alarms were set for 4 a.m. to catch our 6:30 a.m. flight back to Malaga. Woo!  We were up and traveling from 4 a.m. to 2 p.m. that day but we finally made it back to Granada.

** It’s a great feeling to know that I will be able to have a long relaxing month of March in Granada with only a few one or two day excursions. 

 Viva Espana!