Baby It's Cold Outside...

So this week it officially feels like winter is here. IT'S FREEZING!!!!
This morning before leaving the house the weather forecast said it was 35 degrees and that it felt like 28. Awesome. This may not seem like much to some of you, but to me it is damn cold and definitely not what I'm accustomed to, having spent my whole life in coastal locations.

Speaking of coastal locations... a few weeks ago I went on a fun little 4-day euro trip to Italy, France, and the Basque Country in Northern Spain. Specifically, we visited Milan in Italy, Nice and Bordeaux in France, and San Sebastian in Spain. Now, all 4 of the cities had a certain charm or beauty to offer, but by far my favorite cities were Nice and San Sebastian. Why you ask? Because they have beaches!!! I guess I didn't realize how much I love and miss the ocean until I was once again in front of the water. Madrid is totally land-locked, and that is the one bummer about living in this spectacular city. San Sebastian has beautiful beaches and great surf, so clearly it reminded me of the beaches in Carmel. And the beach in Nice reminded me of when I used to vacation at our beach house in San Juan, Alicante. Seeing the water filled me with joy, and I actually got teary eyed. Is that crazy?? I just love the ocean... it can be calm and serene yet powerful and destructive. It is mysterious yet comforting. It is endless and humbling. I love it.
So yeah, after seeing San Sebastian I have added a new goal to my list of things I hope to accomplish. I want to live in San Sebastian. Maybe not forever, but I wouldn't mind living there for a while, or buying a summer home there. Yes, it's that great. And imagine how cool you would be to be able to say "Oh me? For my vacation I'm going to spend a few weeks with my friend in San Sebastian"??? It's got a perfect combination of super green mountains, beautiful beaches, awesome people, and lovely architecture. To me, a perfect little paradise. Check out my pics and tell me if I'm wrong :)

Anyway, back to the original topic at hand... me freezing my bum off. So the school I teach at isn't in Madrid capital, but rather it's a little town on the outskirts of Madrid, called Colmenarejo. It is north west of Madrid and happens to be in the Sierra. Given that it's in the country, a higher elevation, and surrounded by other mountains, the odds are fairly good that we will get snow at some point this winter!!! AHHHHH!!!! I can't wait! I know I complained about being cold, but I am willing to withstand a little cold if it means getting to play with snow! I'm telling you, the first time it snows on us my inner child is going to come out :) I asked some coworkers if it often snows in Colmenarejo and they said yes. Yes! In fact, today the mountains in the distance where already blanketed in snow. Good sign, I hope.

Of course, with winter comes one other thing.... CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS! I am very excited to see the city lit up with x-mas lights and decorated to perfection every where you go. I noticed this last weekend that they've already started putting up lights and giant x-mas figures all over the city. Sure it's cheesy, but I definitely plan on taking pics of all the pretty decorations I see. This winter is going to feel like a true winter.... snow, beautiful lit up streets, the city bustling with people bundled up in warm elegant coats (yes, I've seen quite a few older ladies bust out their minks), street vendors selling roasted chestnuts that send out the most delicious of smells as you walk by, store windows with beautiful red and sparkly displays, and rosey cheeked children running about eagerly anticipating the holidays. Yep, that is the picture I have in my head of a true winter and something tells me that this year Madrid is not going to disappoint.

What a day!

First thing I did this morning was open up my computer and visit cnn.com. As I waited for the page to load and the headline to appear I was dying of excitment and fear simultaneously....
I pondered the frightening reality that, to myself and all of those people I come in contact with in my social circles, it seemed obvious that Obama needed to win, but then I remember that there are still people in the states that voted Bush into a SECOND TERM! If there are people closed-minded enough to want to keep Bush in office, there were definitely people who would vote for McCain (in my opinion, a good man, just not the man I want as president)....
Fingers crossed and eyes squeezed tight, I chanted to myself "Obama, Obama, Obama, Obama.... " Then there it was... OBAMA WINS!!!! Thank you God.
So I watched his speech and I have to admit it brought me to tears. For the first time in my adult life I look forward to what my president has to say and I'm eager to see what he can do for our country (Instead of being embarrassed every time he opens his mouth). We have witnessed history, my friends. And I hope to see some great change in the coming years. The dems are in a position of a lot of power right now, I hope they use it well. Call me crazy but I'd love to see universal health care in the states. Whatever the future has in store for us, I'm excited.
We shall see...


On another less pleasant note, I am so disilusioned with California voters. How could they vote to pass Prop 8???? I thought California was a forward-thinking. liberal, progressive, predominantly democratic state... but then they do stupid shit like vote for Schwarzenager and ban gay marriage. Ugh! It's not right! Here's my beef and then I'll shut my mouth.......
WHAT MAKES PEOPLE THINK THAT HOMOSEXUALS HAVE ANY LESS RIGHT TO GET MARRIED THAN YOU OR I?????? Who does it really hurt for 2 men or 2 women to get married??? No one! Maybe it's not something you are used to seeing, but there is nothing perverted or wrong about it. They have simply fallen in love with another human being. We are all the same, despite which gender appeals to us, we find our soulmate and want to be with them for the rest of our lives. We want to make a commitment to be with them and create a life together... why can't everyone have that option?
Ok, I'm done.


Yay for Obama! Boo for Prop 8!

hehehehehe

Great Sarah Palin spoof by Tina Fey, although for those of you back in the states you've probably already seen it. Man I miss SNL...

By the way, you'll probably want to pause my playlist if you're going to watch the video. Enjoy...

¡¡¡Feliz Cumpleaños!!!

Warning, this blogs contains many references to love and romance. Not appropriate for the cynical or unhappy :P

So Stephen's Birthday was last weekend, but I thought I'd post a little blog in honor of his special day and in honor of my love for him. Better late than never, right? :)

As you can imagine it killed me that I wasn't there to celebrate with him, and the day after his b-day I was pretty sad. I'd say the homesickness hit, but it's more like the stephensickness hit. No offense to anyone back home, but in the 2 plus years Stephen and I have been together we haven't left eachother's side for more than 10 days (my trip to China). I feel like he is a part of me, my best friend, the person I can completely be myself around, and of course, the most beautiful person I know (inside and out). It blows me away sometimes how much he loves me and his willingness to follow me anywhere (first Oakland, now Spain!). I love him so much and I am so fortunate that he found me. We feel the same way about love and relationships, and I think that because we see eye to eye on that point, it has made our life together a breeze. I can only hope that it will continue to be this easy to love him. Yeah, I know I sound like a silly love-sap, but hey, we've always known I'm a hopeless romantic.

I found an old blog I wrote just before we moved in together, and I'm happy to say I still feel the same way about him (which, I'm thinking, is a good sign).



"i can't find the words to express how i feel. nothing does it justice.
i'm so in love and words just dont seem wonderful enough to describe it, this feeling, this man, this love.
stephen has made me a new woman. he brings sunshine to my life, laughter and smiles to the gloomiest of days, and he keeps me sane when i feel like i'm losing control. because i know i have him to come home to, i feel i can handle the roughest days at work and the disappointments of friendships lost. he reminds me of my strengths and virtues that i easily forget about myself.
being with him, i finally understand why none of the other relationships worked out. they weren't the one for me. none of them loved me the way steve loves me. he is so loving, sweet, attentive, funny, affectionate, unselfish, protective, witty, comfortable, and beautiful inside and out.
he never makes me feel bad for being "needy" because he needs me just as much. but the best thing about him is the way he loves me. this is what i struggle to describe.
his love engulfs me. his love inspires me. his love makes me a better person.
in the coming week we will be moving into our own place together and i can't wait. i see myself with him for the rest of our lives and that doesn't scare me, it moves me to tears of joy and gratitude.
after so much pain and disappointment i found my one true love, or i should say, he found me. he saved me from my sadness and darkness. he is the best thing that has ever happened to me."



Yup, I still feel that way! Thanks for making my days so fun and filled with love, baby!

Happy Birthday To My Awesome Boyfriend!!!

As predicted...

I haven't been very good at keeping up with writing in my blog, now have I?

Well, it's been just over 2 weeks since I've arrived in Madrid, and my days have been a mixture of exploring the city, making friends, getting sick and trying to get unsick, spending time with family, and starting my new job!!!

I've done many things, but I'm going to have to break it down, so as not to turn this blog entry into a novel (if you know me and my writing style you know I often have a tendency to write A LOT). Ironically, it takes me a while to sit down and commit to writing something, but once I do you can't stop me. I'll do my best to be brief :)

Let's start with the most culturally interesting piece... the touristy stuff!

So there are, of course, many museums in Madrid, but a couple weeks ago I went to el Museo Reina Sofia. It's awesome because it's got a lot of Pablo Picasso's work, including the amazing "Guernica". I also enjoyed some colorful and wonderfully bizarre paitings by Dali. The great thing about this museum is that it's free on Saturday afternoons and Sunday mornings, so I can go back as often as I want. Woohoo! If you've never heard of the Guernica or seen it, check it out below. It's a very poignant piece of art symbolising the death and despair of war.

Another fun thing I did was go to the Plaza Mayor with my cousin this weekend. I didn't bring my camera because I'm not quiet ready to look like a total tourist, but here is a picture I found online so you can get an idea of where I've been. It's another tourist hot-spot, it always seems to be packed, and all around the huge plaza it is lined with cute little restaurants and people enjoying a cafe or meal outside. Great place to people watch!

And check out how pretty it is at night!
We went to have a very typical, very cheap, and very yummy lunch of "bocadillo de calamares". Basically a squid sandwich, and it was oh so good! While we found a little corner to devour or sandwiches we watched the street performers pretending to be statues (my favorite by far was the toilet paper fairy), chatted about our boyfriends and marriage and children, and witnessed a very sweet proposal!

Another very typical Madrileño thing is going to El Rastro on Sunday mornings. Basically it's like a massive street fair/flea market. It's neat because it's in the middle of a regular neighborhood so every windy street you take leads you to another unexpected treasure. Some people bring their old junk to sell, but it's mostly new stuff for nice and cheap. I got a super cute scarf for just 2 euros! score! After walking around for an hour we got overwhelmed and went home, but there was a lot that went unseen so I'll definitely be going back.

Anyway, little by little I'll do the touristy stuff and take lots of pictures, but right now I'm trying to integrate into my new life here and live like a local :)

Hasta pronto amigos!

Bienvenidos a Madrid, España....

So a week ago today I landed in Madrid... tired, with a sore butt from sitting for 9 hours straight, of course sad because I left my love in Berkeley, and disturbed by the smell of toilet that seemed to linger in the baggage claim area. Not a good start. I remember when I was little you could tell you had arrived in Spain because the moment you set foot in the airport you choked on cigarette smoke (because everyone and their mother smoked in Spain). I'm happy to see that Spain is becoming more consciencious in regards to smoking and health, but I'm not so sure the switch to "oh de sewage" is an improvement...
45 minutes later my suitcases finally came out. yay! It always happens.... my bags are usually one of the first to arrive or one of the last... or they don't arrive at all. Thank god that wasn't the case this time, although I was prepared (my mother taught me well) with an extra set of clothes in my carry-on :)
Speaking of exta clothes and mothers' lessons: my mom had to make sure she reminded me to take normal underwear and not just thongs because, of course, you have to line dry your clothes in Spain and you don't want everyone seeing your thongs. hahaha. Ok, so maybe this doesn't seem funny to anyone else, but I find it hilarious. It's like my grandmother always saying you have to make sure you take your best underwear when you go to visit family, because you don't want them to do your laundry and see you have holey ones. Well, mom and grandma taught me well, because I had already gone out to buy some nice and appropriate Victoria's Secret undies.

Ok, back to Madrid. So my cousin, Maria Dolores, and her boyfriend, Pablo (remember these names because it's about to get confusing), came to pick me up at the airport and drove me back to their place. I'll be staying here with them for the next 3-4 months. Once Stephen gets here we'll get a place or rent a room somewhere, but for now it's nice to be with family and also nice to pay less rent :)
My room is nothing spectacular, but I'm grateful to have a place to stay. It has a bed, a closet, and a bookcase. Only problem is it's pretty full of Pablo's things so I'm still working on finding a spot for my stuff. It's a small room, as most rooms in Spain tend to be. Also, the other guest room is currently occupied by Diego, Pablo's brother. He was working in Chile and has just been relocated to Madrid. He is staying here until he finds a place. So yeah, it's a full house. All week they've been working and I've just kind of been hanging out. It feels a little awkward when they come home from a long day and find me sprawled on the couch watching TV or something. You just know in the back of their heads they're thinking "ugh, when is she going to start working???". I assure them that I have been doing productive things... cleaning up the kitchen, opening a bank account, meeting new people, visiting my future work-place, etc, but the truth is that even I feel a little funny with this lack of structure. I'm looking forward to having something to do everyday and a routine to follow...