Day 3-5: A Few Low Key Days

This entry is just a few tidbits of what I did over the course of these days.

DAY 3: 

This morning, I tasted "Melon" for the first time. Woah, was it good. I asked what it was called, and the response I got was "It is Melon. That is it's name."

I wasn't entirely convinced. So I looked it up. And yes, it really is called Melon. Check it out. http://www.foodsfromspain.com/icex/cda/controller/pageSGT/0,9459,35868_6908150_6912156_4446312_7826884,00.html

At the Market with Pilar

Today, Pilar took me on a bike ride to an outdoor market. It was more or less an absolutely giant merchandise market with really cheap stuff. Some vendors sold the same things at a different price, but it was fun to walk around and look at things. I bought a bracelet, and that was about it.

Riding bikes to Puerto Banus

When we returned, Luis and the kids were waiting for us to go on a bike ride. We rode 6km down the bike path that followed the beach to the far end of Marbella and Puerto Banus. At Puerto Banus is where all the sailboats and yachts are kept.

It was gorgeous and sunny, without a cloud in the sky! When we arrived, we went swimming quickly before going to a restaurant for lunch.

Fun Fact #7: Ice is not a thing in Spain. Which I find rather ridiculous considering its sunny 300 out of the 365 days in a year and a solid 90 degrees. I told my brother about the ice problem, to which he responded, "But how do they drink their water?" The answer is warm, my brohan.

The mountain is called "La Concha" or "The Conch"

After we ate lunch, we went to the Abuelos' flat to swim in the pool in their complex. It was perfect as there is a deeper pool for the older kids, and a 1 foot deep pool for Paloma. Martha and Lucas are fairly good swimmers, while Jaime is still learning. His favorite thing to do is to jump in the water, cling to me until I launch him back to the side. I can tell I'll be building a bit of muscle
with how often I seem to be picking them up.

When they get bored with the pool, Lucas loves to play the card game "Uno". As a previous Uno expert and champion, all I have to say is that he most definitely cheats. There's no other reasonable explanation for why I keep losing to him. And it has nothing to do with how competitive I am, I swear!

Today, I heard Pilar singing "Once Upon a Dream" to Paloma after she fell over on the sidewalk to get her to stop crying. It really brought me back- that was my favorite song when I was her age. Now I sing it to her in English when she is upset, and it works every time.


DAY 4:

Again, we had a sort of lazy day. We went to the beach in the morning and captured hermit crabs and built sand castles.  I noticed that many of the women don't wear bathing suit tops on the beach! A little surprised at first, I realized that it wasn't a nude beach- this is just what they do. It took me a minute, but I got used to it. No one else seemed to care, why should I?

After lunch, I went back to the beach to read my book while the kids watched a movie. When I returned, we all showered and went to a play ground to kill time until we met up with Pilar's parents and her brother and nephew.

While we played on the playground and watched the sun set on the beach, Pilar pointed out Africa to me. Directly across the water, I could faintly see the shores of Morocco.

Marta and Lucas jumping on rocks

Paloma at her Grandparents house

The kids wanted to watch a street show, and then we headed off to dinner (at 10:00 at night, mind you). Abuelo noticed that I like white wine, so he bought a bottle for us to share. He's so sweet. Again, I ate some very different things, this time including a baby prawn omelet. It was very thin and crunchy, with what I thought were poppy seeds throughout. These were, in fact, the eyes of the small shrimp. Despite this, I ate it, and actually thoroughly enjoyed it! I'm finding that there is not much I do not like about Spanish cuisine!

From Left to Right: Pilar, Me, Abuelo, Marta, Lucas, Little Feliz, Big Feliz, Abuela, Paloma, Luis, and Jaime.

I was laughing so hard when my kids pulled their chairs up to another family's table to watch a movie on an iPad they had. They are so screen deprived- I love it!!!

When we got home, it was about midnight. We all went straight to bed.

DAY 5: 

Pilar went golfing with her father and brother, and Luis and I brought the kids to the Abuelos' pool. We had fun swimming, and the kids enjoyed spending time with their cousin who is 6 (Martha's age).

When Pilar returned from golfing, we went upstairs for lunch. Abuela made some delicious dishes like tomatoes with olive oil and garlic as well as some steaks and these small potato cakes. We talked at length about how much Pilar's family loves Bruce Springsteen! Her brother was wearing a Boss t-shirt, and told me he as seen him in concert 21 times! I told him about my Dad seeing the Boss at UVM in 1978, and he was extremely jealous.

After lunch, we returned to the flat to get ready to go to "Tivoli"- an amusement park about an hour away. I did not join them, as I was truly exhausted. I stayed in, watched "Bridge Over the River Kwai" and went to bed. I was out before they even returned.

Day 2: A Trip to the Coast

Pilar and I woke up early to take a train from Madrid to Marbella. Marbella is on the Mediterranean coast, not far from Gibraltar. Luis' family has a small flat there a block from the beach. (Luis is the father of my Spanish family.) It was at this flat that the family had been on vacation for the past week and would be staying for one week more before Pilar and Luis had to go back to work.

Now, I've only taken a train once. That one time was one a train from Sydney, Australia to Newcastle to visit a friend while I studied abroad. Truthfully, this train was more like a crappy subway train with flickering lights and graffiti.  But the train I took with Pilar felt like the damn Hogwarts Express!!! 

My"Welcome" sign! They worked hard on the USA flag.

It was clean with reclining seats and big windows as we zoomed through the Spanish countryside.  The little man on the trolley cart gave out food, newspapers, and free headphones. The train was relatively empty, and I promptly fell asleep for the 2 hour ride.

Once we arrived, Luis and the kids were waiting for me with a "Welcome to Spain!" sign they made themselves! There are four kids; Lucas (8), Marta (6), Jaime (4), and Paloma (2). They are so cute!! Lucas and Martha speak English fairly well, and Jaime is learning a little bit, but Paloma is still learning Spanish. 

Lucas, me, and Marta!

We quickly got in the car and hit the road to Marbella. We drove about 45 minutes to the city in Pilar and Luis' minivan, busting 60's Spanish music the whole way. When we got to the flat, they showed me to my room, which I shared with Martha, and we changed and got ready to go to the beach!

Pilar's parents have a flat nearby, so they met us at the beach. 

Fun Fact #6: The Spanish words for Grandma and Grandpa are Abuela and Abuelo. 

Fun Fact #7: In Spain, the proper way to say hello is to do a double cheek kiss. It takes a while and is slightly awkward, but its what they do!

So after some double kissing, I learned that Abuela speaks almost no English, but Abuelo speaks English fairly well! We chatted on the beach for a while before going to get lunch with everyone. 

Sardines for lunch=salty burps

From what I have experienced so far, lunch is a bunch of different dishes that are passed around the table, kind of like appetizers.  Pilar asked me if I wanted American food like a hamburger and fries or something, but I figured, When in Rome, right? So I had them order whatever they wanted for the table and I would eat anything. 

The first dish was smoked sardines- heads, tails, bones and all! Luckily, I'm no stranger to boning a fish (thanks Dad!) and it tasted pretty good! Kind of salty though. Next was steamed clams and calamari, which of course were delicious. I wasn't a huge fan of the fried anchovies though, which I was told to eat bones and all. I think is was a texture thing, but I think I might steer clear of those for a while.  

Jaime: jumping only on the red squares

After lunch, everyone went home to rest and the kids to watch a movie (which is the only time they are allowed to watch tv all day!) I stayed out on the beach for a few hours and read my book. It was sort of nice to have a little alone time to relax on the beach! 

I found the flat easily as it was only a couple blocks from the beach. I showered and changed and we all went for a walk around Marbella. 

The first thing we did was go to Naranja Plaza, which means Orange Square. Rather easy to figure that one out by the shape of the area and the vast amount of orange trees there. Pilar and Luis said that one thing they always do when on vacation is get the kids churros and chocolate. I had never had a churro before, but I gathered it was much like fried dough, so we sat down and ordered a huge churro to share with the family. Now, when they said that the churro is best dipped in chocolate, I figured it would come with a little chocolate drizzled on top.

churros and chocolate- I almost died it was so good.

No No No No.....

Each kid, myself included, received a coffee mug full of melted chocolate. And I mean melted chocolate- not hot chocolate. It was actually a whole cup of melted chocolate that the kids dunked their churros into and then proceeded to eat by the spoonful. They all finished their mugs! I didn't (thank God).

After the churros, we proceeded to walk around the center of Marbella. We passed some little shops, and Pilar insisted on buying me my first fan. Apparently, everyone has their own fan in Spain, as it is so hot. I picked out a pretty red one with flowers on it. 

My beautiful red fan!

When 8 o'clock rolled around, we met up with los Abuelos to go to church. Thank goodness I had the fan- it was very hot in there. I could imagine looking down from the ceiling on the scene below and thought it must look like a flurry of butterflies, as every woman in the place was flapping a fan. 

The cathedral was big and beautiful, with television screens attached to the columns so everyone could see what was happening at the alter. The alter was this giant gilded thing that looked half gaudy and half gorgeous, it was very strange. On the wall, I noticed a large painting of a priest in a green robe with glasses and a Mona Lisa like smile on his face. I found the painting to be very well done, and assumed this was the portrait of a former priest of this church. 

Walking in Marbella

Marta, Lucas, Jaime, Pilar y Paloma

I also noticed how the center aisle was rather overcrowded, with extra chairs brought in that blocked the way. I was beginning to wonder how the priest and his procession would get to the front of the church when mass began when all of the sudden, the green clad priest from the painting appeared at the alter! Everyone crossed themselves and mass began. There was no music, (although there was an organ that no one played) and no one sang. Communion was a bit of an unorganized free for all, and before I knew it, mass was over!! When I was a kid, the music was the best part of church. But truth be told, I didn't mind missing it as cutting it out shaved off an extra 20 minutes!! And with four rowdy kids at church, it was most definitely a blessing.  

After church, we went home. We ate dinner on the balcony and the kids headed off to bed. Pilar told me I didn't have to go to bed right away, but with so much happening, I was exhausted. I was out like a light, once again.

Days 0-1: Because both days blurred together...

After a slightly emotional goodbye to my parents, I waited briefly for Lizzy to arrive and we checked our bags. When Lizzy had a slightly blond moment, I made fun of her with Ross, the bag checker (correct job title pending...) He must have liked me, because he then proceeded to give me a seat next to the emergency exit.

"Usually, you have to pay for this seat, because it has extra leg room. But no one has requested it yet tonight, so I am giving it to you, free of charge." Thanks Ross!! See people! It pays to be nice! (Although I did feel slightly guilty for taking a seat with extra leg room when my traveling companion is a solid 6 inches taller than me... Oops...)

As per tradition, Lizzy and I found the nearest bar and had a celebratory glass of Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand (which was where we became friends) and toasted to our upcoming adventure abroad.

A montage of our ritual to kick off another trip!

Now, when I went to New Zealand, "Santa" brought me a huge L.L. Bean rolling duffle bag. It is truly monstrous- almost as large as my hockey bag was. The problem was, I had to spend a whole week deciding what would go in it, as I did not want to pay for an extra bag. My lovely and talented mother Debbie bought me space bags and the two of us weighed it 20 times while exchanging clothes from the bag to make sure it was exactly 50 pounds. Much to her chagrin, I refused to part with most of my shoes, which made the process rather long... Sorry mom!

In any case, I also packed a large hiking pack, which I was praying would be allowed as a carry on. Sure enough, just like last time, Lizzy laughed at me, telling me there was no way it would get on the plane. And sure enough, just like last time, I had the last laugh- that sucker fit in the over head compartment like it was made for it.

I sat on the 6 hour flight through the night next to a very nice recent college grad who was visiting his friend in the minor league of the English Premier League. True to word, Ross was right- I had enough leg room to stretch them to full length, and I really enjoyed the trip.

The lay over was quick in Heathrow- only an hour- so Lizzy and I hustled to our next gate. Despite being held up in security for suspicious items in Lizzy's hand bag, we were able to make our flight just in time. I sat next to a lovely British couple, and promptly passed out for the 2 hour flight.

When we arrived in Spain, customs was one of the easiest things I have even experienced at an airport. It took less time than it did as an American coming back into our own country! The guy literally took our passports, opened it to a page, stamped it, and gave it back. Sweet deal yo.

Unfortunately, Lizzy's second bag was left at Heathrow, and we were a few minutes late meeting up with our families. Once it was sorted out, Lizzy and I went through the double doors to meet our families in the flesh!!

The Royal Palace in Madrid

Lizzy's family was all there, but mine were on vacation on the coast at Marbella. Pilar (the mother) left the beach to comes pick me up. She and Angela, the mother of Lizzy's family, decided to take the two of us out into the city for our first night. It was incredibly thoughtful of them. After unpacking quickly and showering, we drove to Lizzy and Angela's flat to pick them up.

The city was slightly eerie at that time. I noticed how there was absolutely NO traffic driving in, and almost no one on the streets. Pilar explained how at the end of August when it is hot, most people leave the city for the beach or the mountains. It also happened to be about 6:00pm, which in Spain is the afternoon.

Fun Fact #1: Spanish people eat at different times that the rest of the world. They eat breakfast when they wake up, but don't eat lunch until 1 or 2 o'clock- which isn't too uncommon, except that they eat for at least a couple of hours. Lunch is a BIG affair. Then, they eat dinner around 9 o'clock at night. Kids too! Most go to bed right after dinner, so they don't eat as much as they do at lunch. And because lunch is so much food, everyone rests after lunch, which is why the streets were empty.

Angela acted as our tour guide through the city as she seemed to know a bit more about it historically than Pilar did. She explained that one of the main streets in Madrid was modeled after Broadway in New York City!

Fun Fact #2:  The building of Madrid as a city didn't start until King Philip moved his court here from Toledo in 1590, but Charles III is credited with making Madrid a "modern" city in the 1700s. This makes Madrid an incredibly young city by European standards.

Lizzy and I in Sol!

After a quick view of the Royal Palace and the Opera from one the the many parks, we walked into downtown Madrid. They took us to Sol, which means "Sun".

Fun Fact #3: Sol is not only the geographical center of Madrid, but of all Spain! Each of the streets emanating from Sol is in a different geographical direction: North, Northeast, East, Southeast, South, Southwest, West, and Northwest. The numbers of the buildings on these streets increase the further away you are from Sol. So if you are ever lost, all you need to do to get to the middle of the city is to follow the street numbers in decreasing order.

Angela explained how many small buildings and cinemas have gone out of business, and in their stead, markets have moved into the buildings. These markets are so cool! Each one is different and has different food stands. Each one has a bar or two (of course) and you can sit with friends and get many different types of food to eat. Some even have live music on the weekends.

The view of the Market from above.

We ate dinner at one such market. One of Pilar's friends joined us and we got drinks while the three of
them walked around the market and brought back different kinds of food. I am, what my mother would describe as a "picky eater". I don't know if I would call myself picky... I just know what I like!! But as I am in a new and different country, I have resolved to try everything at least once (at the very least so as not to appear rude). So when sticks with different kinds of meat were brought over and pastries stuffed with interesting things appeared before my eyes, I dug in. What I discovered was that I enjoy more things than I thought I would! Although no one can beat my mom's cooking, I have been enjoying the cuisine here.

Pilar and Angela were shocked when we told them that neither of us have food allergies or eat with a specific diet. Angela said she once had an Au Pair who didn't tell them she was vegan until she got there! She also told us a funny story about hosting a boy from Ireland who had never seen a watermelon before and refused to eat it because it looked too strange to him!

As Lizzy and I were extremely jet lagged, they decided to take us home. On the walk back to the car, we passed a few interesting things. The first was a Cathedral.

Fun Fact #4: NEVER call it a church in Spain. It is ALWAYS a Cathedral.

Fun Fact #5: Almundena Cathedra
l of Madrid was started in 1879 and was completed and blessed by Pope Jean Paul II in 1993.

Angela mentioned how the new king of Spain was married there in 2004, marking the first royal wedding to take place there. Only seeing the building at night, all I could see were tall walls and enough lights shining on it to alert Batman that Gotham City needed assistance.

Gossip Girl Here: The then Prince of Asturias, Felipe VI, now King of Spain, dated a number of prominent women, from nobles to underwear models. For a period of time, little was known about the crown prince's love life until suddenly he announced his engagement in November 2013 to a CNN television journalist! No one even knew that they had been dating! They were married in May of 2014, and now have two daughters. Her name was Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano, but she is now commonly referred to as just "Queen of Spain".

We finally came home, and I immediately crashed into bed. I was so jet lagged and exhausted, I slept on top of the sheets. In the morning, we would be leaving for Marbella to join the rest of the family!

The Preamble: I'm leaving... on a jet plane... don't know when I'll be back again...

Friday, August 22nd began my adventure abroad. Having never been to Europe before and yearning to travel after I graduated, I decided to take some time to explore the world. But having limited funds as is normal of a recent college grad, I needed to find a way to travel inexpensively. Considering that I am now a licensed Elementary Education Teacher and obviously enjoy kids, I decided to give Au Pairing a try. Unlucky for me though, I did not have the Reverend Mother to pick out an obscenely wealthy family in Salzburg
for me and send me on my way. Instead, I had the internet at my disposal, and one such website entitled AuPairWorld.net

The site was great- I created a profile for myself and what I hoped to find in a family. My parents, the pragmatists that they are, encouraged me to consider how this year could affect my future as a teacher. So in that regard, I decided that if I could learn a language during this experience, it could seriously benefit my resume and my teaching skills. French and Spanish were the most frequent languages taught in schools, so I decided to go with Spanish as it is more commonly spoken in the United States than French.

So to Spain I would go!! I looked at many different profiles of families that AuPairWorld matched me with (much like an online dating site) and after some time, I realized that I would prefer to be in a city. This narrowed me down to Granada, Madrid, and Barcelona. I found a wonderful family in Madrid with four children who had had Au Pairs before. I instantly liked them, and they invited me to join them at the end of the summer.

Lizzy and I after UVM Graduation, 2014

Now, the idea of Au Pairing abroad had not been a new one for me. My friend Lizzy and I decided that we were interested in doing it while we were on a beach in Fiji on our way home from New Zealand. Lizzy started to have second thoughts and was applying for teaching positions when I found my Spanish family. Seeing that I had begun to make our dream a reality, she realized that this was in fact exactly what she wanted to do as well. I helped her to set up an account on AuPairWorld.net and we found her a family in Madrid as well!

As if the stars could not align more, during a skype conversation with Pilar and Luis (the parents of my Spanish family) we discovered that a classmate of their eldest son was also getting an Au Pair for the year. Upon further inspection, we discovered that this Au Pair was actually Lizzy!!! Both of our families know one another! In fact, Lizzy's family lives in the same building as my children's grandparents!! It was safe to say that fate was
on our sides.

So Long, Farewell!!...I won't be making them do organized dancing and singing...

Though as much luck as we had, I believe we used most of it up at the beginning of the summer. For when we began the Visa process, it proved exceedingly difficult. Without going into details, we were unable to obtain one in the time we had available to us. As Americans, we can stay in the Schengen Area of Europe (which is most of main land Europe and excludes Ireland and the United Kingdom) for three months. After which, we are required to leave the area for three months before we can return. Though there is the possibility that we can stay in Spain for 6 months un-disrupted, it all depends on what the Embassy says, which we will soon find out.

In any case, on Friday, August 22nd, Lizzy and I were leaving on a jet plane, and we did not know when we would be back again. But it was sure to be a grand adventure.

* A special thanks to my parents, Joe and Debbie, as well as my brother and all my friends for being so supportive of this decision.

** Thank you to my regulars at Trader Dukes: the Smiths and the Stebbins. Thank you for listening to my Visa drama and being such great friends. Also, Donna and Garth- Thanks for the title of the blog!

*** Thank you to Marie and Bernie Peppin, without whom I would have been unable to write this blog. Your friendship towards me has been beyond words and I never will be able to thank you enough for your help.