Thanksgiving in Spain

November 29th was 'El Clasico'. Barcelona-Real Madrid. Here it's like the super bowl, but their are at least two each year. I went to see the game at an Irish pub here in Don Benito. I arrived 45 minutes early and still barely got a seat. The place was packed with soccer fans, both men and women. I would say the crowd was two-thirds Real Madrid fans. The atmosphere in the pub was amazing, it's something that America just doesn't seem to have. Everyone back home watches the game at home, and here they all go out to their favorite pub. In the end the home team won, 5-0 and I went home happy.

The Friday after Thanksgiving we had a dinner at our apartment with all of the American auxiliars plus a Canadian girl and a couple English guys from out of town. The food was terrific, but we didn't have a turkey which was a little strange. Instead we ate meatloaf and roasted chicken and a potluck of side dishes. It was a lot of fun and everybody seemed to enjoy the food.

Spain: Endless Commercial Breaks & Consistent Glassware

Every day during siesta, the tv networks show the news and then a movie. The movies they show are actually pretty good. The other day I watched Timeline, a sci-fi flick. While I was watching the movie, a commercial break came on that lasted 15 minutes. Apparently this is normal in Spain, but very strange to me. It seemed endless.

In Spain when you go out to a bar to eat tapas, all the bars have the same exact shaped glassware. Theres a tube one, and a short fat round one. It's bizarre to me that every bar would decide to have the same glassware.

One of my favorite new products to buy in the supermarket is this milk-juice concoction. It's like a smoothie without the ice. They have tropical and Mediterranean flavors, I've yet to try the Mediterranean.

I haven't heard one Christmas carol yet this year, and honestly I haven't missed them. Christmas shouldn't start in mid-November. The only clue I have seen that Christmas is coming is that they have started putting up the Christmas lights on the Avenida, but they haven't been lighting them up yet. It's nice to not have Christmas shoved in my face for once.

Spain: Cheap Groceries and Castles

Groceries are so cheap here in Spain. Today I went to the store and bought:

1 bottle of Rose
1 bottle of Tinto de Verano
1 loaf of sliced whole grain bread
1 package of parmesan cheese
1 package of frozen french fries
1 loaf of fresh bread
1 dozen large eggs
3 breakfast pastries
1 package of sliced sausage for sandwiches

and the grand total? Under 9 euros! This would cost well over $20 in california, I'm sure of it.

Yesterday I went to a castle in the nearby town of Medellin. I arrived just before sunset and I was the first visitor of the entire day. I had the whole castle to myself which was really strange and awesome at the same time. The place was kind of eerie without people, especially the dungeon underneath.





All of the high school students from Medellin go to my school, so being a small town and all, I saw another student around every corner that I turned. They were all really surprised to see me in their little hamlet. I'm sure I'll hear all about it in school next week.

Some of the things that the Spanish people do make me shake me head in disbelief. It's really amazing how different the culture is here. One of the first things I noticed upon moving here is the dog poop. People don't pick it up. If the dog poops on the sidewalk it'll stay there until it disintegrates. Every time I walk anywhere I can see all different types of dog poops. There are fresh ones, dried ones, already stepped on ones, and everything in between. Yes, I've stepped in one already. You really gotta walk with your head down here in Spain.

While I'm dodging dog droppings in Don Benito, the Spaniards are zooming by me on foot like they're giving away free clothes at Zara. I know I have a West Coast stroll, but literally everyone under 65 here walks faster than me. It's discouraging, but walking fast is uncomfortable and I'd rather just be two minutes late anyway.

I think I have finally gotten with the Spanish program. That is, I've figured out when people do things. Monday through Thursday are pretty much the same. Coffee and a light breakfast (by the way, toast with olive oil, pureed tomato, and salt is fantastic!) before noon. I usually just grab a coffee and toast at my school during the 30 minute "recreo" or coffee break. Then everyone goes home around two, two-thirty for lunch at home. After lunch is siesta. Finally a country which agrees with my ten hour daily sleeping requirement! I take a siesta pretty much every day that I can. Sometimes I even take two, because the only thing better than a nap is two naps! Then after siesta people usually go back to work. I don't go back to the school for obvious reasons, but I do give private lessons in the afternoon that pretty much cover my per diem. There's not really any kind of nightlife Monday through Thursday, so I almost never go out.

Friday's are pretty much the same except people seem to go to the local bar around the corner for tapas and a drink in the evenings more often than the other weekdays. I don't work Fridays, so I use the day to catch up on laundry, sleep and anything else I need to take care of.

Saturday is the day everyone goes out to the bars and clubs until nearly dawn. And by everyone, I mean everyone. You can see people well into their 60's out at some of the clubs after 3 a.m.

Sunday is a very relaxing day to stay home, sleep in, and take care of domestic chores. Not to mention there is a lot of soccer on tv. Also a lot of people go out for dinner on Sunday night.

Hasta luego!