Christmas Eve in Don Benito

For Christmas Eve, my friend Maria invited me to her house for dinner. Since I had no other plans, I of course accepted her invitation. I walked to her house which is on the other side of town, about twenty minutes away from my apartment. I arrived about half an hour late and was still there before many of Maria's family. Nobody is ever on time here in Spain, it's completely acceptable to be half an hour or more late when meeting someone somewhere. Maria's family had the dinner in their garage which has a huge lounge that they use for parties before going out to the clubs.

For dinner there was a roast suckling pig, plates and plates of jamon, shrimp, salad, cheese, and lots of other things to munch on. For dessert one of Maria's relatives brought a couple chocolate mousse cakes which were delicious. The food was all really good, even the baby pig that I was apprehensive about eating.

After dinner which ended around 1 a.m. the young people went out to the clubs to meet up with friends. There were tons of people out as Christmas Eve is one of the most social nights of the year. Each place we went to was packed and it was really a good time out.

I'm happy with my decision not to jet-set to a European capital for Christmas since I had a good time right here in Don Benito and I got to experience a traditional Spanish Christmas Eve dinner. The way I figure it, I can visit Rome or Amsterdam any weekend, but Christmas only comes once a year. Plus it's cold in Amsterdam!


Christmas Eve dinner with Maria's family


the Christmas lights in the plaza in Don Benito

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: 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!