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New place, new blog.

Check out cassidyisinthestates.blogspot.com .

Thanks for reading!

A late goodbye

I am back in Columbia finishing up school now. Florian and I talk about once a day over skype. I am super busy with Journalism classes. I miss Madrid and my friends muchisimo. But life is busy here, and there are friends to enjoy in Columbia too!

In Prague!

A quick update, lack of internet lately...

Berlin=awesome. I loved: Tiergarten, the sweet hippie cafe where Florian and I ate a vegetarian buffett breakfast and all the history. What an amazingly interesting city. We saw the wall, tons of commie apartment buildings, amazing uber-modern skyscrapers and a lot of great Doner Kebaps (Turkish gyro).

Before that I was in Giessen with Florian. It has been nice to be with more people who speak Spanish! Although the Argentinian accent of my dear friends can be hard to understand :). Early on I got to see Marburg, where Florian studies, which is just north of Giessen. It has a castle and several very old churches. We had a coffee at a cafe by the river. Between the river and the castle, I was ready to spend another month just in Marburg.

Also got to see Amsterdam with Helen and Allie, though the rain and lack of planning limited severly what I got to see. We still managed to enjoy ourselves. It is a beautiful city, loved the canals.

I am currently panicking about moving back to boring old America, trying not to get emotional about leaving Florian and trying to figure out this Czech language. I want to devote my life to studying languages.

Also wondering if I could handle the winters in Berlin. I am thinking no, but will you all still love me if I run away to Europe? I am very much looking forward to coming home. I am already planning potlucks in my head. And I am in desperate need of a good dance party, so you all have to fill me in on where to go now that Shattered is closed.

Love & besos! Be home soon!

Last moments in Madrid

I have mixed feelings about leaving. I'm tired, I've gone out every night this week and am sleep deprived. I am sad to leave my friends, terrified of how I'm going to feel when it really hits me that I can't jump on the metro and go to Aluche.

I have only had bad interactions with Spaniards in the last couple of days. I shared an elevator with our new neighbors last night and instead of introducing themselves they demanded to know if I was a smoker. She's pregnant. What a lovely goodbye for me, being accused of killing an unborn baby in the last civilized country to allow smoking in public. Seriously, you can't even smoke in the bars in Amsterdam anymore! The fact that they pardoned me was no consolation.

That has been the worst thing-I feel like this city is kicking me out. I was literally woken up by the roommate who will take my place this morning. I'm sitting on the couch with my luggage. I keep trying to figure out what the one thing is I want to spend my last 20 minutes doing, and all I can think about is taking a nap.

Giessen, I hope you are sympathetic.

My last night in Madrid

Looking forward to Germany.
Scared of how awful I'm going to feel when I have to go home.
Sad that this year is ending.
Tired from going out every night & don't feel like cleaning the kitchen.

I'm just going to focus on the first one. AND the fact that the European Cup final is tonight! Go Alemania!

Anna & I's home away from home:

Nearing the end

The title of my blog limits me a bit. But I'm going to keep it going through July when I will not be in Madrid. I'll be in Giessen, Germany!

Things I've done this week:
1. Got reprimanded by the super for talking too loud. Go figure.
2. Stole lavander to dry & make things smell pretty.
3. Watched Germany work their way into the final game of the Euro Cup!!
4. Hung out w/ two of my oldest friends (Helen & Allie were here!)
5. Kicked Flo's butt racing him back to his apartment. I'm faster, stronger, better.

Seriously?!

Looks like I won't be getting the Adelante beat. But how freaking sweet would it be to work for the radio station? I hope that is an option for me. If not, fall semester is not looking good.

Acabo de...I mean, I just had this dream...

So. I'm starting to have epic dreams again.

A few nights ago, I was in the states and I almost missed a train back to Spain. And I hadn't packed at all. Exactly like the recurring dream I had in the fall.

Just woke up from a dream that was very blatantly about how I am not looking forward to going home because I expect to miss Spain and the Erasmus life terribly. I kept trying to speak in Spanish to everyone. Have to find a way to speak Spanish daily in Columbia! I really hope I get the Adelante (Latin American community) beat for the Missourian.

There were also performing orca & belgua whales...but I don't think that meant anything. They were just sweet.

Cost of living in Spain

I'm not worried about running out of money in Madrid anymore. I already did! What is there to fear now? The worst has happened and I am just happy to be blessed with parents who wish me shelter & food.

However, having Hannah & Kyle & Kristin here has reminded me how expensive it is to live on the dollar in a European city. I did some research at the (fully stocked!! strikers are taking a break for the weekend) Carrefour today.

Loaf of bread: 1.40€ or $2.15
Peanut Butter (small jar): 4.15€ or 3.40€ from a natural foods store or $5-$6
Milk (1L): 1.25€ or $1.92
Soy milk (2L): 2.40€ or $3.69
Diet Coke (2L): 1.32€ or $2.03
Clean&Clear face wash: 6.70-7.25€ or $10.30-$11.14
Herbal Essences shampoo: 2.95€ or $4.53
store brand shampoo: 1.60€ or $2.46
Olive oil(1L): 3.45€ or $5.30

For bread & milk, these are the cheapest prices or the milk I've seen Anna buy (I go soy). Also keep in mind that US brands (like that face wash) are more expensive than local brands. I've tried many knock-off shampoos & conditioners and all have been lacking in quality.

What I would love to know is: how do these prices compare to US prices?

The trucking strike is apparently still on.

Just now, in the midst of a well-warranted study frenzy I realized I don't have any notes over one of the poets I'm being tested over tomorrow. On my walk to the library I realized how light headed I was from only eating fruit and chips and drinking too much coffee.

So I decided to stop over at the local CarreFour Express and get something to eat. I was also interested to see what was left.

Last night Florian made me some amazing pasta and on limited supplies.

In the fruit section there is a handful of spotted apricots and probably 20 apples (okay, and a ton of ginger).
The fresh fish section is empty and the lights are turned off.
screens are pulled over half of the empty meat section.
There are no vegetables.
There are no eggs.
Milk is getting low, OJ too.
No onions or potatoes.
The sausage section is about half-full.

Yea for bacon and mustard sandwiches?! I'm not as creative as my novio.

Trucking strike!

So, I went to go buy spinach for a salad this weekend. As usual, CarreFour was out. I kind of expected it, they aren't the most reliable with produce. When I went in yesterday, they had no lettuce or salad-making produce at all. This is unprecedented in my year in Madrid. But, in a very untypical fashion, CarreFour had posted a helpful sign explaining the absent produce.

The truck drivers are on strike because of high fuel prices! I expect if I walked into CarreFour this morning the fruit section would be a bit lacking as well.

Getting serious.

This is my second night in a row staying up way too late, but at least I accomplished something tonight! I am about 6 pages done with my supposedly 10 page paper. So basically, I have a really sweet introduction and a great outline of the meaty stuff which I'm avoiding until tomorrow. Going to turn the paper in on Thursday.

Tomorrow: Kyle, Kristin & Hannah!

Friday: First final. Should probably start studying for it. Also, Vincent is having a big dinner at his & John's piso that night (crepe!), which will be a lovely way to show off my life to my friends from home.

A conclusion

I am growing so much here in Madrid. Florian told me recently that I am an adult. And I realized I am an adult. I am learning that things can be done differently than I was taught. For example, over-easy eggs. We always scrambled them growing up. I LOVE over-easy eggs.

Check out this lady. She seems to be thinking for herself, which is inspiring to me right now. She's my sister's age also, which is pretty cool and makes me feel kind of old and unaccomplished. Ha!

Yum!

Made Florian a pizza last night (we even had ranch dressing!). It was probably the tallest pizza I've ever seen.

Just whisper sweet (past perfect) nothings into my ear...

Finally finished signing up for classes today. I signed up for an introductory German class. I am craving a third language. I then was immediately gripped by the senselessness of that act. If I am going to graduate from MU anytime in the near future with a double major, I really should take classes that give me credit for at least one of my majors. I double checked, and wouldn't you know it, the Spanish class I needed had opened up. I took the last spot and dropped the German class. Maybe in the spring. I want to speak it so badly!

Florian and I bought our tickets to Frankfurt the other day. From a German website. I hate having that wall up. I hate not understanding. But this feeling isn't about being lost in the dark. On the contrary, when I learn a word in another language, when I learn how to pronounce a group of letters or how to conjugate a verb, I get this rush through my body. Languages just turn me on.

Así, gute nacht a todos. I'm going to fall asleep to The Sound of Music (since Grey's won't be online until tomorrow) and dream happy little dreams about the apple muffins Anna made tonight. Sweet dreams to you too!

Tag!

My dear friend Amanda tagged me on her blog, Hoi Polloi, so hear are some fun facts about Cassidy Diane Shearrer. The rules:

1. Link your tagger and list these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

1. If I could be a superhero, my power would be communication. If I could live forever, I would learn every language in the world. I like to talk.
2. I love God and believe the Bible. I've also been rejected by Christian friends and disgusted by evangelists. Living in Europe amidst the Catholic church history makes me queasy. My closest friends don't share my beliefs but also never judge me. The mistakes of the church make me very sad.
3. Creating is my favorite thing to do by myself. Having left behind my sewing machine and film camera in the states, I've been really into cooking here. Learned how to make my own pizza crust yesterday!
4. I have an unhealthy attachement to my laptop. Celebrity gossip sites, illegally downloaded TV shows & facebook are my biggest vices right now. The celebrity obsession began when Mary-Kate Olsen started dressing weird-people.com was a fashion consultation site for me. Now the Olsens have better security and my taste for fashion has devolved into perezhilton.com.
5. Living in a this new culture has made vegetarian resturants the freaking mecca of all establishments. Found one last week in La Latina, Viva la Vida. Holy scheiße.
6. I want to live in a big city, but I really don't want to be a suit. I would be content to serve coffee for the rest of my life.
7. I always wanted to be in the boy scouts. I am still angry that I'm not an expert fire builder. Survival stories were my favorite as a kid! I wish I could say with 100% certainty that I could make it on one of those deserted islands (unfortunately, I am pretty sure they've all been bought up, so I may never get a chance to prove myself).

Though I barely know 7 people with blogs, I will tag Anna, David, Marta, La Revolutonista, and Cafe Con Soja.

Eurovision '08

Last night we watched the Eurovision Song Contest & ate an amazing Italian meal. For the estadounidenses, this Eurovision thing is pretty freaking awesome. Think American Idol with less hate, more ridiculousness & more languages. It has been around since the '50s. Russia won. Mostly because of the Olympic ice skater in their act? What that has to do with music, I do not know. There were also Latvian pirates, fohawks & well, Spain. Most of the acts were bad pop with pretty outfits. Spain's submission...was original, to say the least:

In case you didn't catch it, the third dance move is the "maiquelyason" or Micheal Jackson. Sweet.

Toledo-third time around

Florian & I took a bus to Toledo on Saturday and spent the weekend sitting in coffee shops and getting lost in winding alleyways. Poppies are blooming here right now and the view from the bus was incredible-brilliant streaks of red on each side of the highway.

We saw an old monastery where Isabella & Ferdinand were planning on being buried (ended up in Granada)-old and cool; Florian got bored somewhere during my commentary (probably at the phrase 'nave lateral') but I think at one point we were actually standing in a crypt. Sweet! We drank lots of café con leches and café solos-several in a cafe that was obviously a straight portal to 1988 (check out the couch in that photo & think lots of Tracy Chapman). My favorite part was that the cafe wasn't trying to be stuck in the 80s, it literally was.

Also ate some yummy pizza in Plaza Zocodóver and talked with a Portuguese woman who had 13 kids. Decided that was a few too many.

P.S. Happy Birthday Dad!!

Fuegos Artificiales!!

Last night we met my friend Megan in Retiro Park for a picnic. A bunch of ERASMUS kids showed up and we had a good time listening to Vincent play the guitar. The weather is finally really nice here! There were cute little Spanish kids dressed up in costumes for the holiday and we saw some bats after the sun set, but clearly the light and firework show was the highlight.
Vale, here we've got a photo of the lovely Anna & friends in the radiance of the explosions. Super cool! Also a still of the lake and some of the first fireworks. The video didn't work, so I threw in another firework picture. Imagine music and explosion sounds!


































We had a big group and got desperately split up in the crowd, but we all met at a cueva in Sol afterwards. I first came to this bar in the fall with Giovanni and couldn't understand any of the quotes on the wall. It was very rewarding to realize how much I have learned this year! Also, John's mom is still in town and I got to talk to her again which was wonderful. And I finally taught Vincent the cup rhythm we've been working on. It was a great night. And I was in bed by 1:30!

I am anything but a madrileña.

Went to Canal today for the first time. One metro stop away from my piso. Anyway, played some padel (I think that's how it is spelled). It is just tennis on a smaller court with smaller rackets. Super fun! Luckily Florian had never played tennis before, so I didn't look like a total idiot, just a bit of one.

Today is another fiesta. This is the first madrileño holiday I actually know something about, though sadly, only the name of the Saint: San Isidro. I get two days off school and all the little girls in my neighborhood are wearing dresses with red flowers on their head. And there are fireworks tonight! I don't get it, but I like it.

I take it back

As always when I open my mouth to insult someone, I end up being quite wrong.

She may have just felt guilty for being an hour and twenty minutes late, but my profesor was actually really helpful in our meeting today. I know now that the exam is going to be killah and I will probably fail, but at least she isn't planning on failing me without reading my exam!

Rhymes with Witch

I am in 5 classes this semester. The hardest by far is my 20th century Spanish poetry class. I love poetry. Reading in Spanish is incredibly difficult because I have to look up at least one word a line, but I find that I understand Spanish poems better than some English ones. I am forced to find the meaning behind every word (or be utterly confused), whereas I tend to skip over a few words when reading in English.

So. Luis Cernuda has a few poems that are about 3 pages long. Needless to say I have a new vocabulary sheet that is about the same length. I am learning. I love this challenge, it is my favorite class.

Today after class I went up to my professor and explained I was having some difficulty and asked her when her office hours were. Her response? This is not a class for people who don't have a very good grasp on Spanish.

Then she showed me the books I need to read for the class on the bibliography I've had since the beginning of the semester. The books she showed me were already underlined and I've been making copies out of the one relevant to our current theme for weeks. Only after a few more minutes of conversation did she give me her office hours.

If you are reading this and you teach something, please don't forget how valuable encouragement is to a struggling student.

Charity

Madrid has quite the homeless population. After reading Irresistible Revolution this fall, sharing makes more sense. I really want to live a life that has community and giving at its core.

Which is great and all...except when I start giving away things that don't belong to me. Florian's food. Florian's money. Florian's sweet comic book in Spanish that we found sitting outside my apartment. And the latest:

Okay, clearly not a tragic loss. First of all, the front wheel was busted. Secondly, well, Florian is a fully grown man.

The convenience store by his apartment is run by an Asian family, like most of the 'alimentaciones'(or 'chinos') in Madrid. Florian tried to ride the bike from the dumpster to the chino. Hilarious!

It was around midnight, but the Asian kids were still up, helping their mom run the store. We bought what we needed at stepped back outside to get the bike and go home. The kids followed us out. The little girl was eying the bike-I don't think she even noticed we were there. I opened my mouth and offered the bike to the girl. She didn't have a clue what I was saying, but her brother immediately said "Sí" and she hopped on.

You should have seen her face! So cute! Hopefully Florian will survive.

Boredom strikes: Cass blogs.

Going to see Iron Man tonight with friends. The last movie I watched was crap, so my expectations are pretty low. Vamos a ver.

Today I cleaned the bathroom (so exciting!) and took a bath while listening to a sermon from The Crossing. I am so glad they podcast their sermons!

Florian has been teaching me German. So far the only thing I can say with any confidence is "ich mag dich auch sehr, hübsche" which basically means "I really like you too, cutie." I think I'm going to have to take lessons if I'm going to learn anything useful.

Molly came this weekend!

I got to spend the weekend with Molly! On Friday we made stir fry and went out to La Vía Lactea in Malasaña with her friend Megan. Then some more of her American friends from Granada showed up and we went to El Laberinto. I've been to both places before-not too expensive, the music doesn't suck, the decorations are kitschy and Laberinto has a foosball table. Sweet! We sang David Bowie songs all the next day.

Saturday we walked around, I finally saw Madrid's cathedral. It seems much more modern than other cathedrals I have seen in Europe. The paintings were super colorful. After a long walk we ended up in Retiro with Florian and my friend Alicia. Good times, we sat in the shade (the weather here is incredible!) and tried to avoid getting sunburnt. The Prado was free after 6, so we saw some excellent Goya. That man was witty! He was commissioned for all these portraits of generals and royalty, but in his free time he sketched his political opinion out-very antiwar. He was awesome.
This morning I went to El Rastro with Molly-super dangerous. I wanted to buy every hippie summer dress in sight! She checked out the Reina Sofia-which I still need to do(!) and then headed back for Granada. But not before I made plans to possibly live in her unfinished basement next year. $150 rent? Yes.

I ate cornflakes for breakfast...

...should I really go vegan for sustainibility reasons if I don't plan on going all organic? Is it a failure to say I will try to eat organic as often as possible? Do I need a label like 'vegan' to be serious about caring for this planet? I think most of you would say no. I can't save the world eating organic anyway, right? And is it really possible to weed all the hypocricy out of my life? Can I really go vegan when I'm spending my parents money? Is it a responsible use of money?

Yummy confusion.

In case you haven't recieved a proper indie education:

Florian

I drank too much coffee today, apparently, because here I lie, wide awake at 2AM. Amanda requested some photos. This is the guy I met at John's birthday party in January. I've been crazy about him ever since. He is constantly encouraging, brings out the artist in me and likes my cooking. To say the least. First photo is at Plaza Mayor and the second is at The Cure concert!

Dinner party, photos & vegan possibilities?

Last night Anna made the most amazing Jamaican food for all of our friends (turns out we have quite a few!). It was a wonderful community celebration-everyone chipped in with the cooking and helped us with the food costs. We had a genuinely great time. I was exhausted for most of it, and at one point sitting on the couch next to Florian, I stuck my ear into each conversation in the room and realized that I have found a truly incredible group of people. I am so happy to be sharing my life with all of them right now!
Mati and Pablo taught us all the Argentinian national anthem, Patrick brought German beer for Florian, and Anna's jerk chicken sauce is on my list of favorite foods now.

In other news, I think I may become a vegan. Florian and I had an interesting conversation about whether or not to eat animals the other day, and it got me thinking. I believe God put animals on this earth for us to eat but I also see our unsustainable agricultural practices destroying the earth.
Now, I have only been seriously considering this for a few hours, so feel free to give me some advice. So far I've realized I'm going to miss scrambled eggs, Flat Branch burgers and salmon. Currently trying to figure out how bad the over-fishing problem really is. My exceptions would be: If you cook it for me, I'll eat it. Because over all, I still value people over animals (which I realized is in direct conflict with most vegan beliefs...). Second exception would be any free-range produce, that is, food from animals raised in a sustainable manner. I don't want to be a hypocrite about my beliefs, and this is definitely an area in my life where I feel I can be hypocritical (i.e. the McDonald's french fries I ate in Venice).

Finally, the photos you have all be waiting for:








1. Me and the hermanos in Andalucía! 2. Floating kid head! 3. It was rainy and cold. We were tired from all the relaxing in Spain. But whatever! Paris was amazing! 4. Those amazing friends I was telling you about. By this point in my 3 week long travels, I was exhausted, homesick and coughing a lot. They managed to put up with me and I love them for it!

Back!

I have been avoiding an update this week because there is so much to say, I am a bit overwhelmed. So to avoid all the whelming, I am going to write a bit about the past a bit about the present and a bit about the future. I promise photos of my travels with witty captions in the future.

Past: My dad managed to run 3 red lights in a row in Sevilla. Luckily my family & I survived our Andalusian vacation. We slept like kings in a timeshare condo in the center of a labyrinth on a hill. We saw every major city in Andalucia as well as a few tourist traps and small beaches. Favorite thing? Kebap in Granada.

Present: Making my own kebap tonight. And strawberry shortcake! Also, just recieved an automated reply from my journalism advisor informing me that she does not advise over email and that I should stop by to make an appointment. All the more reason to give up and move to Frankfurt!

Future: Though I am not moving there(after all, I can still live up to half of the promise I made to my mom that I wouldn't "fall for some european and never come home"), I am spending the summer in Germany with Florian. We are going to hit up Prague, Amsterdam, Berlin and some campgrounds in Scandinavia. Hopefully Helen and Sarah will be involved somehow!

One day in Madrid

Last week I was in Granada. Yesterday I was in Paris. Today: Madrid. Tomorrow: Somewhere in Italy.

Photos and details to come.

staying up late to listen to kels's game

Check out this poem Marta posted. Loving it. Took me back to senior year of high school, trying to do Stat homework with Leah while drinking a peppermint patty mocha. All I remember is falling in love with Billy Collins and impromptu poems written on paper napkins.

Don't let this post fool you into thinking I'm homesick. I'm an Erasmus student for life now.

Ich bin freue!

Yesterday was lovely! It became lovely when I met Miguel. Miguel is in my Women's History class (the orange from the previous post). He does an excellent non-flattering imitation of our professor.

But the highlight was The Cure! I've never seen more middle-aged women dressed in all black. It was freaking awesome. Did you know that in Europe, bands usually do two encores? When he finished singing the first time, I was disappointed because I thought he'd only come back up for a few more songs. But he ended up coming back up 3 times in total! Crazy. Why not just have an intermission or something? It was great though. I've had this song in my head all day, along w/ Boys Don't Cry. Thanks to Flo's mom for giving sweet birthday presents to her son.

Then this morning we said goodbye to Jenny. Lame.

Tonight? Pizza made by Roberto, clearly.

Bought some sweet new pants

I'm bummed because I just realized a lot of my friends stopped posting on their blogs. I'm missing out on some good stalking. That said, I haven't been super faithful to this blog in the last couple weeks, so I can't really complain.

The last couple weeks have been mostly about choosing classes, freaking out about all my travel plans coming up and Florian. I'm trying to diversify my interests. Today I bought new pants at H&M and walked around Malasaña, a great bar district I've really only ever seen at night. Tomorrow I'm going to see The Cure!! And then I'm going out to say goodbye to Flo's friend Jenny who is returning to Germany at the end of the week. She laughs at least as often as I do, if not more. She's freaking awesome.

Madrid is treating me pretty well. I've had a few bad moments lately, but I'm trying to remember that sometimes cultural differences just seem like evil people. My professor reprimanded me in class yesterday for eating an orange. Of course, I had no idea what she wanted from me, so we ended up taking about five minutes out of class to discuss my orange and whether or not I could eat it. After class, she explained to me that "in Spain, we finish our food before we come to class." She is actually really atypical of most of the professors I've met. She, for example, actually shows up on time to class. Most of my professors are at least 15 minutes late. Which I love!

Still happy in Spain,
Cass

My family is coming in 2 weeks!!

Lately I've been saying goodbyes. Sometimes that means throwing a huge party in La Latina and playing games with Vincent all night even though I'm about to fall asleep. This weekend it meant going to a sweet bar in Malasaña where they played Queen & Twisted Sister. Incredible. Also, lame that people are leaving.

Today sat in Plaza Mayor in the sunshine eating bread and cheese and drinking apple juice. Before that I learned all about maté from Florian's new argentinian roommate. Sweet! Also sat in a 18th century garden. My life is way too "tranquila." Pero, me encanta.

Globalization

Today I sat in my piso reading The Kite Runner (in English, written by an Afgahn) eating a passion fruit (which if you experience winter where you live, is from anywhere but there) and fried corn from the Mexican store. All I needed was a pair of stylish Italian sunglasses.

In other news: my sister is cooler than yours.

Will someone please chose my classes for me?

I'm still recovering from a week of all-nighters (both study sessions and parties) and now I have to start all over again! I just sat through this really sweet Art History class only to realize at the end that class attendance is mandatory. I'm going to be in Paris & all over Italy for like 3 weeks coming up. Lame!

So far I have 2 of 5-6 classes needed. The Art History class from last semester and a Women's History class that seems pretty sweet. Anyone have any suggestions? I can take almost anything I want, so the process of selecting 5 is kind of overwhelming. I am really disappointed because a lot of the classes I wanted to take aren't offered this semester. As always, I'm going to end up in a bunch of classes I could care less about. Sweet!

Exasperatedly yours,
Cass

Comida

Today I organized the refrigerator (which is not spelled with a D?). Among other things, I created a "random meats section." Seriously, hot dogs, some kind of fish, what I think was chorizo, bacon, and the star of the show: pate made out of a rabbit our neighbor killed. That's right. I have a neighbor who goes rabbit-hunting and makes his own pate.

I made Florian french toast this morning, with eggs and bacon. Pretty sure he's not impressed by American food. Neither he nor Adam nor Roberto could handle maple syrup. To be fair, the man does now how to make some mean cereal. Walnuts. Raspberries. Yum.

Ciao!

Almost there...almost there...

After finishing my second and last paper, I found out you can conference call on skype! Sweet! I caught up with Molly (studying in Granada) and Anna, who studied in Italy last semester and is now at home in Columbia. It was so good to talk to my friends again as if we were all in the same room together. Molly is having way more fun than I am-staying out late and living with an amazing-sounding commie homestay mother. I need to go visit!

Tomorrow after my 3PM exam I am free. Hallelujah. Going to spend the next few weeks staying out all night and sleeping in the sun in Retiro all day with Florian. This was the longest semester ever!!

Study break!

While researching for the paper I have to turn in in less than 24 hours, I was distracted by the primary results on The New York Times site. Did you know John McCain is 71!? That's ridiculously old if you ask me. Other interesting facts: Mike Huckabee was born in Hope, Arkansas-where my grandfather was born and raised. Also where Bill Clinton was born. Let me tell you, that is the kind of town that would make you want to grow up and change the world. It would make me want to be a democrat though.

Still rooting for Obama. He won in Missouri by 1%! That's nuts!

GIANTS!

Yesterday was definitely the most memorable Super Bowl ever. Anna & I and all our closest European friends watched the game in an Irish bar. We had to explain all the rules (What is an interception? Why don't they just kick the ball? What happens if you punch someone?). Lucky for us, the entire crowd was rooting for the Giants (everyone booed the Patriots when they walked on the field). I rooted for them because the Patriots beat the Rams once. Enough reason for me. I really wanted to see Tom Brady fall on his face. The last quarter, that final run, was A-mazing. The entire bar went NUTS. All the Americans were jumping and screaming. Florian was practically cowering from all the noise. John was screaming and clapping though I don't think he knew why. Roberto was reaching for another cigarette. Anna and I were shouting insults at Brady. It was beautiful. Yea for fútbol americano in Spain!!

First test is Monday

Skip to about 00:13

Definitely not my dream guy, except...

I had this dream last night that I was dating an expat from Arkansas. Somehow in Spain he managed to live in a trailer and go hunting on the weekends. He was as american as it gets; his mom invited me to church. I was in love.

Need to stop reminiscing about the US before I go to bed!

Ikea furniture is okay, but...

This late evening, in a moment of solitude and procrastination, I sat organizing my photos into subcategories in iPhoto. I fleshed out the photo album of my Paquin apartment from last year and pined away for better lighting and fabulously garage-sale awful furniture. I'm now sitting at my quiet open window, remembering all the quiet moments on the roof, talking to my roommates through the kitchen window. I miss that place. It was impossible to keep clean because it was so old. The floors were kitschy & went perfectly with my mismatched furniture and found decorations.

I regret leaving Nancy's life-size cardboard cutout of Beyonce in Columbia. It fit in my suitcase.

That said, they don't have bidets in Columbia.

Money

When I came back from the States after Christmas, I stopped at the money exchange kiosk in Chicago and exchanged most of my Christmas dollars for euros. Whether it is because of the writer's strike, global warming or our economy, I left a bit short-handed. Especially because the bright lady working the kiosk couldn't tell the difference between a franc and a euro. I paid $1.47 for a relic of pre-EU France. Yes! I have another coin to add to my growing collection of useless U.S. quarters and dimes.

Well, maybe not entirely useless. My new fire hazard/incense burner:

I am in love with...

The Streets.

If my door would close, I might feel differently.

So, I've had two dreams in the past few weeks about having my own room. No hidden subconcious messages there.

That said, Anna is the best roommate I could ask for. But, maybe next year I need to think about living in my own place.

Molly!

I called my Mom yesterday. Poor lady hadn't heard from me in like 2 weeks. I realized I'd even forgotten to reply to one of her emails! Being that I feel this need to communicate constantly, that was very unlike me. I realized a few days ago while talking to my italian friend Giovanni, I am not consumed with depression anymore. In fact, I love living in Madrid. Luckily, I have plenty of time left here. I am so glad I chose to do a year-long program.

Molly Moore, my good friend from Mizzou, is leaving today. She has been in Madrid staying with me all weekend and it has been a blast. I was a bad host and didn't take her to any museums or historic old buildings. But I did take her to a sweet house party where she practiced her spanish with a bunch of french and german students. It was so nice to go out in Madrid with a friend from home! It made me realize that my friends in Madrid are amazing. Everyone was so nice and would talk with Molly in her always-improving spanish, or english. At el Junco (where we watched the best blues show I've seen yet), my friend Florian even tried to buy her a beer. The beers were 7 euro. Seemed like an extra nice offer to me.

I can't remember which day now because the whole weekend was kind of blurred by staying out so late each night, but we found ourselves in Plaza Mayor at one point. We had gone out to see the city during siesta and everything was closed. It was kind of a downer until we got to the plaza. The sun was out and the day was beautiful (I honestly thing winter is over in Madrid, though I don't think it ever really came). The night before we had been reminiscing about hot summer days where you can't breathe and have to go for a swim to stay alive. Sitting in the sun, listening to this incredibly joyful guitarist, I could not have been more content. There has been a lot of happiness going around lately. Hopefully you can catch some of it too.

Last night Anna, Molly & I went to a bar in Sol for Molly's last night. It is a place Vincent has taken us before. It is small, dark and filled with cushions and hookahs. We were all exhausted from having so much fun, this was the perfect place to relax. Though someone walked off with Molly's jacket, which still makes me kind of sick, it was a great night. We smoked some peach hookah and talked with these colombian guys about la vida madrileña.

Some of my dearest friends have finally joined me over here. Sarah will soon be up north, Nancy is in Fez, meeting all kinds of amazing people-she has a moroccan roommate! Erin will be in Paris and Molly is about to get on a plane to Granada. The other night I skyped with Amy in France. I don't feel like I am missing out on as much now that everyone is off on their own adventures. I have also been very distracted by a nice german boy lately, so that might be why I am feeling less homesick.

Germans are awesome.

Some things that have gotten lost in translation the last couple of days:
-my birthday. It isn't tomorrow.

D.A.N.C.E.

Went out dancing at Club Low off of Gran Via this Friday. When I got there, my feet hurt and I was tired. At about 4 in the morning, Roberto and Anna had to drag me off the dance floor. I protested...one more song! I lost a little hearing, but at least it wasn't techno. Yea for Postal Service and the Stones and so many lovely dance songs.

Noticias madrileñas

Today is my first day back to school. Exams are coming up at the end of this month and the beginning of Feb., so naturally I am in the computer lab updating my blog. It is also the warmest place on campus. I ate some delicious cafeteria tortilla and read the news after my horrendously boring Cervantes lecture. I found out today that I do have to read Don Quixote. Sweet.

Now for the news: The metro cleaners' strike ended today. Which is pretty awesome, because the pile of red-wine tinted vomit at the Quevedo station was starting to gross me out. Plus all the metros were starting to smell like the NYC subways. The question remains: How awful was it to have to clean up a few weeks worth of trash after the strike?

Javier Bardem! Oscar worthy? We say yes! I highly recommend No Country for Old Men (No es país para viejos). It is about an assasin, the man he is chasing and the policeman chasing them both. Lots of people die. It is so choice.

España and the rest of Europe are talking about the primaries. Mostly they are saying what I am: anything will be better (Although I admit, Huckabee freaks me out a bit). In 20 Minutos, the paper I read this morning, they seem pretty excited about Obama. As am I. I haven't heard much about his plans, but as the paper put it, he would change the way the world sees the United States. I think we need that.

There was also a feature on prostitution in Madrid. It made me realize how I have grown used to the girls standing on the streets. When I go out to Sol and walk back home, I walk past them on Gran Via everytime. The article explained how most are foreigners and are in a state of semi-slavery. Some were sold into prostituion by their families. They have to pay rent and a pimp of some sort as well as a prositituion mafia for protection.

Some Portuguese tried to sneak cocaine into Spain...they froze it in with octopus. How is that for news of the weird.

Living in Madrid, I have learned a few things:

1. If you want your name spelled right, change it to Katarina.
2. People standing on the left side of the escalator are not to be tolerated.
3. Watch the sidewalk when you walk to avoid stepping in dog crap (At first I just thought everyone was having a bad day, looking at the ground all the time).
4. I know how lucky I am to have an oven in my apartment.
5. When I ask someone out for a drink, I know they expect me to pay for it.
6. Staring at a beautiful man on the metro is totally acceptable.
7. Dread-lock mullets happen to good people.
8. When walking towards someone, you don't have to move out of the way until the very last second. They usually won't run into you.
9. Calimocho is yummier than most red wine. Sangria is even better.
10. I am not surprised by tuna pizza. I even enjoyed it once.