Venga, ¡a la fiesta!

Ok I seem to like publishing blob entries in 2s....so here it goes, 2nd round!
Now I shall talk about a festival I recently attended in Valencia called Las Fallas and the splendid fun I have been having with my friends in the continually beautiful weather.

1st las Fallas:
       On tuesday at 8:30 in the morning 5 buses filled with international and spanish students took off for Valencia, a city 2 hours away up the coast. It was going to be a long 17 hour day.....
       I got to hang out with a group of Americans from my program here at the University of Alicante, most of them I knew but I hadn't actually spent time with them. We arrived at 11:30 and set off through the unbelievably crowded city; more than a million people come to Valencia for the festival.  At one point we were in a crowd flowing like an ocean current that you couldn't fight. We had to hold onto each other in a train so we wouldn't get lost. But we spent most of the day walking around visiting the many Fallas that are scattered about the city. So you are probably wondering what a falla is. Well the best way to understand it by looking at the pictures below, but essentially it is an artistic monument/sculpture made out of cardboard and paper måché filled with firecrackers and a wooden skeleton. They have a cartoon quality and are often a satire or critique of society or individuals that have been prominent in the last year.  Each falla can cost between €6,000 and €600,000 and then in celebration of Spring and the birth of new things, they burn these incredible structures at 12:00 and 1:00 am to symbolize getting rid of the bad/old things of the past year. The celebration has a New Years quality to it, including fireworks and possibly the consumption of alcohol.....but you didn't hear it from me.
     The weather was fantastic and the company was great! I got to run into my French friends Vincent and Ianis not once but twice completely on accident, it was great fun! I even got to feel/smell/taste a bit of home when we went to the Starbucks they have in Valencia. Toward the early evening when my feet were telling me to fall down and die I truly appreciated the big comfy arm chairs provided by my fellow Seattleite company. We also got to eat some delicious fried food at one of the many stands of the street market, these things called buñuelos made from pumpkin batter, they were absolutely mouth-watering. We also had some creme-filled wondrous pastries called rellenos and of course the classic churros were available for those who enjoy the disgusting substance known as chocolate, because of course in Spain you can't eat churros without chocolate...its sacrilegious. After messing about the city we finally plopped a squat at a plaza with a falla and waited for 12. There were hundreds of people gathered around, and each falla in the city had it's own similar following. The music played and then the firecrackers lit on a rope leading to the cardboard structure and then all of the firecrackers within the structure went off and the whole thing burst into flame...it was incredible. The heat coming off it was intense and of course there were firemen at the ready. Then we waited for an hour in la Plaza del Ayuntamiento for the 1:00am spectacular show of fireworks and the burning of the last falla. It was incredible, words won't be able to describe it. Hope the pictures help.

Me and una falla (for scale)

The award winning falla, Aladdin theme

Vincent, me and Ianis 

Buñuelos being fried...yummy!

Falla being burned 

  

Me and Pedro walking through the street market

Plaza del Ayundamiento

The final falla being burned and fireworks light the sky

2nd thing is a fantastic beach day with the girls. The pictures are enough to describe the fun we had. All I will say is that I finally fulfilled my yearning desire for salt-water swimming....hmmmmm soooo wonderful! Not warm yet but the Puget Sound has taught me to be tough.

       

¡Guacamole!

Hello one and all, I am terribly sorry that it's been so long since I have made a post. Needless to say a mix of laziness and being busy has kept me from blogging. To catch you up on life I will start with the fact that the weather has been gorgeous, 70 degrees in March.....I am sooo lucky! In celebration of the weather and also to satisfy our terrible cravings for Mexican food (Mexican food doesn't exist here....it's a tragedy) we have been making guacamole weekly. I have included some documentation of said guacamole. I have been spending a lot of time with wonderful new friends here, many of them from Lewis & Clark, which is fantastic because we shall continue our adventures together upon our return to the mother-land.  I have also included a picture of my host dad Cesar helping along the burning of the coals for a barbecue with my host mom's hair dryer....I guess we have reached the modern age people. 
               All in all life has been great. I have been having a blast with my intercambios David and Pablo (aka ready-made Spanish friends who help us with Spanish and we help them with English).  We go out for "unas cañas" (beer) and tapas and talk about politics, movies, fútbol, culture, history, really whatever we want. It is an incredible experience to have a fully bi-lingual conversation. Last week David and I went out and I spoke the whole time in Spanish and he in English. It was a fantastic night, helped by the fact that FC Barcelona won Premier League game against AC Milan.  I love that I am once again living in a culture that actually appreciates soccer. 

We love guacamole! 

Me and my friend Chauncey out for mojitos

Cesar heating the coals up with a hairdryer....classic. 

    Blog post 2 of my Sunday afternoon; I figured since I’m listening to some Nat King Cole and Sublime (I know it’s a weird musical combo, don’t judge) and my family is taking a siesta I might as well take advantage of some down time to catch up on blog posts.  Today I’m going to talk about my experience making an authentic Paella Valenciana! Last weekend my uncle Roberto showed me how to make paella, and this weekend he said it was my turn to take up the apron of apprenticeship.  Today I made paella de mariscos (seafood), instead of the chicken and beef paella de made last weekend. Roberto has taught me all these amazing tricks to making paella, which I have written down in my journal so as never to forget (in case I get Alzheimer's I want to make sure my future family will always be able to eat paella).

    I was very nervous to do it by myself, but with my incredible instructor looking over my shoulder I was at ease.  He said the secret is patience and of course to put lots of love into your cooking. We made all the preliminary preparations a couple of hours in advance because Spaniards like to go out on the weekends in the middle of the afternoon to take a walk, drink a beer, talk and eat some tapas…I LOVE this culture! We had some great conversation, talking about everything from the economic crisis, their favorite cities in Spain, to stories of the earlier lives. I am getting very involved in conversing, you really have to be aggressive and use lots of hand gestures to express yourself properly here, otherwise people will just keep talking and you can't get a word in edge wise.  They said I am starting to seem española to them instead of American…it was the best compliment ever!

    When we came back to the house I finished making la paella and some eur dourves: steamed muscles and clams with onions, white wine, and olive oil (they don’t really have butter here).  I was sharing my seafood cooking experience that I have learned from my Uncles Kyle and Neil on Lopez Island summer after summer, and bringing it to Spain: cross-cultural experience at its finest.

     Since today the weather was gorgeous, sunshine and a light breeze in mid 60 degree temperatures, we ate out on the terrace.  I cannot claim credit for the quality of la paella because Roberto taught me everything, but I have to say that it was simply delicious. As I write this I must say I am SOOO full...I cannot move.  If I liked taking siestas I would most certainly be joining my family, but since I don’t like napping I get to write instead.

   I end this post by saying this: I have rekindled my love for this country, I feel completely part of the family, and I can remember now why it was so hard to leave Spain last time: Spanish people, food, and culture are magnificent.

P.S

…I’m SOO excited to bring back my paella making skills to the USA and share the incredible dish with you all!  

Besos for everyone! 

- Tonada 

 Las almejas (clams)

 Awww cutest couple in Alicante!!!

 Me and Uncle Roberto with the Paella

Valencia

     Hola a todos! Sorry for not writing last week, it's been a busy first month, we are finishing up the "Intensive Language Period" next week, so my mind has been elsewhere. This post actually refers to a trip we took to Valencia 2 weeks ago; so I'm doing a bit of catching up, bear with me. 
     On January 12th all 55 + of us got on a big bus en route to Valencia, another costal city to the North of Alicante. Most everyone slept on the bus because Friday night "todos fueron de fiesta" (everyone went out to party)...except me because I'm an old lady. I spent the 2 hr bus ride reading Shantaram (I know I keep talking about this book, but it seriously is a work of art, just incredible). 
     We arrived in Alicante at around 11:00. We got to see the amazing City of Arts and Sciences, Valencia's modern crown jewel, a collection of futuristic buildings that truly is out of this world. We then headed city center first stopping at El Mercado Central where everyone buys their fresh produce, including whole animals (yes pig heads included: by the truckload). We then walked to La Catedral where they claim to have the Holy Grail (all I could think of was Monty Python...."that’s no ordinary rabbit, that’s the most foul, cruel, and bad-tempered rodent you ever set eyes on," and of course The Last Crusade comes to mind when thinking of the Grail.  Ok sorry, I get carried away with my movie references. 
    We were then given some "tiempo libre," so some friends of the group and I walked around the city, found a park, hung out and practiced our Spanish. We then met up with the group a couple of hours later, touring el Museo Nacional de Cerámica y Artes Suntuarias which had really cool ceramic artifacts and lots of 18th century interior decoration. After a full day of museum and city exploring, we were all tired. Yet again everyone except me fell asleep on the bus heading home...and as you can guess I was reading again...Shantaram...it's one hell of a roller coaster ride, concerning the plot and the reader's emotions, I nearly cried at one point.  All in all it was a great visit, and I plan on returning sometime this semester, it's such a short trip from Alicante! 

-Some of us girl with the Director Pepa and Marisa 

- The Holy Grail!...or should I say the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch      - Sorority pose in the Museum

Visita al Castillo de Santa Barbara

Yesterday the whole group got a great tour of the old part of the city and the Castle of Santa Barbara. We had some amazing views and great laughs. I also found out that I share a common educational experience with several of my new friends in the group: we are Waldorf kids! Maraya was likely at the same Potlach that I was at on Whidbey Island in 4th grade!!! (It's kind of a big deal for those of you who are not familiar with the Waldorf system/community). AHHH I swear the world is constantly getting smaller, and I love it. Anywho, school is going well. This first week we only have a single language/grammer class with other international students. There is a hilarious Russian student, 2 wonderfully nice Japanese students, and 7 american students.  Next week we start with a mandatory program class called Realidades Sociales (Social Realities) and a preparatory course that helps international students get accustomed to the Spanish higher education system.  Then in February, after all of the spanish students finish with exams, we enroll in normal classes at the University. I'm excited to chose my classes in the coming weeks, I'm going to try to set it up so that I don't have class on Fridays so that I can find more time to sail and travel on the weekends. 

         Representing L&C in Alicante!

    Nighttime view and a cliche jumping picture.

Los Reyes Magos

In Spain the Christmas festivities continue well after the 25th. Today was el dia de los Reyes Magos, the Three Kings, who bring presents to children in the night, much like Santa Claus. Last night we left candies and water for the Kings and lettuce for their camels. This morning we all opened presents, I got a beautiful scarf and my host dad got a bundle of sweaters. My host family is too generous. Spain is getting hit really hard with the economic crisis, tons of unemployment, and to show generosity and a welcoming heart to a complete stranger is just incredible; very moving. I understand now the importance of welcoming change in your life, of laughing and smiling at moments of happiness even in the hard times, and of opening your heart and your mind to new experiences and to new people. I hope that I am able to reciprocate the kindness they have showed me. 

Paula with one of her many cool presents.

Cesar got some new sweaters! La familia! 

Awwwww

El Roscon! A traditional pastry for breakfast during Reyes.

The view from the living room

Casa de mi nueva familia

The view from my room...words escape me

My room

The beautiful bathroom (I was compelled to post it because I was so impressed).