Finding Roots

During a Sunday walk in Madrid’s Casa de Campo with two of my friends, I found myself surrounded by these:

I moved forward to examine these trees a little closer:

ROOTS. Something these Madrileño trees and my Spanish friends had, and I did not. And something I had struggled with from the moment I stepped foot in this place.

I started to think how I would eventually become one of these tall trees like my Spanish girlfriends who were chatting away.

I had it all figured out. I had two (legal) job offers for the upcoming school year. I had a bank account, a cell phone plan and an apartment. I was even on my way to permanent residence once I reached three years in Spain. It all made sense.

But I soon found out that no matter how hard I tried, I would never be able to create these roots. I will never speak with a perfect Spanish accent. I will never find quality in Spanish 80s music. And I will probably never have a Spanish husband. I am American, like it or not.

All of these things are OK. And I realized that expecting to live in another country forever is a very long time. I have a great life back home in the USA, and a family that loves me.

My blog is dedicated to this constant struggle. Leaving Madrid was the most difficult decision of my entire life. Why? Because it was so rational and irrational at the same time.

I won’t share too much, because I’m putting this blog to rest after over two years in the making. It’s not to say that my life isn’t interesting anymore. I’m back in New York City, living in Brooklyn and working in the Bronx. And I’m proud to say that I can be HAPPY in more than one place in this world.

An American friend of mine I lived with in Málaga mentioned that she thinks she’ll always feel a little “pull” towards Spain. I couldn’t agree more. I think that’s what you’re supposed to feel like after an experience such as this. The grass will always be greener on the other side, but I think I’ll stay put for a while. (unless I find that perfect island in between New York and Madrid… now THAT would be paradise!)

VALencia – dónde hay playa

There’s a silly song from the 1980′s that references the fact that Madrid doesn’t have a beach:

¡Aquí no hay playa! ¡Vaya, vaya!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVjWTzVSCWg

It’s absolutely true. But the truth is, I love Madrid so much that I didn’t really realize how much I missed being near the water until the dead of the summer. I’ve always lived no more than 1.5 hours from the coast (save five years as a small child in Beaumont, Texas), so this was a huge change for me.

My summer schedule didn’t allow much time for vacation, but I managed to escape for a couple days. I was going to Valencia. Why?

1. Because anything that starts with VAL must be automatically cool.
2. I was longing to visit a new part of Spain – the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean.

I visited Valencia about eight years ago during Las Fallas. Las Fallas is a celebration where different neighborhoods in Valencia are in charge of constructing giant statues – all of which are burned after five days of celebration. Seems a bit ridiculous, but I admire these people’s crazy spirit.

Valencia is the third largest city in Spain after Madrid and Barcelona – but still had a smaller city feel to me. It was interesting to see the various immigrant groups who came to live in Valencia because of its location on the coast. This didn’t happen as much in a city like Madrid because of the sheer fact that it isn’t near the sea.

In fact, Valencia has been the home of many cultures during its history, including the Romans, Visigoths, Moors and Aragonese.

Due to poor planning, I didn’t meet up with any local friends and instead explored the city solo. But I didn’t mind. The city was relatively easy to explore and I spent my days wandering through its varied landscape. Here are some of my favorites:

1.) Plaza de la Virgen: the square that is home to the city’s famous Turia foutain and the Santa María cathedral.

2.) Ciudad de las Artes y Las Ciencias: a modern cultural and architectural complex built in the 1990s.

3.) Torre del Miguelete: the tower at the top of the Santa María cathedral, with great views of the city.

4.) Las Horchaterías: where to get Valencia’s famous horchata, a drink made of almonds, sesame seeds, rice and barley – the most difficult taste to describe.

5.) Las Playas: apparently El Saler is the best, but I never made it there. But this one still beats the Jersey Shore.

So next time you are stuck in the dusty center during a hot Madrileño summer, don’t forget: Valencia is just a mere four hours away.

¡Yo quiero! ¡Yo puedo!

I’m working more than I’ve never worked before – all during the peak of Madrid’s vacation time.

I mentioned before that I received an exciting opportunity to work for a promising organization (see Empieza Por Educar). The time I worked for Empieza Por Educar (or ExE, as they like to call it) began with some English curriculum writing in June and brought me into the hot summer months of July and August.

A quick note to all: summer in Madrid is no joke. Most people leave for months at a time to hide out at the beach or somewhere up north. Temperatures usually hover around 100° (F) and there is no air conditioning.

There were a few like-minded people who apparently thought working long hours during the Spanish summer might be a good idea. To be exact – 41 of us – that is, 29 participants and 12 members of the equipo (ExE’s staff).

I have never had a job where I am expected to speak in Spanish around the clock, nor did I know what I was getting myself into. I came in with a rather confident attitude knowing that I was an experienced teacher, excited to share ideas from the United States.

I was quickly reminded that this was not the USA. I was in Spain. And Spain is different. Not only was I working with a clientele that I was not accustomed to (Spanish high schoolers), but I was also expected to take orders and perform the moment someone asked me to do something – all in Spanish. I worked on the “organization team” with three amazing women to coordinate logistics at the high school in Aluche and the residential site at Madrid’s Universidad de Complutense.

equipo de organización... ¡mujeres al poder!

I felt as though learning Spanish at a bar and talking about “fun” things like travel and culture during an intercambio did not quite compare to this. But I think feeling a certain level of discomfort helped me reach one of my primary goals in coming here: that is, putting myself in the shoes of a language learner. That said, I could feel that frustration that many immigrants feel in the US when they are thrown in and expected to perform in English.

As designer of most of the carteles (bulletin board displays) in the high school, I decided to take one of them to another level. An interactive board (inspired by Enseña Chile), yo quiero, yo puedo (I want to… I can!) It was somewhere students could express their dreams and something that would eventually become my new mantra.

I have been inspired by this group of 40 people. The participants worked from 8:30 am (an ungodly hour on the Spanish clock) was worked well through the night planning lessons. The gains the students made were incredible. And the fact that we had hundreds of high schoolers literally begging for a space in a SUMMER SCHOOL class (another idea that was not typically Spanish) really blew my mind.

part of our job - attending dinners at the US Ambassador to Spain's house

The most exciting day was probably the last. We had a party for the final del curso and many families came to show their thanks.

The real fun began when we came back to the residence and finally let loose a bit. This “work party” went on until about 6 AM – typical Spanish style.

What an extraordinary way to spend a Spanish summer.

Stockholm – Capital of Sexy

Speaking of fairy tales… well, I think I found a place where they actually DO exist.

Stockholm, Sweden has been top on my list of places to visit since last year. Perhaps it’s the mysterious nature of Scandinavia (see Into the Darkness in Oslo). Or maybe it’s the interesting people I met there (see The Dating Game: Part II). Whatever it was, I was waiting months and saving my pennies to finally head over during the month of June.

Summer is said to be the best time to visit Stockholm. Unfortunately, weather has not been on my side this year. Out of the four days I spent in Stockholm, it rained for three. But that didn’t matter. Stockholm is a city that offers the best in museums, nightlife, restaurants and most importantly… the people.

It’s not a myth that the people in Stockholm are pretty much perfect human beings. In fact, I’m not even sure they are human. Picture Eric Northman (Alexander Skårsgard) from one of my favorite TV shows: True Blood. He’s not even human: he’s a vampire. And that’s what I’d say most Swedish men look like (well, minus the vampire part).

It goes beyond that. There’s a subtle sexiness about anything Swedish. A visit to the city’s National Museum and that was confirmed. The main exhibit was called “Lust and Vice,” which explored “how views of sexuality, vice and morality have changed over the centuries.” Not the kind of thing you’d see in most American museums.

By the way: other art museum “must sees” (as there are a lot): Fotografsika (the new photography museum) and the Moderna Museet (modern art museum).

I found that my new hostel buddies felt the same way. We didn’t feel “cool” or sexy enough to fit in some of the hip neighborhoods like Södermalm, though we definitely tried. But we could certainly enjoy some of those touristy hings that you must never leave Stockholm without seeing:

1.) Gamla Stan (the old city)

2.) Archipelago boat tour

3.) The Parliament Building

4.) The Royal Palace

5.) City Hall

And when we stayed up late enough, we even saw the sun go down (well, sort of).

Real Life and Fairy Tales

It’s interesting the games your mind starts to play on an adventure such as this. I feel as though I’ve spent the majority of my time looking at life through one of those snow globes (except in Spain, I suppose you’d call it a SUN globe).

That was my life last year in Málaga, at least. It was such a drastic change that I felt that my fairy tale life of beaches, flamenco and a radical change in my work schedule meant that I was not actually leading a real life. Add to that the fact that my community of friends was mostly English-speaking and… I think we all thought we were on an extended vacation.

Things in Madrid have been much different. I spent my first month in the afueras (outskirts) of Madrid transitioning into life with my Madrileño friend. After that, it was a constant effort to meet and live with Spaniards, work much longer hours and become comfortable living in the hippest part of town. It’s personal, professional and social challenges, all around.

News flash: this life IS real. And it’s becoming scarier and scarier as I reach the two-year mark. And as I write in this blog stories upon stories about people who you may all think actually exist, guess what: THEY DO.

I have an American friend in Seville who is approaching the three-year mark. Like me, she’s excited, but also confused and scared. I asked her why she didn’t keep a blog and she said it was too personal. Which made me think a bit about mine.

I’ve shared personal information about my love life, my professional life and friends. I sometimes wonder what the “dating game” characters would think if they read this. Because they are, in fact, real people.

So I’d like to say, to all you friends – who are not storybook characters, by the way – I’m sorry if I’ve shared too much. Because you are as real as real can be. And it’s thanks to you that I think of Spain as more than a two-year vacation. It could be three… or forever, who knows.

On Being “American”

Like many others, I came here to break out of my narrow American experience – to open my mind. But living in Spain, I have since closed my mind to anything that isn’t Spanish. I have become increasingly fixated on Spanish coffee, cañas rather than pints and El País instead of The New York Times.

Here’s why: I promised myself this year to only make Spanish friends. It sounds horribly mean and shallow, but it’s the only way I’ll learn Spanish when approximately 80% of my day is spent teaching and thus speaking English. I place a high emphasis on spending time with my Spanish roommates, co-workers and friends… and they are slowly beginning to rub off on me.

all the cañas and tapas you could ask for at El Tigre

Recently, I realized that I need a happy medium. As much as I love becoming one with another culture, I will always be American. I will always need the support of foreign friends, because I will always be, well… different.

I found that connected with María*. She’s also American.. and by that I mean she’s from South America (Ecuador).

María opened up a new world to me. She taught me that guay (cool) was chévere, that there was no such thing as vosotros and of course, her favorite expression: lo máximo (the best). She speaks with pride about her family and friends in Quito, yet she’s happy to have a new learning experience in Madrid.

She has introduced me to some of her friends and I have begun to branch out beyond my little world of Spain and Madrid.

So I’ve realized that it’s possible not to lose my Spanish while still having the comfort of foreign friends with whom I can relate. They have helped me understand that castellano is not the only form of Spanish, much like British English is not the only form of English. And though we clearly have our differences, I’d say that right about now I’m especially proud to be “American.”

look at us, so far away!

* name has been changed

Leave Your Footprint in Sol

It’s happening five minutes from my house. Madrid’s Puerta del Sol has transformed itself into a giant playground.

(before you get put of by this, please keep reading…)

Guilty: I am a foreigner. So I originally had a lot of trouble understanding what this was all about. Yes, I understand that Spanish employment is at a whopping 21.3% (43.4% among youth). But all this anti-sistema talk made me wonder exactly what the protestors’ focus was. Did they really expect to change the system? And how were they going to do it?

The 15-M Movement, also known as the “Spanish Revolution,” is a series of peaceful demonstrations that have their roots in Democracia Real YA (Real Democracy NOW) and social networking. The movement, started on May 15, 2011, seeks radical political reforms in what protestors call “basic rights:” home, work, culture, health and education. It started in Madrid’s Puerta del Sol and also has spread to 58 cities across the country.

source: Wikipedia (as I mentioned I’m not an expert)

I spent a few days paying “tribute” to this movement in Sol: listening to various speeches and collecting pamphlets. I was here to learn, after all. What I noticed was this – everyone connected with this movement did not identify with a political party, a leader or anything outside the interests of the general public.

The movement, by nature, rejects the two-party system (in Spain, these parties being the Spanish Socialist Worker’s Party and the People’s Party) in favor of a participatory democracy based on consensus decision-making.

I was further informed by a very patient Spanish friend. My co-worker Cristina suggested that I listen to a famous tertulia (talk show), in which the hosts criticize the Spanish revolution for being only for and about the youth. Midway through, a listener (coincidentally named Cristina as well) calls the show to challenge their ideas.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yQxixRBCls&feature=share

Even more enlightening was seeing the development of the project my roommate became involved in. Every day, she disappeared into her room for hours uploading and editing photos. What transpired was truly moving – because it made me realize that everyone has a place within Sol – and the 15-M Movement.

It’s called Deja Tu Huella en Sol (Leave Your Footprint in Sol). The idea is that everyone in the movement has a voice: which they can later display on a small tablet which is photographed and displayed on this website:

http://huellasol.tumblr.com/

Here are a few of my favorites:

So though I still have many pieces to fit together in my head, I think I have the general gist of it. This is a movement by the people and for the people. I’m not quite sure what will transpire – if the movement will eventually disintegrate due to its lack of a leader and clear focus.

But I cannot say that peaceful protest is a bad thing. And I sure do have strong hopes for these people. I’ll leave you all with this video that captures how strong this movement really is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmMKIKXtXSU&feature=youtu.be