London OR “What?! People speak English?”

So I went to London over this last weekend and let me just say, I absolutely LOVED it…. Anyway, I’ll start at the beginning.

After my lunch of Tortilla (thanks Edson!) I headed to the airport. Now not knowing how long it would take me to get there or if the airline would have a problem with the fact that my ticket listed my name as Jason Taylor instead of Jason Vanderwoude (darn double apellidos… and we won’t even get into the three hours I spent on the phone with EDreams and Air France, all in Español by the way…) So I arrived at Burjas at 4:30… One problem, my flight didn’t leave until 7:30… Oops… So in a true Vanderwoude fashion, I had a good 2:40 to kill in the airport. Security there was an absolute joke. I went got my ticket, was never ID-ed, walked up to the metal detector, beeped as I went through, and then had them wand my belt, never once asking a question… So I spent my time in the magical world of Duty-Free everything and playing solitaire on my phone… Woot! Anyway, I finally boarded and began my journey to London.

The flight was fine… Just me and a bunch of English businessmen and women with around six bags each of duty free alcohol… We arrived on time and I deplaned thinking that Heathrow looked a little small… Anyway my bag came super quick and I went to find the Heathrow Express train that Ashley told me to take… Well funny story… Lately I haven’t exactly been thinking a lot so I’m a tad bit slow... I actually arrived in London at London City Airport, not Heathrow… Hey, to my defense I don’t know London, never been there before, so it was easy to confuse the airports… Anywho, a nice older man working at the train station helped me plan my route.

I was on the train for about 1:30 when I arrived at Wimbledon… Now I had thought that Ashley was gunna meet me at the Tube station so I got there and waited around for a while… Now, my phone was out of money and since I was on roaming I couldn’t receive calls either… Oops,! Never mind the fact that I didn’t have Ashley or Taylor’s numbers in my phone… AY! So after about another hour or so I decided to go get in a cab find a hotel with internet access and try to contact the girls… So the cab takes me “about six or seven quid” from the station to a Holiday Inn Express and as we pull up (miracle of miracles) my phone rings. It’s Ashley (thank GOD)… So long story short I pay another 10 quid to head over to their place…

It was super great to see both of them and their flat (the penthouse) is super cute and the neighborhood is even cuter (so many little British children!!!). After a bottle of wine and some tortilla chips we settled in for the evening.

The next day Taylor had to go to work early so Ashley and I decided to do a little shopping/exploring the city and met Taylor for lunch at a cute French bistro. Now I won’t go into every detail of what I did while there, but I found it very hard to communicate with English speaking people the first day and a half I was there… Yeah… Anyway over the weekend I saw some of the sites, did some super expensive (have you seen the exchange rate lately?!?!) shopping and tried out the night life a little… Again SUPER GREAT TRIP…

I’m sitting in class as I write this so I should probably cut off this entry here… Suffice to say I love London and can’t wait to get back there at some point and explore some more!

Oh yeah, on the way back I stopped in Paris (Charles Degaul [sp?] Airport) for about an hour and a half. Very friendly people, couldn’t really understand them… Anyway, I had a pastry, bought some magazines and then headed back the Spain… A good end to a great weekend!

¡Chao!

Dateline Sunday: Family Dinner

In lieu of studying for my midterms I’m going to take some time to describe this evening’s dinner with you.

It all began this afternoon right before lunch… Laura was going to visit her mother and brothers back in the “pueblo” and little did I know it but she would be bringing home some surprises.

Right after we finished our lunch of spaghetti with dried fruits and nuts (a dish Laura later claimed to have tasted like a Hindi desert) Edson informed me that he was off to meet up with his friends and to buy some more hashish (that’s right our good friend Maria is coming to stay for a while).

Anyway, I did pretty much nothing all day and when Laura arrived home from her mother’s at around 5:30 she informed me in English that she had brought “lots of goodies from the village!” Curious I began to look around. It wasn’t until after Laura returned from the pool at her spa that I got the grand tour of the food. Included in the horde was some ham (SURPRISE!), a loaf of special braided bread (taste and texture similar to a French bread but maybe a little harder on the outside), some potato chips (best I’ve ever had), an assortment of cookies, muffins, an apple tart-ish thing, and, oh I don’t know, about 5 pounds of grapes. Anyway after explaining to me exactly what it all was Laura asked, “¿Quieres cenar con el plan dulce?” (Do you want to do the sweet plan for dinner?) Not being one to express how I actually feel, I said sure.

And that brings us to dinner. What did I eat? Well, I had some chips, grapes, three cookies, a muffin, and that apple thing… Oh and a glass of water. In the middle of dinner Laura decided she wanted some cerveza (beer) and left to get it at “Los Chinos” (if I haven’t explained it before and I’m not sure that I have, Los Chinos is basically a dollar+ store run by Asians. That’s right, in Spain it doesn’t matter of what decent you are, if you’re Asian, you’re a Chino.) When she came back she poured herself a tall glass and ate her dessert/dinner. After we finished, well actually after Edson finished, he went on a frantic search for his last rolling paper and after finding it in the trash began to roll himself a nice joint. As I finished up eating Edson began toking.

So there you have it. A nice, normal Sunday family dinner. Just me, my alcoholic mommy, drug addicted dad, and our green leafy cousin Maria. (I only say these things in jest, neither Laura nor Edson have any addictions that I know of…) Now my sugar-high self is gunna attempt to study until the IBS kicks in from the large amounts of oil and butter that were in those pastries and chips…

Happy Monday everyone. Oh and happy birthday Evan!

Book Review

So I’ve been reading a lot since I’ve been here and now I’d like to take a little time to tell you about the books that I’ve read. Why? I’m a little bored and don’t feel like studying fo my midterms.

Katie: The Real Story by Edward Klein
Those of you who know me know that I have a thing for Katie Couric, The Today Show, and the TV news industry in general so it should come as no surprise to you that I picked up this, the first (albeit unauthorized) biography of Ms. Couric. It was really interesting if you’re at all interested in Katie or the TV news biz. There are plenty of good insider quotes and interviews and it does give an interesting look at the first woman to ever solo anchor an evening newscast.

Cell by Stephen King
Disclaimer: If you like Stephen King, well then you like Stephen King. If you don’t, you don’t. This one is a post apocalyptic tail of cell phone zombies that takes place between Boston and Maine. It was a good page-turner and as usual for Mr. King the characters were well developed and there was plenty of smart and witty dialogue. Give it a try if you’re looking for something fun that’ll make you jump a little.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
Wow. Perfect. That’s all I can say. I couldn’t have been happier with the last book in the Potter series. Although I must say after I turned the last page I was quite sad that this would be the last that we would hear from Harry and his friends.

Lisey’s Story by Stephen King
Okay, so I’m on a little bit of a Stephen King marathon here, but what can I say, I love the way he writes. This one was really good and different. Sure there are still some grotesque and horrible elements to this one but it’s main focus is Lisey and how she’s coping with the death of here husband, a famous novelist. This novel, more than others king has written focuses more on the characters than on the events taking place around them. Even if you’re not the biggest King fan, I’d still give it a try.

Marley & Me by John Grogan
The first thing I noticed when I picked up this book and read the back of it was a review from the New York Times that said, “A book with intense but narrow appeal, strictly limited to anyone who has ever had, known, or wanted a dog.” I’m going to mostly agree with that comment except for one thing: I’m going to change the word dog to pet. Sure the book is about a man, his family, and their dog but for anyone who has had a pet or loves animals this book will be enjoyable and tug at your heartstrings a bit.

Misery by Stephen King
A classic King novel that I think is a must. The movie was creepy as all hell thanks mostly to Kathy Bates’ portrayal of Annie Wilkes but the novel is far more creepy and gruesome. It’s a little bit longer but it reads really quickly. A fun book for a flight or long train trip.

So there you have it. All the books I’ve read so far. I’m currently reading The Green Mile by Stephen King and waiting for Amazon.com to deliver Reality Show by Howard Kurtz another new book about the evening news race between Brian Williams, Katie Couric, and Charlie Gibson (I know, I’m a big ol’ dork but you love me anyway…)

Madrid: One Month Later

I can hardly believe that I’ve been here for a little over a month… Time has really flown so far and I’m sure it’s not going to slow down. It’s been an amazing experience so far and I must say it’s pretty cool to be basically acclimated to life in another country (and I swear, I’m getting used to the cultural differences. Well except the no tipping thing… Just can’t get used to that…). This time has been, so far (and I know I must have said this 100 times by now), exactly what I hoped it would be. I’m getting a chance to relax and enjoy myself while expanding my horizons. Yes I am a little bored, at times, with classes that are less challenging than things I did my Freshman year at HPHS and the four day weekends sometimes seem a little too long (now don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining, but you know me; I’m used to working six days a week with obnoxious hours on top of classes and, oh yeah, trying to have some semblance of a social life). But I know that this is a temporary situation so I’m really trying to soak it all up before heading back to Boston and what is sure to be a busy semester before graduation (WHOA! College went by a lot faster than I expected). I’m finally getting my act together and I’m gunna start traveling (London this week, Granada & Cordoba the next, then Pisa, France, and maybe Norway or Switzerland???) So I’m gunna take a look back now and comment on some of the different things I’ve learned or discovered in the past month-ish. Enjoy!

FOOD
Eating has been a little difficult. It’s harder than you’d think to find a decent restaurant that’s not just a bar that has sandwiches (especially when you or your friends are being a little more budget conscious), but I’ve been eating well… Food at home is a different story and it’s starting to bother me a little bit. Laura seems to have taken a page from the Muriel Schneider Handbook to Food Storage, specifically the part that states, “If it’s in the Frigidaire, it won’t go bad ever.” We have a lot of frozen food that is reheated. Things like beans and seafood (which is starting to gross me out… I really don’t know how long its been in there and it’s not like it’s being put through the grinder and made into a knish, I can still tell what this stuff is…). Also, we’re big on olives and other vinegar-soaked things. Again, fine in moderation but not all the time. And for goodness sake, if I ever eat another anchovy in my life it will probably be tooooooooooooo soon. But like I said, I’m making due.

THE LANGAUGE
Here’s a fun one. One month later and I find that my comprehension has improved two-fold but my speaking, while improved, is not quite on the same level. I’ll take some responsibility for this but I am going to place some of the blame elsewhere: The faculty at the International Institute of Spain (specifically those of BU & SUNY). Bless them for trying, but really if someone doesn’t get it the first time, it would probably be beneficial to try to explain it once more in Spanish rather than jumping right over to English. Granted, I’ve met grains of salt more intelligent then some of the students on this program (I wish I was exaggerating, I really do…) but still, we’re here to learn Spanish things in Spanish, not Spanish things in English, we can do that at home (granted some people are actually just here to get drunk and travel, but some of us actually want to learn. What a concept!) My phonetics teacher did bring up a good point in class the other day and I tend to agree with it. She said that they staff purposely didn’t make the classes too difficult because they understand that that is only a minor part of our experience here and that it wouldn’t make sense for us to be stuck studying all the time when we should be getting out and exploring the culture for ourselves. True enough.

THE LOCALS
So it’s been a month and I can’t say that I’ve really met any native Spaniards (save for Laura’s niece Laura) my own age and that’s kinda bumming me out. I know there’s still time but I’d like to make a Spanish friend or two. Is that so much to ask? Yeah, I didn’t think so.

THE HOME STAY
My comfort level at home is getting better but I still feel awkward at times (not that I should, they’re paying the home stay families the equivalent of $1,116.50 a month) especially when it comes to eating, showering, or really just my overall use of the house. I’m still too afraid to say no to food and, if at all possible, wait until everyone else is out of the house before showering so I don’t have to feel guilty about the amount of time I spend in the bathroom. In other news: the cardboard that acts as a box spring for my bed has stopped squeaking as much (yay!).

THE CULTURE
I have been to so many museums, churches, palaces, old buildings, movies, and plays, since I’ve been here and for that I am truly thankful. I have gotten to see and appreciate lots of things that I’ve only previously seen in books. It’s been great to see some of the local cinema and theatre as well just to see how things differ from the US to here. The one thing I’m gunna complain about (and you know me…) is the lack of intermissions in the theatre here. I sat through a 2 ½ hour long 19th century play that, while it was well done, made me want to pluck my eyes out with a spoon by the end… At least BU is paying me back for it… The movie I went to yesterday (Saturday) was at a really nice theater that had assigned seating. It was pretty cool and the concept kinda works a little better, I think…

But even more than just the Spanish culture, being here has exposed me to myriad other cultures as well. Friday was the Day of the Nation here and to celebrate the Spanish discovery of the Americas the have what is called a “marcha”. This is basically a parade where each of the South American countries put together either a float or a dance/display and come walking through from the largest train station in the city to one of the more prominent plazas. It was very cool to see these different cultures… The next day we decided to go to this Arabic music fest that Laura had told me about. Playing that night was a group from Morocco. Again, very cool to see and hear. So yeah, being here just over a month has already begun to expand my view of the world more than I thought. And for this, I’m very thankful.

Anyway, that’s about all I’ve got for now. I’m sure I’ll think of something later but in the meantime Edson’s making lunch while listening to Kylie Minogue… ¡Oye!

¡Hasta pronto!

Close Up: The Odd Couple

For this week’s edition of Close Up, we’re going to focus on the Relationship between Laura (a former Coppolla) and Edson (a pot smoking Brazilian immigrant).

When I first arrived at Don Ramón de la Cruz 91, I was greeted by two figures both in bathrobes: Laura and Edson. It was at that point that Edson was introduced to me as a “friend” who would be staying at the apartment only until he found a place of his own. I soon began to notice that that was, however, not so much the case.

I began to get suspicious when Edson would refer to Laura’s family members with such familiarity and they to him. However, I told myself that the couldn’t possibly be a couple… He sleeps in a separate (and rather small) bedroom and they didn’t seem to have romantic interactions. As the weeks have progressed and we have all become a little more comfortable around one another, the two of them (mommy and daddy as I like to call them) have begun to let their guard down a little. Edson, for instance, has begun to call Laura “mi amor” and even has begun to give her little affectionate kisses on the forehead when I’m around.

It was about a week ago, after I had settled into my room to read a little bit (or a lot bit…) when I went back into the living/dining room to say “¡buenas noches!” when I saw the first sign that something more was going on. Mommy was sitting in daddy’s lap and he had his arms around her waist while they were watching the news or some nature documentary… Actually, now that I think about it, it was probably fútbol. Anyway, that’s when my suspicions began to reawaken.

Let’s jump forward a little ways…

This morning (Sunday October 14, 2007) I woke up around 10:30 and after waiting a little bit opened my door and wasn’t sure exactly where I heard her but I could hear mommy laughing a little bit… “Strange,” I thought, “it sounds like Edson is with her…” Then I looked straight in front of me at the bathroom door. Mommy and daddy were bathing together (Okay… kinda awkward) So I quietly re-closed my door and pretended that I hadn’t yet left my room. Well that didn’t work so well… When I heard the door to the bathroom open I waited a minute or two and then emerged from my room as well.

Laura and I greeted each other with our usual good mornings and then she proceeded to tell me that the two of them were showering together and that they were worried when they heard me that I had to go to the bathroom very badly… “No,” I assured her. That was the end of that… Or so I thought…

After breakfast the two of them went out of the living/dining room and I went into the kitchen to clean off my plates and my Coca-Cola Christmas tray when I heard more giggling coming from the bathroom (“These two are like horny teenagers,” I thought rather snootily to my self). I walked by to find Edson sitting on the toilet and Laura sitting on the edge of the tub while Edson gave her a pedicure of sorts. All the while Edson was explaining how the beaches in Rio (remember the guy is from Brazil) are divided between the “guapos” and the “feos” (the pretty people and the uglies). So long story short, I’m not sure what to make of their relationship. It sure doesn’t seem like daddy’s moving out anytime soon (or getting a job for that matter… Laura seems to be a pretty good sugar mama to him afterall…).

As the weeks and months continue we’ll continue to report on any developments or confessions regarding this extremely illusive couple. ‘Til next time.

BREAKING NEWS

(Madrid, España) It was revealed late Sunday evening that one Laura Rodriguez has in fact been married at least once before. Ms. Rodriguez later disclosed that her ex-husband is none other than August Floyd Coppola, brother to Francis Ford Coppola and Father of Nicholas Cage. More details as they become available.

Quote of the Day

Overheard in a classroom...

Girl A: "I think all this drinking and smoking is making me stupider..."

Girl B: "You can get smarter from not eating? Wow..."

Girl A: "No, I said all the drinking and pot smoking is making me stupider..."

Girl B: "Oh..."

Rigorous academic institution folks, that's where I'm at... Yep...

False Cognate of the Week

The “_______ of the Week” column is back with a vengeance. This week we’re focusing on the language barrier with a truly fun false cognate.

constipado VS constipated

Constipated: adj. You can’t make poo.

Constipado: adj. Feeling a little stuffy, as if one is getting sick.


This weeks false cognate has been brought to you by the fact that everyone in Madrid is currently constipado including myself… Yay! And for those of you who know me well, you know it’s not often that I’m constipado (think about it for a second… There you go! You got the joke!)

Byee

Dateline Sunday: Bull Fight

DISCLAIMER I DO NOT AGREE WITH THIS PRACTICE AND DO NOT SUPPORT THE SLAUGHTER OF ANIMALS FOR SPORT. AS A GUEST IN THIS COUNTRY I FEEL IT IS MY DUTY TO ATTEMPT TO EXPERIENCE AND UNDERSTAND AS MANY DIFFERENT FACETS OF THE CULTURE AS I CAN. BY ATTENDING THIS EVENT I WAS SIMPLY TRYING TO ABSORB AND UNDERSTAND A DISTINCT AND IMPORTANT ASPECT OF THE SPANISH CULTURE.

ADDITIONALLY, THE PICTURES ARE QUITE GRAPHIC AND WERE TAKING TO SHOW THE EVENT TO THE FULLEST. VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED (Side note: I have always wanted a reason to say that…)

Phew! With that all said, yes, I did attend a bullfight this Sunday at Madrid’s Plaza del Torro (it may or may not be related to Benicio). The stadium itself is a beautifully constructed brick building with many gorgeous details.

Wow! When I first arrived outside the stadium from the Metro I couldn’t believe the amount of people that were here for this event. There were people of all ages from little children (we’re talking 4, 5, or 6 years old) to old men scalping tickets… And judging by where you sit in the plaza, the tickets can range in price from €4,20 to €100,00 (crazy, right).

Anyway we got the cheap seats, which turned out to not be that bad. Sure we were high up (as high as you can go minus about 3 rows) but if we were any closer I might actually have cried or vomited… The seating itself is interesting: it’s just concrete not chairs. And you know what? The concrete was more comfortable than the seats at a baseball game. So anyway, the crowd comes and brings beer, food and enough cigars cigarettes to give a small country lung cancer (or me for that matter…), sits down, and prepares to watch six bull fights from start to finish.

It is an event very much rooted in tradition. The participants are all dressed very ornately and there is a band of sorts consisting of some horns and a drum that signals when certain segments of the bull fight are going to happen. Now instead of going into the details (suffice to say the first bull’s death was the most disturbing and violent thing I have ever witnessed in my life) I’m going to let you look at the pictures and ask me any questions that you have later. I will now, however, attempt to explain one or two of the more interesting customs that I at first did not understand.

After a bullfight is over, if it has been a particularly good one, the crowd will wave white handkerchiefs at the Matador. This custom is apparently to get him to cut the ear off the bull (the ears and the tail are considered trophies) and if they keep waving it means that he should take the other ear and the tail as well.

Another interesting fact: these bulls are not trained. This is their first time in a plaza and their first time interacting with the matadors and the various colored cloths. For better or for worse, at least this means that these animals are not bread and abused to be angry, vicious creatures.

And finally the one thing neither my friends nor myself understood. At one point when a group of matadors entered the plaza, the people in the stands began throwing their clothing at him so that he would throw it back… Why? No clue…

So there you have it. A brief description of my experience at a bullfight. Like I said before, click on over to the pictures if you want and please ask me questions later.

¡Hasta luego!

Week of Culture

Welcome to what my friends and I are calling “The Week of Culture”. You see, there is a very simple premise to this fun-tastic new week. BU will pay for us to do cultural things (museums, Spanish movies, theatre, historical monuments, etc.) and we receive up to €6,00 back (and even more in some places, but that’s not the point right now). Seeing how much money we’ve all thrown at BU (either just for this semester or, you know, that whole $40,000 a year thing that’s been going on for the past 3 ½ years…) we are trying to get our moneys worth while doing things that we’d want to do anyway… So here is a summary (with prices) of how the week has begun!

Friday Evening:

After much wandering and a pretty decent dinner of tapas, we stumble upon a movie theatre and decide to see something. Our choice, Mataharis a Spanish film set in Madrid that follows the lives of three private investigators and how their work effects the other aspects of their lives.

PRICE: €6,50 TOTAL AMOUNT REIMBURSED: €6,00

Saturday:

After seeing and very much enjoying the movie the previous night, we decide to make Saturday a museum-tastic event and try to rack up some more moolah. After my lunch at Rodilla (a really, really crappy sandwich place) with the schizophrenic clown (ask me about him and I’ll tell you… It is as creepy as it sounds, but not nearly as interesting) we headed over to the Archeology Museum… Now being that it was after 14:30 on a Saturday there was no charge for admission (danm! Only kidding… kinda…)

PRICE: €0,00 TOTAL AMOUNT REIMBURSED: €0,00

Anyway after exploring a few past civilizations we decided to head over to the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza. This absolutely gorgeous museum with a collection to die for (although a bit controversial seeing as most of its art was bought from Jews and others escaping Germany during the Holocaust…) was closing in an hour from when we arrived, but we decided to go anyway (hey, why not right?) and give ourselves the speed tour. All I know is, I cannot wait to go back and actually take some time to look at things.

PRICE: €4,00 TOTAL AMOUNT REIMBURSED: €4,00

After our quick jog through the Thyssen, we decided to head over to the Botanic Gardens (again, why not, it is basically free). They had finished renovating a few of the gardens in the ½ week since I’d been there last and it was really fun to see the vegetables and lettuce growing and even to taste some of them (although we later saw a sign strictly instructing us not to eat the produce because it is coated in toxins about once every two days… Oops!) But the gardens too were closing quickly so that visit had to be cut short as well.

PRICE: €1,00 TOTAL AMOUNT REIMBURSED: €1,00

Sunday:

I went to a bullfight. Don’t judge me just yet. Wait for the next entry.

PRICE €4,20 TOTAL AMOUNT REIMBURSED: €4,20


That brings this weekends total amount of reimbursement to €18,20 (including a ticket stub to the Reina Sofia given to me by a friends of Sonja’s who was in town visiting before heading to Senegal). THANKS BU!