Did you know that Johann Sebastian Bach has a classical piece called "Air on the G-String"

I have been really into classical music lately......really into it.

Finally got that picture of me with the Botijo. Thanks to Jorge (George for english speakers).....

Actually three.

What exactly is a botijo?
Its this sort of magical ceramic jug that chills water. It has something to do with science, but as the temperature rises, the water inside cools.

Climbing season is in full swing. The weather is beautiful, breezy and sunny. :) Anyways last weekend I went out climbing with Javi, Jorge and a new british friend that i made. Her name is charley.

This week i have given up studying for a little. I am into teaching my classes and they are a lot of fun. However, I think that I am not teaching the students enough. We get through material really sllllooooowlllllyyyy.

I have no clue how to teach, but my theory is that I would prefer to go slowly at the students' pace and have fun rather than rush through material, hate class and not learn. Maybe I just am a push-over who wants my students to like me too much. Whatever, we all just wanna enjoy class. To me that is important. I hope they dont fail the test!

I got a bitchin deal on my plane ticket back to the states. Dates: June 23- September 22.

We'll see what this weekend holds........

Helloooooooo

Well I skipped writing last weekend because I was waiting to get a picture of me with my shiny new botijo. I still dont have that picture. Hopefully I will get it soon. Until then you can just imagine me with it......hahaha good luck, Who even knows what one is!?

Oh first and foremost I have some news to share..... I started teaching on Monday! Yeah all professional and stuff. I do important things now. I make a difference in the lives of 5 really prestigious business professionals. I teach them how to connect and communicate with the rest of the world through the use of the English Language. I'm pretty much a hot shot. People run to fetch me coffee with two packets of raw organic brown sugar and soy milk.

Okay, so I just go to this business two times a week for 1.5 hour long english classes, but its fun. Well, Ive only had one class so far and time flew. We will see how things unfold, but I am excited to test the waters and get my foot in the door for my return in fall. Today is class #2.

In light of the new job, I took last weekend off from (the ever stressful and terrible world of) climbing and spent saturday relaxing in a gigantic and amazing park called the park of Juan Carlos I. (he was a king in spain) The day was highlighted by a nice sun burn on the back of my right shoulder. And Sunday was spent around the house for the Birthday of VICTORIA. YEAHHH!!!! She is now 41. :) We had a little party and as most of you already know, ate.

This might be getting too long without fotos. So i am gonna cut to the chase.... Tomorrow is the feast of St. Joseph's and FATHER's day. Makes sense, right? So everyone here is off tomorrow and Friday! Goin climbing!

See ya, wouldnt wanna be ya.

To be continued....

Some random thoughts to let you know I am still alive:

-When and how did I become so dependant on coffee?
-The weekend was great and I am back to studying.
-Everyone seems to have some sort of cold or flu or something.....
-Dang I am so happy winter has gone. I think we are gonna start eating outside on the terraza this week..... :)
-Javi's parents went to Chinchon and brought me back a botijo. (I dont know if that is how it is spelled.)
"The Spanish botijo is a water bottle made of unglazed earthenware that cools the water it contains by evaporation. It is a very environmentally friendly way of cooling, which has proved to be successful during hundreds of years."

Off to my intercambio. Ill expand upon these later.

Well. I am counting down the months, days and minutes.

Ready to come home for summer. Still dont have any set date, but working on it!

Anyone remember me in highschool or college and my obsession with notecards????? They're back again. studying, studying, studying. I have my big official spanish test May 15th! I am not taking classes, just studying independently.... and that has been my main focus lately.

Other than that. Things are going along as usual...... This weekend I saw the move MILK. I suppose it is called the same thing there.

AND I went to an ummm I suppose in English it is called A Turkish Thermal bath. Javi and I made a deal: He took me there and I am not gonna have stress during the entire month of March. I just have to figure out how to hold up my end of the deal. Anywayssssss It was AWESOME and I highly recommend it, if you have the opportunity to go to one. The one that we went to is called Medina Mayrit and it is in the center of Madrid. It's a candle-lit cave, with 4 different baths: hot water, room temperature water, FREEZING water, and a turkish steam bath. It smells of incense and has relaxing arab music in the background, other than that silence is observed. The baths are reserved for groups of about 25 people in 1.5 hour reserved sessions. You go about as you please (in your bathing suit) and 'experience' the different areas, basically playing with the temperature changes. There is also 'rest area' with a fountain of tea for when you get tired of relaxing? But it actually does happen because of the heat and especially in the Turkish Bath. I loved the Turkish bath... it is suana with so much steam that you cant even see. And that is my story for now.

Last week I took Daniela into Madrid in Train and Metro! An awesome trip highlighted with lunch at McDonalds and a visit to the rock climbing gym!

Caroline and I: (over half my pictures come out blurry. sorry. but you all pretty much know what i look like already.)

Oh, actually this one turned out nice. Its not blurry at all...

Time

How in the heck is it possible that the clock on my computer runs slow? I have to give it like a ten minute boost every couple months. Drives me Crazy. No, just makes me a little behind...I even tried to have it synched with the internet time or whatever. No success.
So yesterday morning, at the end of the news program they had a short little clip from an Irish band that was playing in Madrid the other night. Normal, you know the typical irish band... Olderish men, button-down shirt with the top buttons undone, trousers and suspenders, a beard, yoddelishing irish tunes about beer or the green fields, a fiddle and whatever other instruments. Get the picture? Should be pretty easy, we've all seen it before right?

Well Victoria, the mom, started cracking up "What is this? Seriously? Is this a joke?"

Me: "What? Its Irish Music. Thats how it sounds?"

V: "Yeah, but this is for real? hahaha"

Me: "Yeah, they always sing like that. I dont know, is it wierd?"

V: "Yeah but where did these guys come from? Did they just come in together from off the street? haha"

Me: "haha I guess they do look kinda funny. Yeah and they are always singing like that..."

I remember that is how I spent a lot of my first months here..... ayyyy cultural differences.....

Did that make sense? I dont know if i explained it well?

Oh well. for now.

Stifled

Certain. We all have a creative side that NEEDS to be expressed. It's what we do. Right?

I feel stifled.

I hate being positive that I am right, but biting my tongue because the other person is POSITIVE I have mistaken. I say "Oh, I dont know." or ask them questions so they feel smart and superior. It keeps peace, makes you more agreeable. But crap. After a month I am still POSITIVE the teacher said Diego Rivera, not Jose Ribera. I know what I heard.

Learning is always interesting and worth your time, but I have no clue why.

Reina Sofia musuem is awesome. I can't get it off my mind and am anxious to go to Salvidor Dali's museum. He designed it himself.

I let you down.

Well, its been a while since i have written anything and yesterday when I came back to see where I left off, I was absolutely ashamed to find that my last entry was talking about my butt. Who have I become?

What has happened to my glamorous life in Spain? Where to start....

Well I am sitting here at the computer listening to Killers. Its about 545 and the kids just got home from school. Victoria will probably be home about 630. I am sipping tea and dunking a muffin. Daniela (2years old) is brushing my hair and pretending to talk to me in English.

My first inspiration: I failed my spanish test. Its a long story. I studied vigorously and then didnt show up at the right time; I failed because I was not there. Yeah yeah, I know....Well anyways now I am studying independently so that I can take a Spanish exam whose certification is valid world-wide and overrides the test that I would be taking in May, if i was still attending classes. You pay and go and take the test. I will cut to the chase and answer the burning question.... I am not sure why I want this certification or what it means in the grand scheme of life. Deep down I have a burning desire to have a piece of paper to tell me that, Yes, you know and speak Spanish.

As the weather warms up I am getting ready to start climbing again. After visiting museums, shopping, dancing all night long, baselab concert, making "American cookies" (chocolate chip cookies), blueberry muffins and doing all the things that i would suppose normal people do, as Javi jokingly told me "Katie, It's a lifestyle. You cant just leave it."

I have well passed the one year mark here and am still continuely trying new foods. The two newest: cow tongue and navajas. Cow tongue: Surprisely good. Very tender, but you definately realize you are eating a tongue. Imagine the texture and twisting softness of a giant tongue. Exactly. Navajas:A shell fish... pictures here:

My newest kick with the kids is going to the library. I am currently reading an absolutely wonderful children's book about the history of Spain (in Spanish) and passed along James and the Giant Peach to Javi (in English)--- we all remember that, right? I think I am gonna reread it as well.

Well other than that nothing that stands out at the moment. I'm sure something else will strike me soon. Ill be sure to let you all know.