Mosquito dessert

Having lived in the desert for the last three years, I'd forgotten how awful humidity is.  It is, it's awful.  Muggy and swampy and full of mosquitoes.  I am one of those lucky people who mosquitoes don't usually bother with.  I was in the middle of Africa during the summer a few years ago and just stopped taking my anti-malarial meds because I realized that I hadn't gotten a single bite in months.

The Mister, however, is another story.  They flock to him. They love him. They think he is delicious. He is their chocolate.

So we've spent the past few weeks having middle-of-the-night wake up calls where he turns on the light and goes berserk trying to hunt down and kill the one mosquito that slipped in through the curtains, while I blearily look around and slap the wall once or twice to make him think I am helping too, when really I am just trying to go back to sleep. And wouldn't you know that the random wall slapping has actually worked - twice?

Either way, one thing I'll be looking forward to about our upcoming month in the forest is the lack of humidity and, hopefully, mosquitoes.

Because I am not a miracle worker.

Málaga, how I will miss you.

It's almost pack-up time here in Málaga.  This weekend we leave for Sierra de Gredos, where we'll be working in a summer camp for the month of July.  After that, we'll have a few more adventures (as of yet they are mostly unknown), including a trip back to the United States, before returning to Málaga in late September to start another year.

I shall blog through it all, and if I were allowed to say "daresay" in casual conversation in 2011, then I would say that I daresay it will be a fun summer.

A bocadillo in tin foil, please

In Spain, the bocadillo (sandwich) is king.  And it is always, always, always wrapped in tin foil. Not sandwich bags. Not tupperware containers. Tin foil.

I guess it's just one of those cultural things that you notice when it's not your culture.

I mentioned this to a couple of Spaniard friends and they looked at me blankly and said, "well how else would you eat a sandwich?"

I guess that's the glorious thing about culture.  It's all around you so much that you can't see it or touch it, and you just think that it's normal.

But it isn't normal, it's just tin foil.

A toast for San Juan

Over the weekend Málaga celebrated La Noche de San Juan. This is a night where Spain celebrates the blameless life of a saint by making bonfires on the beach and drinking lots of beer. It's kind of a head scratcher when you really think about it, but why spend time thinking about it when you could be having fun on the beach?

It was fun though.  The beach was packed with picnicking families and and the air was thick with sea mist and smoke from barbecues. It looked and smelled like the Fourth of July. There was a concert, and a few fireworks went off helter-skelter at irregular intervals, and a fun night was had by all.

I'm including this shot because I think it's cool.  Somebody on a nearby blanket had this bright green laser beam, and you could see the whole length of the light really clearly because it was reflecting off the heavy fog. It's not really in focus, but hey, we've got to pick our battles, right?

Monochrome London

I've got a few more London photos to share.  This first one is a quirk about London that I love - since they drive on the opposite (i.e. left) side of the road there, visitors to the city are in almost constant danger of getting flattened by a double-decker bus while trying to cross the street.  So the ever-polite British have painted little cues on the street to advise confused pedestrians where to look.  

It's actually quite brilliant, and probably saved my life about three times.

The next couple are taken just across the street from Buckingham Palace. We had off-and-on rainy weather the whole time we were there, but on this afternoon the skies opened up and it absolutely poured.  

The good news is that being out in the chilly wet weather got us all in the mood for some good soup...enter pho.  Have you ever had Vietnamese food? I hadn't, and wow, I was missing out.  My friend Kristin found us this great little Vietnamese place that put its heart and soul into making the best steamy bowls of beef pho (Vietnamese for "soup") in London, or close enough anyway.  See the smile on her face? I bet pho put it there.

Four.

Today I want to tell you about this man I live with. I adore this man.  I liked him so much that four years ago today, I married him.

In what is quickly becoming a bit of an anniversary tradition, here are a few things I learned about The Mister this year:

He likes olives but only if they're Spanish olives and only if they're green and have pits.  No pre-pitted olives, please. Half the fun is getting the pit out well (says he).

For the words "coup" and "recoup" he forgets which one has a silent p and which one doesn't.

He doesn't mind putting a cold soda can directly on the beach sand. If the can gets sand on the outside, it gets sand on it. No worries. He's not going to let it ruin his day.

If he finds a pair of shoes he really, really likes, he will buy two pairs for when the first one wears out.

He still hates coffee, mushrooms, and oatmeal, and continues to feel very ambivalent about breakfast eggs.

He now eats fish if it's something nice and mild like cod, and fried eggplant, octopus, and he has acquired a taste for a nice crisp piece of lettuce on top of deli sandwiches.

He's an occasional sucker for watching really bad movies all the way through to the end, long after reasonable people (and by that I mean me) have drifted away to do something else.

He likes soccer and is a Barcelona fan, not a Madrid fan.

When he says the wrong thing when he's speaking Spanish, he shakes his head and gives this cute little grin that makes his dimple pop out, so I kind of look forward to him messing up.

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More fun trivia for you is that I took the below picture on our honeymoon, and I added in the text a few months later.  We came to Europe on our honeymoon, and spent a week in  (*drumroll please*) Marbella, Spain. Which is about 20 minutes away from where we live now.  We really had no idea that we'd ever be back. Life is funny sometimes.

Very, very funny.

Londontown

Attention all UK residents: if there is a fish and chips shortage, it is because The Mister and I ate up the whole national supply. Over and out.

We had a great time in London this past weekend visiting my friend Kristin.

Do you like how I have about fifteen pictures of Big Ben in there? I realized it after I already put the pictures in the post, and now I'm too lazy to remove them.  So we're not really going with the "less is more" concept today here on Love & Paella.

Speaking of "more is more", let's talk about Chipotle.  Because there was a Chipotle in London. And we ate there. And then we passed out from bliss. Can you see how the Chipotle is making me look deranged in that picture? I was really overexcited.

We went biking all around Hyde Park. We went to Shakespeare's Globe theater/theatre (pick your spelling depending upon your nationality, please). Went to Buckingham palace and said cheerio to the Queen. And then we ate more fish and chips.

To London we go

Today we are off to London for the weekend, to visit my friend Kristin, who I met at college orientation in the summer of '03.  I just had my first taste of fish and chips a few weeks ago while I was in Nottingham, and I. Want. More.

Also, I am hoping to catch a glimpse of a Buckingham palace guard or two. Because no European adventure is complete without a few snapshots of cranky-looking men in fur top hats.

I'll be back with pictures and stories on Tuesday!

Country kids for a day

Yesterday we spent the day with our friends Beatriz and Salvador at Beatriz' country house.  It's not unusual here in Spain for city folk to have a separate country house, usually one that's inherited from not-too-distant country mouse ancestors.  Spaniards often use these houses like vacation homes, going to them on weekends and during summers. Beatriz' place isn't too far from Málaga, and it's pretty much a working farm - her dad tends the land full time, and there are sheep, chickens, and hunting dogs, as well as vineyards, vegetable gardens, and small fruit orchards.  It's quiet out there, and the views are stunning in every direction.

Of course, we did what we could to shatter the quiet, because that's what young people are for!

First, we played some basketball. Salva showed off his dunking skills.

Then we took a dip in the pool.

Then we took a walk down a little trail and had ourselves some country kid snacks - here we're eating plums right off the tree.

And we plucked some not-too-ripe almonds and broke the shells open with rocks:

And we ate out of a big bucket o freshly picked pears.

We took the country dog along for company.

Then we fed the chickens and collected eggs from the quail.  When I took this picture, they were still hot in my hand, and I prefer not to think about the mechanics behind that.

Every country outing needs a banjo, so we produced the next closest thing: Spanish guitars. I know I say that The Mister is a rock star, but my friend Salva is a real, actual rock star.  His band signed a few months ago with Universal Records, and his first single debuted on the radio last week.  So he and The Mister had quite the jam session.

And then we went to bed and slept the sleep of the righteous, or whatever they call it. 

I blame it on all the fresh air and sunshine.

Euro kiddies don't ride horses

When Spanish kiddos are outside the supermarket, whining because they didn't get their favorite cereal and that they can't believe their mom makes them eat wheat bread and all that normal kid stuff, they don't get bribed with a ride on the dime-a-ride bucking bull or horse.

They get to ride on a kiddie moped.

Everyone has to aspire to culturally appropriate dreams - and modes of transportation, apparently.

(file this under: awesome)

Graffiti everywhere

One difference that I see often between America and Europe is the prevalence here of graffiti.

In America it's a marker of being in an unsafe neighborhood - usually accompanied by broken glass, sirens wailing, and lots of seedy-looking bail bonds establishments. In Europe, it's normal.  It blends into the landscape. It's par for the course.

I have no idea why this is.  Certainly Europeans don't like it any more than we do.  Maybe there's more spray paint on sale here?

At any rate, it ain't the neighborhood.  The Mister and I live in one of the nicest beach communities in Málaga (we got lucky on price because the person that rented it out to us hates the person that actually owns the apartment and wanted to stick it to him - true story) and there's graffiti everywhere.  Paris, Rome, Prague, Madrid, graffiti, graffiti, graffiti.

Weird, no?

How to learn a language without pulling your hair out

Lots of questions I get from this blog relate to language learning and fluency. Now I know there are people way more qualified than I am to answer question on language learning methods and advanced software programs and all that jazz, but I'll let you know what I did and then we'll call it a day.  My experience, of course, is with Spanish but the following can apply to French or Russian or whatever you like.  Only not Tagalog. Or Azerbaijani. 

First, I'd highly recommend the free podcast Notes in Spanish (can be found here).  I found when we came to Spain that we had paper knowledge of Spanish but totally lacked conversation skills and the ability to listen to native speakers, so these podcasts helped a ton.  

Second, check out Meetup.com and see if there are any Spanish language meetups in your area.  In Phoenix, the levels ranged from native speakers to total beginners, and it was a friendly and supportive learning environment, as well as being a fun place to meet new friends. As an added bonus if you are very lucky, you will occasionally get to learn inappropriate pick-up lines in other languages.

Third, check out the "Practice Makes Perfect" series of workbooks – you can find them fairly cheap on Amazon, and they provide good structure and exercises to remember all the past perfect subjunctive thingamajigs that sadly actually matter when you're learning a new language. Also, you get to translate sentences like "I belong on the A-list" (see Figure A above).

Fourth, try to find some children's books in Spanish at your local library and read through them with a dictionary.  Basic vocabulary, basic grammar. If you are like me, you will be shamed and humiliated that a 3-year-old can speak circles around you - it's motivating and good practice for the ego hits you'll be taking once you start speaking to native speakers. 

Fifth, have a blast.  It's really fun, gets your brain moving, and opens up new worlds. And if you have a language buddy, you can speak code in your new foreign language when you don't want other to eavesdrop.

Sixth, don't be afraid.  I'll repeat it: don't be afraid.  Embarrassment and perfectionism don't have a place in language learning, so leave them at the door. Be loose, and know that you're going to make mistakes, hundreds and thousands of them, and that you'll laugh at yourself and keep going. You'll get better. Everybody does.

FAQs: La Vida Española

Lots of questions came in, so I might do another round on Friday - if you still have any questions, feel free to comment or email!  Today I'm focusing on questions that specifically relate to my program, how I got here, and how I made friends once I did (answer: I hoodwinked them all). If you're not actively planning on moving to Spain, you might want to skip to tomorrow's post, since some of these questions get a little technical, but if you're in the market then come on in!

How did you find teaching positions in Spain? My husband and I are both teachers in Charleston, SC and have been toying with the idea of teaching abroad for the past two years. Any helpful suggestions would be appreciated!!

DO IT!  As long as you're willing to put up with a few paperwork hassles (see: last question in this post), it's totally doable. I am here with a program directly through the Spanish government.  The only requirements are a Bachelor's degree in anything, and an "intermediate level of Spanish", which they don't test you for and which you'll want to hop on anyway if you're planning on coming to Spain. And the paperwork hassles are worth it!  For more information on my program, check out the official site here and a very helpful discussion forum here.  The application season is during the winter for the following fall, so all you have to do is make up your mind and submit your documents on time and you could be on your way to Spain!

What did you do to meet Spaniards? Did you walk up to them in the street? What kind of things would you say when you're first meeting them? Did you join clubs or go to meetings or make friends with coworkers, or what?

Great question!  Okay, first, to all the shy people out there: you'll have to stop being shy for a little while.  Give your extroverted, booty-shakin' inner self a pep talk and let her take over your body for the year.  You won't meet anybody sitting at home.  Second, do a search for Facebook groups in your town that hold intercambio groups (people come together to practice speaking languages to each other) and go frequently. If anybody seems particularly cool, ask them out for coffee or tapas and make friends.  Third, take a class or play a sport.  The Mister plays basketball a couple times a week at the local courts, and we've met a lot of people through that.  Fourth, find a place to volunteer.  You'll have extra time, and you'll make some cool friends. Fifth, and I know the temptation to resist is strong, but don't live with other foreigners (unless, like me, you happened to be married to one, in which case I'll let it slide).  There are a lot of people that have had fabulous experiences living with expats, but I think for a lot of people it can isolate you in a non-Spanish bubble.  

I am wondering if you can give some insight into how much we should plan on paying for utilities every month? I have been able to estimate costs for rent, but I am trying to budget for utilities and am not sure how much I should be figuring for. 

Here in Málaga, where nobody has heat or air conditioning, we spend about 70 euros a month on utilities, including internet.   Keep in mind that we're in a studio, and that could change somewhere else in a trickier climate or if you get a posh place with a dryer!

I'm teaching in Campanillas, Malaga. Would you recommend commuting from the city or trying to find a place right in Campanillas? Also, do you think it would be feasible/a good idea to buy some sort of transportation like a motor-scooter or something to get around?

Yay, you'll love Málaga!  You should be fine living anywhere in the area, since some of the inter-city buses go up there. You'll probably prefer to live somewhere a little more central and then take the bus to work. My feeling is that you won't need anything for transportation except a bus pass and your two feet (they will be sore the first few weeks if my experience is any indication!).

How much money should an Auxiliar initially bring to Spain? 

You should have enough money to pay for a hostel for a few nights while you look for a place to live, pay first month's rent plus a security deposit (typically a month's rent) and living expenses for a month.  In Málaga, rent can run anywhere between 180 and 300 euros a month, and living expenses (includes food, going out, etc.) will probably be in the 100 to 200 euro range.  All told I wouldn't come without having access to anything less than 1000 euros, but I like to be on the safe side.  Some people over the years have reported not getting paid until December, but I haven't heard any stories that are that bad this year.  

Also, were you always paid on time by the Junta?

 Ha ha ha.  Hee hee.  Ho ho. (okay, I'll stop).  No, I did not always get paid on time.  In fact, I don't think I ever got paid on time, not even once.  I was totally at the mercy of the secretary at my school who processed the payroll.  One month she was sick, and, well, that was that.  I didn't get paid until the month was almost over. With that said, The Mister's school paid him on time, and I think most of my friends schools did too.  Like so much else in Spain, it totally depends on where you are and how lucky you get!

What documents are needed when we apply for the NIE once we get there? More specifically, my consulate does not require the medical certificate to have an apostille, but I got the impression through the manual that the program gives us that the NIE application requires the medical certificate to have the apostille. Any insight? 

There are two forces at work here, one is the NIE (Foreigner Identification Number) and the TIE (Foreigner Residency Card).  First, you have to show up at the Foreigner's Office (Extranjería) in your province where you will receive your NIE, oftentimes written on a post-it note to make you feel extra worried.  This is ONLY the number.  They didn't take any documentation from me for this, though I would bring it anyway, and did it based on the student visa.  Next, you take that number plus your documentation to the Police Station (Comisaría) of your province where you apply for the TIE.  This place required some documentation.  Basically, bring the originals of everything that you used to apply for the visa, as well as copies of everything, EVERYTHING.  When I applied for my TIE, they didn't care one bit about the medical form or the FBI background check.  Unfortunately in Spain though, they love to be inconsistent about things like this and eat auxiliars for breakfast.  Just because the person at my desk didn't require those forms doesn't mean the person at the desk sitting next to me didn't have to produce them.  As for your apostille question, I only had the background check apostilled, not the medical certificate.  If you're in doubt however, get the medical certificate notarized and head down to your state's Secretary of State's services office to get it apostilled.  For any further questions on this, I would go to the Facebook groups or expatcafe.

FAQ: Another round!

Every once in a while I get emails from readers and friends asking about something specific related to my time here in Spain.  The pace has been ramping up lately, and so I think it's about that time of the year again:  FAQ season.

Leave a comment on this post, or send me an email (link in the sidebar) with any and all questions about Spain, Spanish, Spaniards, and Spanish cucumbers. Or photography or writing or my little sister's odd hatred of the word "moist". Or, you know, Einstein's General Theory of Relativity and how it relates to ripples in the fabric of space-time caused by dense materials traveling forward in straight lines around large bodies of mass. I mean, I'm not saying I'll have the answer to any of these things, but I'm game to try.