The land of waffles, windmills and good beer

I just recently returned from my latest adventures.  It seems in Spain we have a holiday every other week, which is great for my travel plans.  This past week I had whole week off but the rest of Spain wasn't so lucky.  Since most Spanish holidays have fixed dates, like Halloween, they tend to fall on strange days.  Last week Tuesday, Thursday and Friday were holidays but on Monday and Wednesday the rest of Spain still had to work and go to school.  Fortunately I don't work at my school on Mondays and Wednesdays, so I cancelled my private classes and had the entire week off, two weeks before Xmas break I might add.  To take advantage of this extended vacation I traveled up to northern Europe with Jessica, Kevin (my friends who from San Jose who are doing the same program but in Bilbao), their roommate Piper and Jessica's friend Maria who met up with us in the middle of her solo trip across Asia and Europe.  Jessica being the organized person that she is basically planned the trip for us by booking apartments, hostels and bus trips.  All I had to do was show up!

The first place we visited was Brussels in Belgium.  I arrived Saturday, a day after the rest of the group.  Upon leaving the airport, I immediately noticed that Brussels was different.  I was not in Spain anymore.  The first noticeable difference was the architecture.  Brussels had hundreds of old elegant buildings that were very different from the Arabic style architecture in Spain.  Brussels felt very much like old Europe.  Another difference was the people.  Brussels seemed to be a very international city with people living there from all over the globe.  In Brussels, we rented a single room apartment with a loft for all three of us.  It was a nice apartment close to the center of the city.  The only problem was there were only two beds for the five of us.  Fortunately we were able to make it work.  After I settled into the apartment we decided to see what Belgium night life had to offer.  We found a cool bar/club where we stayed and danced for a while, then continued to bar hop until the wee hours of the morning.  It was definitely a blast but it made getting up early the next morning to explore the city a tad difficult.  Saturday morning when I finally got going.  I met up with the rest of the gang at a Christmas market in the center of Brussels.  The Christmas market was lined with shops that were selling all sorts of good foods and drink.  Up until this point had not felt like Christmas but being in Brussels with the cold weather, the Christmas markets and the decorations it started to feel like Christmas.

The next day we traveled to a small town called Brugge that was an hour outside of Brussels.  The town seemed to be something out of a fairytale.  Old brick houses lined the streets and plazas, while canals crisscrossed the town.  Throughout the town, there were a four old towers that made the town feel like a castle.  We spent the whole day exploring the town and eating good food.  My favorite part of the day was stopping at a bar to have some beer.  This was not just any bar.  The bar had a beer list that was a book that was more than an inch thick, basically a Bible of beer.  We each ordered two beers at this bar and shared them amongst ourselves.  I ordered two Christmas ales from Belgium breweries.  The beer there was no question the best I beer I've ever had.

On Tuesday, we left our apartment and were on the bus to Amsterdam, or as I was calling it Hamster-man.  Maria left us to continue on with the last leg of her Euroasian trip.  I must admit that before going to Europe, Amsterdam wasn't high on my list of places I wanted to visit.  I basically expected Amsterdam to be like Las Vegas.  As I soon learned, this was not the case at all.  Like Brussels, Amsterdam was a beautiful city.  Beautiful old houses stood on the edges of canals that went throughout the city.  The city seemed to have a lot culture and a forward-thinking attitude.  It reminded me somewhat of San Francisco.  There appeared to be lots of young people living there, who navigated the whole city on a bikes.  I've never seen so many in my life.  All the bikes made it very difficult to cross the street.

We spent most of our time just walking through the city and seeing the different monuments, buildings and various markets that were in the city.  One day we went to the Anne Frank house, where she and her family hid from the Nazis.  I had not realized before that the house was in Amsterdam.  It was a little bit sad and depressing to think about that part of history but it was very interesting to be in the actual house where they successfully hid from their eventual captors for so many years.  On a lighter note, we visited a brewery in Amsterdam that was in a windmill.  The beer there was not quite as good as the beer we had in Belgium but none the less it was tasty.  We also did go through the Red Light district a few times.  I never got used to seeing the girls behind the windows.  It always was a little strange to me.  For our last night in Amsterdam we went to a bar that was near our hostel.  The bar was supposed to be like an American blues bar.  It had a live band that was playing the old blues and rock and roll classics.  As you might have imagined, I really enjoyed it!  Well that is about it after another successful trip in Europe.  I have two weeks of work and then will be heading to Germany for Christmas and London for New Years!

Happy Holidays!!!

Aren't you glad you're not a turkey...

Although I have spent Thanksgiving away from home a number of times, I had never spent Thanksgiving outside of the United States.  I must it admit it was strange and also a bit depressing to be in a country where the holiday is not celebrated at all.  On Thanksgiving Day, I went to my school in Motilla del Palancar like pretty much any other day.  The major difference was I talked about Thanksgiving with my students.  In a couple of classes I taught my students how to make hand turkeys and talked with them about the things they were thankful for.  The highlight was probably teaching them the "Happy Thanksgiving Song," which was an Open Sing classic at Washington Open Elementary School.  In one of the classes, we talked extensively about what it meant to be thankful for something and why it was important to let the people around you know that you appreciate them.  This was quite rewarding to know that these students went home knowing that Thanksgiving means more than eating lots of turkey.

I did not want to miss out on the Thanksgiving meal, so I decided to prepare one myself.  For me, this was quite an undertaking because my culinary skills are quite limited.  I wasn't able to find a turkey so I had to substitute it for a chicken.  With the help of my Mom's recipes and the help of one of my roommates Salva, who actually knows what he's doing in the kitchen, I was able to produce a Thanksgiving feast.  Not only was I able to make the food but it was actually believe it or not...good!  I prepared the feast for my roommates and some of my friends here in Cuenca.  A lot of them had never celebrated Thanksgiving (I'm the only American of the group), so it was very cool to share such a unique American tradition with them.

This is quite belated but Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!!! I am very thankful that I know everyone of you and that you are somehow part of my life!

And since it is December already...Happy Holidays as well!

Surprise Party!

Well I realize that has been quite a few weeks since my last entree, so let me get you caught up to speed with what is happening here in Spain.  Since the last post, I made a short jaunt down to southern Spain for a weekend with Brian and Martina.  One of Brian's college friends is working as an English Language and Cultural Assistant in Almeria.  Almeria is a small sized city (large compared to Cuenca) on the southern coast of the Mediterranean.  Brian's friend Katrina was celebrating her birthday and Brian wanted to go make a surprise visit.  Martina and I being the adventurous people that we are decided to accompany Brian in his surprise visit to Almeria.  While planning the trip, we realized that taking either the train or the bus to the South would be both long and expensive.  We figured out that it would be faster and just a little more expensive if we rented a car and divided the price between the three of us.  Renting a car turned out to be a good choice but the only major drawback was Martina got stuck with all the driving, since Brian does not drive and I can't drive stick shift.  So Martina was our chauffeur for the weekend.

Upon arriving in Almeria, we immediately noticed that it was quite a bit warmer than Cuenca.  People were out walking around and wearing shirt sleeve shirts at midnight.  It had been about a month since I had worn a shirtsleeve shirt outside of my apartment.  The warmer weather was welcomed by all three of us and we enjoyed it all through the weekend.  Another difference that I noted while in Almeria was the variation in architecture from Cuenca.  In Almeria, there seemed to be a lot more Arabic-style architecture than there is in Cuenca.  I believe this can be attributed to Moorish rule in Spain and its concentration in the South.  In fact, there is a massive Moorish fortress that is in Almeria.  The last major difference in Almeria was the accent.  The Spaniards in Almeria were a lot more difficult to understand and spoke a lot less clear than our Manchego friends.  It reminded me somewhat of the Chilean accent.

Saturday afternoon Brian, Martina and I headed to a replica Old West Town outside of Almeria.  You might think it is strange that there is an Old West (as in American West) in Spain, but in fact many famous Western movies were filmed near Almeria.  As we drove to the replica town, I began to realize why they chose Almeria.  The landscape of Almeria was spectacular.  It was a very dry landscape with huge jagged mountains that protruded from the ground.  It reminded my of Arizona and a bit of Southern California.  The town itself was a little bit cheesy and felt a little bit like a tourist trap but we still enjoyed the afternoon there.  We grabbed a drink at the saloon and watched a short Cowboy reenactment with bad acting but cute cowboys (according to Martina).  That evening was the birthday celebration for Katrina.  There were tons of Language Assistants in Almeria.  At Katrina's party I met Assistants from England, Australlia and Germany.  It was great to get to share experience with these people.  I had a blast at the party with the new people I met.  Afterwards, we went to some dance clubs and bars and ended up staying out to 8 am the next morning like true Spaniards!

Sunday was a day of rest and recuperation for the Assistants from Cuenca.  In the afternoon, we met up with some of our new friends from the night before and had a late lunch.  After eating, we were able to explore the city a little bit.  The next day we got up early and got on the road for Cuenca and the cold weather.

Pais Vasco!

Last weekend, I successfully completed my first trip within Spain.  It was a relatively short distance traveled but none the less a very exciting adventure.  The past weekend we had a long weekend because All Saints Day (Nov. 1) is an observed holiday here in Spain.  Since I don't have to work at my school on Mondays and Wednesdays I was able to take advantage of a 5 day weekend.  I took a bus from Madrid to Basque Country in northern Spain to visit my good friends from San Jose, Jessica and Kevin.  They are both working as English Assistants like I am but I living up north in Bilbao.  It was great to see some friends from back home and explore a new region of Spain with them.  Something that I find fascinating about Spain is how much the different regions in Spain vary from each other.  Upon arriving in Bilbao I noticed that the landscape of the North was very different.  Bilbao was very green.  The city was surrounded by beautiful mountain that were blanketed with trees.  It was quite spectacular.  Another difference I noticed in the North was the people the had lighter features (ie. lighter hair and skin color) than they do here in Castilla La Mancha.  I felt like I stuck out a little less in Bilbao although I still think it was pretty obvious that I'm not Spanish.

The week was so full of adventures and activities that I could go on for hours talking about what I did in Bilbao.  Instead of rambling, I will give tell you some of the highlights from the weekend.  On Saturday, Jess Kevin and I traveled to a small mining town close to Bilbao.  Getting there was an adventure in itself. We took the Metro, to a train, to a funicular, to a bus, which finally took us into the town.  Once we got there Jess and Kevin took me to a very unique restaurant.   The restaurant was run by an old couple who had to at least be eighty years old.  It appeared that the restaurant was just part of their house and we were the only customers.  There were only three things on the menu eggs, chorizo and morcilla (blood sausage).  Since they were out of morcilla we ordered eggs, chorizo and some of their more "expensive" wine (90 cents a glass).  After we ordered, the old man started preparing the food on a wood fire stove.  The meal was delicious and extremely cheap.  After eating we talked to the couple for a little bit.  Towards the end of the conversation, the old man fell asleep.  We decided that was a good time to head out.

On Monday, we headed to a Basque Market in the nearby town of Guernica.  The town of Guernica is famously depicted in one of Picasso's paintings with the same name.  Every Monday there is a market in Guernica and the last Monday of the month is always the most important one.  Since Monday was also a holiday, the market was even a bigger deal.  The market was packed with people.  There were hundreds of stalls, where farmers had set up shop to sell their goods.  We were able to try to some typical Basque foods.  One of my favorites was a talo, which was a sort of corn tortilla that was wrapped around a sausage.  It was scrumptious!  We also drank some Basque cider and ate some Basque cheese, which was also very tasty.  Since Monday was Halloween, we had a Halloween party in Jessica and Kevin apartment.  We celebrated with other Americans who were also living in Bilbao.  Here in Spain, a few people celebrated Halloween but it is not as widely celebrated as it is in the US.  When we went out to the bars, we were pretty much the only people in costume.

Well those are some highlights from a great weekend in Bilbao.  I hope to have the chance to go back because it was a really great city!  Now I'm back to reality here in Cuenca, which is fine because reality here is pretty good too!

A few weeks in Cuenca

Well so much for me writing a blog entry every week.  That was my plan before coming to Spain but it did not last long at all.  After three weeks in Spin I have learned 3 important things:
1. I will not starve.  (The food is great and there always plenty to eat)
2. I will not get much sleep.  (I have to wake up early on the days that I go to work at my school and on the weekends Spaniards like to stay up until early the next morning.  Sometimes until 7 am the next morning!)
3.  There is never enough time to see everything in Spain (every Spaniard I talk to gives me a long list of places I HAVE TO visit).

Since my last entry a lot has changed for me on this side of the Atlantic Ocean.  One of the biggest changes is that I have finally found an apartment!  I've living in the center of town and sharing an apartment with 3 other Spanish students.  It is an eclectic group!  One of my apartment-mates is Sofia, who is studying art at the university here in Cuenca.  Another is named Salva, who is studying to be a teacher and is an awesome cook!  The third is Jesus, who plays guitar and studies architecture.  They have been great apartment mates.  After living here for just a week they have already done a lot to help me.  Aside from teaching me Spanish words that they never would have taught me in Spanish class, they helped me get settled in at the apartment and even cooked some meals for me!

This past week I finished my first full week of working at the school or what they call here the institute in Motilla del Palancar.  My experience at the school has been really good so far and I look forward to going and working with the students.  This is mostly due to my colleagues, the other teachers at the institute.  They have been extremely helpful and supportive of me during these first few weeks.  During breaks between classes I usually go with the teachers to grab a coffee or some food.  My initial experience in the classroom has also been good.  Since I have only been working at the institute for a couple weeks, I spend most of my time in the classroom introducing myself to the students and talking about my family, friends, where I'm from and what I like to do.  For the most part, the students appear to be engaged and interested in what I have to say.  Hopefully this will stay the same throughout the year, but we will have to see.

I have also had the opportunity to make some new friends here in Cuenca!  Having Spanish roommates has helped me meet some other students from Cuenca.  Aside from meeting Spaniards, I have befriended two other Language Assistants that are living here in Spain.  They are both working in the Language School that is located here in Cuenca.  Martina is from Germany and she is working as a German Assistant at the Language School.  The other is Brian who is from Ireland and as you may have guessed he is helping out with the English classes.  I have spent a lot of time with these two new friends of mine.  It has been really nice having others to explore Cuenca with, since the city is new to all of us.  Tonight we are going to the Auditorium here in Cuenca to watch a Flamenco concert!


Well that is what is new here in Castilla La Mancha.  I hope everything is well back in the US and wherever you are around the world!  Hopefully, it will not take me as long to write a third entry.


Hasta luego!

And so it begins...

And all of the sudden, I’m in Spain sitting on my bed and reflecting on my first 24 hours in my newest home away from home.  The past two days have passed like a maelstrom.  I’m surprised to find myself in still in one piece.  After having lunch with Mom outside of SFO, I boarded the plane to LAX.  Although I have become used to being away from San Jose, it was still hard to say goodbye to family and friends knowing that I will so far away from home for such a long period of time.  From LAX I took the direct, 12 hour flight, to Madrid.  All I will tell you about that flight is that I survived it.  Instead of taking the taxi to the bus station, I decided to save 20 euros and take the metro.  After a couple embarrassing moments, like trying to insert cash into the machine that only took ATM cards and almost getting stuck in the entrance to metro because I had some much luggage, I arrived at the bus station without further incident.  I then boarded the next bus to Cuenca, which is where I will be living.  Cuenca is a city of 50,000, which may seem small but it is large for this part of Spain.  The city is known for its historic neighborhood, where ancient buildings hang off the edge of a cliff.  Unfortunately I have not had time to explore this part of town yet, but I will be doing so in the very near future.  After arriving in Cuenca, I was met by one of the teachers from the school I will be working at, Rafa.  He has graciously let me stay in his apartment, while I look for a flat of my own.  On the night that arrived, Rafa happened to be entertaining a couple of friends from out of town.  With them, I was thrown directly into Spanish cuisine and culture.  At Rafa’s, we ate a delicious meal of tomatoes, some sort teriyaki stir-fry and Galician octopus.  And of course, we had plenty of wine to go with it all.  I was able keep up with most of the conversation, but when it transgressed into a discussion about Spanish poetry and poets I must admit I became quite lost.  After a three hour meal and a tremendously long day, I finally went to bed.  The next day, I traveled to Motilla del Palancar with Rafa and some of the other teachers to the school where I’ll be working this year.  Motilla del Palancar is a very small town of about 7,000 inhabitants.  The town is so small that many of the teachers live in Cuenca, which is nice because I’ll be able to carpool to and from the school with the others to and from Cuenca.  While at the school, IES Jorge Manrique, I met many of the teachers that I will be working with this year.  They all seemed extremely nice and excited to be able to work with me, which was very reassuring.  I also got to sit in on a few classes, where I introduced myself to the students.  If anybody needs to boost their self-esteem, I would recommend working with high school students abroad.  Apparently my arrival was highly anticipated by the students.  I felt almost like a celebrity.  Many times in the hallway, students came up to me and asked “Are you Tyler!?”  After returning to Cuenca, I went with Rafa to a restaurant and had another delicious Spanish meal.  Now I’m sitting on my bed exhausted by the last couple days.  I hope to write more soon but I think I’ll get some more sleep first.