the after 30 part...

Thanksgiving was a hit!  Trying to find the right ingredients or the brands I trusted in Spain was near to impossible.  Did you know that Spain doesn't have cranberries, just the juice (not very common though) and in one grocery store we found cranberry sauce, but they put it with the tobasco sauce?  I had given up looking when I just happened to look up on the top shelf and there it was next to mustard and spicy sauces.  Random. I prepared a story in Spanish to read to my family (see below for my Spanish readers), skipped school on Friday and cooked up a storm.  Turkey, home made gravy, carrots, home made mashed potatoes, hot rolls (store bought and microwaved because Pillsbury doesn't exist here), my marshmallow yams, cranberry sauce, black olives and two hand made pumpkin pies (literally, i mashed the pumpkins!).  I started the day with Lola, Marcos's mom.  She was nice enough to pluck the few remaining feathers that we...

Last weekend I went to Seville for the night with Marcos, Vane, Mikki, and Paco.  Last year I studied here for a week and just loved this city.  This is where one of my favorite artists lives, Maria Ortega Estepa .  I missed her art show in October but she is going to have another show in Jan, and I am definitely going to go see it!  We left Cadiz on Saturday morning and arrived to miserable weather.  It wasn't just raining, it was Ketchikan pouring.  Parking is really bad in Seville.  We parked a good 30 minute walk away from our hostel, so by the time we got there, I was drenched.  The boots I was wearing leaked water into my socks and I didn't bring an extra pair of shoes!!  I walked the city with cold wet feet.... :(.  I planned  on buying some new shows in Seville, but no such luck.  I think I'm too picky.  Anyway, the rain finally eased up and we were able to roam the city.  We visited shops, walked by the Cathe...

Every day after school, I come home, have lunch, study, go to the gym (some days), study some more and go to bed.  Marcos decided I needed a break from this monotony and he took me shopping in Jerez!  There is a huge shopping center there, including Ikea, H&M, and cute clothing shops.  We left Cadiz a little later than we had hoped.  We walked through some of the down town area, which on some streets reminded me of a fake movie set up because of how old and cute it was.... and then on to the bus to get to the major shopping area.  Upon our arrival, we realized we didn't have much time to eat a snack before we shopped, so we shoved two donuts down our throats (not one but two each) and started  in H&M.  The last store we were in was called Primark.   Primark is like... well the craziest store I have ever been in.  Jodie, if you feel overwhelmed sometimes in Target or Fred Meyer, you would have had a heart attack in this store.  Me...

Just a few pictures of my life in Cadiz. Sign reads: For the employment in the bay of Cadiz (Cadiz and surrounding areas) For the compliance of the agreements (contracts) They were walking down the main street setting off fire crackers. Lola enjoying her hobby of painting. So orderly and neat.  I love the little kid undies in the upper right corner. Boys stealing internet to play games online.  They do this quite often.. Sometimes they even move it down on the walkway instead of the hallway. Daily sounds outside my window. Vane's building

Marcos is extremely loyal to his friends.  He is the type that has a few super close friends and he sticks with them for life.  He reminds me of a wolf with his pack, forever together.  Saturday we had a 6pm snack (since dinner is at 10pm) at his house and those really close friends of his came over for SMC candies, peanut butter on toast and tea/coffee! Lucia (Paco's girlfriend), Ana (Jesus's girlfriend), and Vane (Miki's girlfriend) Vane is shy and currently learning English.  She gets super nervous around me when trying to speak English but she is getting more brave.  She is my closest girlfriend here.  I try and tell her that I am just as nervous speaking Spanish but that in order to learn you have to try!  Lucia is what I think of as a typical Spanish woman.  She is super expressive with her face and hands when she speaks, so much that I usually understand her the most because she is practically acting out what she is saying. Left to Ri...

This weekend was full of fun events!  Spain is definitely very social, and people are always coming and going in Marcos's home.  Friday night we went to "Swedish Night" at some of my fellow classmates apartment.  There are a lot of Swedish students at my school because SIC (Spanish in Cadiz) has a contract with the University in Sweden (or something like this) that puts all Spanish learning students at SIC.  The night consisted of singing Swedish songs, eating meat balls and drinking a lot! I brought brownies and cookies (in the white bag!) Frankie from Seattle!!  He is studying Spanish through Univ. of WA. Elin, Swedish, pouring drinks All the deserts Elin had food coma! hahah Teachers, students, friends = fun!

My all time favorite artist has launched her new website and I feel the need to share it with everyone. Every year I buy her calendars, and I also have three of her prints up on my walls (two in Skagway, one in Seattle!)  Janeen creates art with words, and I absolutely love her work.  Check it out:   www.koconewyork.com (hompage) www.kocoecards.com (e-card service) 2011 koco calendar (now online)

I finished my second week of school.  I probably should have been put in the beginner class.  My grammar is intermediate, but my conversation level is beginner.  There is nothing more frustrating than to sit in class and everyone be laughing at something the teacher said, and me not understand any of it. Most of these students have been here for two months, but this week we got a new French boy and he seems to understand everything perfectly fine.  I have three Swedish girls, a Norwegian man, a Russian girl and the French boy in my class.  They are all really nice and can speak Spanish beautifully (or so I think, because really I can't understand them!)  Today I insisted they test me again to make sure I was supposed to be in this level.  After my test they said I could choose which class I wanted because I was sort of in between.  Next week the beginner class is starting past tense verbs, (which I have already studied), so I am choosing to stay i...

October was a crazy month.  If you thought for one second that September was busy with sales in Skagway for me, ha! October was three times that busy.  I jammed three months of work into one month (though I still have more to do), as well as, recruited 25 plus volunteers and helped raise more than $54,000 for  Get Hitched Give Hope .  I would love to do an entire blog just on GHGH, but I will leave it to the  blog website  to fill you in.  The entire month I didn't stop.  I had Sarah and Jared in town, then right after Terry and Drew in town.... a short trip to Ketchikan, and then Mom and Michelle in town in Seattle.  My birthday weekend was a blast.  Valerie came to visit and we enjoyed every minute of it.  Thank you Ketchikan weather for being so amazing! Here are a few pictures of my October. Hike with Matt (and Valerie) in Ketchikan Home town, view from 3rd avenue trail Beautiful Carol, Michelle and I at GHGH Soooooo ...