Ayy I feel like so much has been happening lately, so I want to update a lil bit! First of all, it seems like everyone I know here was born in February. In the past couple weeks we celebrated the birthdays of Eliana (at salsa club and dinner at home), Ali and Stefanie (at bars in Huertas and the giant club Kapital), Krizia (went to go hear blues), our host mom Gloria (she had her two best friends over for dinner with us last Friday), and Jimena (she's the younger girl I teach, turned 7). Tonight, we're going out for Bobby's 21st, too! It's been a lot of fun to celebrate with each of them, and for each one we've gone somewhere new and different.
Eliana blowing out her (Christmas) birthday candles
At Gloria's birthday, there was a bit of a tragedy...Gloria's friend Javier had brought his dog over during her birthday dinner. After we finished eating, Daniela got up to go play with her hamster, Caramelo, and the dog. In one moment that she wasn't paying full attention, the dog had the hamster in its mouth. They got it out in time, but he didn't make it through that night and Daniela was devastated. Daniela loved that hamster like I've never seen a kid love a rodent before (although I did have some beloved gerbils back in the day), and when it happened we could feel the environment instantly change from celebration to sadness. The next morning, Gloria and Daniela went out and got a new hamster, Bolita, who is now the queen of the house, and Daniela was instantly back to her normal self. I'm recounting this incident because it reminded me of how living in a host family makes you instantly a part of whatever happens in the family, no matter what the dynamic of that specific family is--in this case it includes lessons at the dinner table that Gloria teaches Daniela when she asks questions about our conversations, losing her first pet--the good, bad, happy, etc. Gloria is such a good mom to Daniela--she's open and honest to her too--and it really shows.
Us with our mama!
Last Friday, we took a group trip to Toledo, a super old city where Christians, Jews and Moorish populations coexisted wayy back in the day. Saw some incredible cathedrals, a mosque, and two former synagogues. One of them was converted into a church after the jews were expelled from Spain in 1492. The other is now a museum of Sephardic judaism. It was so interesting to see how the three cultures lived together in the same city, but also sad to read about the Inquisition. Also, the number of synagogues from that time can now be counted on one hand, and they are only in about three cities.
Says "Israel, the Church...Is Unity Possible?"
Look, a picture with people in it! Me, Judy and Mikhail
So much mazapan (dessert made from almond and sugar) in Toledo
The mosque
Catedral Primara en Toledo
Entrance to the old city
Last weekend Madrid celebrated Carnaval, which is celebrated in different ways in different cities. It signifies the beginning of the 40 days before Easter, but now is a giant celebration that in many ways is like Halloween. People party hard and dress up in costumes. Not sure where that tradition evolved, but it's a good time. Madrid doesn't celebrate it as hardcore as some other cities, but there's definitely still celebrations. All the clubs were having Carnaval nights, and we went to the big parade on Gran Vía with lots of floats and music.
Watching the parade with the crowd on Gran Vía!
The parade ended with a Pirate float, pretty great
Last Sunday night Eliana, Krizia and I went to a jazz/blues bar called Populart. It is in a cool area called Huertas, and just a couple metro stops away from where we live. The blues group we saw was great, and they have free live music every night. We went back there last night with a bigger group, of about 10 people, to hear another blues group. This group was French (funny at first to hear blues lyrics in French), and the man playing the harmonica was sooo goooood. I want to be a beast at the harmonica. Alicia (one of my roomies from school this past semester who is spending the semester in Barcelona) is in town this weekend, so she came to meet up with us too! Seeing live music, especially live blues, is so relaxing, even though it was in a bar so crowded that could not possibly have fit one more person. We will definitely go back there, and find other places to see live music!
This is getting long so I'll continue soon...besooos!
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