Healing

These last couple of years have been tiring and stressful and definitely a right of passage into adulthood whether I liked it or not. It's when I gave up giving English classes as a freelance teacher and began my first 9 to 5 kind of job. Except 9 to 5 would have been a dream compared to what I was doing. As project manager at a translation agency in Madrid, I had to face several battles every day: a 2.5 hour commute to Madrid everyday plus the hour lunch break that ate up all my free time; a hysterical, illogical, rude, inflexible, impatient boss who doesn't understand how to use capital letters or punctuation marks; many long, irritating conversations with (Spanish) clients that insist that they speak English better than any native; the smelly, noisy, cantankerous people that would push, shove and step on me on public transportation.

Thankfully that period of my life has come to an end after a rather emotional, hysterical summer spent either screaming at my boss or avoiding her altogether.

Last Wednesday I embarked on a new adventure in my life as a freelance translator/proofreader working from home. Since my only connections are my old company (who's greedily internalizing all proofreading work) and other translators I've met along the way (who are also greedily holding on to as much work as possible), things have been really slow around my "office", i.e. my house.

I thought being couped up all day would drive me mad, but it hasn't. It has also just been a week and you might find me crawling up the walls in the near future. But for the moment a very new and unfamiliar peace has come over me. For the first time in months I'm sleeping like a log, eating home-made meals and doing exercise daily. I feel a lot more positive. Not about my future or anything in specific, it's just a lot easier to feel happy when you're not being pushed around any more. A lot easier to feel happy for other people too.

Sorry, I've been a little tired lately... will write next week!

Eurovision 2010

Come every spring Spain is usually busy choosing it's contestant to the Eurovision contest and I always find myself rather fascinated with it. It was first held in Switzerland in 1956 to help pull back together Europe after so many wars and was set up by the European Broadcasting Union (like a European-wide PBS).

Now, to start with, Eurovision doesn't seem exactly confined to Europe, since participants include Russia, Israel, Turkey, Morocco, Georgia as well as most European countries. Although I guess you could dispute whether they are European or not. And other northern African countries are also welcome to join.

Each year, each country chooses its participant and song. Now of course, the song could not have been commercially or publicly broadcast beforehand other than during the selection process so you're never going to see great artists like U2 play there. Spain has chosen its participant on several occasions through Operación Triunfo, which is kind of like a mix between Big Brother and American Idol. Now popular request usually decides who is going to represent Spain.

During the contest there are semi finals and finals and this year 39 countries sang last night at the finals. You'd be amazed at all the talented people out there. And I really enjoy watching these European countries battle it out to the end, but in a peaceful and loving way. Nowadays viewers send text messages voting for their favorite songs (and obviously cannot vote for their own country) although in the past there was a panel.

Spain itself has only won once and tied another time although they have come in second place several times. Spaniards in general aren't as enthusiastic about the whole thing as, let's say, Swedes and more Eastern European countries. They claim that each country tends to vote for its neighbors or political allies, which would be a lot easier for the old Russian and Slavic states than for the Western-European ones.

However Spain has a history of choosing quacks and weirdos with whom the general public oddly enough feel identified. Such is the case with Spanish TV and movie stars who stand worlds apart from their exaggeratedly beautiful and wonderful American counterparts. But this year's artist was a really talented young man from Alcalá de Henares who frequently sings on the Gran Vía, Spain's version of Broadway. Although his song was more appropriate for a children's program, it was really well done and he dignifiedly represented Spain.

Spain's Participant

Eurovision Official Website
Eurovision on Wikipedia

Los Cerros Park in full bloom

Yesterday I went biking at my favorite park, Los Cerros, just south of Alcalá de Henares, heading south on M-300, crossing the Henares river and hanging a left. And it was wonderful! In full bloom!

Its almost 2,000 acres (800 hectares) were once home to Romans and Arabs but have since gone through wildfires, draughts, erosion and have even been used as a landfill. In 2000, the government decided to set this land aside and officially convert it into a "natural park." They started by filling it in with dirt and forming pathways and roads. The rest has since been replanted with holm oaks, pine trees, wild flowers and other bushes. In 2007, a nature center was built where people and students could find out more about local wildlife and an almond grove was planted in memory of the March 11, 2004 bombing victims.

I first went running at Los Cerros back in 2004 when it was still just a dump covered with dirt. Every time it rained, the garbage would rise up to the surface. But now the park is really coming into its own. There are bird houses hanging from the trees and picnic tables placed in the shade. The oldest trees in the park are probably not older than 50 years old, but they already attract a large range of animals including the storks that are usually seen around town.

Stark contrast of older trees to the right and baby pines to the left of this path.

Wild flowers with Alcalá de Henares in the back ground. You can see the Santos Niños Cathedral.

Wash ways were added where rain water usually flows. Here it's interrupted a path.

The almond grove in memory of the March 11, 2004 victims.

Young pine trees.

Red poppies under more almond trees lining the path.

Maps and more information (in Spanish) can be found at the city hall's website: http://www.ayto-alcaladehenares.es/template2.asp?cat_id=4017&mcat=1107&mcat_id=2&opt=m02_02_012&site_language=2

Free concerts at the University of Alcalá de Henares

I must admit that I probably fell in love with Alcalá de Henares because of the nightlife and college environment. But now that I'm pretty much over that phase, it's a really great cultural center with lots more to offer than long drunken nights.

This month, for example, a free concert is held each Saturday evening in the courtyard of one of the college buildings. Each concert features young adults studying classical music.

Last night I went with two friends to listen to a pianist and cello player play in the courtyard of the Humanities building off the Cervantes Plaza. The building in itself was built in 1610 and has served as the University archives and military barracks as well.

Like most places, there was an older audience for the most part. Some grandchildren were dragged along and they sat through the performance surprisingly well for a country that doesn't usually discipline its children. But I think it's a great shame that my generation doesn't show much interest in continuing these traditions. Especially here in Europe, where classical music was born and refined.

It was so inspiring and peaceful (although way too cold for the middle of May!) that it made for a great night. We then took a walk around the Cervantes Plaza and watched the storks settling into their nests on building roofs in the area. They were setting up a free rock concert for later that night and teenagers were practicing their gymnastic and free-styling skills.

Opposites attract

My boyfriend is a complete carnivore that believes french fries fall in the vegetable category. So it was no surprise that he wasn't thrilled when I told him I wanted to go almost vegetarian over a year ago.

When I made that decision, I decided three things:
1. If I'm doing a lot of exercise, am sick, etc. and I need more iron, I'm going to eat meat.
2. I'm not going to push people to adopt my diet beliefs. Mutual respect is a must.
3. I'll save my meat meals for when it would be highly inconvenient to insist on vegetarian meals (like at someone's house or a steakhouse).

Since we both work a lot, dinner time is really important to us. But it hasn't been easy. I still ask him what he wants to eat naively expecting him to answer something other than "meat". And each time I've taken it as an attack on my wishes and unfairly gone off on him.

This last week we've finally found a meeting ground for our differences and it feels like we're making progress. We let each other know when we're hungry and we each make our own meals. When we go out for tapas we get at least one non-meat item (if that's even possible). Amazingly enough my in-laws are starting to back off and are accepting my quirky ways (they had Spinach leaves in their salad for the first time last week!).

Thinking we're going to make this "opposites attract" thing work.

No Easter bunnies here...

Holy Week celebrations in Spain have always seemed to me to be somewhat more appropriate for Halloween. I always get this eery sensation that the dead (not Jesus) are going to raise from the dead and walk the streets at night - a far cry from Easter celebrations back home full of lillies, eggs and bunnies.

Funeral processions weave through the streets every spring and although I've seen it so many times, it's just not easy to get used to. A death march is played on the drums; smokey incense fills the air; people walking in lines, sometimes barefoot, wearing chains on their feet, holding candles or large crosses or whips, and usually with their heads covered with a centries-old costume that was later copied by the KKK; carrying on their shoulders heavy statues of Holy Week protagonists dressed with real hair and clothes.

And come Easter Sunday everyone usually forgets the ending of this celebration and file back onto the freeway to return to Madrid without having gone to mass. No joyous end (actually if you get stuck in traffic you're probably cussing out God rather than praising his name). No happy children or trumpets or bunnies. Everyone is basically pooped.

First step to making bread: make sure you have all the right ingredients

I think today's discovery is a very appropriate example of how long it's taking me to get used to living abroad.

After hundreds of failed baking attempts and tantrums thrown on my kitchen floor (yes, seriously like in the Julie/Julia Project) over the past 6 1/2 years, I was reading the blog www.chocolateandzucchini.com and found out that American flour tends to have more gluten than European ones which could be a large part of my problem. Up until now all my cookies, cinnamon rolls, bagels and breads tasted great but were sooo dense that it was depressing. I had always assumed it to be differences with ovens, baking powder, baking soda and yeast.

This is just another moment in my life here when I stop and ask myself what the hell I'm doing in Spain. Over 6  years to figure this out??? All the wonderful food I could've baked back home in that time! And all the wonderful bagels I could have quite easily boughten and ate...

Tonight I'll start my bagels and hopefully tomorrow I have good news to share...

Update: The bagels were quite easy to make and the bread flour helped a lot!

However I must say they were the ugliest bagels ever!!! Must work on my shaping skills!