Adams Visit, Spain's win and Family Time

Spain won! Viva España! Before I update you on the happenings of the past few days, a few would be offended if I first didn't mention this moment in History. We went to Shabir's to watch the game and he was decked out in a Spanish jersey, red pants and had Spanish Flags all around the outside of his house. There were about 10 of us there and it was actually a lot of fun. However, nerve-wracking as well. I don't know the sports terminology and I don't care either but watching Spain make 11 or so (almost goals) was enough to give me the shakes let alone a die-hard futból fan. Here is an exerpt from an article that I quite liked.

"Spain played very well during whole tournament and they were technically excellent," Germany coach Joachim Loew said. "They fully deserve victory.

"Spain played better, we couldn't match their level. We did not play at our best. We will analyze over the next couple of days what went wrong and work on that for the near future. Overall, the team had a great result considering the other contenders, like Italy, France or the Netherlands."

The Germans dominated the opening minutes but did not really test goalkeeper Iker Casillas. The Germans also looked close to scoring early in the second half but Spain used a long-lasting substitution to settle down and created chance after chance against an overmatched German team.

"We controlled the game for 15 minutes, but had no answer after Spain found to its rhythm," Loew said."

It was a lot of fun at Shabir's, hearing the car's honk from the city center, seeing fireworks falling over Lloret and Blanes like confetti.

Picking up from my last post, Adam arrived safe-and tired. The first two days he was in Barcelona the entire day. He is very resourceful and I learned not to worry about him being lost in a big city. One night we took him to La Campana, a must if you're visiting Joan and I in Lloret. The second night I made a home cooked meal and Jordi joined us for dinner also. We showed him around Lloret and took him to my new favorite place, a small cove, hidden from tourists where there isn't much sand but flat rocks that make up the shore. It is absolutely gorgeous. Unfortunately I forgot my camera but Joan, Jordi and I plan to go back (ALL DAY) next Sunday.

Yesterday, Joan and I, along with his family went to this very posh restaurant, Mas Romeu in Lloret. (Posh for Lloret, I guess). It was beautiful. We ate outside under a canopy of trees that shielded us from the heat of the sun. A cool breeze was constant and carried the scents of paella and vino. His grandparents joined us, as well as his Aunt and Uncle.

It was a full circle moment when I thought of meeting these same people in December and being so scared; to it being June and sitting with these same people and feeling like family.

Adam left this afternoon so now it is just me again in the flat. I am in the process of getting it back to normal. My Monday cleaning routine, making lunch and after running some errands and taking a break to go for a swim in the pool.

This morning I had my last Spanish class (until August) with Clara. We just talked the whole time. I really will miss having class with her but I am excited to impress her when I see her August 1st! My Spanish will have improved a lot.

I suppose that is all going on here. Hope all is well where you are.

Visitors

Joan's friend Adam is supposed to be here in Lloret by now. He flew in from Hungary this afternoon. I got a text from him this morning telling me he missed his flight but would be in Barcelona by 1:20 this afternoon. Since Joan is in London today, Adam has to get to Lloret by train and bus. It is 4:21 and he should definetly be here or almost here. I just wish he would text me or call and let me know what is up so I know what I have to do.

Next month I have two friends visiting from Northwest and in August Nikki and Eryn will be here!
I pretty much have the itinerary planned for their trip, I want them to do and see as MANY things as possible! I remember how excited I was to be in Barcelona the first time.

July 5th is Joan's birthday. The plan for that is BBQ at Xevi's, although this time I'll be cooking a few things. After we are all going to "Castell Medevil" Europe's version of Medevil Times. The best part is that the show is in English and there is Flamenco dancing after! I'm sure it will be wonderful, I just have to come up with a stellar gift for Joan.

As for my birthda, I'm not sure what to do exactly because Xevi's birthday is on the 20th of August and we both wanted to do something on the 21st. A joint party? The same people will be at both right, so maybe that is a good idea? I'll have to work on it. Although it is my big "21st....we could possibly make it work.

I teach my last English class tomorrow. Jordi has his presentation in Scotland Sunday and then he will be busy with teaching and his summer plans. Joan enrolled me in an intensive Spanish class for July. 4 hours day, Monday through Friday for a month. There will be other people in it so I can at least make new friends. It's in Girona, very close to Joan's work so we can have lunch together. After a month of those classes, my Spanish should be muy muy bien! At least, I hope so. Sometimes I think I'm not cut out to learn a foreign language.

I'm gonna head out to the beach now. Adam can fend for himself I guess.

Adeu.

Update: Adam arrived at 5:30 outside my flat. His phone wasn't working so he couldn't call. (I didn't even think of that possibility) luckily we gave him our home address! He loves Lloret and I'm sure when he goes to Barcelona tomorrow, he'll love it there too!

My 100th Post

100 posts on blogger since I moved to Europe in December. It has been an amazing adventure so far and it feels as if it is just beginning. First off a thank you to my handful of readers who always have kind words to say. A thank you to the bloggers that have commented along the way, I never thought anyone else read this. Lastly, a thank you to Joan for making these experiences possible.

Before I tell you about the last couple of days, I want to say a few words about George Carlin,a man who went from social comic to cultural critic in his lifetime. I recently read his last interview he made just two weeks before he died. He said something that stopped my eyes from reading and slapped reality across my face. After telling a joke to his interviewer he said, "I have a long thing I'd like to write someday about language and the way we address each other."

George Carlin died of heart failure, unexpectedly. It is obvious he had many other things planned for his life, but just seeing the words in front of me makes it that more powerful. I'm sure two weeks ago I said I wanted to go on a trip or call a friend....but what if I didn't have that much time left to do all those things? It is a dark concept so I won't dwell on it, however it reminds me to live for today and not procrastinate because tomorrow isn't promised.

So, in other recent news I will tell you all about Sant Joan Day. Monday night, after Joan arrived from taking Starbuck back to Barcelona, we went to dinner at the restaurant Giorgio. There were 15 people at the table which made for a wonderful time. I sat next to Xevi and Albert and across from Joan and Xavi. We joked and laughed and talked the entire time and before I knew it the waiter was taking my pasta away as everyone else had finished and I had barely made a dent in mine! There was some excitement when the second course was served, a spider crawled across the table between Ana and Shabir. Someone knocked the spider off the table but just when everyone had forgotten about it, it appeared again on Ana's shoulder. That was cause for hysterics and Shabir gallantly swept him away. Finding a spider was suprising because Girogios is an upscale restaraunt but even those cannot keep out bugs entirely;especially when we were sitting at a table next to a plant and a window.

After dinner we went to the Irish Rover. I met Xevi's brother Pere and his girlfriend Rebekkah from Taiwan. She is a freelance translator now since she doesn't have her papers but she used to work for the U.N. Ana and I actually had good conversation, she is leaving in a month and the reality is hitting her that she will miss being in Spain quite a lot. Ana and Shabir will be in a long distance relationship, we shall see how it goes. I don't wish those on anyone.

Joan and I at the Rover

After the Irish Rover closed at 4, we walked to Tropics but that was very lame so we made our way to Disco Hollywood. We stayed there until 5:30 a.m.! I could not believe it. I hadn't drank much at all and neither had Joan so we were feeling good and surprisingly not tired when we went home.

The night of Sant Joan was the shortest of the year so at 5:30 it was already pretty light outside. We had to close the shutters so we could sleep! The next morning we woke up around 8:30 and lounged around until 1 when we went to the meatshop to pick up the food for the BBQ. We arrived at Xevi's around 2 and started grilling out.

This was where things went bad because someone ( I think Xevi's sister) bought wood for a fireplace. I don't know why she didn't buy coal....so when Joan placed the meat on the grill it burnt to a crisp. Luckily he had only cooked a few so there was still plenty left.

The day was a lot of fun. It was pretty surreal to be at Xevi's because I had heard so much about it and seen so many pictures of his pool etc that actually being there awas quite strange. It is a huge house, definetly made to host parties. Around 6:30 everyone left and Carlos and his girlfriend, along with Xavi came to see our flat. We introduced Carlos to facebook (he now has one) and he introduced us to an online game that I'm sure Joan will be addicted to.

Today (Wednesday) has been productive. I taught Jordi and after took the bus back to Lloret. What is normally a dull experience was an akward one when an Indian man sat next to me and told me "You are very beautiful, I like you."

I met Maribel at the meatshop and she told me we had a lunch date with this old man at his house. He is like family she said, someone they have known for ages. His house is in the city center, very close to the meatshop and is absolutely beautiful. Save for a flatscreen t.v and a computer from 1998, everything is antique. It has a victorian-esque look. An old victorola, antique birdcages and parasols hanging from the vautled ceilings designed with gorgeous crown molding. It is three stories tall and has a wonderful rooftop patio. The bedrooms are lovely as well. My favorite room was called The Suite and it was like out of a movie. Victorian furniture, a 1940s style phone and vanity. It had wooden stairs that led up to a loft with another bed and old photos of his family from the 1930s and 40s. Carlos (the older mans name) is a widower and lives alone. His daughter lives in Germany with her husband and children, but I was told she visits often. Maribel and I walked out into his garden and it is gorgeous also. It reminded me of something out of a book. It wasn't big but held many plants and fruit trees. Each morning Carlos hangs a few muffins out for the birds so every now and again you hear the faint sound of songs from among the trees.

Lunch was an array of fish. Sardines cooked two ways, Baccallo, and Rape. He made asparagus and fresh bread. We drank Catalan wine and listened to opera music. It was a wonderful experience.

Tomorrow Joan's friend Adam arrives from Hungary. He is here for four days. I must get his room ready and head out to the grocery store before Joan gets home.

Hope all is well in your corners of the world.

Muchas Cosas

So much has happened since my last post a few weeks ago. Joan and I got my paperwork (almost) completed so I will be legally working by July or the beginning of August. Hooray!

I've spent a lot of time with Joan's mom, his brother, we've gone out to dinner with friends, watched futból matches at Shabir's house, entertained friends at our home and enjoyed the beach.

Recently (yesterday in fact) Joan got us a puppy. I was adamant that we didn't need a dog and I told Joan no repeatedly. Eventually though, I caved. We have a 2 month old Cocker Spaniel puppy named Starbuck. He is extremely cute and generally a good dog. He needs a lot of training. While Joan is at work, it is up to me to train him. It's ok, I knew this going in but Starbuck is challenging. Right now, he barks a lot.

I woke up at 7 a.m. to take him on a walk. He got lots of exercise, treats, everything a little puppy could want. When we arrived at home, he had water and food and did his business in the house again. We played, ran around the house, I gave him lots of attention and he is still barking. It is normal, he is a puppy. Joan and I thought this would be ok but I think we're taking him back tonight. I hate giving up and giving him back but it would be more irresponsible to keep him.

Tonight we were going to go out for St.Joan's but since we're taking Starbuck back, I think the whole experience will be so exhausting that maybe we will just make it out for one drink if that.
I know I have a lot of cleaning to do.

In other news, I'm going to lunch with Maribel today so that will give me a break.

Much love

C.M.

Another Saturday, Another Adventure

I don't know what it is about Saturday but it doesn't surprise us anymore when things don't go as planned. We were supposed to go to the beach with Jordi and Diana and whatever I mentioned in the post before this one, well-the weather was cloudy in the morning so that was out. I slept in until I was motivated enough to walk around town with Joan. He got his haircut by this gay hairdresser in Lloret that happened to hit on him once when he was 19, and then we met Jordi and Diana for a coffee around four.

We had two hours to kill so we went into almost every store looking for talcum powder for Jordi. By the time we found it it was almost 6 so we headed to Shabir's house. We were told to be there at 6 and as usual we were early. So we hung out with his dog Jeff and his mom Jenny until Shabsta arrived. Everyone else turned up at about 7 and we left at 8. I'm not much of a fan for futbol anyway (Sweden won).

At 9, We went to La Campana with Joan's family and Pepi and Bernard. It was a lot of fun actually, I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard at dinner. After we went to Hula Hula. Joan's mom really was in the mood to party but at midnight we took her home. Joan was embarassed and Segi was very angry he had to be in Hula Hula with his parents. I had to remind Joan that when we are his parents age, we will be the same people and will want to go out as well. Besides her parents deserve a break, they work so hard everyday.

We were supposed to meet the gang at The Irish Rover at 1:30 but they decided to skip it and head straight to Abacco in Blanes. So Joan and I met Jordi and Diana there instead.

Now we're home and gonna get to bed. Incase mi familia is reading this, I didn't drink a single thing tonight, vale?

Love you all. Bon anit

I just wanna be mas morena!

Yesterday Maribel and I went to the beach to catch some rays over the lunch hour. There was an unusual amount of topless women which constantly freaked me out. I did manage to get some sort of color (not red) so I'm pleased with that. When Joan got home we went to our pool to layout. It was so relaxing just laying around together, reading, tanning, swimming. I wish today was sunnier but unfortunately it's overcast. Barcelona, porque?

This weekend is going to be great because we are all about fun and relaxation! Saturday (weather permitting) we are going to the beach with Jordi and Diana. We may even hit up Water World if I can talk everyone into it. Sunday Maribel and I are going to Tordera to the market they have every Sunday. Last time I went there I came home with a bunny, we shall see what happens this time. After that we will have lunch at Joan's parents and then either hit up la playa or go to Blanes or Tossa.

Joan is going to have a 5 day weekend because Montse gave him Monday to Wednesday off. There isn't to much work going on and Joan has a lot of vacation time so we need to plan some fun things to do those days!

Today I have to be productive. I don't want to be but I know how much better I'll feel if I am. If I can get the entire flat cleaned I won't have to worry about it all weekend. I have to call my school and the loan company I owe and I want to work out later. I ALSO wanna plan a nice dinner for Joan y yo. Last night I didn't cook so tonight I should. Ah sweet coupledom.

This is me in my productive/work out clothes. Once the outfit is on, it's all business.

Ciao.

Moriría por vos

I loved this song the first time I heard it. It is terribly sad, as is the movie it is about but anything in Spanish has the ability to sound beautiful.



Como Nicolas Cage en Leaving las Vegas
Veo caer la nieve en la hierba,
Un Robinson en una isla desierta
Como Nicolas Cage en Leaving las Vegas
Soy el invierno contra tu primavera,
Un Dorian Gray sin pasado ni patria ni bandera
Ser tu voz, ser el licor,
Sern las luces de esta habitacin
Ser el poder de una cancin,
Pero esta noche morira por vos
Ser el champagne, ser el color de tus ojos verdes
De ciencia ficcin,
La ltima cena para los dos
Pero esta noche morira por vos
Como Nicolas Cage en Leaving las Vegas
No tengo planes ms all de esta cena,
Es un misterio hacia dnde la noche nos lleva
Como Nicolas Cage en Leaving las Vegas
Vamos, mi nio, a perder la cabeza
Como si fuera nuestro ltimo da en la Tierra
Ser tu voz, ser el licor
Sern las luces de esta habitacin
Ser que suena Marquee Moon
Pero esta noche morira por vos
Ser el champagne, ser el color de tus ojos verdes
De ciencia ficcin
La ultima cena para los dos
Pero esta noche morira por vos

If you only do what you know you can do- you never do very much.”

I am back once again on the career search. I have yet to finish college yet I can't help myself, I need to know what I want to do. Today I told Joan that I was inspired to be a chef. Yes, as in Le Courdon Bleu Culinary Institute Chef. However, could I do it? Is it worth the 50k to find out? Maybe.

A few days ago I wanted to be the C.E.O of a company (which thanks to Joan and his new business, I could get there soon) or Advertising, Marketing Manager. A month ago I wanted to be a professional photographer and open art galleries all over Spain. When I started my studies I wanted to be in the Public Relations field. Twenty minutes after wanting to be a chef, I'm now thinking I would be better suited to.....to....something else!

People tell me ""you have time" or "you're young". However, I'm not that young and while maybe I do have time, It's running short. Look at these unbelieveable statisitcs:

Mark Zuckerburg
Creator of Facebook
Age: 23
Networth: $700 million

Chad Hurley
Creator of YouTube
Age:30
Neworth:$300 million

Blake Ross & David Hyatt
Creators of Mozilla
Ages: 22
Networth: $120 million

Angelo Sotira
Creator of Deviant Art
Age:29
Networth:$75 million

John Vechey
Creator of Popcap Games
Age:28
Networth:$60 million

Sean Belnick
Creator of BizChair
Age:20
Networth:$42 million

Ashley Qualls
Creator of Whateverlife
Age:17
Networth:$4 million

Mario Lavanderia
Creator of PerezHilton
Age:29
Networth:$3 million

I know I am being unrealistic but this is the reality. I am 20 and when these people were my age (or almost my age) they had established a name for themselves with a brilliant idea and now have it made. I am not an internet genious so I'm relaying on school and hopefully a great job market to help me out. But I'm always trying to come up with ideas, what I can do that would be the "next big thing". I admire these millionaires for what they have done and what they will do. I don't need $700 million to be financially happy, but I wouldn't turn it down.

Go Thai

Alright so it is 2 a.m. in Spain and I am still awake, even after I took 2 herbal sleeping pills. Joan took 2 also but it's not like he ever needs any help falling asleep, needless to say he is snoozing like a baby on the couch right now. I just had a productive conversation with Heather on skype about all sorts of things so staying up late isn't completely pointless.

I guess I can tell you what I made the other night for Joan. As I've said in previous posts, I love cooking. I love experimenting with new flavors and just seeing what happens. Well, a few days ago I was inspired to try Thai cooking. Joan is in love with Thailand and since it is a bit to expensive to just fly over every weekend, I decided to bring Thai food to him (in my own American way).

So, with the help of google I managed pretty well. I started with Glazed Cashews. A very typical dish and it is super easy to make. I warmed up some cashews in the oven for about 10 minutes while I started up a frying pan on the stove. I added oil and some cayenne peppers. When it got hot enough I put the warm cashews in the pan. I added brown sugar, cayenne spice, salt, pepper, a bit more sugar, a bit more cayenne spice ( I never measure) and a few drops of lime juice. I added some slices of red pepper in the pan and warmed those up too.After about 10 minutes or so everything was done. They were pretty amazing actually.

For the main course I made Thai lettuce wraps. I won't go into detail because after giving you my "recipe" I can see where no one would really be able to follow it, especially those of you who are sticklers for measurement. But I digress, I cooked chicken with an array of spices and soy sauce, a splash or two of Worcestershire Sauce followed with oregano, black pepper, white pepper, basil, whatever spice that was in my cupboard. I added green and red peppers to the chicken as well. When it was all done I put the chicken and peppers in a lettuce leaf, wrapped it carefully and stuck a skewer through the folds to hold it together. Although, those didn't last to long. I also recommend making tempura vegetables. Fairly easy and very good. All this on a plate with white rice. Here is a photo for the non-believers.




Alright well that post marks 2:36 and perhaps It would be wise to sleep. Hope all is wonderfully wonderful in your parts of the world. Try out this dish sometime, it is fantastic and if you can go to Thailand, I bet it's 10000 times better.

Voy a Girona

Today was an overcast day, not good beach weather so we had a change of plans. At 1:00 Jordi and Diana met Joan and I in town and we drove to Girona. At first I wasn't excited about this trip because I am in Girona all the time but it ended up being a good day and I did get to see a few things I had never seen before. Joan drove to the old part of Girona and we had lunch behind an old cathedral. To save $$, or in our case €€, we brought Tupperware of food from home which was actually a good idea and not at all depressing like I thought it would be. After we walked around the old part of Girona and tried to show Diana all the cool stuff.

Pisos and Rios

Joan and I

In the Directors Chair

We went to the Katherine Hepburn exhibit that was free at the Museum of Cinema in Girona.

Ms.Hepburn

After we walked around some shops and then drove to the Wall of Girona. This dates back to the days when Girona was surrounded by a wall for protection. From there we could see the whole city.

Girona


On the spiral staircase leading up to the view

All in all it was good a day. I found that even in a city that I think I know so well, I can still manage to discover something new. Next time I hope to discover more of Barcelona.


Joan rented Rec. A Spanish horror movie about a journalist who went to a firestation to interview fireman and learn all about what they do etc but things get weird when she goes on a call with them and then gets trapped inside a building. Our friend Jordi said it was very scary so we shall see. ....

Americanas in España

Alison came to visit me and It was a great time. Although, it always is when she is here because then there are TWO American Girls in Spain.

Mai Tai's and Piña Coladas on the beach

On the beach looking for topless old women haha

Walking to Cala Bayns. This was actually a pretty funny morning. Alison and I had stopped by the meat shop to say hi to Joan's mom. We told her our plans for the day and off we went. We go to Cala Bayns and our camarero comes up to take our order. I order in Catalan because I can (haha) and the waiter asks, "Where are you from?" This is normal because when I speak Catalan people ask me this because I definetly don't look Spanish. So I answer, "America. But I live here." Then he says, "Cynthia and Alison?" Alison and I look at each other and tell him, "yeah?" And then he walks away. I cannot tell you how weird it is to have a stranger say your name. We probably look pretty surprised because the other waiters are looking at us. I then notice the owner of Cala Bayns waving at me. I wave back and it all comes together. Maribel. Joan's mom called ahead and took care of our bill for us. She is so nice! After our coffee, the waiter asks if we would like a cocktail. On the house. If it wasn't 10 a.m. we probably would have. We stayed awhile, enjoying the sound of the waves and each others company.

I am really bad at sequencing events so this is probably all out of order, but oh well.

We went to some shops, to the beach and had a great lunch of tapas at El Romani.

That night we went out to ZOO, a new club here in Lloret. We hung out by the bar and even made friends with the bartender, Carlos. He was very nice to us and when guys tried to hit on us he would say, "Oh aren't those your boyfriends over there?" to ward guys away.
It worked until this one German guy came over. Alison and I had been watching him all night because he was totally out of it. He was there with some friends, drinking a ton and making very weird faces. He noticed us after awhile and came over. He kept speaking in German and I tried to tell him I didn't speak German. I spoke in English (which he did understand and speak) but refused to. So after everything he said, I just repeated it. For example, he said, "Hockinflurishenfluff." So I resonded, "Hockinflurishenfluff?" but always ending it like a question. This continued for awhile until he decided he needed more drinks. He got us three shots of Jager. When he wasn't looking, Alison gave hers to the bartender and I gave mine to a kid sitting by us. I think he was French. The German had no idea. I made the mistake of saying, Gutenmorgan to him, (which means Good Morning) and he got so excited and thought I had been lying about speaking German. The bartender saved us and escorted us to the other side of the bar. A few minutes later the German came over and said, "ta-ta!". What an end to the night!

When we thought we were in the clear, two other guys came up to us. They were both French, didn't speak much English and only a bit of Spanish. We told them about our boyfriends but they didn't seem to care. They just wanted a picture with us. We told them no but they insisted and even Carlos the bartender was laughing at us. The French guys told us they were looking for girls to go to their hotel party. Unfortunately for them, we didn't go. Unfortunately for us, that photo they took will probably be evidence that these two "American girls came with us and...etc." I don't want to know.

The next day we laid out on the beach all day and went to lunch at this place on the beach. Alisons spanish is very good so she did most of the talking. Our waiter had a bit of a crush on her. When we were leaving he ran up to her and told her he really liked her and wondered where she would be that night. She told him Zoo although she was leaving later that day to go to Barcelona.
Poor guy. jaja



It was a great visit. I'm so glad she was able to come! Since that weekend, she has gone back to Philadelphia. Things with her and David didn't work out. I found this out Saturday at Shabir's party. I cried at the club later when it hit me she wasn't there. David talked to me but I'm pretty sure I blocked out the bullshit. I don't know why things happened how they did but I hope to see her again soon. She is a wonderful person and will still be my very good friend.
I wish her all the best in her life and hopefully one day she will make it back to visit Joan and me!

I Love you Ali!