Mi familia

Yesterday I was introduced to my familia and they’re great! I have 3 sisters: Irene (14), Andrea (11), and Eva (8). My mama’s name is Mercedes and the dog’s Hannah. She is divorced, so the girls go to the dad’s house 3 days a week. When they picked me up from orientation, they took me immediately to the beach when I told them I hadn’t seen the sea yet. The sand is beautiful and the water clear. I can hardly wait until it gets warm. Then they took me to their apartment (everyone lives in apartments here). It’s a big messy with 3 girls, but they have generously given me my own room and bathroom. I keep trying to tell them that it’s not necessary, but so far no luck. Shortly afterwards, I met mis abuelos (grandparents). My grandpa kept talking to me about the war and I had a lot of trouble understanding him, especially with the girls talking and interrupting. I did, however, catch him saying that I, like other Americans, don’t know anything about our patria (homeland). Sorry to disappoint you all, but I guess I am not improving our reputation as ignorant Americans. Sorry! He didn’t seemed too upset by this however, because he mentioned perhaps taking me and my sisters on his navy boat when the weather improves. Irene is such a sweetheart! I can’t wait to spend more time with her and learn more about the Spanish culture through her. She loves the twilight series and has the books, the movies, and a poster of Edward and one of Jacob in her room. She talks slowly for me and I can understand her best out of everyone in the family. Andrea talks so fast even her sisters can’t understand her, and with food in her mouth I don’t have a chance. Haha, she’s sweet though and I think with enough reminders she’ll learn that she needs to talk to me much slower. Eva is too cute for words. She mostly just smiles timidly at me right now. The girls left the first evening for their dad’s however, so I haven’t spent a lot of time with them. They come back tomorrow though. My mama is very accommodating and very patient. She has to repeat a lot, and even then I don’t understand much. She already knew about my lactose intolerance and that I don’t eat red meat, so she had food already ready for me that I could eat. Being a vegetarian is very rare in Spain, but she has been so polite and understanding about all my food limitations. I went to the mercado with her today and we got more food: soy milk, tea, turkey, chicken sausages/hotdogs, corn flakes, and tuna. The mercados here are so different than in the states. They’re much smaller and have much less variety of foods and fewer options. For example, you have about 4 types of cereal to pick from, and 3 types of tea. When buying tuna, there isn’t tuna, albacore tuna, tuna light, tuna in water, tuna in oil, tuna in a bag, flavored tuna, etc. There is just tuna in oil. It makes shopping easier I suppose. (Tim, I think you’d love it, you’d get so much less flack for getting the wrong brands and types; light, natural, low sugar, reduced fat, no salt added, calcium fortified, diet, etc. does not exist).

Today was my first day of my 2 week intensive course. We had 4 hours of class followed by our final 2 hours of orientation. The intensive course has so far been manageable and I think that with my motivation, I will be fine. We have a mini paper due Thursday though and our mid-term this Friday, so we go through material fast. Of course, this is how I learned Spanish in the first place.

Okay, now more about food. (Mom, I feel like I you writing in Pennsylvania). Breakfast in Spain is small, usually some toast with jam and café or tea. This is eaten early, around 7:30, before leaving for school/work. Sometimes there is a mid-morning snack around 10:30 or 11:00 which can be a small sandwich with jamon and cheese, or more bread with tomato. Lunch is the biggest meal of the day and is usually around 2 or 3pm. The other students and I all ate lunches packed by our mothers and we couldn’t help but compare what our madres had made us to see which madre loved their kid the most, haha. I enjoyed a tuna fish sandwich, apple, kiwi, rice cakes, cashews, and water. I wasn’t going to trade! After class, which wasn’t over until about 4:30pm, Marybeth and I, and 2 other students from Whitman took the bus back to the city and walked around for a bit and stopped at a café for some café con leche. I tried it and actually kind of liked it! I’m afraid to have more, I don’t want acquire any expensive addictions!

Tonight I had arroz verde (rice with cooked vegetables of green beans, celery, peas, onion, and mushroom). It was tasty, but I am going to have to get used to the vast quantity of olive oil that is in everything. (My tuna sandwich had an entire can of tuna in oil and this rice dish had a layer of oil that settled because it couldn’t absorb any more). With so much ham and cheese and wine and oil I don’t see how the Spanish women are so thin, especially with madres that are constantly pushing more food.

Well, I better finish stop writing so I can begin to think in Spanish again and finish my homework.

Buenos noches!