it's been a long time, shouldn't have left you.

for all you loyal readers, this one's for you.

i had 5 or 6 glorious days in barcelona after my london vacay. my last few days in barcelona were mostly spent wandering around (big surprise), recording raval characters, consuming my last bit of spanish beer and foods, revisiting favorite places, yada, yada, yada. actually, my last few days in barcelona were really wonderful, i'm just lazy and don't feel like recounting all the dirty details.

on 4 november i said my farewells and left my beloved europe. i flew barcelona. dublin. boston. dc. J and mom were graciously waiting for me in baggage and then we headed off to bethesda. the next morning J and i ran to catch our bus to nyc. we were reunited with L and S and spent 4 short days in the big apple. i consumed lots of delicious foods, including a pumpkin spiced latte and some pumpkin beer. don't worry, that wasn't all i consumed in four days, but you probably don't want to know about all of that. i also was able to watch my first clemson game of the season, complete with classic tailgate food. after our weekend getaway, i hopped around the dc metropolitan area to visit R and E and do some baltimore/dc site seeing. on thursday, one week after my arrival in the states, mom dad, and D drove up to dc. we did the typical tourist stuff...monuments, and loads of museums. there was tons of rain to make our trip extra special. the following saturday we departed for the good ole sc.

home is home. i can't have too many complaints, right? it's been good catching up with friends and familiar places. i've been doing some slight job searching and grad school research. nothing promising yet. it's funny how quickly the days pass. i mean how does anyone have time for a job? i've babysat twice. i think 2 days of work has quadrupled my cash flow. gah, i love this economy. ok so coming home has brought the sarcasm up a notch, can you blame me? also, i'm not sure why the aliyah lyric for the title, but it seemed fitting on several levels. for not posting in oh like two and a half weeks, sorry for this thing being so short and sweet. but, i no longer have european adventures to feed my blogging. i suppose you will have to settle, and read about the random thoughts and events of my mundane life as they come. get ready, i sure as hell am. (not)

londontown.

my last european hoorah was spent in london with T, a friend from camp and true londoner. i left on thursday the 22nd and my trip got off to an eventful start. i arrived at the barcelona airport with adequate time before my flight. due to the rain(?) my flight was delayed approximately 45 minutes, then another 45, then at 4 pm (an hour and a half after my flight was supposed to leave) my flight got cancelled. i guess there's got to be a first time for everything. craziness ensued, including a mad rush of angry brits and spaniards, along with myself, racing behind an airline worker, backtracking through passport control, racing through baggage claim and to the easyjet ticketing desk to get on the next flight to london. i was one of the lucky ones who was able to get on the 6 o'clock flight. i had to trade in my ticket, then for the second time of the day-check in, go through security, back through passport control, and proceed to the terminal where i had spent the better part of my afternoon. i arrived about 30 minutes before boarding and finally was off to london. i arrived in gatwick about 4 hours later than planned.

passport control in london was also quite an experience. i had to fill out a detailed sheet explaining how long i was staying, where i was staying, etc. before getting my stamp i was involved in a game of twenty questions. how long are you staying? why are you here? where are you staying? what does your friend do? what do you do? why aren't you working right now? when are you going back to the states? what are your plans when you return to the states? where else have you visited in europe? where are you going after this? ok, so maybe not twenty, but i am not making up those questions. i mean why does it matter to passport security what my plans are for the rest of my life??? and thanks for bringing up that sensitive issue. the trip may have gotten off to a rough start, i have zero complaints about the rest of my stay. i then took the train to the victoria station where T met me and then we took the tube to his house in north london where a wonderful much needed warm meal awaited me.

the following morning i woke up to my first full english breakfast. (toast with baked beans, bacon, sausage, fried egg, mushrooms, and tea. ok i admit, quite strange, but it was better than it sounds.) we then took the tube and headed towards the thames. although too full to actually take advantage of all the wonderful foods, we wandered through the borough market anyways. after, we walked down the thames to the tate modern, where we experienced some good modern art. we walked back along the thames, caught the tube and ate yet another huge meal, this time the adopted national food of britain, curry. we headed down to south london for the night where i got to experience a british 30th birthday party at a rather smart (nice for you americans) place.

the first stop of the day.

tate modern.

saturday morning i took a solo outing to the tate britain. when i left, the cloudy weather had cleared and i walked up to the parliament building/big ben/westminster area. i continued to wander around the thames. after dinner, we headed back out to south london for another birthday party at a swanky bar.

big ben and the london eye.

parliament.

sunday morning, well early afternoon, i headed in search of brick lane. the sunday market is crazy. the street was packed with food vendors, vintage stores, and tons of people. again, i was quite full so i could not take full advantage of all the delicious looking foods. there was even a mexican stand. i did some serious withholding. once i escaped the crowds, i went to the whitechapel art gallery. there was a great sophie calle exhibit that was featured at the 2007 venice biennale based on a true life break-up email. afterwards, i tubed back to north london and had a typical british sunday roast.

the next day consisted of some architectural hunts. my first stop was the gherkin. from there i wandered to the tower of london, as did every other tourist in london. i walked across the tower bridge and along the southbank to the design museum. after grabbing some tea, i headed to city hall, and up the thames, across millennium bridge, to st. pauls and the surrounding area. i caught the tube up to notting hill and found some premium american shopping. whole foods, tk maxx (don't ask), urban outfitters, and american apparel all within an arm's reach from each other.

the london skyline.

tuesday morning i ventured around the highgate neighborhood. T and i grabbed breakfast at an english cafe and did some shopping for our curry cooking and cheesecake making for later in the day. i also had my first hobnobs and tea experience. (hobnobs are cookies, btw.) we then headed to the british museum, which was overrun by children. we saw some ok art and lots of ancient arch before calling it a day. when walking back to the tube i totally found some reeses in a news agent. you can imagine the excitement! that evening we made some fish curry and a massive cheesecake. we headed over to brick lane for the night to see a few bands and were also graced with the presence of the ever-intense london samba club.

the british museum.

my last full day in london involved baking some cookies before stopping by buckingham palace, the royal academy, and general city wanderings. that evening i had traditional british fish n chips and we went to a bar in north london with T and some uni(versity) friends.

thursday morning i packed my things and enjoyed a breakfast of champions...cheesecake, chocolate chip cookies, and tea. then headed towards the airport and had a much smoother journey back.

in case you couldn't tell by the numerous food references and market visits, the food in britain was really good. a few strange combos, but nothing like the bad british food rep though. i was exposed to some good and not so good british tv. some of the humor just doesn't translate. also, all the british-isms kept me entertained. there are definitely too many to list. and besides, i'm rambling. all-in-all i was very impressed with london. i only have 3 more days in europe. it's hard to believe it's coming to a close!

seven days in barcelona.

monday--first day back in the wonderful city. it was columbus day so C didn't have school. we wandered from his apt toward plaza catalunya and whatnot. we picnicked in ciutadella and mostly just wandered around the city. on our way back towards his apt (in the northwestern part of the city) we happened upon a columbus day celebration of sorts. it was interesting to watch. lots of posters, and drums and people in costume. after a mexican feast, we watched running with fire in the les corts neighborhood. this celebration is generally done in the city during a festival in september, which i missed my first go round. it was amazing to watch. specific people actually carry the fire, but anyone who wants to run with the fire is welcome to. unfortunately we were not wearing appropriate attire, but we watched from a small distance and took lots of video and pictures.

columbus day posters.

running with fire.

all the crazies.

tuesday--i wandered towards the mnac, plaza espanya, and the base of montjuic. i missed that on my quick barcelona tour before paris. i also got to visit C's school.

wednesday--i walked all of montjuic. i started from C's apartment. i ventured over to plaza espanya and the mnac and then conquered the mountain. i ended my journey at paral-lel then walked all the way back to C's apartment. (all in all about 4 hours of straight walking). that night C and i revisited the crazy see-saw swings several of us found in ohseven, between ciutadella and the beach. they were scarier than i remembered. we also found a cute little bar on passeig del born and watched the end of the fcb game. they won.

thursday--i walked from C's apt to the catedral. due to the weather, the blisters on my feet, and the fact that i actually had never been in the catedral, i spent a lot of time sitting in there. it was pretty. the interior somewhat reminds me of santa maria del mar. afterwards i met C and a friend for dinner at....oviso! although the names have changed, i ordered the fogosa, the massive feta salad. it was amazing. afterwards we walked over to the cccb who does free jazz concerts on thursday nights. we waited in line for a while, and entered. after getting into the concert, the heat was a little too much to bear. we opted to sit in some comfty chairs set up in their courtyard where the concert was projected onto the glass facade and the music was played through some speakers. all in all it was a good time.

friday--i toured the palau de musica. i missed this barcelona icon the first time around. the scaffolding is finally removed and you can actually see all the beautiful columns. the tour was really nice. i can't even remember the last time i took a guided tour. the building is absolutely beautiful. all the details are so exquisite. unfortunately, you can't take pictures on the tour. so you will have to google it to see the inverted glass skylight. fun fact: it weighs over 1000 kilos! i also did some shopping. oops. no major purchases. that night C and i headed towards sagrada where two of his friends (who are from the us) live and hung out.

front of the palau.

saturday--C and i walked from his apt through eixample and headed towards the water. we ate a massive meal from the conveyor belt sushi place. yes, we sat at a table and literally watched the dishes go by and grabbed whatever we deemed necessary. then we headed to the raval (our old hood) and spent a decent amount of time drinking coffee and watching the raval characters pass by the ambar window. we proceeded to walk down paral-lel to the mnac and watch the magic fountain. the sunset was amazing and the show was beautiful. i had never caught a full magic fountain show. it was definitely a great way to end the day.

sunday--C and i walked from his apt to montjuic. this time we were on a mission..to find the rope park near the montjuic castle. success! it was a rather warm day (it's been rather chilly lately, but nothing compared to the states from what i'm hearing). we picnicked in the park, played some on the ropes course, then hopped the metro back.

for those of you who don't know barcelona very well, i don't think you realize how much walking i am actually doing. to walk from C's apt to the beach takes about 1 1/2. (and i generally walk fast.) on the average day (when i do sightseeing in the older part of the city) and i don't take the metro, i am generally walking at least an hour one way to get to and from C's apartment. plus all the walking i do in-between. the past 6 weeks of wandering around europe are really getting to my feet. i have some mad blisters. and for good reason. despite the pain, i enjoy the walking. mostly because i love walking, but also because it's free. metro rides start to add up without even realizing it.

on another note, i realized how quickly my time is coming to an end in europe. i have about 3 1/2 weeks left. for the next 3 days i will be in barcelona. on thursday i am flying to london to visit T (a friend from camp). i will be there for a week. then i return to barcelona to soak up the wonderful city and all of its glory for just 6 short days before i hop on a plane. this time to dc.

a little of this and a little of that.

ok so since i last wrote a lot has happened....

sunday--last day in bilbao. it was spent in montellano. it's a small mountain town about 30 minutes outside of the city. there we had a wonderful meal. i walked around some. mostly just enjoyed the view. and enjoyed my last day and night with S, C, and O.

cute montellano house.

and from the back.

the pretty view.

monday--i set off for barcelona! the trip was a little stressful to say the least. i condensed my luggage down to one heavy heavy suitcase plus my backpack with clothes for the next six weeks. and then my bookbag with my computer. stil a lot of luggage, but way less than what i came over with. yes, i found the inner stregth to ditch some of my clothes. i took the bus from bilbao to barcelona. instead of taking the metro, or paying for a taxi, i took the bus to the bus station. i had just missed the bus i needed so i had to wait about 15 minutes for the next one. i arrived just in the knick of time though. i sat down on the bus at exactly 10:29. my bus was leaving at 10:30 and they wait for no one. the trip took about 7.5 hours with a 30 minute stop in zaragoza. it was not the most scenic place i've ever been. basically a glorified truck stop. i arrived at sants at 6 with C (a friend from clemson) meeting me. we went to his apartment and walked the entire length of barcelona. we got dinner at samsara! then walked back towards the water, got a drink, and hiked all the way back to his apt because the metro had already closed. all in all a good day. i forgot how much i missed that city. returning felt just like coming home. familar.

tuesday--i woke up and walked the city. i took the metro to para-lel. (my old stomping grounds). i walked from resa to the port area. along maremagum to barceloneta. i put my feet in the mediterranean. then i headed into ciutadella through the born into my favorite church, santa maria del mar. afterwards i wandered to the catedral area and towards catalunya. C met me and we ate at a new walk to wok. it was amazing. we then headed up to gracia again. this time to revist my favorite parc, crueta del coll. we walked some more and headed into lesseps and took the metro back to his apt.

wednesday--my day began around 4:30. i walked to sants to catch the 5:35 train to the airport. i got to check out bcn's new terminal! i flew from bcn to paris where C (a friend from home) is working as an au pair. her wonderful host mom and the 3 kids picked me up from the airport. currently i am staying just outside of paris in a cute little town called bry-sur-marne. (depending on the trains, it takes about 40 minutes to get into the heart of paris.) the day was mostly spent catching up with C and playing with the 3 kids.

thursday--i woke up bright and early to escort C to her french class. her school is located near the luxembourg gardens. while she was in class for 3 hours i wandered around the city. i have truly mastered this. i wish someone could pay me to wander around cities for hours. i wandered wherever i pleased, and only looked at a map just to get back to C's school. first i walked around luxembourg gardens. then i found myself at the pantheon, which is where victor hugo and marie curie are buried, among others. i only looked at the outside though. i slowly worked my way down to the seine and into notre dame. on my last visit i never went into the church. i also found the most amazing bookshop in the entire world. it's called shakespeare & co. it's been in paris since the 1920s and many famous writers have found themselves within it's walls. hemingway's lost generation met there. during wwII it was an underground publishing place for james joyce. the entire place is covered from floor to ceiling in books with hidden nooks and quaint reading corners. i can't wait to go back. i made it back to C's school around 12 to catch the train back into bry.

shakespeare and co.

lots of books.

and nooks.

friday--C has no class so we woke up early and took the train to la defense. there we saw the grande arch as well as many great pieces of art. we found a serra, miro, calder, and others. i also found the nicest mcdonald's i've ever seen in my life. tonight we cooked dinner for C's host family. it was the most southern meal i've had in a long time. the menu included: fried chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, sweet tea, apple pie and vanilla ice cream. it was amazing! currently i am stuffed!

tomorrow is la nuit blanche. there will be some amazing art exhibits in the city as well as museums opened late. we need to do some major planning. we will be spending the entire day in the city. maybe the entire night. who knows.

oh yeah, C and i are going to dublin next thursday-sunday! then i return to barcelona for a few days until i figure out what the next destination will be on my tour-de-europe!

revists.

today i revisited san sebastian. it's a beach city about an hour bus ride from bilbao. the weather this go round was much better than the first. quite hot actually. i wouldn't have minded getting soaked by a wave today. however, the company last time was much better. ironically enough, i timed this trip during the san sebastian film festival again. the kursaal was decked out in this year's design. otherwise, the red carpets, movie posters, and crowds were just as i remembered. i passed on the whole movie going experience this time around. due to my inability to leave the house before 11, ever, i didn't make it to san sebastian until about 1 pm. i also took a slightly earlier bus back to bilbao than i probably should have, but oh well. i still had a decent 5 or so hours there. this time i made it out to chillida's wind comb. it was breathtaking. definitely worth the walk. i managed to navigate the entire day without a map. it's nice to know that my memory hasn't failed me. it might be the only thing going for me these days. mostly, i spent the day walking along the beach. the beaches were quite crowded today. oh, as i walked along the beach today i happened upon a few funny events, rather they happened upon me. first, i apparently look as if i am more than ready and willing to take anyone's picture. i had two different people stop me as i was walking by, with headphones in mind you, to take their picture. second, i passed by a large group of men who were suiting up for a bike race or training or something. i'll spare the details. let's just say spanish men are not modest and don't wear anything under their spandex. this was along the main pedestrian walkway along the beach too. i also passed an outrageous number of people in wheelchairs. i don't mean this in a bad way, but it's just not the norm. i would say every 20th person i passed along the beach was in a wheelchair. (this may be a slight exaggeration as i saw a lot of people today, but you get the point.) third, i love listening to people speak english to each other when they don't think anyone else around them speaks english. there was a rather annoying american girl, sitting on the bus across the aisle from me. i also enjoy hearing americans explain american culture. i really wanted to interrupt her and ask her where she was from. i don't think the man i was sitting next to would have appreciated my leaning across him to talk to someone. i was fortunate enough to return to bilbao just as the futbol game was letting out. (the futbol stadium is the same metro stop as the bus station.) the metro was packed and everyone was wearing their red and white striped jerseys. thankfully, most of the fans were going in the opposite direction. there were plenty of cops on guard in the metro area to make sure things didn't get too out of hand. i think that's all my random daily events. below are some san seb pics.

pretty day. walking along the river to the kursaal.

kursaal for the 57th film festival.

walking along the beach. i pretty much walked from the far right to the far left, where the wind comb is located.

first wind comb,

second wind comb,

third wind comb.

to continue with some random events, well observations really...bilbao has a ridiculous amount of blind people. i mean on any given day, i pass at least 3-4. i really have never seen so many. maybe it's just because no one in america walks. or bilbao just has a high population of the blind. several of these blind people are lottery ticket sellers. i find this funny for several reasons. i have passed many lottery ticket sellers around the city. i would say 90% of them are blind, or have some sort of physical deformity. here lottery tickets are not sold behind the counter at a convenience store. hundreds of tickets are literally hung from the person's neck. i mean don't get me wrong, but if you were going to rip anyone off or steal something i would think these people are an easy target. they can't see you, there is no theft detection device, they are selling them on the sidewalk, and all you have to do is rip the stupid ticket off. the odds of actually getting something out of the stolen product are low, but you're talking about a big pay off if you did in fact win. and i doubt there could be major repercussions because it's not like they have a police officer standing there to protect them. they are just perched along the busy sidewalk. no, i am not plotting against these people nor am i planning on jacking a few lottery tickets. but i can not possibly be the only person who finds this somewhat ironic.

so yesterday was my last day with family X. no remorse there. actually, the only person i felt bad about leaving was the housekeeper. we bond. even though we don't speak much to each other. the day was basically same deal as always. when M wanted to listen it was semi-bearable. otherwise, i mostly wanted to slap some sense into her. her birthday is coming up so we got to make birthday invitations. woohoo. otherwise i baked some more cookies for C and S. we made burgers last night. it was amazing. i haven't had one since i've left the states. (yes, i have not caved and gone to a mcdonalds yet. for some reason it becomes quite tempting in europe. i realize how american this sounds.) i watched babe last night. i hadn't seen that movie in like 10 years. it was great. mostly, i've been trying to minimize my luggage. this does in fact mean i am trying to get rid of some of my clothes. i've done fairly well. with the exception of my backpack (my traveling bag with everything i will need in the next 6 weeks) 95% of my luggage fits into my rolling suitcase. i need to do a little more ditching to make the last little bit fit in. there are a few extras that will be in my other suitcase, but all of that has to fit on the top of my rolling suitcase. (sorry for all the stats today. and thanks for acting like you care.) i'm all on my own this time. i am taking the bus to barcelona on monday. i've already decided that my first meal there will be oviso. wednesday morning i'm off to paris for the week. i still need to establish my plan post-paris. i think the plan will consist of time back in barcelona, then off to the uk to do some exploring. the number of places i visit depends on how adventurous and independent i feel like being. also, i need to ask myself how broke i want to be when i come home?

yummy cookie dough.

moving on.

the sheer amount of uneventful rainy days correlates to my lack of posts. today was the first time i saw the sun in eight days. on the first day of fall, it felt more like summer than it had in two weeks. the weekend was mostly spent indoors. watching movies. eating lots of food. mostly pizza. monday morning i booked my flight to paris! i leave one week from today! this week with family X hasn't been too bad. of course there are the usual spiteful refusals to do homework and whatnot. nothing compares to the drama of last week though. yesterday, the mom was actually home. after M threw a temper tantrum, she let me leave at 6. what a relief! today, M did her homework relatively quickly. she was rewarded by a trip to the local sports club. we swam for about 45 minutes. it was actually a good time. she does in fact have some redeeming qualities. (wow, i sound like a terrible person.) i even swam a few laps. boy, i am out of shape. it was nice to get some real physical activity though. albeit slightly half-assed.

yesterday, was the first time it wasn't raining during the time i wake up and four o'clock when i have to go to family X's. i wandered around casco viejo (the old part of town) for awhile. i revisited the chocolate shop. i also found this park on top of a hill. it had great panoramic views of the city. check out the pictures below. actually, they aren't that great. it was gray and hazy. but it's the thought that counts.

what a climb. for real.

the river below.

a typical bilbao day.

today i basked in the basque sun. i took the funicular up to the top of the mountain directly across from the guggenheim. at the top there is a suburb of bilbao. well technically, it might be part of the city. people actually use the funicular as a form of transportation, it's not all fun and games. there was a small park at the top. the view was pretty awesome. my favorite thing was this sculpture on the edge of the park. it looked like a giant curved fingerprint. the sun and the shadows it cast were beautiful. i took a ridiculous amount of pictures. that could also be attributed to the fact that i was actually doing something. and there was sun!

the gug below.

lots of shadows.

the sculpture

to scale.

fun building i passed on the way up.

on another note, my days in bilbao are dwindling. monday i am setting off to barcelona. wednesday i am paris-bound. the uk will be happening somewhere in there. who knows. i booked my ticket home to the states today. i have exactly six more weeks to get my europe on. i also won't be flying home but to dc. a little states mini-adventure before it's time to buckle back down in the real world. the unknown. but a more comfortable unknown.

part three.

well thursday was not completely horrible with family X. i had to tell them (in spanish) that i could not be their au pair. i used the lack of a visa as my excuse. i told them i could work one more week. partially because i felt bad ditching them. partially because i am in desperate need of money. and beggars can't be choosers. i also got the wonderful news that they didn't need me on friday. the past few days in bilbao have been typical bilbao weather. gray, chilly, and lots of rain. friday was spent entirely in the house. oh i cleaned some. i also made a ballin' pizza. basically a mellow mushroom kosmic karma, minus the really good mellow mushroom crust. i've been watching a lot of the office lately. S and C had never seen it. they are now addicted. i hadn't watched it in awhile. i forgot all the great one liners.

so today i had the joy of going back over to family X's. as you can imagine i was not thrilled about going over there on a saturday. most of my days are exactly the same (because i do nothing), so i don't know why the weekend is a huge deal. i helped M with her homework. to my absolute and utter astonishment we did her homework in an hour. with zero arguments, losing patience, etc. i also got paid. which helps. it's not nearly enough money for what i had to put up with, but i can't complain. i also talked to the mom. i actually feel really sorry for her because M acts like that all the time. not just about homework, or because of me. it's sad really. i am thankful i have the ability to get out of the situation. i am working next week for them and then i'm out!

as for the grand scheme of things...

i will be leaving bilbao the last week in september. i am heading over to bcn. yay! so excited! i am visiting with C for a few days (and leaving my luggage). then i am heading to paris to visit another C. the next two weeks after paris are a bit of a gray area. after traveling for about 3 weeks, i will be back in barcelona and then i will be stateside!!! i guess we get to call this traveling, and bumming around europe some more, part three. at least i get to see more familiar faces.

i'm actually looking forward to going home. mostly because i've been dealing with a bunch of crazies. i have learned a lot. i think. i guess this is the whole 'finding yourself' journey everyone takes after college. i've learned how to speak up for myself when i am not happy. there comes a point when it's not worth it to grin and bear it and i know myself well enough to know where that point is. despite what anyone says, independence is not overrated.

i've flown thousands of miles, been to various cities, met many different people that i will never see again, to realize that i am looking forward to returning to a familiar place with the people i love. i also can't wait to have some sort of job unrelated to childcare. not that architecture has much to offer right now. but one can hope!

life's little lessons.

i've been slacking in the posting department lately. mostly because i am far too confused to even vocalize what has been going on my life. in blog form. it's not as bad as it sounds, but maybe it is.

sunday: back to bakio.

i met a few more member's of C's family. we ate a delicious lunch. i walked along the rocky coastline, but that was the extent of my beach trip. it was a little too chilly for me. we weren't there that long either. at least it was a change in scenery. i also found out that house on a cliff is actually an old church. if i were to ever build a church, i don't think i could fathom a better place.

you're probably bored already because my life is boring. but i promise these next few days get interesting (for lack of a better word, but for all intensive purposes it works) and while these may be sarcastic at times, there is no exaggerating.

monday: day one with family X.

i arrived at their apartment at 4 pm as planned. (btw. they live in a fancy apartment. with a fancy couch that you feel like you can't sit on because you will mess up the fluffy cushions.) M arrived home soon after i got there with the housekeeper. she ate her snack and i watched wonderful spanish cartoons with her for a bit. (in spain their after school snacks are called meriendas and are what i would consider a decent sized lunch.) so then we start her homework. (M is an adopted russian--this should explain a few things--she's been in spain about 4 years and goes to the american school so all of her homework is in english.) we did some math and vocab sentences for 2 hours. so we go to watch some tv and the housekeeper tells her she needs to take a bath. here begins the very long part of my afternoon and a tiny taste of what is to come. long story short, this girl is completely stubborn and refuses, no, does everything in her will NOT to follow your directions. i am hopeless awaiting for the mom to return because she up and leaves and i honestly have no idea when i am supposed to leave. thankfully she arrived soon after 8. off the top of my head i don't know the last time i was so relieved to leave a place.

tuesday: all hell breaks loose.

my morning was spent baking chocolate chip cookies. even all that baking couldn't relieve the pit in my stomach. oh not to mention, i didn't sleep at all the night before. i've had quite a bout of insomnia since friday when i committed to this family. but more about that later. so at 4 once again i walk the dreaded 5 minutes to the apartment where time stands still. again M has her merienda and watches tv. ps when she watches tv she doesn't eat. so an hour after she has started her sandwich it still isn't finished. so i ask her to turn off the tv. once. twice. three times. not having it anymore so we fight over the remote until the tv gets turned off. now M is fully in bitch mode. she yells at me and blatantly walks into her room with her yogurt after i specifically asked her not to take it into her room . i reprimand her and tell her we won't start her homework until her attitude changes and she feels she can listen, oh and apologize. this doesn't happen until 45 minutes later after M has called her mother and the gracious housekeeper helps straighten this girl out. homework was less than fun, but bearable, and quick. so then we watch some tv. after an hour i ask her to turn off the tv. i'm on pins and needles because i am prepared for another battle. i was utterly shocked when she turned it off! we even played for a bit and she got in the bath without a battle. success?!

wednesday: i am fighting a losing battle.

(in case you can't already tell, each day keeps getting better and better.) today began like every other day. at 4:30 i give M fair warning that the tv is going off at 5. 5 comes and i ask her to turn off the tv. big surprise, she refuses to turn it off. to avoid another remote battle i just unplug the damn thing. end of discussion. so she finishes her sandwich and we go to her room to start her homework. there is reading, math, and going over spelling words. i ask M what she wants to do first. rather than a response i just get disgruntled i don't have to read and i don't need to go over spelling. so i tell her she has 4 options. 1-reading, 2-math, 3-spelling, 4-sitting there until 8 when her mom gets home and i will explain to her why M didn't do any of her homework (the lovely child chimes in and goes you don't know how. damn she's kind of right because the mom speaks zero english. i really wanted to smack her right about then.) all 4 had to happen and she could do as she pleased. after a few minutes of not doing anything she decides to start with math. it was fine until we get to the last problem and she keeps saying she doesn't understand. after explaining it to her 7 times without her listening i tell her she can do it without my help. so i whip out my book until she's ready. (yes, i can play passive aggressive and stubborn too) afterwards she refuses to do option 1 and 3 so i read for a solid 30 minutes waiting for her to pick one. she then chooses spelling. we attempt a few words. guess what? the tude, hate eyes, and screaming all come back to haunt me. somehow and some indefinite amount of time later we go through half the words and she is actually cooperating. this is obviously too good to be true and the bipolar attitude comes back and she refuses to finish. we get in another fight. and another. and another. finally, when i ask her to sit in her seat and stop playing with her toys and we get into a tug of war over a stupid ugly pony toy. as i reprimand her, for the thousandth time of the day, i just get the hate eyes and leave my house. (you don't have to tell me twice.) i am so furious i just leave the room. the housekeeper, aka lifesaver, comes in and acts as the buffer. oh not to mention it's almost 8 and we haven't even finished half of her homework. so mom comes home and i explain the situation. thankfully mom isn't clueless and can sympathize. i know monday i said i had never been so thankful to leave a place. but today takes the cake. i don't think i've ever walked home so quickly.

obviously i have problems with this child. she is singlehandedly the worst child i have ever dealt with out of every child i have ever babysat, had at camp, etc. and i'd like to think i have worked with my fair share of difficult children. (if any of you heard stories about camp this summer, you know what i was dealing with.) before these blissful three day, i was already uneasy about my supposed one year commitment. over the weekend i came to the realization i do NOT want to be an au pair for a year, especially for this family. the dad smokes and lit one up at dinner. i was not amused. and the apartment reeks of smoke. the mom speaks zero english. while it would be good for my spanish, it's challenging when you are trying to explain what is going on with M and get directions, etc. not to mention when she is the one i am primarily dealing with it doesn't help the whole comfort level and getting to know each other thing. also, the apartment is like a museum. oh and crazy thing, the housekeeper comes everyday from 7:30 to 8 everyday (well 8:30 because the mom is always late.) i mean why the hell on earth do you need a housekeeper for 13 hours a day?!?! but i am grateful she is there while i am. it makes life more bearable when you can make faces to each other behind the child's back. the family has quite a few things to do with it, but honestly i am over the whole idea. i like my independence. and if i am forced to live in someone else's house it is going to be my parents where i am comfortable. also the whole living at work thing. not cool. i need to leave work when i clock out.

all that being said, i think i will be stateside sooner rather than later. i'm looking into traveling and once again staying in the good graces of the few friends i have in europe. if any of you unemployed or restless are looking for an adventure, come join! (and i know you're thinking i don't have money, i don't have the money for this either. this has been one expensive life lesson) i am slightly tempted to stick this job out for a few weeks so i can make some money. i don't think it's really worth it. but money is money. i've got a limited number of days before i have to make up my mind. i hate making decisions. that's what i've learned.

also, if you're still with me, thanks for reading!

oh i forgot the best part of my day today...i met this lovely british girl who is studying abroad in bilbao for the year. we had lunch. extra points if you guess what we had. yes, pizza! we went on a search for patatas bravas, but surprisingly didn't see it on the menu of every restaurant where we stopped. that was the first time in 2 weeks i've socialized with someone within 10 years of my age. she uses words such as bloody, and bugger, and so on and so forth. immediate cool points.

i'm confused.

someone tell me what to do with my life, please.

random spanish life musings.

well as usual nothing overly exciting going on in my life across the pond. i'm still passing out fake resumes hoping to find a stint teaching english. also, wandering around aimlessly tops the list as the exciting events of my day. having no friends prevents one from partaking in more exhilarating life events. let's see, i've been doing some evening babysitting with O. i've done a lot of wandering around the guggenheim area of town, along the river, and popping into some of my favorite european stores. last night i met with a family. it sounds promising. they don't live far from where i am staying now. this week is going to be a trial period. i'm going to help out in the afternoons (which is when they primarily need me), but i'm not staying there yet. i think i'm excited. there's been too much coming and going and ups and downs and unknowns for me to have a clear understanding of what i want to do next.

anyways, funny observation...i think every bride in bilbao gets her picture made in front of the guggenheim. not only is it the bride, but she is always with her groom in their full wedding day get-up. most of the couples i saw today (saturday) which is understandable. but some have been in the evening during the week. all this makes me wonder, do they come straight to the guggenheim post-wedding? (i've never seen bridesmaids and family and yadayada with them so that seems strange.) also, i wonder if this means the spanish don't have the same superstitions as in america in that the groom can't see the bride in her dress before the wedding. so does that mean they both get all gussied up before the wedding to do the picture, or after, or just on a random day for the fun of it. who knows. oddly enough around 1 today i saw many a bride and groom. one or a few of them must have just had a wedding because there were tons of wedding attired people walking around the area. it's funny to me that the spanish get married so early in the day, especially when they do everything else later than the rest of the world. in case you're wondering, this is what i did for 2 hours while watching O play in the guggenheim park, i'm not a complete and crazy bridezilla stalker.

newlywed count today: 7

newlywed count to date: 9

predicaments.

let's see, how exactly have i been occupying the past few days? monday, i helped S (an american living in spain for 10 years now) put together the big ikea purchase- a new closet for O. that was my first ikea furniture experience. i also ventured to corte. i needed a few things for salsa, mainly corn chips. even the one in bilbao smells like jackets. it was so refreshing to be back! yesterday i went to the guggenheim. although i have been before, this was my first true guggenheim experience. (the last time i went the museum was changing exhibits.) the current exhibit is cai guo-qiang. he is a chinese artist who works in several mediums (sculpture, gunpowder drawings, and pyrotechnics). there were great video installations of some of his pyrotechnic designs. perhaps his most famous was the opening ceremonies for the beijing olympics. the videos were awesome. he also had a large scale gunpowder 'sketch' of his inspiration for the opening ceremonies. i have to admit, the richard serra sculptures were still among my favorites. afterwards, i picked O up from her bus stop and played in the park. it's a nice park in the middle of city. some of the fall bcn kids wandered there on our last day in bilbao. there's an old merry-go round, plenty of benches, and a ton of kids releasing their energy after a long day at school. kids here don't get out of school until 5 pm. today was spent spreading my fake resume to english schools around the city. in order to ensure i get a teaching job, i had to stretch the truth, aka make up english teaching experience. some of you may not know this about me, but i have experience teaching english in germany, spain, and tutoring english in the us. impressive, huh? i spent most of my day walking from language school to language school. nothing overly promising came of it. keep your fingers crossed. and i probably shouldn't post this on the internet, but if i get a job i will be living illegally in spain! the visa process has been a bitch. basically to be an au pair in spain you have to have a student visa. in order to obtain a student visa, you must do it before arriving in spain. i'm not holding my breath for a work visa either. that process is supposed to be even worse. i emailed the us embassy in madrid, thinking they could be of assistance since my circumstances changed drastically. however, germany seems to be the only country in the eu, that technically has an au pair visa. not only that, but it's the only country that allows au pairs to enter solely on the tourist visa. great!

old and new.

ok. i've been mia for awhile. so here goes the updates on my life in spain...

thursday--my first official day in bilbao. i woke up late and then wandered around town. i walked to casco viejo. (for fall bcn kids, that is the area of town where we stayed.) i found one of my favorite restaurants, la deliciosa, our hostel, and one of the best chocolate stores ever. naturally i went into the chocolate store and bought my fave, dark chocolate mocha. it's as good as i remembered. that afternoon i picked O (my friend's cousin-she's 6) up from her bus stop. we played in the park afterwards.

friday--i was mostly lazy. i searched for jobs. mostly looked into teaching english and how to go about getting a visa. it's going to be tricky. hopefully not impossible. after O got home from school we ventured to ikea. this was my first ikea experience. needless to say i was overwhelmed. if you have never been to ikea, it is unreal. the store is a total maze. i perused through living areas to kitchen furniture to bedrooms to closets and anything and everything in-between. it is the mecca to end all home furnishing stores. the number of customers there is unreal. not only do they have a restaurant upstairs, but a grocery store downstairs with swedish imported foods. i found some twizzler-like licorice. it was pretty good. strange at first, but it grew on me. we also got some pretty good cookies as well. the store literally has everything!

saturday--C's (my friend's aunt, a bilbao native) parents have a beach house in bakio. it's a 30 minute drive from bilbao. we left saturday afternoon to stay the night. the beach is breathtaking. it's situated in a valley. the north atlantic is a little to cold for my taste. the water is much more blue than the atlantic down south. if you enjoy surfing and don't mind cold water, it's not a bad place to go. i walked along the beach, but it was too chilly to layout.

sunday--i spent most of the day on the beach. it felt wonderful. not too hot, not too cold. so far this european beach trip was much more successful than the first. we got back to bilbao this evening. nothing overly eventful to report though.

bakio beach

the end of the land

i wish i knew what the house on the cliff was for, or who it belonged to

mostly, i've been reveling in the spanish lifestyle. i sleep late, eat late, stay up late. the food is wonderful. i've consumed a lot of fish, olives, beer, bread, tomatoes, and olive oil. all of which are some of my favorite things. siesta is great too. i don't know what it is about spain, but i just feel more laid back and i don't feel guilty for being lazy. i've also been watching a lot of csi miami, spanish tv, and movies in general. we actually found csi in english last night.

bilbao is just as i remember it, if not more beautiful. there are several new constructions next to the guggenheim. speaking of, it still catches my attention every time i see it. i guess i'm not a local yet. it's strange to rediscover semi-familiar places. in a good way. it's hard to believe i am back in spain. hopefully to stay.

had to

gug-n-bridge

greetings from spain!

traveling yesterday went well. i was overcome with a sense of relief when the plane took off from germany. i flew from hannover to palma de mallorca to bilbao. mallorca was beautiful! my direction of landing and take off allowed me to see most of the island. the water was deep blue. it was stunning from above. along the northern side of the island there are great mountains. the mountains create a steep dropoff to the water below. the flight to bilbao was very quick. we flew over barcelona. unfortunately i was on the wrong side of the plane, or we were too far west to see the familiar city plan. when i landed in bilbao i had two of my three wonderful hosts waiting for me. the airport and baggage claim reminded me of two years ago. (we sat in the baggage claim for quite sometime during my first experience at the airport.) then we took the bus into the city. the apartment is very close to the guggenheim, right in the center of the city. after dropping my stuff off at the apartment, we went to an outdoor bar next to the museum. there was live music. it was a good time. i also found an awesome playground. next on my agenda, wandering around the city and starting to look for a job!